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Butterfly Hunter #1-3
The Butterfly Hunter Trilogy
Dave Taylor is an Aussie tour guide specialising in trips through the Queensland Outback. In some ways, however, Dave himself feels lost. He has been alone this past year, since his childhood sweetheart Denise left him and married another man. Change comes via Dave’s latest rather unexpected client, Nicholas Goring, the youngest son of an English earl. Nicholas is on the hunt for an undiscovered species of butterfly, and has hired Dave to help guide his quest. Although the two men are from very different backgrounds, they become friends, and soon their relationship grows into something more. But how easy will it be for an Australian and an Englishman to find common ground?
This boxed set includes the novels "Butterfly Hunter", "Of Dreams and Ceremonies", and "The Thousand Smiles of Nicholas Goring", as well as the (free) story "Like Leaves to a Tree".
This boxed set includes the novels "Butterfly Hunter", "Of Dreams and Ceremonies", and "The Thousand Smiles of Nicholas Goring", as well as the (free) story "Like Leaves to a Tree".
474 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2014
6 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Julie Bozza
33 books306 followersOrdinary people are extraordinary. We can all aspire to decency, generosity, respect, honesty – and the power of love (all kinds of love!) can help us grow into our best selves.
I write stories about ‘ordinary’ people finding their answers in themselves and each other. I write about friends and lovers, and the families we create for ourselves. I explore the depth and the meaning, the fun and the possibilities, in ‘everyday’ experiences and relationships. I believe that embodying these things is how we can live our lives more fully.
Creative works help us each find our own clarity and our own joy. Readers bring their hearts and souls to reading, just as authors bring their hearts and souls to writing – and together we make a whole.
Julie Bozza. Quirky. Queer. Sincere.
I write stories about ‘ordinary’ people finding their answers in themselves and each other. I write about friends and lovers, and the families we create for ourselves. I explore the depth and the meaning, the fun and the possibilities, in ‘everyday’ experiences and relationships. I believe that embodying these things is how we can live our lives more fully.
Creative works help us each find our own clarity and our own joy. Readers bring their hearts and souls to reading, just as authors bring their hearts and souls to writing – and together we make a whole.
Julie Bozza. Quirky. Queer. Sincere.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 23, 2021
I Enjoyed This
This boxset follows the story of Dave—an Australian bush guide—and Nicholas—the youngest son to an English earl—as they fall in love, find mystical butterflies, navigate medical conditions, and a few other things. I think that Julie Bozza’s prose is beautifully poetic which made for a lovely reading experience, but also, sometimes, a feeling of distance during what are supposed to be intimate scenes.
In book 1, Dave is still hung up on his first love. That relationship was kind of confusing, what exactly happened, how it ended. But, as Dave and Nicholas search the Australian outback for some mysterious butterfly, they become friends and then lovers. I thought the ending was kind of fast after the slow build of their relationship though I did also get it when we learn of Nicholas’s condition. I enjoyed the mystical elements, as both men find love and butterflies when they stop looking. But it also felt like cultural appropriation more than appreciation in some bits.
Then there’s book 2, which one reviewer described as an extended prologue. There’s a light mystery and more mysticism. The mystery felt kind of out of place, but it was nice reading of David and Nicholas’s marital bliss. There was also more time than I would have liked on ghostly musings that I glossed over.
Book 3 finds the couple 7 years into marriage and presents the most action of the series. Developers want to destroy the place where Dave and Nicholas found in book 1, a place sacred to the aborigine. What I liked about this storyline was how things could not be neatly wrapped up by the white man who swooped in. Dave still ends up saving the day, but not by being able to claim laws put in place for the aborigine.
There is alsoNichola’s condition which is dealt with more fully here. I do understand that sometimes there are things outside of our control but, I couldn’t believe David leaving to settle things without more protest. (I know that’s vague, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers.)
Overall, this book was great, sweet, loving. But, for someone who loves low-angst stories, I found myself sometimes wanting something to happen. Not in the relationship, not a silly break up, but... something. I do feel I got that in book 3.
I also loved being able to experience so much of the couple’s time together. While I love romance, I don’t like that the books usually ends shortly after the couple has gotten together for good. So I do appreciate how much time we spent with both men and their families.
There is a lot of sex in this book, and while sometimes it started to feel a bit gratuitous, it also didn’t because the beauty of the language made me want to keep reading.
This boxset follows the story of Dave—an Australian bush guide—and Nicholas—the youngest son to an English earl—as they fall in love, find mystical butterflies, navigate medical conditions, and a few other things. I think that Julie Bozza’s prose is beautifully poetic which made for a lovely reading experience, but also, sometimes, a feeling of distance during what are supposed to be intimate scenes.
