Book Review: Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang
This page contains affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, I receive a commission for the sale. This does not cost you anything. But if you do use my links, I appreciate your support.
Synopsis from the back of the book:
Raised at an exclusive boarding school, Meg Davenport has everything she needs but none of what she’s wanted most–like the love of a family, or a future not dependent on following etiquette and marrying well. So when she receives shocking news of her father’s death, Meg seizes the chance to break every rule that has governed her life. Especially when she learns John Davenport wasn’t the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.
Ian Maguire knows that John–his mentor–would never have wanted his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet she is determined to carry on his legacy, and her talent for garden design has earned her an invitation to stay with one of Fifth Avenue’s wealthiest families. With friends like those, Meg could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet.
But living in both worlds is more treacherous than Meg imagined. And as Ian’s concern for Meg turns to love, he finds himself torn between greed and guilt. Can they find the legacy they both long for, or in trying to gain everything will then end up losing it all?
My review:
What I found interesting about this story was the idea that Meg is so determined to follow the footsteps of her father knowing that it would ostracize her from society. Ian, a thief himself, wants to honor her father’s wishes by keeping her on the right path. How would two people so determined to follow the wrong path manage to end up on the right one?
While I liked the idea of this story, it took me too long to get into it. I wanted to like Meg, but just wasn’t able to connect with her desire to do everything she could to follow in her father’s footsteps, a man whom she didn’t really know. She admitted that she didn’t even love the man. I think she was just too cold for me to sympathize with. I did begin to like her at the end of the book, but by that point, I was just invested in seeing how the story played out.
I think that my lack of connection with Meg also made it hard for me to connect with Ian. I did like how he changed from his thieving ways to getting back on the right path. It was a more natural progression to me than Meg’s journey.
What I enjoyed most about this book:
The tangible faith of the Pemberton family. They carried their faith out in how they lived their lives. I loved how they handled difficult situations by offering “grace, justice, or mercy”.
What I didn’t like about this book:
I had a difficult time connecting with Meg.
My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Would I recommend this book to others? Yes. I thought that the faith of the Pemberton family in the background of Meg and Ian’s struggle with their sin was a nice contrast.
Note: I received this book in a giveaway. I was not required to give a positive review. All of the opinions I express here are my own.
Where can I learn more about this author and their books?
Tweet This-Loraine Nunley
