Slay it with Flowers by Kate Collins

Abby Knight, law school dropout and now flower shop owner has just had a really rough week when the novel opens, and now she has to face being responsible for the flowers at her cousin Jillian's wedding and try to pull off a really big display on the same day as the wedding at a really important client's house. Jillian has been engaged numerous times before, but this time it actually looks as though she is going to make it to the actual ceremony all things being well. However not all things are well. One of the groomsmen is missing, and before too long another one turns up dead. Jillian is distraught at the prospect of her wedding being cancelled and so turns to Abby to ask her to help investigate the murder. With one of her groomsmen and another in jail accused of his murder..what is a bride to do!

Throughout this book much is made of the fact that Abby has promised that she will not meddle anymore in dangerous situations, but once Jillian asks Abby to find out who killed the groomsman Punch, she has no choice but to say yes. She needs the flower order that goes along with the order to keep her fledgling business afloat. Abby is however constantly reminded about her promise by just about every quirky character in the book!

The one good thing about meddling is that if she gets in trouble, she can always call the sexy bar owner from down the road to help her out. Marco seems to be at Abby's beck and call all the time, rescuing her, advising her and generally just being available!

This book follows on directly from the first book in the Flower Shop Mystery series that started with Mum's the Word. I read Mum's the Word a while ago and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to picking up this book. This one however didn't really match the first. It felt to me as though the author was trying too hard to be light and funny, and it didn't really work for me.

I will read the next book in the series (Dearly Depotted - clever title!) in the hope that it doesn't feel quite so forced, although I already have my doubts given that the next book opens the morning of Jillian's wedding, which basically means that Abby will be investigating her third murder in three weeks.

Small town America is a very dangerous place to live apparently.

Rating 3 out of 5