The Butterfly by Victoria Vale
The Butterfly*
Exceptional Tale of Love’s Triumph over Madness and Despair
What a fantastic book by Victoria Vale! I was only familiar with her work from reading The Villain Duology, which I gave a four-star review to a while back. I had a sense from that book that I would enjoy this extension of the series, but I had no idea how moved I would be by it.
Note: This book definitely needs a trigger warning. If discussion of mental illness, drug abuse, drug withdrawal, child abuse, or sexual assault trigger you in any way or make you squeamish, then you should pass on this book. That said, the author deftly handles these delicate subjects.
This is stated to be a sequel to The Villain Duology, but I think it could be read either between the two books of the duology or after. Of course, if you read it between the two books of the duology, there are spoilers in this book; this book and the second book of the duology essentially take at the same time (except for the flashbacks), so either one could be read first. But you definitely need to read the first book of the duology before either of the others, as it sets up the two main characters in this book and gives a little bit of the background of their story.
This book artfully weaves the childhood and young adult past of the two main characters along with a contemporary plot taking place in Regency England when they are adults. For most of the book, these plots weave back and forth between past and present chapter by chapter, though at a certain point it switches only to the current Regency time.
We first meet ten-year-old Niall, our hero, as he enters his earl’s home with his father so the elders can discuss a pressing issue. This is the first time young Niall has seen any place beyond a stablemaster’s cottage, and he is transfixed by the opulence he sees. He cannot resist touching one of these beautiful items in the room, and when the elders try to get his attention, the item drops and shatters. Young Neil is ashamed. As he cleans this up, he secretes a tiny, perfect, but jagged portion within his sock. This is the same time that he sees Lady Olivia (we assume) for the first time. He is transfixed with her delicate nature. The jagged piece of porcelain becomes a metaphor in the story
As the children at the manor house grow up, they become friends. Niall, Olivia, and her stepbrother Adam play together, and Olivia even teaches Niall to read when she realizes that he is illiterate. As teenagers, Olivia and Niall have an attraction both know can go nowhere due to their relative stations, but they continue to act on it when they can.
In the modern Regency part of the story, Olivia–mentally broken after her rape and time in the asylum for unwed mothers–is in the deepest throes of madness and laudanum addiction when the story begins. After deeply slashing her wrists in order to feel anything, she determines that she will get off the laudanum even though that is what quiets her nightmares. We witness her harrowing withdrawal from laudanum and even her slipping back. I am an RN, and I thought the author did an exceptional job of showing the pain of years of nightmares and laudanum withdrawal.
Our hero, Niall, is a Scot through and through. But if you’re expecting a kilt-wearing and claymore-wielding Highlander, you will be disappointed. But you shouldn’t be; Niall is an exceptional hero. Yes, he is very rough around the edges, but that is understandable given the way that he grew up. But no matter his rough edges, he loves Lady Olivia and supports her through all of her struggles with the strength and the courage a brave knight, as Lady Olivia has always called him. Lady Olivia could ask for no better man to help support her through her years of madness and despair and still give love and affection as she heals and comes out of her fog.
My only complaint, if you could call it such, is that Lady Olivia did not call Adam to heel for his treatment of Daphne. As a young woman who was ruined in the most egregious way, she would be the only one who could shame him about his actions. If he were truly a loving brother, could he subject another woman to ruin as Olivia suffered? She did think about it and even spoke briefly to Niall about it, but she never confronted Adam.
While another author might dance around the sexual aspects of the story, Victoria Vale doesn’t shy away from telling about young Niall’s and Olivia’s youthful experiences, Olivia’s rape by Lord Bertram, and Olivia’s sexual reawakening. As I was reading the book, knowing the author’s style, I wasn’t sure how she was going to approach Niall and Olivia’s the first time, but she did so with emotional honesty and restraint, creating a scene in which Niall truly shows how much he comprehends Olivia’s struggle but still follows through as a loving and respectful man.
The author did a neat-and-tidy job of tying up the various plot lines of the story, even resolving threads I hadn’t realized needed to be. With the swift succession of scenes at the end, the author leaves the story on a triumphant note, so different than when the book started.
So long as the triggers mentioned above and explicit sexual content don’t bother you, you will find this book to be an exceptional, emotional read.
Winter’s Dragons: Draconic Affairs by Eva Brandt
Winter's Dragons: Draconic Affairs*
Getting to Know the Dragons Before They Met Cheimon
If you read the other two books in the Winter’s Dragons part of the Harem of Season’s series, you’ll find this little book–which is mostly about the dragons’ lives before their arrival to the winter realm–a fun bit of backstory about Cheimon’s dragons. The three main chapters that take up over half of the book are each narrated by a different dragon; the author was able to give them each a unique voice. The first chapter shows their meeting as young hatchlings while the following chapters look at their other encounters as dragonets and then adult males. The epilogue, which is a substantial portion of the book, is told from Cheimon’s perspective.
I enjoyed seeing how the dragons interacted before they knew Cassia. It illustrates how much has changed since they’ve become the soulmates of the avatar of winter. The first chapter did a good job showing the learned prejudices of the different races of dragons that is so ingrained in draconic culture that young hatchlings are not immune. I found the epilogue to be particularly humorous. My goodness, what the dragons made her do in the bailey!
If you enjoyed the other books in this part of the series, you would enjoy this peek into the background of Cheimon’s dragons.
Egging Her On by Mellanie Szereto
Egging Her On
Too Much Sex, Not Enough Romance
I don’t know what I was expecting when I read the blurb on the review site where I often pick books to review, but this wasn’t quite it. The book seems far more crude than it needs to be. While I don’t consider myself a prude, I often wish that sensual romance books didn’t resort to profanity or crass terms. Often these days, it seems like romances are either clean or lewd, without much middle ground. At least on Goodreads and Bookbut, the book blurb clearly states at the top that it is “erotic romance.”
The heroine, Lindie, is a no-nonsense farmer, specializing in eggs though she does sell some produce as well. The peaceful life she has created for herself is upended when someone wants to buy her property for way more than its value. This turns out to be the many-times-great grandson of the original owner who would like to have it back in the family so that he can raise his orphaned nephews there. The blurb says they meet when she’s naked, but there’s definitely more to it than that.
They immediately decide to embark on a no-strings affair, complete with a detailed contract specifying contraception, STD checks, and no mention of relationship terms (among other things). Will this affair impact the proceedings with a property? Will either of them break the contract? Why is Lindie dead set against selling, even at a fantastic price? What is her big secret?
I found Lindie to be too rough, abrasive, and crude. She’s definitely not a shrinking violet. It’s hard for me to imagine a real woman acting with Blaine as she does the first two times they meet.
Perhaps I read it wrong, but the blurb seems to be more about their property dispute and Lindie’s secret. The book, however, seems more about their tawdry affair. I would liked to have seen more character development, and given the way the story actually went, more of a development of actual romantic interest between the two, not a just sexual one.
The cover of the book isn’t right. Lindie is stated to be 40 more than once, and Blaine himself is supposed to be nearing 40. Neither of the models on the cover appears to be close to those ages. I like it when a book has an older heroine, but this should be clear on the cover. Otherwise, it seems hypocritical, using youth to sell a story about a more mature romance.
The book had some of the common issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling, but these in themselves did not distract from the book.
Perception Boxed Set by Shandi Boyes
Perception Boxed Set*
Triumph and Tragedy in Coming-of-Age Romance
This box set contains three separate interlinked novels. In fact, the first two combine to make one bigger novel. The first two books are a coming-of-age romance of wannabe rockstar Noah and Emily, the younger sister of his friend Jacob’s girlfriend Lola. These books touch on quite a few themes that could be unsettling for some readers. Several heartbreaking events occur, both on large and small scales, but I don’t want to give away too much detail because, if you choose to read these books, you’ll appreciate the reading experience more for having read it yourself. The second book involves a romance for Noah’s friend mentioned above, who usually is quite the player.
I’m glad the author is offering these in a boxset because the first two really should be read together one right after the other. While the first book could be seen as complete in itself, the ending would be unsatisfying; it does make you wonder what happens next for Noah. The second book has a shocking twist I didn’t see coming; it was very well done by the author.
