The Butterfly Box

GIVEAWAY

STEELE, MINDY

THE BUTTERFLY BOX

When the small town of Miller's Creek suffers a great loss, one band of brothers and a pair of town matchmakers help breathe life back into the community.

Penny Lapp thought life was done knocking her down, but when the earth shakes the ground beneath her, she knows life isn't finished toying with her yet. Everyone she has ever cared for is gone. Now suffering from her own accident while being the sole caregiver to her mother, Penny must find a way to survive the storms God has given her. Giving up would be easier, but when a stranger from the north arrives and refuses to leave, she might just discover she has so much to fight for.

Luke Milford came to Kentucky months ago for his cousin's funeral. Helping his family with their mounting losses, Luke finds himself drawn to his cousin's intended. He has never met anyone so fragile, so in need...of him. Penny Lapp needs more than a new roof, and Luke is determined to give her that before he must head back home. What was meant to be simply repaying an old debt for saving his life years ago, has now brought him back to claim what captured his heart.

My Review:

"I love Gott and all his kinner, but some just make me want to smack their heads together." (p 152)

Bwahahaha -- you might say Luke and Penny are a challenge for a certain matchmaker and I'll admit to wanting to do some head smacking too. :-)

This is the second book in the Miller Creek series and starts off right where  'To Catch a Hummingbird' left off. A town catastrophe left readers hanging at the conclusion of that book so the start of 'The Butterfly Box' is quite emotional. The opening scene with Penny standing distraught in the midst of chaos is so gripping! Sucked me right back into this Kentucky community as we follow a different set of characters. 

At times I felt as overwhelmed as Penny who has faced so much adversity in her life. Even though I got impatient with her at times, the author has done such a great job with her backstory that I could understand her hesitancy and wariness. A great lesson in not allowing our past to define our future, but, my oh my, that's hard to live out as Penny demonstrates time and time again.

Luke makes for a very swoonworthy hero, though he sometimes goes about things the wrong way which makes for complications. But he's so patient and tender with Penny. Steadfast in his desire to make her life easier. But then his band of brothers comes to town and oy, things get even more complicated. 

First off, all the brothers have 'L' names which I found really confusing. I saw them as a pack with only Luke and Lewis making enough of an impression on me to distinguish them from the crowd. I'm thinking this series is going to feature each brother which will provide a gradual in-depth introduction and by the end I'll be able to keep them all straight. :-)

Love the Kentucky setting and this Amish / Englisch mix of townsfolk who are facing a unique challenge. There's plenty of drama -- both in Penny and Luke's lives and the greater community -- and that kept me turning pages. There's one little plot point that totally surprised me! I gasped out loud. So unexpected. Makes me giddy when an author does that.

Really excited to continue this series with 'Cicada Season' which features another Milford brother (so, yay, I was right about each brother getting their own story.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- Winner's choice.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you're new to the series and would rather win a copy of 'To Catch a Hummingbird,' let me know in the comments. 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Butterfly Box OR To Catch a Hummingbird, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday December 17 2022 . Offer open to International Readers.