In book 1, Dave is still hung up on his first love. That relationship was kind of confusing, what exactly happened, how it ended. But, as Dave and Nicholas search the Australian outback for some mysterious butterfly, they become friends and then lovers. I thought the ending was kind of fast after the slow build of their relationship though I did also get it when we learn of Nicholas’s condition. I enjoyed the mystical elements, as both men find love and butterflies when they stop looking. But it also felt like cultural appropriation more than appreciation in some bits.
Then there’s book 2, which one reviewer described as an extended prologue. There’s a light mystery and more mysticism. The mystery felt kind of out of place, but it was nice reading of David and Nicholas’s marital bliss. There was also more time than I would have liked on ghostly musings that I glossed over.
Book 3 finds the couple 7 years into marriage and presents the most action of the series. Developers want to destroy the place where Dave and Nicholas found in book 1, a place sacred to the aborigine. What I liked about this storyline was how things could not be neatly wrapped up by the white man who swooped in. Dave still ends up saving the day, but not by being able to claim laws put in place for the aborigine.
There is alsoNichola’s condition which is dealt with more fully here. I do understand that sometimes there are things outside of our control but, I couldn’t believe David leaving to settle things without more protest. (I know that’s vague, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers.)
Overall, this book was great, sweet, loving. But, for someone who loves low-angst stories, I found myself sometimes wanting something to happen. Not in the relationship, not a silly break up, but... something. I do feel I got that in book 3.
I also loved being able to experience so much of the couple’s time together. While I love romance, I don’t like that the books usually ends shortly after the couple has gotten together for good. So I do appreciate how much time we spent with both men and their families.
There is a lot of sex in this book, and while sometimes it started to feel a bit gratuitous, it also didn’t because the beauty of the language made me want to keep reading.
June 24, 2017
What a wonderful trilogy of novels (including a short story by Julie Bozza.I took my time reading this beautifully written novel not wanting it to end. We are introduced to David Taylor, an Australian tour guide, who is a truly kind hearted guy, who isn't ashamed his best mate is his ex-wife.He met Denise (his ex) when they were kids and even though she remarried, still talks to her or visits her daily.David is even friends with her husband and godfather to their baby.David has been paid to take a British earls youngest son a tour of the outbacks in search of the illusive blue butterfly. David is uncertain of what to expect from the earl's son, so imagine his shock when the young man falls at his feet (literally) at the airport. Nicholas Goring is his name, and he's not an elitist snob, but funny, kind, honest, and an out and proud gay man. Nicholas isn't shy to admit he's attracted to David. David tells Nicholas he's straight. Well, since this is a love story, we know that declaration won't last. David & Nicholas story is one that is funny,romantic, heartbreaking, and just plain enjoyable. I enjoyed reading about this couple and their wonderful friends and relatives. I hated for it to end, but plan to read again and again. It's highly recommended and a good read!!!
January 6, 2019
Well this was a great Christmas present! Three books in one - 'Butterfly Hunter', 'Of Dreams and Ceremonies' and 'The Thousand Smiles of Nicholas Goring', with a short story 'Like Leaves To A Tree' inserted before the final book. This trilogy takes us from the initial, hesitant romance between Aussie tour guide Dave Taylor and English aristo Nicholas Goring to their lavish wedding in the UK, and seven years into their shared life back in Australia. It also takes us on a mystical tour of the Australian Outback, where the quest for a new species of butterfly takes our heroes to a Dreamtime site that lies hidden to all but those permitted by the Ancestors to find it - much to the chagrin of a mining company on the scent of some precious iron ore in the final story. I learned a lot about Indigenous Australian culture reading this, and finally got to understand the meaning and purpose of Songlines! The characters are lovely, with friends and relatives creating a supportive family around the new couple; the scenery is beautifully described; it's a satisfying, feelgood romance with a hint of tragedy to give it an edge. If, like me, you're a bit squeamish about explicit sex scenes, be warned there are many blow-by-blow accounts, as it were, of Dave and Nicholas getting it on - but they're not the be-all and end-all of the narrative, there's so much more to it than that (and if you like explicit sex, you're in for a treat!) All in all, a really enjoyable read.