The book did have the common issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling, including incorrect possessives and misspellings/wrong words like dints for dents, opposing versus opposite, and allude for exude.
If you enjoy coming of age romances that have triumph and tragedy, you might enjoy this boxset.
I did receive a free advance copy, but this did not affect my review.
Love Done Write by Amelia Foster
Love Done Write*
Writer and Biggest Fan Get Together
Harrison Winslow is a staid university professor by day, divorced and with post-divorce relationship troubles, who writes erotic novels under a pseudonym to protect his and his university’s reputation. Sydney is probably his biggest fan, a young hairdresser who sneaks off to read his weekly postings as soon as they hit his website and is always the first to comment on them. They flirt a little bit publicly, but then in an inebriated haze, she mistakenly sends him her true and steamy reaction to his story via email. Then things start to heat up between them. After playing a little bit of cat and mouse while trying to decide whether to get together more than digitally, they meet up and hook up.
Harrison, though he is far older than Sydney, has had fewer partners than she has. They both do a little teaching and learning here. This book contains a lot of steamy scenes, both one-sided and as a couple. Although the author didn’t let us know early on, it turns out that Sydney writes as well, and that leads to a very interesting end of the book. I liked the clever use of texts and emails as well as more standard dialogue and narrative sections.
This book had minor issues with punctuation. Namely, commas were often forgotten between two independent clauses in a complex sentence. But it wasn’t overly distracting.
If you like erotic May/ December romances, this book may be for you.
This Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan
This Scot of Mine*
Can an English Bride Break a Scottish Curse?
It’s always fun when a romance starts with a curse! In fact, this book starts with a curse that impacts all men of the McLarin line; they will not live to see their firstborn draw his first breath.
This curse has held for five generations. The current last of the male line has been very restrained in his approach to women. He knows he cannot have a family and children like most men, but he is able to find comfort with a widow who is barren.
Our heroine is hightailing it to Scotland on the heels of ruin. She consciously set up her ruin in order to evade marriage to a man whom she was discovering was cruel. Rolland states he will not let her go, so the only thing she can think of to tell him is that she is pregnant with another man’s child. She isn’t, of course. She removes to Scotland to live out her days with her brother.
Her brother, Marcus, let’s Hunter McLarin know about his sister’s downfall, and immediately the laird offers marriage. It seems an ideal circumstance for him, as he can have a wife and a child. We the reader know she’s not really with child, and Clara does grapple with whether she wants to marry this man at all, whom she first saw brawling in a pub, and then if she wishes to deceive him in order to marry. Her companion and brother think she should marry and not disclose that she is not really pregnant until after the marriage; none of the English group believes in curses and can’t quite believe that the Scot does. Only Marcus’s wife has qualms about Clara marrying before full disclosure.
They do marry, and he quickly discovers that she is not pregnant; the laird is NOT pleased. Honestly, this is the only part I did not enjoy the book. McLarin is a complex, broody, careful, and thoughtful man, but his response to finding out about this seems counter to the man we had come to know in the earlier part of the book. He does become more like himself again, but after his response to her after their wedding night, I almost stopped reading the book because I so disliked his reaction to it. I never like it when the hero acts cruelly to the heroine right after marriage consummation.
From their one time together, of course, Clara becomes pregnant. The rest of book deals with the emotional aftermath of this, as Hunt falls victim to small accidents that put him in peril, putting all on edge about the possibility that the curse has merit. The book does have a satisfying, HEA resolution.
Except for the one part I didn’t like, I found a book to be well written. The book starts with Clara as she is heading to Scotland from London, now a ruined woman. The author does a good job of only telling us what we need to know as we need to know it. For instance, the author only reveals at first that Clara is ruined, but we don’t know why or how. Even as the book goes along, we only learn a little at a time about the entire situation that transpired between her and her former betrothed. The book has solid plot turning points as the story unfolds.
A Dragon’s Heart by Tina Glasneck
A Dragon's Heart*
Jilted Bride Finds New Life in Magical 18th Century France
What a remarkably well-done book! We meet the heroine, Mia, as she is being jilted on her wedding day. Worse, her affianced has run off with her stepsister.
