{Review} "Butterfly" by Kathryn Harvey

Title:  Butterfly
Author:  Kathryn Harvey
Publisher:  Turner Publishing
Publication Date:  August 1988
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Format:  Kindle 797 KB  |  Paperback 500 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback
Author's Website:   http://www.barbarawood.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Kathryn Harvey

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Above an exclusive men’s store on Rodeo Drive there is a private club called Butterfly, where women are free to act out their secret erotic fantasies. Only the most beautiful and powerful women in Beverly Hills are invited to join:

Jessica, a lawyer who longs for the days when men were men, and women dressed to please them; Trudie, a builder who wants a man who will challenge her—all of her—with no holds barred; and Linda, a surgeon, who uses masks to unmask the desires she hides even from herself.

But the most mysterious of them all is the woman who created Butterfly. She has changed her name, her accent, even her face to hide her true identity. And now she is about to reveal everything to realize the dream that has driven her since childhood—the secret obsession that will carry her beyond ecstasy, or destroy her and everyone around her.

Diving in... 

I loved this book, there is no other way to start this post.  It was written in 1988, but really other than the lack of things like cell phones, laptops, etc...you would never know it.  I devoured this 500 page book in less than a 36 hour period, so for me that's probably about 5 hours of reading give or take.  I couldn't put it down, I just had to know what was going to happen next!

The author does such a great job with the set up, really she weaves the set up all though the story so you don't really know who is who until the middle of the book.  It starts off with the Prologue, which is essentially the end of the story, but no hint of who is who.  She expertly weaves the present with the past to create an incredible story of female empowerment and revenge.

I don't want to post any spoilers because this is just such a fantastic story that it would be a shame to ruin any of it at all.  In the present we have 3 women who for whatever reasons are having trouble with their intimate lives.  They seek out Butterfly, which is a "boutique" fantasy service for women who can afford to pay for it.  It's all completely anonymous which, obviously, adds to the appeal.  As the story progresses we get to know each of these women and why they feel the need to use this type of service.

Very early on we are introduced to Beverly, she is a part of the society crowd in Hollywood.  Her story unfolds as the book goes on.  We get to know her little by little, but it's just enough to keep you intrigued.  We also learn that she is a major financial backer for a TV Evangelist in his bid for the Presidency.  I love how she describes the Evangelist, it's exactly how I pictured them when there were so many back in the 80's  and 90's with such scandal surrounding them.  

The other main character in the story is Rachel and she is the most intriguing as her story is told mostly in the scenes from the past.  Her story starts when she is just an adolescent living with her parents in a trailer park in New Mexico in the 1950's.  As her story unfolds you begin to see how she fits into the story being told in the present, but really she is the main character of the book and she is phenomenal.

This story is all about revenge and women taking charge of their own lives.  

Some would label this a "Trashy" Novel, and maybe in 1988 it was, but it certainly isn't by today's standards.  To me this was a cross between Danielle Steele and the better parts of Jackie Collins.  It's a nice mixture that makes for a very good read.  Kathryn Harvey sure can tell a story!  Her writing was just a joy to read and I know that I am going to be seeking out more of her books.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mixture of things in their books.  This isn't really a romance, lovey-dovey book.  It's more of a mystery than anything, there are elements of romance, mystery, intrigue.  It's hard to explain, but it's definitely not your typical romance novel.

Content warning

*some language, nothing vulgar

*some sensual scenes, nothing overly explicit though

*talk of sodomy, but nothing explicitly described

Rating 9/10

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of Authors on the Web in exchange for an honest review.*