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Firefly Hollow #2
Butterfly Lane
Alternate cover editions exist here and here.
Genre: Romance with paranormal elements.
Book Two in the Firefly Hollow Series.
When Zanny Franks Campbell walks in on her husband kissing another woman, she’s devastated but not surprised. She’s known something was wrong for a while but hasn’t had the courage to find out what. Now the ugly truth is coming out, and she isn’t sure she believes John’s protestations of innocence, no matter how much she wants to.
John hates himself for hurting Zanny. Even though the situation she walked in on wasn’t what it appeared to be, no matter how hard he tries to convince her he still wants to be married, she isn’t listening. She knows he hasn’t been fully honest with her about the intimate problems they’re facing, and until he is, the wounds between them will never heal.
With both of them hurting, finding middle ground where they can work things out turns into a struggle Zanny isn’t sure she’s able to fight. And unless John comes clean and tells her what he’s hiding, moving forward just isn’t an option. Until she believes he won’t hurt her again, she can’t take that risk.
Genre: Romance with paranormal elements.
Book Two in the Firefly Hollow Series.
When Zanny Franks Campbell walks in on her husband kissing another woman, she’s devastated but not surprised. She’s known something was wrong for a while but hasn’t had the courage to find out what. Now the ugly truth is coming out, and she isn’t sure she believes John’s protestations of innocence, no matter how much she wants to.
John hates himself for hurting Zanny. Even though the situation she walked in on wasn’t what it appeared to be, no matter how hard he tries to convince her he still wants to be married, she isn’t listening. She knows he hasn’t been fully honest with her about the intimate problems they’re facing, and until he is, the wounds between them will never heal.
With both of them hurting, finding middle ground where they can work things out turns into a struggle Zanny isn’t sure she’s able to fight. And unless John comes clean and tells her what he’s hiding, moving forward just isn’t an option. Until she believes he won’t hurt her again, she can’t take that risk.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2013
142 people are currently reading
768 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Haddix
40 books229 followersT.L. Haddix is the author of the Firefly Hollow Series, women's fiction romances set in Eastern Kentucky, as well as numerous other projects under various pen names. She's a self-described eccentric, a somewhat reclusive stick in the mud who lives in Eastern Kentucky with her husband and their cat-children. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, reading, genealogy, casual bird-and-critter watching, and being short.
She writes books about characters who are flawed but who somehow still manage to overcome the challenges thrown in their paths and reach for happiness with their soul mates. And while she can't tell a joke in the real world to save her life, she tries to inject her characters' lives with quirky, unintentional humor that surprises readers at just the right moment.
She writes books about characters who are flawed but who somehow still manage to overcome the challenges thrown in their paths and reach for happiness with their soul mates. And while she can't tell a joke in the real world to save her life, she tries to inject her characters' lives with quirky, unintentional humor that surprises readers at just the right moment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
October 3, 2015
I really liked this book. I liked it for all the same reasons that I loved its predecessor but I also liked it for its differences.
I wish more people wrote like Haddix does. I swear she could probably take a book I hated and re-write it into something I’d sigh contentedly over. There’s just something so effortless about her styling and characterization. Everything seems to develop organically, nothing feels forced or contrived.
This book follows Firefly Hollow but the main characters have changed a little. Instead of Sarah and Owen we follow the story of one of their sons, John, and the woman he’s to marry, Zanny, short for Suzanna.
They first meet when John is just nine and from there you watch them grow up, see John notice Zanny as more than just his kid sister’s best friend and witness their budding romance. You’re also witness to their relationship’s near collapse and their struggle is what takes up a majority of Butterfly Lane.
This story was a much more emotional journey for me than Firefly Hollow. While reading the first book I pretty much had the stupidest grin imaginable plastered on my face for 75% of it. Not so much this time around. I was up and down and happy and sad and even pissed at times but you know what? I enjoyed every second of it because at the heart of everything there was a realness to John and Zanny's relationship that really struck a chord within me.
No one is perfect in real life and too many times in literature readers are subjected to a fairy tale ideal of romance or worse, drama for drama’s sake. Not in this book. This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s also not filled with childish relationship drama. This is a realistic portrayal of what marriage can be like. Spoiler Alert: It can be hard. There can be serious miscommunications. It requires compromise and compassion and understanding and empathy and most importantly communication.
