Book Review: Floral Depravity by Beverly Allen (Bridal Bouquet Shop Mysteries #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, interesting mystery and setting

Cons: I wanted to see more of some of the series supporting characters

The Bottom Line:

Medieval wedding

Makes another fun setting

For this great series

Life in Medieval Times was Murder

I must admit that I wouldn’t have expected to find a medieval theme in a book about a flower shop.  Somehow, I just don’t see that two are going together.  And yet that is exactly what we get in Floral Depravity, the third in the Bridal Bouquet Flower Shop mysteries, and it’s a great book.

Every year, there is a medieval encampment just outside of the small Virginia town where Audrey Bloom lives.  No, this isn’t one of those Renaissance Fairs that is more about entertaining the guests than historical realism.  Instead, it’s about being historically accurate.  That provides a bit of a challenge for Audrey when her shop, Rose in Bloom, is asked to provide the flowers for a wedding that is to take place during this year’s encampment.  Still, she manages to find some historically accurate but meaningful flowers.

Audrey is at the encampment for the wedding when tragedy strikes.  The father of the groom collapses after the ceremony.  Audrey quickly suspects he was poisoned, and a search of the nearby woods confirms her suspicion when she finds the plant used in the crime.  The victim is rumored to have a secret life, but what is that life?  Did it somehow lead to his murder?

I have enjoyed the first two books in this series, and this third one was no exception.  The characters are absolutely wonderful.  Audrey is a smart and capable heroine, and I loved seeing this next chapter in her life.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with the support staff at the florist shop she co-owns with her cousin Liv, and I love them, so I missed them.  However, the new crop of characters are interesting, and working the supporting characters into the story probably would have just slowed it down.

The plot does move forward at a steady pace, providing us with great clues and red herrings along the way.  Aspects of this case hit very close to home for Audrey, so we get some great character development as the plot unfolds.  I did have some idea where things were going before we reached the end, but I completely missed the clues or motive until Audrey figured it out.

Since Audrey’s interest is in the language of flowers, there is some talk along the way about what various flowers mean.  However, I never felt like it slowed down the book.

I got a kick out of the medieval camp set up for this story.  The way the various characters either insisted on perfectly keeping the time period accurate or tried to sneak modern stuff in created some very fun moments.

Beverly Allen is three for three when it comes to fun mysteries and wonderful characters.  If you’ve missed this series, fix that today.  And if you are already a fan, be sure to pick up Floral Depravity.  You’ll love it.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, October 15th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 10/15.