It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good… league.
But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything.
Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.
Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.
But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.
Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…
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There are NOT enough stars for this book!
Oh my goodness!! I love a strong female character but this one is my absolute favorites. Gina is the most relatable character I have read in a really long time. She represents every girl and woman I know. If you are to ask 99.9% of the females around you, each one will list something they dislike about themselves. It doesn’t matter how small it may be to the passer-by, it will stand out to them. Many, myself included, will have a laundry list. Gina is exactly the same. However, what makes her my hero is that she holds her head high, straightens her crown and marches on to be a strong, independent, small business owner. She doesn’t let what she see’s as a flaw hold her back. I wish I had the same confidence.
We see Ford Hartigan appear and he is all male. The guy that catches nearly girl’s eye; the smirks and grins just makes ones, okay my, heart hitch. Something about the good guy and the little grins that show his hidden personality just does me in. But most of all, how he sees Gina is what made me fall absolutely head over heels! You have to read it for yourself to see what I mean. 😉
Don’t we want a Ford?
The perfect rom-com read! Avery Flynn has outdone herself! Thank you for the book every girl can relate to in some way.
** spoiler alert ** Oh God, This book! Where do I even start? From the moment that I started the first paragraph I could not put this book down. It is hands down in my top 2 for 2018! Yes, I know the year isn’t over but that’s how much I loved this book! It’s not one of those books where you know the girl isn’t pretty so she spends all this money to make herself look better and try to be like everyone else. I love the fact that Ford doesn’t see her as ugly ike everyone else. He sees her for who she really is. The only thing that I was mad about was the fact that he lied to her about why he had to stay at her house. I understand why he did it. So that he could get close to her and learn more about her. But I also think that she would have understood if he would have just told her the truth. I also love the fact that they both got their happily ever after. Although, I really hope that Karma pays a visit to the cops that picked on Gina because of her looks. They were very nasty people. But I love how Ford stood up for the girl that he fell in love with even though he broke the rules and that was something that he never did. SOOOOOOOO, anyway, needless to say , If you have not read this book then you REALLY need to get it. I promise you will not be disappointed. I cried, laughed, yelled and everything else in between. Lol.
Butterface by Avery Flynn. This is Gina Luca and Ford Hartigan’s story.
This was a fun and steamy romantic comedy with a few tears too. Gina and Ford’s characters and their interactions were amazing. I loved that I could feel how much Gina and Ford cared for each other.
Gina has a great figure but is no raving beauty. She has been teased and laughed at all her life about her big nose. Gina plans weddings but never expects to plan her own wedding.
Ford and Gina meet at a wedding. Circumstances keep throwing them together. There were so many obstacles for Gina and Ford to overcome but I loved how the author pulled everything together. Will Ford be able to see the real Gina? Will they be able overcome all the obstacles and find true love?
FYI, contains mature content. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
5 BUTTERstars for Avery and Gina !!!
WOW…. Avery, Woman…. this book is awsome ! Sorry, if this word aren’t good to write rewiev, but I can’t find another, more adequate to describe how good this book is.
Gina and Ford story…. Ahh.. they both are so sweet…
In the begining I was affraid, that I won’t like this book. Today we all used to different POV in books. We like to read “I”… That’s why “I-Marta” was wondering what kind of book Butterface will be…
Will I divine in this story, like I used to with my latest books ???
I though : okay Marta, let’s start, shall we ?
And WOW !!! I couldn’t stop… I read it all in one setting, feeling very mad at me, why I wait so long to meet Avery’s writting…
When You read the blurb You might thought… Yes that’s another story about some Cinderella… But You can be sure, You’re very wrong.
Gina, our main Girl doesn’t want to wait for her Prince Charming. She knows what’s makes her worth, worth of everything, even if she knows that’s she isn’t pretty.
And Ford…. this man is different. He isn’t bad boy, he’s kind, protective and super hot. He’s perfect for Gina, because he know how to fight for her.
They’re both amazing.
The most important thing in their story ???
Love can find You everywhere… even if we’re living in the world full of cover magazines, where’s everyone needs and wants to be awfully perfect….There’s always hope for ordinary people to find something more.
I love Butterface also because this book is not only about love between woman and man… this book is about loving Yourself, no matter what because this is Your real life strenght.
Congratulations Avery Flynn You’ve done great job .
This is the first time in I don’t know how long, that I’ve read a book in 3rd person POV and managed to forget that I was. Usually it takes me out of the story as I much prefer 1st POV. But, Butterface did a great job of hooking me from the very first page.
