Review – Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley

Synopsis
Cut down among the flowers . . .

Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.

For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around–and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .

 

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and I absolutely loved it! I really liked the main character Britta. My heart broke for her as she discovered that her husband had cheated on her. I admired her for taking a step for herself and moving to Portland to help her aunt run Blomma. Britta’s Aunt Elin is another character I really enjoyed. We got to see their relationship really develop over the course of the book and it was so refreshing and heartwarming to see how close they are and how much they love each other. The mystery in this book is written very well. There are plenty of suspects to choose from, including some of Elin’s closest friends. It was interesting having suspects that were so close to Elin. It made you take a closer look at them and wonder if they were capable of murder. I don’t usually like romance in cozy mysteries, especially if it overpowers the mystery element of the story, but the budding romance between Britta and Pete in this book was really subtle and sweet. Pete is a very likable character so I warmed up to him pretty quickly. I enjoyed his interactions with Britta and it’s clear that they have a lot of chemistry together. I’m interested in seeing where things go with them in the future. I loved the village setting in this story. It created such a warm and inviting feel. It sounds like someplace you could just get lost in, wandering from shop to shop. One of my favorite things about the village is that the shop owners work together, support each other, and trade goods instead of exchanging money for products. I liked getting to know the shop owners. Mark and Nora are my favorites. Tomo is another favorite character of mine. I learned so much about flowers while reading this book. It gave me a new appreciation for florists and all that they do for their clients. I really enjoyed seeing the time, effort, and dedication that Elin and Britta took in creating something special and unique for their clients. They took pride in their work and with good reason. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in this series and hope there are many more to come!

Book Links
Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBooks

Author Links
(also writes under the name Ellie Alexander)
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter