Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"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 Thoughts:

After adoring this author's Pacific Northwest cozy series, I am basically here for everything/anything that she writes.  So you can probably guess how thrilled I was to hear that she had this new series coming out!  I can't say that I've yet read a cozy series featuring flowers but I was definitely here for it.  And I loved my time with this book and these new characters.  It was a fun read and definitely different from any of the other cozy series that I'm currently reading.  In this book, Britta comes home to Portland after realizing how unhappy she is in her marriage.  Her passion is flowers so she comes back to help her aunt in the floral boutique that her aunt owns.  Soon after she arrives though, trouble finds them both as a dead body is found in the cottage behind their floral shop.  And just as fast, I was hooked on this book and these characters!  I think though before I tell you everything that I enjoyed about this book, that I better tell you about my one and only complaint with this book.  I feel like the author completely glossed over Britta's failed marriage in the beginning of the book.  It almost would have worked better for me if she hadn't included the discovery of her husband being unfaithful.  There were just no details relating to it all and everything happens so fast - I could have skipped all of that and just started with Britta arriving in her old hometown.  My two cents though so take it for what it's worth!  As soon as the murder happened though, I was firmly entrenched in the story and figuring out whodunnit.  I also really became attached to both Britta and Elin's characters.  I think that the author has a knack for creating characters that you come to care about which happened while I was reading this book yet again.  I'm really looking forward to more books with these characters!  I also loved how in this book the author gave tidbits and details relating to Britta and Elin's Swedish heritage.  It just added a different flavor to the book that I couldn't help but enjoy.  The mystery portion was also very enjoyable.  I didn't figure out who the killer was until the very end (although I did suspect at one point).  It's always fun to find that the author is able to turn you around enough that you don't see the end coming.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book and have already added the next book to my TBR list (despite the fact that it isn't scheduled to release until November of this year).  I will be right there ready to gobble it up when it does come out!  I found myself easily swept away by this book and it has me wishing to visit Portland sometime myself.  I even wouldn't mind a rainy day or two thanks to reading this one.  Ha!  I loved that this book was so focused on flowers...something that I wouldn't have said that I was terribly interested in.  I love to garden but fresh veggies are where it is at for me.  I just might have to consider planting some flowers though after enjoying this book so much!  I can easily recommend this book to cozy mystery fans.  It just has the perfect cozy feel that I look for.  And don't worry food lovers - the author included enough delicious descriptions to scratch that foodie itch that I didn't even know that I had.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A really enjoyable beginning to this new cozy series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion.

This book releases on March 27th if you are interested!