Blue Bayou (Callahan Brothers Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

JoAnn Ross (Author)

Book Description

Series: Callahan Brothers Trilogy | Publication Date: April 1, 2002

JoAnn Ross, one of the fastest-rising stars in contemporary romance, begins a stunning trilogy that showcases her extraordinary storytelling ability and introduces the unforgettable, moss-draped splendor of Blue Bayou.

Danielle Dupree, daughter of a prominent judge, was the closest thing to a princess the sleepy Louisiana town of Blue Bayou ever had. Her passionate teenage love affair with Jack Callahan was cut short for reasons that were never clear to Dani -- but were all too obvious to Jack, the sexy bad-boy son of Judge Dupree's housekeeper.

Thirteen years later Dani, a widow with a son, comes home to start a new life and is surprised that Jack, too, has moved back to the Bayou. A former DEA agent who is now a bestselling author, Jack has bought Dani's childhood home, Beau Soleil. But even as their passion reignites, Dani and Jack know that secrets hang in the air...and that the past may ruin their second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime love.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: Blue Bayou, Louisiana

Sensuality: 8

Beautiful Danielle Dupree returns to Blue Bayou with her young son to rebuild her life after a bad marriage ends. With her estranged father soon to be released from prison and her new apartment damaged by fire, she has more than enough problems to deal with. But fate throws Danielle another curve when she learns that her first and only love, Jack Callahan, has also returned to the small Louisiana town. Once known as Bad Jack, Callahan is a wildly successful author and the owner of Beau Soleil, the antebellum mansion that was Danielle's beloved childhood home. A single meeting is enough to convince both of them that the heat that once blazed between them still smolders. But both have personal histories rife with pain and secrets that may tear them apart before they have a second chance at love. And Jack has an old score to settle that threatens to endanger Danielle and her son before exonerating her father.

Filled with a host of terrific secondary characters, Blue Bayou is the first in a trilogy of novels by Ross featuring the Callahan brothers. The Louisiana bayou setting drips with Cajun atmosphere and the heroine is a quintessential southern princess paired with a sexy bad-boy hero. The two generate enough sensual heat between them to make the pages sizzle--don't miss this one. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

A woman's attempt to reunite with her ex-con father and rebuild her life after the death of her deceitful husband lies at the heart of this atmospheric contemporary romance set in Blue Bayou, La. When Danielle Dupree was a teen, her father, a high-powered judge, sent her to a home for unwed mothers after she became pregnant with the baby of her teen-lover, Jack Callahan. Ostensibly, she was then forced to give her baby girl up for adoption. Now, 13 years later, widowed and determined to make a home for her son and father, who was imprisoned years ago on trumped-up charges, Dani returns to Blue Bayou as the local librarian. In a Scarlet O'Hara moment, Dani learns that her once opulent family home, sold by her late husband to fund his political career, has been purchased and restored by Jack, now an ex-DEA agent turned bestselling novelist. It doesn't take long for the romantic sparks between Dani and Jack to rekindle, but with so many skeletons lurking in dark corners and truths waiting to be told, the future doesn't look promising for them. Ross (Legends Lake) is in fine form with this first installment in her new Callahan Brothers trilogy. Despite a few contrived elements such as a corrupt sheriff's ploy to run Dani and her father out of town there's plenty of sex and secrets to keep readers captivated.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743436822
• ISBN-13: 978-0743436823
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wrote my first story -- a tragic romance about two star-crossed Mallard ducks -- as a second grade writing assignment. The paper earned a gold star. And I kept writing.

I've since written around a hundred novels and have been published in twenty-six countries. Two of my titles have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine and my books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Mystery Guild, and Literary Guild bookclubs. As a New York Times, U.S. Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller, I'm also a member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors.

I'm currently writing my Shelter Bay series, set on the magnificent Oregon coast where, when I was eighteen-years-old, my high school sweetheart bought me a bag of taffy, then proposed. The smartest thing I ever did was say yes!

My husband and I live in our beloved Pacific Northwest, with three rescued dogs who pretty much rule the house. (And, in case you're wondering, that taffy store is still there! )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sultry Tale of Unrequited Teenage Love!!, May 2, 2002

By 

Amber (Pennsauken, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Bayou (Callahan Brothers Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This one was a real tear jerker, and I was eagerly turning the pages to see if Jack and Danielle could overcome their demons and realize they are soul mates who belong together. Blue Bayou is book one of a trilogy of the Callahan brothers, and I just can't wait for the others to come out!!

Jack and Danielle shared a summer of love when they were both 17 years old. At the end of the summer, Jack disappears without a word and leaves behind Danielle, who will soon find out she is pregnant. Danielle's father is a local judge and thrives on controlling her life. He manipulates her into giving her child up for adoption, and then manipulates her into a loveless marriage with a local politician.

Thirteen years later, Danielle (who is now a widow) returns to Blue Bayou with her eight year old son. While Danielle and Jack rekindle their love for each other, the past and their old secrets are inevitably dredged up.

I fell in love with these characters. Jack has a dark side, but I enjoyed how he was honest with himself about his feelings for Danielle. He never tried to deny how important she was. I also admired Danielle for her strength and how she survived all of the terrible things that happened to her. One thing I didn't understand was how she could possibly forgive her father for being such a lying, manipulative creep. I know forgiveness was the moral of this story, but I don't think I could personally forgive such heinous crimes were I in her shoes.

Overall, this was a great read, and along with the wonderful story I loved the descriptions of the Louisiana countryside. A keeper!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good romance, January 2, 2004

By 

J. P. Warrant "JPW" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Bayou (Callahan Brothers Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second book that I've read from the trilogy, the other being _River Road_. Although I didn't find this romance as steamy as the one in River Road, it still had the same qualities that make JoAnn Ross's fiction definitely riveting.

I only had one eye-rolling moment during this book; I found it very implausible that when the characters are embroiled in the climax of the book (no pun intended), they still can't get over their sexual attraction to each other and they go at it. I would think a major life-changing event as had been uncovered would be enough to calm the libido for a few moments!

I do, however, like JoAnn Ross's style of writing romance, and I hope to read more of her writing in the future. I'm a die-hard LaVyrle Spencer fan, and although Ross's writing is certainly more graphic than Spencer's, she still has the knack to keep the reader waiting for the big moments.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Steamy Start To A New Trilogy!, December 20, 2002

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Bayou (Callahan Brothers Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a first time read for me regarding this author and I am really looking forward to book 2 arriving in my mailbox!

Set in Steamy Southern Louisiana the romance of Danielle and Jack itself is steamy and page turning. These are two people that have loved before as young kids. Fate and circumstances have separted these two but they have never fully fallen out of love with each other. They now both find themselves back in Blue Bayou the small town that they each grew-up in now with each of them carrying their own emotional baggage and distrust from their past.

This was a great story that indeed has shades of Nora Roberts or earlier Sandra Brown stories. Still, this author manages to pen a love story that is touching, unique and worth reading. The story is well developed and the reader has plenty of understanding regarding the past that these two lovers shared. If you are a fan of the previous authors mentioned then you will no doubt like this story. It really is a strong beginning for the next two books in the series.