Midnight in Ruby Bayou

Donovan #4

by Elizabeth Lowell

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell creates suspense and emotional intensity with her classic Midnight in Ruby Bayou, a riveting romantic thriller in her popular four-book series featuring the remarkable Donovan family. A recipient of the Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award, Lowell delivers a treasure of a story that seamlessly blends passion and peril as a beautiful artist and a dashing adventurer join forces on a hunt for a legendary fortune in gems. Midnight in Ruby Bayou is a treat for Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, and Jayne Ann Krentz fans.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Individually and with co-author/husband Evan, Ann Maxwell has written over 60 novels and one work of non-fiction. There are 30 million copies of these books in print, as well as reprints in 30 foreign languages. Her novels range from science fiction to historical fiction, from romance to mystery. After working in contemporary and historical romance, she became an innovator in the genre of romantic suspense.

In 1982, Ann began publishing as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994).

Since July of 1992, she has had over 30 novels on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1998 she began writing suspense with a passionate twist, capturing a new audience and generation of readers. Her new romance novel Perfect Touch will be available in July of 2015.

To get a full list of titles as well as read excerpts from her novels, visit www.elizabethlowell.com.

Reviews

[SesameG]

Does it bother anyone else when an author continually describes the heroine as "smelling like woman"?

Actually, in this book, Faith is either described as smelling like "gardenias and woman" or, to make the meaning more obvious "like gardenias and a night of slow, sultry loving"... Time to take a bath, Faith!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth book of Elizabeth Lowell's Donovans series, Midnight in Ruby Bayou, is for my money the best of the lot. It's got the most complex of any of the plots in the series up to this point, and since it's a bit longer than the previous ones as well, Lowell has more time to develop the various characters. This time around, the Donovan Sibling Du Jour is Faith, Honor's sister, and we finally get some payoff on the plot point set up in previous books, involving an asshole ex-boyfriend. We've also got a stolen priceless Russian ruby, and the torrid secrets of a South Carolina family who've commissioned Faith to design a necklace for a forthcoming wedding--that of her own best friend.

Lowell does a decent job tying all of these elements together, although there's a clear demarcation between the half of the story involving "Faith and Owen travel to South Carolina", and "Faith and Owen arrive at the Monteageaus' mansion, and deal with all the drama there", and the transition between the two parts isn't entirely smooth. But that said, out of all of the lead characters in the Donovans series, I like Faith and Owen the most. Their relationship and chemistry come across to me as the most equal out of any in the series, and not just because Owen is an employee of Faith's family. He's the most understated of the male leads in the series, and a lot of this is on purpose as he deliberately plays to the "Southern good ol' boy" stereotype as well as to the fact that he's carrying a cane as he recovers from an injury sustained in Afghanistan. Most importantly, while he and Faith do their share of arguing, they get over it quickly, and there's no Big Misunderstanding sorts of annoyances that so often annoy me in romance and romantic suspense novels.

Once the action shifts to the Montegeaus' mansion, everything takes on a decidedly darker tone--because at this point the plot delves into the sordid history of the family, and in particular, the crazy old woman Tiga. Questions of alcoholism and incest and murder are all explored, all of which give a bit more weight to this novel than its predecessors. As this is a romantic suspense novel, nothing is ever really graphically called out, though the presence of these plot elements at all may make it a questionable read for some. So be on the lookout for that.

All in all though a decent read. Three stars.

[EvilAntie Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent 5 days reading the entire Donovan Series ! Each book gets better and better! I was totally enthralled by Owen Walker and Faith Donovan, who are multi-layered characters deftly handled by the author. The lush setting of the south mixed with gemology had me in heaven. There were times when I felt like saying,"please pass the crab" that is how engrossing this novel was and will be. You can feel the sweat poring out of your body, the is how real this book makes you feel. I believe Owen Walker is one of the strongest male characters in this series. I have a feeling we will be hearing from Walker and the Donovans in the future at least I truly hope so, because they have become an amazing family to know and there is much more to learn

[Cruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Elizabeth Lowell
First published: 2000
Length: 5346 kindle locations, 577 pages
Setting: Contemporary, Savannah.
Sex: Infrequent, hand wavy.
Hero: Bodyguard.
Heroine: Jewellery designer.
Trigger: Emotional/physical abuse by ex-husband.
Trigger: Incest (secondary characters).
Includes: Author answers questions on book / narrative development.

