Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Leusse

 

Under the Bayou Moon, by Valerie Fraser Luesse, is the first book I've read by this author. She does a very good job of drawing the reader into engaging with the story, especially since the Deep South and Cajun things are not topics I generally choose to read about. I loved the characters of Ellie and Haywood, how they met, and how their friendship grew. When Ellie moved to Bernadette to teach, she didn't know what to expect. I enjoyed watching how she navigated the new situation with people who didn't want to change. The white alligator added a little mystery to the story. I enjoyed this book until the epilogue, it felt out of place to me and didn't seem to wrap up the story as I'd hoped it would. 

Overall, a good book. A clean read with characters who stayed true to their convictions. Love, loss, romance, greed, and truth winning in the end. A nice way to spend a week.

From the back cover:

When Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country in 1949, she knows her life will change--but she could never imagine how dramatically.

Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their unique culture, most of the residents come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher  and she's soon teaching just about everyone, despite opposition from both the school board and a politician ulterior motives. Yet it's the lessons Eliie herself will learn--from new friends, a captivating Cajun fisherman, and even a legendary white alligator haunting the bayou--that will make all the difference. 

Take a step away from the familiar and enter the shadowy waters of bayou country for a story of risk resilience, and romance. 

This book provided for review by Revell.