Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

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.

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of Missing Isaac, Almost Home, and The Key to Everything, as well as an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave.

I have had the chance to read a few novels by Valerie Fraser Luesse, and it has quickly become quite apparent that she has quite a way with storytelling! Under the Bayou Moon is another fantastic example of those storytelling skills. Set in the late 40s along the Lousianna, Bayou this book transports us back to a different place in time and makes us feel as if we are there experiencing it there ourselves. The characters were wonderfully written and truly helped to draw readers into the story... and oh what a story it was! If you love a sweet historical romance with an amazing southern setting, this is one book that you will definitely want to add to your TBR.