Really enjoyed this one. Lengthier than others with more story and romance. Appearances from all the previous characters and a believable HEA.

The Donovans:
Book 1 Amber Beach - Honor Donovan and Jake Mallory
Book 2 Jade Island - Kyle Donovan and Lianne Blakely
Book 3 Pearl Cove - Hannah McGarry and Archer Donovan
Book 4 Midnight in Ruby Bayou - Faith Donovan and Owen Walker

References:
Author’s website: http://www.elizabethlowell.com/midnig...

(ISBN 9780061747779)

-CR-

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread of a favorite to get out of a reading slump and it was WONDERFUL!!! Better than I remembered and just what I needed.

[Melanie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author

I had read the first book in the series when it first came out and recently saw an Amazon deal for the fourth and last book in the series and couldn’t resist. I enjoyed getting to know Honor’s twin Faith. The romance and mystery were exactly what I look for in a book by Elizabeth Lowell.

[Shirlene]

Jewels were stolen from a museum in St. Petersburg, Russia in January. The thieves were told to only take items that wouldn't be missed. A ruby pendant was missing that shouldn't have been taken. The man whose passport said he was Ivan Ivanovitch killed the thief after he was told that he had taken some rubies and he had sent them to Faith Donovan in Seattle, WA. Ivan's boss, Marat Tarasov needed the ruby called the Heart of Midnight returned in fear of his life.
Faith was a jewelry designer and one of the Donovan family members. She had an ex-fiancee named Tony who had been abusive to her. She hadn't told her brothers that he had hit her and she was told herself that she was done with men. Tony had convinced her that she was a lousy lover because she didn't please him. Making love to him was all about himself. He didn't know how to treat a woman. He had told Faith that all she needed to do was to please him. He didn't like her family for anything other than their wealth. She cut herself off from all her friends and tried to please him. He didn't like the jewelry she designed and this took away some of her self worth. She had finally realized that he wasn't what she wanted and had broke up with him. He was still stalking her even though her brothers had tried to warn him off.
Faith had been given some Burmese rubies from the future father-in-law of her college roommate, Davis Montegeau. He who lived in an area called the Ruby Bayou. He asked Faith to make the rubies into a necklace for a wedding present for Mel. Faith's brother, Kyle, was worried that the rubies had been stolen and had a member of their parents company, Donovan International, see what information he could find. No information was found that suggested the rubies were stolen but Walker trusted Kyle's instincts because Kyle had a bad feeling about his going to Afghanistan and he had almost been killed there.
Owen Walker was a body guard and did various jobs for the Donovan brothers. He was attracted to Faith but determined that nothing would come of it. He told himself that he would never be responsible for another person's life again after the loss of his brother. He still blamed himself for his brother dying even though he knew that his brother often put his life at risk and expected Walker to get him out of any trouble he got himself involved in.
The Donovan family consisted of Archer and his wife, Hannah, Kyle and his wife, Dianne, and Honor and her husband, Jake. They, along with Honor's twin sister, Faith, were planning their parents 40th anniversary celebration. The siblings had created their own company called Donovan Gems and Minerals. Owen Walker was an employee who had also become a close family friend. Archer asked Walker to guard Faith due to the fact that she had an abusive ex, Tony, who was still stalking her and also because of Kyle's feelings about the rubies. Walker had to agreed to go with Faith to Savannah to a gem show where she was going to display the necklace she was making along with other items she had created.
Ivan had come to see Faith in search of the ruby after Walker left her place. Walker had gone to discuss the quality of the stones with Archer and Faith soon followed to complain about having guards. She told the guys about the visit from Ivanovitch. The name translated to Son of John, common as dirt and easy to hide behind. Walker asked Faith to tell him if he came to visit again. Both Walker and Archer reached the conclusion that the name was a fake one.
Faith's studio was burglarized that night and a homeless man nearby had been murdered. Archer arranged for Faith to leave immediately for Savannah with Walker. They stayed at a different hotel than that B & B where Faith had reservations. She was in the shower the next morning when Walker heard on the news that a woman was murdered in the room where Faith had made reservations. They went to the gem show and pretended to put the rubies into the show's safe when they went to lunch. Then Walker made it look like he was protecting her purse when he put the jewels in a pouch and then into a pocket in his underwear. They were held up as they were leaving the restaurant where they had lunch. Between Faith and Walker, the guy was caught and taken into custody by the police. They went back to the gem show to find out the safe there had been robbed. Walker wanted to take Faith back home but she was determined to stay through the three days of the gem show.
