Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Review - - Secrets in Cypress Bayou

Secrets in Cypress Bayou
by Susan Sands
Louisiana - Book 2
Publisher: Tule
Release Date: August 16, 2022
Reviewed by PJ


Some secrets are buried deep…


When newly minted attorney Carly Bertrand returns to Cypress Bayou, Louisiana, to be close to her family, her first priority is finding a job. She’s shocked to get an offer from her childhood crush, Tanner Carmichael, whose town roots are as deep as hers. Carly accepts, confident she can help Tanner get his new law practice up and running, and keep her attraction to him under lock and key. She’s no longer a starry-eyed teen admiring from afar.

Their first client is a woman searching for her birth mother who mysteriously disappeared decades ago without a trace. Carly and Tanner take the case and soon find themselves drowning in a swampy patch of secrets, political corruption, and danger. And the further they dig, the more it looks like Tanner’s powerful, narcissistic father is involved.

As they work to unravel the mystery, Carly’s old feelings resurface and Tanner can’t believe the shy girl next door has become such a brilliant, beautiful, and determined woman. Should they risk everything for the truth, including their hearts, or settle for safety?

PJ's Thoughts:

Like the first book in the series, Secrets in Cypress Bayou was an immersive page turner that kept me eagerly reading from start to finish. The characters were multi-layered and fully developed, engaging both my interest and my emotions. Sand's descriptions evoke the culture, food, and flavor of Louisiana and the twisty mystery was filled with surprises that I did not see coming (love when an author can do that). Relationships within Carly's family continued to evolve after the explosive revelations in book one, leaving me shaking my head at some points, occasionally gasping, and helplessly laughing at others because what else can you do with a mother like Carly's? That woman is a piece of work. 

The relationship between Carly and Tanner was slow growing and satisfying. It isn't always easy to move back to your hometown, especially when your family is as dysfunctional as the Bertrands. Sands handles the transition well, as she also does with the changing relationship between Carly and Tanner. I loved how they found their footing with one another as adults and how their attraction - and subsequent feelings - deepened as they worked together to solve the mystery of their client's birth mother's disappearance and attempted to right decades-old wrongs.

Susan Sands' Cypress Bayou has become one of my favorite fictional places to visit. I am beyond eager to discover what she has in store for readers in book three, A Bayou Christmas, due to be published November 1 2022. I already have it on pre-order.

This is a series where I strongly recommend reading the books in order. Book one is Home to Cypress Bayou.







4 comments:

  1. Wonderful review.

    Denise

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    1. Thanks, Denise. I'm really enjoying this series!

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  2. This sounds good! Thank you

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  3. Thank you for the review. This sounds like a good read. Thank you for letting us know that the books really need to be read in order. That makes such a big difference.

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