The Blooming of Delphinium
Holly Varni
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Delphinium Hayes has the unique ability to associate the people she meets with flowers representing their character traits. Her nose has never failed her, that is until Mason McCormack walks into her flower shop and agrees to help out the group of disgruntled senior citizens who have started hanging out in Delphinium's back room. her with a group of seniors who have taken over her flower shop as their hangout.

Elliot Sturgis is the director of The Gardens Assisted Living Facility. He cares for his residents, and is determined to find out why they prefer Delphinium's shop to The Gardens.

This second book in the Moonberry Lake series was filled with joy. Varni made her characters leap off the page and into our hearts. We have a decided affection for seniors, so she had us from the very beginning. To write with such love toward the elders of our population spoke volumes to us about Varni’s character. Her “scent” was coming across in a poignant way.

The lead character of Delphinium celebrated the uniqueness of God’s creative abilities mirroring the variety, beauty, and uses of the many flowers He has included in His creation. Delphinium’s quirkiness was rivaled only by her personal devotion poured into the lives of those around her. It seemed unthinkable that Varni could create a character more loved until she introduced us to Elliot Sturgis. He was someone the world may look at as seemingly having it all together until his vulnerability and desire for belonging was revealed. We all have a deep need to be understood and accepted. Elliot masterfully demonstrated that toward Delphinium and their story is only just beginning.

Our only wish was that Delphinium would have come to a personal decision about her need of a Savior. We look forward to more of her story as Varni unfolds the delightful town of Moonberry Lake.

We received an advance copy from the publisher. This is our honest review.

The Blooming of Delphinium is a charming and heartwarming novel that blends romance, humor, and a touch of magical realism. The story centers on Delphinium, a florist with an extraordinary talent: she can sense people's true natures through their scents. This gift gives her a unique edge in understanding others—except for Elliot Sturgis, the seemingly stern director of Moonberry Lake's Gardens Assisted Living. Despite his strict demeanor, Elliot carries the scent of violets, representing love and loyalty, a contradiction that intrigues Delphinium as their paths continually cross. The chemistry between Delphinium and Elliot slowly unfolds as she discovers the softer side hidden behind his tough exterior, bringing a delightful tension and warmth to the story.

While romance blooms, Delphinium faces financial struggles as her beloved flower shop is on the brink of foreclosure. The book gracefully weaves themes of faith, community, and resilience, showing how unexpected friendships and divine timing can lead to solutions in the most trying circumstances. The Blooming of Delphinium is a cozy and uplifting tale, perfect for readers who enjoy small-town charm, endearing characters, and a sprinkle of magic in their love stories.

“In a small town like Moonberry Lake, one’s personal business is everyone’s business.”
This second book set in Moonberry Lake has a wonderfully quirky set of characters. Delphinium Hayes has an uncanny ability to recognize a person’s personality traits by their unique flower scents. Her gift of discernment can be a help or a hindrance leading to some very funny moments. But the core of the story is her heart for the senior citizens at the local nursing home. As they take over her flower shop, the fun begins. The oldsters have boycotted the facility run by Elliot and the sparks not only fly between the residents and the administration but between Delphinium and Elliot. “A relationship needs sparks, not grenades.” “Both make an impact and can start fires, he smirked mischievously.” “ We spar.” “That’s something.”
There is much to love about this book from witty banter, comical characters, an enemies-to-more romance to a solid portrayal of admirable values and spiritual growth. There are end of life issues , forgiveness and reconciliation all wrapped up in a humorously entertaining plot. The book has all I could ask for in an uplifting, amusing tale that has lots of take away lessons. I loved revisiting Moonberry Lake and its inhabitants.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Revell Reads Program and NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*

This was a delightful read filled with tons of laughs, heart, and charm!

There was so much to love about this one. The mayhem of the seniors that Delphinium loves. The cute crush that her beau has on her (I’ll leave you to figure out which guy it is 😉). The relationship she has with her grandfather-like figure, Henry. Her ability to get a sense for people’s personalities based on their smell (except for that one person).

This book was filled with likable side characters, tons of shenanigans, and a FMC you that was easy to root for! It was sweet and entertaining. A solid 4-star read for me!

The started out well. It had funny happenings between a young, 20-something lady, and a group from an assisted living home. The young lady, Delphinium, owned and ran her own flower shop. The group of elderly ended up in her shop due to problems at the home and the fact that one of those men was her adopted grandfather. It got bogged down and rushed at the ending 25-33 percent.

