"Under the Bayou Moon"--by Valerie Fraser Luesse--a master of the Southern novel invites you to enter the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle for the heart and soul of the bayou (see my review)

 

Under the Bayou Moon

Restless with the familiarity of her Alabama home, Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country. Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their culture, most of the people in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher as a boon to the town. She's soon teaching just about everyone--and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives.

Acclimating to a whole new world, Ellie meets a lonely but intriguing Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong.

A master of the Southern novel, Valerie Fraser Luesse invites you to enter the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle for the heart and soul of the bayou.

MY REVIEW:  "Under the Bayou Moon", by Valerie Fraser Luesse, is a captivating inspirational romance set in Post WWII Era Louisiana. With engaging characters and an involving story line, this heartfelt tale will delight readers. When Ellie Fields left her home in Alabama to accept a teaching job in the small Louisiana town of Bernadette, she had no idea of the adventure that awaited. Raphe Broussard is struggling with his decision on whether to become a single father and raise his late brother's son, Remy, or to surrender to local religious pressure and allow the boy to be adopted into a family of strangers. When he follows his heart, he and Ellie and Remy will be set upon a course that will teach them and the whole community the true meaning of love and family--all under the watchful eye and mystical presence of a legendary white alligator. Author Valerie Fraser Luesse has created an atmospheric story filled with appealing characters and a quaint community that readers will find hard to let go.

Book Copy Gratis Revell Books

 

 

 

 

Valerie Fraser Luesse

 

Valerie Fraser Luesse is an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently a senior travel editor. Her work has been anthologized in the audio collection Southern Voices and in A Glimpse of Heaven, an essay collection featuring works by C. S. Lewis, Randy Alcorn, John Wesley, and others. As a freelance writer and editor, she was the lead writer for Southern Living 50 Years: A Celebration of People, Places, and Culture. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse has published major pieces on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Louisiana's Acadian Prairie, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana won the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Luesse earned her bachelor's degree in English at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, and her master's degree in English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She grew up in Harpersville, Alabama, a rural community in Shelby County, and now lives in Birmingham.

https://www.valeriefraserluesse.com/