I could not finish this book, but I like what I read.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a action packed cozy mystery. So many twists and turns that you don't want to put the book down. This is the third book in a series and the first one I read. I didn't feel lost at all because the author did a great job recapping need to know information. The only thing I didn't care for was the relationship with Sierra and ger are we friends or dating room mate.

Not having read the previous two installments of the Flower House Mystery series, I had no trouble figuring out who was who. The author did a good job of bringing in bits of the past stories to clarify things happening in this third book. Set in the Smoky Mountains, Sierra Ravenswood is now the owner of the Flower House Florist. As with any new business, she has to watch her pennies, so when the mayor's daughter asks her to be the florist in charge of her massive wedding, Sierra jumps at the chance. The mayor's daughter seems to be pretty laid-back about the whole wedding; it's her mama who is the bridezilla. Money is no issue. When the team comes together at the mansion to make final plans for the wedding, the wedding planner winds up dead. Sierra, who really should have kept her nose out of the investigation, felt drawn to do her own investigating. As such, she has several close calls with someone who is out to get her.

There are lots of red herrings, lots of clues that go nowhere, and several interesting local characters, including Calvin the botany professor, who may or may not be interested in a romantic relationship with Sierra. Or is he just a friend?

Solid cozy mystery. It’s my first book in the series, but other than hints about past mysteries it was easy to follow along. Plenty of characters to keep the mystery from being obvious and it kept the story interesting.

Fatal Flowers is the third in a series, The first two were quick reads, this was a bit slower. It seemed to drag a little bit. Overall it's a good series but the love interest needs a little work.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

"Fatal Flowers" is a cozy mystery that features an amateur sleuth with an interesting career of running a flower-themed cafe. As she plans for a fast-approaching wedding for which she will provide flowers, Sierra encounters a murder scene involving the wedding planner. The novel describes how Sierra and company work to assist in solving the murder.

The setting and theme is unique, as is the tangled threads leading up to the murder. Readers who enjoy learning more about flowers and their uses, as well as a lot of description and more than a touch of romance, might enjoy this novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Sierra Ravenswood is the owner a flower house shop. While working on a florist job for a wedding, the wedding planner is found near death. His final words mention a snake, and with this clue, Sierra tries to find out what happens.

I found this series unique with a florist protagonist. The series is enjoyable to read, with a great mystery in each book.
My thanks to St. Martin's Paperbacks for a digital copy of this book for my review!

I enjoyed this one more than the first two. The problem, I think, rests in Sierra. She’s written as intuitive and smart when it comes to finding clues and then she does stupid things that put her in danger. I did enjoy the addition of the treasure hunt. I found it more interesting than the murder investigation. But despite the addition of an activity for her to take on with Calvin, I still don’t feel any chemistry between them. In fact, I enjoyed the book more in the beginning when he was out of town. I think I’m officially done with this series.

Fatal Flowers: A Flower House Mystery
By Jess Dylan
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
May 24, 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

Aerieville floral shop owner Sierra Ravenswood really hopes that she was hearing it wrong. As much as she’d love the opportunity to be the florist for the wedding between the mayor’s daughter and a Washington political aide, the two-week deadline seems impossible. Marissa Lakely is determined to walk down the aisle though, and despite the previous florist’s last-minute cancellation Sierra can’t turn down the publicity or connections the high society event would provide. Marissa proves to be a surprisingly undemanding bride, but her wedding planner Taz Banyan more than makes up for her. Sierra’s first consultation with the intimidatingly famous perfectionist goes about as disastrous as it could, with Sierra not only failing to have a functional pen but also forgetting to bring along their latest portfolio. At least it doesn’t look as though she’s going to have to impress Taz for very long, as while on a hunt for a workable printer Sierra stumbles across him at the bottom of the Lakely mansion staircase, muttering the word “snake” with his last breath.

Sierra has already becoming uncomfortably familiar with Aerieville, Tennessee’s law enforcement, as not only is their police chief friends with her father, she has been involved in multiple murder investigations. The one not trusting the local police is Marissa’s wealthy mother Annaliese Bellman Lakely, who along with her husband fear that politics may hamper the investigation. Despite her earlier condescending attitude towards Sierra and her family’s quirky health club Dumbbells, Annaliese asks for Sierra’s help in tracking down who may have wanted to sabotage the wedding. It doesn’t take Sierra too long to discover that Taz had a habit of practicing loose ethics and burning reputations, guaranteeing a long list of those resenting his success and maybe wanting a little payback.

