ARC Review: Cajun Crazy by Sandra Hill

Series:	Cajun #1
Pub. Date:	Nov 28, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	384 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Having just moved away from New Orleans, I thought Cajun Crazy would be a good read to test my homesickness for Louisiana. Nola to Arizona was a big move for me, so I am still adjusting to the differences of living outside the South. I have not read the 10 preceding Cajun books, but I tripped along just fine and didn't feel like I was missing vital information or backstory.

Simone LeDeux is an independent heroine who has been unlucky in love, a fact she attributes to her weakness for Cajun men. After another failed romance and her mother's knee surgery, Simone leaves the police force in Chicago and returns home to the bayou in Louisiana. Though this time she won't be returning to law enforcement, and will instead being opening a private investigation and legal services firm with her gal pal, Helene. Simone's disastrous love life resonated with me, even despite me not having the long list of failed marriages. I totally understood her being attracted to the wrong guys and being utterly disappointed when they showed their true colors. I also commended her for stepping out on the ledge to take a chance on a new career - which I was comparing to my own move across the country. It's all about new adventures and fearless females. 

Adam Lanier is a single dad and legal beagle known around the town as the Bayou Barrister. While I was hoping to connect to him as a fellow lawyer, I couldn't relate to his legal antics. They reminded me of a swamp version of Denny Crane from Boston Legal (one of my favorite shows that should have never been cancelled).  So while the legal antics were entertaining and fun, they weren't realistic. And that's okay. Despite being a single dad, Adam is somewhat of a man about town, jumping from woman to woman without getting attached. Sadly Adam had been burned by his late wife and he doesn't expect to find himself married ever again. He was a great dad to the cute-as-a-button Maisie, and he had a special relationship with his father. Overall, I thought he was a good hero and I had a good picture of him in my head.

The relationship between Adam and Simone was both fast and slow. The instant attraction was there, but neither were looking for love again. I liked that Adam was more traditional when it came to relationships, and I also liked that Simone didn't struggle to hard to resist another Cajun man. This series does focus quite a bit on the secondary characters as well, and what characters they are. From Simone's crazy mother to the even more nutty Tante Lulu, there were hi-jinks aplenty.   

I think this is a good story to pick up if you are in the mood for something wacky and ridiculously Southern. My only issue with the story was the over-the-top "hick speak". Being a Southern girl and having lived in New Orleans for the last several years, I never mind when an author adds Southern flair to a story, including a Southern accent. But there is a fine line between portraying an accurate Southern accent and attitude, and taking it too far and making people sound like uneducated hicks. Unfortunately I felt like it was overdone in this story and I found myself getting aggravated at times. I will most likely continue reading the series to see if I can handle the Cajun portrayal in the other books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon.

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