Bars and Butterflies

by Grace Kilian Delaney

It's been ten years since my young niece died, and it's time to make my yearly pilgrimage to the basilica where her prayers were answered, and my nightmare began. I light a candle for her and her parents, a promise I made before they'd passed. An entire family—gone.
There's no peace after death. There is nothing.
I leave as unsettled as I came, shoving the church door with such force I almost hit somebody. Not just somebody. The mysterious man I had seen at the basilica years ago. For the briefest of moments, he had helped me forget the pain and grief in my life.
He invites me out, and he reveals a disturbing secret: he believes he can communicate with the dead. It's just my sort of luck the first guy I find attractive is delusional. But then, what he does and what I see are impossible and send me scrambling to learn more about him, to figure out how he tricked me.
Because what he did has to be a trick.
Step by step, I'm drawn into in his world until I no longer know the difference between reality and imagination. I can't fall for him. None of this is real. It can't be. Unless...
Gael Taylor is no ordinary human.

Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2019

About the author

Author, musician, and human slave to the dog and cat that rule her house, Grace Kilian Delaney enjoys giving her characters a dark sense of humor and a happily ever after.

Reviews

[Diane Dannenfeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I have to tell you, I really enjoyed this book. I loved Aaron & Gael. Aaron has lost so much, his sister, brother-in-law to and accident & then his niece to cancer. He has lost his faith and doesn't believe in the afterlife either. When he comes face to face with Gael, a mysterious man who he saw years ago when he was at the basilica with his mother & niece before she passed away. This man brings him peace. When Gael tells him that he can hear the dead, Aaron thinks he is crazy. All Gael wants is for Aaron to believe and if he doesn't, it could have dire consequences. My only issue is that when Aaron finally lets go and they become a couple, the story is over. I just wanted a little bit more and would have liked to see more of them together and a glimpse into their future. This is a new to me author & I can't wait to read more.

ARC provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review.

[Mim Crenshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was and intriguing and emotional read. I think most of us that have lost someone can understand what Aaron is going through with his faith. Gael was a mystery to me, and I kinda liked that. I loved that Aaron found a peace in him that and led to something more. This book was more than I had originally thought, and I found it interesting.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

this story about broke me.. omg it was emotional.. it was sad.. and it was also happy... it was well written and enjoyable even through the sadness. i really enjoyed it

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been impressed by this author's work in the past, and when I saw this on a spooky sale, I grabbed it. I honestly didn't even read the blurb; the cover was beautiful, and I already knew I enjoyed their stories. I was not disappointed when I delved into this completely blind.

The story is told from Aaron's first person POV. He has suffered a great deal of loss for a man his age, and it has made him resistant to any form of relationship, other than the close and lovely one he shares with his mom. He lost his faith long ago, and has little patience for anything that threatens his personal existence.

Gael is something special. Peace and safety exude from his presence, and he has more patience than anyone should. He has his reasons, and even though the connection between the two men is phenomenal, Gael's truth drives a wedge between them. The question becomes, what is reality and what is delusion?

This book is full of questions and unbelievable truths. The paranormal aspect is beautifully done, and the push and pull of Aaron's desires builds up to a soul-stirring denouement that makes all the angst and torment worthwhile. I laughed out loud, and I teared up, but I definitely enjoyed the story. With a hard won happily ever after, Bars and Butterflies is definitely worth the read.

Happy reading!

[Torhild Borg · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD...this book took me on a jouney I'll never forget. I have never read anything from this two author, so this was a joy.
Aaron is a professor, and he has lost all of his family to either car accidents or cancer. When he visits this special church when his niese is still living, he meets this gorgeous man with a golden aura.
Years later this mystical man reappears again and Aaron learn his name is Gael. We see them interact with each other and Aaron is questioning a lot of things. He even thinks he is going mad.
I like this story a lot, and I liked the set of characters in this story. The storypotline was also very good.
I was thinking about who this mystical man while reading and omg you so are going to like him. I dont want to spill the point here so Im just saying go get this book.
ARC provided by LesCourt ArcTeam.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron has lost to much of his family. His pain is soul deep and he feels like he will never get over his loss. When he meets Gael he is amazed at the depth of his feelings for the stranger.

Gael is seemingly otherworldly. A beautiful conundrum that has Aaron in knots. He can’t believe what Gael tells him or the things he is seeing. A simple butterfly turns his world upside down.

