Butterfly

by Jo Brenner

A college romance about a morally grey, obsessed, possessive hockey player who will stop at nothing to get the girl…

Mason Calloway.
Beautiful. Cruel. Inescapable.
When we met at our parents' wedding, it was hate at first sight. From then on, the hockey star set out to make my life miserable, and I made sure I gave as good as I got.
I thought I'd be free of him when I went to college.
I was wrong.
He's the big, bad man on campus now, and I'm trapped in his crosshairs…and his bed. He'll do anything to make me his—no matter how vile or depraved.
He’s made it clear he’ll never let me go…
…And I’m no longer sure I want him to.


*An older version of this story was published on Kindle Vella under the name Vice and Vixen. It has been heavily revised. It contains several dark themes that some readers may be sensitive to. For more information, please visit the author's website, jobrenner dot com.*

Genres: Dark Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Sports, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Dark

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2024

Reviews

[Noa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I wanted her more than I wanted anything. And I hated her for it."

The first moment Mason Calloway laid his eyes on Leslie Berger she was his Butterfly.
He wanted her. He had to have her.
The only problem?
She's his new stepsister.
And he hated her for that. He had to hate her.
She had to hate him.
He could never have her.
But that won't stop him.
He may let his butterfly go but who said he won't chase?

"Fly off then, butterfly. Go on, I won't chase you. This time."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Butterfly. When you crave something this desperately, anything you have to do to get it is easy."

I did not know what to expect when picking this up I swear to you but I am so happy I did!
Love myself a good stepbrother forbidden romance! The obsession, the temptation, the tension - AHHH it was here people it was here!
Morally grey MMC? - Check.
Dancer FMC? - Check.
Would literally end anyone who looks at her? - Check, Check, and Check!!
And I was already sold 😏😏😏

"That's not what you're going to call me in bed, butterfly. Soon enough, you'll know what I really am to you."

Mason Calloway is a hockey god. He laid eyes on his butterfly and nothing else mattered. Then he found out she was his new stepsister. He had to stay away from her. He was supposed to… But he didn't want to. We have an alphahole MMC who will do EVERYTHING to have his butterfly… no matter how depraved it might sound. And Leslie Berger, the butterfly. The dancer. And the girl who won't go down without a fight. If Mason thinks Leslie is just going to lie down and let him torment her, he has another thing coming. But it's hard when you're living with the person who's mission is to make your life a living hell. So Leslie goes away. Mason let's her go… At least that's what she thinks. But she doesn't know that Mason will never let her go and he will do everything and anything to get her.
We love to see the obsession and that is exactly what we get here - PURE OBSESSION!!
Please check the TWs before heading into this book but we have ourselves a steamy stepbrother romance and I am all here for it 😏😏😏

"Want me to bend you over this desk and spank your bratty ass in front of everyone who's here?"

The songs I added to the author's playlist give ✨ vibes ✨that's all I'll say but I'm here for it 🔥🔥🔥

(Link - https://spotify.link/jNqnvloZyJb )