Mel Buchanan came to see Faith in Savannah and asked her to come to her home in the Ruby Bayou and stay until the wedding. It was in three days time. Walker tried to talk her out of going but they went anyway. It was there that she and Walker first made love. She had at first thought that Walker didn't want her but he quickly changed her mind. She learned that Walker and Tony were two different kinds of men. Walker taught her what love really was. He made love to her and didn't expect her to do all the work. That was new to Faith.
Mel's fiancee, Jeff, tried to talk Faith into putting the jewels she had brought with her from the gem show into his safe, along with the ruby necklace. She put her jewelry in the safe but Walker told her that he would keep the necklace.
Davis and Jeff had fought just before the arrival of Faith and Walker. Davis told Jeff that they were broke and everything they had was mortgaged. It seemed as if Davis' idea of how to get them out of debt was to steal the necklace and collect the insurance money. Jeff didn't want to do it but felt like he was given no choice. Someone else came into the house that night, drugged their dog and broke into the safe.
The FBI was watching the Montegeau house and Walker went to talk to them. He was told that Davis was partners with the mafia and was laundering money for them. They were watching the house to see if they could catch the mafia leaders trying to collect money owed to them by Davis. Once Davis' life had been threatened, they hoped that Davis would become a witness to convict them of their crimes.
Faith went out for a walk the morning after the robbery and the police had left. Walker was trying to reach Archer. When Walker got off the phone, he couldn't find Faith. He took a skiff and found her along the shore. Someone took the skiff when he got out so he ran after Faith. Faith had been watched by Ivan who was itching to get his hands on her to kill her. Faith was approached by Davis' crazy sister, Antigua (Tiga) who had identified Faith as her missing child. Faith didn't want to disrupt her thinking so she went along with Tiga's ramblings. She mentioned things about people being hung and a young girl drowning in the marsh. Davis had already been drunk at dinner the night before and told how his grandfather had raped young girls and had married his grandmother when she was just 13. No one know what Tiga had seen or what had happened to make her lose her mind as she had.
Sal Angel of the mafia had come to town and had Faith's jewelry. Davis went to see them and they told him that they wanted their half a million dollars. They beat Davis up and he went back to the house where Mel found him. They took him inside for care.
Walker had a talk with Davis and Jeff after the beating. Faith was there to listen and was angry when she had overheard Walker telling Jeff that he was just her bodyguard and not her boyfriend. Walker got Davis to admit to taking the rubies on consignment from the Russians and that he had done the same thing many times before. He sold the jewels to get them money. The Heart of Midnight ruby had been in Davis' safe and had been taken about 4 nights back. Davis had told the Russians that he had given the ruby to Faith and that was why they were after her. Davis had told the mafia where Faith was which allowed them to rob the various places and try and attack her. Walker was furious and Faith was surprised to learn about all that he had kept from her. Jeff was surprised at all his father had done. Walker now had to figure out who had taken the Heart of Midnight ruby and who had taken Faith's jewelry pieces. The safe had been empty when Jeff had drugged his dog and broken into the safe. Walker now knew why the FBI was involved. They wanted to catch the thieves involved in the smuggling ring out of Russia.
It didn't take too much longer for Walker to figure out that Tiga also knew the combination to the safe. She was four years older that Davis. She had been normal until her own father began having sex with her. Her mother found out that her father had gotten their daughter pregnant when he had given her a ruby out of what they called the Blessing Chest. Davis didn't know whether his mother or his sister had killed their father. He only knew that the chest hadn't been seen since. His mother had searched the house and never found it. Davis had looked although half-heartedly. Tiga had never looked for it.
Walker and Faith put the rubies in the safe in the library and snuck outside to watch and see who took them. They borrowed night vision goggles from the FBI agents and followed Tiga into the marsh. She put the rubies in the chest that was in a crab net. Walker retrieved it and took it back to the house. They reached the dock and Faith was grabbed in Ivanovitch. Walker told Ivan that he would scatter the rubies in the dark if he didn't let Faith go. He did and she ran inside to get a gun. She came out and they were gone, so was one of the skiffs. Walker soon came back without Ivan. He told the agents that were there now that he was swimming with the fishes.
Walker gave the Heart of Midnight ruby to the agent, April Joy, who flew it back to Russia to return to Tarasov. Tarasov was willing to work with the Americans and they didn't want him dead.
Walker asked Faith to marry him and she said that she would go searching with him for a ruby to set into an engagement ring for herself.