This third in the series is a welcoming reintroduction to the cozy, Appalachian town and its genial inhabitants. Having given up on her dreams as a singer-songwriter, Sierra has embraced her hometown and accepted her role as the Flower House’s new owner. She’s even grown to love her tiny home Dollhouse and its adorable compact comforts. Sierra’s less certain about her relationship with Calvin Foxheart, a former professor of botany who abruptly left town a month ago with promises to return. At least his – hopefully temporary - absence allows her to focus on creating new ideas for the Flower House, care for adorable Gus the Corgi, and help the reluctant Marissa achieve her dream wedding. Numerous descriptions of their delicious meals and her friend’s flower-themed café ensure the novel’s cozy status and leaves readers’ hungering for more. The heart-warming relationships between a number of couples also make this a strong romance novel for those seeking happy endings and true love. The theme of seeking out joy wherever one can find it shines though, making this a rewarding and very satisfying summer read.

While I did enjoy this installment of the Flower House series, I didn't love it. Some things required suspending your disbelief even more than what is normal for cozy mysteries. I feel as though the romance with the love interest is a bit forced, and he wasn't included in the storyline as much as I would have liked. Some of the side characters were underdeveloped. I feel like this would have been even better with more revision and editing. I still enjoyed the mystery, and I will be continuing with the series.

Title: Fatal Flowers
Author: Jess Dylan
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

As Aerieville, Tennessee’s Flower House finally gains in popularity, Sierra Ravenswood finds herself feeling ready for new challenges. Luckily, the shop has grabbed the attention of the mayor’s daughter, and bride-to-be, Marissa Lakely. Sierra is thrilled, and nervous, to land her most important job yet: providing flowers for the biggest wedding Aerieville has ever seen.

Fortunately, Marissa bucks all stereotypes and is far from a bridezilla—but her wedding planner, Taz Banyan, has apparently taken on the role for himself. He’s uptight, intense, and a little intimidating. But Taz aside, everything seems to be under control...until Sierra makes a startling discovery in the great room: the wedding planner, lying in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, in very bad shape. In fact, he survives only long enough to mutter: "It was the snake." As Granny Mae would say, seeing a snake is rarely a good sign, and this was clearly no exception.

With the town on edge and the wedding up in the air, Sierra refuses to stop asking questions in her determination to put an end to this latest danger—so both Aerieville and the Flower House can flourish once more.

I haven’t read any of the other Flower House Mystery books, but that wasn’t a problem with this read. I like light, cozy mysteries, so this was a fun read. I wasn’t super invested in it, but interested enough in finding out who the murderer was to keep going, and I didn’t pick up on the side crimes until the big reveal at the end.

Jess Dylan lives in Chicago. Fatal Flowers is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 6/4.)

I had read the first book and enjoyed it. I missed the second book, but dove right into the third book. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. I found Sierra rather daft. For example, a murder happens (you are the one who found the body and heard the last words) and you are pushed into the street into oncoming traffic and you're not sure its relevant? These things just kept happening. I also don't feel the chemistry between Calvin and Sierra. This book could also have been 20-30 pages shorter....lots of filler.

Sadly, this was a miss for me.

I basically binged this series in one weekend because it was so good. First of all let me say that I love that the main character is into law of attraction and always trying to manifest and affirm things. I also love that her grandmother is into superstition and everything. I love the whole flower shop and everything that they are working on making it. This one was a super cute one because the romance we have been waiting for! Also the mystery was good and love that a bunch of new characters were brought in. Great addition to the series!

Fatal Flowers by Jess Dylan is a cozy mystery, third in the series, that I had serious problems reading. I am not sure why as it had all the appropriate elements, including a decent mystery. The characters were well written and the setting is in Tennessee, in a relatively small town. There is a low-key romance. I just couldn't get into it and had to force myself to finish it. I apologize to the author. Usually cozies are my thing.

I was invited to read Fatal Flowers by the author, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #jessdylan #fatalflowers.

