Review – Butterfly Palace

Colleen Coble in her new book "Butterfly Palace" Book One in the Butterfly Palace series published by Thomas Nelson takes us into the life of Lily Donaldson. From the back cover:   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? Things are bigger in Texas.  Butterfly Palace is a luxurious mansion in Austin, Texas in 1904.  Lily has come there to escape and be a maid.  So the set-up is the upper-class elite contrasted with the lower-class servants.  Into all this luxury comes murder, counterfeiting, political deceit and broken hearts.  "Butterfly Palace" is a thriller in that characters lives are in danger.  Then there is the romance.  Ms. Coble knows how to write characters that come alive off the page.  This is a fast-paced read that will keep you guessing as to what is really going on.