“Victoria, will you marry me?”Those words changed my life forever…just not in the way it would for most. I had it all until one fateful evening transformed my life in ways I never imagined.Nine months later, I move to a sleepy little town, hoping to escape the demons of my past. As I attempt to claim back my life, Jude Montgomery enters my world, and things begin to change.I thought running would … change.
I thought running would appease the nightmares, but I soon discover my past won’t let go. Things are not what they seem, and I begin to question the world as I know it. Jude may hold the answers, but will my love for him blind me to the truth?
Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? In my case, yes, it does.
Will the truth set me free? Or will it imprison us both?
My name is Victoria Armstrong, and this is my story…I think.
“With heart and heat and a depth we adore for in our favorite reads, James has penned an absolutely stunning novel.” Christina Lauren, NYT and #1 International Bestselling Authors of Twice in a Blue Moon
“Wow! This book! It’s not just a story, it’s an experience. Enthralling. Epic. Beautiful. Chase the Butterflies grabbed my heart, twisted it, and NEVER let go.” -Mia Sheridan, NYT bestseller
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WOW! OMG! This book..WOW! This book is not like any other of Monica’s books.
It’s so full of sadness and heartbreaking feelings, but also full of hope and love.
This book is so beyond belief moving, you’ve no other choice, but to fall in love with it
I’m a complete mess! Again!
I’m siting here and thinking about, what could I possible say about this story???….without spoiling it at the first point, but to express how moved and emotional I’m feeling right now, when I’m only giving it a beautiful thoughts Just thinking about it, I could bawl my eyes out again
The story didn’t develop as I thought … the plot pivoted after ~50% in the story to something I would never guessed and from this point didn’t let me go, till 3 a.m. . Yesssss, this happened to me once again, and this time
I DIDN’T EXPECT IT!
We’ve already been prepared for the dark romances by Monica, she has trained us well , but I would have never expected a nearly “fairytale” story, not even in my sweetest dreams.
And you know what???
It’s an awesome-gripping- absolutely-beautiful story!!!!
I love it!!!!
This book is a constant fight between good and bad emotions. You’re in love with the characters and swooning one moment and the next you’re crying because they are so heartbreaking hopeless, that you can feel their pain.
You suffer with the characters, you become one with them.
The drama that unfolds before you, makes you cry and scream!!!! This book is just the perfect example of how a romance book just should be.
It begins with a tragedy, proceeds with a heartbreak, skips to a lot of drama and mystery and finished with a bliss of love.
It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, feelings and passion.
I don’t know why, because this book or story has nothing to do with Christmas, but I think that’s a perfect Christmas story.
No, it’s not because it’s sweet and swoony, even though it is (sometimes ), but because it radiates so much warmth and hope at the end.
The HEA is so damn epic beautiful, that it put you in a state of peaceful happiness!!!
This is something very special, Noooo!!!! This is Magic and Love at the same time!!!!
I’m finally spechless!!!!
One more thing, READ THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK!!!
This book is really something else
An emotional, unexpected romance by Monica James that will make you fall in love even more with her. She has so many twists and turns, I finally found my way the end. Each twist and turn will captivate you and intrigue you. These characters are mind-blowingly hot and Intense. A MUST READ by Monica James!!
Monica James – your talent knows no bounds!! Wow is all I have to say!! Her words are magical, her plot and setting is nothing you’ve read from her, and she knows how to get your attention from the beginning. She truly is an author that should be one-clicked by you every time!!
She continuously sucks me into her world, and this world blows my mind. The tears, the emotion, the anguish – they all add up to a romance that will shatter your heart when the truth is shown, but is slowly put back together, one piece at a time.
Victoria and Jude- holy hotness and steaminess! Their characters are intense, broody and overall intriguing. You will want to cry, laugh, and everything in between by the end of the book. There are secrets that can’t be revealed until later, emotions that you feel as you read, and an overall story that you never expected. Amazing 5+ star book!!
