Write2Ignite

REVIEW

Butterfly Ink is the newest young adult romance from Monarch Educational Services by Lori Keating and it’s perfect for a summer vacation read.  Meet Calista: a teen about to have all her wishes come true through a magical tattoo made of butterfly ink as the title suggests. Calista travels to Florida to spend her summer working at a local beach resort with her best friend.  To this young country girl from Arkansas, the beach seems like a totally cool adventure and she is more than ready to soak up rays and waves along with being a top-notch employee of course! 

One day, Calista gets a beautiful butterfly tattoo from a mysterious vendor. Soon the tattoo begins to magically alter her appearance from country girl to beach model. Stunned at her picture-perfect body and the social status leap (attention from peers and cute boys, being a media sensation, the opportunity to be a beach model etc….) Calista rides high on the waves of summer attraction. In the back of her mind she wonders how long the butterfly ink will last and wants to try and find the mysterious vendor but not yet…. Is the tattoo’s magic really permanent or just a summer fling?  Will Calista learn to appreciate who she really is as a person inside and out regardless of the constant assistance or permanent removal of the butterfly ink tattoo? As a Christian, I am uncomfortable with the use of magical objects like tattoos to help our heroine find value and worth. So, it made me glad to see that the story showed that solely relying on outward adornment to make someone beautiful is unhealthy and not the source of true beauty.

Which Guy Gets the Girl?

Keating’ s portrayal of a summer romance in Butterfly Ink is sweet and clean in character interaction yet conveys the impactful message that beauty on the inside counts.   When Calista achieves fame as a beauty model, she gains male attention from two young men. Sebastian seems to treat her like a princess through fancy dinners, outings on yachts, and exotic photo shoots. He is always telling her how perfect the modeling swimsuits fit her for the shots or how ideal her pose is for the camera.  When the media gets wind of this romance Sebastian uses Calista’s outward beauty to make himself shine at her expense by staging romantic encounters. During the encounters he consistently asks her to give her fans what they want and pushes her to smile or flirt with him to maintain that power couple media image no matter if the romantic feelings are not present between the two of them. 

Calista’s other male interest is Jake who romances Calista in a way that shows that he treasures her feelings and concerns over physical attraction. He asks Calista throughout the novel if she would like to go on fantastic “island adventures” (finding baby sea turtles, going on beach walks, or picnicking with the sunset backdrop). When she does not feel up to the dates he respectfully backs off and gives her space to process what she is going through. He is in no rush to up the romance between the two of them and waits on her to make the moves most of the time. Jake’s summer courtship with Calista makes her feel like a princess on the inside and ultimately changes her perspective and understanding of what makes someone beautiful. 

Clean Romance + Introspection

Enjoy the release of this innocent beach romance. But it’s also a read that could lead to introspective consideration of what constitutes true beauty. I am single and it gave me hope that there are decent young men out there who respect a girl’s wishes and give a girl space to process the courtship at her speed.

GIVEAWAY

If you want to enter the drawing for an autographed copy of Butterfly Ink please follow Lori on Goodreads and add Butterfly Ink to your “Want to Read” list. After that, come back here and leave a comment. The giveaway ends June 13.

PRE-ORDER

Butterfly Ink releases June 17! Did you know that pre-orders help authors? Please read this article to see how!

Meet Our Guest Blogger, Kate Lundeen

The Lord’s hand of watchful care and protection blessed my life from my start as a tiny premature infant. Doctors diagnosed me with cerebral palsy from birth complications which mainly affected my legs and motor skills.  I also have a learning disability that does not allow me to write down or process thoughts as fast as other people.  I am a former homeschooler and obtained an Associate in Arts degree from a North Carolina community college after five years of hard work! I discovered and developed a love for writing in college. Now I pen articles for my local church newsletter and write book reviews. I enjoy my current job as a part-time library assistant in a Christian library in Matthews, NC. I have a servant’s heart and a willing attitude to grow in old skills and develop new ones along whatever path the Lord chooses to take me.