Fireflies & Free Kicks Fiction Reviews

Time for another visit to Autre, Louisiana, and I could not be happier!

This has fast become one of my favorite series. The setting is intriguing, the characters are realistic and likable, and the interactions are honest and humorous.

In Beauty in the Bayou, we get Sawyer and Juliet. Readers of the first two books (particularly Sweet Home Louisiana) will remember Juliet as the sister of Chase, the frat boy who stole an airboat and crashed into the dock.

I particularly liked how Maddie, Josh, and Owen (who met her in the last book) seemed to have already sensed that she would be perfect for Sawyer. This kind of intuition about family is one of the things that make the Landry clan so appealing.

My notes in the book consist of “love this moment,” and “this is a great scene,” so I won’t bore you with the details. You can read it yourself and find your favorites. But there are a few things that I would like to highlight.

I love how the author’s heroes always surprise both the women they fall for and, in turn, the reader. So often, heroes can be one-dimensional. They are brooding, or cold, or a playboy until they meet “the one.”

Ms. Nicholas’ heroes are multi-dimensional. Just as Josh surprised Tori in My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding, Sawyer surprises Juliet when he offers to braid her hair to keep it out of the way. There is no big announcement about it; it’s just a matter-of-fact part of his character. And, honestly, it makes him that much more attractive.

I liked the way Chase’s development paralleled Sawyer’s. It illustrated how much a loving, supportive family could influence a person’s path. That’s an important point, especially in today’s day and age.

But my favorite moment came near the end when Cooper stated that everyone needed someone to balance them out. Not only did that make Juliet realize her total feelings for Sawyer, but it was also an excellent commentary on relationships in general. People often talk about a “perfect match” when it really should be a “perfect complement.”

There are other character observations that give Ms. Nicholas’ books added depth, such as when Sawyer realizes that he both loves and hates the bayou; that can apply to anything that is important in one’s life, I think.

My only complaint was that a plot point towards the end involving Gus seemed to be very rushed. The build-up made the issue seem vital, and then it was over in a sentence. I would have liked to have seen that in more detail because it could have been a “big moment.” But that’s being nitpicky. I still loved everything else about this book.

As each member of the Landry family has met their match, I get a little bit sadder, because I am afraid that the author will run out of people surrounding this fantastic group. I’m hoping she keeps finding ways to revisit them.

Beauty and the Bayou by Erin Nicholas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am always excited to revisit the Landry family in Autre. They are currently my favorite group of recurring characters across the many series I read. This time out, it’s Sawyer who meets his match in the form of Juliet. You can read the synopsis for the plot line. Personally, I really appreciated how Juliet and Sawyer understood each other. They didn’t try to fix each other, they just “were” with each other. I did feel like the end was a little rushed, but that’s a minor point. I will read anything with these characters, and I can’t wait for Kennedy’s story. This review was written based on a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC of the book.

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