Acts of Violets
Grade : B

The Flower Shop mystery series is written by a former romance writer and deliciously mixes a fun on-going romance with a cozy mystery and more than a mere soupçon of humor.

Abby Knight owns a flower shop and fancies herself an amateur detective. After being accosted and threatened by Snuggles the Clown during the Annual Pickle Festival, she relates the incident to her boyfriend, Marco Salvare. The next thing she knows the clown has been murdered after having an altercation with Marco, who was seen exiting the clown's house.

Usually in this series Marco tries to discourage Abby from sticking her nose into murders. But, this time it is Marco who is accused of murder and he reluctantly asks Abby to help clear him when it appears that an enemy from his days on the police force is determined to convict him.

Abby discovers that Marco tried to stop Snuggles from bothering his sister's friend Trina. Snuggles had stalked Trina and terrorized his entire neighborhood. Abby interviews his neighbors and finds lots of motives but no proof that one of them killed Snuggles. I wound up being surprised at the resolution of the mystery, which is unusual for me.

Collins manages to mix a really intriguing mystery with a great romance between the hot and hunky Marco and the slightly flaky Abby. Recurring characters Grace and Lottie - who work for Abby at the shop - Abby's roomie and lifetime best friend Nikki, and especially her nutty mother provide on-going humor done with just the right touch of levity.

Acts of Violets is the fifth book in this series and with each book I can hardly wait to see what new artsy craft Abby's mother will create and try to sell in Abby's floral shop. This time out her mom creates feather hats, fans, and masks, which cause extreme allergy attacks in Abby's employees.

Marco and Abby's relationship takes a step forward in this book when Abby meets Marco's Italian mother and sister, who are very enthused at meeting her. To say they are thrilled that Marco is involved with someone would be putting it mildly and if Abby clears him they will be lifetime fans.

While Abby is a delightful character, once in a while her flakiness can tip her into TSTL territory and some zany peril. Thankfully her visits there are brief and Marco provides a good balance. The two are both very likable, not to mention hot together, although they usually get interrupted before they can "do the deed."

The Flower Shop mystery series has been lots of fun and I look forward to Marco and Abby's next outing.

Reviewed by Linda Hurst
Grade : B
Book Type: Mystery

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : March 28, 2007

Publication Date: 2007

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Linda Hurst

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