Butterflies I Have Known by Kristoffer Gair

Jian and Matthew have a connection, can it be they are the reincarnation of two men whose lives were cut short during World War II? This romantic story of two men that seem very different but perhaps really are meant to be together. Butterflies I Have Known is beautifully written with plenty of emotional parts to tug your heart.

From the blurb:

Even time cannot stop love.

University professor Matthew Richter hates complications. Planning his every day down to the second leaves no opportunity for a social life, which he doesn’t feel the need for anyway.

Jian Wei helps run his family’s business. The only thing he enjoys more than tormenting his parents and siblings with endless pranks is plotting his next trick on a certain uptight customer.

Though so different, chance inexplicably draws them both to a World War II photography exhibit, and the aging photographer Milton Glass.

Milton shares the story of two soldiers brutally cut down on the battlefield—which has haunted him for the better part of his life—and his suspicions that the soldiers shared a bond they never fully realized.

Now, in the twilight of his life, Milton can’t help but wonder if Matthew and Jian share a potential bond of their own. Could they possibly be the same men from so long ago, returned for a second chance at being together? Milton can hope.

SNik's Review:

Standalone. POC representation. Slow burn. Opposites attract. 

Working at his popular family grocery store, Jian can’t help trying to get a rise out of a certain serious customer every chance he gets. Matthew is a professor of Asian Studies and doesn’t understand why he frequently visits the store where he will be bombarded with Jian’s sarcasm, and maybe he secretly likes it. But when Jian and Matthew are told that they might be the reincarnation of two men that were close during World War II, it prompts them to finally address their attraction and interest in each other. 

Whether or not they had met in a previous life, Jian and Matthew find their own connection which quickly deepens and is unshakable for two men seemingly so very different. 

Well written, there is plenty of banter, yearning, and emotional sharing between Jian and Matthew. This story also has a diverse group of secondary family characters that are flawed but supportive and provide heartfelt glimpses in how both Jian and Matthew were raised and their separate experiences. 

Butterflies I Have Known is a really lovely and romantic book that includes respect for Asian culture and two characters that find their well deserved special person.

Rating: 5 Stars

Butterflies I Have Known is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.