Flowers and Foul Play: A Magic Garden Mystery

Oh my, what a wonderful start to a new series!!!!! I really enjoyed this book, with a broken engagement and the forced closure of her beloved flower shop, Fiona Knox answers the summons of her late godfather's lawyer to come see her inheritance. Although Fiona had visited her godfather in Scotland often she was not prepared for what she found. Discovering her godfathers special garden totally dead, with a dead body inside was not what Fiona expected, and when she and caretaker Hamish are the main suspects, Fiona quickly forgets her old problems to concentrate on her new ones.

There is so much to love about this book, the Scottish countryside, the great main character, Fiona has spunk, adorable animals and just the hint of something magical. Add in the presence of a certain Chief Inspector Craig and a great mystery and you are in for a great read.

I loved this cozy story that is hopefully the first of many! Fiona has lost her flower shop, been dumped by her fiancé, and now her beloved godfather has died. She doesn’t have too much time to dwell on all this though, after a dead body is discovered in the garden of the Scotland property she’s just inherited. While Fiona is quickly ruled out as a suspect by the handsome local Chief Inspector, the elderly gardener and family friend is not, and Fiona has to move quickly to save him from certain arrest. At the same time, she is trying to figure why she was the one to inherit the property and what is so important about a garden that is initially dead but comes back to life before her eyes.

This is a fun read that had me laughing out loud more than once. I enjoyed Fiona as a main character. She was going through a lot, but she wasn’t bitter or whiny, and it was easy to connect with her and understand the various dilemmas she faces. Fiona’s reactions are realistic; she doesn’t automatically believe in the magic or take everything at face value.

The villagers include a cast of fun characters that aren’t as straightforward as they initially seem, a semi-tame squirrel, and the dead man’s cat. The addition of the magic garden to the story adds a nice touch. The main mystery comes to a satisfactory conclusion, but I suspect there’s more to learn about the story of Fiona’s inheritance. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

I received a copy of this book from the author through Cozy Mystery Review Crew in exchange for an honest review.

What a magical wonderful cozy mystery that sweeps you up into murder with a mystical element that keeps you enthralled throughout the book.
Fiona's life is in a jumble and she hopes moving to Scotland to the place her GodFather left her will give her purpose and a new beginning but little did she know the his garden was special and mystical. She finds herself in the middle of a murder that for her could be dangerous or down right deadly and of course in a small village people will assume the worst about her. Will Fiona figure this mystery out and what really is going on in her garden?
This is a fun enjoyable cozy mystery that incorporates a good mystery, a little magic, great characters in an unique setting. I just loved the way the author made the village and garden so easy to imagine being right there and then the mystery was not one you figured out right from the start. 5 Stars for this book and series. I can't wait for the next book.
I recieved this book for my honest opinion and review.

Flowers and Foul Play is the first book in the new series, A Magic Garden Mystery by Amanda Flower. Fiona Knox goes to Scotland after inheriting her godfather's cottage and magical garden. After her godfather's lawyer is found dead in the garden upon her arrival, it's up to her to figure out who was responsible and clear the garden's caretaker's name.

Hearing cozy mystery and magical garden in the description, I knew I would like this book! Scotland is one of my favorite settings for a cozy mystery, and I love a cozy with a little bit of magic in it. This was a typical small town village, with lots of different characters to enjoy. I thought the description of the village and its inhabitants was perfect and didn't take away from moving the story further. There's a lot of likable characters, and of course a few that purposely unenjoyable ones as well.

There's a start of a romance brewing, but it doesn't get too intense in this first installment, which I find very smart in a first in a series. I also actually did not figure out who had committed the murder completely correctly with this cozy - which is a nice surprise!

This installment left a lot of storylines that I can see continuing throughout the rest of the series; so I'm excited to see where this series leads!

I would definitely recommend this cozy to all cozy lovers, but especially to those who would like a little bit of magic thrown in.

Flowers and Foul Play by Amanda Flower

Fiona is summoned to Scotland after the death of her godfather to claim the cottage he bequeathed her. She has no reason to remain stateside after her fiancé opted for a cake maker and a chain florist next to hers took her customers away and caused her to close.

Arriving, she is greeted by the long tasked caretaker, Hamish and his side kick, Duncan.. a frisky squirrel with secrets to divulge. First is the dead body deposited in the walled garden.
Then the fun begins.

When long-trusted Hamish is queued as the number one murder suspect, Fiona sets her sights on proving his innocence and tethers in some stealthy support from the close knit locals. Fiona has inherited the house, the land, the garden, the friends, and unfortunately, the enemies. Some rear their heads, obviously, others mask them with a smile.

Clues are given (some never really explained, tho obvious) and Fiona proves herself quite adept at following them to fruition. Perils soon enter the story, along with sunken treasure, communicating animals, dank caves, hunky police, eco-warriors, late letters, scones, and of course, magic.

