Butterfly Palace

By: Colleen Coble

Narrated by: Devon O'day

Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Elegance and wealth. Privilege and politics. The extravagance of the Butterfly Palace overwhelmed Lily’s senses and nearly smothered her painful memories. She pushed away her misgivings.... She was perfectly safe in this huge house.

Austin, Texas - 1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother, Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start, working for the Marshall family as a kitchen maid in their luxurious mansion, the Butterfly Palace. The tasks before her are legion, and her mistress less than pleasant, but at least Lily’s new life will be, if nothing else, distracting. But one night, while serving at a dinner party, Lily recognizes the man who abandoned her, Andy, her liaison from the livery stable, the blacksmith’s son...sitting among the distinguished guests. Though he recognizes her, Andy does not acknowledge her aloud, and Lily is left reeling, flabbergasted, and irate. But before she can get an explanation, the path of the Servant Girl Killer swerves very close to the Butterfly Palace, sowing terror among the maids. Having come to Austin to start anew, Lily suddenly feels trapped in a spider web. How can she know who to trust in a house where lies come dressed in fine suits and deceit in silk gowns the colors of butterfly wings?

©2014 Thomas Nelson (P)2014 Thomas Nelson

MIXED FEELINGS

I really did enjoy the story. And, because of that I continued to listen. I wanted to find out what happened at the end. There were many twists and turns that kept me wondering where exactly the author was going. I was very surprised with the ending. It was an enjoyable story.....NOT an enjoyable listen. The narrator was not one that I will listen to again. Devon O'Day was not an engaging narrator. She made it extremely difficult to stick with this audio book. Like I said, enjoyable story.

Perfect balance of everything

Exciting but not gory, not overly romantic, not predictable and I can't submit unless I keep typing

Slow Plot

I struggled to connect to the story. It developed slowly and I skipped like 15 or so chapters and still got most of the big ideas.

My First Audio Book and I Wasn't Disappointed!

If you could sum up Butterfly Palace in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing Christian Historical Romance

What did you like best about this story?

Colleen Coble has quickly become one of my favorite authors because I like the way she weaves her stories. They are intriguing, captivating, wholesome, and worth reading and rereading.

Have you listened to any of Devon O'Day’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this is the first audio I have listened to with Devon O'Day narrating. I think she did very well!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Reduced to servanthood, Lily Donaldson fights an unknown assailant/murderer amongst the wealthy, political family.

Any additional comments?

I loved the audio, and will listen to it again!

Well-woven story

The symbolism and plot twists made this story both deeply satisfying and enjoyable to read. I recommend it to anyone facing challenges or difficulties in life. The hope and belief in better possibilities to come drive the plot forward even as the mystery deepens. I rooted for Lily and Drew.

Another good one. Exciting

Started kinda slow which I thought was odd. But then it got good quickly after that. I liked Belle with how she changed.
I didn’t like how there was no closure with Belle , Stewart or the uncle Everett. What happened to then? How did they handle the surprise? What happened to Stewart? What happened to the 2 now butterfly’s?

I only wish for smarter womens’ rolls rather than so strong, unwise, and unyielding to warnings.

I most definitely enjoyed the book. The plots, twists, number of suspects made it more fun.

A very good read

I enjoyed the story very much and liked the clean content with no bad language.

Determination and grit while seeking Divine strength and wisdom.

Loved the main character Lily and her blossoming before your eyes. A tender love story too. Very special.

Narration halted it for me

I listened to Butterfly Palace as an Audible. The narrator’s artistic interpretation of the voices did not match. She had a sing song quality even during dramatic events. I have listened to many audio books, In this book, the narrator did not feel authentic nor did it match. it made me cringe in parts. The story was not bad. I'd give it a B- or C but again the narration may be what ruined it for me.