This book gave me chills in a couple of spots but then I’d find sections that didn’t hold my interest. Gael had a very engaging personality and was easy to like. I felt like Aaron’s part of the story wasn’t as strong. I like the authors writing.

Based on the chills it would of been 5 stars but because it didn’t hold my interest in spots I have to give it 4.

I received an arc of this book.

[Dixiecowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful story-line spin on devastating loss, promises and love.  This was a interesting story of contrasting feelings of dealing with loss and the finding of love.  The promise and hope of a lover is treated with an interesting view and will broaden your thinking and thoughts on the possibilities.  

Aaron and Gael are great characters that will win your heart.  This is a story of understanding loss and learning to accept love with some interesting twists.  I enjoyed reading this story.  The imagery of the butterfly will stay with you as a beautiful touch. 

I was gifted this book from the LesCourt Author Services and i freely give my honest opinion and review.    

[Xochitl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read written by this author and was a nice surprise. The topic is about unresolved grief and how devastated could be, but also is about faith and love. Aaron and Gael needed love in their lives, but learning to believe in something higher than themselves while trusting in their hearts not in their minds make finding their forever more difficult than it should be. An interesting love story with a paranormal twist. Wonderful reading!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[Kitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful story. Aaron has suffered so much loss...I don't know how one would go on. But there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a mystic with a message. The story is full of heart-break, hope, and healing. I recommend this one, but go in prepared to have your heart wrenched and then put back together. (It's worth it!)

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sweetness of this tentative romance between a man who’d lost far too much to dare love again, and a man daring to dare once more was heartbreaking and heartwarming. Aaron had just lost his niece, the daughter of his dead sister, only for Gael and a butterfly to cross his path. Never has Aaron ever felt so at ease with a man he desires. If only Aaron could accept something as good as Gael could happen to him.

Alas, Aaron is as cynical about good things happening to him as he is about ghosts, spirits returning as butterflies, and magic. Gael is involved in all of these things. Aaron doesn’t believe any of it, nor does he dare believe in them.

Aaron’s cynicism often hurts Gael. Gael’s patience makes Aaron more hurtful, literally. I sympathized with Aaron, yet I wanted to hit him. When Aaron wasn’t lashing out at others, he was beating up on himself. For all of this, I found myself rooting for him. I cheered him when he found him strength, when he met Gael halfways.

I adored Gael from the first and the mysteries surrounding him were fascinating. Revealing them through Aaron, through Gael’s revelations to Aaron gave the story a magical fairytale ambience, for all the story dealt with the anguish of reality. A coziness came out of the balance of the two, enhanced by loveable characters.

Overall, this was a charming romance, one of the most charming I’ve been fortunate to read. It’s made me curious about Grace Kilian Delaney’s other works. If they’re just as charming, I’m in for a treat.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the journey Aaron and Gael had to go through and though Gael was certain from the beginning Aaron took a lot more convincing. Aaron second guessed so much it was sometimes hard to watch him struggle through the realization of what Gael could actually mean to him hut in the end he was able to follow the instincts needed to save Gael.

Now Gael was so cool and calm it kinda bugged me a bit but he knew what was going on and knew that he couldn't push Aaron into believing the truth.

I received a copy of this book and am giving an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful emotional read and I love it. I love Aaron and Garl. The whole storyline is beautiful. I like the way that Grace Kilian Delaney has told a story if loss and still having to live after that loss. I like that we also have a twist with the story and so many different types of love.

[Patricia Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hauntingly beautiful, moving, poignant, heartbreaking yet hopeful, grab-you-by-the-feels, raw, gritty, intense, slow burning, and fantastic story. It pulled me in from the very first page, and I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

[Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

Ok this was a very good and interesting read. I could not put this book down. Aaron is a man in pain , he has a hard time with believing. Gael was a very interesting character. Definitely recommend this book!

[Ana Nimity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new-to-me author just blew me away with this book. It's beautifully crafted and written and captivated me from the very first page. I'm a huge fan of the unexplained, and I love the way mediumship and paranormal abilities were woven into the narrative. I highly recommend this book!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting

The overall tone was lyrical, if melancholy. I wasn’t quite sure where things were going most of the time - Gael didn’t ever seem quite real. I wholeheartedly felt for Aaron and his losses - he felt very real in comparison.

[Belinda Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read for me from this author.
I was not disappointed.
This was a deeply poingint story about loss and redemption.
Told with an emotional depth that made the characters so realistic.