Delphinium has a rare gift that she uses to assess a person's character. This generally works but the story brings up a rare occurrence. The elderly are all quirky and seem to be always up to mischief. They do have Delphinium's best interest at heart.

The story flows well in general, not perfect but not bad. Most of the characters are well-developed. There were only a couple of errors but nothing disrupting to your reading enjoyment. The book was from Revell, a Christian book publisher but the book barely mentioned God and no one practiced faith. It was definitely not a preachy book.

Overall, I give this book a 3 out of 5-star rating. These thoughts are my own. I received an e-book through Revell Reads program. I am not required to leave a positive review.

This book is a true gem!

I absolutely loved this heartwarming and unique story about relationships and how we interact with others that we may not completely understand. This book had me laughing at the antics of the cute seniors and crying over the many trials that are shared in this book. Each character was so well developed and had a unique personality that brought something to the story.

I didn't read the first book but I plan on looking for it to make sure that I read it because this book was one of my favorites of the year so far.

This book was sad, truly boring and it was a slow slog to get through it. I thought I would love it based on the description but nope.
Really the only thing I enjoyed were the elderly friends that were using her walk in fridge at the flower shop to play cards because the anssisted living facility didn’t allow it and the arc was broken. I also appreciated the descriptions of the bouquets and what they meant.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

The Blooming of Delphinium, by Holly Varnie is book two in the Moonberry Lake series. This is a contemporary Christian story that takes place in a small town in Minnesota. While it is part of a series and briefly mentions characters from the first story, this is a great stand alone story. In this story we meet Delphinium, the local florist, and Elliot, the director of the local senior housing complex.

This is such a good story! It grabbed my attention from the very beginning and held it to the very end. I just loved group of elderly people. The humor they brought to the story and the tales they told of their living situations is enjoyable to read. They also have great big hearts and love Delphinium so much. I especially enjoyed the family dynamics between her and her parents and their memory of her grandmother. I found it interesting to read of the different smells of flowers and the meaning behind them.

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book, this is my honest review.

The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni is one of the most delightful books I have read this year. Delphinium Hayes owns a flower ship in Moonberry Lake, but she is not your typical florist. She has the ability to identify people’s scent as flowers and has insight into their character from their scent. It is a true gift. Elliot Sturgis is the director of the Moonberry Lake’s senior care facility. He is trying to control a group of his unhappy residents who keep showing up in Delphinium’s flower shop. They are so different, and unusual circumstances keep bringing them together.

It was great to revisit the town of Moonberry Lake. I enjoyed walking with Delphinium and Elliot as they grew and changed throughout the story. I enjoyed the banter, chemistry and friendship between them. Their senior friends brought me such joy and I loved their antics. This sweet story had wonderful themes of forgiveness, redemption, and found family. I enjoyed the faith elements that were beautifully woven in. This is a gem of a story.

The Blooming Dephinium by Holly Varni is a sweet and beautifully written story. The characters are engaging and funny, the setting is sweet, and the seniors had a great layer of humor to the story. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR!

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

“What am I going to do with a refrigerator full of elderly men?”

I wasn’t sure how Holly Varni was going to top my love of On Moonberry Lake, but boy did she ever! The Blooming of Delphinium had me snort-laughing from beginning to end, with a couple of bouts of ugly-crying to balance it all out lol.

I have discovered something about myself in the last few years. I have a thing for adorable and/or hilarious older people. If you want to find the way to my heart in a book or TV show or movie (besides the romance), throw in some quirky and sassy senior citizens. Something which Holly Varni does in abundance in The Blooming of Delphinium. I guffawed frequently over the antics of the local senior living residents who have suddenly taken over the back room of Delphinium’s florist shop in protest over the rules at The Gardens assisted living home. Complete with a hunger strike (except for their snack demands for Delphinium), sneaking out of the home ‘in disguise’, and later staging a hilarious sit-in gone amuck (on an issue unrelated to The Gardens), these wily characters took over more than her shop – they took over Delphinium’s heart, and mine, as well. Watching them come alive under her friendship and how she truly saw them touched me as well. But yeah… expect to laugh a lot in this entertaining novel.

“It’s like dealing with delinquents. They’re always one step ahead of you.”

