Butterfly (Metamorphosis Book 1) by Lee McCormick & B. Ripley

Who would've thought that a murderer could be so adorable? Shiloh might just be the cutest murderer ever! But can he tell the hockey player he is falling for the truth?


From the blurb:

Make me into something different.

Shiloh

My world is simple… blood and paint. It’s all I know. It’s what I am. And then there’s him. A sweet hockey player who seems determined to lead me straight to hell. Getting close to him is dangerous. I’m not made to love, I’m made to create. The only way I know how to do that is through death.

But Donovan makes me want things… to be more than a monster. I don’t know if I can stop myself from craving the way his blood would look on canvas long enough to become something different, or if wanting his heart is nothing more than my sadistic muse demanding his destruction.

Donovan

My world is simple: pucks and pads. I’ve dedicated my life to hockey and becoming the elite goalie I am. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. All I’ve ever needed. But then there’s Shiloh. A talented artist who keeps secrets, hiding the truths of who he is away from me. As beautiful as he is unpredictable, Shiloh is the only thing outside my career that I truly crave.

Trying to figure him out keeps me on my toes, but the more I uncover, the darker it gets. His art is brutal, his hands create by destroying, and though I know I shouldn’t, I give him my heart to hold. He’s more than the monster he thinks he is, but if all he can see is his doom, then we’ll be doomed together.
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Butterfly is a First Person/Dual POV, MM Dark Hockey Romance about a serial killer artist and the hockey goalie he’s obsessed with. HEA guaranteed.


Katriana Prey's review:

From the moment I read the first page in this book, I knew I was hooked. The writing is compelling and the characters have so much depth to them. At first, Shiloh is portrayed as a murderer, as though that is all he could possibly be. A murderer who paints with the blood of his victims, which is quite interesting in itself. But when he meets Donovan in an alley, his entire world shifts, and he starts wanting things he never cared about before. Like being seen.. and that scares him more than getting caught.

Donovan in contrast, is a cinnamon roll and a golden retriever. He's just so sweet and adorable, I loved reading about him and how even though Shiloh's actions were bonkers, he just went with it because he wasn't that concerned. Should he have been? Probably. But I loved how he just went with the flow and even when Shiloh kept shutting him out, he never gave up on the other man.

To be quite honest, I loved everything about this book! The writing, the characters, the plot, the side characters, even Shiloh's murderous tendencies, all of those things came together to create such a magnificent book, one that I couldn't put down. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, so I'm just going to say that I love Shiloh and Donovan, I never thought artwork could come out of something gruesome, but Shiloh makes magic happen.

I really loved this book and I cannot wait for the second one!!!

SNik's review:

First in series (Metamorphosis). Opposites attract. Size difference. Hurt/comfort. Dual POV. Heed content warnings. 

Shiloh has every intention of killing the man he sees going down a dark alley, after all he needs more blood for his paintings. But when Donovan is concerned for Shiloh it throws him off and suddenly he is stalking and breaking into Donovan's apartment just to be close to the sweet hockey player. 

This story surprised me in a lot of good ways, the way Donovan and Shiloh meet, how they keep interacting in odd but interesting ways, and their connection that builds even though Donovan knows very little about who Shiloh is. There are some intriguing side characters (future main characters planned), plenty of darker parts, and a couple that bring an unexpected happiness to each other. Most of the time I’m not a fan of secrets, but Shiloh has to hide who he is or risk losing Donovan and that made sense, as well as Donovan’s reaction to the truth. I enjoyed the steamy parts, but also the easy intimacy and emotional connection between them. I am here for the next in the series for sure.


Butterfly is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription