This one was fun!! I liked the progression of Saffron’s relationships and how much her roommate played a role in it. It definitely kept my attention and I really enjoyed it!

I always think I cannot love this series more, and then Khavari publishes another book! Saffron remains one of my favourite mystery protagonists- she is a go-getter and does what she needs to when investigating but is not a know-it-all who ignores all common sense and logic. (That seems to happen a lot with mysteries.) Her friends and family are just the right mix of endearing and annoying that makes you feel like you know them yourself.

These are longer stories and we see her move through several different settings in each novel, a real strength of this series. I love that we are slowly getting to see Saffron's wider world, because it gives us so many clues to her character. It also helps build a thorough and complex mystery, because they so rarely happen start to finish in one place.

Jodie Harris' narration is perfect, as always!

Another great read in the Saffron Everleigh series! This one had more twists and turns since we know the characters so well. This made it slightly harder to follow, but not impossible. As a farmer's daughter I enjoyed the thought provoking comments regarding food security and agricultural advances. This one would definitely require you to read the first two books to follow the character development. Looking forward to the next book and how Elizabeth plays a larger role.

A Botonist's Guide to Society and Secrets is the third installment of the Saffron Everleigh Mysteries and it's the best one yet! Saffron, her bestie Elizabeth, her love interest, Alexander and Elizabeth's brother, Nick, set off to prove Alexander's brother is innocent of murder. Along the way, they discover there is much more to the murder than it seems.
I love the characters in this series. Saffron is intelligent and tenacious, Elizabeth is feisty and strong, and Alexander has a good heart and truly cares for Saffron. It was interesting getting to know Elizabeth and Alexander's brothers. Do you want to know my favorite part?? Well, no spoilers, but I love that the cliffhanger ending means there will be more books coming in this series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for early access to listen in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED it, and the narrator, Jodie Harris, did a brilliant job.

This series has been on my radar for a while but it wasn’t until I received a copy of the third installment to review that I dove in. The series ended up hooking me fairly fast and I binge listened to all three books in the span of 2 days. This is a historical mystery series with heavy dark (ish) academia vibes and a focus on botany and apothecarial practices.

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons - It actually took me a bit to really get into this world. I do sometimes struggle to fully immerse myself into a book's universe when I am listening to the story so I do not think this is necessarily the fault of the book. By the end of this one I was ready to jump into the next installment. I still do feel like this is the weakest of the books, I feel that all of the characters grew immensely in the second and third installment.

A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality - This was definitely my favorite of the three. I love the sinister use of the anonymous floral arrangements and their hidden meaning. It was such a clever way of furthering the plot and strengthening the mystery.

A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets - I received an audio copy of the third installment in this series, which came out in early June. Like I said, I binged all three of these. By the time I got to the third one I was in a chokehold. I absolutely fell in love with Saffron and her band of colleagues and friends. This series offers a cozy mystery feel, strong academia vibes, slow burn romance, feminism and the strength of friendship/companionship. I will absolutely be continuing on with this series, I adore it!

For fans of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series and even Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales and regency society romances like Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the opportunity to review; all opinions are my own.

A lovely addition to what is quickly becoming a favorite historical mystery series.
Set in the 1920s in the academic world, following botanist Saffron as she becomes embroiled in yet another murder plot. Following the events of book 2, the source of this investigation is surprising. Her at one time paramour -Alexander Ashton- who spent his entire appearance in the last book forbidding Saffron to continue her investigation, has now asked her help to prove his brother's innocence. The irony is lost on no one. Complicating matters is the involvement of Saffron's best friend/roommate Eliza's brother. Who has THAT KIND of government job.
I've seen a number of reviews bemoan how quickly relationship issues were put aside, and I have to say I firmly disagree. I felt the conversations Saffron and Alexander have all so strongly build their relationship back up, as well as add depth. If anything I'm disappointed by the waylaying of Lee, or dashing second lead man from book 2. I'm hoping for more air time from him in the future as he's such a delight.
I also enjoyed the increase in POV for this one. Seeing inside so many more people's minds was great, and I love this entire cast with my whole heart.

London, 1923. Returning from Paris, botanical researcher Saffron Everleigh finds that her former love interest Alexander Ashton’s brother, Adrian, is being investigated for murder by poisoning. At the same time, her best friend Elizabeth’s war-hero brother, Nick, arrives in town and takes an immediate interest in Saffron. When another scientist is found dead, Saffron agrees to go undercover at the government laboratory. Some secrets, Saffron will find, are better left undiscovered.