Not only do you get a look at John and Zanny’s relationship but the Campbell clan and all their various interactions play a large part in this book as well. You get hints here and there of what’s going on in the other lives of the Campbell children and I can already see (I HOPE!) the spin offs of the rest of the series and cannot frigging wait for them!
Also, can I just say I have no idea what they’re feeding the men in rural Kentucky but whatever it is, the Campbell boys got an extra few doses of the good stuff. There is just something so swoonworthy about them. Especially Owen , who, like a fine wine, only seems to get better with age.
I’m not going to lie, there was a time or two while reading this that I wanted to murder his son John as well as slap Zanny upside the head but that eyetwitching angst Haddix made me feel was TOTALLY worth it because when the two of them finally get their shit together?
This book is a beautiful story about family, love and life. It’s about growing up, about things not always going to plan, trying to make the best of the hand you’re dealt and working hard for what you really want and who you really love.
I wish more people wrote like Haddix does. I swear she could probably take a book I hated and re-write it into something I’d sigh contentedly over. There’s just something so effortless about her styling and characterization. Everything seems to develop organically, nothing feels forced or contrived.
This book follows Firefly Hollow but the main characters have changed a little. Instead of Sarah and Owen we follow the story of one of their sons, John, and the woman he’s to marry, Zanny, short for Suzanna.
They first meet when John is just nine and from there you watch them grow up, see John notice Zanny as more than just his kid sister’s best friend and witness their budding romance. You’re also witness to their relationship’s near collapse and their struggle is what takes up a majority of Butterfly Lane.
This story was a much more emotional journey for me than Firefly Hollow. While reading the first book I pretty much had the stupidest grin imaginable plastered on my face for 75% of it. Not so much this time around. I was up and down and happy and sad and even pissed at times but you know what? I enjoyed every second of it because at the heart of everything there was a realness to John and Zanny's relationship that really struck a chord within me.
No one is perfect in real life and too many times in literature readers are subjected to a fairy tale ideal of romance or worse, drama for drama’s sake. Not in this book. This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s also not filled with childish relationship drama. This is a realistic portrayal of what marriage can be like. Spoiler Alert: It can be hard. There can be serious miscommunications. It requires compromise and compassion and understanding and empathy and most importantly communication.
Not only do you get a look at John and Zanny’s relationship but the Campbell clan and all their various interactions play a large part in this book as well. You get hints here and there of what’s going on in the other lives of the Campbell children and I can already see (I HOPE!) the spin offs of the rest of the series and cannot frigging wait for them!
Also, can I just say I have no idea what they’re feeding the men in rural Kentucky but whatever it is, the Campbell boys got an extra few doses of the good stuff. There is just something so swoonworthy about them. Especially Owen , who, like a fine wine, only seems to get better with age.
I’m not going to lie, there was a time or two while reading this that I wanted to murder his son John as well as slap Zanny upside the head but that eyetwitching angst Haddix made me feel was TOTALLY worth it because when the two of them finally get their shit together?
This book is a beautiful story about family, love and life. It’s about growing up, about things not always going to plan, trying to make the best of the hand you’re dealt and working hard for what you really want and who you really love.
March 25, 2017
I liked this one less than Firefly Hollow and was disappointed to find some of the same problems with this installment that I did with the first one.
What made me enjoy the first book was the characters of Owen and Sarah. I liked them as a couple, and for the most part (excepting some weak writing and clumsily inserted drama) really found their relationship believable, sweet, and realistic. Owen had his faults, but he was a strong male lead, and one that I wouldn't have minded falling for myself. Sarah was headstrong, intelligent, and self-suficient, and the characters complemented each other perfectly. This book takes place several years after Owen and Sarah marry and is primarily about the relationship between their oldest son John and his wife Zanny. Although I liked John and Zanny as a couple, I did not find their chemistry or union as believable and perfect as Owen and Sarah's.
On the plus side, I love the setting and I love the Campbells. Their family is a large and unique one, and seeing Owen and Sarah as older characters, still in love, and still very much themselves was a wonderful experience. Again, like the first one, I wished that more history and culture of the paranormal aspect of this place was explored, but I'm still crossing my fingers for future volumes.