Mia is a tour guide in a French castle, and she has a great affinity for her Norse heritage. Having nowhere to stay now that her groom has run off, she convinces those at work to let her stay in the castle overnight until she gets herself sorted out. Not one but two people at the castle suggest she should wish on the full blue moon. She thinks it is silly but does anyway. She wakes up in 18th century France, thinking at first she is part of an elaborate modern-day war re-creation. As the plot progresses, she realizes that she is taking on some aspects of the life of the ancestor she was named after. She meets Lord Dumont, whose portrait back in present times she had often admired with some degree of longing, and their adventure to save themselves in this historical and mythical old-time France begins. Will they be safe? Will changes be wrought in the past that can change the future? What happens when Mia goes back to her time?
This book is told from Mia’s perspective. The author does a remarkably good job of getting inside her head, first as she goes through what could arguably be said is the worst day of her life (the near wedding day) and then through her harrowing adventures in fantastical 18th century France. Sometimes deep point of view is not done well by authors, who make it seem like too much navel-gazing or imbue it with too little action. Tina Glasneck is able to avoid both problems. What she did was create an exceedingly sympathetic character who felt real with her self-esteem issues, fears, and desires.
The book has some of the common issues with punctuation, grandma, and usage, but this did not detract from the story.
If you enjoy well-written fantasy stories with a touch of history written from deep point of view, you might find this book to be a good read.
French Restoration by Sara Claridge
French Restoration*
Chateau Restoration with Intrigue and Romance
This tale about the restoration of a French chateau has both mystery and romance. Alex, the wealthy American new owner of the chateau, wants it converted into an exclusive luxury hotel. Working with him is a French interior designer, Chantal, who has unique ideas that align with his vision. Both characters have complicated pasts and hopes for the future. But something’s amiss at the chateau. Strange things keep happening that put the project at risk and even in danger, and these incidents escalate as the book goes on. What secrets are in Chantal’s past? Will the chateau renovation actually get completed? Will Alex prove himself to his father and take over the company?
I didn’t like the hero much at first and actually had a hard time getting past that. He comes across as a bit of a chauvinist, which is not my favorite kind of hero in a romance! He tends to make wild, usually sexist assumptions about Chantal. We do find out that this is due to a recent nasty breakup, but he’s still a bit of a jerk at times. Chantal was intriguing, as it was clear there was a bit more to her than what could be seen at the surface.
There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but this did not overly detract from the story.
If you like stories with a different setting than is typical, like modern France, and enjoy a little bit of intrigue with your romance, you might find this story enjoyable.
I did receive a free advance copy, but that did not affect my review.
Beneath the Earth by Skye MacKinnon and Laura Greenwood
Beneath the Earth*
A New Member for the Harem and Troubles with Magic
In this installment of the Seven Wardens series, the pursuit of waffles has still not resolved! I love this silly little continuing theme in the series. What is more important is Macey has added another man to her harem. Something’s not quite right with her magic, and it turns almost violent as she has a strange compulsion to stay in the water and drag Ronan in. Other issues are going on in the greater world. Something is not quite right with Earth magic in Belgium, and the Great Orca is attacking the seelies. What will happen with Macey’s magic and Earth magic? Will the Great Orca be defeated? What will they do about the ever-present danger behind the Voice?
The book had some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. In particular, commas appeared to be missing between independent clauses in compound sentences, but that did not really detract from the fun of the adventures and characters in the book.
If you’ve enjoyed Macey’s and her men’s previous adventures, you will enjoy this next installment.
Forbidden Desires Anthology
Forbidden Desires*
Fun Collection of Reverse Harem Firsts in Series or Prequels
This is a collection of mostly firsts in a series or prequels by RH authors. The stories range in concept. There are otherworldly ones: two with wolf shifters, two about royalty (one that’s more fantastical and one that’s more witchy), and one about alien shifters. There are also some contemporary ones that have to with business, the medical field, acting, and even a special camp.
The boxset introduced me to series and authors I didn’t know about and will now follow; it’s always fun to discover new authors! The collection didn’t seem to have too many issues with grammar, punctuation, or usage.
If you like or have an interest in the RH concept, you might find this small taste from a variety of authors will wet your whistle.
NOTE: This anthology appears to no longer be available.
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