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Emerald #2
Bayou Bodyguard: A Mystery Novel
Bodyguard Brian Marcentel knew Justine Chatry had a job to do, but so did he. He’d been hired to keep her safe—from whatever lurked behind the walls of a long-neglected mansion. And yet, the beautiful researcher insisted on helping him investigate every suspicious noise and following him through the murky bayou as he tracked down trespassers. All of that paled in comparison, though, to his greatest challenge: trying to resist her when the fear took over and she looked to him for protection.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
606 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Jana Deleon
102 books4,228 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.
Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.
Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.
Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.
Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.
She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 20, 2013
I have to say that I love the way Jana DeLeon writes. She's become an insta-buy with me and I'm sad because I've gotten to the end of her backlist. Nooooooooo. (Ms. DeLeon, please write faster.) Having said that, I liked the previous book in this "series" better. The Secret of Cypriere Bayou (Harlequin Intrigue) just felt...stronger, but when I stop to think about it, I can't say why. I think I just liked it better...and it's hard to bump this book down a star just because I have a favorite child.
I really liked the male main character in this one. Brian was so fantastic, you'd have wanted to slap Justine if she DIDN'T go for him. He even forgave her for a few things without drama. (This is a pet peeve of mine--when one MC does something completely stupid but appropriate character/plot-wise and it becomes an elephant in the corner thing. This wasn't that way.)
Another reviewer mentioned the house becomes a third character in this...like it was a bad thing...which I wouldn't have seen it as regardless, but the dark history of the house is a huge aspect of the mystery. Once again in this book, there is also a supernatural aspect that pervades the tone and I've never seen any other author handle just a hint of supernatural so well. Most of us get a shiver at an unexplained bump in the night or we've experienced that feeling of "someone walking over our grave" when something happens that we just can't rationalize out with science. This book falls just inside that realm...the things we can't explain but we try to. So, whether you're a fan of the supernatural or not, you will enjoy this book even if you have to say to yourself, "Well...this is what had to have happened," like you would in real life.
This series of books and all of Jana DeLeon's books are thrillers...both because they make you a bit shivery...and because they will thrill you.
Here was my favorite quote from the story--and it's freaking Hollywood brilliant:
"Mr. Breaux," Brian said, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to scare us with a ghost story."
Tom shook his head. "And that would be where you're wrong, sir. I'm trying to warn you with a ghost story. You should already be scared."
I really liked the male main character in this one. Brian was so fantastic, you'd have wanted to slap Justine if she DIDN'T go for him. He even forgave her for a few things without drama. (This is a pet peeve of mine--when one MC does something completely stupid but appropriate character/plot-wise and it becomes an elephant in the corner thing. This wasn't that way.)
Another reviewer mentioned the house becomes a third character in this...like it was a bad thing...which I wouldn't have seen it as regardless, but the dark history of the house is a huge aspect of the mystery. Once again in this book, there is also a supernatural aspect that pervades the tone and I've never seen any other author handle just a hint of supernatural so well. Most of us get a shiver at an unexplained bump in the night or we've experienced that feeling of "someone walking over our grave" when something happens that we just can't rationalize out with science. This book falls just inside that realm...the things we can't explain but we try to. So, whether you're a fan of the supernatural or not, you will enjoy this book even if you have to say to yourself, "Well...this is what had to have happened," like you would in real life.
This series of books and all of Jana DeLeon's books are thrillers...both because they make you a bit shivery...and because they will thrill you.
Here was my favorite quote from the story--and it's freaking Hollywood brilliant:
"Mr. Breaux," Brian said, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to scare us with a ghost story."
Tom shook his head. "And that would be where you're wrong, sir. I'm trying to warn you with a ghost story. You should already be scared."
April 5, 2023
This book is the second half of the Cyprierre duo of books about the deserted mansion called laMaldediction. I liked the first one better. The heroine here was more than a little all up in her own head, which is rather funny as she was deathly afraid she had an inherited mental illness and kept pushing the hero off because of that. I loved the hero, a solid guy who was attracted to the heroine, but trying to do his job even when she made that difficult. The mystery kept me reading and guessing to the end.