[Holly Boehmke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great until the ending, where it felt as if she were just wrapping up the story. Plus....it got a little graphic and I did NOT expect that. Not to say that I had a huge problem with it. I just had no idea that the book would go so far as to detail those certain events.

[Joanie Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a hot "Lifetime Movie Channel" presentation: Mystery, murder, intrigue, Russians,rubies,southerners, Yankees, Seattle, Savannah, Hilton Head, lunatics, incest...great way to spend a hot July afternoon.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess being that it was (sort of) about a woman and written by one I was expecting it to feel less male dominated and have more fleshed out female characters. Yeah. Not my thing.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much that I have to get the first three books now and get caught up.

[Jodi Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad that the last book of the Donovan family is with Faith. Out of the 4 book this one was the best. Faith and Walker are wonderfully adorable.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Midnight in Ruby Bayou, or as I call it 'Ruby Bayou' (which fits better with the previous books naming conventions) is my least favourite of the series and likely always will be.

As with all the books, barring Amber Beach I believe, we start with a different point of view which in this case helps to date these books (early 1990s I'd say). We then continue to have these different viewpoints randomly throughout the book. Now I've nothing against understanding villainous motivations, but in these books I think I prefer the mystery of the villain as that way my knowledge better matches that of the characters.

It also means I find the way this book wraps up to be rather abrupt - almost like a word count was reached and nothing else could be added. For a series finale it's not *that* strong in the scheme of these books. I wish the ending for the Donovan's was more definitive almost, like a quick view into the future to see their Happy Ever Afters, as it is we are left with hints. I guess that means I can imagine happy lives for them all, with little drama or input from Uncle!

The weak ending is a shame as well as I quite like Walker as our male lead. I really wish I'd paid more attention to his characterisation in Jade Island because part of me thinks that his character changes between the two books - I honestly don't recall him being Southern in the earlier one... I like his easy manner and the way he uses the Southern gentlemanesque stereotype to his advantage. He's very different to the more physical appearances of the Donovan's and Jake, even if he is equally as (or more) deadly.

Faith is, as with this book, my least favourite heroine. In the past I've said I couldn't put my finger on why, and during this read through I did add some notes with my thoughts which basically equated to her having more knowledge about the danger of her situation than her sister and Leanne, she's been attacked in a way they weren't (barr Leanne)and yet she still acts more naively... but I wonder if I dislike her because of some similarities between us... Which raises some questions best not answered in a book review!

I also have some issues with Tiga and her nephew. Her presence and role in the story is almost too Deus ex Machina-esque, it feels like she was added to make the story sadder or more eerie, whilst he seems added to be a 'nice' chauvinist - he does after all refer to his finance as his 'mate' (and not in a friend way...), he's like a middle ground between Tony and Walker but one who really isn't needed.

Other points to note - the exposition here isn't handled as smoothly as in the previous books. Although it is done in character and works in the context of the story being told it feels more like an info dump in comparison to the more educational conversations of Jade Island and Pearl Cove. Although Archer is mentioned again he does seem to act more out of character at times - and though some of that can be down to his being happy with Hannah there's one moment in particular (which I mentioned in my 2016 review) that just doesn't seem like Archer at all...

So yeah, not the best end to a series (granted it is better than some) but still enjoyable.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself a bit conflicted with this entry into what I call the Donovan series. Whilst Jade Island included some POV segments of the true villains of the book (Pearl Cove has antagonistic POV segments, and I don't think Amber Cove had any), Ruby Bayou has a lot of them - and unfortunately the editing in my Kindle version of the book means the jumps aren't handled well at all, in some cases they are basically a run on sentence from a Walker POV. And whilst these segments help to build the story, I don't actually enjoy them that much and as such a lot of this book is rather boring to me...

