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An Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery #1
A Mystery in Bloom: Murder in the Marigolds
For landscape designer Alice Bloom, plants are more than just her job—they are her passion. But her latest project turns grim when a despised socialite is found dead in an Italian villa's garden—and Alice, finding herself blamed for the crime, has no choice but to solve it herself.
Drawing on her own extensive botanical knowledge, Alice must dig through the layers of aristocratic secrets and intrigue to unearth the killer, and to clear her name before it’s too late. But a new romance may just have her distracted with other things…
A Mystery in Murder in the Marigolds (An Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery—Book 1) is the first novel in a new series by cozy mystery author Fiona Grace.
The Alice Bloom series is a page-turning, charming cozy mystery that invites you into a picturesque setting, packed with humor, romance, and surprise twists and turns. You’ll be up well past bedtime as you fall in love your new favorite female protagonist.
Future books in the series are also available!
Drawing on her own extensive botanical knowledge, Alice must dig through the layers of aristocratic secrets and intrigue to unearth the killer, and to clear her name before it’s too late. But a new romance may just have her distracted with other things…
A Mystery in Murder in the Marigolds (An Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery—Book 1) is the first novel in a new series by cozy mystery author Fiona Grace.
The Alice Bloom series is a page-turning, charming cozy mystery that invites you into a picturesque setting, packed with humor, romance, and surprise twists and turns. You’ll be up well past bedtime as you fall in love your new favorite female protagonist.
Future books in the series are also available!
149 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2024
598 people are currently reading
557 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Grace
477 books715 followersDebut author Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series which includes MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book #1), DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2) and CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3). Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
November 10, 2024
A cute cozy mystery that keeps you guessing until the end! I couldn't solve the murder, but had a fun time trying to!
Recommend
Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨
Recommend
Enjoy and Happy Reading 💫✨
June 24, 2024
I have no words. She used them all. Elaborately. The assignment must have been overwrought figurative language.
June 26, 2024
Update: Audiobook read by a synthesized voice, that changes my opinion a bit and it explains the lack of performance I’ve come to expect in audiobooks. I think the reading was fine, it could be perfect for a different cozy. It wasn’t as dynamic as a person, but mainly I don’t think the accent was the right choice for this character and setting.
I’ll give this a 2.5. It’s a cozy themed possibly to the point of satire. You’ve got to be in the mood for puns and really stretching analogies to go with the themes to be able to enjoy this book. It wasn’t long, but there were some random technical issues with the audiobook, disruptive sounds that should’ve been edited out, some word stumbles, and just the weirdness of having an older English woman as the reader for a book about a young New England plant enthusiast in Italy. It made me confused about who this main character was, had I missed she was actually an older English woman who resettled in New England after her parents died? Was I so distracted by bad puns that I missed her entire backstory? I may just be used to the readers turning things into a play where they do different voices for each character so this pleasant enough reading of the book isn’t what I expect in an audiobook. I did take a couple week break before I finished the book so I don’t recall the murderer being introduced earlier before the murder, but maybe he came up whenever the victim’s future plans were discussed. I won’t say which plans as that might give away the killer. I’d have liked a bit more action and a bit less stupidity from our under-qualified detectives but it wasn’t a terrible way to spend 5 hours when I was in the mood to enjoy plant puns, but because that was a mood I was only in for the first day I have to round down to 2 stars instead of up to 3.
Regarding the title, I think it was wasted on this book where the only marigold mentioned was a safe word to reveal the killer was found and authorities should be called. I don’t know what oleander alliteration goes well with murder mystery but I wish this book had actually involved murder in marigolds. And why is a cat on the cover when it’s a dog that’s in this book? Or did I totally think that was a dog the entire time and it was actually a cat? I’m pretty sure there was a lot of barking. They could’ve at least put a dog and oleanders on the cover or an Italian villa? Roses on trees, a cat, and a lantern? Did the cover designer even get a summary of the book they were making the cover for or did they just take something they already had laying around the publisher and stick it on there as good enough. It’s not a bad picture, just nothing to do with the book at all. It just feels overall a bit mass market not as much care put into things as books usually try to give the impression of getting at least.
