"Butterfly Palace"

by Colleen Coble

GIVEAWAY!

Description

Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the Butterfly Palace overwhelmed Lily’s senses and nearly smothered her painful memories. She pushed away her misgivings . . . She was perfectly safe in this huge house.

Austin, Texas―1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother, Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start, working for the Marshall family as a kitchen maid in their luxurious mansion, the Butterfly Palace. The tasks before her are legion, and her mistress less than pleasant, but at least Lily’s new life will be, if nothing else, distracting. 

But one night, while serving at a dinner party, Lily recognizes the man who abandoned her, Andy, her liaison from the livery stable, the blacksmith’s son . . . sitting among the distinguished guests. Though he recognizes her, Andy does not acknowledge her aloud, and Lily is left reeling, flabbergasted, and irate. 

But before she can get an explanation, the path of the Servant Girl Killer swerves very close to the Butterfly Palace, sowing terror among the maids. Having come to Austin to start anew, Lily suddenly feels trapped in a spider web. How can she know who to trust in a house where lies come dressed in fine suits and deceit in silk gowns the colors of butterfly wings?

  



Biography

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://colleencoble.com.  




My thoughts ~

Butterfly Palace is an early 20th Century romantic suspense that is steaped in murder and political conspiracy. Counterfeit money and greed add to an extremely complex plot set in Austin, Texas, home to the Butterfly Palace.

Numerous characters are portrayed in various situations throughout this complicated novel. With murder, theft, deception and suspicious individuals throughout, no one is exempt from being suspect to any number of questionable incidents. This is a fast paced story that leaves no room for boredom. 

I had a bit of difficulty keeping characters straight, particularly male characters. The plot was well told, although a bit disjointed at times which led to some confusion. I had to backtrack a bit to clarify those scenes. The suspense held my attention throughout. It's a good weekend suspense read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All expressed opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.  

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