Slay it with Flowers: A Flower Shop Mystery

I just stumbled across this Flower Shop Mystery series and have found the first two books delightful. I look forward to the next ones.

Many lighthearted mysteries are described as funny when they're simply sweet and amusing. This one is really _funny_. As with so many cozy mysteries, the story is only nominally about an amateur taking on a mystery case than it is about the characters in the protagonist's life. In this case, it's law school dropout Abby, who is trying to make her florist's shop a success. More for financial reasons (she's doing the flowers) than familial affection, Abby also needs to help her dreadfully annoying cousin deal with disappearing members of her bridal party. If you're expecting a regular cast of "characters," you won't be disappointed. Everyone is slightly over the top, from Abby's artist mother to uber-preppy cousin Jillian. The story is believable enough -- that is, I can buy into the reasons that Abby gets herself involved. Good pacing, setting, storytelling, all of that. But really, the strength of this book isn't the mystery (which is okay), but the active sense of humor the author shows. She won't give Jasper Fforde or Connie Willis competition for the "laugh out loud hysterically on a plane with no embarrassment forever" award... but it it sweetly amusing, in a never-mean way (even though Jillian is a jerk, she's an obliviously funny jerk). If you're looking for a few hours of escapism, this is a 5-star candidate. You can definitely read this series out of order. I did, and I didn't feel as though was coming in too late.

Really enjoyed this story, it was just as good as the first book. Lighter reading than other books, but that's part of what I enjoyed about it. Can't wait to read what happens to Abby in the next book.

Abby Knight runs Bloomers, a flower shop. She's agreed to do the flowers for Jillian, her cousin who is to get married. Jillian has backed out of marriages before, but Abby is determined to see this one happen. She can't afford to have it canceled! She's also to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. A groomsman disappears and then another member of the wedding party is found dead. Jillian enlists Abby to help solve the murder before her wedding is a fiasco. Abby enlists the aid of Marco, the hunky bar owner. With him covering her back, Abby can't get into trouble can she? This is such a fun series. I love Abby and her staff at the shop. Her mother and her art work add plenty of humor to the series as well. Then there's Marco. What more can be said! But even with his help, Abby seems to get into her share, and then some, of dangerous situations. Be prepared to laugh out loud when reading this book! I highly recommend it!

Light and fun with appealing characters and some genuine wit. Abby is the owner of a flower shop and is doing the floral decorations for her rich and senseless cousin, Jillian's, wedding. When one of the groomsmen turns up dead and another is missing, Jillian begs Abby to find the culprit so that her wedding can go on as planned. Because Abby will be out of a large sum of money if the wedding does not proceed (a truckload of flowers and a hideous bridesmaid dress) she aggrees. As she snoops for clues, she discovers some other unseemly activity in her small town and becomes a target for some unknown bad guys. This is a quick, feel-good read, with good pacing and character development. Fans of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum will notice some resemblances, but all for the good.