September 16, 2018
I truly enjoyed this trilogy as we meet and go through the relationship between Dave and Nicolas. When you meet Dave, he's divorced, but the two of them remain great friends and he is the godfather of her baby. He also gets along well with her husband. But when he meets Nicolas, an English aristocrat, he thinks the man is going to be spoiled and difficult, yet he is everything but. I enjoyed the slow development of Dave and Nicolas's relationship as they build a solid friendship first before they explore their feelings for one another. Especially Dave, who has always believed himself to be straight. The connection between the two men is beautiful and by the end of the story, you know their relationship is deeper because of the slow burn.
June 27, 2020
I was delighted to find the Butterfly Hunter Trilogy (and an extra short story!) on sale from Smashwords last month. I've been wanting to read the series for a while and to find them compiled as a set ON SALE was a special treat and it did not disappoint. Dave and Nicholas are lovely together with a sweet level of romantic tension, honesty, truthfulness, and openness during their time together. The romance is a slow build up and Dave doesn't expect it to last past the three months in which Nicholas hired him for an excursion into the Outback to find a rare buttefly.
If this had been written by a different author, I would have anticipated something terrible to happen during their travels, such as a ferocious storm, debilitating heat stroke, a ghastly car accident or something of that nature in which one of the duo would have to gallop bareback on a wild pony to seek help...
But thankfully this is a well-crafted novel by Julie Bozza, so none of that happened.
I was also quite pleased to see Nicholas take Dave in hand and take care of him during the intimate scenes. I'd say their courtship was sweet, seductive, soft, and alluring with a touch of "tongue-in-cheek" humor. Dave really didn't stand a chance after Nicholas set his eyes on him...
The secondary characters, Charlie and Denise were wonderfully supportive of Dave as well.
I pretty much found myself smiling through the entire story. Lovely indeed!
If this had been written by a different author, I would have anticipated something terrible to happen during their travels, such as a ferocious storm, debilitating heat stroke, a ghastly car accident or something of that nature in which one of the duo would have to gallop bareback on a wild pony to seek help...
But thankfully this is a well-crafted novel by Julie Bozza, so none of that happened.
I was also quite pleased to see Nicholas take Dave in hand and take care of him during the intimate scenes. I'd say their courtship was sweet, seductive, soft, and alluring with a touch of "tongue-in-cheek" humor. Dave really didn't stand a chance after Nicholas set his eyes on him...
The secondary characters, Charlie and Denise were wonderfully supportive of Dave as well.
I pretty much found myself smiling through the entire story. Lovely indeed!
September 23, 2020
A beautiful trilogy
These books make up a delightful tale of two so very different men who are just perfect for each other, but also takes us into the outback of Australia with one of the main characters being an Aboriginal man who leads Dave, who is an Australian outback guide, to the wonderful Dreamtime pool and an unknown breed of butterflies.
The descriptions of this magic place which brings such joy to Dave and Nicholas, who is an English aristocrat, and the way it leads the story to an understanding of the Aboriginal way of life and their Dreaming was enlightening and wonderful.
This whole book as well as the wonderful story of love, is a story of true inclusiveness. It includes a wonderful m/m romance, but is all in all a great love story of people and the land.
These books make up a delightful tale of two so very different men who are just perfect for each other, but also takes us into the outback of Australia with one of the main characters being an Aboriginal man who leads Dave, who is an Australian outback guide, to the wonderful Dreamtime pool and an unknown breed of butterflies.
The descriptions of this magic place which brings such joy to Dave and Nicholas, who is an English aristocrat, and the way it leads the story to an understanding of the Aboriginal way of life and their Dreaming was enlightening and wonderful.
This whole book as well as the wonderful story of love, is a story of true inclusiveness. It includes a wonderful m/m romance, but is all in all a great love story of people and the land.
Read
February 20, 2022I read the first story and that was enough for now. I'll come back to the others in time.
Would have preferred a much more elegant ending to the first book, none of that bland soppy stuff, just the conservatory scene. Also, the endearments shit me, and very clumsy use of “the man” instead of just saying “him” or using their names. It’s like a fic writer trying slash for the first time. But christ, everything else is wonderful.
Would have preferred a much more elegant ending to the first book, none of that bland soppy stuff, just the conservatory scene. Also, the endearments shit me, and very clumsy use of “the man” instead of just saying “him” or using their names. It’s like a fic writer trying slash for the first time. But christ, everything else is wonderful.
September 25, 2019
These books are pure bliss!
Read
January 22, 2023This was a nice read. I'm not as enthusiastic as many other reviewers seem to be. It didn't change my world, but they were nice characters and I enjoyed reading about them.
December 26, 2014
Interesting story of a Australian Tour Guide whose girlfriend marries another man. He then takes an Englishman on tour and this is the story of the two. Different type of story but very absorbing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews