Rainy Days and Pajamas: Review: Marigny Street by Annie Rose Welch

Title: Marigny Street
Author: Annie Rose Welch
Series: Saving Angels #1
Version Reviewed: Finished, Paperback.
Website: www.annierosewelch.com
*I won this book in a giveaway.

GoodReads Summary:

Do you believe in the power of dreams?
Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intercessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.
Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.
Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.

Review:

Marigny Street is one of those book that, for me, changes the course of how I read other books. This is one that, for a while afterwards, no other book can compare.

I won this book in a giveaway when I lived in Louisiana but I didn't get to read it until after I moved. It's set in New Orleans, my favorite city, and even though I only lived an hour away, I rarely got to visit this beautiful place. When I did, it was for medical reasons for my newborn daughter. So Marigny Street is special to me as more than just a good book.

As Eva introduces Gabriel to all the amazing things that New Orleans has to offer, I was discovering the city right along with him. Cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde, an experience that's literally on my bucket list, and all the different sights and sounds that I never got to experience were right there for me to witness through the characters' eyes.

This story was so beautiful that I honestly want to reread it again already. I knew I was going to love this book but I had no idea that it was going to affect me as strongly as it did. I fell so hard for this book and the characters. It quickly became my new favorite series.

When I won the contest, I also won every other book in the series. I've received all so far, except Red Dirt Road, the second in the series. I wasn't going to bug Annie because I know she has a lot going on and she's busy but after finishing, I immediately messaged her and told her what her story had done to me. We ended up talking about until about 1:00am (my time) about the book and how the story unfolded.

The ending was such a shock for me and I'll admit that, at first, I wasn't quite sure about it but by the end, I was so emotionally tied up in it that I wasn't sure how I really felt about it. I turned to my sister-in-law and told her that the book ripped my heart out. To which, she replied: "I could tell! I looked at you ten minutes ago and you looked like you were about to cry. What the hell are you reading?"