Birds play a big role in Heart of Constantine. The author dedicated the story to all birds everywhere.

Title: Heart of Constantine
Author: Barbara Monajem
Genre: Paranormal Mystery Romance
Published By: Thomas & Mercer (September 10, 2013)
Pages: 396
ISBN: 1428516875
ASIN: B00CMBOS7G

About the Story (Official Blurb): Vigilante Native American rock star Constantine Dufray has hit rock bottom. His telepathic abilities have spun out of control, and destructive rumors about him run rampant. Some are true—he caused a violent cop's suicide, and telepathy destroyed his marriage—but he didn't poison his wife, and he couldn't have caused riots at his concerts, killing his fans...or could he have? Now an unknown enemy is trying to frame him for rape and murder.

Meanwhile, aura reader Marguerite McHugh finally gets a close encounter with the mysterious star, but it's nothing like she expected. When Constantine finds her after she's been drugged at one of his shows, Marguerite's pulled into his quest for the truth. As danger mounts and murders pile up, Constantine and Marguerite are forced into an ever-more intimate relationship. Only by facing their fears and working together can they unmask the killer before more innocent people die. Secrets, lust, and magic converge in this sexy, fast-paced tale.

Recent review from Amazon reviewer:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Return to Bayou Gavotte March 2, 2014
By Avid_Reader
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love Barbara Monajem's Bayou Gavotte series, and I've been waiting for Constantine's book. It fully lived up to my expectations. Rock star Constantine Dufray has virtually stopped performing because his telepathy affects his fans, not always in a good way. His concerts have been marred by riots and injuries. But there's more to the story.

The heroine, Marguerite McHugh is an aura reader. Drugged at a concert and found with Constantine by a reporter, she's drawn into his problems. Someone is playing practical jokes with an ugly edge. Tabloids are dogging Constantine, and it's possible Marguerite's roommate's suicide was actually murder.

This book features Barbara Monajem's trademark humor with a naughty edge here and there. Although Marguerite and Constantine have, for different reasons, reservations about sex, there's plenty of sexual tension and hot romance. This is a great installment in the series!

My Review: Barbara continues to weave my heart into the town of Bayou Gavotte. It’s a town where misfits fit just fine, but trouble follows on their heels.

In the previous books of the series we learned that Constantine was unstable. All his friends believe in him but are wary just the same. He has the ability to blend into his surroundings, something he learned from Jack in book 2, but his most amazing ability is telepathy. Because of his volatile nature he gravitates to his guitar and singing. He writes songs often of fear and threats – probably very therapeutic for his psyche.

Marguerite has a past that drives her to Bayou Gavotte and to seek out Constantine. She’s his fan, but also wants to find out if he can truly control people’s thoughts. And as usual in this town, Marguerite has abilities of her own, but has long hidden them. She sees people’s auras. Through this means she’s able to know what the person she’s looking at is feeling. Very often they physically can hide their emotion, but their aura can tell a different story. Her ability has gotten her into trouble in the past, but in Bayou Gavotte it saves her and other lives.

I’m hoping that Barbara will write Zelda, Juma and Zeb’s stories. We met Zelda and Juma in book 2 and now Zeb in book 3. They are young members of the town and I’d love to hear what happens to them. So please tell us Barbara, that you have something in mind!
This story talked to me on a lot of different levels. I’m an admirer of the Native American and their fortitude to persevere against huge odds. Their spirituality and love of nature talk to me and so I absolutely adored this part of the story. And I so enjoyed the added history lesson about the Indian mounds.

The paranormal abilities of the characters fascinates me. I’d like to believe that telepathy exists. This story made it so believable.

I like the aspect of letting go of one’s protective shields and learning to trust another, and the challenge of actually doing that played out in Heart of Constantine. Love cannot be nurtured without trust. Constantine had much to hide. He thought himself evil and losing his mind. He needed to trust his spirit guide and he needed to learn to trust and believe in Marguerite.

We also learned about the loyalty of a deep friendship. Friends don’t forsake friends when the going gets rough. Zelda, Juma and Zeb demonstrated this type of friendship.

As I said, I hope that Barbara continues the series. It was a mystery, suspense, romance and paranormal all rolled into one. All the genre that I love. You would not be amiss to read this series. ( )