🎵 "Utopia" - Neoni
🎵 "birthday cake" - Dylan Conrique
🎵 "Dirtier Thoughts" - Nation Haven
🎵 "butterflies" - GAYLE
🎵 "Dance Without You - Remix" - Skylar Grey, Ricky Luna
🎵 "Beauty" - Layto
🎵 "Ugly Heart" - G.R.L.
🎵 "Play With Fire" - Sam Tinnesz, Yacht Money
🎵 "Don't Stop The Music" - Rihanna
🎵 "WET DREAM" - SNOW WIFE
🎵 "OXOX" - Dutch Melrose, Lost Boy
🎵 "Daddy Issues (Remix)" - The Neighbourhood, Syd
🎵 "Killer Inside of Me" - Willyecho
🎵 "Moth" - Madison Reyes
🎵 "I Hate Everything About You" - Three Days Grace
🎵 "Death Grip" - Watt White
🎵 "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" - Two Feet
🎵 "Wreak Havoc" - Skylar Grey
🎵 "HAUNTED" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Parasite Eve" - Bring Me The Horizon
🎵 "THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND" - Bad Omens
🎵 "obsessed" - zandros, Limi
🎵 "What's It Like" - You Me At Six
🎵 "Drag Me Down" - Loveless
🎵 "I Want To" - Rosenfeld
🎵 "MANIAC" - Stray Kids
🎵 "How Far I'll Go" - No Resolve
🎵 "IF THERE IS A GOD, IT'S ME" - PLVTINUM
🎵 "Like A God" - Lia Maria Johnson
🎵 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎵 "Monster" - Lady Gaga
🎵 "butterflies" - Isabel LaRosa
🎵 "Bound" - Indiana
🎵 "GASOLINE" - Maneskin
🎵 "Desire" - MEG MYERS
🎵 "Not Afraid Anymore" - Halsey
🎵 "Astronaut In The Ocean" - Rain Paris
🎵 "Feel Me Now" - If Not For Me
🎵 "Don't Go Insane" - DPR IAN
🎵 "Liar Liar" - Dylan, Bastille
🎵 "OWN MY MIND" - Maneskin
🎵 "Wrecking Ball X Nothing Compares 2 U - Live" - Miley Cyrus
🎵 "I Wad Made for Lovin' You" - YUNGBLUD
🎵 "The Exit" - Conan Grey
🎵 "BABYDOLL (Speed)" - Ari Abdul
🎵 "Ice Cream" - BLACKPINK, Selena Gomez
🎵 "Stupid Cupid" - Jenna Raine
🎵 "Do It For Me" - Rosenfeld
🎵 "One Of Us" - Ava Max
🎵 "Call Out My Name - Live" - The Weeknd
🎵 "Devil In Her Eyes" - Bryce Savage
🎵 "Rumors" - NEFFEX
🎵 "Baby Don't Hurt Me" - David Guetta, Anne-Marie, Coi Leray
🎵 "ever fallen?" - Kate Peytavin
🎵 "Strange Love" - Halsey
🎵 "Toxic" - 2WEI
🎵 "always be a fan" - Eva Grace
🎵 "Rush" - Troye Sivan
🎵 "I'm yours" - Isabel LaRosa

Oh and remember when I said steamy… 🌶️🌶️🌶️

"I'm not stopping until you come on my fingers, butterfly…"

"Breathe in through your nose. That's it. Just a little bit further."

"Oh, you good girl, you like this, don't you? Taste how wet you are."

🦋 Tropes 🦋

🩰 Dark Romance
🏒 Forbidden (Stepbrother)
🩰 College Romance
🏒 Sports Romance (Hockey)
🩰 Bully Romance
🏒 Obsessed MMC

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/C65_DP5rd...

[lia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could’ve gone without all the “daddy” talk, seriously. I mean, dude’s 18 for pete’s sake — he has no right whatsoever to refer to him as such and demand other people to do so. And him referring to himself as “daddy” in third person every single time, repeatedly? Yep, that just put the proverbial icing on this fucked up daddy cake that should never have been served.

Also, that whole H drugging the h thing and then taking her virginity while she’s on that viagra for women drug is a lil too rape-y for me, thus turning the H unredeemable in my eyes.

Also, there’s a scene here where the H allows the h to suck his friend’s dick off while he’s screwing her even if he didn’t actually want to allow it, because it was apparently her “darkest fantasy” and he wanted to make her happy. And he claims to be so jealous and possessive 🙄 I didn’t sign up for threesome action, y’all, so that killed it for me.

[CriSsStina · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts after this read are all over the place, so that's how the review is as well 😂. Despite the rating, it was a quick read because I actually enjoyed his type of crazy, but I also often cringed 😅.

Ugh, my biggest issue with this book is the age of the main characters. Maybe if they were seniors, would have worked better!? Look, I get the daddy kink, and in theory, it should have worked for this h, but he is 18, ffs 😂😂.

I don't know, this one didn't work for me, even though the dark aspects looked good, the stalking, the obsession, the 💊 because he didn't have any more patience to wait for her to fully trust him. It was fun, but cringey here and there, especially with the bullying aspects ... they were very immature and had vibes of mean girls / 90s teenage bullying movies 🤪.

This being said, this one might definitely be a perfect fit for other readers ☺️.


** small spoilers below **
.
.
.

What to expect
- manhoho vibes even despite his young age and, of course... 🥁 the h was a V, because yeah, she just had to be 😶 *rolling eyes*
- push back and hate / bully vibes in the beginning because he couldn't stand the fact his father married her mother, so he had to be mean to his new step sis *insert rolling eyes again*
- some OW drama; prior to them being together, there is a quick BJ scene with OW (not a fan, but it was within his character, so I let it pass; he was still fighting his feelings at that moment)
- he indeed becomes quickly obsessed, possessive, and celibate, while he plots how to make her his; he should have attended another college but he transfers quickly so he can be with her at the new college; that was cute actually 🤭 we love a determined MMC!!
- spicy scenes, stalking, he dr*gs her, one sharing scene and 🚩everywhere, but only because he's absolutely obsessed with her 🥰
- HEA

Some of the supporting characters were interesting, and actually, I might read her friend's book with the coach 👀: sounds intriguing, age gap (19 h, late 30s H, the coach, if I remember correctly), him being her legal guardian.

[Rochelle ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

mason's 18 and calls himself daddy. forgive me for not suspending my moments of disbelief.

[Pageturner_ Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so much.
The tension was there, the characters, loved them. And he was a hockey player, I mean perfect! But….two things I just couldn’t get past was “Daddy” (dude is 18) and her playing Disney.

This is not a bad story by no means. The beginning was great and I couldn’t put it down, but once we got to the daddy part I struggled. I mean, he called himself daddy so many times it was a total cringe. I finished because if you know me I really hate “DNF”. This book was just not for me.

I’m definitely open to reading another book by this author. ❤️

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4 "Vixen & Vice!!!" stars***



"I was hard for a butterfly who would remain just outside of my grasp, unless I set fire to her wings."

Firstly, I was sold because of the cover!!! Isn't it gorgeous???
Then, I found out that this was a stepbrother, dark romance and I just couldn't stay away from it!!! And I am glad i did it!!!
This story was full of dark energy, toxicity, intensity, passion and full blown obsession!!!
Our hero was messed up and the things he did were the worst, but you couldn't not love him!!!
As for our heroine??? Yes, she was a good girl, but she knew how to give back everything that this stepbrother of hers were giving her and I loved her for that!!!

"If the Ice Man wanted a war, he'd have one..."

Mason wanted his butterfly from the first moment he laid his eyes on her!!! He had to had her, but this fantasy of his ended abruptly when he found out that she was his new stepsister...
And that want he felt over her turned out to hatred and he never stopped showing her how deeply this hatred was rooted by making her life miserable!!!
Leslie didn't know what she did to deserve her new stepbrother's wrath, but she wouldn't go down without fighting back...
So a full war had started between them, a war that had the ability to destroy them both...
And then, Mason was forced to let his butterfly go, but who said that he wouldn't chase her???

"I wanted her more than I wanted anything.
And I hated her for it."

A new chapter for both of them is starting on college and they will both get burned if they will allow themselves to give into the temptation...
I liked this story very much!!! I liked how crazy Mason was for his butterfly!!! Yep, he made chaotic moves, but still... his obsessive love for this girl was so swoonworthy!!!
As for Leslie??? She was drown to him like a moth to a flame and even though she was trying to resist, it wasn't an easy task... He was her tormentor, but also her salvation...
Will these two manage to beat all odds and become something more???
Can they forget and forgive their past actions??? Can society accept what they have???

"Even if we were made for each other, we could never be together..."

Yep, this was a very wild ride and I enjoyed it to the fullest...
I loved Mason and Leslie and the madness that their love was!!!
They were giving me such a rush that I devoured this book in one go!!!
My only hesistation is coming from the daddy kink... I am not very fond of this particular kink and it sounds kind of weird for twenty years old to saying this word in their intimate moments, which were always soooo hot!!!
Yep, I loved the chaos that Leslie and Mason were causing in here!!! It was so delicious!!!

"I was in love with my stepbrother. I was going to hell."

**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**

[Ms. Dess · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 3 ⭐⭐⭐

We Have
✅ MF Romance
✅ Taboo (Step Siblings)
✅ Kind of Bully Romance
✅ He Falls First
✅ College Romance
✅ OTT MMC (No, but For real)
✅ Virgin FMC
✅ Sports- Ish (very much a back story)
✅ DubCon
✅ Quick Read (<300 Pgs)

Mmmm, Kay - First, the smut was smutting in this book. Second, I didn't realize it was a hockey romance until I was a 3rd of the way through the book. lol. Not that it mattered.

I love ... LOVE an unhinged MMC. Something is seriously wrong with me cause FML - yum. But whatever - judge ya momma - I like it! Mace - yep, he's fucking off the rails...but it's cute though lol. This starts out Bully and quickly transitions to unhinged OTT possessive - burn the world down-you have no fucking voice in the matter-I'm going to breed you love... I'm like, aww... lol

Solid 3-star book. One small, teensy, irritating trope that gets resolved quickly. It was a solid, quick read. Definitely great for a palate cleanser. I enjoyed the smut. It was certainly smutting in this book, and just when I thought the smut would level out - yep, it smutted some more. I'd totally recommend this to folks who need a break from something and just wanna bite their lip over an unhinged MMC.

This does look to be the first in a Universe. Quite a few characters were introduced who will probably have their own semi-related books, though not a continuing plot. I'm not sure if they're out already or if they're in the works. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Lori Kays · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was something. I liked the concept! I love the step-brother trope, but this whole story felt like an empty shell held together by a bunch of random popular tropes "Step-brother, hockey, enemies to lovers, college bully, morally grey hero, virgin heroine...and add some random daddy obsession." Wait what? 🤔 I don't mind a story with a bunch of popular tropes if the story can support it. However, this was way too short of a book with very little actual story to make it work. I went in with an open mind about the whole "Daddy" thing. I thought I'd I just didn't dwell on their age or the fact that there was no age gap between them I could get past it and I probably would have if it wasn't the SOLE focus of every sex scene. The word Daddy was mentioned in the book *90* times. That was SO many times for a book that wasn't even an age gap, it felt so out of place. I found myself just skipping the sex scenes because they were so cringe and usually that's my favorite part. The story just wasn't that compelling and dragged in a lot of areas. I do like this kind of MMC in general, which is why I'm giving 2 stars, but sadly there just wasn't enough there to make an interesting story.

[MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great short read!

[ChasxSabri&#x1f497;&#x1fae7; · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF@54%

He drugged her. End of story

[Inés Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Careful there, butterfly. You almost lost one of your wings.”

This was a wild ride, Mason knew what he wanted, and it was her from the first moment he saw her. Having his point of view was everything, I loved how possessive he was and protective. She denys what she feels due to their parents being married or what others would think, but deep inside, she wants him to. The banter and arguing build up. They clash together like an ocean and fall deeper for each other. It's so spicy between them, she calls him "daddy". Eek, I definitely enjoyed this.

[Christie Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was chosen to ARC read Troublemaker. In preparation, I downloaded Butterfly from KU. The bully trope is not my norm and I found this book to be a bit unhinged. BUT - I fell in love with Mason & Leslie. I immediately purchased the book after I finished reading it from KU.

Excited to read Troublemaker!

[Luna ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first few pages this book was really entertaining but then he FUCKING DRUGGED her and TOOK HER VIRGINITY. What the fuck?! This is straight up rape. I read a lot of darkromance with morally dark man but I draw a line at rape (as everyone should). She made it clear that she doesn‘t want him in this way and his answer was to drug her instead of earning her trust. A NO GO. Can‘t believe what I just read.

[The Smutty Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Butterfly is a spicy read about Leslie and Mason, two stepsiblings who meet at their parents’ wedding. Jo, who wrote the first version of this novel while battling Covid said she wanted to write a story with a hot and spoiled college student who finds out the girl of his dreams is his stepsister and decides, fk it, she’s mine anyway.

The book follows the classic rich jock and innocent dancer trope with a twist. Mason, the hockey-playing heartthrob, and Leslie, the graceful dancer, are both home for six weeks before college starts. So yes, they’re both eighteen. They declare war, then a truce, then war again, so Leslie leaves, heads off to college, and Mason follows her because he’s now (of course) obsessed with her.

There are a few interesting characters who are clearly getting their own books. Despite the taboo stepsibling dynamic, the chemistry between Leslie and Mason is sizzling. Leslie (of course), is a virgin and very caught up on the whole taboo stepsibling thing. But let’s be real, she doesn’t put up much of a fight. 🙈

The book is a quick, easy read with a few twists along the way, but it all leads to a satisfying HEA, making “Butterfly” a must-read for fans of the genre.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly don’t get why them being together was turned into such a big deal. So what if you’re step siblings? You don’t know each other, you didn’t grow up together, your parents just got married, you’re both 18. What’s the big deal? In a book where there is such crazy fuckery happening and so much suspension of disbelief the conflict being that they’ve been stepbrother and sister for all of three months was just so dumb to me. I needed way more relationship development too but instalove and insta-obsession aren’t really my thing anyways. I def was not the target audience for this one.

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tags: bully, catches-him-in-the-act, enemies-to-lovers, family-taboo, forbidden, hero-hurts-heroine, jocks, kink, manwhore-philanderer, mean-mean-girls, obsession, om_drama, ow-drama, possessive-mine-mine-mine, psychos-in-love, read, sharing, step-adopted-siblings, teenage-romance, virgin-heroine

[Cristina]

Some threesome action even though the H is “possessive” 😑

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It had all my favorite tropes bully, dark college romance, hockey player romance, step brother romance. It was very well written and lots of smutty scenes. 🖤🤭

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“When I say I love you, I mean the messy, dirty, dark, obsessive, can’t think about anything or anyone else, don’t care about anything else, kind. I’m in love with you, butterfly. That means I’ll do anything to make you happy, and safe, and mine. That might mean something else for another man, but the only man you’re getting is me, so the only kind of love you’re getting is mine.”