But as I also mentioned, expect to shed a few tears as well. Loving a handful of senior citizens (and they really are a handful haha) means having your heart broken sometimes too, and that certainly is the case in this story. Varni crafts these emotional scenes with tenderness, affection, and lots of love which, yes, may bring on an ugly cry or two but it also makes it so worth the read. (Seriously, mostly you’re laughing in this book so don’t let a few tears scare you away.) And then there’s Delphinium, the star of our story (though I’m pretty sure the band of rebels from The Gardens steals that distinction pretty early on lol). She’s grown up feeling like an outsider when it comes to her creative gifting and her straitlaced parents. Still feeling the loss of her beloved grandmother who was gifted with a similar form of synesthesia, Delphinium now faces what feels like losing her all over again as her florist shop struggles financially. Varni delivers some tenderly-redemptive character growth here, and one scene in particular really touched me (and had my eyes welling up yet again).

OH! and the ROMANCE. Can’t forget that. Though… I don’t want to say too much about that for the sake of avoiding spoilers. Suffice it to say, however, that there are sparks aplenty, some delicious romantic tension, and a marvelous enemies-to-more/opposites attract love story going on in the background here. Of course there are the usual obstacles and miscommunications but it’s all leading up to a delightful resolution that I think will make you smile as much as it did me.

Bottom Line: The Blooming of Delphinium is charming and hilarious and heartfelt. Varni’s warmy and witty writing voice draws you instantly into the story and vividly defines the characters until they leap off the page and into your heart. I found the synesthesia aspect of the story to be fascinating and it added some intriguing layers to Delphinium’s character as well as others – everything I love about magical realism but about an actual sensory phenomenon. Themes of seeing someone for who they really are, investing in the lonely and giving them a place to belong, giving second (and third) chances, and loving people for all their uniqueness, quirks and all, resonated with me, and the swoony romance simmering throughout this delightful story was icing on the cake. It deserves more than 5 stars just for making me laugh so much and FEEL so deeply.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

I enjoyed this book. It has dynamic characters and a very good storyline although, the plot was predicatable and a little overdone.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Blooming of Delphinium, Moonberry Lake #2, by Holly Varni
Main character, Delphinium Hayes, is a uniquely talented and unconventional woman who runs a flower shop in the small town of Moonberry Lake. She has strong enthusiasm and talent as a florist, and an understanding tenderness for senior citizens...which is why when the town's assisted living facility's air conditioner goes out, and a handful of them make their way to her shop, she does not kick them out. Her kindness is appreciated as the seniors continue to sneak out of the facility in the name of freedom and stubbornness, giving the facility Director Elliot a difficult time as he attempts to wrangle the rebel seniors back. Delphinium faces other challenges aside from the seniors and Elliot, like Mason McCormack, who volunteered to help the seniors in their outlandish requests. Delphinium's Flora Emporium is the place to be in Moonberry Lake, and The Blooming of Delphinium is the book you need to read.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book. Truth be told, I was only drawn to the beautiful cover, not so much the description. The main character's name is a mouthful - Delphinium - but the quirky name fits her, her flower shop, and this book extraordinarily well. I genuinely chuckled at the shenanigans the senior citizens were in throughout the entire book - even putting the book down temporarily to call my own Nana to tell her about this book. A few times, I questioned whether or not author Holly Varni knew my Nana and her friends because some of the conversations were just about word-for-word with what my Nana tells me...or complains about. I assume that the author has a huge heart for senior citizens, much like Delphinium. I truly struggled to put this book down, it was one of the best lighthearted fiction books I have read to date. I also was very pleased that the romance was not only clean, but it was written well to keep the reader guessing a little while longer - I think a lot of lighthearted romance make it clear right away, but Holly Varni was able to keep the mystery, and besides, romance was NOT the thing that everyone is going to remember about this book - it's Delphinium and the seniors of The Gardens Assisted Living Facility. I don't have any complaints, though I would love to see the next Moonberry Lake book to include a main character with a strong faith. I was given a copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion (thank you #NetGalley & #Revell), and I will likely buy a copy to gift to a friend.

