Review: Voodoo on the Bayou - Elle James

“By day a frog, by night a man, ‘til de next full moon...”

At first, lawyer and ladies’ man Craig Thibodeaux thought Madame LeBieu’s chant was a strange bayou joke. But the voodoo worked and Craig is spending his days as...well, a small green frog. Now he has only two weeks to find love, or his new froggy transformation becomes permanent.

When she receives the anonymous toxic water sample from Bayou Miste, research scientist Elaine Smith decides a trip to the bayou is the perfect excuse to escape the lab, and forget about her cheating ex-fiancé. Then she accidentally stumbles upon Craig’s oh-so-fine naked form, and her science-nerd brain is overrun with naughty thoughts about her new gorgeous night-time bayou guide.

But there’s more to Bayou Miste than voodoo curses and sexy late-night trysts. Dark secrets threaten the delicate ecosystem, and there are those who would do anything to keep those secrets hidden. Even murder...

Cajun Magic Series:
Voodoo on the Bayou
Voodoo for Two
Deja Voodoo

Visit Elle James's website for more information

Review:
Ladies man Craig is a confirmed bachelor, happy to love women and leave them before moving on to the next one. His womanising ways get him into trouble when one of his dates gets revenge by asking a voodoo queen to curse him. Now Craig spends his days as a frog and his nights as a man and he only has until the next full moon to find someone to love him or he will be forced to live out the rest of his days as a frog. Elaine is a scientist who was sent an anonymous toxic water sample from someone in the bayou. She normally spends her days in the lab but she has a very good reason to want to get away for a bit so she decides to investigate the source of the pollution herself rather than send someone else to do it. Craig is Elaine's night time guide to the bayou and although they have an intense physical attraction will Craig really be able to win her heart in such a short amount of time?

I absolutely love fairytale retellings so as soon as I read the blurb for Voodoo on the Bayou I knew I had to read the book. I'm glad I did because this turned out to be such a fun story and it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. I was excited to learn that this is the first book in Elle James's Cajun Magic series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment. I loved the setting for this story, as someone who has always wanted to visit New Orleans and the bayou I really enjoy reading books set there, especially ones that make it so easy to picture the scenery and the colourful characters who live there.

The best thing about this book was the characters though, Elaine is a highly intelligent and compassionate woman but she has spent most of her life buried in her studies or lab work which makes her quite innocent when it comes to interacting with people. She isn't a naive little virgin but she has never really explored her sexuality or her passionate side. Craig works as a high powered lawyer and his goals in life revolve around making partner in the family firm while avoiding commitment when it comes to women. He is happy to play the field but he does always make it clear upfront that he isn't interested in a long term relationship. Elaine turns his life upside down, she makes him question his way of life and she makes him want to be a better person. At the same time he brings out a more playful and fun side to Elaine and helps her let her hair down. They are complete opposites but they work really well together and their chemistry was hot enough to blow the roof off!

Alongside the romance you also have the mystery about who is poisoning the bayou which added a nice extra element to the story. It doesn't take long before Elaine and Craig attract the wrong kind of attention during their investigation and they soon find their lives at risk. Voodoo on the Bayou is a fairly light hearted paranormal romance and it was a book I found incredibly easy to devour. This was the first book I've read by Elle James but it definitely won't be the last and I'm already looking forward to Voodoo for Two which is published in April. If you like fairytale retellings and you like the sound of an adult version of The Frog Prince then you're going to love this book.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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