Blog tour: Butterfly by Elle Harper + excerpt, review & giveaway

We are one of today's stops on the Butterfly Blog Tour hosted by Itching For Books. Our tour stop has an excerpt we chose, our review, and a tour-wide giveaway. Enjoy!

Butterfly by Elle Harper 

New Adult contemporary romance 

Paperback/ebook, 258 pages 

Published January 20th 2014 by Createspace (first published January 15th 2014)

Purchase: Amazon

Grace Elliot is falling apart. Overwhelming tragedy has turned her world into a dark and lonely place. Facing the pain and the ghosts is impossible. Hiding her secret behind a mask of confidence and living a lie is the only thing she knows how to do. She's alive...but not living.

Counsellor Ben Hardy is certain he can help Grace heal. Maybe it's a way to rid himself of the demons haunting him from that one horrific night when his life shattered.

When they meet, everything changes, and their pasts offer them a remedy to save each other...until Ben's traumatic history threatens to destroy the trust they've built.

Will the truth tear them apart? Or will it force them to understand the healing power of forgiveness and love?

Excerpt:

‘You have nothing to be sorry about,’ he says. ‘You had a panic attack, that’s all.’ It’s as if his look lasts an eternity, but it’s probably only a few seconds before I tear my gaze away from 

his. 

‘You know, deep breathing really helps when you have one. Just try to concentrate on slow, deep breaths, or maybe start counting slowly in time with the breath. I know it’s hard to do at  first, but it works.’ 

I lean my head on the doorway. ‘Yeah. It’s not always easy to remember that when you’re in the middle of one.’ 

‘It also helps to focus on one particular thing to ground yourself.’ 

‘Ground myself?’ 

He stands up and leans against the worktop. ‘Yeah. Try and find an object or something to concentrate on while you’re having a panic attack that lets you know you’re safe.’ 

Like your eyes? 

I blush as the thought pops into my brain. I haven’t been able to get those eyes out of my head. I want him to stop looking at me, but at the same time, I don’t want him to stop. ‘OK, I’ll try that.’ 

‘Have you tried meditating before?’ 

‘No.’ I look at him then, even though I’m trying so hard not to. 

‘Well, that’s good for panic attacks, too.’ 

‘So what do I need to do exactly?’ I can’t believe I’m talking with him about this. I haven’t spoken to anyone before, but I want to know what he knows. I want to know how to get better. 

Grace and Ben are damaged people, but they are also survivors. Elle Harper does a wonderful job telling the story of two individuals living with the pain and guilt of past trauma and events until Fate throws in each other's path in Butterfly.

This tender and intriguing New Adult contemporary romance shares a dual POV and I really liked reading from both main characters' point-of-views. The author did an excellent job conveying both as distinct individuals with their own strong and unique voices. Grace is dealing with the painful memories of being raped, submerging herself by day into working at the coffee shop her aunt left for her to run. Early morning, she awakens from the nightmares plaguing her. When she meets Ben, she feels something for the first time in a long time. Ben is equally affected, seeing raw pain in a beautiful woman's eyes, a pain he knows all too well.

Butterfly is a fast read, at least for me the words whizzed by as I became more and more caught up in Grace and Ben's story. I'm grateful Elle Harper created Ben the way she did--a tender-hearted man with a rough, violent past--and not the formulaic 'bad boy' I have to say I'm tired of reading about in NA. Ben wants to help Grace because he understands her pain, the same pain he saw in his sister but unfortunately wasn't able to help in time. Ben is also carrying a secret which comes to light later on. As he searches for ways to help Grace, they begin to fall in love. 

Both characters are incredibly likable. Their individual stories are told respectfully and the author doesn't shy away from revealing the raw, gritty pain of their traumas. The road to recovery is also explored and delved into, also respectfully. I thoroughly enjoyed Butterfly and recommend it wholeheartedly. The captivating part of watching a butterfly in action is witnessing it take off in flight--watching those wings with their gorgeous markings as they flap and soar. This movement, this graceful motion of flight, is symbolic of Grace and Ben's love story. Readers get to witness two individuals (one as each wing) join together as one and fly away to face what the world holds for them together. That is a beautiful sight to behold and I am grateful I was able to bear witness to this couple taking flight.

Rating: 4

Cover comment:

Butterfly has a pretty cover but I'm not crazy about it. I think it's because of what Grace endured that I don't want to see a sexy picture of her with Ben. I would have preferred something outdoors, but this is simply my opinion.

Book source:

I received a promotional copy from the author in return for my honest review during a blog tour.

About the Author

Elle Harper is the pen name of Bestselling author Sibel Hodge. She is the Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author of Fourteen Days Later and Be Careful What You Wish For. She has 8 cats and 1 husband. In her spare time, she's Wonder Woman! When she's not out saving the world from dastardly demons she writes an eclectic mix of romantic comedies, mysteries, thrillers, children's books, and non fiction.

www.sibelhodge.com | twitter.com/sibelhodge

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