Flowers For Pandora

Queens of Olympus #7

by Arizona Tape

Even a goddess needs flowers sometimes. As a nurse and the current Pandora, Petunia sits with the terminally ill who have nobody to hold their hand at the end of their life. A draining but fulfilling job that leaves her with not much time or joy for herself. Gardener Ellis has her own reasons for donating flowers to the hospice. When she first meets Petunia, she’s unaware of who she’s really talking to and a gentle friendship blossoms between the two women as they discover what makes life worth living. - Flowers For Pandora takes inspiration from classic Greek mythology and puts a twist on the stories about Pandora. This slow burn sapphic romance can be read as a standalone and is part of the Queens of Olympus series.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Mythology

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2023

About the author

Arizona Tape lives her dream life hanging out with her dog and writing stories all day.

Her favourite books to write are urban fantasy and paranormal romances with queer leads, stories that she wished were around when she was younger.

When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen, watching shows that make her cry, or trying her hand at her new hobby of the week.

She currently lives in the United Kingdom with her girlfriend and her adorable dog who is the star of her newsletter. Sign up here for adorable pictures, free books, and news about her books: www.arizonatape.com/subscribe



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Her books are available on all retailers and can be requested from most public libraries.

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queens of Olympus tales continue to surprise me...... modern twists on Greek myths.
Flowers for Pandora while a sweet romance has a vein of sadness, dealing for the most part with Pandora/Petunia comforting terminally ill patients. Pairing Ellis, a gardener who volunteers at the hospice (sharing her love of flowers to brighten the grounds and lighten patient rooms) with Petunia is clever. Their friendship leads to a slow romance as they learn about each other and support one another.
Thank you Arizona for writing about the need for a role like this in a hospice and the toll it takes on the caregiver while enclosing it in a beautiful short, warm and caring romance.
I easily recommend this cleverly written series.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has quickly become one of my favorite comfort reads. In a way these stories are of course kinda predictable, but I like how they have a touch of magic in some cases and always a nice and sweet love story. When BookSprout notified me that this arc was available I therefore didn't hesitate and grabbed my copy right away.

This book has the most amazing setting and theme. Loads of authors are afraid to talk about the last days or weeks of someone's life and they're even more afraid to talk about the uglier sides of it. This book never becomes too heavy, but it doesn't shy away from the challenges caretakers face in the last moments of someone's life. And it most of all does tell these stories with a lot of respect.

I also liked how the myth of Pandora was transformed in this book. It made a lot of sense to have Pandora working at a hospice, where she can make up for the pain and hurt and illness she, although this story never tells if it really was her fault, brought into the world. I also like how it's explained that no one can do this job for a very long time.

And last but not least there is of course the romance. These two ladies are an amazing couple. They understand each other's pain and history, they are willing to help each other, they are showing time and time again that they can be trusted with secrets and emotions and they most of all know how to lighten the mood and cheer each other up.

[Chrissi G · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Even a goddess needs flowers sometimes."

I want to start this review by saying that I work in hospice so this ARC had my attention right away. I am also a bit of a dork because in high school I took Latin for my language courses and I loved reading the stories of the gods & goddesses, so to see a bit of a twist on them seemed like it would be fun. This is Book 7 in the series, however it is the first book I'm reading and it does well as a stand-alone story.

With this being the first book I'm reading from the series, I love the thought of the gods and goddesses being positions more-so than just people. Big shift in perspective of how they behave if each person brings a touch of themselves to the position. With that alone I want to pick up the rest of the series!

I also love that each chapter switches from Petunia's POV to Ellis' POV. It's more fun getting to see things from the perspective of each character as things evolve. I've only read a handful of books that are designed that way, and it played well for this one.

Hospice is not an easy subject to handle, whether fiction or non-fiction; Arizona did a wonderful job of creating a realistic setting. Grief, saddness, loss, but also those moments of gratitude, joy, and hope. Ah, hope. Perfect thought to bring us to Pandora.

The current Pandora, Petunia, is kind and thoughtful. She takes her position seriously and brings as much compassion as she can to her role each day. Hospice is not an easy job, it is not for everyone and she is aware of that fact. One of my favorite parts from Petunia's perspective reads, "I sat with my bowl of soup in the canteen, the drizzle of rain outside the windows reflecting my inner mood. It was just one of those days where everything felt bleak and sombre and nothing went right. My soup grew cold as I wondered about what the point of it all was. Did my presence really comfort any of our patients here or was this job solely to comfort my own soul and ease my conscience? Some days, it was hard to tell." That is so spot-on for those of us who work in hospice, we really do have our days where it's rougher and we wonder if we are making a difference and/or enough of a difference.