Brian Marcentel needs a break from his job with the New Orleans Police Department and when his friend, John, asks him to act as a bodyguard to a researcher doing work at an old mysterious mansion, laMaldediction, he agrees. Something about the gorgeous researcher is familiar to Brian, but the attraction is intense and hot.
Justine Chatry is a woman with a lot of secrets. She jumped at the opportunity to do the research at laMaldediction because research into her own family had led her to believe she may be connected to it. But her previous connection to the hunky bodyguard is something she doesn't want discovered, ever.
From the moment they arrive someone or something tries to drive them away. Justine is determined to solve the mysteries of this long-neglected mansion and answer some of the questions about her own part in it.
Brian Marcentel needs a break from his job with the New Orleans Police Department and when his friend, John, asks him to act as a bodyguard to a researcher doing work at an old mysterious mansion, laMaldediction, he agrees. Something about the gorgeous researcher is familiar to Brian, but the attraction is intense and hot.
Justine Chatry is a woman with a lot of secrets. She jumped at the opportunity to do the research at laMaldediction because research into her own family had led her to believe she may be connected to it. But her previous connection to the hunky bodyguard is something she doesn't want discovered, ever.
From the moment they arrive someone or something tries to drive them away. Justine is determined to solve the mysteries of this long-neglected mansion and answer some of the questions about her own part in it.
November 14, 2021
Hero: Brian
Heroine: Justine
This book wasn’t listed as an interracial book on Hoopla, but it is. Brian is white and Justine is black. I do not want to spoil the book for anyone. The description basically tells what the book is about. Brian is Justine’s bodyguard. She was hired to find emeralds for Justine’s friend’s girlfriend Olivia. Justine took the job, because she wanted to find out about her history.
In my opinion, Brian and Justine didn’t have any chemistry. Something happened that led them to sleep together. After sleeping together, Brian basically wanted to marry Justine. Nah, I didn’t buy that. I know that a lot of suspense book don’t focus too much on romance, although they are said to be romance books, but the love wasn’t there. Their hook up was rushed. I don’t like when the hero and heroine are thrown together just because.
I was glad to see that this book didn’t focus on sex. The sex scene wasn’t detailed.
Heroine: Justine
This book wasn’t listed as an interracial book on Hoopla, but it is. Brian is white and Justine is black. I do not want to spoil the book for anyone. The description basically tells what the book is about. Brian is Justine’s bodyguard. She was hired to find emeralds for Justine’s friend’s girlfriend Olivia. Justine took the job, because she wanted to find out about her history.
In my opinion, Brian and Justine didn’t have any chemistry. Something happened that led them to sleep together. After sleeping together, Brian basically wanted to marry Justine. Nah, I didn’t buy that. I know that a lot of suspense book don’t focus too much on romance, although they are said to be romance books, but the love wasn’t there. Their hook up was rushed. I don’t like when the hero and heroine are thrown together just because.
I was glad to see that this book didn’t focus on sex. The sex scene wasn’t detailed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2015
it was ok. Romance between Justine and Brian seemed forced. There was hardly any conversation between them so it was really strange that they wanted to get married at the end of the book.
June 23, 2022
Loved it. When I first started reading, I thought "Oh no! Not no voodoo" But it was actually a good story. Love Jana Deleon's books!
March 6, 2024
Well written as expected, and intriguing, but the ending really left more questions than answers and wrapped up very abruptly.
March 16, 2017
Great book and definitely recommend!! But read this one first!!
The Secret of Cypriere Bayou https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
The Secret of Cypriere Bayou https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
July 26, 2018
This is only one of two Jana DeLeon books that I haven't liked. This one was really good until the end, but the ending left me with lots of questions.