In this third book, I was glad to see Alexander back, taking the main centre stage. The plot took on a different complexity and I was excited to see all the intricacies and the higher stakes, even though I sometimes struggled to keep track of all the character names!

I loved seeing Saffron’s assertiveness in standing up for what she believed in, not wanting the result of her research efforts to fall into unethical use (even though she seemed to be facing uphill battle). If only more people had been empowered to think like Saffron in the real world, some of the tragedies as we knew it could’ve been averted.

Elizabeth was a side character to watch for. I loved the dynamic she brought to the story as Saffron’s counterweight. I hope to see her more in future books. This was another fun one in the series, with perfect audiobook narration to match. It definitely enhanced the reading experience for me.

The “Saffron Everleigh Mystery” series features Saffron Everleigh, a determined and skilled botanist in 1920s London. Saffron’s expertise in botany and her sharp investigative skills are central to the series. Her scientific acumen and relentless pursuit of the truth make her a compelling and strong protagonist in this captivating historical mystery series.

I love Khavari’s writing because she captures the reader with her mysterious and fantastic writing. I could not put this book down (pause the audiobook) because I was eager to find out the relationship between the two guys in the book!!!

I can not wait for the fourth book!!

Narrator: Just like the first 2 books, she did a great job!

Ok wow talk about a cliffhanger ending. This audiobook was SO long but it was fun.

Saffron is back in London and working on her botany research. She hasn't seen Alexander in a while, but he has been kind enough to take care of her samples while she's away. But he needs her help now. Alexander's brother has been accused of murder, and Saffron is the only person that he trusts to help. Meanwhile, Saffron's bestie/roommate Elizabeth is dealing with the sudden reappearance of her brother Nick who is back in town and trying to work on their relationship. Saffron and her friends must clear Alexander's brother's name and solve the mysterious poisonings.

This is the third book in Saffron Everleigh's mysteries, and I really enjoyed how we got to have a big female friendship for Saffron and Elizabeth! It was nice!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC.

I did not realize this was the third book in a series until after reading, if I had I probably would have opted not to read this, simply because I hate starting in the middle of a series. It was a good book, I definitely feel like I missed some small things that happened in the earlier books that would have made this one more enjoyable. The characters already felt established, which of course they should have, but I missed quirks to their personality until much later. That said, the characters appear well-developed and enjoyable. The plot was slow-moving and made it a struggle for me. I completely forgot it was a mystery until about halfway through the book. I do not think this is a bad book, by any means, just not a good fit for me and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a historical fiction mystery series.

Jodie Harris did a fantastic job narrating this book and the characters, and their voice was what helped me finish the book when I was feeling lost. My understanding is that Harris has also narrated the first two books in the series and I hope that Dreamscape Media continues to keep Harris as the author throughout the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley and Dreamscape Media.

Set in London 1923, the novel features a botanist, Saffron, navigating a male-dominated scientific community while tackling a murder case. The book blends historical detail with intriguing mystery elements, using plant science in crime-solving to great effect.

I found the social challenges of the period, particularly for women in science, well portrayed. However, the story's momentum can lag due to an overabundance of characters, which can be especially challenging to follow in audiobook format. Moreover, I found myself disoriented, as I was not aware from the start this book is part of a trilogy and I haven’t read the first two books in the series.

I liked this book in the series quite a bit more than the previous two. The characters of Everleigh and Alexander felt more fleshed out and there was a lot more of Elizabeth, Everleigh's roomate and best friend.

I enjoyed both women's interaction and contrast in their personalities. I thought they complemented each other well. Alexander is back in this book more, as he was in the first book. The relationship and interaction between he and Everleigh I felt was well thought out and brought some good character development in each of them especially after the last book.

I thought the mystery itself unfolded well and left you interested and intrigued. Not a fast moving mystery, but enough nuggets to make you invested without being super predictable.

The other 2 books in the series I felt like I could take or leave the following book, but I had received this copy before those so I kept going till I got to this one out of necessity. But the end of this installment left a good cliffhanger without just relying on relational drama like the others, so I am looking forward to reading the next when it comes out.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

The following is a review of A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets in audiobook form provided by NetGalley

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I liked the premise of a botanist solving mysteries and though it is not the first in the series, I didn’t feel like I was at a disadvantage by not having read the others.

While I found the beginning to be interesting, the further I got into it the more I felt nothing was happening. Around 60-70% thought to myself, wow there hasnt really been any progress and nothing interesting has happened. I had to force myself to keep going back to this and I hate that feeling.