Then we meet Ellis, she's shy and sweet yet when you get her talking about flowers and gardening, she opens up and you can see the joy she gets from her work. She's at the hospice doing what she can to bring some gentle beauty to the grounds for those who are there, patients, families and workers alike. From the perspective of Ellis my favorite part reads, ""You don't just sit with them at the end, do you?" I deduced, a sadness falling over me as I looked back at Stephanos' room. After only five minutes, I could feel myself sapped of energy. I didn't understand how Petunia or anyone else working here could manage it. "I try not to get invested but… A lot of people here don't have anyone and they need someone to remember them, their life. I try to be that for them."" Once more, so much reality without making it overly heavy or depressing.

Not only did I love the story line, the first f/f romance I've read, I truly appreciate how well the subject of dying, death, and hospice are handled within it. Even fiction books can sometimes help us with heavier subjects and seeing them in a different way. Arizona does a masterful job weaving dying and death with wonder and hope and balancing it all with love. Love for family, love for a good friend, and love of a significant other.

Is cozy romance a thing like cozy mystery is? If so, this book is a perfect example for cozy romance. A cute running joke between them about the fateful "box", supporting each other from the very beginning as new friends; I enjoyed the sweet and tender moments between Petunia and Ellis. Watching the trust between them grow as their relationship bloomed was a pleasure to read. Hope and Love really were the two main themes to this story, in my opinion anyway. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have received this book as an ARC from Booksprout and am writing this review of my own choice.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book seven of the Queens of Olympus series and this story is all about the current Pandora, Petunia, who is a nurse and currently works in a hospice as part of her role as Pandora. Why anyone would want the position, which is to be there for those who are making their final journey to Hades, most of whom have no family or friends to be with them as they are dying. It takes a toll on Petunia, but she sees it as her calling and feels guilty for not being there for someone important in her life. She feels she has to be there all the time and doesn’t allow any time for herself to relax really, or even any time for a life of her own. Ellis is a gardener who volunteers her time to look after the gardens at the hospice, a place someone dear to her spent his last days. She first sees Petunia sitting on one of the benches in the garden and goes to speak to her, thinking she looks a bit down and could use some company. She knows by Petunia’s scrubs that she must be a nurse and knows how hard they work in the hospice. Ellis has her own gardening business and brings her own supplies to the hospice, including even orchids for the patient’s rooms.

Ellis had no idea who she was actually speaking to at first and is taken aback a bit when she finds out Petunia is actually the Pandora! The two women start a nice friendship, meeting up in the garden often, for a chat, a coffee, and even a bite of lunch, especially when Petunia hadn’t eaten as the choice in the hospice was lentils which she hates! They both talk about their lives and what has taken them to this point, as well as some of the struggles of life. Ellis is not certain that the Underworld exists and that she will meet her brother again. Petunia hasn’t really allowed herself a life outside of the hospice and Ellis is the one to push her out of her norm and get her out of the hospice and enjoying places like the beach. Their easy friendship slowly turns to romance, but both are careful not to make it too obvious whilst around the hospice, always mindful of any relatives visiting their dying family. Not that the staff haven’t already noticed what was going on. A very slow burn romance, where friendship and compassion comes first, for a lovely short story. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[TaniaRina · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Discover what makes life worth living’
I adored Ellis’s reminiscences about her grandma and “odd bird” sayings she used in order to keep the kids & teens in line. Such sweet memories to cherish and to pass down.

Oh, and the plants! We should care for people a fraction of how well Ellis takes care of her flora.


Grief is such a difficult emotion; it’s very personal and sometimes even we do not know how we wish to behave. Do we want to be alone or with someone? Do we want to cry or sigh? Do we want to “move on” or just make the world go away? Do we want to binge-eat or avoid food? Music, talk, or silence?


A word about the context:
A previous Pandora ‘started the charity to sit with the terminally ill, as a new way to do penance for the horrible diseases that came out of the original's box’.
A former boss of mine used to be a nurse and she volunteered with a similar organization in the U.S. Even when family members visit often and have said the goodbyes, sometimes it takes a stranger to say “Perhaps, it’s time for all y’all to go get some coffee”. The pressure to stay for other people can be insurmountable, yet having a volunteer sit with nearby and give permission to go…what a gift.


If you missed this chance for someone in your life, there might be a way to do something in memory of that person. Think of shared activities or personal interests and hobbies. Maybe do some volunteer work or even just learn about that topic. Without even knowing that I’d receive this book today, yesterday I bought some fruit to make persimmon loaf that my dad’s stepmom used to make. I *was* going to look online for a recipe, but instead I’ll now ask my aunt if she happens to know how her mother made it. It’s the little things…


