Forced to leave her family farm when only a young child, Leandra abandons the bitter memories of growing up on the East Coast and returns to North Carolina.

Life begins anew with a past romance and marriage, while she dives head first into the cultural upheaval of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, challenges of rural healthcare, and women’s rights. Bolstered by her deep-rooted love for Appalachia and her people, she takes on new roles, some of which she chooses with others thrust upon her.

As the years pass by, more and more secrets are revealed to her, then buried, each one redefining who she has become. At some point she must choose to share these secrets or die with them, and a decision is made that will forever change the Barker family and future generations.

My Review

Poor Leandra still has it tough in book two. At the end of book one, The Butterfly Bush, we left her with Mamaw and Papaw, having returned to the farm. So much has happened to her – her failed relationship with Greg, her brother Ray’s death, and baby Autumn. She has left her alcoholic Mama and dreadful husband Roger in New Jersey.

Once back she rekindles her relationship with John and resumes life on an Appalachian farm. They have a son Donny who follows in his parents and grandparents footsteps as farmers, from an early age.

But cracks appear in Leandra’s marriage, when she discovers that the town’s only doctor is set to retire and she decides to open up a free health clinic for everyone in the local area. John thinks this is too time-consuming and is eating into her role as traditional wife and mother.

Leandra has matured considerably and we follow her life from young motherhood, to middle age and beyond. It’s still a rocky path, but there are moments of true happiness, like opening a petting zoo on the farm which delights Donny, and selling Pawpaw’s apples. Growing tobacco is still a bone of contention between them.

Pawpaw and Archie (Archie is Black, but it has never affected their friendship) are getting old now, and Mamaw’s slide into dementia is one of the most heartbreaking parts of the book, and is handled with understanding and sensitivity.

Once again the author creates a world full of love, hardship, tragedy and sadness, with characters that will stay with us for a long time to come. It’s a triumph yet again.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheButterflysSecret blog tour.

Author bio 

Josephine DeFalco loves to tell a good tale. With three adult children and their children, a multitude of pets and wild things in her life, she finds ample material for her stories. A degreed dietitian, she worked in public health and wrote for Arizona Woman Magazine for ten years, before returning to college to become a registered nurse and EMT. She will rescue anything with fur, feathers, or skin as long as it promises not to bite. That includes humans. Jo divides her time between an urban farm in Arizona and a rural farm in Wisconsin, growing much of the food her family eats. This resulted in two books on food preservation which supports her drive to teach others food gardening, health and nutrition. Her Facebook page, BestLittleOrganicFarm, is filled with photos, stories, and information on gardening. Born and raised in Arizona, the southwest desert inspired her first historical novel, The Nightbird’s Song, reflecting on the hardships of the early desert settlers. Her first series includes The Butterfly Bush and The Butterfly’s Secret, revealing her deep respect for the Appalachian families that inspired her stories.

Buy Links
www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.com

Goodreads
www.goodreads.com

Handles/Tags
X (Twitter)
@KellyALacey
@lovebookstours 
#Ad #LBTCrew #Booktwitter #FreeBookReview

Instagram
@JosephineDeFalco
@FlintHillsPublishing
@lovebookstours
#Ad #LBTCrew #Bookstagram #FreeBookReview

Threads
@lovebookstours   

Facebook
@lovebookstours