(Carol Stream, IL) – Even a prolific author with multiple awards and published novels to her credit
can be title-challenged.
Award-winning author Maureen Lang has chosen Bees in the Butterfly Garden as the title for the first
stand-alone novel in her new Gilded Age series, available this month from Tyndale House
Publishers.
“One afternoon as I was writing at my desk,” comments Lang, “I happened to look out at the garden
in my yard. I’d purposely planted flowers known to attract butterflies, but unfortunately many of those
same plants also bring bees. From where I sat, I had a clear view of which visitors I received that day.
Two large bees.
“Taken momentarily out of the story I was writing at the time, I sat there feeling sorry for myself. I
plant a butterfly garden and all I get are bees. Bees in the butterfly garden!”
That moment of frustration led Lang to reflect on the disappointments in life that, when viewed
through the lens of God’s sovereignty, can actually lead to a fresh experience of his mercy and grace.
Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue’s finest, Meg Davenport has all she’s ever
needed…but none of the things she’s wanted most, like family or dreams of a future that includes
anything other than finding a suitable match. So when her father dies, Meg seizes the chance to throw
etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn’t the
wealthy businessman she thought but rather one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.
Poised to lead those loyal to Meg’s father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have
wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her
connections to one of New York’s wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But
are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?
Publishers Weekly said about a previous novel in Lang’s Great War Series: “Lang’s novel is a cautionary
tale as well as a romance within an exciting framework of war, secrets, and blissful reunions.”