‘The seed had been planted, now [Arizona] just has to wait and see if it grows into something more.’ Let us learn from someone else’s pain to make the world a better place for those who can no longer do anything for themselves.
May we all take time to visit those in need and be there in their last moments among us. Even ‘flowers in [the] room means that someone cares’.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Flowers for Pandora, Arizona Tape has once again come up with a fresh story about Greek mythology in two ways this time. One, most people with a classics background would not consider Pandora part of the Greek pantheon (of all the gods) since she was not a god, but she is one of the figures from mythology many know due to the expression Pandora’s box. And two, the subject of Pandora’s job is a serious one and as the author points out in their afterword, a personal one for them. And, since I have no family, it is personal to me also. I don’t always expect to be deeply moved by a Tape story (no complaints since I mostly read for entertainment), but this book did that. I’m impressed when an author can do both serious and light with equal skill, but Tape does that. I’m glad they are so prolific since I look forward to each story. I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flowers for Pandora was a cute and sweet read. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Pandora helps those who are in the last stages of life before leaving this world. Some of those she cares for don’t have families to help. Pandora provides that last comfort so that they’re not alone. Ellis decides it’s a good time to plant new flowers around the temple to help bring about some cheer and a way to make the garden area more a respite for the temple workers. Spending time with Ellis and learning about plants and flowers helps Pandora immensely since it’s hard loosing her patients that are ready for Hades and their afterlife.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the good things are hidden in plain site. Perhaps our heroine can discover one of those treasures for herself.

This is book seven of the series, but it is written as a standalone.

This is a paranormal romance of the FF variety offering a different twist on the old Greek myths. The story is well written and easy to read with a fun setting that is enjoyable to explore. The characters are are the main focus and they are also well done and very enjoyable. I really enjoyed this twist on the old stories and I look forward to more in the series.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

cw: terminal illness, death

This was so sweet but also so depressing. Sweet because of the relationship between Petunia and Ellis and how it progressed, depressing because of the subject matter. I think Petunia is someone to admire, as she still gets up and goes to work even though her job takes a lot out of her emotionally. I also liked reading the author note at the end and learning what inspired this book, as it made it all the more touching.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Looby Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful and sweet book yet at the same time heart wrenching and real, about Petunia, the current Pandora, and Ellis. Pandora working at a hospice was never going to make for a fun filled book, but instead we got a dose of reality about hospices and death. It felt like the author poured her heart and soul into this book. There was thankfully no angst, as it wouldn’t have felt right against such a peaceful backdrop.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet romance, with no angst or last-minute breakup. It takes place at a hospice where Pandora has a temple. She sits with the dying who have no family. Ellis is a gardener who has donated her time to take care of the gardens there. Because of the location, it makes the story a little sad. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I adore this series so much. I can’t get enough of it and I’m so glad that there’s going to be more books. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the books in this series. They are all wonderful and the series as a whole has such a a cozy vibe to them. This one in particular was great. The romance between Petunia and Ellis was lovely and I liked both of their characters as individuals. Another great installment to the series and I can’t wait for the next one.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional and Uplifting

The mythology of Pandora is a contentious one, with one woman shouldering a lot of blame. In this novel, the position of Pandora atones for unleashing the ills on the world by sitting in hospice with those who have no one. I really liked Petunia and Ellis’ story - it was so sweetly and tenderly romantic, such a contrast to the heaviest of Petunia’s job. Sweet smiles and gentle tears made for an excellent read.

[Anne Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petunia is the current Pandora, and parts of her job are really hard on her. When she meets Ellis, the volunteer gardener, things change, and a light heartedness enters her life. Will there be a happ ever after for these women? Loved it!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote tender as the title because this book shows the tender part of dying. The best line in this book is when Ellis is wiping Petunia’s tears and says, “There, no more dew.” It was so sweet. This is a very tender love story. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a nurse, I found this book so endearing. There is no greater deed than just being there for a person at their last hour on earth. This book along with the paranormal elements made it such a good book to read.

[O'Livia Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flowers For Pandora is another great read by Arizona Tape. I loved this story and I will definitely recommend that you read it for yourself.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LizJ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet slow burn romance. The main characters are so sweet and generous with the people in hospice. This is a retelling of Pandora with a very different version of Pandora.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. This book tugs at your heartstrings but in a good way. I like that Ellis and Petunia find each other and form a relationship. It was good how Ellis supported Petunia in her job and received it in return.

[CMLH · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great addition to the series. The toll that being Pandora takes on Petunia is so heart wrenching even while it’s fulfilling. Ellis has a few secrets about the flowers but there isn’t any angst between the two. this is a sweet love story that will make you smile.

[Sheila White · Rating 5 out of 5]

thought this was a wonderful book full of hope for those who are in that situation and the idea of there being someone who will be there at the end of your life to sit with you at no charge is a great one.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

another intriguing retelling of the classic story , this time a very different Pandora

compassion and romance seem to find paths in a complex dystopian world

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book that takes the Pandora character and puts an interesting new spin on it. The romance is sweet and I love how you can recognize the characters but the story is also fresh and new.

[Jen Keyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

captures grief in a beautiful and poetic way. this is why it is so highly rated.

[Siddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another story in this series, a very gentle romance in an end-of-life care home. Arizona Tape handles this emotive subject in an extremely sympathetic way.
In my opinion this is one of the best stories from this series - it shows people at their lowest, but also at their best when caring for others. Both Ellis and Petunia are lovely warm characters, both have a sad part of their lives that they are coming to terms with, and their love for each other helps them with that.