Bayou Dreaming by Lexi Blake

Title: Bayou Dreaming
Series: A Butterfly Bayou Novel
Author: Lexi Blake

Bayou Dreaming, an all-new charming contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake is available now!

 

He’s determined to win her back by any means necessary.

Bayou Dreaming, an all-new charming contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake is available now!

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake’s heartfelt contemporary romance set in Louisiana’s Butterfly Bayou

Roxanne King left the big city looking for a simpler life, but after years of proving herself on a SWAT team in New York City, being deputy in a sleepy Louisiana parish is something of an adjustment. She’s settling in, but she knows she made some mistakes in the beginning–Zep Guidry being the worst of them. Zep drifts through life on his looks and Cajun charm. Roxie learned the hard way he’s not for her.

Zep is a man who knows what he wants, and what he wants is Roxie. He’s just not sure how to get her. They spent one hot night together a year before and now all the lovely deputy seems interested in doing to him is arresting him. He’s not used to a woman he can’t charm, but Roxie seems immune. He’s determined to win her back by any means necessary. Including becoming the kind of man she desires.

And when Roxie’s past comes calling, it might be the opportunity Zep needs to show Roxie that the town bad boy might just be the man of her dreams.

 

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The door opened and Lila walked in. “I’ve got good news and bad news. You do have a concussion, but it’s minor and my brother says the rest of your brain looks great. So you’ll be fine, but I either need to send you to the hospital for observation for the day or someone needs to stay with you.”

“I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t about to go to the hospital. No way. “Just give me some instructions and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be completely in my hair because, like I said, I need to know someone is watching you for the next twelve hours,” Lila explained. “I can do that by driving you an hour and a half to the hospital, checking you in, and then having someone pick you up late in the evening. Or you can have a friend stay with you today. I would tell you to hang out here at the clinic, but we’re closed this morning. I’m going to Noelle’s science fair. If we can ever trick another NP to come down here, well, we’ll still be closed sometimes.”

It was weird since hospitals didn’t close in New York, but this clinic was the nearest thing they had to a hospital in Papillon. Lila would definitely insist on driving her since she wasn’t even letting her lie on the couch by herself. There was no way Lila would let her get behind the wheel.

“I swear I’ll be cool,” she promised. “I’ll sign one of those forms and everything will be okay. I don’t mind signing it.”

“You want to sign an AMA?” Lila’s eyes had widened slightly but not in a surprised way. Nope. Roxie knew that look. It was the “dumbass said what” look.

“You’re not leaving against medical advice,” Armie declared with a frown.

She didn’t have anyone to call. She quickly went through the short list of people she knew well enough to ask for a favor. She pretty much only knew the guys she worked with. She worked and then went home. She got the occasional beer, and sometimes she hung out with Lila. That was the sum of who she might be able to ask.

Major was working. He would have been called in to take over the rest of her shift and his own. Armie would be at his daughter’s school event. Vince would be working with Major, and the fourth deputy, Chris, had recently hired on and was moving today.

The door opened and Zep walked in, Daisy on a leash, though she obviously wasn’t trained. She squirmed and strained against the leash the minute she got in the room.

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure you were all right before I head into Houma,” he said. “Also wanted to give you the chance to say good-bye to Daisy.”

If she didn’t find someone to “watch” over her, Armie would likely do it himself. Or they would have to spend their whole day driving back and forth to the hospital. He would miss his daughter’s science fair, and it wasn’t some elementary event where they showed off homemade volcanoes. Noelle was in her senior year of high school and competing for scholarships.

Also, she might save the puppy from having to go to some horrible shelter.

She looked at Zep. She knew what she was about to say was a mistake, but she didn’t see that she had any other choice. She was desperate. “I need someone to make sure I can wake up every couple of hours.”

Zep stopped and looked around as though trying to make sure she was talking to him. “You want me to call my sister or something?”

His sister and her husband, Harrison Jefferys, owned a B and B, the nicest one in town. That could be the solution. She could check in for the day and sleep on the couch in the great room. She’d heard their family dog was almost like a nanny to their little boy. Maybe he could be a nurse, too. “Does she have any rooms open?”

Armie huffed and Lila started shaking her head as though they both knew she planned to ask a dog to help her out before she’d ask the human male in the room.

Zep nodded as though that was what he’d expected. “Sorry. I was talking to Sera and Harry last night and they’re completely booked. They’ve got a big family coming down for the week. From somewhere back East.”

Then she didn’t have a choice. She closed her eyes and wished the ground would swallow her up. It would be easier than doing what she had to do now. She sighed and opened her eyes because the ground was still firm beneath her. “Would you do it?”

The slowest, sexiest smile crossed his face. “I can definitely wake you up, darlin’. Though I’m more used to putting pretty ladies to sleep. Wait. That came out wrong. Never mind. I can do it.”

She already regretted the choice.

 

I was so happy to return to Butterfly Bayou in Lexi Blake’s Bayou Dreaming. I just love these small-town romances set in Louisiana. The characters are fun, colorful, and just good people. Like, I would love to be able to visit there, stay at the B&B, and just hang with the people of this town!

Bayou Dreaming is an opposites-attract romance setting up the town’s bad boy with the only female officer. You know the sparks are about to fly when they come close to one another.

I absolutely love both of these misunderstood characters. They are both so much deeper than the image they project to others and even how they see themselves. Everyone sees Zep as a man who can and does get any woman he wants, a man who doesn’t take life seriously and never finishes what he starts. This image is so prominent in their minds that they forget to look deeper to the man who is always there to help anyone who needs, who will put his needs second to someone he loves because he would rather be there for them. Roxanne has kept everyone at a distance since she moved from New York City to Papillion, Louisiana. She sees this as a temporary stopover, so she keeps her walls sky high and just does her job.

What starts off as a fake romance quickly morphs into the real deal. These two were absolutely meant for each other. I truly enjoyed watching them lower their walls as they let each other into their hearts. As they began to see themselves through the other’s eyes. The growth that these two had was so wonderful to see.

Each book in this series can easily be read alone, but once you read one, you will be like me and be greedy and want more and more! This small-town romance will hook you from the start with its sweet and sexy tale of two people who were meant to be together.

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

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