Deadly thorns lurk among the roses in this Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery
Florist Audrey Bloom, co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, creates fragrant bouquets for brides. But when a wedding goes fatally wrong, it’s up to Audrey to sniff out a killer . . .
Everything is coming up roses for Audrey when her dazzling creations are picked to be featured on a wedding reality show. The hot series is filming an episode about a bride who’s bonkers for bells, and Audrey’s bouquets of campanulas, calla lilies, and Bells-of-Ireland are perfect for the bridal theme.
But Audrey’s debut quickly becomes a hothouse of trouble. Her ex, Brad, shows up as a crew member on the show, threatening her blossoming relationship with Nick the baker. To make matters worse, when one of the show’s hosts is found dead in the bell tower of a historic church, all the evidence points toward Brad.
Now Audrey needs to weed out the real killer before someone else’s chance at stardom is permanently nipped in the bud . . .
Audrey Bloom and her cousin Liv own the flower shop The Rose in Bloom located in the small town of Rumble, Virginia. Audrey is known for putting together meaningful bouquets for brides using the language of flowers as a guideline for the flowers she chooses. Audrey is skeptical when her ex-boyfriend Brad Simmons calls her out of the blue. It seems Brad has good intentions, though, and tells Audrey he is working on the reality show, Fix My Wedding, and offers The Rose in Bloom the chance to supply the bridal bouquets for an upcoming episode being filed in Rumble. Audrey knows this will mean a lot of work and require her to see a lot of Brad, but can’t pass up the publicity this will bring the shop. Things are hectic, but going okay, and then someone associated with the reality show is found dead. Brad is the main suspect and although he has been a cad, Audrey knows he’s not a murderer and agrees to help him prove his innocence.
This is the second book in the Bridal Bouquet Shop mystery and it’s as much fun as the series debut. I enjoy the information Audrey shares about the meaning of various flowers when describing bridal bouquets and in other parts of the story. This installment has the added fun of the filming of a reality show for which Audrey, Liv, and their employees design a few different bouquets from which the bride and the show’s host will choose. The beginning of the book spends a lot of time giving a behind the scenes look at reality shows, and Audrey learns people are very different in real life than what you see of them on a TV show. This difference between fiction and reality plays a part in the murder and it is very entertaining seeing Audrey get to the bottom of who the true killer is. I like the way Audrey, Liv, and their employees work together on all of the flowers that need to be prepared, as well as the murder investigation. Everyone gets along well and supports each other, which makes the book pleasant to read. There was much more substance to the victim than it first appeared and this added depth and a nice twist to the mystery.
I’ve seen a trend in mysteries in which the main character gets involved in a love triangle with her current, nice boyfriend and her cheating ex-boyfriend who comes crawling back, claiming to be reformed and begging for another chance. In this case, Audrey has started dating Nick Maxwell, a local baker, and things are going well. It seems Brad has more in mind that just working when he comes to town as a member of the Fix My Wedding crew and Audrey doesn’t seem totally immune when he starts turning on the charm. Time will tell what happens in Audrey’s love life, but hopefully her business continues to “bloom” and we get to see more of Audrey and her unique bouquets and a little crime-solving on the side. Fans of Denise Swanson or Deborah Donnelly will enjoy this entertaining series.
Reviewed by Christine
