3.5 stars, rated down.

No where NEAR the level of Butterfly Garden, not even in the same league. Enjoyable, and nice to get a continuation of the Butterfly Garden's characters, but this is just a garden (pun intended) variety murder mystery (sans the mystery) with good characters but a boring (in comparison) story.

I would have rated up, if I had not known the killer from the moment we met them. Yes, <spoiler>she threw any number of people in our faces about how they could be the killer, which is why it was so obvious who it was</spoiler>.

If The Butterfly Garden was rated on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate it a 10, while I'd rate this follow up a 6. Had this been the starter of a new series, it'd stand as enjoyable, nothing remarkable about it. Good characters, it just falls so short of its predecessor. :/ I will read the next book though, as I do like the characters and after a very slow start, I liked this, I just won't swoon over it, like I did The Butterfly Garden.

Unfortunately, stopped reading at around 50%. Truly, I think my dislike for this book comes primarily from missed expectations. I went into this expecting a direct sequel to book one. This is not a direct sequel to book one. In fact, this feels like a totally different book. I would've characterized book one, The Butterfly Garden, as an decent read, but one with pitch-perfect atmosphere. It was what made me request this book and pick it up in excitement. But considering it's been three months, I think I'm just going to throw in the towel.

You know how I loved all that atmosphere? This book, somehow, lost that atmosphere for me. The Roses of May is, first of all, a different genre - a bit more mystery and a bit less suspense. But perhaps more importantly, this sequel is simply too slow to build the amount of tension necessary for a slow-burn mystery like this, and with all-new narrators, I found myself hard-pressed to actually care about the characters or the events happening at any point, and with a writing density that seems to have gone up from book one, I just don't want to read more.

Perhaps I'd even be compelled to continue if the plot were enthralling, but to be quite frank - I'm pretty sure I've guessed it. And even if I hadn't, detective-style mystery reveals have never been my thing. A case of wrong expectations, perhaps, but an abrupt change in genres across a series strikes me as a bad choice.

The only good thing I can say so far is that Priya, the narrator, has potential. But frankly, I'm not invested enough in her story to keep reading this. I just can't stay engaged.

I LOVED Butterfly Garden, I was so excited to get a copy of this. I enjoyed it well enough just not as much as BG, so I was slightly disappointed, but it was a good book nonetheless.

I had been highly anticipating this book as I LOVED The Butterfly Garden (but let's not talk about that weird ending which kind of took away from the wonderful horror-ness it provided for 80% of its read). I think anyone who read that book was expecting a continuation of the story - especially considering how it ended. Unfortunately that was NOT the case and it doesn't seem like it should be touted as a series but as a spin off - a stand alone. Those expecting something of the same (which is what we were all anticipating) will be disappointed that it is utterly different. Also the pacing is much slower in the book. Maybe it shouldn't be compared so harshly to each other but it happens - especially when The Butterfly Garden hit me in the gut pretty hard.

Those who are aware of this going into this book will probably like it more than I did. To go from a light horror/psychological thriller to more of a crime fiction/police procedural was a bit of a 90 degree turn that I wasn't prepared for. HOWEVER, I like where the author's mind goes and will continue on to see exactly what direction comes for the next book. After all, I've been surprised once - who knows what's in store for me next!

I read The Butterfly Garden in 2016 and it was truly a captivating thriller. When I saw that the second book was out, I requested it from NetGalley right away. The problem was that I was too late getting to it and ended up having to purchase the book. I didn’t mind because I expected that I would love this one as much as the first.

The story follows Priya, a girl who lost her sister Chavi four years ago after she was murdered. Priya and her mother are still very upset about the loss of Chavi and relocate frequently as they are working hard to move on with their lives and to keep low. Chavi’s killer has murdered multiple girls and he’s still out there. Maybe closer than anyone thinks and possibly right under Priya’s nose.

Meanwhile, the detectives are still working to help the surviving butterflies (previous book) now that they’re back in the world and trying to adjust to real life again. Many are struggling to adapt and it’s possible that Priya might be able to help them. Eventually, the detectives work together alongside Priya to try to locate Chavi’s killer and lock him up once and for all.

