Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble

Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 2014)

332 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $4.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Sensuality: White Heart

Lily had been blessed in life, until the night her father was killed in a fire and her fiancé abandoned her, and now with her mother deceased, Lily is forced to support herself by taking a position as a maid in a large house in Austin, surprised to see her ex-fiancé as a dinner guest her first night there. Mysteries abound in this story. I would categorize this as Christian "Lite"—there is some mention of God and Christian values, but not in a heavy-handed sort of way, and the characters are seen to struggle with desire and holding to strict values (a quality I thought more realistic than some books that seem to gloss over such things or hope to impress that such struggles do not impact good Christian people). There were three mystery storylines intertwined throughout the book, and I liked how Lily and Drew's work together in trying to solve the mysteries brought them together, while giving them something to distract them from their romance and uncertain future. I found the relationship between Lily and her mistress, Miss Belle, interesting. Belle grew so much in the course of this story, from a spoiled rich girl to so much more and I wish we could have found out what happened to her in the end. This book is followed by a Companion Novella, Bluebonnet Bride, about Nathan White (Jane's brother).

“‘As long as we’re living, we’ll face adversity. God is never finished refining us. But at least we can face what comes together. Our wings may get a little tattered, but I won’t leave you if you won’t leave me.’” -Colleen Coble, Butterfly Palace