There are many new cozy mystery series that take the British village genre and reimagine it in small town settings across the United States. The Flower House series takes place in a small town at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and the characters in the tales are just quirky enough to keep the reader engaged while being authentic Tennessee residents. In the third book in the series, Sierra Ravenswood is comfortably settled as the owner of the Flower House in her hometown of Aerieville. She is drawn into a fresh mystery while participating in the plans for a society wedding in her town. At one point in the book the adventure takes Sierra and her friend and coworker Deena to Nashville, which appeared to go in a different direction, but Jess Dylan successfully tied it all together by the end of the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Jess Dylan and St. Martin's Press for the copy of Fatal Flowers. This is my personal review.
This is the third book in the series A Flower House Mystery. I read the first and was looking forward to getting back Tennessee and Sierra Ravenswood.
I start the book with high hopes of enjoying it as much as I did the first but personally for me it just fell flat. I could not get into the mystery with this book.
I am not sure I will continue reading this series but I do enjoy this author.

I literally just finished this book on the heels of reading book 2 in the series, and I'm really in love with the characters at this point. Book three was just the sweet spot that had Sierra, Deena and Calvin all working together along with Sierra's brother Rocky who likes Deena and seems like he'd do anything for her, lol.

This was a crazy case with all sorts of things going wrong. Basically, if it could go wrong for planning a wedding, it did. Someone with a side hustle of something illegal was lurking around and Sierra wondered which one of the wedding vendors it was. She was tired of being terrorized by a guy on a motor scooter and just kept on sleuthing no matter what. I love Calvin for how he's pretty much game for anything she wants to do--and I'm always proud of her when she takes someone along with her whether it's Cal, Deena or her dog Gus. Sierra tries very hard not to do stupid things, but sometimes she's still pretty impulsive, and that's enough to get a person killed!

I had two people in mind for whodunit, but as the book progressed and hidden clues showed up, I settled on one and was right. It was pretty exciting to see how the perp was caught too, then the ending was everyone gathered for Sierra's birthday. I'm super eager now to read the next book! It was a lot of fun going directly from book 2 to this one and made me get to know the characters a lot better.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

A great cozy mystery with a very likeable sleuth. The story has all the components of a good mystery: the reluctant sleuth that can't help herself from trying to solve the murder, a good cast of quirky characters that make up her friends and the right number of suspects that all have the possibility of being the culprit. It's a light and easy read with a good amount of humor and a little dash of romance. I haven't read the others in the series and was able to enjoy the story completely. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed this new addition to A Flower House Mystery series with all the twists, turns, and action with a murder mystery to solve, set in Aerieville, Tennessee. Sierra Ravenswood, owner of the Flower House Florist is excited to get a new job, a large local wedding floral job for the mayor's daughter. Only problem is it's in two weeks. However, money is not an issue. When the vendor group meets, there is undercurrents of hostility between the other vendors who all know each other. The wedding planner is one obnoxious person that all seem to have problems with and when Sierra finds him dead in the mayor's mansion during the meeting, she is thrust into solving his murder. This mystery had lots of suspects and motives and is more complicated than it appears. It is a fun read and enjoyable mystery plot to unravel as Sierra and friends work to solve it. As a side note, she and Calvin, the botany professor living in the upstairs of the floral shop, are dancing around their relationship, if they are dating or friends? I highly recommend this story for those who enjoy cozy mysteries, especially set in the Smoky Mountains with a floral shop for a backdrop.
I received a complimentary ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I've enjoyed the previous two books in this series but I think this was the best one yet. In the past two books I had a hard time really connecting to Sierra but in this book it feels like she's found her footing. She's a bit flakey, a touch impulsive, but also quick witted with a big heart. She's a character I could picture being friends with even though she would be making me shake my head quite a bit.

The mystery is an interesting one. Sierra finds herself roped into the wedding of the year for Aerieville with no warning and no idea what's going on. There are all kinds of politics and hidden agendas which wraps up at a vendor meeting with the demanding over the top wedding planner dead.

Sierra gets pulled into the investigation partly due to her own curiosity and partly due to requests from Aerieville's first family matriarch. The mystery has lots of twists and turns that takes Sierra on several road trips and deep dives into the world of high end wedding vendors.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and was hooked into the mystery from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to book number 4!