Things pick up when Faith and Walker actually get to Ruby Bayou, and we then have a crime story mixed with a ghost story and I really enjoy the way this is done. As soon as I hit this part of the book I sped through it and it's the reason I gave this book 4 stars this time around.

I'm not sure I really like Faith as a character. She has a similar backstory to Hannah but where Hannah is strong with hers Faith seems to try and ... block it out? Which I totally get (having done similar myself) but Hannah is more inspirational of the two. I therefore still agree with my assessment of Faith in my 2019 review - she has more knowledge of the danger she is facing, yet acts as if she can handle it herself. I'm all for strong women but there are situations where I know full well I'd be a hindrance not a help - and whilst Faith doesn't exactly hinder Walker she doesn't help him either.

All in all I think I enjoyed this book more than my previous read throughs, but it is still the weakest of the series.

[Victoria Benninghoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book, well-written and exquisite in detail and imagery. I love the author’s distinct voice as well as her ability to seamlessly transition between characters’ point of views. However, if you’re looking for something to change the game, this is not it.
The characters, while well-written and engaging, are pretty bland in terms of diversity. Your main line-up is all white, mostly blue-eyed heterosexuals. The men do the heavy-lifting, as per usual, while the women are strong ‘in other ways’.
I appreciate the egalitarian-geared romance, but again, not really a game-changer. A girl coming out of a rough relationship and a man with a chip on his shoulder. Innovative? Not particularly.
Not going to spoil, but the ending did seem a little poor in pacing, with a conclusion that left much to be desired in terms of closure.
But again, it’s a good read. The story is engaging and the characters are entertaining and witty. I’m a sucker for sarcasm, what can I say? If you’re satisfied with something classic and easy, a book that won’t particularly challenge you, this is the one.

[Salustra Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st read in paperback in 2000 & many times since

I really love this series and now finally have the 4 book Donovan series on Kindle. While all are favorites I have a real soft spot for Owen Walker the Hero of book 4. This one is about Faith Donovan & rubies and like previous goes into the history of them that I so fascinating especially as plot points. The research that went into these is appreciated. The author really knows how to set a scene and books really pull you in. This I think is most evocative of them all and you really are transported to the Low Country in it. I could practically smell the gardenias. Action, humor, great characters and plot. Even on read number 7 still stayed up to finish it. Oldie but goody, only thing wrong was the cover artist hadn’t read book. Read and enjoy a really good writer & storyteller.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the story I was disappointed. All four books in the series had the same theme,same story just different names & places.Gems,tough but sexy chicks,hunky men,thugs. I swear some of the lines are exactly the same in all four books! All four were so similar in the story line you could interchange the characters in each book for another & it would still make sense. I have read books in her other series but only the first of each. I hope the remaining books are not repeats of the first,like the Donovan series. Not very original!

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Lowell books are obviously fairly formulaic but I still find them to be an enjoyable quick read. I think her books are at their best when they are part of a series so she has a chance to develop the characters and story a bit more. I especially like her series that deal with rare artifacts. This series is one of hers that I think works the best.

[Stephen Paul Chase, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Niki Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit of a slow start, but when it picks up, it gets really interesting really quickly. Definitely a page turner. The last fifty pages are the kind that you can't put down and keep you up late to finish it.

[Doris Lendin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series of this writer was very enjoyable. She has a very touching way to get the reader to feel as you were there with the persons in the story. You feel their feels and can picture you being there. I would enjoy reading more of her books.

[MICHELLE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Lowell does not disappoint. I turn to her whenever I want a read that is predictable, enjoyable, and ends well. Really glad that I have her books and a nice sherpa blanket. They make the world a better place for me.

[Paola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook and it was a struggle. I highly disliked the narrator’s attempt at Southern accents, felt very cartoonish.

Liked the premise of the story well enough and the mystery but would much rather listen to the narration with a neutral accent than whatever that mess was.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really care for the sex scenes.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th of the Donovan series. Good read. Some romance, intrigue and mystery.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Deborah Branson]

Overall I liked the book. It seemed to me that there was more to the story when it ended. It's like I was missing a lot.

[Gracie Boissel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a re-read, but I’ve never been disappointed by an EL book. In fact, I think revisiting this particular series would be well worth it.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one down in the Donovan series. Lets see, there are 2 siblings to go which have not been introduced yet. Always an interesting plot in keeping high priced jewels safe.