Butterfly Bayou (Butterfly Bayou, #1)

by Lexi Blake

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake is back with an all-new heartwarming, small-town contemporary romance series set against the spicy southern backdrop of Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou.

Life in Dallas took a tragic turn for nurse practitioner Lila Daley. In need of a fresh start, she retreats to Papillon, Louisiana, a tiny town on the bayou. Sure she's greeted by a gator, finds herself in the middle of golf cart wars, and unwittingly adopts a scruffy dog, but Lila remains undaunted. She's focused on running the town's medical clinic, but fitting into the quirky community is harder than she imagined.

As a single dad, Sheriff Armie LaVigne embraces routine. But there is nothing routine about the town's newest resident. Lila is a gorgeous fish out of water and he’s ready to catch her. In fact, in no time at all, Armie knows Lila is the woman for him and he plans to win her heart. But when the past threatens their happiness, Armie will have to decide if he has the courage to trust Lila enough to find a true happily ever after.

• ISBN10: 1984806564
• ISBN13: 9781984806567
• Publish Date: 5 May 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Pamela Dorman Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984806567

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

Butterfly Bayou is a new series by Lexi Blake. I will admit, the cover totally won me over. I mean, a cute dog, in boat? Adorable! Small town romance? Great! My actual feelings on the story are much more mixed however.

Let's start with what worked! The heroine, Lila, makes some real personal growth and I love that in a character. She was kind of rude in the beginning, but I think I was able to see that as a defense mechanism. The hero is a sheriff, single dad, and a little wary of letting any woman in his life. Totally understandable given that his daughter is disabled. He pursues Lila though, which is great! There is a scruffy dog that worms it way into Lila's life and I love books with dogs that help a character soften.

So, where did it lose me? The book is WAY heavier than I expected. I mean, I looked at the cover and thought "bright, sunny, small town romance". WRONG. Seriously, Lila has baggage, Armie has baggage, there is a lot of angst and nothing is light. Maybe because I went into this expecting something less angsty I am being more critical. I just know that the longer the book went on, the less I was enjoying it. Armie changes and does some really dumb things; this seemed totally out of character from the beginning of the book. Lila actually becomes more likable as the story progresses (which I expected), but I was so mad at Armie, I kind of wanted her to leave him.

Butterfly Bayou left me confused. There were several things I really enjoyed about the story; but there were just as many things that I didn't love. Its been awhile since I read a book that left me this on the fence. I decided to check goodreads. Most of the reviews are 5 stars! Maybe it was because I went into the story with a preconceived idea and the book didn't match that. So, take my review as perhaps a cautionary tale to not judge a book by its cover! As a side note, I do think I will read the next books in the series! They sound interesting and now I know not to expect light hearted just because there is a puppy on the cover.

 

•   POV: 3rd


•   Tears: no


•   Trope: small town, single dad


•   Triggers: Domestic violence


•   Series/Standalone: stand alone


•   Cliffhanger: no


•   HEA: yes

authors like Kristen Ashley, Shayla Black, Lorelei James...then you will probably like Butterfly Bayou!

 

Butterfly Bayou

See full review on The Book Disciple

[Canadian Girl Book Blog]

          

Butterfly Bayou is a small-town, enemies to lovers, single dad romance which is the beginning of the Butterfly Bayou series. Lila is looking for a fresh start after surviving a tragic event. She heads to Papillon, Louisiana to be closer to her sister and to run the town's medical clinic but she does not expect the town to completely shut her out. Armie is the town's Sheriff and is used to his routine until the newest resident catches his attention and he plans to court her and win her heart. Butterfly Bayou reminds me of the show Hart of Dixie and has me anxiously waiting for the rest of the books in the series. I had a smile on my face and was laughing through the whole book. After reading this I am asking my self why I have never read a Lexi Blake before. I will be changing that quickly.

*ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review*