My problems with this were problems of forced conflict between John and Zanny. John and Zanny were sweethearts when they were young, John in college and Zanny in high school. Their courtship was very beautifully portrayed and I liked the unfolding of their union a lot. They fell in love young, but when Zanny found herself young, pregnant, and unmarried, their marriage becomes forced and rushed by circumstances. Of course when two people get married out of necessity as well as out of love, there are bound to be problems later down the road. It is the added circumstances that bring these problems to light with which I took the great issue.
Both John and especially Zanny tended toward the dramatics when things went south. And usually my reaction to these dramatics went something like this
I mean, getting angry for a few days is one thing, having to work things out slowly to try and rekindle the original feelings you once shared is one thing, but actually splitting up, keeping your children away from their father, and making said father feel like a loser is absolutely something else. And for these reasons, I really hated Zanny in some parts. Because their problems, in my opinion, were not big enough to get divorced over. Or separated over. Or even enough to make your husband question whether or not the marriage will work. Don't get me wrong, John could act like a stupid ass sometimes (but really, when do men NOT act like this at times) but Zanny infuriated me. And hers and John's separation started to feel just a little too dramatic, too contrived, and too long to be realistic. Especially after
The book was saved in parts by some really beautiful revelations about Zanny's past, revelations that helped her find herself and become Zanny the woman, Zanny the daughter, or just just Zanny the person and not necessarily Zanny the wife and mother. Well-written and super steamy sex scenes also added stars. Ultimately, I liked how it ended and thought the way John and Zanny found their ways back to each other was very sweet, even if it was a little too sweet for the romantic cynic reading it. Now after reading about the entire Campbell clan, I am looking forward to the stories of Ben and Emma and some of the other family members who I think have a little bit more depth and dynamics at play than these two, so I will definitely be reading more in this series.
A big thank you to my friend Casey for reading this one with me! (Click the link to read her stellar review!)
What made me enjoy the first book was the characters of Owen and Sarah. I liked them as a couple, and for the most part (excepting some weak writing and clumsily inserted drama) really found their relationship believable, sweet, and realistic. Owen had his faults, but he was a strong male lead, and one that I wouldn't have minded falling for myself. Sarah was headstrong, intelligent, and self-suficient, and the characters complemented each other perfectly. This book takes place several years after Owen and Sarah marry and is primarily about the relationship between their oldest son John and his wife Zanny. Although I liked John and Zanny as a couple, I did not find their chemistry or union as believable and perfect as Owen and Sarah's.
On the plus side, I love the setting and I love the Campbells. Their family is a large and unique one, and seeing Owen and Sarah as older characters, still in love, and still very much themselves was a wonderful experience. Again, like the first one, I wished that more history and culture of the paranormal aspect of this place was explored, but I'm still crossing my fingers for future volumes.
My problems with this were problems of forced conflict between John and Zanny. John and Zanny were sweethearts when they were young, John in college and Zanny in high school. Their courtship was very beautifully portrayed and I liked the unfolding of their union a lot. They fell in love young, but when Zanny found herself young, pregnant, and unmarried, their marriage becomes forced and rushed by circumstances. Of course when two people get married out of necessity as well as out of love, there are bound to be problems later down the road. It is the added circumstances that bring these problems to light with which I took the great issue.
Both John and especially Zanny tended toward the dramatics when things went south. And usually my reaction to these dramatics went something like this
I mean, getting angry for a few days is one thing, having to work things out slowly to try and rekindle the original feelings you once shared is one thing, but actually splitting up, keeping your children away from their father, and making said father feel like a loser is absolutely something else. And for these reasons, I really hated Zanny in some parts. Because their problems, in my opinion, were not big enough to get divorced over. Or separated over. Or even enough to make your husband question whether or not the marriage will work. Don't get me wrong, John could act like a stupid ass sometimes (but really, when do men NOT act like this at times) but Zanny infuriated me. And hers and John's separation started to feel just a little too dramatic, too contrived, and too long to be realistic. Especially after
The book was saved in parts by some really beautiful revelations about Zanny's past, revelations that helped her find herself and become Zanny the woman, Zanny the daughter, or just just Zanny the person and not necessarily Zanny the wife and mother. Well-written and super steamy sex scenes also added stars. Ultimately, I liked how it ended and thought the way John and Zanny found their ways back to each other was very sweet, even if it was a little too sweet for the romantic cynic reading it. Now after reading about the entire Campbell clan, I am looking forward to the stories of Ben and Emma and some of the other family members who I think have a little bit more depth and dynamics at play than these two, so I will definitely be reading more in this series.