I’ll give this a 2.5. It’s a cozy themed possibly to the point of satire. You’ve got to be in the mood for puns and really stretching analogies to go with the themes to be able to enjoy this book. It wasn’t long, but there were some random technical issues with the audiobook, disruptive sounds that should’ve been edited out, some word stumbles, and just the weirdness of having an older English woman as the reader for a book about a young New England plant enthusiast in Italy. It made me confused about who this main character was, had I missed she was actually an older English woman who resettled in New England after her parents died? Was I so distracted by bad puns that I missed her entire backstory? I may just be used to the readers turning things into a play where they do different voices for each character so this pleasant enough reading of the book isn’t what I expect in an audiobook. I did take a couple week break before I finished the book so I don’t recall the murderer being introduced earlier before the murder, but maybe he came up whenever the victim’s future plans were discussed. I won’t say which plans as that might give away the killer. I’d have liked a bit more action and a bit less stupidity from our under-qualified detectives but it wasn’t a terrible way to spend 5 hours when I was in the mood to enjoy plant puns, but because that was a mood I was only in for the first day I have to round down to 2 stars instead of up to 3.
Regarding the title, I think it was wasted on this book where the only marigold mentioned was a safe word to reveal the killer was found and authorities should be called. I don’t know what oleander alliteration goes well with murder mystery but I wish this book had actually involved murder in marigolds. And why is a cat on the cover when it’s a dog that’s in this book? Or did I totally think that was a dog the entire time and it was actually a cat? I’m pretty sure there was a lot of barking. They could’ve at least put a dog and oleanders on the cover or an Italian villa? Roses on trees, a cat, and a lantern? Did the cover designer even get a summary of the book they were making the cover for or did they just take something they already had laying around the publisher and stick it on there as good enough. It’s not a bad picture, just nothing to do with the book at all. It just feels overall a bit mass market not as much care put into things as books usually try to give the impression of getting at least.
February 25, 2025
Difficult clients are part of a landscaper's job, and Alice Bloom's newest client is no exception. Sent to Italy to restore the grounds of a manor house, Alice finds the socialite homeowner charming and involved in the project. But things are not as they seem and the woman is soon found murdered in her bedroom. As a gardener, Alice becomes the number one suspect in this poison-based death. All Alice wants to do is go home and she can - as soon as she finds the killer.
3.5 Stars
For the most part, I found the story readable, but it never really captured me. A few errors that should have been caught during editing threw me off. Alice is a decent character, although a little bland. As this story required scant involvement, it was easy to multitask while I read and sometimes I do appreciate that. I wasn't crazy about all the punning references to gardening - it felt overplayed.
It's a quick read and akin to popcorn (tasty but not substantial). I would have loved to read this story while travelling; it's that kind of book.
3.5 Stars
For the most part, I found the story readable, but it never really captured me. A few errors that should have been caught during editing threw me off. Alice is a decent character, although a little bland. As this story required scant involvement, it was easy to multitask while I read and sometimes I do appreciate that. I wasn't crazy about all the punning references to gardening - it felt overplayed.
It's a quick read and akin to popcorn (tasty but not substantial). I would have loved to read this story while travelling; it's that kind of book.
July 22, 2024
Two really awful books in a row,, seems a bit much. This one lost me fairly quickly, I am not a skilled gardener but even I know that lupines will not only take over every garden but at least are actively discouraged by most states,,, including the commonwealth of Massachusetts , where this Gardner comes from. Say you don’t care about that, then maybe not having any characters that seem real should at least catch your attention. It’s me I know , Fiona Grace has at least 19 different series working. At this point I refuse to get pulled into one more infomercial— ever again. Most seem like they follow a set script. AI at its best and worst.
August 17, 2024
A Mystery in Bloom: Murder in the Marigolds, Alice Bloom Book 1 by Fiona Grace was a clever cozy murder mystery set in the beautiful Italian countryside, where Alice is hired by a wealthy heiress to revitalize a villa’s rundown garden. What ensues in treachery, murder, betrayal, and a bit on romance in a story filled with food and flowers.
A typical Fiona Grace novel, it was a pageturner with lots of twists and turns. Love this new series.
A typical Fiona Grace novel, it was a pageturner with lots of twists and turns. Love this new series.