It’s a fun read, but somehow felt like it skimmed the story. I hope there will be more in this setting and with a fleshier telling. Maybe we’ll find out what became of that treasure, the menacing minister, the land and the budding romance. I sure hope so.

FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY by Amanda Flower
The First Magic Garden Mystery

Fiona Knox's life has been turned upside down. Her beloved godfather, Ian, died, her flower shop went out of business, and her fiancee left her for the cake decorator! Fiona arrives in Scotland to Duncreigan, the cottage and garden bequeathed to her only to find more turmoil as she and her godfather's trusted friend and caretaker find the dead body of Ian's lawyer in the withered garden. The lawyer was disliked by many, primarily due to his selling out the town to developers, but the Chief Inspector has pegged Hamish for the murder. Certain of his innocence, Fiona investigates the town and its residents, but will she find the murderer or will the murderer find her?

The first Magic Garden Mystery ticks all the requirements of a great cozy mystery. There's a sympathetic protagonist to whom we can relate, a quaint setting in a charming town, some adorable scene stealing animals, a possible love interest, and a touch of magic! Not only that, there's a well plotted mystery with lots of suspects along with some excitement.

There's just a hint of magic found here, which grows as the book progresses. Scottish lore plays an important role, both in securing the setting and adding charm and mystical possibilities. I look forward to Fiona discovering her true role as Keeper of the Garden and discovering, along with her, just what that entails. I was enchanted, not only by the mysterious garden, but by my two favorite characters, Duncan and Ivanhoe. The mischievous and fierce little squirrel and the regal and entitled cat are fully developed characters in their own right. I only hope they can declare peace with each other as I want to continue reading about both of them.

FLOWERS AND FOUL PLAY is a great start to a charming new mystery series sure to delight readers.

FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.

Paranormal cozies are my absolute favorites (*especially* ones set in Ireland or Scotland), so I was very excited about this book and it did not disappoint! This is the first book by Ms. Flower that I've read, and you can be sure I'll read future books in this series as well as look up her other series.

Fiona Knox's life is already upside down when she arrives in Scotland, where finding a dead body in the garden of her new home was not a welcome homecoming gift. Throughout the story we're painted a very lovely picture of an old cottage with a garden that just needs a special touch to be beautiful once again. We're introduced to the local village and villagers. For this to be the first book of a series, I didn't get that often-rushed feeling of an author trying to throw characters at you all at once to where you couldn't keep up. You're introduced naturally to where you feel you're getting to know your own way around town and finding people you want to be friends with (or avoid). I really appreciated that!

The mystery itself was well woven. I didn't correctly guess the involved parties until late in the story, and it wasn't until the murder plot was revealed that I knew exactly how (and who) it all connected.

I'm a sucker for the romance aspect of cozies, and I felt that Fiona's reluctant attraction to the Chief Inspector hit that perfect first-book note. Seeing as how Fiona's still recovering from her fiance running off with a co-worker, it makes sense that she wouldn't jump right into a new relationship. But we get those little subtle hints that I do so love, which tease at what may come down the road.

Honestly, this is one of the best first books of a series I think I've read in awhile. So many of the more recent ones I've started have suffered from the things I've already mentioned (basically rushing to get too much information out or rushing the actual story in an effort to keep reader interest) that it was refreshing to find a much more relaxed, natural story and timeline.

If I did have to say one constructive thing, it would be that I personally prefer more contractions in dialogue. The lack of those always pulls me out of the story briefly as no one I know constantly speaks with no contractions. However, the story itself was enough for me to overlook that and continue reading, and I'm grateful that I did.

Oh, and that last paragraph? Yeah, that was awesome. I so can't wait for the next book!

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions stated are my own.

Amanda Flower makes you feel like you can see the ivy covering the wall of the Magic Garden and smell the shepherd's pie from Twisted Fox Pub.
I love a good mystery and this one good story with a good plot and character development. I usually can solve the mystery way before the end of the book, but this one throw me a twist ending. This book is not predictable. The magical garden was wonderful.
I received this book from Crooked Land Books through The Cozy Review Crew. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

Flowers and Foul Play, A Magic Garden Mystery, by Amanda Flower and is the first book in a new series and it is off to a good start. I enjoyed getting to know Fiona Knox and the magical garden and creatures in the story; my favorite being Duncan the squirrel. It is an interesting start to this magical new series, and the descriptions of the village in Scotland and the garden made me feel like I was actually there enjoying the scenery and experiences. Although this is considered a mystery (cozy), there were several moments where I chuckled and laughed as some of the things the characters did/said were quite humorous. This is a good new series and one I will follow as well as the author as she has several other books in other series.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

I loved this book. I didn't expect to like it so much as I don't usually read books with magic in the story line.
The characters are engaging and the descriptions of the setting are so well written I want to hop on a plane to Scotland. I found myself unable to put the book down and couldn't wait to get back to it when I had to. I was surprised by the ending, usually I have some clue about who did it. This is a plus since I like to be kept on the hook until the reveal.

I have already pre-orderd the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.