Review: Rue Toulouse – Debby Grahl

Rue Toulouse Book Cover Rue Toulouse
Debby Grahl
Romantic Suspense
October 10, 2017
320

Fashion designer Caterine Doucette attends a masquerade ball dressed as a shimmering ice princess where she encounters ex-cop Remi Michaud, disguised as the handsome pirate Jean Lafitte. The princess and the pirate come together for one unforgettable night of passion.
When Caterine inherits the family’s exclusive boutique, Ma Chérie, an attempt is made on her life, for someone in the Doucette household will stop at nothing to possess what they feel is rightfully theirs.
Remi, working for a private security company, sets out to unmask Caterine’s would-be assassin, but finds himself torn between his desire for her and painful memories of another socialite’s betrayal.
Falling for Remi, Caterine struggles with old embedded pain, leaving her afraid to open herself to love.
In the heart of the Big Easy, the two must learn to trust one another if they’re to survive in a world of family greed and ruthless revenge.

Reviewed by: Linda Tonis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team

When Caterine Doucette was six years old she lost both her parents and went to live with her grandparents. The loss of her parents was as expected traumatic but her welcome at her grandparents home was anything but comforting. Living in the home were her two uncles and their wives plus her cousins and none of them were happy about Caterine living with them. It was her grandmother who was there for her and who took her to Ma Cherie the fashion house her grandmother owned in New Orleans where she thrived.

Now at the age of twenty-five Caterine is a designer and helps her grandmother run the shop much to the dismay of her aunts and cousins. It has always been a tradition that when her grandmother died or retired the shop would go to the oldest granddaughter which was not Caterine but her grandmother was very aware of the fact that Caterine was the only one who loved the shop and would keep it the way her grandmother wanted.

Because of her parent’s death and the verbal abuse by her family Caterine didn’t trust anyone other than her grandmother and her best friend Elaine. Even her boyfriend cheated on her and accused her of being an ice queen unable to show any passion especially in the bedroom.

Hurt by his betrayal she was determined to push herself and be the exact opposite of what she normally is and when she attended a masked ball it was a man in a pirate costume that got her attention. Remi Michaud came to her rescue when her boyfriend was yelling at her in the street and he is the same man that she finds herself attracted to.

It truly is a small world because Remi is Paul La Beau’s partner in a private security company, the same Paul who is married to Caterine’s best friend Elaine which is how he wound up at the same ball as her. A few dances and Caterine and Remi found themselves in the garden having sex and Caterine found herself feeling passion and satisfaction for the first time ever but her fear of committing to anyone made her run.

When Caterine’s grandmother decided to turn Ma Cherie over to her ensuring that none of her family could contest it while she was alive she had no idea what that act would cause. It didn’t take long before Caterine’s life was in danger and her grandmother hired Paul to ensure her safety. The man assigned to her was Remi and to keep her safe he brought her into his home where they discovered they couldn’t keep their hands off one another. Unfortunately Remi knew that this relationship could go nowhere, she was wealthy and he was not and the last time he fell for a wealthy woman she laughed in his face when he proposed, he was not going to allow himself to go through that again.

There is someone trying to kill Caterine and that is what Remi is focused on, there is no doubt that it is a member of the family, but the question is who, the why is obvious. Remi and Paul are working hard to find who is trying to kill Caterine and with Remi and Caterine spending all their time together their feelings for each other are growing only neither of them are willing to face the future. Caterine’s problem is not the only one facing the family, a family full of hateful people stealing, betraying and drugging.

I was glued to this book from the first page and highly recommend it. It is a book full of suspense, sex, lies, betrayals and wonderful characters. A princess and a pirate meet but do they have a future?

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