A big thank you to my friend Casey for reading this one with me! (Click the link to read her stellar review!)
April 4, 2016
Buddy Read with the delightful
Jess
. You can read her review
here
Sorry in advance for the rambling review... I started writing and just kept freaking going. This is why I'm not a writer people, deal with it.
So the Firefly Hollows Series is a combination of a few genres that blend into each other set in early 80s Appalachia. First and foremost it is romance but as we all know there are about a thirty gazillion sub-genres within romance so let me break it down for you.
* As I said, it's romance, so there is a love story.
* It's not really PNR but it's not straight contemporary either. I believe this falls in that "magical realism" category. It's very light on the fantasy and it plays a very minor role in the storyline.
* It's not just all fuzzy hearts and rainbows, much like the first book in the series, real life traumatic events occur and the characters have to deal with them and it makes this book read more like women's fiction than a straight romance.
So basically this is a pretty well done mash-up. It has many of the same elements of the first book in the series, but I don't know if it was timing or that I didn't care for the leads as much, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first book.
The book begins with us getting a peek at a dramatic event occurring in the life of this family and then we are immediately tossed back in time to see how we got there. Look I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this style. I HATE it when they do it in TV/Movies and it rarely works for me when it happens in books. Once we go through the history of the couple we are brought back up to speed in the present situation we started with and as it wraps up so does the book.
What I LIKED:
It didn't just keep it light and superficial. Haddix seems to be an expert at weaving tragedy into her stories to give them a more realistic feel. That is part of what hooked me in the the first book and that certainly continues in the second book. Zanny and John are a great couple, but their relationship is far from perfect. Shitty timing and poor communication have left them in a rough patch. Things happen that catapult the situation from not great to bad so they take a time-out. While they are on this time-out, bad kicks it up a notch into worse territory. The situation isn't handled in the best way and the outlook looks grim. Then, just when it looks like the sun is peeking through those rain clouds a tornado of feels comes swirling in and really turns things upside down for these two .
What made it different from the first book (aka the stuff I didn't like):
I was a huge fan of Firefly Hollow. I loved the time period, the setting, the leads (I'm still claiming Owen as a book boyfriend) and the story. There were some parts where the dramatic tension seemed a little over the top or even altogether unnecessary, but it was a truly lovely book. Butterfly Lane had many of the same elements of the first book, but I wasn't as connected to it. For example, even though this book is set a generation later with his oldest son as the male lead, it was still Owen that I was more interested in. John wasn't a bad lead, but he wasn't great either. Sarah, the female lead in the first book and the mother of the male lead in this book, was wonderful and strong and independent. Zanny had a rough childhood that left her with a lot of insecurities, a need to please people, and was kind of negative. I can appreciate that her childhood played an important role and it made her a more nuanced character, however, there were several times in the book that I felt like this it was more a story of Zanny finding herself than the romance between the two leads. That's not a bad thing, I like when there is character growth and development, but there's a reason I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love.
The drama:
So in the beginning of the book I loved the way these two characters came together. It was sweet and not too perfect. The first sign of trouble is that Zanny admits to herself that something is wrong in their relationship but when she walks in on a delicate moment she suitably blows up. I don't think she blew the situation out of proportion, I would have been pretty damn angry myself. This leads to that time out I mentioned at the beginning of the review.
Now my problem is that there is a tragedy that temporarily puts a band aid of sorts on the situation, but then it is immediately ripped back off by Zanny when John won't answer her questions to her satisfaction. I started to grrr a little bit at this point. I am a married woman with two children of my own and although I wouldn't want my children to have to watch my husband and I work through a rough patch, it could also help them understand that rough patches happen and that relationships do take work. Putting additional stress on the kiddos by keeping them apart longer isn't how I would have handled it, but to each their own. Personally I thought Zanny was being selfish and indulgent during this part of the book and I started to like her less and less the longer this was drawn out.