July 12, 2024
This was more of 2.5-3 and all about using a thesaurus to throw as much words together rather than an engaging plot so ehhh
August 11, 2024
Although as a professional gardener and botanist Alice takes joy in bringing new life to outdoor spaces, she's intimidated at the thought of revitalizing a classic garden in Italy when a well-known influencer hires her. She agrees to try, but instead of enjoying a pleasant work trip in the Mediterranean, Alice finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. At first, it seems that Alice is the most likely suspect, so she sets out to clear her name and stop whoever is really responsible before they can strike again.
This is a fun story, as cozy mysteries go. It has elegant descriptions of architecture and botanical wonders, and the characters are quirky and fun. The romantic aspect was a little overdone for my tastes, and I was disappointed that I didn't have all the clues to solve the mystery on my own. But I still had a good time with this book. I will note that I listened to a version on audio that was poorly edited, regularly leaving in throat clearing and sneezes and random feedback loops. I hope this didn't taint my experience unduly, but it was always annoying.
This is a fun story, as cozy mysteries go. It has elegant descriptions of architecture and botanical wonders, and the characters are quirky and fun. The romantic aspect was a little overdone for my tastes, and I was disappointed that I didn't have all the clues to solve the mystery on my own. But I still had a good time with this book. I will note that I listened to a version on audio that was poorly edited, regularly leaving in throat clearing and sneezes and random feedback loops. I hope this didn't taint my experience unduly, but it was always annoying.
November 16, 2025
3 stars
The mystery was decent and I enjoy Alice Bloom's side job as an amateur sleuth to clear her name. She also found a new love interest after getting dumped by her jerk ex-boyfriend. Some reviews state that the writing feels like pouring from thesaurus. English is not my native so I just kinda let it aside as long I understand the story. However, the cover is more like AI-slop since why cat while there's no cat in the book. It's dog. Also why marigold? Maybe because it's rhyme with murder? Marigold only mentioned one or two, though.
An okay read and also free on Kobo, but I'm not sure to want to follow Alice's next adventure around worldwide.
The mystery was decent and I enjoy Alice Bloom's side job as an amateur sleuth to clear her name. She also found a new love interest after getting dumped by her jerk ex-boyfriend. Some reviews state that the writing feels like pouring from thesaurus. English is not my native so I just kinda let it aside as long I understand the story. However, the cover is more like AI-slop since why cat while there's no cat in the book. It's dog. Also why marigold? Maybe because it's rhyme with murder? Marigold only mentioned one or two, though.
An okay read and also free on Kobo, but I'm not sure to want to follow Alice's next adventure around worldwide.
September 30, 2024
Bit of silliness
August 8, 2025
I tried to enjoy this novel, I really tried. But the text just felt so dry 😔 The mystery part wasn't that exciting and I felt no chemistry between the characters
May 2, 2024
"A Mystery In Bloom: Murder In The Marigolds" is book #1 in the "Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery" series by Fiona Grace.
"For landscape designer Alice Bloom, plants are more than just her job—they are her passion. But her latest project turns grim when a despised socialite is found dead in an Italian villa's garden—and Alice, finding herself blamed for the crime, has no choice but to solve it herself. Drawing on her own extensive botanical knowledge, Alice must dig through the layers of aristocratic secrets and intrigue to unearth the killer, and to clear her name before it’s too late. But a new romance may just have her distracted with other things…!"
My thoughts:
It took me a while to get into this story. The first chapter has Alice finishing up a project in California. After that, she is in her home town reconnecting with her BFF Jazz and chatting with her sister Daisy via Zoom. Catching up on hometown gossip is one thing but as the bulk of the story takes place in Italy, these early pages felt more like a disjointed distraction. Granted, Jazz, Daisy and even her ex - Scott - do make appearances in later pages of the book but we didn't really need all the initial fluff to get there.
It was Chapter 4 before she finally landed in Italy and met the woman she would be working for. A day later, her client - the socialite is dead and Alice finds herself as the prime suspect by the local police inspector. Since the inspector didn't seem to be doing much to find the real killer, Alice and the chef - Marco - took it upon themselves to do some detective work to clear her name. Insert awkward encounters with some "suspects" and the obligatory "close call" for Alice here before the crime is finally solved.