Gina Luca isn’t your typical gorgeous girl, bursting at the seams with confidence and sex appeal. She has a beautiful body but her face isn’t quite picture perfect. She’s lived with derision and ridicule her whole life because of this and when she meets Ford Hartigan at a wedding she’s not ready for what follows. From a forced kiss on a Kiss-Cam, to having Ford move in to ‘protect’ her when her long lost grandpa turns up in the most unexpected place.
Ford is a detective with the Waterbury Police, he loves rules, and following them to get where he wants has got him to where he is today. But, Gina is an exception he just wasn’t ready to give up.
This was a fabulous, hot and sexy, hilarious story. The main characters were perfect foils for each other and the secondary ones helped bring the whole story to life. I can’t wait to read the next book about Ford’s firefighter brother Frankie.
Butterface by Avery Flynn is the first book in her brand new series, The Hartigans , and is a spin-off to her Harbor City series. A standalone romantic comedy tat not only will have you laughing in public but will also having you fist pump for the sheer FU to society’s ideas of pretty and normal and thin.
Gina Luca is an excellent wedding planner getting her startup business off the ground with great success. What she doesn’t have success in is avoiding the impromptu Kiss-Cam at one of her clients weddings and ends up kissing someone she views as completely out of her league, one Ford Hartigan, surly detective and supremely hot guy AKA out of her league.
For Hartigan is drawn to Gina from the start. She may not be conventionally pretty but her eyes shine with joy and humor, her face glows with the success of a job well done and most importantly, she is genuinely a wonderful human being. The Kiss-Cam incident which causes their lips to meet for the first time sends him reeling. He can feel the chemistry between them sizzle but is thrown for a loop when she brushes him off.
Best intentions don’t always mean you make the best choices for those you care for. Ford may not go about his goals with Gina in the best way but his intent is sincere and if he can just get her out of her own head and hangups long enough perhaps he can make her see that too.
Loved This! Told in dual POV complete with a happily ever after it was well-written and well-paced and yet another wonderful story from one of my favorite authors. Enjoy!
Gina and Ford.
Avery has once again given us a fabulously funny, sweet story that also hits on the topic of outer beauty. When Ford and Gina meet something pulls them together and once they know each other …really know each other it soon becomes apparent that attraction has so many more factors.
Ford is a handsome, stoic rule follower. He is a officer of the law and takes it his work seriously. Gina is a law abiding citizen but her brothers that may be a different story. When these two opposites meet they soon realize that they may have so much more in common than they could have imagined. A lovely, sexy, story of opposites !!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
I was hooked from the very beginning. Gina and Ford meet at a wedding when they are broadcast on a Kiss Cam. Gina knows she is no beauty so when Ford kisses her she figured he did it as a joke and to just be done with it. Yet Ford can’t stop thinking about her after the kiss is over and she walks away. Gina doesn’t trust men after an incident in high school where she was humiliated because of her looks so she figures she will never see Ford again and she moves on. Of course it doesn’t quite work like that when a week later Gina calls the police because she finds a body in her house. Ford responds to the call with the orders to get close to Gina because her brothers have mob connections. Ford moves in to protect her because of the body found in her house and while there he becomes a handyman and helps Gina do repairs on her house. Ford and Gina start to fall for each other because they spend a lot of time talking and getting to know each other. In the back of Gina’s mind is always the thought that it is too good to be true because again she is no beauty queen. Ford doesn’t see her the way she sees herself and is honestly attracted to her but he knows that he will mess everything up if the reason he came into her life is ever revealed. And it would prove to Gina that their relationship was never real because a girl that looks like her could never get a guy as hot as Ford.
I loved how Ford seriously fell for Gina almost from the get go and defended her even to the detriment of his job as a cop. Gina was so hopeful and trusting in Ford and that was great because even when the sh!# hit the fan she still in the back of her mind knew Ford was true about his feelings for her. I loved seeing all the Hartigan’s at the family dinner and can’t wait for more stories about each of them. This book was so great it was hard to put down and everyone needs to read this book!
Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..I have to say one of the things that I really appreciated was the the heroine was not considered beautiful, sometimes well a lot of times we read these books that everyone is in love with the heroine/hero in these books, everyone because they are so gorgeous. Butterface was so not the case however I have to admit that at times I didn’t want to hear anymore about her ugliness that broke my heart constantly hearing the bullying. That being said I was happy that Gina didn’t let her keep her down she had a great job and great family her brothers loved and protected her, yes they could be overbearing but to me with what she went thru that was a small price to pay. So we have Ford, of course he would be gorgeous, hey it is what it is and he was lying to Gina and I wasn’t about that part but we get a story and as he spends more time with her he gets feel for her true feelings. So I don’t want to give a lot away because I am imploring you to grab a copy and Enjoy! because I am pretty sure that you will..
