Book Review: Slay It with Flowers by Kate Collins (Flower Shop Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Enjoyable, great humor
Cons: Characters and plot could be stronger
The Bottom Line:
Perfect example
Better than the sum of its parts
Cozy fans will like




Here Comes the Bride; There Goes the Groomsman

I tried to resist as long as I could.  Even with all the cozy mysteries I do, I had a hard time justifying a guy reading a series about a florist.  Yet every time I saw one of the titles for the Flower Shop Mysteries, I had to admire the pun.  I'm now on my second, Slay It with Flowers, and I must admit I am enjoying them.

The series is set in a small Indiana town and follows the misadventures of Abby Knight, owners of Bloomers, a local florist and coffee shop.  Despite the constant warnings of family and friends, she keeps finding herself caught up in mysterious events.  In fact, this book starts just days after the first in the series ended.  But don't worry; nothing from the first book is spoiled.  There is just enough to remind us of who the players are, however (which is a good thing since I read the first over a year ago now.)

In three weeks, Abby's cousin Jillian is getting married.  That is assuming she doesn't get cold feet again.  Not only is Abby a bridesmaid, but she's also providing the flowers for the wedding, providing her with motivation to make sure everything goes off as planned.

So when one of the groomsman disappears, Abby gets drawn into looking for him.  Things get even worse when another member of the bridal party turns up dead.  Can Abby figure out what is happening to this wedding in time to save it?

As much as I did enjoy the book, I must admit it had its flaws.  Take the characters, for example.  Despite efforts, they never truly move beyond types.  Jillian is completely self absorbed and oblivious.  Her bridesmaids aren't much better.  Abby has two employees who are there just to warn her to be careful.  One of the characters has a crush on Abby, but he is little more than a male chauvinist pig.  Fortunately, the love interest is a much better character.  In fact, Marco and Abby are the best developed of the bunch.  Frankly, the book tries to balance so many characters its hard to give all of them the time they truly need.  But I do like what I see and hope that the characters get fleshed out better as the series progresses.

The plot was a tad uneven.  It started strong and gave us some nice twists and red herrings.  I did guess at least part of the ending about half way through the book, but it still kept my attention.  Unfortunately, as it nears the climax it seems to get a little repetitive.  If it had cut out a bit, the climax could have gotten the treatment it deserved.  As it is, it seemed to be a little abrupt to me.

While these books aren't constantly laugh out loud funny, there is some humor to them.  Grace, one of the employees at Bloomers, always seems to have a quote to fit the occasion, and I enjoy them greatly.  Abby's mom fancies herself a sculptress, and her pieces are quite funny.  There were also several scenes that made me laugh as they played out.

I've already bought the third book in this series, so I definitely plan to continue.  Yes, Slay It with Flowers has some flaws.  But if you need a light mystery, it certainly fits the bill.