April 23, 2022
OMG, tunnels?! And a basement? In south Louisiana, where the water table is basically six inches below the surface? Yeah, no, that doesn’t happen.
September 23, 2022
Loved it!!! SOOO SOOO MUCH!!! Thought I'd found ANOTHER author to binge over but I was very surprised to see it was one of my FAVORITES writing in a very different style than I was used to from her. It is a DARN GREAT BOOK!!!! The MYSTERY!!! So many mysteries!! The fear factor was way up on this one too!!! The STEAMY parts were just right . I don't need all the details in that dept. so it was perfect. It has LOADS of secrets in it!! Even a LOT of secret passageways into and out of the old Southern mansions and one of them was SO SCARY and CREEPY!!! There is just so much going on in this book!!! SO MUCH you don't even get to til the end!! I couldn't put it down for one second!!
April 18, 2022
I enjoyed trying to figure out who was responsible for the kidnapping of a little girl in a small town in Louisianna. The swamp setting with the possibility of dangerous creatures and people lurking nearby also added to the tension in the conflict of the story. Mrs. DeLeon did a good job of moving the plot. I would have liked for there to have been more character development than there was. I have already checked out the second book in this series to see what the author does with another mystery in the same town.
July 20, 2022
Jana Deleon through and through
I’ve never been one for Harlequin romances, but this is really more mystery than romance, with a brief, very softcore pornish sex scene thrown in. (Is that the attraction of Harlequin? I’m 65 and this is the first one I’ve read. Anais Nin this ain’t.) But this is distinctly Jana, with the small town bayou characters throughout. Not funny like her Fortune books but you can see similarities with her strong female protagonist. Any Jana fan would enjoy this.
I’ve never been one for Harlequin romances, but this is really more mystery than romance, with a brief, very softcore pornish sex scene thrown in. (Is that the attraction of Harlequin? I’m 65 and this is the first one I’ve read. Anais Nin this ain’t.) But this is distinctly Jana, with the small town bayou characters throughout. Not funny like her Fortune books but you can see similarities with her strong female protagonist. Any Jana fan would enjoy this.
April 5, 2020
This was much more in line with the writing style I've come to know and love from Jana Deleon. A great wrap up to the Cyprierre Series. Completely intriguing and riveting. I still have reservations about why such a strong female lead succumbs to adolescent fears that limit her abilities to the extent she needs a man to rescue her, but I guess that knight-in-shining-armor complex reads well and furthers the story line. All in all very entertaining and suspenseful. Really 4.5 stars
November 23, 2021
It was a quick read. Being from the south I enjoyed the details about New Orleans and the bayou and how the small town life affected their jobs. It had a good amount of suspense for it being a more surface level romance novel.
Overall enjoyed the plot. I felt like there was a good storyline other than “we met and fell in love, the end”.
Love these shorter romances that are easy reads. It feels like watching a hallmark movie, but slightly less cringe.
Overall enjoyed the plot. I felt like there was a good storyline other than “we met and fell in love, the end”.
Love these shorter romances that are easy reads. It feels like watching a hallmark movie, but slightly less cringe.
August 5, 2023
That was exactly the follow-up I needed to John and Olivia’s book. I was kind of hoping to see John’s sister as the heroine, but I think with all their past connections, Justine was an even better partner for Brian. The sinister, gothic atmosphere kept me perched on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t wait for them to find out what I was pretty sure was the answer to who was the new villain. This was the perfect way to close out the mysteries surrounding laMalediction.
August 10, 2020
Keeps you guessing.
One minor detail. We lived halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Basements do not exist in Southern Louisiana. The water table is so high that basements would flood. If you can ignore this idiosyncracy, you will enjoy the book. I found the story interesting.
One minor detail. We lived halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Basements do not exist in Southern Louisiana. The water table is so high that basements would flood. If you can ignore this idiosyncracy, you will enjoy the book. I found the story interesting.