I’m not an expert, but If I were to rate this book on the writing alone, I’d give it five stars. The truth is that the story didn’t captivate or thrill me like I expected it to and the pacing is fairly slow for my taste. I think what threw me off the most is that this book is nothing like the first and takes place about four months after the end of The Butterfly Garden with not much focus on the first book at all. I had issues connecting with the characters, but I did enjoy the relationship between them and I did still enjoy the book, especially the ending. I’m looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. I’ll rate this one 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to preview this book for an honest review.

the butterfly garden was one of my favourite books of last year (...or whenever i read it?) and so as soon as i saw this i requested it and crossed my fingers. i tried to read it a bunch of times but i kept getting bored or distracted which was so sad to me. it just wasn't as captivating as the first, it's not a continuation which is fine, but perhaps that's why it fell flat for me. sorry.

Great follow-up about the butterflies. Hard to tell if there'll be a third, but the door seems open for the possibility.

Roses in May was a follow up to The Butterfly Garden, which I loved!  I found Roses of May to be okay. I think the first book was such an amazing concept that I was underwhelmed with book 2. I thought it was fine and I'm looking forward to the 3rd book but this one just didn't blow me away.

Wonderfully done sequel. I absolutely loved the continuation and eagerly await the next book in the series!

This book isn't really a proper sequel in my opinion. I was really confused at the start of the book because I couldn't figure out who each of the characters were and whether they were in book 1 or not; Google wasn't much help so I just powered on reading in hopes that I would catch on and eventually, I did. I feel like this book would have been a lot better if it was a standalone book and not part of the trilogy. Hutchison could have kept the Quantico Three (the three agents that link book 1 & 2) in as a sort of homage to book 1 but she should have left most of the stuff with the butterflies out of it. I felt like the mix of the new story and the old story was so messy and it came off as being really forced. It was also 100% not necessary. I feel like it didn't add anything to the book and it didn't really add much to the either story. Why force it? The plot of this book is intriguing enough without having to drag the butterflies into it. If Hutchison was set on adding the butterflies then she should have really gone for it. Sprinkling them into the story every so often didn't work for me.

Book 1 & 2 are quite different. In book 1, I felt like the agents were used as a very smart way to tell the story of the butterfly garden but in book 2 they are very much apart of Priya's life. The story isn't told the same way and I felt like that was a negative difference from the first book. I also kept questioning why the agents were so invested in Priya's life. I've never spoken to real agents or anything but the ones in the book came off as really unprofessional. I kept thinking over and over again "would this really happen?" and that pulled me away from the story and it took away from my reading experience as a whole. This story was a lot more far-fetched then Book 1 and Book 1 was pretty far-fetched! The only difference was that I was totally engrossed in The Butterfly Garden and didn't quite question the authenticity until that silly twist at the end.

I thought the serial killer was interesting. I liked his little snippets throughout the book and I thought his motives and backstory was perfectly messed up. It's painfully obvious who the serial killer is, which was unfortunate but I was glad to get a little bit of a twist with his backstory. I thought the strongest aspect of this book was the serial killer as I wasn't really pushed with the main characters. I didn't understand them and I couldn't really relate to them. I especially couldn't understand the relationship dynamics. The characters and their relationships seemed unrealistic and two-dimensional for the most part.

The writing was good. I find Hutchison's books very easy to read and this book helped me get out of a slump. Her books are also quite addictive. Even though I mentioned quite a few problems that I had with the book, I didn't want to stop reading it. I wanted to see how it played out and so that is a really good thing.

Would I recommend this? Maybe. Will I be reading the next book? Yes! I hope it is better than this book though.

*I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...it just hurts so fucking much in a way that doesn’t make any sense, because anything that hurts this much should be able to bleed out, should be able to be fixed and it can’t be, so eating Oreos until I’m bloated and cramping and vomiting just gives a way for the pain to make sense."

"Guilt doesn’t have to make sense; it just is."

"[She was] one person who didn’t know the old Priya, and so couldn’t compare me to who I’d been and find me lacking or discomfiting now."