As I also mentioned at the beginning that there is a bit of a kick in the nuts as a third dramatic situation happens. By this point, my feels were broken. There is a scene that should be a fairly weepy moment but, to be honest, I felt nothing.
Overall
Like in the first book, I felt like there was just one too many issues that came up over the course of the book, but I still enjoyed it. I really appreciate that Haddix uses her romance stories to bring attention to the trials of real relationships. I love the world that she has created and I am still interested in the lives and loves of the Campbell family. I will continue with the series, but I'm going to make sure I wait until I am in the mood for this type of book to see if that impacts my enjoyment factor.
Thanks to Jess for reading this one with me!
Update 3/10/16
Late start but very excited to get back to this series and buddy reading it with the lovely Jess will make it even more magical.
Bring on the fluffy HEA romance!
Sorry in advance for the rambling review... I started writing and just kept freaking going. This is why I'm not a writer people, deal with it.
So the Firefly Hollows Series is a combination of a few genres that blend into each other set in early 80s Appalachia. First and foremost it is romance but as we all know there are about a thirty gazillion sub-genres within romance so let me break it down for you.
* As I said, it's romance, so there is a love story.
* It's not really PNR but it's not straight contemporary either. I believe this falls in that "magical realism" category. It's very light on the fantasy and it plays a very minor role in the storyline.
* It's not just all fuzzy hearts and rainbows, much like the first book in the series, real life traumatic events occur and the characters have to deal with them and it makes this book read more like women's fiction than a straight romance.
So basically this is a pretty well done mash-up. It has many of the same elements of the first book in the series, but I don't know if it was timing or that I didn't care for the leads as much, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first book.
The book begins with us getting a peek at a dramatic event occurring in the life of this family and then we are immediately tossed back in time to see how we got there. Look I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of this style. I HATE it when they do it in TV/Movies and it rarely works for me when it happens in books. Once we go through the history of the couple we are brought back up to speed in the present situation we started with and as it wraps up so does the book.
What I LIKED:
It didn't just keep it light and superficial. Haddix seems to be an expert at weaving tragedy into her stories to give them a more realistic feel. That is part of what hooked me in the the first book and that certainly continues in the second book. Zanny and John are a great couple, but their relationship is far from perfect. Shitty timing and poor communication have left them in a rough patch. Things happen that catapult the situation from not great to bad so they take a time-out. While they are on this time-out, bad kicks it up a notch into worse territory. The situation isn't handled in the best way and the outlook looks grim. Then, just when it looks like the sun is peeking through those rain clouds a tornado of feels comes swirling in and really turns things upside down for these two .
What made it different from the first book (aka the stuff I didn't like):
I was a huge fan of Firefly Hollow. I loved the time period, the setting, the leads (I'm still claiming Owen as a book boyfriend) and the story. There were some parts where the dramatic tension seemed a little over the top or even altogether unnecessary, but it was a truly lovely book. Butterfly Lane had many of the same elements of the first book, but I wasn't as connected to it. For example, even though this book is set a generation later with his oldest son as the male lead, it was still Owen that I was more interested in. John wasn't a bad lead, but he wasn't great either. Sarah, the female lead in the first book and the mother of the male lead in this book, was wonderful and strong and independent. Zanny had a rough childhood that left her with a lot of insecurities, a need to please people, and was kind of negative. I can appreciate that her childhood played an important role and it made her a more nuanced character, however, there were several times in the book that I felt like this it was more a story of Zanny finding herself than the romance between the two leads. That's not a bad thing, I like when there is character growth and development, but there's a reason I haven't read Eat, Pray, Love.
The drama:
So in the beginning of the book I loved the way these two characters came together. It was sweet and not too perfect. The first sign of trouble is that Zanny admits to herself that something is wrong in their relationship but when she walks in on a delicate moment she suitably blows up. I don't think she blew the situation out of proportion, I would have been pretty damn angry myself. This leads to that time out I mentioned at the beginning of the review.
