Blog Tour ‘n’ Book Review – Wicked Bleu

WICKED BLEU

A 103-year-old murder mystery.

An amateur sleuth.

Can a wrong be rectified in death?

Eight months ago, Simone experienced her first spectral encounter. It awakened a dormant second sight and opened a chasm to the afterlife. Now, another spirit from 1917 New Orleans has wandered through that passage, haunting her with an intoxicating jasmine fragrance and wicked antics.

To escape this mysterious ghost, Simone jumps at a seven-day complimentary Mardi Gras hotel package, unaware there might be an ancestral power behind her decision, an identity she grapples with. Is the ghost’s name Bleu?

She’s a lady of the night who lived a dangerous life in the infamous Storyville. A place lined with mansion-like brothels on the edge of the French Quarter run by unscrupulous madams and frequented by dangerous criminals. WWI is on the horizon, jazz music is burgeoning, and Bleu’s life unravels.

Visions of her past and horrific death beset Simone as she explores present-day New Orleans with her three roommates.

But why are the images fragmented? Has Bleu forgotten what happened the stormy night she died? Can Simone uncover Bleu’s murderer and reunite her with her loved ones before it’s too late?

Book Information

Purchase link: https://mybook.to/WickedBleu
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62919973
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Print length: 290 pages
Age range: This is an adult book, but would be suitable for mature teens age 16+
Trigger warnings: Rape of a minor; racism reflecting a historical time period
Amazon Rating: 5*
(This is the second in the Simone Doucet series, but reads well as a standalone novel)

PRAISE FOR WICKED BLEU

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Billups always packs a punch when the other worldly visitations appear, and I found myself eagerly switching back and forth from past to present day, learning of the connections between everyone involved. Watching Simone’s friendships and love interest evolve is a lovely side story, and the author’s depth of research about early 20th century American lifestyles is apparent and pays off in dividends. Toss in the early stages of COVID appearing in America, and there’s a realistic touch that grips readers until the end. What’s causing Simone’s friends to get ill, and is the ghost responsible for all the drama or an unknown illness beginning to spread around the world? I can’t wait to see what happens in a possible third installment. Thanks for making some magic happen, Ms. Billups. Amazon review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an intoxicating novel, one that you will not be able to set down. The novel is well written, and the world building is extensive and right in shape with the story. A story line of ghosts and paranormal adventures, a girl who goes on a trip with who roommates to New Orleans. She expects to have a wild weekend, only to find it complicated by witches and ghosts and all kinds of various paranormal events. This author is able to captivate you from page one. You find yourself hanging onto the edge of your seat, never being able to set the novel down. This is a complicated, nerve racking and wonderful all at the same time. I can’t wait to read the next one. I know it will be even better. Amazon review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

E. Denise Billups was born in Monroeville, Alabama, and raised in New York City, where she currently resides. She’s a former Financial Analyst turned writer. A multi-genre fiction author, she’s published six novels and several supernatural short stories. A skilled artist, she trained as a dancer (ballet, modern, and jazz dance) in her younger years and dabbled in writing, which she would not pursue until much later.

As an avid reader of many genres, she was greatly influenced by magical realism, mystery, suspense, and supernatural novels. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s running miles in the park, finding her inner calm with yoga, experimenting with vegan dishes, and enjoying time with family and friends.

Presently, she is working on book two of her trilogy, Twilight Ends, a paranormal historical fiction, and book three of the Simone Doucet Series.

Follow Her At:

Website: https://edenisebillups.com/
Next Chapter Publishing: https://www.nextchapter.pub
Facebook: @E. Denise Billups
Twitter: @DeniseBillups
Goodreads: @E. Denise Billups
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.denisebillups/

MY REVIEW

Now I’m really not a typical reader of ghost stories, and the paranormal and I aren’t regular bedfellows, in fact we’re rarely on the same page, but WICKED BLEU still drew me in, pushed me out of my cosy, comfort zone and totally captivated me. Granted it was the opening line of the description that got my attention. As an avid mystery fan, who was I to turn down a 103-year-old murder mystery? It’s the ultimate cold case… but with a difference, and that difference is the magical quality of the author’s writing, teamed with the history and mystique of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and topped off with a fascinating, bone-chilling, heart-wrenching and tragic plot. I loved it and have recommended it to all my reader friends. Are you interested in knowing more? You are, aren’t you?

With a dual timeline of the present day and a little over a century ago, the key players in this story are Simone Doucet (a successful writer) and two females named Bleu – mother and daughter – who lived in New Orleans in the notorious red light district. And their connection to Simone is one of blood… and an unsolved mystery that prevents them – and others – from fully leaving this world.

You see, Simone Doucet has second sight – more fully explained in the first book in the series – and, initially, Orphan Bleu makes the connection in order to get justice for her mother’s death – a murder by any other name. In New Orleans with her buddies to take advantage of a thank-you gift from a previous client, Simone and her three friends are looking forward to enjoying Mardi Gras. That is until Bleu (the mother) decides to tell Simone her story by adopting Simone’s friend’s body. The others realise Stacy is acting oddly, but eventually Simone “sees” what’s going on and is transported back in time to witness life back then. There, amidst the sights, smells and sounds of the dangerous streets of the red light district, she comes to understand Bleu’s character, sees her falling in love and being loved back by her artist lover whose paintings of her went on to earn him great acclaim. Simone sees the evil misogyny of the clients of the brothel who care only for themselves, who cannot bear to be mocked by a woman, who think nothing of taking a life to save themselves. It’s a brutal existence, made all the more raw by the viewpoint of Bleu’s daughter, the Orphan Bleu who feels abandoned and unloved by her mother, yet who cannot “rest” until her mother gets justice.

While trying to enjoy the Mardi Gras with her friends, Simone cannot relax, she feels obliged to know the full story but can she put right a century-old wrong and let the spirits finally rest? Billups writes beautifully, not just with words but with the images she creates, the characters she brings to life and the injustices she conveys of those times. I was drawn in completely by the setting (the cathedral, the Creole dialect, the jazz music – bliss!) and the story, but more to the point to understanding the past and how we should (but rarely do) learn from it.

A suspenseful tale, crafted with care, told with heart and which left me wanting more. Check out this video to feel the mystery for yourself.