Holy crap let me catch my breath!! This book will take you to the edge and then shove you off and leave you breathless. The author takes us on an emotional rollercoaster of a ride and throws every plot twist we weren’t expecting in it. This book is hard to describe because it is so much more than just the regular romance story. This read has so many different elements and they all make this book unbelievably amazing. Victoria goes through so much traumatic events that you don’t know how she will hang on and make it through but she is a tough character and even at times when she doesn’t think she can carry on she starts to find herself and slowly move on but it is all because of Jude. Jude is a mysterious character that is drawn towards Tori, and she is drawn to him but isn’t sure she is ready for this type of relationship. I don’t want to give so much away but Tori and Jude have a unique and beautiful story that is hard to describe but can be summed up as one of a kind and uniquely beautiful. A beautiful book that should be made a movie because it is one of a kind.
When people say your not ready for this book, this is the first one I’ve felt it with.
My heart feels heavy but happy, this is a book that typically I wouldn’t have read but I felt drawn to it & this just shows the pull this book has on people.
I can’t tell you anything, as it would spoil everything (and I’m not even joking) you need to go in blindly like I did.
But if your heart and head believe that the impossible can happen then please take a chance on this book, it’s the first book I’ve read by Monica and I’m looking forward to reading some more.
5
I have never read a story like this before. I am at a loss for words. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. The last few chapters had me bawling my eyes out. It definitely was not what I was expecting at all. Overall it was such a good story! I am just so torn because it had supernatural elements to it and I usually hate those kind of books but I could not put this story down.
Monica James wrote one of the most breathtaking and beautiful reads of 2019. When I started reading within the first chapter I was say what the…..
This story is different on so many levels of what I expected to read with this book. It is breathtaking and takes you on a journey you never will expect.
Each charter has you grasping and reading to find out more of there story. The way Monica James intertwined there stories was amazing. Victoria and Judes story is so breathtaking and different.
James blew me away with this one! Chase the Butterflies is like nothing you will ever read! You will feel the pain and you will cry, so have tissues ready. I had no idea what I was really getting myself into when I started this book. You know how you have stories that stick with you for years to come. Well this one is going to have a place in my soul for the rest of my life. Victoria and Jude have a love that’ll cross boundaries.
I recieved an ARC in exchange for a honest review!
I’ve read all day and drunk coffee.
I didn’t put down my Kindle until I not finished ‘Chase the Butterflies’.
This book is everything.
This book is a masterpiece.
Monica James, you outdone yourself!
‘Chase the Butterflies’ gives me everything I need in November: nice story with heartbreaking moments and heroine with hard life.
No words describe this book. When you read a words from the author You will see this story in different colors. Monica, I know that this is a really sad and hard time for You, but Your Father would be proud of You. More than ever. You wrote a book, which will graps all hearts. „Chase the Butterflies” made me cry and sad, but I was also laughing through these tears.
When I had end this story I knew that I am different person.
My heart is broken now. I need to glue it, but I really don’t want do it. Why?
I don’t know. I was lost in this book and now, when I am reading something else I am still thinking about Victoria and Jude. I still need them in my life.
„Chase the Butterflies” isn’t just a love book. It is an experience. I have too many reflection after end of this story and I am thinking about this now too.
This book is a MUST READ. But before you will start this story, be sure that you have a billions od tissues. You will need them.
I am giving a big applause and deep bows toward You, Monica.
What an amazing story this was. My heart almost couldn’t take it. This book took me by surprise but in a totally good way. Jade & Victoria have incredible chemistry & I just fell in love with them!
The story is so captivating and has incredible twist and turns you don’t see coming. From the very beginning to the final page it kept my attention and held my heart.
This stunning story is the best Monica James book I have read! I don’t even have to read the blurb to buy her books, she has become an automatic one-click for me!
Don’t miss out on this heartwrenching book. Go get it, you won’t be sorry!
– I’ve been bawling my eyes out for the past 3 hours.
– I’m sporting one of the headaches of the century.
– My mind is racing and I feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest.
– The road was tough, but my faith in humanity is officially restored.
What you see above are all the typical side effects of reading a Monica James’ book and I’m ok with them all. Actually, that’s a lie, scratch that. And more than ok with all of the above: I missed every single one, because apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment.
My first time reading Monica James’s work was when I utterly, totally and completely fell in love and became obsessed with the “All The Pretty Things Trilogy”, and Saint, Willow and yes, … Alek.