Now my problem is that there is a tragedy that temporarily puts a band aid of sorts on the situation, but then it is immediately ripped back off by Zanny when John won't answer her questions to her satisfaction. I started to grrr a little bit at this point. I am a married woman with two children of my own and although I wouldn't want my children to have to watch my husband and I work through a rough patch, it could also help them understand that rough patches happen and that relationships do take work. Putting additional stress on the kiddos by keeping them apart longer isn't how I would have handled it, but to each their own. Personally I thought Zanny was being selfish and indulgent during this part of the book and I started to like her less and less the longer this was drawn out.
As I also mentioned at the beginning that there is a bit of a kick in the nuts as a third dramatic situation happens. By this point, my feels were broken. There is a scene that should be a fairly weepy moment but, to be honest, I felt nothing.
Overall
Like in the first book, I felt like there was just one too many issues that came up over the course of the book, but I still enjoyed it. I really appreciate that Haddix uses her romance stories to bring attention to the trials of real relationships. I love the world that she has created and I am still interested in the lives and loves of the Campbell family. I will continue with the series, but I'm going to make sure I wait until I am in the mood for this type of book to see if that impacts my enjoyment factor.
Thanks to Jess for reading this one with me!
Update 3/10/16
Late start but very excited to get back to this series and buddy reading it with the lovely Jess will make it even more magical.
Bring on the fluffy HEA romance!
June 13, 2013
It all started with two kids, then two teenagers, and finally two difficult adults.
John and Zanny have known each other most of their lives. They played together as children, felt the first twinges of hormones together and rode down one rocky road to an adult relationship. These two have real issues to deal with, life and love are never easy and they sure don't come with a manual. They learn to communicate, to give and when to give up the fight. It was filled with real drama, about realistic adult relationships. The cherry on the cake was just a touch of fantasy.
I really enjoyed the authors style and wished I'd read the first book in the series. (I will got and find it) I would like to know more about this family and follow them throughout the trails of their lives. It was a new author read for me, recommend highly and I am very glad I listened.
*Thanks Litchick for the recommendation
John and Zanny have known each other most of their lives. They played together as children, felt the first twinges of hormones together and rode down one rocky road to an adult relationship. These two have real issues to deal with, life and love are never easy and they sure don't come with a manual. They learn to communicate, to give and when to give up the fight. It was filled with real drama, about realistic adult relationships. The cherry on the cake was just a touch of fantasy.
I really enjoyed the authors style and wished I'd read the first book in the series. (I will got and find it) I would like to know more about this family and follow them throughout the trails of their lives. It was a new author read for me, recommend highly and I am very glad I listened.
*Thanks Litchick for the recommendation
June 23, 2016
If you ever want to read a book about a love between two people from childhood love to adult love mixed in with a tiny bit of paranorm then this is your book. I love this author's writing and I really enjoyed reading this couple's journey. The issues between the couple were very realistic and you could really relate to them.
I can't wait to read more from this author and this series!
Side note: you don't need to read the first book of this series to understand this one BUT there is a pretty big spoiler for the ending of the first book here so you're warned! I would really recommend the first one anyways cuz I really enjoyed that one as well!
I can't wait to read more from this author and this series!
Side note: you don't need to read the first book of this series to understand this one BUT there is a pretty big spoiler for the ending of the first book here so you're warned! I would really recommend the first one anyways cuz I really enjoyed that one as well!
September 22, 2015
Zanny and John had their moments of boneheadedness (mostly John) but they were wonderful and I loved Butterfly Lane just as much as Firefly Hollow. Their beautiful journey back to each other, the angsty but believable marital problems, their FLIRTING omg, two adorable babies, a dash of the supernatural, and a warm, loving extended family all earn this book an A+. My one complaint is I wish there was MORE greedy bitch that I am.
October 22, 2015
I can't get enough
There is something so comforting about the Firefly Hollow series. Haddix creates characters whose relationships are real - loving, painful and a lot of hard work. She allows frank discussions about the tough times that most marriages suffer while still giving the reader hope that all will turn out as it should. Love it. 4/5 stars.
There is something so comforting about the Firefly Hollow series. Haddix creates characters whose relationships are real - loving, painful and a lot of hard work. She allows frank discussions about the tough times that most marriages suffer while still giving the reader hope that all will turn out as it should. Love it. 4/5 stars.
to-read-arc-or-galley
June 1, 2013I need to do a marathon read of "Firefly Hollow" along with this one. I may do it after the current ring of books I'm reading because I'm in need of a good book run, and I've heard great things about this author. Very much looking forward to it.
