Jersey Girl Book Reviews: Home To Cypress Bayou by Susan Sands (Book Review)

Paris gallery owner Leah Bertrand returns to her historic, moss-draped Louisiana hometown to fulfill a deathbed promise to her friend and mentor. She’s been matched as a bone marrow donor to a stranger, yet the match is so close that doctors suspect a family relationship. But how? Leah’s family has always seethed with drama, but this visit home promises secrets as deep, dark, and mysterious as the water in Cypress Bayou. And then her ex arrives, and Leah realizes the feelings and secrets she buried years ago have come back to haunt her.

Dr. Jake Carmichael returns to Cypress Bayou after years away and is shocked to see Leah, his childhood sweetheart and first love, back in town and on his patient roster. The sparks still burn, but when he tries to discuss what went wrong and perhaps rebuild their relationship, Leah refuses.

Jake’s not ready to give up on their future together. But Leah fears she has even more to lose this time…

Book Excerpt: https://a.co/1MpXkHO

My Book Review:

In Home To Cypress Bayou, the first book in The Louisiana Series, author Susan Sands weaves a wonderful Southern Women's Fiction story of letting go of the past, coming home, moving forward, and second chances.

Leah Bertrand is the owner of La Toile art gallery in Paris. She inherited the art gallery from her boss, Alaine, who passed away from blood cancer. After Alaine's death, she signed up for the bone marrow registry. She received a call from the bone marrow registry, and is told that she is a match for a bone marrow donation in Louisiana. It's been two years since she's gone home to Cypress Bayou, Louisiana, and this visit home is sure to be stressful between family drama, an ex-boyfriend, and the bone marrow donation procedure.

Dr. Jake Carmichael is an infectious disease specialist who travels throughout Louisiana to different hospitals with his team to handle challenging cases. Jake recently decided to come back home to Cypress Bayou and put down roots, but there is one thing missing in his life, his ex-girlfriend Leah, and when he hears that she is coming home to be a bone marrow donor, he has mixed emotions about seeing her again.

Set in Cypress Bayou, Louisiana, the reader follows Leah and Jake's story as their shared past filled with hidden secrets, omissions, and internal struggles resurface with their unexpected reunion. The chemistry between Leah and Jake is still undeniable, but can they overcome the past and find their way back to each other? And if that isn't enough, Leah has to deal with mama drama and a deep family secret revolving around the bone marrow recipient that makes Leah's visit home that much more intense.

As a fan of Southern Women's Fiction, Home To Cypress Bayou is a beautifully written story that is filled with an abundance of Southern charm, hospitality, wit, drama, humor, and romance, that left me smiling and pleasantly satisfied. I really enjoyed following Leah and Jake's story. I was intrigued by the mystery behind the secret of who the bone marrow recipient is to Leah's family, and when you add in the emotional baggage and still undeniable love between Leah and Jake, there was no denying that this story easily kept me engaged and turning the pages. I loved the connection and witty banter between Leah and Jake; the rich description and essence of the southern town settings of Cypress Bayou and New Orleans; a host of engaging secondary characters; and all the drama, intrigue, and romance that easily made Home To Cypress Bayou an enjoyable story that left me wanting more.

I look forward to reading Secrets In Cypress Bayou, the second book in The Louisiana Series.

RATING: 5 STARS

About The Author

A self-described late bloomer, Susan Sands began writing her first novel at age forty. She compares her challenging journey to publication as “raising another child—a difficult one.”

Susan has published five southern, contemporary women’s fiction novels set in Alabama. She describes her humorous small-town stories as fun, romantic, and filled with big family love. Susan also writes authentic place-as-a-character southern fiction with a humorous voice in addition to her Alabama series.

Susan has three grown children and lives with her dentist husband in Roswell, GA. She has a degree in elementary education, is a member of the Georgia Romance Writers, the Romance Writers of America, the Atlanta Writer’s Club, Womens Fiction Writers of America (WFWA), and the Broadleaf Writers Association. She participates in book festivals, book clubs, and writer’s conferences around the South. Susan is the recipient of the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year award for romance.

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