Although “Chase the Butterflies” sits in a different genre, the sheer talent, the beautiful writing and the ingrained emotions all shine through, making this book, not only of the best reads of 2019, but most definitely one of the most interesting, enthralling, unexpected and unforgettable stories I’ve ever read.
Turning a book into a movie it’s not always necessarily a good thing – I’m a firm believer that certain stories were created to be experienced/lived through that way; they are meant to exist within the pages and be feasted upon by those would choose to do so, cherishing each word along the way, as the gift that they are – as these lines are enough.
Here’s where I’m conflicted: I believe “Chase the Butterflies” is a great example of my statements above but, by the same token, several times while reading, my mind kept floating to the same thought: “I wonder what this story would look like in the big screen. If done correctly, obviously.”
And isn’t that always the fear? That the message gets lost in translation? That the final product doesn’t feel like the same beloved tale? That there’s no butterflies in your belly – pun very much intended – like when your read it the first time?
I don’t even know how or why I went on this parallel talk about movies but I guess that’s part of my experience with this book and, if you are at all familiar with my (lengthy/over the top/ nothing-to-do-with-the-actual-plot) reviews, you’re probably used to it by now.
I always tend to focus more on the feelings, emotions and thoughts conjured by the book than indeed about the characters or the plot.
What can I say? Maybe I’m weird like that.
In this case however, I feel better that this is my modus operandi since I don’t think I can really talk much about either – specially the plot – without thinking that any word I write can give too much away, and I don’t do spoilers – that’d just suck; mean spirited, not to mention a d*ck move.
I’m assuming you’ve read the blurb.
The first time I did, this sentence go stuck in my head: “My name is Victoria Armstrong, and this is my story…I think.”
I couldn’t even comprehend what I was about to dive into.
Plot twists? Sure, the plot twist twists the plot twist. I’ll just tell you this – and I’m paraphrasing: you’ll see what you want to see. I’m gonna leave it at that.
Once again, Monica James brought to live characters that will live in my heart and mind for a long time.
Victoria, Jude and every other piece of this tale are proof that no matter what life brings you, the best you can do is learn from it. Every single event, word, exchange of looks: all of it matters and means something in the grand scheme of things.
They all are strong, loved and perfectly imperfect human beings. And that’s life, just like it’s supposed to be.
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Victoria finds the fighter inside, Jude finds the hope he’s been seeking and right along with them, you’ll find that no matter what, you fight to live the life you want.
And perhaps you’ll even find next favorite book. Who knows?
Question is: are you ready?
This is a 10 star read!! This book left me in tears, I definitely was not prepared for all the tissues I needed. The intensity of Chase the Butterflies had me captivated from the opening pages. Monica James has outdone herself as she delivered such a heartbreakingly beautiful story. This is what you call an epic read! My heart is bursting with so much feels and It was all consuming and left me with the chills. Jude and Victoria found solace in each other despite how broken they were. The love that flowed through their veins healed their souls and left their heart beating for one another. The delicate balance of life and death gives you perspective of taking destiny in your own hands. The metamorphosis to become something so beautiful isn’t always pretty but in the end it’s what you do with it that leaves you soaring. Bravo Monica! You ended my reading year with a bang!! This has joined my top reads of 2019!
Five butterfly kisses. This book isn’t just a love story, it’s an experience.
When a book speaks to your soul, you know you are reading the right book. That’s exactly what happened to me while reading Chase the Butterflies by Monica James. This book is everything and so much more! I can’t find the right words to express how this book made me felt. It was like being trapped in the middle of an emotional whirlwind – I experienced happiness, sadness, confusion, pain and love; all at the same time. I’m a mess right now! I’m emotional and speechless. This novel changed me forever in ways I never imaged. It’s so very beautiful.
The suspense reduced my soul into ashes. There are so many twists and turns in the storyline that you can’t see what is coming next. I’m very stunned. All I know for sure is that I loved the words, the development of the plot and the characters. At the end of the book I felt like my soul was out of my body hanging around the sphere of paranormal and unknown.
Chase the Butterflies is a slow burn that grabbed me by the heart and didn’t let go. I felt every word. Passionately poignant, perfectly imperfect, and breathlessly beautiful. Monica James painted a human and a raw portrait of a shattered heroine brought back to life by a selfless hero who wasn’t asked to be her knight in shining armour. A gut wrenching emotional journey. A soul shattering story of finding the soul mate. Victoria and Jude’s story show us that brutal acts of violence turn you into a survivor, forcing you to face hardships that most times you are not ready to face.
This book took my cœur and soul to places no one wish to visit but life and fate make you go there and the only way to survive is to go through it with your head up. Suffering, sacrifice, self-growth and acceptance are some of the topics this masterpiece bleeds like the feelings and emotions the author poured in huge quantities in every word. So moving. So compelling. So human.
Victoria and Jude travel a fine line where they fight to be in each other arms, making sacrifices. Pain and hope move them to fight harder knowing very well that there aren’t guarantees. Their story is an epic love story of two broken people fighting against odds. Their paths are marred with scars and those scars are proof, to the world, they survived.
4 1/2
Do not read spoilers or reviews before starting this book. Go in blind, it’s the best way to experience it. This is an epic love story. I absolutely loved this book.
Victoria was an amazing heroine that had to overcome so much.
Little Angus is so cute, and I love his and Victoria’s relationship.
Jude was perfect for Victoria
I definitely recommend this book
WOW! This book got me right in the feels! I have never cried so hard in my life! Make sure you have tissues handy for this emotional suspenseful story.
Victoria moves to a new town while she is trying to overcome an assault and recover from her injuries that almost took her life. Can she learn to find her love and face her fears?
Monica James wrote this book as loving tribute to her fathers passing. She did a fantastic job!
*please note that this book deals with woman recovering from an assault and death
Part of me is a realist, but a Part of me believes in fate and the beauty of being in the right place at the right time. That same piece of me believes love transcends time.
Jude and Victoria transcend time and were meant to cross paths. Their path will come across a fork in the road and you will never believe where it takes them.
The journey is original, emotional, beautiful and will make anyone want to continue chasing their own butterflies. Love truly can live on forever if you believe.
Wow… I have no words! Really.
I think this book took off to the top reads of this year.
Monica James outdid herself with this exquisite storyline. Never in a million years did I expect this story to take that turn.
Emotional rollercoaster in every way, I dare you to keep your eyes dry while reading it. I DARE YOU!
I won’t say more, because I would ruin the experience for you, so trust me when I say to pick up this book and prepare yourself to be lost in a story of unconditional love that goes beyond everything you’ve read before!
I went in blind and with an open mind and I’m so glad I did. Chasing Butterflies was my first book from Monica James and it definitely won’t be my last. I had an idea where the story was headed based on the first couple of chapters and I still enjoyed it very much. Monica James executed this story to perfection. Laying breadcrumbs along the way. It was like solving a puzzle and at the same time a beautiful love story unfolded. The characters were incredible. Omg did I fall in love with Victoria, Jude and Angus. I didn’t want this story to end!
Yes, this review is vague but I don’t want to spoil or give anything away. I want the reader to experience and feel this story. I sure as hell did. I need to read more from this author cause she speaks to me and my reader heart.
4 Now and Forever Stars
Chase the Butterflies is the newest standalone, contemporary romance from Ms. James and let me tell you, days after reading this book and I’m still mulling things through in my mind. This is a story that will haunt you with its gut-wrenchingly feels and emotional pain that at one point I seriously thought I won’t be able to survive this book. Can I say emotional roller coaster? This book did it and more. I can’t say anymore without spoiling this book and I really encourage you to go read this blind. You won’t regret it. Loved it and I can’t wait to read more from this author!
There’s not enough words to describe this incredible story, wow just wow.
Chase the Butterflies is an intense and beautiful journey! While I had a hint of what the story was about, I was not emotionally prepared for this book. No spoilers and I won’t ruin this experience for others, so believe me when I say, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK! Filled with drama, plot twists and a touch of romance – it’s a book that you won’t be able to stop thinking about for days, and will recommend to anyone who will listen. A beautiful and thought-provoking story, that no amount of reading books by Monica James will ever prepare you for. Make sure you have some comfort food, a blanket and tissues when you dive in. Enjoy! Fair warning: this might have triggers for people that suffer from trauma in their past. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!