Very atmospheric, gothic supernatural story with slight touches of romance. Rushed ending, but overall really enjoyed this mystery with a dark twist. Look forward to possible sequels.

Thank you to Bella Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I enjoyed this debut novel that appears to be the first in a new series. Claire Duvall is a deputy sheriff in a small Parish in Louisiana. With water receding in the bayou a skull is found of a child who went missing years before. An undersheriff, Jess Morgan, is on loan to run the department while the elected sheriff is out for medical reasons. The case gets more complex when more bodies are found.

I liked Claire and Jess as they work together. A whole lot is hitting the department but they are professional and follow procedures. There is Voodoo for good and evil mixed into the storyline which I thought enhanced the story. This is listed as the first in a series and I hope the duo returns with another police mystery soon. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for the book and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This is a story about Claire Duvall who is a deputy sheriff in western Louisiana. Jessica Morgan is transferred into her district when the sheriff becomes ill. Claire and Jessica have instant attraction when they first meet. They begin an investigation in the nearby bayou when a child’s skull is found. They ask a local voodoo priest to help them solve the crime.

I enjoyed this mystery romance story. I liked the characters and the setting in the Louisiana bayou. And the creepy voodoo scenes added to the intensity of solving the mystery. I have been to Louisiana and been in the bayou on a tour and the writing was very realistic to me.

It was a good first effort for a debut author. Yes the romance was a bit too easy but believable in this story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book

well who wouldnt like a book about voodoo. magic and the bayou

theres an evil lurking in the bayou and his day is coming....

claire a deputy is called to a scene in the bayou.... a skull had been found but unearthing the rest of the body is going to take a team effort and with crocs around them at all times its a logistic nightmare for all concerned....

once the skeletal remains are safely uncovered its not long before more bodies are found and realising they have a serial killer around them and with a flagging workforce a call for more officers is put out

but its not just the bodies that are found... an attempt on the the chief life puts everyone on high alert....

can their small town really be a haven for a serial kiiller and a port for drugs to be coming in.... high drama indeed

wow what a read...with the bayou and voodoo who wouldnt like this book...
cant wait for the next book from this author...

I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a book that was set in a place I’ve never read before you could really picture how the bayou looked and felt. It was also a nice change of pace to have female main characters that were also the deputies. I hope there will be another book in this series and I will be keeping an eye out for it.

I really enjoyed this. Voodoo x Lesbians x Murder what's not to like? I enjoyed the storyline and the way the investigation kept developing, I had a few guesses of who the main suspect was and I was pleasantly surprised, also by the revelation at the end of the book. I like the ending we got but I also love the fact it still showed hardship and not just your standard ending where everything goes perfect.

Tis book peaked my interest because the setting is different from most books. I like the Louisiana small town idea, the homophobia there, not so much. These religious zealots kinda ruin things for me.
The first 20% or so was difficult for me to get into, there was a lot of religious tal (Christianity and voodoo). While we get a lot of books with some form of Christianity, voodoo was a new experience, I’m uncertain if it was a pleasant one.
I started liking the book more when the religious bits were turned down and the crime amped up, and the entry of our second main character.

The book has some issues with timings in my opinion, it stuck too long on one thing, while other things felt pretty rushed. It seems like a bit of first time published author bumps. Throughout the story I was kind of convinced about knowing who the bad guy was, I was wrong. I like that I was wrong! <- words you won’t hear me say often.

I’ll be on the lookout for the second book in the voodoo bayou series.
3.5 stars

Really good story. There's a lot going on in this book. There's voodoo, a serial killer, witchcraft and found families , and mystery, this book had it all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and trying to figure out what was happening was very intriguing too me. I actually enjoy Books that have several different experiences going on at once it keeps me on my reading toes. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to what's next from this author.

Covers quite a multitude of genres in one story. A serial killer, voodoo (good and bad), Sapphic romance, found family. Well worth reading. Unfortunately not an actual 'whodunnit' as the killer is revealed before the end (although about half way through it was becoming obvious). But quite an exciting ending although possibly not really ended? Not left on a cliffhanger but perhaps some unresolved areas.