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

Fast paced read. I felt it was a good follow up to the first in the series while remaining separate enough that this could be read as a standalone without really missing anything. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with each other.a

Second in “The Collector’s Series”, “The Roses of May” is equally scary and horrific as the first book “The Butterfly Garden”. Though the victims are new, Killer is new, the Investigators, “Quantico 3”, Vic, Ramirez, and Eddison from Book One are there. Also the main butterfly Inara and some other butterflies make themselves into this story through letters, funerals, and suicides in Quantico 3’s thoughts.
“What I have is a healthy sense of spite and a determination that someday I’m going to learn how to do this thing called living. Maybe that’s as far as justice can stretch.”
A killer is killing girls from almost 16 years. All the kills are in church and naked dead girls are found surrounded with flowers around them. When Chavi is killed, her little sister Priya is devastated and after few years when she starts getting flowers (chronological order of killings), she plans to find him taking help from her mother Deshani (a very strong woman) and Police.
“but sometimes you just need that visceral affirmation that the people you love are all right, that they’re just there in front of you. Close enough to touch.”
But the narration doesn’t give this clarity on how Priya will do that, but as and when things turn out, it’s narrated keeping the reader guessing till the very,very end. Very well written. I didn’t like the part where former butterflies came in this book. I wanted it to be a stand-alone plot (It Is but) without those butterflies interfering with the current characters.
“Some people stay broken, others put themselves back together with all the sharp bits showing?”
Creepy, well written and a good read!
ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Happy Reading!!!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Dot Hutchison, for an advanced copy of Roses of May for an honest review.

Book 2 in The Collector series, Roses of May shows us the "Butterflies" updating us a little on their lives and how they are dealing with the aftermath of their rescue. The main focus of the book however is about Priya Sravasti, her mother, and the Quantico 3. Priya is the focus of a serial killer, the same killer who took the life of her sister 5 years ago. Mostly told from Priya's point of view we see a 12 year old dealing with the catastrophic loss of her sister and how she grows into the young girl now facing a madman.

I enjoyed this book just as much as The Butterfly Garden. I read this book basically in 1 sitting not wanting to put it down, and definitely will be looking for the next book in this series.

I wish I had known when I started reading this that this would be NOTHING like The Butterfly Garden. Like others have noted, it's more of "spin-off" than a continuation. I absolutely loved TBG and was hoping for something similar. It was really hard for me to get into, to care about what was happening, and to figure out how this related to first book in the series.

This book was very slow and did not pick up pace until after halfway through. The ending was great, but I almost didn't make it there. I just really think this book could've been cut in half. Everything could've been easily summarized as the beginning was pretty much the same thing over and over again - talk to the FBI, play chess, etc.

The writing was good, and descriptions were great to help me picture what was going on and where they were. I didn't get "into it" until the half when it brings back someone from the first novel. But I was glad I finished it and saw how everything ended. We shall see where the third book takes us.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC for which I have provided an honest and unbiased review*

If you have been following my blog for awhile you should know how much I loved the first book in this trilogy. It was the perfect physiological thriller. I raved about The Butterfly Garden and all it's glory for those who could stomach to read it. I was ecstatic when I learned that it was part of a trilogy and two more books would be released. I checked Netgalley daily to see when the ARC was available for request. Luckily, my request was excepted.


This will be a short review, mainly because I would never think of spoiling this book. If you haven't read the first book GO HERE NOW and get it.

The Roses Of May picks up a few months where The Butterfly Garden left off. We are introduced in more detail to the FBI agents who rescued the girls. We are also introduced to a mother and daughter who have been through an ordeal of their own. They too have dealt with the FBI agents and become close friends with each other.

Priya and her mother have moved to a new town after her sister was murdered and her father commits suicide. They are trying to escape the horrors and sadness of their past. However, the serial killer responsible for her sister's death may have found her and is stalking her in this small new town.

Meanwhile, the trial for The Gardener is underway. The Butterflies are having a hard time dealing with life outside the garden and cling to each other for support and guidance.

Then there is the FBI team. They are here for support and guidance to both Priya and her mom and the Butterflies. They are the ones trying to piece the mysteries together while providing friendship. They believe Priya meeting the Butterflies could help both heal the wounds of the past.

This second book I wanted to constantly compare to the first. I don't think that is fair. They are actually two separate stories that simply have the FBI agents in common. That being said, I think that blend from one book to the next was fabulous. I got to find out what happened after the big reveal in The Butterfly Garden, but I also was introduced to a wonderful, new set of characters.

This book was a solid 4 star read for me. I really think readers will enjoy this story!

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers Thomas & Mercer for allowing me a free copy to read and review.

