Gilded Butterfly

Rockin' Fairy Tales #2

by Leslie O'Sullivan

This reimagining of King Midas and the Golden Touch is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romantasy filled with the dash and dazzle of Hollywood, reality TV, and magic.

Chorda Lear is a mega-hot pop artist, internet influencer, and Irish witch who’s poised to inherit a magical family legacy, the Golden Guitar. She’s the fan favorite on a wildly popular reality television show, “Kickin’ It With Midas,” a trendy chronicle of three Hollywood influencer sisters and their aging rock star father, Midas Lear.

Adair Holliday, a Hollywood producer wunderkind, is slated to step up as showrunner of the Lear’s lucrative TV franchise. He must constantly temper his skepticism over best friend, Chorda’s, practice of magic, but his biggest challenge is denying romantic feelings for her.

When Chorda goes disastrously off-script during the live broadcast of the season finale, Lear banishes her from the show and his life. Adair follows his friend into exile with a plan to reconcile father and daughter. Away from the pressures of Hollywood, a steamy encounter under a waxing moon, deepens friendship into romance. Now, the two must reverse Midas’ edict to save both their professional futures and new-found love.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy

270 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2022

About the author

Leslie O’Sullivan is the award winning author of "Rockin' Fairy Tales," an adult fantasy romance series that shines a new spotlight on favorite fairy tales set against the backdrop of a fictional Hollywood music scene. Her "Fae Destiny" romantasy trilogy explores the collision of the real world with the Faerie realm. The completed "Behind the Scenes" contemporary romcom series peeks into the off-camera sizzle of a wildly popular Irish television drama. She’s a UCLA Bruin with a BA and MFA from their Department of Theater where she also taught for years on the design faculty. Her tenure in the world of television was as the assistant art director on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Leslie loves to indulge her fangirl side each year at cons.

Reviews

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy wow. My mind is officially blown. These are two ‘stories’ that I never would have considered combining, and yet, between these covers, they make all the sense in the world. We spin a little left of center with this book by not immediately following more members of the Boulevard family. Instead, we turn our gazes towards the Lear and Holliday dynasties. I loved how this story adapted those classics in such a very modern way. It was easy to see the source material in this funhouse mirror look at our fame-obsessed society. I adored Adair. I think I might have started falling in love with him in the closing of the previous book. And my heart just went out to Chorda. I have a soft spot for friends-to-lovers, so I was cheering this pair on from pretty much the moment this book opens. Now, the twist at the end? I’m dying to know what that’s going to bring in future books.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through Booksprout.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Gilded Butterfly” is a fashionably self-aware blend of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, King Midas, and King Lear.

Read full review in the 2022 November issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Kat Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leslie O'Sullivan has such a gift for crafting magical worlds that feel both timeless and modern, a sensation that is satisfyingly underscored by the retelling element. Her writing is perfect fit for these stories, which have an almost dreamlike quality that draws the reader in deeply while also feeling like a faraway land in the most captivating way possible. Chorda and Adair are both delights to follow, and the backdrop of fame and celebrity enhanced the fantasy atmosphere with an air of whimsy. Gilded Butterfly was a top-tier followup to Pink Guitars and Falling Stars, and I eagerly await the third installment of this charming, contemporary fantasy romance series!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the mashup of Midas and King Lear. And Lear from O’ Leary makes the introduction of the Irish mythology an aha moment! At about the halfway point I couldn’t put the book down. I really wanted to see how it would all get wrapped up between Chorda and Adair. Having read Pink Guitars and Falling Stars first isn’t a necessity, but helps to understand some of the bits - especially the epilogue! Read it and enjoy!

[Cheryl W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up one night and finished the entire book! It has a touch of fantasy with just the right amount of romance, family feuding, and humility towards others with a bit of "flowery" language. The storyline is easy to follow and drags you in to find out the ending. Very well written!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jessica Julien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading anything from Leslie O'Sullivan, and I noticed after I read it that this was book 2 in the series. I'm going to assume they can be read separately because I never felt like I was missing information or couldn't piece things together.

