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The Butterfly Recluse by Therese Heckenkamp - Lila is content to stay hidden away in her house and garden, with just her butterflies for company. She's an introvert anyway, and the outside world is just too uncomfortable for her - even though it's been several years since her parents and younger siblings died in a car wreck. Lila never fully recovered from her grief and retreating from others seems to be her safest option.
But from the opening pages of the story, Harvey is challenging her safe and isolated existence. He shows up on a motorcycle, and he's loud and persistent in his hope that she'll agree to do a butterfly release as a gift. He's also kind and thoughtful, and he does seem pretty genuine in caring about her.
Harvey and Lila develop a comfortable friendship - or is it more? - and Lila is overcoming her fears and learning to forgive and to trust. But just as things are falling into place, something happens that sends her into a crisis of questioning everything she thought she knew about Harvey. And at that point, she also finds herself in very real danger and must decide who she can trust.
Contemporary settings are not my favorite, but this one drew me in with the realism of the characters and their interactions. Lila's insecurities and hesitance to allow herself to respond favorably to Harvey seemed quite real and believable. Harvey was likable and sweet right from the beginning, although it was natural for Lila - and for me! - to wonder if there wasn't some ulterior motive. Lila also has an online friend that has been a comfort and virtual companion through the years, which was also a very realistic plotline. What was a little harder to believe was that Lila and Harvey both seemed to be quite financially stable considering their ages.
The plot took a couple of unexpected twists, some pleasant and some unsettling, but Lila and Harvey seemed destined for each other, which kept me turning pages (okay, swiping across my Kindle) to find out how the situations would be resolved. The final scenes were a dramatic kidnap and chase sequence, which was well laid out if a bit over-the-top. The rescue and resolution was somewhat abrupt, without much explanation. It was implied that all the loose ends were tied up but very few details as to how that was done. The ending was satisfying though, despite feeling a rather rushed.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the writing and story telling, and will be very open to reading more by this author.
From the publisher:
Learning to love is like learning to fly . . .
Eccentric. Weird. Crazy. Whatever people call her, Lila doesn't mind. Most of the time. She finds solace in her sheltered world by raising butterflies and surrounding herself with their gentle beauty. They're all she needs.
Most of the time.
Until a motorcycle-riding stranger roars up her driveway, invading her safe haven, throwing her life off-kilter, and forcing her to question everything. Persistent and stubborn, Harvey Sanford may be just what she needs - or everything she doesn't.
He's easy on the eyes, but hard on her emotions. What exactly is he after, and what is he not telling her? Should she safeguard her heart or follow it?
As a summer wedding approaches, Lila must decide how much she's willing to risk for a chance at true happiness. In one intense night of desperation and revelation, she must confront her darkest fears - and hopefully discover that with faith and courage, shattered dreams can be restored, damaged hearts can love again, and broken wings can heal . . . maybe even fly.
A clean, inspirational, sweet summer romance!
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