Wow Katie Mettner really delivered with this book.

I'd say it's cozy mystery romance genres. This book takes us to the small-town of Plentiful Wisconsin, where Charity Puck; who is a computer security expert; agrees to see who is hacking into the system at Butterfly Junction. Charity is a woman who happily just rolls from job to job in her great big 70's style Winnebago named Myrtle, with her very large dog named Mojo. But when Charity meets her newest client, Gulliver Winsome, was that sparks that just flew between them or was she imagining things? Charity has no idea how her life is about to change. I absolutely loved how Ms Mettner used characters that are not physically perfect. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

#NetGalley#BreakingNightPress#IBPA#KatieMetner#Romance#OwnVoices
*I received this as an ARC kindle version in exchange for a review on NetGalley.

A story with a lot of sweetness, but also pain and heartbreak, “Butterflies and Hazel Eyes”, by Katie Mettner (Breaking Night Press), features two interestingly different protagonists, who soon learn they were made for each other.
Gulliver and Charity are both strong, decent, kind, and very competent in their job areas; they don’t let their physical issues hinder them from a full and active life. The author showed how they deal with them in a non-dramatic, positive and matter-of-fact way, more as a characteristic or feature than a limitation, an aspect I really appreciated. There’s a positive representation of people with disabilities throughout the story.
The fact they had broken childhoods seems to make them more resilient and compassionate about other people’s suffering.
I liked that they’re so honest with each other and there’s no needless drama in their relationship. The fact they spend so much time together and enjoy it is also engaging.
Gulliver is a Beta, lonely hero, and Charity, who is a loner, too, finds her right match. There’s an innocence about the hero which is very endearing, even if he seems as a bit naïve at times.
Gulliver’s project dimensions were interesting and unusual, too, with its ecological implications, besides the socio-economic value. I liked the characters’ passion and devotion to it.
There’s a friendly small-town environment and secondary characters that add to the story. The beautiful Lake Superior setting was another aspect I enjoyed.
I found that the dialogue and interaction between Gulliver and Charity, with lots of talking about feelings and emotions, and multiple proclamations of love, became often redundant and excessively sweet. At times, the characters felt too fictional or their voices too similar. I would have liked to have Gulliver’s point of view. The story dragged a bit for my taste, too.

I am so glad that I read this book. The cast of characters was a mix of people that one would meet in a small town. There is romance, but also a touch of mystery that kept me turning pages. The author honestly and gracefully handles issues that many people face every day, such as physical disabilities, painful childhood experiences, and self esteem issues. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

Overall I was indifferent towards this book, which was unfortunate because I'd expected to love it. I do think that regular readers of romance will enjoy it, and maybe I need to accept that apart from the rare title, romance novels aren't really my thing.

I'd hoped I'd love the book because of the strong disability representation, and that was my favourite part of it and what helped me continue reading. It was so, so clear that this is an ownvoices book in the best possible way. The disabled characters were written so well and I had to keep on reading because it's so rare to find such good representation. Especially in romance, where normally the disabled character is considered broken until they are cured. Charity is only 4 foot 2, and Gulliver uses crutches. But they are both complicated, flawed, whole characters. And I loved it. They don't need to change who they are in order to have a relationship. Having a sex life and being disabled aren't mutually exclusive. So I was thrilled to see a relationship building between the two of them.

Also, Gulliver is a scientist and Charity works in tech. They're disabled people who are leading interesting, but also quite normal lives. They aren't wonderful or inspiring because they happen to have bodies that don't fit societies expectation of the norm. As a disabled reader it's so rare that I get to read books where there are disabled characters, and when I do, the story usually revolves around the tragedy of their disability. Which makes me want to throw up. So I had a lot of fun reading this book and it was such a welcome change. I could gush about the disabled rep all day to be honest.

I did feel a bit uncomfortable with Charity having a dog that she makes clear isn't a service dog, yet she also brings it everywhere, including into stores that don't allow pets. It didn't sit well with me. I can absolutely understand why she had a dog, but I felt like this was crossing a very awkward line between needing a service dog and wanting your pet with you. I had a guide dog for seven years, and I experienced terrible service denials because other people break the rules and bring their pets with them. So I suppose I'm overly sensitive about this. I just don't think it's ok to take your pet with you just because you're disabled, or a woman. Either you need a service dog or you don't, and when people start to push the rules it makes the lives of actual service dog handlers really difficult. This got a way stronger reaction out of me than I'd thought it would, and I'd be interested to know if other handlers feel the same when reading it, or if it's just a me thing.

I really enjoyed the crime aspect of the novel. Someone is trying to steal Gulliver's research, and soon things become dangerous for everyone involved. Getting to see Charity uncover everything that was going on really gripped me, and I wanted to know how it would all be resolved.

The romance was underwhelming and I found it came on way too quickly. Again, this probably has more to do with the fact that I prefer novels where the romance is secondary, so this is a me problem.

All in all I have mixed feelings, but I'd still recommend this book and hope that other people love it.

I received an advance copy of, Butterflies and Hazel Eyes. this was an ok love story. Starting over in a new town, falling in love....

BUTTERLIES AND HAZEL EYES is a romantic suspense featuring characters with disabilities and a plot line with environmental leanings. I say this not only to preface my review, but to remind would-be readers that this novel might be outside of their comfort zones—and that's a good thing.

Mettner has published over forty #ownvoices novels in the past decade, and that experience is on full display in her latest offering. Her characters are realistic beyond a mere reflection of humanity. They're dimensional. You may relate to one aspect of their lives and simultaneously find your eyes opened by another.

And the setting—don't get me started. This is as much of a love story between the author and Lake Superior as it is the heroine and hero. Her descriptions engage the senses, immersing you in the small town of Plentiful, Wisconsin. Seriously, friends, in the immortal words of Liz Lemon, "I want to go to there."

I don't want to get spoiler-ish, so I'm not going to touch on the suspense sub-plot, but I will say it's intriguing and has a strong tie-in to the love story. If you like well crafted, outside-the-box stories, you're going to enjoy this one.

Happy reading!