While it was well written, it did take me a bit to get into the flow of the writing style. It's felt very abruptly written, yet smooth... it reminded me of trying to read Shakespeare in college. This is loosely based on King Lear, so it makes sense that O'Sullivan put in a bit of the writing style. There are a lot of nods to King Lear as well as King Midas. It's based in the entertainment industry and some moments felt really overkill. The relationships went from zero to sixty in a blink and it kind of made my head spin... it turned steamy fast!

Nonetheless, I actually enjoyed the romance of the story. Were there some super cheesy parts? Hell yes. Did I chuckle? A few times. Did I immediately look up when the next book is coming? Google comfirms I did.

If you're into NA Romance, abbreviated lingo (which was waaay over-exaggerated in the text), and family drama, this is for you.

A solid 3.5 stars in a positive light!

[Marcia - itsabookthing2021 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gilded Butterfly

I absolutely loved Gilded Butterfly. The combination of the fairytales that don't necessarily go together but worked brilliantly in this instance created a perfect story.
I loved the characters Adair and Chorda, their friendship to lovers arc was set out from the beginning and I was truly rooting for them.
The whole story around the music, social media drama played out well and show cased how well our fame obsessed society.
I liked how the novel referred to the previous characters from Pink Guitars (the first book in this series), it was nicely done as I felt it was a mini recap for those that may not have read the first or even forgotten the outcome of the first.
The twist at the end was greatly executed and it makes me think there's going to be another book, right?
I really enjoyed Gilded Butterfly and the Leer and Holliday family dynamics.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was clever and engaging. The combination of the King Midas myth with King Lear and Celtic mythology was very well done. Personally, I struggled with this book because I HATE Shakespeare's King Lear. I recognize that it's one of the greatest tragedies ever written, and I can admire its artistry, but I hate it. I hate the way Cordelia is treated by her father and sisters, and I hate that it ends the way it ends. I have a deep and abiding antipathy towards Shakespeare's play. I had a very hard time separating my feelings for the work on which this is based from this work, which I recognize is completely unfair to this book. It isn't this book's fault that I hate the source material. And for someone whose feelings about King Lear are less deeply rooted, Gilded Butterfly will probably be a really good book.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. I hadn't read the first book in the series, and maybe a lot of it would make sense if I had. But I thought it was an interesting take on Midas and his legend. One of my biggest complaint about the book was the consistent use of "shitiot" instead of "idiot" throughout. I think one or two times could be considered a characteristic of a character but for every character, every use, and even derivations of the word (shitiotic, shitiocy), it began to feel overused and a bit lazy. I appreciated the opportunity to review this book early but definitely think a few more edits may make this book better!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to O’Sullivans’ “Rockin’ Fairy Tales” series, GILDED BUTTERFLY is a delightfully creative mashup of Midas and King Lear set in the world of reality television and featuring my fave romance trope: a friends-to-lovers storyline that’s both incredibly sexy and incredibly sweet. The author’s love for music and LA shine through. If you enjoy tales from behind-the-scenes in Hollywood, with spectacular beachy backdrops, you’ll adore this clever romance that has charm to spare!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an amazing concept, but sadly, this just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the writing at all.

I'm not super familiar with King Lear, and I wasn't aware this was a sequel until after I finished- I may have enjoyed this more if I had had a better understanding of things from book 1. However, the writing style and sense of humor was just not something I personally like.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

[Tabby Shiflett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
A contemporary romance that interweaves fairy magic and music superstars with a Shakespeare retelling. It's a spectacular idea and fun, although perhaps better suited for younger adult audiences. I loved the classics adaptation and the themes of the novel, I was less interested in the social media drama. That being said, I think it's a good story and will appeal to most readers. Worth a try.

LibraryThing Early Reviewers