Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards

July 26th, 2018 Kimberly Review 41 Comments

26th Jul
Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards
Bayou Born
by Hailey Edwards
Series: Foundling #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Her beginning may be our end...

Deep in the humid Mississippi bayou, a half-wild child is dragged from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in mysterious markings. Adopted by the policeman who rescued her, Luce Boudreau follows him onto the force, determined to prove herself in the eyes of those who are still suspicious.

However, there's more of a battle ahead than Luce could possibly imagine. She may be an orphan without a past, but no one - including Luce herself - could ever be prepared for the truth of her dark, powerful destiny...

urban yummy alpha Mythology mystery

I am enjoying Hailey Edwards Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy, and tried her Foundling series Bayou Born is the first book in the series and devoured this darker story filled with mythology, an intense mystery and interesting protagonist.

The story opens when we meet Luce Boudreau, a police officer for Canton, Mississippi PD. It’s her birthday and marks the day, her now adopted father discovered in the murky waters of the bayou. Luce’s origins are surrounded in mystery especially when doctors and the press discovered strange bands or markings on her wrists and arms. Luce takes great care to keep her life normal and hides the markings under long sleeve shirts. We learn some strange things about the day they discovered her and about a bizarre ritual she repeats each year. Edwards pulled me in, and I knew we were in for a ride when Luce helps rescue another girl found in the swamps.

I liked Luce, her partner and father. She has built strong ties even if she feels very much a loner. The more Edward’s revealed that about her, the more I wanted to learn.

I love urban fantasy and Edwards did a wonderful job introducing the world and characters. We have a mystery when Luce’s best friend goes missing and they find her blood. She is the second missing woman. The mysterious girl found in the swamp, now called Jane is in the hospital and Luce is hoping she holds the answers to who she is. Cole, a security expert and leader of an elite team is assigned by a mysterious benefactor to watch over Jane, and Cole follows Luce. I loved the interaction between them and was intent on finding out more.

Edwards mixed in a little humor and some sexual chemistry to offset the gritty, darker sides of the story and I appreciated the balance. We get to know more about Cole’s security team and it left me excited to hear their stories.

Mythology, swamp creatures and heart-pounding danger gave this gritty tale an addictive pace. The reveal and set up for the next book has me eager to dive in. Bayou Born was a great start to the Foundling series. Bone Driven, the second novel is available and they expect the third novel, Death Knell to release in December 2018.

 

Fans of mythology, suspense and mystery will want to grab Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards, the first in the Foundling #urbanfantasy series. Share on X

 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

41 Responses to “Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards”

  1. Olivia Roach

    Oh wow, this one sounds right up my alley! I love a good mythology based book, and it sounds like this has a lot of that. Some humor and sexual chemistry is always a plus in my book too, hehe ^.^

    Olivia Roach recently posted: 6 Mini Movie Reviews!
  2. Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra

    I really like the sound of this one, especially that it incorporates mythology into the mystery. I also like that it has some humor to offset what sounds like a pretty dark plot overall. I will definitely be keeping this series in mind. Wonderful review!

  3. sjhigbee

    I really like the sound of this one AND you mention the series are available on KU, which has just made my day! Many thanks, Kimberly.

  4. Tyler H. Jolley

    I actually feel like it wouldn’t be that crazy for a half-feral human to emerge out of the bayou or other remote area. Or maybe I read too much fiction. And need to read this one too. Lol. 😀

  5. Anne

    I had been interested in this author for awhile. I just listed to How to Save an Undead Life with the new audio release (in the Necromancy series you mentioned). My review is next week and I’ve already requested the next 2 audios releasing in August and September. I love UF, as we discussed. I am planning to try to get the KU for $.99 deal next week so maybe I’ll move on to this series as well. Anne _ Books of My Heart

    • Kimberly

      Of course I had already devoured all of the books in the Necromancy series before it released on Audio. I bet it rocks with the right narrator. The KU deal is sweet. It expires Tuesday!

  6. Angela

    I do so love this author and her works. I haven’t tried this series yet, it’s on my TBR. Thank’s for the review.

    • Kimberly

      Her other series is in KU and I got that 3 month deal for .99 cents (see sidebar) so I am going to try and read them all over the next couple months.

    • Kimberly

      I am happy to have discovered her. And it all started with an ad on Facebook that mentioned a zombie parakeet and necromancer..bwahaha!

  7. Angie Elle

    I read a book by this author a while ago – it was a prequel to one of her series. I can’t remember which one. I really enjoyed it, but for some reason, I never picked the next one up. You’ve jogged my memory! I’m glad to see you are enjoying this series so far.

    Great review.

    • Kimberly

      She has three series, 2 are on KU. I got the deal for 3 months for .99 cents, so I am working my way through them.