I also felt the characters were lacking something. Dont get me wrong they dont have to be the most developed interesting people in the world, but I felt I could make a connection to them or care for them.

In terms of the audiobook aspect, I thought the narrator did a great job, and the audio quality was good.

Overall, I hope other people enjoy this novel. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right time for me, but I did not find joy in it.

Reviews posted on amazon and goodreads and amazon

I was drawn to this book by the title and cover. I haven’t read any of the other books and didn’t realize this was a series. The characters were well written. I honestly didn’t finish this book, because I hadn’t read the other two books and it seems like the information would have been helpful for me to better understand the story.

The main female character, Saffron, a botanist attempting to secure a position with her research in poisonous plants. Completely against being attached to anything government related for fear of what her findings could be used for.

Saffron has returned from a conference in Paris and is asked by Alexander Ashton, her longtime friend and love interest, to help his brother Adrian, who is accused of murdering a Russian scientist.

Saffron follows through with Inspector Green, and finds out that a scientist who worked for the British government, was travelling in the same train compartment as Adrian, collapsed and died, and Adrian was in the wrong place at the wrong time, making him the main suspect.

I found this story very refreshing actually. Even thought the story moved along at a slow pace, the storyline kept me engaged. I am a lover of shows like Murder She Wrote, Matlock, and Dr. Quin Medicine Woman, this book gave me the same cozy mystery feels as the aforementioned shows.

I felt that the voice actor did a great job at telling the story from the dual view points (at certain points in the story) and giving each character their own identity.

I will be going back to read the previous installments of this series to assist in tying in a few things. However, had I not found out after the fact that there was another book would not have felt jilted in anyway.

This was a good book!

This was an excellent read/listen. This is currently one of my favorite historical mystery series' and I always look forward to "meeting up" with Saffron and Co. I really enjoyed this one and all of antics that Saffron, Elizabeth [it was such a good time to see her get more involved in the mystery-solving], Lee, and Alexander get up to [so many entanglements in this one!].

There are so many twists and turns in this one and reveals that are very unexpected and go on and on [in a very good way - this author knows how to do a fabulous reveal that keeps you on the edge of your seat] and kept me [mostly] guessing right up until the end, and left me hoping that book 4 is close on the heels of this one. ;-)

Jodie Harris is an excellent narrator and I love how she brings Saffron and Co. to life and it is always a joy to listen to her tell the story; she does another fantastic job here and I highly recommend listening to this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Khavari, Jodie Harris - Narrator, and Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love listening to he Saffron Everleigh series! This is book three and they just keep getting better. Set in London, 1923. This time Saffron must disguise herself to work as a botanist in a government lab in hopes of uncovering a mysterious cause of death. I really hope there is going to be a book four in this series! The narrator, Jodie Harris, really brings Saffron to life!

While the second installment in this series left me underwhelmed, I really enjoyed this third installment. I thought the author hit her stride and I loved the different layers coming together. I also enjoyed the character development of Saffron and her relationship with Alexander. I also like that we got a better look at Elizabeth. I will definitely continue this series now, with hopes that the next book continues in this vein.

I liked the narrator and thought she did a great job embodying the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this audioARC.

I have not read the first two books in this series. However, that did not stop me from enjoying this book as a standalone. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to go back and read the first books, too!

Saffron finds herself going undercover and becoming involved in solving the mystery of scientists who are popping up dead, with her former lover Alexander’s brother being the prime suspect.

I enjoyed the personalities of all the characters and learning more about them. Elizabeth is my favorite, though.

The audiobook narrator, Jodie Harris, had a pleasant and easy to listen to voice. A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavri was an adventure from beginning to end. I am ready for the next book!

4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC to review.

#ABotanistsGuidetoSocietyandSecrets #NetGalley

"A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets" by Kate Khavari promises a thrilling continuation of Saffron Everleigh's adventures, but unfortunately doesn't quite bloom to its full potential.

The introduction of Elizabeth's brother Nick adds a new dynamic, but the first half of the book struggles to find its pace. Thankfully, the second half picks up, redeeming the story somewhat and keeping it rooted in intrigue.

Saffron's journey through 1923 London, navigating murder mysteries and government conspiracies, offers moments of excitement. However, the unresolved tension with Alexander and the sudden appearance of Nick feels more like narrative thorns than compelling plot elements.
While the book ends on a cliffhanger that ensures I'll return for the next installment, it doesn't leave me eagerly anticipating the next chapter in Saffron's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.