Bayou Books In Order

Publication Order of Bayou Books

Bayou is a set of romantic suspense novels written by English-American bestselling author Stella Cameron. The event in the series takes place in Louisiana (in Toussaint and Pointe Judah) and takes passion, murder, lust, and greed and steers them up and serves them Cajun-style.

The author, Stella Cameron began her Bayou Books series publication in 1998 when the debut novel French Quarter was published. Book two and three in the series Cold Day in July and Kiss Them Goodbye were released in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

French Quarter

French Quarter is the first novel in Bayou book series by Stella Cameron. The book introduces Celina Payne a former Miss Louisiana who discovers the corpse of her boss as well as of that of her best friend Errol Petrie lying lifelessly on the floor of her bathroom and dressed only in a green rubber penis ring.

Celina, a daughter of the new Orleans society, teams up with Errol’s deceitful Cajun partner by the name Jack Charbonnet, a co-owner of a riverboat casino to continue the work of Errol’s nonprofit organization by the name Dreams- a charity organization that tries to grant the wishes of dying children.

On the other hand, an evil politician is trying to destroy the work of the Dreams group by rumor mongering that Errol was an alcoholic sex addict. Inescapably, Celina and Jack come to admire each other charming bodies, and the evil Jack is revealed not only as a dedicated father of five-year-old Amelia but also an all-around gallant fellow. Each night he tells bedtime stories to Amelia and walks her to the school each morning. He later proposes to Celina when he learns that she is pregnant (due to rape by the evil politician). On the other hand Jack’s father, a mafia guy was nailed to a fence and then castrated, and also forced to watch his wife raped and killed. Now, these mafia thugs now older also terrorize Celina. Jack and Celina must fight these stalkers and ensure that they live the love life that they deserve.

The author of French Quarter Stella Cameron is a great author. She manages to weave two different stories into one plotline that flows and connects to each other correctly. On the one hand, Jack tries to get revenge for the murders of his parents which he witnessed when he was ten years of age. On the contrary, Celina tries to fight off the unwanted advances from the deceitful politician. All the storylines stay connected, and much is told more than shown. The romance part is showcasing perfectly as well. Jack is a handsome guy, but even though first portrayed as a cunning man, the weight is later lifted from his shoulders after Celina learns that he has a daughter whom he will do anything for her.

The first novel in Bayou series is an interesting read; it contains all the elements for a captivating story; the high society, murder, politics, family sagas, the mob, blackmail, adultery, priest who seems to in doubt with his vacation and much more. There is a strong connection between the hero and the heroin, Jack and Celina and the chemistry that develops between them is one of a kind. Jack is a loving and a caring man. He not only cares for his daughter but also for Celina. He falls in love with Celine despite the fact that she is expecting the child from another man due to a result of rape. He is a dynamic and courageous man despite his troubled past; he is also thirst for vengeance.

Cold Day in July

Stella Cameron delivers another thrilling romantic suspense second book in her Bayou Books series. Cold Day in July takes place in Toussaint, a small town in Bayou which has of late witnessed strings of murder targeted on women, even though the recently looks like a pure accident with no hidden motives. Marc Girard returns to town with the notion that the recently dead woman might have been his sister in disguise. He embarks on his investigation with his sidekick, Dr. Rebecca, “Reb” O’Brien who had examined all the three bodies. The sleuths, Marc and Reb, were romantically involved back during the college days, and this perfect opportune gives them a chance to rekindle their college relationship.

Cameron is a prolific author when it comes to fitting romance in a suspenseful narrative. The romance in this novel is interesting, how the two once college lovers rekindle their relationship makes them great characters. The dialogue introduced in the book is quite engaging, and the author makes sure that all the unanswered questions are finally answered during the climax. The novel chapters connect from one the next in such a way that you will be able to connect with the chapters. The characters are well crafted, and their interactions are one that you will love most.

Kiss Them Goodbye

Vivian Patin inherits the Rosebanks, a family estate that has seen better days and she is determined into turning it into one of the famous and fruitful hotels. Her lawyer phones her and informs her that he has great news- new that will give her and her mother financial security- and so she waits for his arrival in expectation. However what she discovers is his body with a lipstick mark and how to recover the information that her lawyer was meant to deliver to her. However, someone else is desperately searching for the files, someone who will stop at nothing to ensure that he/she gets these files even if it means that more people will have to die.

Bayou series by Stella Cameron are best of the romantic suspense novels you will ever read. Many of the novels in this Bayou series feature pretty much of the similar characters and plots, but each of the novels is a great read with something new to learn. In each book of the series, someone is murdered, Hero and the Heroine are thrown together to investigate. Some random evil couple is present to serve as red herrings and also have some romance with other people. Eventually the murderer, someone whom the character never expected ends tips his/her hand by trying to kill the heroine. The hero’s featured is strong, and a straight forward person who speaks his mind. On the other hand, the heroine is strong independent women, and this means that they are likely to run into trouble.