5 Star Review of Bayou Beauty (Butterfly Bayou #4) by Lexi Blake
It was great to be back in Papillon, Louisiana also known as Butterfly Bayou. Ms.Blake’s writing is so descriptive that I could easily imagine myself in the Bayou. Papillon is a quirky community full of characters that are fun and entertaining, add in the town’s wandering alligator Otis and you know you are in for a wild ride.
Sylvie Martine and Rene Darois are in the spotlight this time and their story was a a great addition to the Butterfly Bayou series. Sylvie is the mayor of Papillon and the last thing she wants or needs is Rene to make an appearance back in her life and turn it upside down.
These two have a past and when the unthinkable happens and he needs a wife in a hurry he turns to his high school girlfriend for help. He always planned to go after her again so this is the perfect opportunity, or is it? Can Rene convince Sylvie to take another chance on love with him?
It is is obvious to everyone around them that the connection that is between them is deep, but Sylvie has been hurt in the past and doesn’t want to let Rene back in. However she doesn't count on his determination and what follows is a a journey that the readers will quickly become invested in .
As always the quirky people of Papillon become involved and that led to some humorous scenes that had me laughing out loud on occasion. A well written, emotional, witty story that will draw you in and leave you wanting more.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I am in love with this series and the stories keep getting better and better. I absolutely fell in love with these characters also. They are strong and complex and I enjoyed being on their journey, even when I wanted to throw my reading device. I love the fun and romance and I swooned throughout this story. I can't wait for more from this series and from this author.

Love returns to the Lousiana Bayou for Sylvie Martine, the mayor of Papillon, Louisiana when an old love returns with an unusual proposal..

Rene Darois has spent his whole life serving and taking care of his family no matter what it cost him. Now in order to save the company created by his grandfather he has to take measures to save it. He needs to find a wife to solidify his standing as CEO. He wants Sylvie to be his wife and is willing to do whatever it takes to convince her. But there is so much underhanded things happening that will threaten any chance he has of convincing Sylvie to give this marriage a real chance.

But when threats are made that can damage Sylvie will Rene do whatever it takes to save the company or save Sylvie?

I lWant to love in the town of Papillon and be friends with all of these characters. I love this story of Sylvia and Rene, I can’t believe that it took Rene so long to get it together. This is a charming town with char,I got characters and you end up cheering them on. And the there is Otis! I love how he shows up In Each book!

What a wonderful town Papillon, Louisiana is! I really like the people there. They seem so real. I get 100% invested when I sit down to read a story about the people there. I loved Sylvie Martine's and Rene Darois' story. They make such a lovely couple. Getting to their Happily Ever After wasn't easy but their journey was a joy for me to read.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Bayou Beauty by L. Blake, published by Berkley, is a stand-alone and book four in the Butterfly Bayou series.
This is Sylvie and Rene's story.
A well written, beautiful, contemporary romance with just the right amount of sweet and the right pace. A great read, 4,5 stars.

In book four of Lexi Blake’s Butterfly Bayou series, Bayou Beauty, we have several tropes that I love.
Brothers Best Friend - Check
Fake Relationship - Check
Marriage Of Convenience - Check
So it shouldn’t be shocking that this small town romance worked for me.

Sylvie Martine has loved Rene Darois since they were kids and she hasn’t gotten over how he pushed her away after a kiss in college. Now ten years later, they are both back in in their hometown of Papillon, Louisiana where she is the mayor and he is running his family company. But in order to keep the company he needs a wife to prove to the board that he is a family man. What starts as Sylvie helping him by marrying him becomes these two remembering their shared past, rekindling their relationship and building a solid future.

Sylvie and Rene worked as a couple for me. I felt their connection from the beginning, how hard it was for him to break if off and then as they rebuilt it was easy to see how they were meant to be. Sylvie had the strength to love Rene but also fight for him and believe in him. Rene was such a conflicting character, he wanted to do the right thing for everybody- his family, his employees, his mom, the town- that the ended up putting himself last. His love for his mother, using his money to better the town and listening to Sylvie’s dreams really made him Swoon Worthy. The details of him providing her a bouquet for their quickie wedding of flowers he handpicked knowing she loved them and seeing him as a puppy parent, gave him a heart.

As with the previous books, I really enjoyed the characters and the town. I instantly feel like I am back in a story with all my old friends. From Sylvie’s family to Otis the alligator, it was fun to catch up with past characters. I extremely disliked Rene’s spoiled rich, greedy, thieving, family and realized who was behind the overall corporate espionage but the accomplice was shocking.

Bayou Beauty’s plot was predictable and there were a few far fetched elements but they didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book. I think anyone that enjoys small town romance with exceptional character development and steamy sex scenes will enjoy this series.

"Did he have any right to bring Sylvie into his world? Would she save him or end up drowning beside him?"

I've really been enjoying getting to know the colorful characters of Butterfly Bayou. They are very entertaining, even the ones that I want to feed to Otis the gator. Sylvie is a badass, and she doesn't back down from whatever life throws her way. I give her momma credit for that. She's the badassest of them all. I kinda have a girl crush on her. Anyway, as I was saying, Sylvie is tough and comes by it honestly. She's exactly the kind of woman Rene needs by his side to deal with his demanding family.

Rene was Sylvie's first love. He left her with a broken heart that never quite healed. When she returns to her hometown, it puts her back in the proximity of those feelings she's been ignoring for years. And when the sexy man in a suit decides that it's time to offer her everything she ever wanted, but not in the way she dreamed of... Is she willing to be the solution to his problem? Doesn't sound very romantic, does it?

This story has a little bit of everything. Love and laughter, sweet and sassy, fun and flirting and then there're the secrets and suspense. And, of course, there's always at least one person to get you riled up and ready to throw your Kindle. I enjoyed that part too. I'm looking forward to whatever the author has for us next. The line forms here...

This book had me hooked. I loved it. Sylvie and Rene have known each other for years and shared one kiss in college before life sent Rene away. Now these two are back in the same town and Rene has his sights set on Sylvie. After a near death experience he realizes how short life is and he needs to grab on and go for what he wants. He needs a wife to keep control of his family's company and uses that as a reason to go after Sylvie. Sometimes love will open our eyes and make us see that anything else just isn't important.

I loved the chase, the push and pull, and finally the HEA.

Bayou Beauty is an enjoyable romance which does a wonderful job of transporting the reader to the climate and terrain of Southern Louisiana. In addition to capturing the flavor of a community with intelligence and humor, Blake delivers a terrific heroine in Sylvie, the town’s mayor. Major and minor characters are well developed, with Sylvie’s friendships also playing an important role in the plot.
I’m not sure what to make of the author’s choice to avoid any description of race in what is surely a multi-ethnic environment, but the story works nevertheless. And although the conflict that kept the couple apart seems a bit far-fetched, the charm of the characters and settings make this an enjoyable read. This was my first visit to Blake’s Butterfly Bayou, but not my last. I can’t wait to read the first three volumes in the series.

Good book and great series! This book was funny but also had lots of family drama and some heartbreak and heartache! It had some steam to it too! I definitely recommend reading this book and series! They're well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Fine but not great. Not quite as convincing as the previous installment in the series. A decade after they first kissed and separated, childhood friends team up in a semi fake arranged marriage for business reasons that they both not so secretly want to make real but continually struggle with trust issues. The main thing is the romance is complicated by class and race differences or should be realistically but the story fails to ever acknowledge these realities. The complete color blind treatment is a bit too otherworldly given the otherwise realistic contemporary context. The upshot is that the characters seems less specifically drawn this time.