This book is incredible. It is not often that you find a book that can make you laugh until you cry and then turn around and make such an impact on you emotionally, that you cry tears because your heart has simply cracked open. This is one of those very rare books. Gina and Ford are both such lovable characters and in spite of all there differences, they are perfect for each other. Their chemistry is so steamy, their attraction so intense and their dialog fast is paced and witty. Features a well written storyline, an entertaining cast of secondary characters, drama, humor, suspense, sweet romance, love and passion. I loved this book so much and can’t wait to see what happens in future books in this series.
Butterface was a hilarious, heartbreaking, amazing book!!! I love Avery Flynn’s writing, and the humor brought to this book about a chic who is owning her less-than-beautiful looks is such a different perspective and I found myself going from feeling sorry for wedding planner, Gina Luca, to wishing I had her guts! She is such a strong woman, who can’t believe good looking police detective Ford Hartigan has an interest in her…even though her brothers work for a not-exactly-legal place.
After her grandfather’s body is found decayed in her attic, she is “stuck” with Ford, but she isn’t sure if he is there because he wants to be, or because he has ulterior motives.
The other detectives make fun of Gina, even to Ford…calling her “Butterface”.
I loved this first book of The Hartigans series! Definitely a MUST read!!!
3.5 stars
I’m a big fan of the “not so beautiful”people getting their HEA. Real people need love too. Butterface is sweet and cute. Filled with self deprecating humor and mean jokes from trolls, Butterface has its ups and downs.
Learning to love ones self is hard and Gina has a long way to go. With a little help from Officer Never Breaks the Rules, or Detective Hartigan, Gina is going to learn a lot about herself.
Personally, I’m not sure romantic comedy is the right way to describe this book. I thought it had amusing points but I wasn’t laughing as much as I expected to.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
Hang in there with me on this one, folks. It’s going to get fangirly and gushy. I apologize in advance.
I loved everything about this book. I could probably end the review there. I loved the characters, the storyline, the dialogue, the author’s writing style…everything. It was a flawless read. But since that would make for a crappy review, here are some specifics about what I loved the most:
It’s not a makeover story:
Gina, the heroine, isn’t what you’d call “romance novel heroine” pretty. She doesn’t have that pert little nose, heart-shaped face, and Angelina lips we all read about in romance novels. She’s just average looking, and still, the hot guy falls ass-over-elbow for her because of her inner beauty. He also finds her physically attractive just the way she is. (And it works better if you read that “just the way she is” part in Mark Darcy’s voice) And a big part of what he loves her for (other than the fact that she’s a smart, funny, hard-working woman) is her confidence. Gina LIKES who she is. She doesn’t want to have surgery or get a makeover to get her man. She’s happy with her life, even if she never finds a man to share it with. Sure, she has occasional bouts of insecurity. (I mean, who among us doesn’t?) But she carries on and doesn’t let those insecurities and past hurts overtake her. She’s not a wallower or a whiner. She’s strong and confident and comfortable in her own skin. And to me, that puts Gina right up there with the greatest romance novel heroines of all time.
The hero:
Ford is a great romance hero. He’s smart, good at his job, sensitive without being a wuss and alpha without being an alphahole. He’s also super sexy, which never hurts. He never once feels the need to “fix” Gina. He also fails to see the ugliness the superficial a-holes in his precinct see when they look at Gina. All Ford sees the amazing, beautiful, hilarious and smart woman Gina truly is. Sure, he keeps some secrets from Gina that I wish he wouldn’t have, but he did it for a good reason (in his mind, at least), so I cut him some slack on that. I’d happily add Ford to the “all-time-great book boyfriends” list I’m currently working on. He’s a keeper.
(Fair warning, though: outside of Ford’s family and Gina’s brothers, about 90% of the other men in town are douchenozzles of the highest order. You’ll want to nut-punch them while reading.)
The secondary characters:
The secondary characters here are AWESOME. They’re well-developed without being obvious sequel bait, and serve an actual purpose in the story. (You’d be surprised how many secondary characters I see in romance who serve no true purpose in the story other than to pop up at opportune times to offer sage love advice to the hero and heroine. I hate that.)
So, all that said, I stand by my first statement: I loved everything about this book. Also, I plan to 1-click the crap out of Frankie and Lucy’s story when it’s done. I highly recommend you read Butterface, then do the same. That is all.
Full disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley at no charge.
Don’t forget to check out the Romance Rehab blog for reviews, book lists, and fun romance-y stuff: http://www.romancerehab.com/
From the dedication to the ending, this is a fantastic must read by Avery Flynn!
