Sahara gets lost in the bayou and is found by Jacque and Quint. They take her to their home and start getting cozy before being broken up by Quint's wife, Lisette. Jacques continues. He wants her and is starting to feel something, but he won't call it love. Sahara was sent to the bayou to get photos of rare orchids. She shares her dreams with Jacque about a photography career, money, and a big fancy house but she does not share her childhood which makes her want those things. Jacque gets mad as he is looking for a woman who loves him, not his alter ego, Jack Kershaw, CEO of Cajun Hot. Sahara keeps trying to escape but is brought back each time. Jacque is trying to break her down to admit she loves him. When that happens, he decides to let her go. She then learns the truth about him. Will she go? Will she stay? Do they both love each other?

I enjoyed this story. It was fun. It was outrageous. It was hot! I liked Jacque. He did everything he could to see if she would pass his test. He never thought she would have a test. He's shocked that he was outmaneuvered. Sahara is strong. She is going to make him earn his way back to her. When he does, she gets him back. It was so fun to watch!

I look forward to more from this author.

Okay, I can’t do it.

Remy has a pet gator, his name is Useless, and I love him.

The buddy read has been chosen!!!!! Southern Fried Reads and I will be indulging in Tall, Dark, and Cajun by Sandra Hill. I'm so pumped, you don't even know. 

Cozy mysteries are perfect when life feels hard and you want to escape somewhere that feels fairly uncomplicated, even if people are being murdered.  This series, set in small town Louisiana, is one of the stronger ones to come out in recent years.  It's not perfect by any stretch, but it's got good bones, so to speak.

Mardi Gras Murder takes place very soon after a fairly catastrophic flood sweeps through, one that leaves behind the body of a John Doe.  At first presumed to have been a victim of the flood waters, an autopsy reveals he was shot.  As the town rebuilds and focuses on their Mardi Gras celebrations, a judge of the local beauty contest is also shot and killed, and in spite of any evidence, our MC Maggie has a gut feeling the two are related.  Of course they are.  After attempted murder is tried on another judge, Maggie starts looking for connections to the John Doe.

The beauty contest is a total red herring; that's not a spoiler either, as it's pretty obvious from the get go that it's meant to be.  The real ties that kill are much more investing that a vapid beauty contest, though the ultimate motivation behind them is just as shallow and meaningless. 

Still, the author writes a solid setting with strong characters - all of them, men and women, good and bad.  If the plotting and murder motivations aren't as strong as they could be, they're surrounded by a lot that is.  The backdrop and characters are why I probably rated this higher than I should, objectively speaking.  But I got happily lost in backwater Louisiana for a day or two, and I'll happily get lost in it again, should the author write another.