I don't typically enjoy anything in the fantasy genre, but because I loved the author so much, I decided to give this one a try. Not only did I enjoy this book and series, but I have been recommending it to everyone I talk to. I just can't get these characters out of my head. Jen Doyle writes the most amazing characters that I can't help but get wrapped up in the story, even a fantasy based story like this one. One chapter I'll be laughing my head off and the next chapter will hit me in the feels. Its a rollercoaster I didn't want to get off of and is definitely the most memorable and enjoyable series I've read in a very long time.

https://bit.ly/2JMXRX7Butterfly Ops: Book 3 by Jen Doyle (urban fantasy, May 2019, self published)

Series: book 3 of Butterfly Ops Trilogy

This series first caught my attention because of this line in the books’ descriptions: “What’s a superheroine to do when her super soldier ex turns up alive after more than 15 years?” I enjoyed the 1st book and went right on to read the 2nd. Admittedly, book 2 ends on a wicked, wicked cliffhanger which may well enrage romance readers. Fortunately, the devastation of the cliffhanger is cleared up fairly quickly in book 3.

I was hooked on the emotional angst in this series. Lynsey Daniels, the superheroine, is shocked to find out that the man she loved 15 years ago is not dead. He is alive, still hunting monsters (of the paranormal variety). Lynsey and Ian Fox, along with their teams, are being asked to work together to solve a mystery in the Canadian wilderness - a mystery where men who look alike are being murdered.

Lynsey and Ian’s relationship is complicated and messy. Ian worked in the military as part of a group that was experimenting on people to create supersoldiers. Lynsey was also part of the experiments, but a disposable part. Ian would not allow the government to kill her. But in the process, secrets, lies and extenuating circumstances separated them. Meanwhile, Ian eventually married another woman (to Abby) and they had four children. By the time the series starts however, Ian’s wife has been dead for several years. Despite being dead, Abby is a very important character.

Besides the emotional angst, I also enjoyed the mysterious plot surrounding the murdered men. This part is supernatural in nature which is why Lynsey and Ian’s groups have been sent to find out what is happening. The plot is complicated and is based upon Native myths and legends, along with that of true love. There is an element of a love triangle with Lynsey, Ian and Abby because Ian has to face his feelings for Lynsey and how those feelings may have impacted his relationship with Abby.

Now for the thing that I found a bit odd about this series. Given that the heroine is billed as a superheroine and the hero as supersoldier, I expected there to be a lot more kick-assness in the series. I wanted to see the characters, especially Lynsey, in action. I think in the entire series, Lynsey gets into a fight with a big bear in the 2nd book and then has to fight a ghostly army to get to Ian in book 3, but other than that, there isn’t any superheroine skill flexing going on. Despite the fact that we are told that there are vampires (and we meet one) and other supernatural beings, the world seems pretty normal. And I found this dichotomy a bit jarring.

Overall, the series worked for me, but I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see the super abilities of either Lynsey or Ian in more detail. I often forgot about their enhanced abilities while reading. I can’t tell if there are going to be more books in this series or not, but there were certainly plenty of characters that I would love to see more of. So despite that fact that I had some issues with this series (it is hard to just review book 3 because all 3 of the books tell one story, in other words, book 3 does not stand alone), the characters really stood out. I cared about them; I cared about Lynsey and Ian’s romance; I needed to know how the series ended. And I was quite happy with how it all ended, quite happily.

Book Disclosure: An ebook was provided via NetGalley.

Lyndsey and Ian are together and this time they might just be up against the thing that can destroy them and the relationship. I actually liked this book so much more than book 2. I thought the author did a great job strengthening the characters and that made this book enjoyable to read. Thank you NetGalley.

With the way the last book ended on a HUGE cliff hanger I was very much looking forward to this one. I had theories on what I thought was going to happen and I was right on some of them. I knew that Ian couldn't be dead, but I wondered if Abby was alive, hiding and going to pop back up. I'm glad that later part wasn't true, yet it was a little bit.

The whole Butterfly Queen/Trader lore was a bit crazy, especially as they figured things out from a Barney story. Yes you read that right, a kids purple dinosaur story. That was the start of things being a bit too far fetched, making you just have to go with it. I thought it odd that the BQ at times was channeling Abby, or so it seemed. You weren't really sure if it was her or Abby's ghost breaking through to protect Ian. Ian often wasn't sure either. He was trying like hell to fight things off, but it was hard. The memories of good times coming back to fog him up, making him not sure what as real and what wasn't.

Now while Ian was in la la land with the BQ and Abby, Lindsey was mourning him. She was so far out of it, it was crazy. I found it a bit ironic that it was Ian's kids, Kate in particular, that seemed to wake her up. It turns out the kids all are hiding things, but most especially Kate. I liked that Kate had the dreams to help her in her grief and gave her peace that her dad was alive, liked it more that the kids banded together and went to Lindsey for help, because they knew she loved him too and could do something about it.

From here Lindsey rallied the troops and they went to get back Ian. From here things became murky. They learned more about the BQ and trader, who could have been a twin to Ian. That seemed to lead them to getting an inkling of how to save Ian.

Once Ian was back in the land of the living, things wrapped up pretty quickly. There was some talk between Ian and Lindsey, about Abby and how Ian was able to get free as it all centered around love. Overall things ended good and you can see how these two will build something in the future.

You're gonna need a lot of tissues when reading this book. Book three picks up after the events at the end of book two. Everyone is convinced that Ian is dead, but when Ian's children convince Lyndsey that there father is alive, it becomes a matter of convincing everyone else. This book is one epic wild ride of a conclusion. I really enjoyed the ride this series took me on and can't wait to see what's next from Jen Doyle.