Flowers and Foul Play by Amanda Flower

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!