Atmospheric Southern gothic set on a decaying Louisiana plantation on the bayou. This book was incredibly written, featuring a powerful bond about two adult siblings, now grown, who return to their family home to bury their mother. The mother who abandoned them to the care of their aunt 25 years prior, after their father had committed suicide by hanging himself from the top balcony.

The pacing, the characters, the back story, the incredible ending - I can't say enough how awesome I think this story is. Read it!

This gothic horror has everything you want for a cozy horror read with the stereotypical characters and settings. I was however, not captivated by it.

While I greatly enjoyed my previous Blaine Daigle novel this one fell so short.

I just could not connect with any of the characters or what was happening. This is not a story that will stick with me for very long at all.

Review: A Dark Roux by Blaine Daigle

*Note, I received an advanced copy of this late last year and didn't get to it in time. Apologies. I have read a copy off of Kindle Unlimited*
Thank you to Wicked House publishing, Netgalley, and the author

Quotes: "This is a world that time did not forget, but purposely left alone."

"The only things in the bayou longer than memories were grudges."

"There was a serenity to the world as well, a quietness that might fool one into thinking the place a normal ecosystem. But that was just its usual daytime slumber. The place came alive at night."

Review: The story of a sister and younger brother who have to return to their childhood home after their mother has passed away.
There's a lot of bad, unexplainable, and traumatic memories associated with it.
But that's not all that's still there.
Both Rhiannon & Rhett will have to confront their childhood and the things that haunt them still to this day.

The writing of this made the Bayou itself come alive and be a character itself. I didn't know where the story was going. The strong atmospheric writing made for a great reading experience. Often creepy and detailed, it makes for a terrific summer horror story.
I would absolutely recommend this to horror fans. I give it 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks for reading. 📚

Blaine Daigle is a fantastic author. I read another of his books The Broken Places; which was really good also. This book was so well written and has a great story that gets you super involved and wanting to know more.
Family issues dominate the narrative, there is also a mystery, an awesome atmosphere and some massive plot twists.
This book took the spooky Lousiana Bayou setting straight from the start and just created a more creepier stage the farther and farther you get into the book.
Not only is there culture in this book but we also get a view of these character's nightmares (the things that haunt them) as kids and then again when they have grown up and have to go back to their childhood home. It definitely keeps you on edge.

I am so glad to have found Wicked House Publishing (and joined their Facebook group) because they are getting some amazing authors (who I am learning about and getting to read their books now) but also publishing some fantastic books. So far every book I have read that they have published has been great.

This was my first Blaine Daigle book and I look forward to reading more of his books. If you're looking for unique story with unique setting this is it, fully immerse yourself into the swampy Louisiana with a lot of family trauma and eerie setting.

This was a slow paced book. It was okay, I gave it 3 stars. It goes back and forth from past and present. It takes place in Louisana and has to do with a brother and sister going back to their childhood home after their mom dies and they go to tie up loose ends. They start dealing with childhood trauma and some weird things start taking place.

Mr Daigle has created some fantastic world building in this book.

this is personal preference but I found the writing style easy to read. The plot was thrilling, and I went out and purchased the book after I finished. I enjoyed it that much.

I really enjoyed A Dark Roux. The characters were very realistic, the pacing was great and I became quite immersed in the story all the way to the end.

I enjoyed reading this atmospheric bayou tale of trauma, family, and sacrifice. This novel kept me engaged and invested in our MCs: siblings who have to come back to the plantation they lived at through their childhood. I give this a 4/5 stars.

A Dark Roux was amazing. The brooding atmosphere and setting…the Bayou, was the perfect place for some dark magic and a haunted house tale.

The Le Beau house is the epicenter of tragedy and destruction. A sugarcane plantation full of scary monsters (Rougoru anyone?) ghosts and a simmering evil.

Siblings Rhiannon and Rhett are called back to the house they left for their mother’s death. They have face the past and the evil that lingers there.

For fans of haunted house tales, atmosphere and great character development.

Well this was an unexpected spooky treat! This read quite like a movie, I can definitely imagine it on screen. Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It is something that I wouldn't normally pick up but it got great reviews from my Book bestie that I had to give it a go. I will defiantly be picking up more Blaine Daigle books in the future.