Butterface is the story of Gina and Ford. Ford who we meet briefly in The Charmer is the main hero of this story.
Gina, oh this girl is what every girl feels like at one time or another. She is the perfect heroine in this story. She is trying hard to overcome the stigma of not being “perfect”. Such a relative term and it actually describes her perfectly! She is strong, she is independent but she also carries the scars of her past with vulnerability.
Ford feels like he is the odd man out in his family. He doesn’t quite fit. He meets Gina and he “sees” her! I was taken by the way that he couldn’t seem to quite understand what Gina was going through. And when he finally realizes the judgemental, stereotypes, he knows he has to make Gina understand what she means to him. (After some pretty epic screw-ups on his part)
Ford & Gina’s chemistry is hella hot and it really pushes Gina out of her comfort zone, which was beautiful to read! Gina coming into her own and loving herself fully!
I really enjoy Avery’s stories! They are sweet, they are witty and they are oh so swoony! I cannot wait to read what comes next from her!
4.5 Stars!
What a fun, refreshing start to The Hartigans series! I loved this forbidden romance between a sexy detective and the daughter from a family who-never-met-a-law-they-didn’t-want-to-break. Ford and Gina had the most awkward meet cute that set the tone for this hilarious and quirky story. They have instant attraction and fiery chemistry, but to protect her family, Gina walks away. Ford wants nothing more than to take down Gina’s family. But now that he has met Gina, How can he have both? I loved both Ford and Gina, from their witty banter, to how they see past all their imperfections, to their steamy passion, they are perfect together. There are so many laugh out loud moments, but many sweet and heartwarming moments as well. Their family and friends are all intriguing and wonderful characters adding to the fun and rounding out this story. This romance was so endearing, it captured my heart and had me totally engaged from start to finish. I definitely recommend this must read romance!
I love Avery Flynn books! This one is one of her very best.
Oh what an absolute DELIGHT and CHARMING and most MEMORABLE romantic comedy I have EVER read! The fact that this isn’t your average rom-com THRILLED me. Add in a heroine who isn’t drop dead gorgeous appealed to me in a way that I can’t even describe. I LOVED THIS STORY!
Butterface just dug into my heart right from the start. It was cute, funny and with an undeniable meaning that most of us can relate to. This is one romantic comedy I will gladly, happily and with GUSTO scream from the rooftops to READ RIGHT NOW! Yes, this book is EVERYTHING and THEN SOME! I ADOOOOOOOORED Gina. To me, she was absolutely beautiful and caring and a whole lot of fun to be around, and our hero Ford is one that made my heart pound and my knees weak and not just because he was gorgeous. The way he treats Gina and falls for her had butterflies taking flight inside my stomach and made my heart SING. This really is a one of a kind romantic comedy. This brand new series from Avery Flynn has me HOOKED and I am BEGGING, like on my knees begging Miss Avery for the next one and SOON!
I give Butterface an AMAZING TEN MILLION BRILLIANT, BRIGHT, SHINNING STARS!
Butterface by Avery Flynn is the First book in The Hartigans series. This is the story of Ford Hartigan and Gina Luca.
Gina was teased most of her life for her looks so she has settled into not getting into a love relationship but has turned to being a wedding planner for others. When working at a wedding a ‘kiss cam’ is turned on her and Ford they end up kissing. Which makes Gina start to rethink her relationship plans….but Ford is the hot cop so her self doubt does come into play. Also some of Gina’s family are on the wrong side of the law…so it wouldn’t be smart to get involved with a Cop.
Ford has different reason for going toward Gina but one is that he has started to have feelings towards her. When he comes to Gina saying that he needs to protect her …Gina goes along with it but smart enough to know that there is something else at play her. But she puts him to work fixing up a family house that she has inherited.
This book was so fun to read…hot and just all around great book….loved it!
This is a truly intriguing book. Don’t take that the wrong way. It’s sexy, funny, and completely entertaining just as we expect from this author but it also makes you stop and think about how events from our past can cling on and shape us into the people we are today. Gina Luca was the girl everyone liked to joke about in high school. Because of that she’s strong, determined, and it takes a lot to ruffle her. So when a wedding video turns into a kiss cam featuring her and hot cop Ford Hartigan it feels like high school all over again. Thing is when they kissed it was magical leading Ford and Gina down a path neither ever expected.
This book is very well written with a great storyline, nice pace, and characters that are well developed and unforgettable. I definitely recommend this one.
I loved this story. I dont have the words to describe my pleasure while reading this book. Gina is such a likeable character and Ford so awkward at times that I just wanted to wrap them in a cacoon and save them just for myself.