This was a super quick and spicy read. This author was new to me, but the tropes were right up my alley. The spice scenes were great, but I didn’t quite understand why she called him ‘daddy’. They’re both young, and step siblings, which is hot and taboo, so I’m not sure why she wouldn’t call him ‘bro’ or ‘stepbro’. The overall story was pretty good, it just seemed to be missing a little something for me.

MF
Stepsibling
Bully
He falls first
Drüggïng

🖤
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

[˚₊‧꒰ა vruxreads ໒꒱ ‧₊˚]

DNFed

The book started with him getting very much attracted to her but then he found out she is his step sister when they were in some party.

He was with some ow, made her suck his dick in front of the heroine.

The writing style was bad. Not my cup of tea!

[Pana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Author Agency & Jo Brenner for this ARC!

Butterfly by Jo Brenner
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Release date: 5/23

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗿, 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗜’𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁.

Mason an 18 year old cocky hot hockey player falls for the girl he wants at his dad’s wedding. The kicker? He’s just met her for the first time and finds out that’s his new step sister, Leslie. As he realizes she may be off limits, he wants her even more.

𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗵, 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲’𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝗲. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲’𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹.

The revenge and the toe to toe petty games they would play to just hurt each other was so eventful to read how far they’d go to actually hurt each other. They really played the step sibling I hate you game.

Leslie, the sweet ballet dancer, is actually happy to meet her new stepbrother, Mason until mason plays the “I have mommy issues” game.

After one pool party where Leslie was so embarrassed and bullied by mason and his friends, she runs far far away for her first semester until she’s followed by a certain someone. She’s forced to acclimate to her new college experience.
Mason really changed his song and dance.

I actually really loved this book. The pining, the groveling, the presents, but don’t think the controlling, the abuse and the spice wasn’t there. lol it certainly was.

[Melissa Houpt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dedication alone let me know I was going to love this book 🥵🥵 This is a bully romance with a little hockey and enemies to lovers thrown in. As much as he tried to fight it, it really was love at first sight for Mason, until he realized the girl who caught is eye was his new stepsister. I love how after he realized he f*cked up, he did WHATEVER it took to get her. Leslie is such a feisty FMC, she gave as good as she got, they both went to hell when going after each other 😂 Absolutely loved how unapologetic and possessive Mason was and the banter between the two main characters. The spice was 🤌🏼 This left me hoping we get more books that feature some of our side characters 🤞🏼🤞🏼

4/5⭐️ 4/5🌶️

[MegzeeH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶

Stepbrother and daddy kink? On top of dark hockey romance?

Fun, quick wee novella under 250 pages.
Prepare to fall for Mason, he's a toxic controlling teddy bear simp for Leslie.

[Lucy wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

3.75/4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Step siblings
Enemies-lovers
Daddy kink
College
Hockey
Dru&&ing by the H
Virgin h

Liked it devoured it in one night.
Mason has it out for Leslie from the start after spotting her and wanting her but then discovering Leslie if his new step sister.
After this get out of hand with the bullying Leslie leaves and Mason wants her back so that’s what he does.
There is drugging Mason slips her a trigger that’s an aphrodisiac and she needs him because her need to O💦 becomes to much that’s how he takes her virginity

[JL Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Mason it was love at first sight when he saw Leslie. Only problem with that, before he could even talk to her, he found out she was his new stepsister and completely off limits. Over the summer he tortures her in cruel ways while their parents are away, but Leslie is no pushover and she gives as good as she gets, but one prank crosses the line and she goes to stay with her friend until she can start college. He was supposed to go to a different college than her, but the first day she runs into him at her college and from that day forward it's a whole different torture he inflicts on her.
Mason has decided he wants her and will do anything to get her and keep her.
Definitely check the warnings for this one. Definitely some trigger warnings to beware of. As for me I loved Mason's brand of crazy.

[Sharon]

DNF @ 57%

Okay. I don't mind bully romance, I love the daddy kink, but some 18 year old dude playing "Daddy"? No thanks.

"Daddy's conquered this pussy, hasn't he?"

Hell. Nah.

I love Jo, but this isn't for me.