Delphinium owns a florist business. She has a special ability to sum up a person just by catching their scent, not perfume or deodorant, but their essence. For instance, if one smells like thyme, they have strength and courage. Each of her floral arrangements have meaning so she is sure to ask what the occasion is or who the recipient will be. Henry Folden is an elderly gentleman who is her best friend. He had also been a dear friend of her late grandmother who she misses dearly. He helps her with the accounts of her business and gives advice.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced reader's copy of this touching novel. This is my unsolicited opinion of the story. There are some very colorful characters in this book. The seniors who 'invade' the flower shop after escaping their senior citizen home on the daily with Henry are quite the bunch! Two men also become involved with the group and Delphinium. Handsome Mason, a customer, who takes a liking to the older crew and nose to the letter of the rules, Elliot, administrator of The Gardens Assisted Living Center. (A place with no real gardens.) The strange thing, one of these men have no discernible scent for Delphinium. What could that mean?
There is great humor in this debut novel for Holly Varni with laugh out loud moments. It is a sweet and poignant story that highlights faith without being preachy. It also touches beautifully on the needs of the elderly. I give it a 4.5 out of five stars. You may need a tissue while reading.

The Blooming of Delphinium was so easy to love. I absolutely love the senior characters, they always capture my heart. The characters were phenomenal, and so well devoloped they seemed so real.

This is such a heart-warming feel good story and I loved every minute of it

I really enjoyed this quirky story of a florist named Delphinium. The shop she owns becomes the hangout for a group of seniors from the assisted living home who are protesting basically everything they can think of. Delphi faces some realistic challenges - financial difficulties, parents she has little in common with, and grief over her grandmother's death. She also has the unusual ability to detect each person's scent that is associated with plantlife and what that scent represents. Not quite magical realism, but close.

Delphi is a person I want to be like. She has a huge heart, she delights in helping others, and she is just herself with little apology (even when her hair is wild).

This is Christian fiction though there is very little discussion of God or faith. This is a clean romance.

Family friendly.

I have never read any books by Holly Varni before. I enjoyed her book The Blooming of Delphinium and will add any of her future novels to my reading list! Plus I am an amateur gardener so I loved reading about Delphinium's flower shop. It was different from other Christian fiction books.

In the book, Delphinium has a condition similar to Synesthesia. She smells different scents on people based on their personality traits. Prideful, timid, bossy, sweet, deceptive, or caring, Delphinium can smell it when she's around them. It sounds crazy, but it works for the story. Her flower shop collects a delightful group of elderly citizens that you will fall in love with. One day, Delphinium meets a man that doesn't have a scent and one that smells overwhelmingly like violets, her favorite. Delphinium is on the verge of losing her shop and her apartment above the store if she doesn't get a miracle soon. All of these situations come together in one very fun novel with humor, love, loss, and faith in God.

I recommend that you read The Blooming of Delphinium. There is nothing foul or gross and I am letting my seventeen-year-old daughter read it. It is a clean, light romance. Five stars!

I was not familiar with Varni's previous book so I was not sure what to expect.

The Blooming of Delphinium was a sweet story that has a fun cast of characters. There were a few points that I found it a little too sweet and a bit cringy but overall I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the ornery older folks who took over Delphinium's flower shop.

I receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Blooming of Delphinium is a delightfully quirky tale I thoroughly enjoyed. Holly Varni takes readers on another fantastic journey in the town of Moonberry Lake. 4.5 stars

The story's filled with quite a variety of characters, from the assisted living facility there's the seniors who are a troublemaking handful that have their director Elliot at his wits end. Then there's Delphinium and her senior friend Henry who gives her financial advice about her beloved but struggling flower shop. Delphinium has the trait of being able to "read" a person based on their scent. So much fun! Elliot is a classic beta hero, but he still manages to express himself pretty well, eventually.

There's a lot of love and care shown in this story and Varni does a beautiful job expressing it on the page. I highlighted quite a few quotes but here's a few favorites,

*"No matter a person's age, they want community. The deepest longing in all of us is a sense of belonging."
*Letting go of your pride and humbly asking for forgiveness are always big pills to swallow. It's best to do both in one gulp."

I appreciate Revell Publishers making a copy of The Blooming of Delphinium available for review. All thoughts and opinions are my very own.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and in this series. This book can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. Delphinium is still grieving her grandmother as she runs her struggling flower shop. Delphinium has talent in not only creating the perfect bouquets for all occasions but can also smell someone and know their major personality trait. Her elderly friend Henry brings her comfort and financial advice. He also brings his senior friends from the nearby assisted living. They started to take over her back room and refrigerator for poker games and social events. Two very different men come into her life. One is Mason, who she is suspicious of because he has no smell and buys flowers for different women. The other is the director of the assisted living Elliot who smells like violets and is concerned about his residents being at her shop. When her flower business is in dire trouble, the seniors try to help, but is it the help she needs? I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I found this book delightful. It's amusing, uplifting, and has a sweet romance. I love that Delphinium's real talent is her big, open heart