French edition:
Conclusion: Bref, une plume envoûtante et poétique, un mélange de force et de fragilité, qui vous transporte dans un voyage d’une douceur extrême, dans une rencontre magique entre deux hommes superbes, une plume qui fait chavirer votre cœur de romantique, qui vous fera sourire par la gaucherie de Nicholas, qui vous fera rougir lors de leurs étreintes, qui vous fera rêver par les images qui se construisent petit à petit dans votre esprit.
Conclusion: Une romance exceptionnelle et unique dans son genre. … Je recommande « Chasseur de papillons » de Julie Bozza aux grands rêveurs et à toutes les âmes romantiques.
English edition:
Excerpt: Sure, I saw all the 4 and 5 star reviews. Sure, I knew that most of my friends loved it. But while I was reading I thought it was a nice enough story. But then, all of a sudden, my heart is breaking. And I realize that I have fallen head over heels for these characters and am smacked in the face with too much emotion.
Excerpt: The banter between Nicholas and Davey is fantastic. Humorous, natural and thoroughly entertaining in itself, but also meaningful and with a depth of emotion behind the words. I could have listened to these guys all day. … Beautiful and descriptive, Julie took me on a literary journey through the Australian Outback. To magical and enchanting places, but getting there was an adventure. … This for me was the beauty of the whole story, the most amazing things happen when you’re not looking for them. I loved Charlie, a wise native to Australia who is rooted in Dreamtime folklore, gave the story the magical touch. I adored the way Julie wrote about this character … The writing has a depth of empathy that makes you feel the characters, sharing their bit of paradise in the Australian Outback.
Excerpt: How very lovely this softly flowing, sweet story is. It is extremely character driven (with the butterflies in question needing to be considered a character as well), with a setting that is at once beautiful and dangerous. It is written in such a way that it draws you in without you realizing, and I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting because I wanted to see what happened.
Excerpt: This book was enchanting, with finely drawn, adorable characters and a delicate, tender love story that was to die for. … The characters are the backbone to this story. Both Dave and Nicholas were lonely souls (though otherwise fully capable of looking after themselves). The increasingly intense emotions between them never took away from their dignity or their masculinity. … In fact, it is almost as if the land was a character in and of itself, and it lends this book a solid reality as well as a hint of magic with the mystery that is the Dreamtime, interwoven strong and palpable with the storyline in a respectful and unobtrusive way. But the greatest lure of this book lay in the writing itself, which was exquisite.
Excerpt and summary: Nicholas is one of the most endearing characters I’ve ever met in a male romance novel and he just seems to glow with this inner light that attracts people to him. … Bozza also takes us on a breathtaking journey into the Australian Outback with fabulous descriptions of the harsh and unforgiving landscape which contrast magnificently with the beauty of the wide open skies during the day and night. When the butterfly oasis is discovered, it is described as almost a surreal place of beauty, and it isn’t hard to get caught up in the sheer joy felt by the two men. … The ending does get a little sappy but a story as beautiful as this definitely deserves a happy ending so it is better to just go with the flow and enjoy the warm fuzzies fluttering inside. Very well done.
Obsidian Bookshelf: 3.75 stars from Val Kovalin
Excerpt: The story has a leisurely pace and there isn’t much conflict, but the good writing and amazing setting held my interest. Here, the Australian outback is fascinating in its strangeness and potential for grave danger. I also like our two heroes. Nicholas is kind, goofy, and charismatic. Dave is quietly competent.
(This review no longer appears online. An updated version has now been posted to the ARe CAFE.)
ARe CAFE: Recommended Read by Val
Excerpt: Butterfly Hunter is emotionally restrained but beautiful in its exotic setting and unusual quest. It features two complex, secretive men who interact well as friends. Nicholas is kind and charismatic and Dave is a decent everyman whom I liked immensely in his role as a quietly competent Aussie guide.
Outlaw Reviews: 6/10 stars from Ann Somerville
Excerpt and summary: I did like the way she subverted a cultural stereotype or two in relation to the indigenous character, Charlie :) … The story of Nicholas’s quest for – obsession with – the mysterious blue butterfly, was charming and compelling. Nicholas himself is an utter love, and needs many cuddles :) . Dave is a nice guy, if not particularly interesting to me, and has his own demons to slay. His ex-girlfriend (from childhood even!) Denise is a supportive friend without tipping over into tiresome yenta territory. The book is competently written and edited, and Bozza does make a decent fist at comedic lines. The growing relationship between Nicholas and Dave is very sweet, and if you like sex in your romance, there’s plenty of it and nicely written too.
Summary: La plume de l’auteur est très agréable et nous entraine dans un monde onirique et magique qui nous donne envie de prendre un billet d’avion pour l’Australie.En résumé une très jolie romance, une magnifique découverte d’un pays tout aussi beau et une auteur dont les mots collent parfaitement à l’ambiance de ce roman.
The pen of the author is very nice and leads us into a dreamlike and magical world that makes us want to take a plane ticket to Australia.In summary a very nice romance, a magnificent discovery of a country just as beautiful and an author whose words stick perfectly to the atmosphere of this novel.
Excerpt and summary: Every scene was so well depicted, I missed nothing, every new detail was mine to be seen. Moreover, I’m not sure how to describe it, I felt the magic, the sounds of the the words, a positive and luminous melody that lighted my spirit. I was gone. And I was conquered by the characters too. … In the extraordinary on the plot, the story sounded to me real, simple and sweet and powerful.
Currently 312 ratings, 116 text reviews, and an average of 4.21 stars.
- Aussie54 gave it 4 stars, and said: I loved the two main characters. Julie has a great writing style, with easily read, descriptive prose. Her Dave and Nicholas are very appealing blokes. I liked seeing how Dave evolved, right to the end. … My only tiny quibble was that the story finished too soon. I would’ve loved to have seen a little more of Dave and Nick – I hadn’t quite had my fill of them by the end of the book.
- Simsala said: 5.5 stars … Sigh … What a beautiful story!
- Verena gave it 5 stars, and said: … a beautiful and fascinating story. I enjoyed it very, very much! Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. The story is engaging, the characters very likeable, and I would have loved to read more about David and Nicholas, because they are such a lovely couple.
- Vio gave it 5 stars, and said: Okay I think I’ve died and gone to butterfly heaven … If you are a true romantic at heart which I am of course, you won’t want to miss reading this exquisitely written story. An amazing and simply beautiful romance. I loved it so very much and now I am eagerly anticipating the next book.
- Macky gave it 5 stars and said: Who couldn’t love a book that has butterfly porn! LOL. Please read this you won’t be disappointed.
Currently 13 reviews with 12 of them 5 stars!
- M Peart said: Seriously, it’s been a long time since I couldn’t put a book down. I devoured this book in less than nine hours.
- Want Giraffes said: The writing is poetic and the I really felt like the characters inner thoughts were the focus of the story. I felt the sincerity in their conversations and feelings for each other. I can’t wait to reread this.
- Sirius said: Settings in this book felt like a living, breathing character, so beautifully and delicately described that I wanted to stop when I was reading and taste some sentences on my tongue.
- R Parklane said: The ending could not be more satisfying.
Audiobook:
MAN2MANTASTIC: 4.5 stars from The LaSalle Sisters
Excerpt: While the scorch factor is low, you don’t even notice because it is such a beautiful story and you can’t help but love these two. Davy and Nicholas are brilliant together. … It is such a unique story, you can’t help but be captivated by it all.
Excerpt: The majority of the book revolves around the search for a mythical butterfly and the relationship that grows between Outback guide Dave Taylor and British aristocrat Nicholas Goring. Their scenes ring with humor, philosophical truths, and sexual tension as the parallels between Nicholas’s hunt for the elusive butterfly and Dave’s discovery of his true self develop and move the story forward. I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid details and poetic writing of this new-to-me author, and I only wish that the narration could have done this gorgeous story better justice.
Readers’ Responses
In her Audible.com review, Dianne T said: Sublime.
I read this story when it was first published and I believe I used the word ‘gorgeous’ numerous times… for good reason. I also wished I could rate it 10 stars. It is an all time favorite story of mine. A story of self discovery – intertwined with a spectacluar setting, a dash of mysticism and strong, yet vulnerable characters.
It would seem impossible for this audio version to be able to surpass such praise, but it does. The beautifully written characters of Davey and Nicholas are brought to life in a lovely, softly accented English by narrator Ray Cross. Stunning work. His delivery is stellar: understated, clear, and brimming with emotion, yet never overdone. Davey and Nicholas’ appreciation of the beauty of the land, their reverence for the indigenous legends, their frank conversations, their emerging love – is nakedly evident. Seriously, I could weep for the perfection of this narration. I adored every last word, and will be listening again.
An Amazon Customer said: Superior narration for a favorite story.
I have enjoyed reading and re-reading this story of an Aussie and an Englishman for about a year now, and was delighted to find an audible version available. The narration is superb, it well matches the pace and cadence of the written story, from beginning to end. I highly recommend this audible version.
Blurb: Hilary Kent, a Londoner all his working life, retires to Wiltshire after an estranged cousin unexpectedly leaves him an inhabitable tower surrounded by an overgrown physic garden – and that’s when graduate student Tom Laurence suddenly erupts into his life, convincing him that together they can restore the ancient garden to its former glory. Tom’s cheerful friendship is the best thing that’s ever happened to Hilary and he’s perfectly content with that until, to his astonishment and confusion, it seems that Tom’s affection for him is beginning to grow into something more … something he feels he probably shouldn’t allow.
Book 1 of the Butterfly Hunter Trilogy
Available in audiobook format, narrated by Ray Cross, from: 
The plane was due in just after seven in the morning. Dave made sure he was there in plenty of time, even though the Englishman would need to go through passport control, collect his luggage, and then get through quarantine. All of which would take an hour, probably – but it would be just Dave’s luck if he turned up at eight to find that the earl’s son had been processed as a VIP or some such thing, and had been waiting on him ever since.
Blurb: Patrick and David are friends who run a gay bookstore, and life seems simple and safe enough until the day when unexpectedly he walks in – six feet tall, gorgeous and built like a dream. But Homosapien isn’t welcome in their world; he’s a professional wrestler, and everything he does is fake. So he can’t really be gay, can he, or interested in either one of them? Can they even trust a single word he says…?