May 12, 2014
A bit disappointed with this one. I read it back to back with Firefly Hollow and although the story continues on with the next generation in Hazard, Kentucky I was a little bored and was a bit fed up with the how "undertanding" everyone is in the Campbell clan. The story is about John and Zanny and a particular rough patch in their marriage. We didn't get to see enough of the joy, passion, romance that brought them together. The story fast forwards over much of that and what results is getting stuck in the mire of a marriage in trouble. That goes on for most of the book and it becomes very tiresome. The author did a nice job bringing it full circle in the end but it took a long time to get there.
June 2, 2014
Excellent book - great author! It helps that they are based in my old homeplace but she also mentions Lexington and Frankfort which are close to my heart over the last forty years! LOL! She always throws a twist in at the end that you don't expect and I've cried over every book of hers I've read so far - at least the ones in this series as I haven't read her other books. Strong characters, add in a misunderstanding or lack of communication and you have problems you have to fight to correct. She mixes characters and conversations from her other books so you get a link to the spot this story is happening in the other storyline and it adds a different dimension to the tale.
August 28, 2014
I loved Firefly Hollow, and this book was a disappointment after such a great read. This book follows the marriage of Owen and Sarah's son John to Zanny. They are in a rough patch and it's a story of the way in which they rebuild their marriage. Zanny just came across as a weak and annoying character to me. Neither individual could communicate very well with the other, and the book became somewhat frustrating to read.
July 6, 2014
They are getting better with each book
The story of Zanny and John was one that touched your heart. As a reader you could relate to the two of them. They had their ups and downs, and it seemed more like life with a twist.
Really a book or I should say series for people like love stories with a little paranormal in them.
The story of Zanny and John was one that touched your heart. As a reader you could relate to the two of them. They had their ups and downs, and it seemed more like life with a twist.
Really a book or I should say series for people like love stories with a little paranormal in them.
February 14, 2017
Well written, sweet read. Probably not a re-read for me, but I'm glad that I read this authors work.
March 28, 2022
4 Stars.
The Good:
• The realness
• The writing style
• How the problems weren't simple roadblocks that were easy to get over
The Bad:
• Writing the kids out of the story when there was a serious moment between Zanny & John
The Book:
I read this one immediately after Firefly Hollow & was thrilled to see Sarah & Owen in it as well. As always T.L. Haddix sucked me into their world, I was so invested in Zanny & John's relationship. I was rooting for them (maybe not as hard as I rooted for Sarah & Owen's), but I found myself wondering how the book was going to end, if they were eventually going to get back together. Usually you can tell immediately that the problems aren't big enough to end the relationship & they'll be together by the end. This book had me guessing though, I related to Zanny with her low self-esteem knowing that it was a hard thing to move past & if she wouldn't rise to the challenge she & John wouldn't be able to get back together. Above all their relationship was real, I said the same about Firefly Hollow but it felt necessary, no silly problems, no sleeping around to hurt the other person. It was wonderful. I loved the Campbell clan, & was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a shifter in this book like the first one but I understood it. One thing I didn't like about this book was that every time Zanny & John had to have some kind of serious talk, their kids were immediately out of the picture saying they were staying elsewhere for that time. It felt inconvenient to have them in the story so they were just written out of some parts entirely. Overall, Butterfly Lane was a good book & I'll definitely be following the Campbell Clan off into the next book.
The Good:
• The realness
• The writing style
• How the problems weren't simple roadblocks that were easy to get over
The Bad:
• Writing the kids out of the story when there was a serious moment between Zanny & John
The Book:
I read this one immediately after Firefly Hollow & was thrilled to see Sarah & Owen in it as well. As always T.L. Haddix sucked me into their world, I was so invested in Zanny & John's relationship. I was rooting for them (maybe not as hard as I rooted for Sarah & Owen's), but I found myself wondering how the book was going to end, if they were eventually going to get back together. Usually you can tell immediately that the problems aren't big enough to end the relationship & they'll be together by the end. This book had me guessing though, I related to Zanny with her low self-esteem knowing that it was a hard thing to move past & if she wouldn't rise to the challenge she & John wouldn't be able to get back together. Above all their relationship was real, I said the same about Firefly Hollow but it felt necessary, no silly problems, no sleeping around to hurt the other person. It was wonderful. I loved the Campbell clan, & was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a shifter in this book like the first one but I understood it. One thing I didn't like about this book was that every time Zanny & John had to have some kind of serious talk, their kids were immediately out of the picture saying they were staying elsewhere for that time. It felt inconvenient to have them in the story so they were just written out of some parts entirely. Overall, Butterfly Lane was a good book & I'll definitely be following the Campbell Clan off into the next book.
January 28, 2023
Vacillating between 3.5 and for stars,as is a bit slow or meandering at times.MIT with perceived cheating highlights difficulties resulting from misunderstanding and miscommunication involving intimacy. Low level angst,cute resolution. The plot is so far from removed from the deviant sexual extravaganza some prudish reviews ranted.The marital misfortune that befalls the young couple involves their sexuality.Therefore it would follow that the storyline necessarily highlights that aspect of their relationship. The exploits are far from exploitative or raunchy .They are rather tame,cute and.are sweetly and lovingly explored ! When the couple finally aligns, passions are portrayed as adorably and somewhat enthusiastically explored .
January 28, 2023
This author can weave a story! You meet the very young and then teenage main characters and experience their new found love, new marriage and new challenges and then the realities of marriage sets in for 2 people who had thought that the previous trials prepared them for all future complications. Wrong. We watched them grow, stumble, progress, stumble and then finally earn their HEA. Wow, what a roller coaster!
May 21, 2018
Excellent -again
This is a wonderful story about a young couple struggling with sexual issues after the birth of a baby. A common problem for both partners, Haddix handles it with aplomb. Well Done
This is a wonderful story about a young couple struggling with sexual issues after the birth of a baby. A common problem for both partners, Haddix handles it with aplomb. Well Done
December 28, 2018
Butterfly Lane
I was a little disappointed in this part of the story. I realize it gave us background information for the next book. It appears the next book in the series will be more like the first book.
I was a little disappointed in this part of the story. I realize it gave us background information for the next book. It appears the next book in the series will be more like the first book.
February 14, 2020
Such a great love story!
This author writes very well. This is the second in a series. The plot and characters are so believable. The dialogue is very real. There is a little mystery and some humor. It was a great read and I look forward to the next book.
This author writes very well. This is the second in a series. The plot and characters are so believable. The dialogue is very real. There is a little mystery and some humor. It was a great read and I look forward to the next book.
October 30, 2021
Another amazing book!!
I just found this author a few days ago and I am so happy I did. This is my third book and I plan to read them all. They make you cry and laugh. Well written and very hard to put down. Ready for the next one.
I just found this author a few days ago and I am so happy I did. This is my third book and I plan to read them all. They make you cry and laugh. Well written and very hard to put down. Ready for the next one.
December 31, 2022
love.
It’s hard. These two we soulmates but sometimes love isn’t pretty and we find out selves lost in out marriage. That’s what happened to these two. Watching them build it back better was awesome. Loved it.
It’s hard. These two we soulmates but sometimes love isn’t pretty and we find out selves lost in out marriage. That’s what happened to these two. Watching them build it back better was awesome. Loved it.
June 23, 2017
A quick breezy read.
December 24, 2017
A Butterfly
I would recommend this series to anyone, gives you a sense of how Family's should be,Warm, Honest, Helpful and Excepting.
I would recommend this series to anyone, gives you a sense of how Family's should be,Warm, Honest, Helpful and Excepting.
February 9, 2018
Great series!
Love this series! They just keep getting better! Can't wait to read the next one! ...and the one after that...
Love this series! They just keep getting better! Can't wait to read the next one! ...and the one after that...
March 12, 2018
AMAZING!! Ok so I LOVED this book as much as the first. There is a bit of a mess up in the writing but still worth the read. Again I will be looking for book 3!! This one has a bit more sex but no sex is very descriptive and mostly left up to your own imagination. ( I really like that)
March 18, 2018
Always a good read
November 21, 2018
3.5 stars
August 4, 2022
Great book😀😘
January 4, 2024
Good book
March 21, 2017
I just LOVE visiting this world.
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