Customer Reviews

Sleeping With Anemone: A Flower Shop Mystery

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kate Collins writes her cozy mysteries not just for the "chick-lit" crowd. I have given these books as gifts ever since I came upon the first in the series, " Mum's The Word" and was absolutely hooked. It's not often that a cozy mystery spans a broad range of readers, but Collins does it with ease. My favorite by far was "Shoots To Kill," but this new title has just taken the number one spot. She has really taken the time to flesh out some of the characters that have been around for awhile, while adding some fresh and fun new characters. Trust me, once you read one book you will have to read them all!

This mystery was an easy read.
I always enjoy Kate Collins, and her flower mystery books.
This was no exception. Abby always seems to be in the thick of things.
This adventure is no different.
This book has cows, candy hearts, flowers, a little murder
or two, to keep you reading the book. Plus, the added bonus
of their on again off again, "do we get engaged or not", question of the day.
I like that one gets to see more of Abby's family
and Marco's family, intertwined in the plot.
It feels a little more cozy.
At the end of the book, Ms. Collins shows
us a glimpse of her next mystery, called, "Dirty Rotten Tendrils".
It comes out in October.
I will be waiting for the next installment.

At a home and garden show sponsored by Uniworld Food, Bloomers Flowers owner Abby Knight circulates a petition against the host firm opening up a dairy farm in which the firm uses bovine hormones to increase milk production by nine times. The hormones get into the milk people drink and harm the animals. Her efforts anger the company's district manager Nils Raand who has her removed from the exhibit hall.

Back at her florist shop, Abby finds a broach in a box or orchids she ordered from Hawaii. Her mother makes duplicates to be sold at the shop. Abby is missing an order of anemones that the vendor says he sent to her. Although she is annoyed over the mix-up she becomes frightened over the attempted kidnappings of her roommate Nikki, cousin Jillian and niece Tara. Kate and her lover former Ranger boyfriend turned private investigator Marco believe Nils is behind the terrorism crimes. A brick inside burning paper is tossed through the shop window. However, Kate reconsiders whether Nils is the culprit or someone else from Uniworld whose corporate values can be found in the sewage system though she also wonders why a large influential corporation would violently go after a minor league gnat.

Readers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth tale that uses family humor in between some dangerous escapades. The heroine is strong willed and at times resents Marco trying to protect her as she is no lilting violet. Their families want the duo married, another item that upsets her as she feels they should mind their business. Marco is a saint for putting up with the female Oscar the grouch. However what refreshes the latest Flower Shop mystery is the issue of whether hormonal induced products are safe in the long run vs. the immediate starvation around the world.

Harriet Klausner

After the horror that was Kate Collins' last book, I ordered "Sleeping with Anemone" with some trepidation. Would Abby and her friends come through this time or would I stop reading the book halfway through and give up on Bloomers Flower Shop forever.

I am happy to say that this book has brought the gang back to where they belong--on the list of one of my favorite series.

There are problems, of course (hence the 4 instead of 5 stars). The entire "Abby as an animal rights activist" is overblown and, as a former law student (albeit a drop out), Abby should have know the legal liabilities in some of her actions. There are times the will-they-or-won't-they-set-a-date-to-get-married gets a little old. But those are small problems.

In general, this book is a well-written, well-thought out cozy. I know, the mystery isn't much of a mystery--I figured out what they were missing early on but that didn't stop me from enjoying their search.

More importantly, the secondary characters--Lottie, Grace, Mom, Dad, and Reilly all make appearances. Even the roommate I found so annoying in the previous "Evil in Carnations" returns without all the baggage that made me dislike her before.

I don't go through plots in reviews--you can get that from the Amazon description and other reviews. Furthermore, I really hate to see spoilers. So, I'll just say that Mom's artistic abilities (or lack thereof) once again play a prominent role in this book and the dynamics of both Marco's and Abby's families keep popping up.

Now that Kate Collins has righted what was wrong previously, I look forward to the next installment--due October 2010.

Abby Knight protests against Uniworld food are done because she wants to protect cows but soon she's the one in need of protection. Someone is vandalizing her flower shop and people close to her are in danger. When the threats turned to murder Abby agrees to stop her protests. But is she too late to save not only her life but the lives of those she loves the most?

"Sleeping with Anemone" is another nicely done mystery in Kate Collins's Flower Shop cozy mystery series. While the mystery has some particularly nice twists and turns, it is not as sharply written as other books in the series and in some ways the identity of the killer feels like a cheat. However, what makes the book so delightful are the characters and I was happy to see more of Abby's family in this book. Her niece Tara plays a major role (at least at the beginning - she kind of disappears in the second half of the book) and it was fun watching her interact with Tara. There is also, I'm happy to say, a lot more of Abby's parents in the book. Her mother and her disastrous art projects have been a running joke throughout the series but in this book, she comes through as a lot stronger and smarter than in the other books. I was also happy to see Abby's father play an important role in the book - Abby's relationship with him is very sweet and helps shape her character. Boyfriend Marco's family also plays a big part in the story and helps cement the relationship between Abby and Marco. Abby's "do I want to marry Marco or not" was amusing at first but got tired quickly (although I did laugh at the very end of the book), but did have a sweet ending. As I said, the mystery aspects were a bit weak, and readers will figure out certain plot aspects long before Abby, Marco and the police do and some of the bad guys were so bumbling, they could have come out at the Keystone Kops comedy. Some plot lines never were completely wrapped up - still, the character development is what makes this book worth reading.

"Sleeping with Anemone" is not the strongest book in Kate Collins's series but fans will still enjoy it.

When feisty florist Abby Knight learns a small dairy farm in her home town is being replaced by a dairy "factory," mistreating the animals, pumping the poor cows full of toxins and hormones, she takes action. No one is going to poison New Chapel's food supply!

But when bad things start happening at her flower shop, Bloomers, and then someone tries to kidnap her, she suspects the big national food company is striking back.

But are they? When one of the kidnappers ends up murdered, it's up to Abby and her hot boyfriend Marco to find out who's behind it.

If you've been following the series, you'll love how Abby's and Marco's relationship moves forward, with surprising results. If you're new to the series, don't worry! You will understand everything.

If you like fast-paced suspense and a healthy dose of humor, with a bit of romance thrown in, try SLEEPING WITH ANEMONE.

i Love Kate Collins. Her books are so well written, she has such a way of drawing you into each mystery that you will want to buy all her books and just soak in her words. (:

Excellent book in this series. Abby is protesting against a dairy farm trying to open and gets herself into some trouble with people trying to kidnap her and destroy her flower shop. Of course Marco he boyfriend and friends try to help protect her. I thought this was one of Kate Collins best in this series and look forward to October when book 10 comes out.

I really enjoy this series, the characters are fun and I look forward to the next adventure of Kate, and the next thing her mother is going to create, also will she take the step and get engaged to her Ranger.

Sleeping with Anemone takes you on a roller-coaster ride with Abby, Marco, and their family and friends. The familial relationships receive greater attention in this installment, and the reader also gets a glimpse of some of Abby's deeper concerns. The mystery keeps you guessing, but it's fun through and through. Keep the series coming!