Review: Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore

Title: Rouge
Author: Leigh Talbert Moore
Series: Book One in the Cheveux Roux Series
Published: November 11, 2012
Source: Copy Provided By the Author (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Mature YA/NA Light Historical/Theater
My Rating: 5 Stars!

Goodreads Description:
 Trapped in the underground theater world of 1890s New Orleans, Hale Ferrer has only one goal: escape. But not without Teeny, the orphan-girl she rescued from the streets and promised to protect.

Freddie Lovel, Hale's wealthy Parisian suitor, seems to be the easy solution. If only his touch could arouse her interest like Beau's, the penniless stagehand who captures her heart.

Denying her fears, Hale is poised to choose love until an evil lurking in their cabaret-home launches a chain of events that could cost her everything.

My Review:
I planned on making this my Indie Book of the Week but I just couldn't wait that long to post my review. I had to get it out there for the world to see. The world must know how awesome this book is.

  I knew I wanted to read this book the moment I read the description. I love books set in a different era. I love the feel of them and I love it when a good writer can take me back to that different time and place and make me feel like I am a part of it. Like I am right there with the main character seeing, smelling and hearing all that they are.

I felt like I was transported back in time. To a place where singing and dancing ran rampant through the town of New Orleans. When night time takes on a whole new world where anything goes and ladies are mysterious and even a little sexy and the streets are dangerous and exciting. A time when things happen that aren't spoken of during the day.

When ladies and men become so much more than they are during the daylight hours and secrets are plentiful. When a side of New Orleans comes out and that side isn't always pretty.

This book sucked me in right from the start. I became a prisoner to the words on the pages as they grasped a hold of me and refused to release me until I had read the very last line.

I immediately loved Hale. There was just something about her that screamed strength and passion to me. A girl that was bold and fierce and not afraid to get the life that she thought she deserved for not only herself but those that she loved and cared about as well.

This book had a lot more twists and turns in it than what I was expecting (all in a good way of course!). It certainly kept me turning the pages and held my interest.

The cast of characters were all amazing. I love a book with fabulous secondary characters. In my opinion they can make or break a book for me and these characters definitely helped make this book.

Roland, Beau. Teeny, Rosa, Evie, Gavin, Freddie, all of them, too many to name really, had a role to play and all of them played it well.

I sometimes even had a hard time knowing which ones were really the good guys and which ones weren't and just when I thought I knew, something would happen and I had to start over guessing again.

This was a fantastic read that I truly enjoyed every minute of. It broke my heart at times and made me happy at other times. I really hope the sequel will be out soon because I honestly can not wait for it! I have to know what happens to Hale and Teeny next.