Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang

Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang

Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue’s finest, Meg Davenport has all she’s ever needed . . . but none of the things she’s wanted most, like family, or dreams of a future that includes anything other than finding a suitable match. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn’t the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.

Poised to lead those loyal to Meg’s father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York’s wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

MY REVIEW-I have personally read many of Maureen Lang's other books. This one was a departure from her normal writing style of war era stories, which I was really looking forward to. I enjoy war stories but only to a certain degree. This time period is much more my type of thing. So I started in on Bees in the Butterfly Garden with high expectations. I ended it with mixed feelings.

The plot sounded very interesting and the characters were likeable. But I just couldn't get into the book. For some reason it starts off slowly and I felt like I had to push myself to get into it. You do have a little bit of a mystery with the beginning and this young girl trying to escape from who knows what, but then it turns to 4 years later and like really slows down. I think this book could have been half the length it was and probably been more interesting. Not that the book was dry, but it was slow.

After you get about half way through it gets a bit more exciting. I had a hard time reading about a girl who basically becomes a thief because her father was but I understood why Meg did it. Talk about funny with how she goes from being an upstanding, mannerly young lady of society to a ruffian thief! Pretty interesting at this point. Ian was such a likeable guy. I was ready to slap Eva the first time I met her, though it got a little bit better.

So, if you are looking for a slow read, this is one to pick up. And believe me, it is interesting. I know some readers enjoy the slower read where they don't have to figure out who did it and what is coming next, but it just wasn't for me. Good story and plot though.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Tyndale Blogger Program. I did not receive any monetary compensation. All thoughts are 100% mine.