I didn’t know what I was expecting when I read A Dark Roux as I went into it completely blind. But, let me tell you, Blaine Daigle knows how to spin one heck of a ghost story. Set in the Louisiana bayou, the beginning starts right in with atmospheric spooky world building. I loved the eerie feeling of the black bayou, teamed with spookiness of the moss trees and all the living and nonliving creatures. It has you hooked from the beginning. The story is about the La Beau family and their sugarcane plantation which has been in the family for generations deep in the heart of the bayou. Rhiannon and Rhett are the last children to inhabit the huge mansion. This book has twists and turns and an unexpected and sad ending. But it takes 15 years to get there after their mother, Miranda is found dead in her rocking chair surrounded by crushed red brick that is used to ward off evil spirits. There is a lot to this novel as it seamlessly goes between the tragic year of 1999 to the present. It is filled with townspeople that will have nothing to do with the remaining, less the dad, LaBeau clan stating that Miranda is a witch that practices voodoo magic, and her coven of two children. Bump screech Bumps in the night, monsters, voodoo and spirits stuck in the “in between”. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author and adding them to my list. His prose and use of figurative language are spot on.
Thank you #netgalley and #wickedhousepublishing for allowing me to review this book

First thing I will tell you is I will be devouring anything Blaine Daigle writes. I loved this book. I read as much of it as I could in the dark after everybody went to bed. The first night I read it, I read the prologue and chapter 1. That night I had dreams about the bayou. You KNOW it's going to be good. The character development was perfect, the storyline was wonderful. I loved everything about this book. And it didn't end like I was expecting, which made it better and worse. Do yourself a favor and go pick it up.

Blaine Daigle's "A Dark Roux" takes you deep into the eerie and mysterious Louisiana bayou, where the LeBeau family's ancestral home holds secrets darker than the murky waters surrounding it.

The story jumps between different times, weaving a tale of family trauma and supernatural intrigue. Rhiannon and Rhett, the last of the LeBeau line, reluctantly return to their childhood home after their mother's strange death. But what awaits them there is beyond their darkest nightmares.

Daigle paints a vivid picture of the Southern Gothic atmosphere, making you feel like you're right there in the bayou, surrounded by the sights and sounds of its haunted landscape. However, some readers might find themselves tapping their fingers waiting for the big reveal, as the tension builds slowly but surely.

The story grips you with its exploration of family secrets, redemption, and the eerie power of the bayou itself.

For anyone fascinated by voodoo, witchcraft, or just loves a good old-fashioned ghost story set in the South, "A Dark Roux" is definitely worth a read. Blaine Daigle proves themselves as a storyteller to keep an eye on, with a talent for blending the supernatural with the deeply human.

*I received a free ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very spooky read and the plot was great! I didn’t know what to expect every turn which I loved. I love reading about anything Louisiana and the bayou. Miranda was such an interesting character. And the big reveal of her fathers death?! Woah.

This is a haunting and beautifully written. This author has a way of making sure the reader feels all the emotions all the way to their hearts, but he also manages to creep you out as well.

Having enjoyed his previous work, Broken Places, I can safely say that I’ll be in the lookout for what Blaine Daigle comes up with next, as he’s easily become one of my auto buy authors as of this moment.

Read this if you like some heart along with your creepy horror, because this book has them both.

This book had everything I am craving in a story right now! Old, creepy, gothic, haunted house full of mystery and secrets. I love flash backs that fill in gaps and the twists kept me guessing with every turn. I was legitimately scared at times reading at night and found myself trying to piece things together throughout the day. Fantastic read and keen to read more by Blaine Daigle in future! Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing work, it was a real treat!

This was dark from the very beginning! Creeped into my gothic horror love from the first chapter. The atmosphere fully seduces you then the prose grips a tight hold on you. I picked this up because I have been looking for a eerie horror set in Louisiana and it delivers tremendously. The characters had such a dark history but did not feel they were deep characters to really connect with. Ominous, tense, and filled with twist and turns.

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing, Blaine Daigle and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!