Butterfly Tattoo [Paperback]

Deidre Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2010

Michael Warner has been drifting in a numb haze since the death of his lover, who was killed by a drunk driver. As the anniversary of the wreck approaches, Michael’s grief grows more suffocating. Yet he must find a way through the maze of pain and secrets to live for their troubled young daughter. Out of the darkness comes a voice, a lifeline he never expected to find—Rebecca O’Neill, a development executive in the studio where he works as an electrician. Rebecca, a former celebrity left scarred from a crazed fan’s attack, has retreated from the limelight, certain no man can ever get past her disfigurement. The instant sparks between her and Michael come as a complete surprise—and so does her almost mystical bond with his daughter. For the first time, all three feel compelled to examine their scars in the light of love. But trust is hard to come by, especially when you’re not sure what to believe when you look in the mirror. The scars? Or the truth?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Making a compelling case for bisexuals who recognize no gender boundaries when it comes to true love, Knight's engrossing romance includes another keen twist regarding families. Michael Warner, Hollywood electrician, quasi-queer of the somewhat straight variety, and his cute stepdaughter, Andrea Lauren Richardson, meet Rebecca O'Neill, a former actress turned producer, after a power outage at her office. The attraction's immediate for the adults but Rebecca's assistant, Trevor, warns Rebecca that Michael is gay. Michael's grieving the loss of his partner, Dr. Alex Richardson, who died in an accident a year earlier that left Andrea with physical and emotional scars, something Rebecca understands since she also bears scars from a brutal stalker attack. Knight handles this unusual tale with admirable delicacy and adds a twist worthy of an Emmy-winning soap opera, involving paternity and surrogacy. As Michael, Rebecca, and Andrea plant new family roots, Knight's weepy and affecting story presents bisexuality as viable a concept as homosexuality or heterosexuality. (Feb.)
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Review

“Ms. Knight’s lyrical dialogue and ability to write cleanly what the heart wishes to express is magic.” – Marisa O’Neill, 4.7 Star Review, RomanceNovel.tv “Love is real, it is painful, it is powerful, and it is brave, much like this book.” – Sarah Wendell, Smart Bitches Trashy Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing (February 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605045446
• ISBN-13: 978-1605045443
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Deidre Knight is proud to answer to the titles of literary agent, mom, wife, southern woman and novelist. She founded The Knight Agency in 1996, and has grown it to national prominence, shepharding clients onto every major bestseller list.

Deidre began her writing career at age nine, when her award-winning essay on Barbie was published in her hometown newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and she has been writing in one form or another ever since. Her dream of writing romance came true in the form of her debut series The Midnight Warriors, which launched with PARALLEL ATTRACTION in 2006.

Reviewers have described Deidre's acclaimed contemporary romance, BUTTERFLY TATTOO as "a rare and different gem," and her paranormal romance series, Gods of Midnight, as "powerful, sensual and mind-blowing." She received an Epic Award for BUTTERFLY TATTOO, and the Holt Mediallion Award of Merit for her second Gods of Midnight book, RED KISS. Her novels have also been nominated for a plethora of accolades including the PEARL, the PRISM, the NOR, the JABIC and the STRCA.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Butterfly Tattoo November 14, 2009

By M. Nix

Format:Kindle Edition

Several years ago Rebecca O'Neill, an actress on a popular television program, survived a brutal attack by a deranged fan. Despite numerous plastic surgeries, Rebecca is still physically scarred and in a place like Hollywood, looks are everything. Now, she's a behind-the-scenes executive in a studio, searching for that next great script. Unfortunately, her self-esteem took just as bad a blow as her body. Her parents moved across the country to nurse her back to health, but despite their nurturing and survivors' therapy, Rebecca can't overcome the post-traumatic stress caused by the attack. It didn't help that less than two weeks after the incident and before the bandages even came off, her long time boyfriend and fellow actor, Jake, dumped her. Rebecca's trained and re-shaped her body, but a muscular physique won't camouflage the scars. Nor will it heal the asthma, panic attacks, or weakness left in her hand.

Enter Michael Warner. Electrician, widower, and father, Michael can't seem to get past his partner's loss and move on. His family's life irrevocably changed the day a drunk driver killed Alex and physically and emotionally scarred their daughter, Andrea. Despite therapy, Andrea's failed to open up to anyone and most days, Michael can barely motivate himself, let alone her. Accompanying her father at the studio one day, Andrea runs into Rebecca. Intrigued by the woman's scars, she begins to open up.

Encouraged, Michael drags Rebecca into his life. He tells himself it's for his daughter's sake, but deep down, he's attracted to the complex woman. The problem? Michael's life partner was a man. Torn between what he desires and what he thinks he should desire, he needs to come to grips with what he wants and what others think is best for him.

I don't even know how to begin to thoroughly explain Butterfly Tattoo. Normally I read stories whose characters are driven more by external conflict than internal conflict. Not so with this novel (and believe me, you're getting your money's worth page-count wise here). Intelligent heroine who has survived despite insurmountable odds? Check. Brooding, complicated hero? Check. Fully fleshed out secondary characters? Yep. Sufficient internal conflict? Whoa, yeah!

I'm not sure this is the type of book I could re-read again and again. Ms. Knight takes her reader, as well as her characters, on a winding emotional path full of potholes and switchbacks that'd put an Irish backcountry road to shame. She has to, in order to convince us that a man who partnered with another man for thirteen years could turn around and fall in love with a woman. She rummages around in her characters' heads, dragging everything but the kitchen sink out of their mental closets. Estranged family members, overprotective parents, first loves, insecurities, failures: it's all there. Vivid imagery and twists of words will remain long after you finish the novel. Things like, "When you work with writers for a living like I do, life's little details are an herb garden, and you pluck a few ripe things here and there to give away."

This story is more like an English cottage garden. All the diverse colors and shapes and wild unkemptness is tied together by a single unifying path: love. All I can say is go out and buy this book.

Chris
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

27 of 35 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars No, no, sorry, no February 25, 2010

By Ell Asley

Format:Paperback

This book gets one star for Ms Knight's attempt to explore a new area in the genre - unfortunately, she loses four stars for execution. It is not that the writing is less than adequate. Her putting together of words is fine, so fine in fact, that I am tempted to go through her back list. The problem with this particular book is that I never, ever, even once believe in her characters.

The hero, Michael, is straight until he kisses a gay man. He then becomes gay himself without so much as a blink, apparently. No self doubts, no real questions, I don't even get a sense of his being particularly surprised. His lover tells him to open his heart and let love lead him, and there you go, that's all it takes. We, the readers, are supposed to believe that this man had no clue that he was bisexual until the moment of the kiss. That seems extremely unlikely to me. This guy lived his whole life and never noticed that he was attracted to other men?

The heroine, Rebecca, who has her own issues, doesn't seem to have any problem falling for a man who at one point describes himself as another man's "wife". Surely, a woman who has survived the kind of physical and emotional trauma this character has would have an amped up sense of self preservation. We all know that gay men are attracted to, and fall in love with other gay men yet Rebecca has no qualms about throwing her heart into a relationship with a man who describes another man as the love of his life. I don't think so.

The third leg of the triangle is Michael's dead partner Alex. Alex is Mother Theresa, Yoda, and Brad Pitt all rolled into one. Patient, loving, giving, hell - he cures children of cancer!! Yes, really. He is, among other shining virtues, a Pediatric Oncologist. The man couldn't be more perfect....or less believable. Real men, yes even gay men, snore, and scratch, and leave their underwear on the floor. They forget your birthday sometimes, and say exactly the wrong thing. Gay men are gay, but they are no less human than anyone else. Unlike Saint Alex.

Then there is the child the two men share, an eight year old who walks, talks, and thinks like a teenager - with a barbie backpack. No. Sorry, no. Not even close. The gap between what an eight year old thinks and does, and what a teenager thinks and does is as wide as the Grand Canyon. No.

A story without believable characters is impossible to get involved in. You can't be afraid for them, or mourn with them, or rejoice with them. You just can't care. One day someone will write about a bisexual man that falls in love with a woman, and all the grief and the glory that entails. This isn't that book. Pass.

I try to always end my review with a recommendation of a similar book, if I can't recommend the one I'm reviewing, but I haven't read a similar book. This book really is the first of it's kind. I wish it was better.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush, Lyrical Romance August 21, 2009

By L. White

Format:Kindle Edition

Deidre Knight's Butterfly Tattoo is unlike anything you've ever read. It defies easy categorization the same way it defies all expectation about what constitutes a normal family, a loving relationship, and a happy ending. One of the most satisfying books I've ever read, the characters have stuck with me long after I finished and I'm convinced I'll still be thinking of them for years to come. It's a novel about living through tragedy and overcoming grief, the bravery required to take a chance on someone new, and the untold joy of finding love where you least expect it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys nuanced, highly emotional stories and complex, multi-layered characters. It's a definite keeper!