The vast details of the gardens and plants was a bit much for this non gardening reader. Of course, there is also a bit of romance to distract from the tension of solving a murder. To be honest, the murder seemed to take a back seat on a frequent basis while gardening, plants, food and romance are described. Yes, it is a book where the sleuth is a gardener but I've read and enjoyed other mysteries with this type of sleuth that weren't nearly as focused on the botanical details. It was just more than I expected.
Though I did try to enjoy this book, I also found several grammar errors in the Kindle edition. The most common was a word missing from a sentence such as "as", "be" or "to". At one point early in the book Alice is referred to as Amanda. Simple things that should easily have been caught in a more thorough proof reading.
I've read the blurbs for the next couple of books so realize that Alice will be travelling to various places and countries. I'm not interested enough in gardening to follow her all over the globe to transform gardens.
If you are really into gardening, romances and murder all in one - you will likely enjoy this book and the series. I'll pass. JMO.
"For landscape designer Alice Bloom, plants are more than just her job—they are her passion. But her latest project turns grim when a despised socialite is found dead in an Italian villa's garden—and Alice, finding herself blamed for the crime, has no choice but to solve it herself. Drawing on her own extensive botanical knowledge, Alice must dig through the layers of aristocratic secrets and intrigue to unearth the killer, and to clear her name before it’s too late. But a new romance may just have her distracted with other things…!"
My thoughts:
It took me a while to get into this story. The first chapter has Alice finishing up a project in California. After that, she is in her home town reconnecting with her BFF Jazz and chatting with her sister Daisy via Zoom. Catching up on hometown gossip is one thing but as the bulk of the story takes place in Italy, these early pages felt more like a disjointed distraction. Granted, Jazz, Daisy and even her ex - Scott - do make appearances in later pages of the book but we didn't really need all the initial fluff to get there.
It was Chapter 4 before she finally landed in Italy and met the woman she would be working for. A day later, her client - the socialite is dead and Alice finds herself as the prime suspect by the local police inspector. Since the inspector didn't seem to be doing much to find the real killer, Alice and the chef - Marco - took it upon themselves to do some detective work to clear her name. Insert awkward encounters with some "suspects" and the obligatory "close call" for Alice here before the crime is finally solved.
The vast details of the gardens and plants was a bit much for this non gardening reader. Of course, there is also a bit of romance to distract from the tension of solving a murder. To be honest, the murder seemed to take a back seat on a frequent basis while gardening, plants, food and romance are described. Yes, it is a book where the sleuth is a gardener but I've read and enjoyed other mysteries with this type of sleuth that weren't nearly as focused on the botanical details. It was just more than I expected.
Though I did try to enjoy this book, I also found several grammar errors in the Kindle edition. The most common was a word missing from a sentence such as "as", "be" or "to". At one point early in the book Alice is referred to as Amanda. Simple things that should easily have been caught in a more thorough proof reading.
I've read the blurbs for the next couple of books so realize that Alice will be travelling to various places and countries. I'm not interested enough in gardening to follow her all over the globe to transform gardens.
If you are really into gardening, romances and murder all in one - you will likely enjoy this book and the series. I'll pass. JMO.
November 22, 2024
Overview: Alice Bloom has been given a great opportunity. Due to her latest landscaping success, she has gained the attention of Anastasia Velluci. Her marital home has had its gardens fall into disarray. Alice's boss is eager for her to start. And the Villa Belladonna needs some serious TLC. But, when Anastasia is found dead, outside of Alice's assigned room no less, things get scary. Why would anyone want Anastasia dead? And why would Alice be fingered for the crime? Can she clear her name? Or will she find herself on the killer's list? Let's find out.
Dislikes: Anastasia was a dangerous woman to work for. I'll have to leave it at that. You have to partially accept the risks working for such a person, as she had a well-known reputation in the tabloids and other papers that the paparazzi supply the photos for.
Also, there seems to be this tendency to hate those people who care about things that will make them money. Men in particular will be more interested in how much their business will benefit them, especially if they are interested in getting married and starting a family. Loving any chief part of the business for itself, and not the money, in most cases, will be a luxury and not what many in the beginning of their careers will be worried about.
Why is there such a fascination with terms such as sustainability? Or even a minimalist lifestyle? Yes, these ideas might work in a metropolis. But they aren't for everyone. Some people want more from life than leaving nothing of themselves upon their homes and world.
Likes: Marco was a good cook. The food sounded amazing.
Elisa and Pietro carried the Villa Belladonna to the very best of their abilities. For a skeleton crew, they kept the place up in a surprising way.
Full warning about a potential cuteness overload. There's a little lap dog by the name of PomPom. Why they used a cat on the cover art instead, I don't think we will ever know. As it is, PomPom can steal the show without much effort. Though if PomPom isn't enough, then Dante will help sell the idea.
Conclusion: This isn't a pure cozy mystery. We do seem to focus more on the romance angle instead of the sleuthing. If you like clean romances, with a light sprinkling of a mystery, then you might want to try this novel. Enjoy the read.
Dislikes: Anastasia was a dangerous woman to work for. I'll have to leave it at that. You have to partially accept the risks working for such a person, as she had a well-known reputation in the tabloids and other papers that the paparazzi supply the photos for.
Also, there seems to be this tendency to hate those people who care about things that will make them money. Men in particular will be more interested in how much their business will benefit them, especially if they are interested in getting married and starting a family. Loving any chief part of the business for itself, and not the money, in most cases, will be a luxury and not what many in the beginning of their careers will be worried about.
Why is there such a fascination with terms such as sustainability? Or even a minimalist lifestyle? Yes, these ideas might work in a metropolis. But they aren't for everyone. Some people want more from life than leaving nothing of themselves upon their homes and world.
Likes: Marco was a good cook. The food sounded amazing.
Elisa and Pietro carried the Villa Belladonna to the very best of their abilities. For a skeleton crew, they kept the place up in a surprising way.
Full warning about a potential cuteness overload. There's a little lap dog by the name of PomPom. Why they used a cat on the cover art instead, I don't think we will ever know. As it is, PomPom can steal the show without much effort. Though if PomPom isn't enough, then Dante will help sell the idea.
Conclusion: This isn't a pure cozy mystery. We do seem to focus more on the romance angle instead of the sleuthing. If you like clean romances, with a light sprinkling of a mystery, then you might want to try this novel. Enjoy the read.
August 29, 2024
This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to that was "read" by a synthesized voice. I don't know how the choice of voice is made, but this was read by a mature woman with a British accent. I somehow downloaded the second of third book in the series first and listened to it for about 15-20 minutes before I realized it was not the first in the series. But in that book, the main character goes into her best friend's teashop and they settle in for a cuppa and a nice little chat.
Can you blame me for thinking this was about a British character?
When I finally managed to get this book loaded and started listening to it, I was extremely startled to discover the main character is American. Even once I knew she was American, having a British accent reading the book caused some confusion for my brain.
The synthesized voice also really sucked when it came to expressing emotion in conversations. I had trouble sometimes following the plot because I had to go back and mentally adjust the "emotions" I heard from the narrator from the words of the characters. It took some work.
Getting away from the narration, I also felt that the author went way overboard with descriptive language, metaphors, and every chance to put in some sort of botanical play on words. I found myself laughing at inappropriate moments because of the overblown language.
But despite all that, I generally enjoyed this book. I had been listening to some fairly long, fairly intense audiobooks and appreciated the more lightheartedness of this one, along with its brevity.
Can you blame me for thinking this was about a British character?
When I finally managed to get this book loaded and started listening to it, I was extremely startled to discover the main character is American. Even once I knew she was American, having a British accent reading the book caused some confusion for my brain.
The synthesized voice also really sucked when it came to expressing emotion in conversations. I had trouble sometimes following the plot because I had to go back and mentally adjust the "emotions" I heard from the narrator from the words of the characters. It took some work.
Getting away from the narration, I also felt that the author went way overboard with descriptive language, metaphors, and every chance to put in some sort of botanical play on words. I found myself laughing at inappropriate moments because of the overblown language.
But despite all that, I generally enjoyed this book. I had been listening to some fairly long, fairly intense audiobooks and appreciated the more lightheartedness of this one, along with its brevity.
February 8, 2025
Biggest load of garbage. The author is either a ghost writer, collective of ghost writers, or AI. As other people have mentioned, there isn't a cat in the story but a dog, so why have a cat on the cover? And then the book is named after marigolds when the main flower in the book is oleanders. The word marigold appears only when characters are choosing a code word.
I did a bit of googling and came across this article which seems to confirm my theory https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2...
Also, the numbers of good reviews for this book are suspicious. It's 149 pages long with the most ridiculous amount of descriptive writing and puns you will come across. All filler writing. There is no way people think this is a decent book.
I'm going to have to be far more selective in what books I quickly download onto my Kindle. In fact, I think this was a free one which makes sense. Nobody is even offering 99p for this. Off to read a real physical book by a real author.
I did a bit of googling and came across this article which seems to confirm my theory https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2...
Also, the numbers of good reviews for this book are suspicious. It's 149 pages long with the most ridiculous amount of descriptive writing and puns you will come across. All filler writing. There is no way people think this is a decent book.
I'm going to have to be far more selective in what books I quickly download onto my Kindle. In fact, I think this was a free one which makes sense. Nobody is even offering 99p for this. Off to read a real physical book by a real author.
March 23, 2025
Title: A Mystery in Bloom; Murder in the Marigolds (an Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Author: Fiona Grace
Publisher ( unknown)
Pages: 137
Rating: 3 stars
Landscape designer Alice Bloom has turned her passion into her job. She loves plants and flowers, and designs gardens with love.
She did not expect to get involved in a murder investigation when saying yes to a big project in Italy though. She needs to find the person responsible for the death of her client, and not just to save her own reputation.
---
A mystery in Bloom is a cozy mystery, with a hint of romance.
It's fairly short, and an easy read. It's not that good, but it isn't completely bad either. It's nothing special to be honest, but it's cute and silly and it's free. I would say it's a perfect read for when you're travelling.
The story is told completely from Alice's POV. Alice is very likeable.
There are some nice sidecharacters too. I liked Marco and Dante, but the storyline is not deep enough to get to know them enough.
Author: Fiona Grace
Publisher ( unknown)
Pages: 137
Rating: 3 stars
Landscape designer Alice Bloom has turned her passion into her job. She loves plants and flowers, and designs gardens with love.
She did not expect to get involved in a murder investigation when saying yes to a big project in Italy though. She needs to find the person responsible for the death of her client, and not just to save her own reputation.
---
A mystery in Bloom is a cozy mystery, with a hint of romance.
It's fairly short, and an easy read. It's not that good, but it isn't completely bad either. It's nothing special to be honest, but it's cute and silly and it's free. I would say it's a perfect read for when you're travelling.
The story is told completely from Alice's POV. Alice is very likeable.
There are some nice sidecharacters too. I liked Marco and Dante, but the storyline is not deep enough to get to know them enough.
September 4, 2024
A Mystery in Bloom: Murder on the Marigolds (An Alice Bloom Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Fiona Grace is well written, with great characters and enjoyable mystery story.
Alice gets the huge chance to bring the gardens of Villa Belladonna back to life. However, on her second day there, Anastasia Velluci, the owner of Villa Belladonna dies unexpectedly of Oleander poisoning. Alice and Marco start doing their own investigation, seeing as the police feel pretty certain Alice is the murderer.
The plot was fleshed out very well, as were the characters. I was enjoying the book so thoroughly that I was totally surprised when the book came to an end.
There were a small number errors, including a glaring wrong name used in the beginning, but overall, those errors were easily overlooked - except the name error.
Fiona Grace has shown she is a great writer (even with some errors). She is an author I will keep reading.
Alice gets the huge chance to bring the gardens of Villa Belladonna back to life. However, on her second day there, Anastasia Velluci, the owner of Villa Belladonna dies unexpectedly of Oleander poisoning. Alice and Marco start doing their own investigation, seeing as the police feel pretty certain Alice is the murderer.
The plot was fleshed out very well, as were the characters. I was enjoying the book so thoroughly that I was totally surprised when the book came to an end.
There were a small number errors, including a glaring wrong name used in the beginning, but overall, those errors were easily overlooked - except the name error.
Fiona Grace has shown she is a great writer (even with some errors). She is an author I will keep reading.
September 6, 2024
Rating: 3.75
Cosy setting. I love how our main character is so passionate about her work.
Her knowledge and love for flowers and gardening is just so wholesome to read.
I enjoyed the story and the characters a lot. I really love Alice and Marco. They are so cute.
The mystery was also very nice, it keeps you hooked to figure out who the murderer is.
The part I found less:
It took a bit too long for me to develop into the mystery murder. Only then things got interesting to follow. The police officer really annoyed me. Her behaviour was ridiculous and she only had her eyes on Alice which doesn't make sense in an investigation. They didn't even do any investigating, only assumptions based on their feelings. It really made me frustrated.
Overall it was really enjoyable but also not the best story that leaves you with "WOWW"
Cosy setting. I love how our main character is so passionate about her work.
Her knowledge and love for flowers and gardening is just so wholesome to read.
I enjoyed the story and the characters a lot. I really love Alice and Marco. They are so cute.
The mystery was also very nice, it keeps you hooked to figure out who the murderer is.
The part I found less:
It took a bit too long for me to develop into the mystery murder. Only then things got interesting to follow. The police officer really annoyed me. Her behaviour was ridiculous and she only had her eyes on Alice which doesn't make sense in an investigation. They didn't even do any investigating, only assumptions based on their feelings. It really made me frustrated.
Overall it was really enjoyable but also not the best story that leaves you with "WOWW"
September 10, 2025
A Mystery in Bloom by Fiona Grace is a fiction mystery aimed at mystery lovers, but it falls flat in just about every way.
The plot is a snooze, lacking the engagement wanted from a mystery. The story doesn’t hook me, meandering without the gripping pace I would have preferred. The mystery itself is dull, with no thrilling twists to keep you guessing.
Fiona Grace’s writing style is a big issue here. It feels like she had a thesaurus glued to her hand, tossing in overly fancy words that muddle the story. Simple is better, and this book misses that memo, making it hard to follow. Clichés echo—the on-the-nose character names are lazy and eye-roll-worthy. The character chemistry is another letdown, falling flat with no spark to make you care.
For mystery lovers, this book doesn’t deliver the intrigue or emotional pull needed to stand out. At 2/5 stars, it’s a skip for me.
The plot is a snooze, lacking the engagement wanted from a mystery. The story doesn’t hook me, meandering without the gripping pace I would have preferred. The mystery itself is dull, with no thrilling twists to keep you guessing.
Fiona Grace’s writing style is a big issue here. It feels like she had a thesaurus glued to her hand, tossing in overly fancy words that muddle the story. Simple is better, and this book misses that memo, making it hard to follow. Clichés echo—the on-the-nose character names are lazy and eye-roll-worthy. The character chemistry is another letdown, falling flat with no spark to make you care.
For mystery lovers, this book doesn’t deliver the intrigue or emotional pull needed to stand out. At 2/5 stars, it’s a skip for me.
July 19, 2024
I tried twice to read this book, thinking on the first attempt that perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy it and might find myself liking it better at another time. Uh, no. After the second attempt--I didn't even quite make it to the murder--I gave up and added it to my "Delete These" folder on my Kindle. First, I found that the over-the-top vocabulary (and, trust me on this one, I have a pretty extensive vocabulary, rarely needing to use the Kindle dictionary) put me off the story; I found myself long-pressing so many words that I just got irritated. But the story itself was nothing more than yet another romance-disguised-as-a-mystery adult fairy tale, and I've long since given up believing in fairy tales. Two thumbs down.
August 13, 2024
This was okay, I wouldn't say it was bad but nothing about it stands out. It was good as a bit of a mindless listen as I listened to the audiobook of this, however the author used an AI voice which I couldn't tell (at 3x speed) until it kept saying asterisk asterisk asterisk when *** must have appeared to show time had lapsed plus at times it did not pause at the correct moments. This annoyed me beyond my anti-AI morals (humans need jobs and they do better than AIs) because the author must not have even listened through otherwise the "asterisk asterisk asterisk" would have been removed
January 31, 2025
Alice spreads her wings
I liked the garden concept, the description of the plants and Alice's thoughts/,plans for the creation of her gardens. However, I really cannot imagine Alice doing all of this without help. I did not like that Alice would even consider that the inspector could build so weak and flimsy a case against her. Also, why was Scot included in the story when his actions continue to be despicable?
Most of the characters were good, believable, well defined, except Anastasia, she was overly evil.
I liked the garden concept, the description of the plants and Alice's thoughts/,plans for the creation of her gardens. However, I really cannot imagine Alice doing all of this without help. I did not like that Alice would even consider that the inspector could build so weak and flimsy a case against her. Also, why was Scot included in the story when his actions continue to be despicable?
Most of the characters were good, believable, well defined, except Anastasia, she was overly evil.
October 18, 2024
Jet Setting Horticulturalist
From the beautiful slopes off the Pacific to the foggy lake shores of New England to the lovely Italian Riviera enchanting gardens are touched by Alice. But are the sun-loving oleanders simply hedges or a beautifully concealed murder weapon? And who would want to harm the gardener? The plot takes twists and turns as Alice makes new friends and opens her heart. An enjoyable read!!
From the beautiful slopes off the Pacific to the foggy lake shores of New England to the lovely Italian Riviera enchanting gardens are touched by Alice. But are the sun-loving oleanders simply hedges or a beautifully concealed murder weapon? And who would want to harm the gardener? The plot takes twists and turns as Alice makes new friends and opens her heart. An enjoyable read!!
December 23, 2024
This was a vast departure from the series I have already read from this author and I really love it. There is something very appealing to me in independent, resourceful, and intelligent female protagonist characters. The plot is straightforward and the premise is finding out who killed the volatile and powerful influencer in Italy and why. The answers were hard won and as in most murders shameful. I highly recommend this story.
January 2, 2025
It was ok. Lady who worked in floral landscapes took a trip highly persuaded by her boss.
I may have to relisten to this bc I got lost on those guy names. The MC was attracted to someone, but I lost his name, and then . I'm also not great with names to start with, but I digress. The murder part wasn't graphic or anything. Clean read. No cussing or intimate scenes: Just some kissing.
I may have to relisten to this bc I got lost on those guy names. The MC was attracted to someone, but I lost his name, and then . I'm also not great with names to start with, but I digress. The murder part wasn't graphic or anything. Clean read. No cussing or intimate scenes: Just some kissing.
January 23, 2025
The cover was AI, (There’s no cats in the book? Also no marigolds?) the audiobook voice was AI and the content may have been as well? The idea was a fun premise but there were SO MANY PUNS and plant analogies? It wasn’t even fun anymore. If it were a drinking game you would perish.
Characters were laughably 1 dimensional and there was no understanding of or any attempt to convey the realities of international law. Wished it was better - will not be reading the rest of the series.
Characters were laughably 1 dimensional and there was no understanding of or any attempt to convey the realities of international law. Wished it was better - will not be reading the rest of the series.
May 9, 2024
Delightful mystery in a magical setting on the Italian Riviera.
Introducing a delightful new series, this mystery has a plot set against the lush gardens of a villa on the Italian Riviera. Tending the villa’s gardens is a dream come true for Alice Bloom but murder threatens to turn it into a nightmare unless she can solve the murder.
Introducing a delightful new series, this mystery has a plot set against the lush gardens of a villa on the Italian Riviera. Tending the villa’s gardens is a dream come true for Alice Bloom but murder threatens to turn it into a nightmare unless she can solve the murder.
August 1, 2024
Alice Bloom has sharp instincts
Though it started a little slow I started getting hooked as she prepared for her Italian adventure and garden challenge. Fiona Grace sets the scene that makes you see the sights and smell the gardens. I would recommend to any one who likes a mix of adventure, gardening, romance and crime solving.
Though it started a little slow I started getting hooked as she prepared for her Italian adventure and garden challenge. Fiona Grace sets the scene that makes you see the sights and smell the gardens. I would recommend to any one who likes a mix of adventure, gardening, romance and crime solving.
August 6, 2024
Proofreader needed
The story was great. The characters believable. The descriptions of the gardens had me wanting to visit them, both the one in California and the one in Italy, when finished, of course. However there were lots of errors in the writing, which made it a little difficult to follow at times.
The story was great. The characters believable. The descriptions of the gardens had me wanting to visit them, both the one in California and the one in Italy, when finished, of course. However there were lots of errors in the writing, which made it a little difficult to follow at times.
August 15, 2024
A Mystery in Bloom was an enjoyable book. The main characters were likeable. The story was easy to follow. There were a lot of facts about flowers, just enough to make the main character believable. Half-way through the book, I guessed the 'how' of the murder, I just didn't know 'who' until a little later. I wasn't totally engrossed in the story, but it was a pleasant read.
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