Bayou Born (The Foundling, #1)

by Hailey Edwards

"Edwards [creates] amazing fantasy worlds that the reader becomes completely engrossed in." Goodreads

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 . .

"Well-plotted fantasy continues to engage the reader with its intriguing characters, heart-pounding action, suspenseful intrigue and subtle romance." RT Book Reviews

"The world building is fresh ... The characters are well-drawn and easy to root for. And the romance really hits the spot." Red Hot Books

• ISBN10: 0349417067
• ISBN13: 9780349417066
• Publish Date: 17 October 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

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 This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Berls]

3.5 stars. This took me FOREVER to read, but not because it wasn't good. It was good and there were so many unexpected twists and turns. It definitely went places I wasn't expecting and I enjoyed that a lot. The characters were interesting and the concept was very unique. It never took me to that place where I just HAD TO KNOW what was coming next and so I easily set it down when I needed to go bed or whatever. I do think I'll continue with the series eventually, as it had a lot of the grittiness I like in my UF. Just need to make sure I'm in the right space to get really into it.