*** I will add that although I received egalley copies for both books, I have also bought both physical copies to add to my shelf at home. That's how good these are!***

Happy Reading!

After reading "The Butterfly Garden" I was certain I wanted to continue reading books by Dot Hutchison. So as soon as I saw that the second book in the series was available on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it.

As previously mentioned "The Roses of May" is the second novel in the "The Collector Trilogy" and while it's not a direct sequel, the books remain somewhat connected. "The Roses of May" benefits from readers being privy to the characters and other aspects presented in the first novel. For which reason, I do recommend starting with "The Butterfly Garden".

"The Roses of May" takes place four months after the culminating events of "The Butterfly Garden". In addition to the ongoing investigation of the Garden, the FBI team known as "The Quantico Three" is faced with new case.
Besides getting reacquainted with the a few of the same characters from the previous book, we now meet Priya Sravasti, whose sister fell victim to a ritualistic serial killer five years prior.

"The Roses of May" is a police procedural replete with a suspense, tension and mystery. Throughout my reading process, it felt very Criminal Minds-esque. This novel features that "keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" quality and is full of twists and turns.

The story was captivating and well-executed and I love Dot Hutchison's narrative style. Unfortunately though, I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book. The pace was a bit too slow for my liking and so it took me a little bit of time to truly get into the story. Also, the introduction of a second-person point-of-view, in addition to Priya's first-person perspective and Edddison's third-person point-of-view, took a little getting used to.

I did find Dot Hutchison's ability to seamlessly shift between the POVs rather remarkable. And I was pleased with the change of lead investigator. Brandon Eddison's felt like a natural choice given his backstory. His thought-process and methods of investigation were well utilized in this case. However, I found it bit unrealistic that the FBI agents would have the time to forge such close relationships with the victims of their cases.

Regardless, I'm definitely eager to read the third book in this trilogy. I'm excited and hopeful to see if Mercedes Ramirez will take the role of lead investigator in the final case.
I definitely recommend picking up "The Butterfly Garden" and "The Roses of May".

I enjoyed this Author's first book, The Butterfly Garden but I think this one is even better!
This story reunites the noble FBI trio of Edison, Ramirez and Viv, decent officers. Edison's motivation comes from the loss of his sister and each law keeper in this story has a reason why they do this job. While the three are preparing for the trial of the evil owners of the Butterfly Garden and supporting its survivors they are also waiting for May for this is when the serial killer they seek strikes, thirteen victims annually, surrounded by flowers. Priya's sister was one of them and this is Priya's story too, it's about courage, good people and how to survive tragedy. Really good.

I was under the impression that this was a sequel to The Butterfly Garden so I was pretty disappointed when I realized it was basically a stand alone book. I do enjoy the author's writing but this shouldn't have been advertised as a sequel.

I really had to take the night to get my thoughts together with this book, my mind was definitely producing mixed reviews on how I really felt while reading. I was so excited when I first heard about this book because I absolutely loved TBG but I was let down when I found it wouldn't be continued from the first story.

In this book we are reintroduced to the FBI agents who are working on The Butterfly Garden case and how they are close with Priya Sravasti whose sister was murdered by a serial killer 5 years prior. The readers do get updated on the girls involved in TBG throughout the book but the story is not focused on them. It was pretty much a spin off.

This book was slow, like really really really slow. There are parts I really enjoyed throughout the book like having the serial killers POV on who he murdered and why he did it and I loved the letter at the end of the book, I felt like that was a great way to end it, however, there were also parts that I struggled to get through.

The book had intense moments but I felt like at times it may have lost the readers attention. I was not completely let down with the second book in this trilogy but it did not exceed my expectations.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My review as posted on Goodreads.

I'm marking this one as a DNF. The Butterfly Garden was a four star read for me. Something different albeit the ending didn't quite hit the spot. However, I'm a fair way into this one and it just isn't engaging with me at all. The scenes jump around all over the place and the detail is convoluted with too much unnecessary detail that doesn't really drive the storyline on. If I'm intermittently in the 'mind wandering zone and having to reread pages because I can't remember what I have read then it's time to accept that the book just isn't working for me.

I'm disappointed but it hasn't put me off from looking into anything else that Hutchison may write in the future. I hope so anyways. I'm giving this two stars because I know that when it's good ...... it really is!

My thanks for the review copy and apologies for this not working for me at this time.