Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn | Mini Reviews

I have seen ‘The Hartigans series’ popping up for a while now. But I never really paid attention to it before, and then I read the synopsis of both and I was immediately taken. These are my types of books, and it doesn’t feature the typical thin, “beautiful” protagonist like most romance books do. So today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the first two books in the series that are out; Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn.

Butterface (The Hartigans #1) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 250
Publish date: July 30th 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ASIN: B07DTFT2KT
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…

Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.

I recognize him immediately. The hottest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.

But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything. Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…

Butterface:

I hadn’t picked up a book by Avery Flynn (I think) before I started Butterface, and I was slightly disappointed. While I did enjoy reading it, I didn’t fall in love with it, like I thought I would. But I still did really enjoy it.

Butterface by Avery Flynn follows Gina Luca who’s life growing up came with relentless cruel because of the way that she looked. Overcoming that as an adult Gina has grown to stand up for herself and live with who she is. She has a thriving wedding planning business and some great friends. When a kiss cam falls on her and Police Detective, Ford Hartigan, things get a little out of hand.

Now Gina and Ford are fake dating, and both are getting something out it. Gina doesn’t have her brothers on her back, and Ford well he might just get the biggest break of his career. But true feelings do start to get to play with them both. But is it even real?

I really liked what Avery Flynn did do with Gina’s characterisation. While she didn’t need a man to make her life better, or make her feel pretty. Ford was used to help remind Gina, that all she needed to be was herself. Gina was also an intriguing character on her own. I liked that throughout the novel she is really able to stand up for herself, but also let her walls down and let Ford in.

Another thing that Avery Flynn does is remind us how cruel the world can be. How horrible some people are with how people look. There are some scenes that really tore me apart. Sometimes these scenes were really hard to get through and I did have to stop for a while.

The romance in Butterface wasn’t my favourite. At times I found Ford very hard to like therefore making the romance hard to love. In saying that I was able to feel the chemistry between Gina and Ford and I did like that it took a while for them to admit to one another, that there were feelings.

Overall, I enjoyed Butterface by Avery Flynn. It was an easy read, that explores not the typical romance. Thought it does utilize classic romance tropes to move the story forward. Gina and Ford were both interesting characters that gave the story substance.

Muffin Top (The Hartigans #2) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 216
Publish date: October 29, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ISBN: B07FSJ6SZH
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

The only thing about me that’s a size zero is the filter on my mouth. I’ve got a big personality, a big rack, and a big number on the scale. And I’m perfectly fine with that.

But when some random guy suggests I might not be eating alone if I’d ordered a salad instead of a hamburger I’m shocked silent, which is a feat, trust me.

That brings us to one sexy fireman named Frankie Hartigan. He’s hot. He’s funny… And he’s just apologized for being late for our “date” then glared at the fat-shaming jerk. Next thing I know, he’s sitting down and ordering himself dinner.

I have no problem telling him I don’t need a pity date… unless of course it’s to my high school reunion next week. Oops where did that last bit come from? And what do I do now that he’s said yes?!

Because this is no make-over story, and I think Frankie is using me for something. I just have to figure out what…

Muffin Top:

I liked Muffin Top, so much better than the first book in this series. I was able to connect with the characters and story more, and that only made it a better read.

Muffin Top by Avery Flynn follows protagonist Lucy Kavanagh, a very successful woman who works in PR for crisis communication. She is strong, and will always stand up for herself. But when a guy tells her that she should be eating a salad instead of a burger, she needed to lose weight and then she might not be living alone- let’s just say that she is in shock. But then Frankie Hartigan steps in and he is now Lucy’s date.

From one fake date, to going to Lucy’s high school reunion the following week. Lucy and Frankie are in for some trouble. From road trips, small hotel rooms, and high school bullies it’s going to be a hell of a ride.

I was able to connect so much more with Lucy in Muffin Top from the very start. I’m a bigger woman and man do I love my food, and while I have never really experienced an event like Lucy’s, society expectations are still the same. I loved that Lucy was unapologetic, she didn’t let people bring her down too much. But Lucy was still self-conscious and making the novel more real. One of the main reasons why I did enjoy Lucy so much, was her determination for her job and the way that she made a name for herself.

I also enjoyed Frankie in Muffin Top. Avery Flynn was able to make him different from his brother but also share the same traits as a Hartigan’s and that made me happy. Frankie is very job-driven and doesn’t really make time for himself. So this road trip is not only a way to make his boss happy, but also experience something different. While Frankie is very much a ladies man, Lucy tests the way that he thinks and feels.

The romance in Muffin Top was slow, novel-wise, but did move quite fast as a timeline in the story. But it was still full of sparks, heat and made me want to keep on reading. It was nice at times that Lucy’s weight wasn’t made a big deal about between Frankie and Lucy herself. It was just a normal romance. There were times where Lucy’s weight did make her second guess why Frankie would like her, but that was quickly overcome.

Overall, I really liked Muffin Top by Avery Flynn. It was engaging, entertaining and had me wanting more. I loved that family was a really big theme of this novel and much of the Hartigan series. Lucy and Frankie were hot on fire, and that just made the novel that more sweet. If you are looking for a romance novel, that you can just fall into, then this is for you.

Have you read Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn? What did you think? Are you planning on reading these? What are some of your recent favourite romances that you had read? Let’s Chat!