[&#x1d689;&#x1d698;&#x1d68e;&#x1d6a2; ꫂ ၴႅၴ · Rating 2 out of 5]

yeah no.

[Maddie (Bookaholic_Dreamer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Butterfly is my first read from new to me author Jo Brenner.
In this Enemies to Lovers, Dark Bully, College Sports, Forbidden Romance, we are treated to the story of Leslie Berger and Mason ‘Mace’ Calloway through the telling of their dual POVs.

Although the synopsis is what caught my attention and had me intrigued, the tropes is what had me doubling down in wanting to read Butterfly since it shared tropes from my usual reads.
Surprisingly the narrative had you moving fairly quickly through Leslie and Mace’s story, which was definitely a plus in my book.
The fact that it didn’t feel like the story was being dragged out with an unnecessary slow pace, given that each and every page had you turning it with ease allowing you to forge on made it more of a plus IMO.

The story did have its moments of entertainment, particularly in the beginning where you saw the bully and enemies trope come out and play, given the hatred between Leslie and Mace.
This resulted in some pushing, pulling with their back and forth between each other from the fighting/attacking of one another.
Ultimately having me hooked and reading on to see where it would lead to for the two.

There were other elements that not only helped with advancing the story onwards. But what kept me going.
Whether it be the drama that Mace caused for Leslie through the results of his actions. As well as from outside persons that bought out about OW drama.
Or seeing how the two navigated their lives individually and together given their chaotic relationship, which had you seeing them venturing through their fair shares of highs and lows and ups and downs.
Making for an interesting read overall.

Considering this was an Enemies to Lovers, Bully trope, it surprised me how little was shown of this IMO.
Yes there were a few moments here and there a little further down the storyline, other than the beginning. But with the insta-lust trope overshadowing, the results ended up being the enemies and bully element fully taking place early on to then end at 20%, which IMO was not enough since it was one of the main tropes.
Plus it would’ve been nice it play out more, allowing it in part to help make their relationship more believable in going from Enemies to Lovers.

There was the case of the constant use of daddy, which ended up being a major turn off for me.
Yes there may have been mention of some daddy issues, but the way the phrase was actually bought about seemed random and to me didn’t work or really fit in. Plus it was just overall severely cringey.
In all honesty it was off-putting and highly annoying the unnecessary amount of times the phrase was used.
Plus it didn’t help that they were barely college students, being newly freshman. Something that was surprising to learn given their behaviour and attitude had me assuming they were high schoolers. The immaturity level they displayed made it even more so that way, at least to me.

In the end, while the few issues mentioned above brought the story down for me. That's not to say author Jo Brenner didn't still do a good job, particularly with the great beginning that made Butterfly a good read.



*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

So the pacing of this book didn’t feel quite right to me. The beginning of the book, the bully part, felt like it was on fast forward and made the balance of the book (1 month later) feel like it dragged a bit as a result. I would have liked the bullying part to have been longer. I also felt like time between would have been better with a longer time gap apart. Maybe 3ish years. Meet again as seniors in University.

Both Mason (crazy obsessed 😆😆) and Leslie were likeable. I am looking forward to coach and Lucy’s story, as well as the others.

One irritating thing 😣 . Mason’s mother died of a car crash in the beginning and then of a degenerative disease that made her go blind and caused heart failure. Not sure how the author could have missed this. Unless … she was blind while she was driving the car and this caused the crash 🤷. Ok … probably not.

Anyways, rounding the 3.5 up instead of down because I enjoyed the book and I want to read the side characters stories . I also think this writer has great potential.

[Jersy.the.romantasy.moms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute fire! 🔥 One of the best step-siblings romances this year!

Attention Dark and Forbidden Romance lovers!!! You will want to add this to your TBR asap. 🖤🖤🖤

Mason, the school's star hockey player, spots this lithe beauty at his father's wedding. He instantly decides he has to have her. Turns out, she's his new step-sister, Leslie. And a Ballerina.

The way Mason processes what he can't have is through bullying. The two keep one upping each other until an incident blows it all apart, and he's had enough. He drives her away. But in that time away, he only grows more and more obsessed.

The dark and unapologeticly unhinged things he does to get his Butterfly back had me binge reading this one! Drug induced lust, anyone???? We get some Dub/Con and Non/Con scenes. But, this little Butterfly isn't so innocent herself, either 😈 It's steaming hot. Their obsession turned love story was everything. The banter was delicious!

Bravo to Ms. Brenner on creating spicy treat for us!