April 9, 2021
Another wonderful book
Another wonderful book from a wonderful author. From the first paragraph I could not put it down. I read straight through into the wee hours of the night. I won't give away any of the story line, but I will say it is a great mystery that will keep you guessing.
Another wonderful book from a wonderful author. From the first paragraph I could not put it down. I read straight through into the wee hours of the night. I won't give away any of the story line, but I will say it is a great mystery that will keep you guessing.
January 31, 2024
Yet again, I started reading a book I had no idea was part of a series. This was the 2nd book of the "Emerald" series. I was able to continue reading the book as a stand alone but it completely spoiled the first book. This was entertaining and maybe if I had read the books in order I would have rated it higher. The mystery plot was good and had lots of twists and turns that I didn't predict.
July 10, 2025
Quite an easy read - the characters could do with a bit more depth. All in all a fairly predictable story ending with a classic “I’d have gotten away with it if it weren’t for that meddlin’ woman”. Also it’s a standalone story but I feel there’s too much story missing or being referred to; it feels like I’ve missed a whole previous book
April 27, 2018
Great story!
This is the first book I have read from this author and really really liked this story ! All characters were well thought out and everything just flowed like a good book should !
This is the first book I have read from this author and really really liked this story ! All characters were well thought out and everything just flowed like a good book should !
March 22, 2020
It's a Harlequin
So, yes it was Jana's writing, but it was as formulaic as you'd expect from a Harlequin novel. Still very solid, just not as intricate and groundbreaking emotionally as Ms. DeLeon's non-Harlequin novels. Worth a read if you like mystery and romance!
So, yes it was Jana's writing, but it was as formulaic as you'd expect from a Harlequin novel. Still very solid, just not as intricate and groundbreaking emotionally as Ms. DeLeon's non-Harlequin novels. Worth a read if you like mystery and romance!
May 30, 2020
En la misma línea que el primero. Bastante entretenido, para pasar el rato es muy buena lectura. Creo que me ha gustado incluso más que el primero, no sé, tenía más acción y esta pareja me ha gustado más que la otra, así que una buena lectura.
July 11, 2020
Spookie
Truly a thriller with romance thrown in. Well written with twists and turns befitting a southern mystery. I began reading this book as thunderstorms moved in which made for atmosphere to set the stage for Dookie mystery.
Truly a thriller with romance thrown in. Well written with twists and turns befitting a southern mystery. I began reading this book as thunderstorms moved in which made for atmosphere to set the stage for Dookie mystery.
September 12, 2021
Amazing book! The plot was captivating and the main characters were very dynamic. So glad when I picked this book up to find it was a sequel to "The Secret of Cypriere Bayou". I haven't come across a book yet by this author that wasn't intriguing and kept me guessing till the end.
July 5, 2023
After reading all the Miss Fortune Mystery books by Jana Deleon I decided to see what else she has written and found this book which does not disappoint . Full of mystery, romance, haunted house and a voodoo which. Love it !
January 29, 2024
3.5 Stars
I liked Bayou Bodyguard but not as much as the first book - The Secret of Cypriere Bayou. Olivia irritated me a little bit to be honest although I did understand why she was so scared I guess. This duo of books is definitely recommended though!
I liked Bayou Bodyguard but not as much as the first book - The Secret of Cypriere Bayou. Olivia irritated me a little bit to be honest although I did understand why she was so scared I guess. This duo of books is definitely recommended though!
August 31, 2018
In this book, we have recurring characters as well as new. Olivia hires Justine to do research on the old mansion for her. Things are not what they seem, and you may find yourself a little spooked.
January 31, 2020
This book was a continuation of the author's book - The Secret Of Cypriere Bayou. I was really glad to have read this story. It was satisfying.
June 10, 2020
SCARY
The whole town doesn't want you there, all kinds of things happening, and your mom only has a couple months to live. The story is fast-paced and eerie.
The whole town doesn't want you there, all kinds of things happening, and your mom only has a couple months to live. The story is fast-paced and eerie.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews