Book Review: Mariposa By Lexie Axelson
Mariposa By Lexie Axelson
Tropes: Forbidden romance, Age gap, Dark military romance, Instructor x student, Ex-boyfriend’s dad, Forced proximity, Grumpy x sunshine, Emotional trauma, Morally grey hero
Summary:
Mariposa follows a young soldier fighting her way through the brutal Special Forces program—but nothing prepares her for her new instructor, Kade O’Connell. Cold. Scarred. Untouchable. And her ex-boyfriend’s father.
One is The Unbreakable Soldier.
The other is the Beast everyone fears.
They should hate each other. They should stay away. But their connection is undeniable—even forbidden. In a high-risk world full of military discipline, power imbalance, irresistible attraction, and dangerous obsession… one misstep could destroy them both.
Prepare yourself... this book is an emotional, intense, dark military romance with one of the most addictive forbidden pairings we’ve read all year.
💚 LD
I absolutely loved Mariposa, this book surprised me in every possible way. I knew I’d enjoy the dark military angle, but I was not prepared for how emotional, intense, and beautifully complex this romance would be.
Kade O’Connell is such a fascinating MMC, cold and emotionally locked-down, yet every moment he lets you glimpse the humanity underneath feels like a punch straight to the heart. And Mariposa? She’s incredible. Strong, resilient, powerful, but still vulnerable in the moments that matter.
I adored their dynamic - the push and pull, the tension that build slowly and then hits like a storm. It’s forbidden and morally messy, but done SO well. I couldn’t stop reading.
This romance is dark, emotional, beautifully written, and full of unforgettable moments. Such a gem of a book.
“Baby, you and I will never be out of time. What we have together is infinite. Even when we’re nothing but phantoms with beatless hearts, we will always be perfectly intertwined because you were made for me.”
🤍 AD -
OMG… I get the hype. Truly. This book grabbed me by the throat from page one and never let go. The forbidden tension? Flawless. The military setting? Addictive. The chemistry? Off the charts.
Kade O’Connell is exactly the kind of MMC that destroys you: cold, lethal, carved from stone, and impossible to resist. And Mariposa? Strong, vulnerable, determined. Their dynamic is explosive from the very beginning.
And the ending?! I sat there in silence staring at the wall trying to recover. I gasped. I swore. I cried. This book emotionally wrecked me in the best way possible.
Dark, forbidden, addictive and unforgettable.
“Seeing you the entire time you were my student…you fought to gain your wings. I watched you through a stage of metamorphosis. Your resilience and strength remind me of the butterflies I used to chase as a child during migration season.”
💙 AG -
I LOVED this book so much. The military setting immediately pulled me in, but it was the forbidden tension and age-gap chemistry that kept me hooked. Kade is such a powerful, brooding character, and every single interaction between him and Mariposa was charged with emotion.
I loved the training, the hardship, the resilience she shows, and how her strength is respected rather than overshadowed. You really feel everything she’s battling, physically and emotionally.
This romance is dark, intense and beautifully written. I devoured it and already want more from this world.
“I think I’m obsessed with everything this older man does. I could watch him breathe, blink, and tell me the most boring speech about the planets or whatever the hell it is, and I’d swoon head over heels each time like it’s the first day I’ve met him again.”
