John Davenport couldn't give his daughter the life she deserved. Without a mother to teach her the ways of a lady, he decided
to have her raised by the finest of boarding schools. So, Meg Davenport grew up in the best, most exclusive
boarding school, destined to shape her into a perfect lady. She turns into Madame Marisse’s most gifted student, but only
by ruthlessly supressing the rebel inside. Meg grew up without family, without love and without
happiness. She might outwardly be the
perfect lady, but the only thing Meg truly wants is to break free, to follow
her own path, to live an adventure. After several failed escape attempts over the years, a
dejected Meg finally resolves herself to her fate, but when her absentee father
dies, she finally learns the truth – he was a very talented thief! Suddenly so many things make sense; Meg finally begins to
understand the rebel side of herself, and in an attempt to understand the man
everybody claims loved her more than life itself, Meg is determined to follow
in his footsteps. The only problem is she needs the help of a man she can’t help but resent;
Ian Maguire, her father’s substitute son – the boy he loved who grew to be his
protégé, the boy who took her place in her father’s heart (or so she believes). Loyal to the father figure who rescued him from the streets,
Ian knows that John’s greatest hope in life was that his daughter become a
perfect lady, marry a wealthy gentleman and live a life of luxury. The last thing John would have tolerated was his precious
daughter following in his footsteps, but when the shadier members of John’s
crew learns of Meg’s connection to one of New York’s wealthiest families that
could help them pull off the biggest heist of their careers, they’re all too
eager to welcome her into their gang. With Meg desperate to prove herself her father’s daughter,
desperate to prove he was wrong in shutting her out of his life, and men Ian
doesn’t trust willing to help her, how can he not protect her by rather helping
her himself? And if he can somehow get his
hands on the famous Pemberton gold, it’s a win-win situation… right?
Ian is not on speaking terms with God – his father was a missionary, and
on a ship from Ireland, moving to America where he would spread the Gospel,
Ian’s father died along with his mother and siblings, leaving only Ian. Ian
can’t believe God is a loving Heavenly Father when God stripped him of love and
security at a young age. Meg also believes God exists, she just
doesn’t believe He has much interest in her life. If He had, surely He would
have answered her prayers and she would have been raised by a loving father; At
the very least, He would have helped just one of her escape attempts succeed,
granting her a life of freedom from the suffocating rules and regulations that
held her prisoner. While adopting this life of deception and
thievery, she ruthlessly suppresses her conscience, just as she once supressed
her rebellion. Surely God doesn’t care what Meg does or does not do?
As Meg and Ian work together to pull of the heist of all heists, the
unthinkable happens. Meg gets too attached to the family she is
setting up to be burglarised, and Ian grows a conscience. With Ian
suspecting he has finally come to love a person more than he loves money (how
can he risk Meg’s freedom?), Meg suspecting she doesn’t have the heart to live
her father’s life after all (How can she steal from people she has come to
love?), and a God who does seem to care about their plans very much (why else
would things start going wrong?), can Meg and Ian find a way towards love and
happiness instead of prison? Will they get over their guilt and
doubt and give their hearts to each other, and more importantly, will they
finally give their hearts to God?
I thoroughly enjoyed Maureen
Lang’s Bees in the butterfly garden, though at first I
couldn’t imagine how Christian lit could centre around thieves – surely, at the
end of the day you can’t justify stealing professionally. But that
is exactly what is so striking about this book. The reader shares
Meg and Ian’s guilt. I was quite uncomfortable being witness to
their deception of the lovely Claire and Nelson Pemberton; I could never share
their excitement when their plans seemed set to succeed, and several times I
wished I could just sit these two down for a good, long chat. The
constant use of the painting depicting Jesus’ crucifixion between two thieves
was a very clever tool Lang used to keep reminding Ian and Meg of their
wrongdoing and what they were truly risking. The painting became a
central character in the novel, so strong was its presence.
I particularly liked the characters in the novel. Lang did a great
job in creating diverse characters, each with their own motivations. I
especially enjoyed Meg and Ian's internal struggles. On one
hand I would have liked a more pronounced conversion for each of
them, but then again, the gentle subtlety with which they
both ultimately give their hearts to God suggests that they have been
wanting and waiting to do it all along.
Bees in the butterfly garden is a lovely story about
the importance of justice, mercy and grace (the Pemberton family has a
beautiful tradition which also explains the difference between the three),
which is communicated through a story of thievery and deceit - An interesting
and effective approach that captivates the reader.
Maureen Lang has always had a passion for writing, particularly stories that
combine romance and history. Her debut inspirational novel, Pieces of Silver, was a Christy
Award finalist in the historical category. She has since written seven novels,
including a recent trilogy of romances set against the dramatic backdrop of
WWI—Look to the East, Whisper
on the Wind, and Springtime
of the Spirit. She turns to more peaceful (though no less dramatic) times
in Bees in the Butterfly
Garden, her upcoming release set among Fifth Avenue's finest during the
Gilded Age of New York. In
addition to critical acclaim, Maureen's writing has garnered numerous industry
honors. She has won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award, the
Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, and a Holt Medallion, and has been a
finalist for Romance Writers of America's Rita, the American Christian Fiction
Writers' Carol awards, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence ~ Tyndale.
Product information:
Title: Bees In The Butterfly Garden
Author: Maureen Lang
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Tyndale House
Year: 2012
ISBN-10: 1414364466
ISBN-13: 978-1414364469
Tyndale House Publishers has kindly provided me with a complimentary
copy of this book for my review. I did
not receive any monetary compensation for this review, nor did this review lead
to any personal gain other than the joy of being part of the Tyndale Blog
Network.
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