Michelle Review: Buttercup by Sienna Mynx
Tuesday, June 12, 2012Posted in: reviews
Tags:Historical romance, interracial romance, multicultural romance, self-published, Sienna Mynx
Buttercup by Sienna Mynx. Self-published, 2010. Erotic Romance very steamy.
Let me start by saying that I was immediately drawn to this book because the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The 1930s setting makes it unusual for a romance, and it’s a time period I really like. Gangsters, bank robbers, and carnival hooch dancers definitely are the ingredients for my kind of book. Back in the day carnivals were definitely not entertainment for the kids. Men paid money to come in, drink liquor, or “hooch” and watch women get naked. For a little extra money sometimes the dancer would grant sexual favors. This is the line of work in which Buttercup is employed when she meets Silvio the leader of a band of bank robbers. Their first encounter results in him being wrongfully incarcerated for rape. So when he returns everyone, including Buttercup, believe he wants revenge, what he’s actually come for leaves the entire carnival in an uproar.
The author does an excellent job of capturing the time period and her descriptions of the carnival lifestyle are vivid and engaging. I could all but smell the aromas and see the cheap, tawdry costumes. The sense of urgency and hard lives lived fast and furiously leap from the page.
The warm fragrance of sweet kettle corn and roasted apples blew in from the midway through the loosened flap at the front of the tent. Carnies taunted townies to test their luck, get their fortunes read, or become one of the chosen few to bear witness to the never seen before oddities of man. However, here under the cover of a patchwork carnival tent, it was just Buttercup and him–alone. Silvio swallowed. His nerves, a ball of conflicting emotions had lodged in his throat as he stared on, riveted. He had found her. Beyond a stage curtain made from tattered wash-worn sheets strung up by fishing wire, she called for him, seduced him, damned him.
These characters are true-to-life, rough edges and all. Buttercup has had sex for money. Silvio is a bank robber and gangster. People have died as a result of his actions. The author doesn’t make the mistake of trying to soften the rough edges for us. These were tough times and she shows them for what they were. This is 1930s America, so racism is definitely an issue, but it’s not the central focus of the book. It’s simply shown as a fact of life that doesn’t slow them down one bit. The gritty realism of the characters make their love story all the more believable.
For me there were only two flaws to this story; it was two short, and the villain’s motivations were a bit confusing. By my account, Buttercup and Silvio only had two days together. They were two action-packed days, and the author does such a good job of drawing the reader in that I didn’t realize that they were together so briefly until after I sat down to write the review. But I think the story would have been well-served by more scenes of the two of them together. At one point I thought the villain wanted Buttercup for himself, but by the end of the book, I wasn’t sure what his deal was. That could’ve been fleshed out more. All in all, I absolutely loved this book.
You can download Buttercup for Kindle at Amazon.com here.
I recently read her newest Harmony, which is another interracial story set in the same time period, but with the Cotton Club and Italian mafioso. I’ll review it later.
Las
June 12
5:35 pm
Ooh, this sounds great. This is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been looking for. I just can’t take perfect, unflawed characters anymore
Willaful
June 12
5:43 pm
Wow, that was fast! Welcome! Way to step up. 🙂
Jasmine
June 12
6:26 pm
I’ve read this book three times because it is that good! It was definitely too short but the love between Buttercup and Silvo, talk about love at first sight, was so passionate that the flaws weren’t too noticable.
Quinette sanders
June 12
6:30 pm
Sienna gives it to you everytime. She has this way of painting a very vivid picture so you get pulled into the stories from start to finish. Sienna isn’t about writting fluff and typical romance which i can so appreciate. Buttercup is an amazing and creative story that you will not be sorry you purchased. Great story as usual and that cover…TO DIE FOR!
Willaful
June 12
6:47 pm
Michelle, do you ever read Christian romance? I saw an interracial story at netGalley that looked good, but it was a Christian publisher and that often makes me uncomfortable, so I didn’t want to request it.
Steph D
June 12
7:14 pm
I absolutely loved this story, which was a bit of a surprise since I’m not usually a fan of historicals. I should have known better though because this author can do no wrong in my opinion. Great characters and story line!
Alexandria
June 12
7:23 pm
I Bought this book the day it was available and read it in less than a day, I love the time period and Sienna Mynx is one of my favorite interracial genre romance writer, I love her characters and details she gives to the plot, kinda transports you to time and era…
***** five star writing
mslelee
June 12
7:27 pm
I just love Buttercup. I loved the era. The old time carnivals and the shows they put on were the best. Buttercup being black and so attractive in that day and time made it all the better. Silvio fell hard for his Buttercup. I loved when he comes back to reclaim her and finds a surprise. Loved the bad boys of that time. Buttercup and Silvio were a hot and sexy couple. We needed more of them. I loved all of it and the ending. It is a favorite of mine.
rubyswan
June 12
7:42 pm
BUTTERCUP sounds great! Thanx 4 the review..hmmm…gotta try this one..:D Is the hero Italian 4 sure..???
Lori
June 12
10:33 pm
Wow. I crave something different and this sounds like it fits the bill. Thank you. Going to get it now.
Michelle
June 12
11:43 pm
@Willaful, no I’m not big on the inspys. I’ve only read a few, but they were too preachy.
Jill Sorenson
June 13
1:25 am
On the TBR. I’ve never read a carnival setting other than Dean Koontz’s Twilight. This sounds interesting. I’m also a fan of gypsy characters but we don’t see them anymore.
Willaful
June 13
3:47 am
@Michelle: Yeah, my problem too. And doesn’t seem fair to go in knowing I’m probably going to be put off.
amousie
June 16
2:52 pm
lovely. thank you.
REVIEW: Black Butterfly by Sienna Mynx
October 25
1:02 pm
[…] her luck heroine and a magnetic billionaire determined to possess her. I picked this book up after reading a positive review for Buttercup, another Mynx title, at Karen’s blog. Her complaints were that Buttercup was […]