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Love and Flowers Trilogy #3

A Passion for Cleo

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Cleo McCarthy is a free spirit who loves nothing more than to help her friends and have a little fun while she's at it. When Rayne and Ivy Nyman hire her to be their bodyguard and move to Fircrest, Washington, she jumps at the chance for a little adventure. But after watching Ivy get shot and ending up in a car crash with Rayne that leaves her injured and traumatized, the quiet life begins to look better and better. Peace and quiet doesn't last long though when Asher Murphy and Tai Matafeo both decide to claim her heart, Cleo soon finds out that love is the best adventure there is.But when the threat that hangs over Rayne and Ivy drags her back into danger, Cleo will be left wondering if she'll be able to survive long enough to enjoy the love she's found.

272 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

21 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Shannon Guymon

56 books238 followers
I live in the Rocky Mountains with my husband and children and love my home when it’s not snowing. I’m the author of 37 books so far. I also write YA Paranormal Romance under my pen name, Katie Lee O’Guinn. I enjoy the outdoors, reading and being with my family. To find out the latest on my books, check out my blog. You can purchase all of my books at Amazon.com. I’m also a huge supporter of Operation Underground Railroad. Check out their website to learn more.

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5 stars
96 (52%)
4 stars
63 (34%)
3 stars
23 (12%)
2 stars
1 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy Jo.
778 reviews143 followers
March 14, 2023
4.5 Stars

Our amazing heroine, Cleo, is a fun loving, adventurer who will do everything she can to help her family and friends anytime they need it. She is such an easy going person who is confident and full of life!

Cleo's life gets thrown off balance when she is shot and later gets in a horrific car crash that leaves her wheelchair bound and later stuck on crutches. She can no longer protect Rayne and Ivy and starts to have doubts about her life and about love.

Enter Tai. *sigh* I just have to say that I absolutely LOVE him! Tai is hired to help protect the girls and in the process he's able to get to know Cleo on a more personal level. He's sweet, funny, loyal, gorgeous and just AMAZING! And the best part? He actually SEES Cleo for who she is on the inside and doesn't care that she's battered, bruised, in a wheelchair, on crutches... he sees her and KNOWS that she is beautiful. His only problem is convincing her that the way he feels is REAL. Stupid Asher.

And I just have to mention Pule. Oh my goodness! I love him! There is definitely more to his story and I am crossing my fingers and hoping he'll get his HEA. There is a part in the book between him and Cleo that brought tears to my eyes... *sigh* He's just another lost soul who needs some lovin.

Anyway... back to Cleo and Tai. *dreamy sigh* I totally LOVE these two! The first I Love You's were perfect. And meeting the Matafeo's?! Cleo really showed that she will do ANYTHING for the people that she loves. She was a real trooper. AND she got a cupcake named after her. How awesome is that?! You are just going to have to read the story to find out WHY. It's HILARIOUS... I promise! ;)

And then the craziness comes. Oh my heck. The way the whole story with Rayne and Ivy was wrapped up was fabulous. There was a bit of suspense that I was NOT expecting! I kept changing positions while reading and just couldn't sit still!

A Passion for Cleo was just FANTABULOUS! I LOVED every minute of it! I laughed out loud, I got teary eyed, I got angry and of course I fell in love all over again with ALL of our Fircrest friends!

Ms. Guymon has an amazing talent and I am so glad she's sharing it with us. I can't WAIT to see what she has in store for the next series. And yes... I am one of those crazy fans who lives for the next book! What can I say! I love what I love! ;)

And of course I gotta add my casting choice!! ;)

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Profile Image for Kathy * Bookworm Nation.
2,165 reviews705 followers
March 6, 2017
A fun conclusion to the trilogy and a fun addition to the series.

This is Cleo's story, we meet her in the first two books and it was fun to get things from her POV. Cleo was a likable character, she is loyal and kind. She's always looking for the best in others and is a positive influence to those around her. I of course loved her love interst, Tai Matafeo. He was a good fit with Cleo and they had fun chemistry. I do wish we could have seen them together a little more. I sometimes felt like Cleo was with Pule, Meredith and everyone else more than she was with Tai.

The mystery is resolved in this one and although they had to go through some rough spots, especially Cleo (poor Cleo wasn't even the target and yet she somehow kept getting hurt) it brought them all together and ended up giving them all a happily ever after.

Overall, a fun conclusion to the series and it's always fun to escape to Fircrest!

Content
Romance: Clean
Violence: Mild
Language: None
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,523 reviews332 followers
July 17, 2015
Cleo is such a fun and strong character. She's been a bodyguard for her good friends, Rayne and Ivy, but she's not as tough as you might think. She has a very tender heart and a soft side that is endearing. She's a health nut and fiercely loyal to those she loves. I found her likeable and similar to me in that I love to eat well and exercise, but I love my treats too. I really need to try these cronuts--are they real?!

I really enjoyed getting to know Cleo better. She has a way about her that brings down walls. Her new roommate is very bitter, but after a short time with Cleo, the walls come crashing down. Cleo is very open to love, craves to have someone to call her own, and after a few hesitant moments, she fully embraces it when love comes knocking.

I loved the feeling of family that was felt throughout the story. Strong bonds of loyalty are built and the process is very enjoyable. I also loved the threads of humor woven through the storyline. There are many humorous situations and the way the characters handled these, along with the stressful times, really made me like them all the more. The romantic moments were my favorite, of course. There are moments of peril and suspense that are found throughout this series and wrapped up nicely. I'm so excited to continue on with the next trilogy and can't wait to see what happens next with this beloved town of Fircrest!

Content: clean romance (kissing); moderate violence (attack, attempted kidnapping, beating, etc); very mild religious elements (brief prayerful thoughts mentioned); no language. Clean!
Profile Image for Heidi.
349 reviews74 followers
January 6, 2015
Best ending ever

Sigh* I am so sad that this trilogy is at an end...but that was the best ending ever. It's hard to review these books without feeling like I'm giving it all away....but Cleo's story was definitely a favorite.
Profile Image for Alisa.
793 reviews44 followers
September 1, 2014
As soon as I saw this was out, I grabbed it and started to read it. This was a great end to the trilogy.

There were a few loose ends with Asher, but for the most part the series tied up nicely. I can always hope those loose ends with Asher mean a future book...

Content: Very clean, no swearing
Profile Image for Kathy.
2,741 reviews5,976 followers
September 5, 2014
A Passion for Cleo nicely wrapped up the Love and Flowers Trilogy. You definitely don't want to start with this book as we are introduced to the characters in the previous books. Although you can start with Love and Flowers #1: Falling for Rayne, I highly suggest starting with the very first book set in Fircrest - You Belong With Me.

Shannon pumps these books out fast. She's releasing one every month or two which makes me happy. She's a great storyteller and I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy these stories.

I honestly love escaping into Shannon's books. They are always squeaky clean but have the most amazing male leads. I just read there will be another series set in Fircrest called Love and Weddings. I am looking forward to returning to Fircrest. Oddly enough I hope to read Pule's story sometime soon. Who would have thought he'd ultimately become someone I would want to read about. Here's hoping there are lots more Matafeo boys to read about in the future!


Rating: 5 Stars - I loved it.

Content: Clean

Source: Gifted to me via Amazon.com
Profile Image for Alisha.
261 reviews13 followers
April 9, 2015
Really enjoyed this ending to the trilogy. I think I liked books 1 & 2 in the series a little more than this one, but only by a hair. This was really great too, and I so badly wanted to see how Cleo's life evolved after she had been put off by Asher and put her life on the line for Rayne and Ivy. It was nice, as always, to see all of the other characters developed more as well. I would've liked to have seen Ivy more in this book, but I felt the same with Rayne being out of the second book for the vast majority also. Overall, very well done. I'll be checking out more by Shannon Guymon.

Romance: clean
Profile Image for Alyson.
87 reviews
November 12, 2014
Love all these characters and how they go together with the other books and characters that I loved. At one part I was laughing so hard I was crying and I had to back track and explain the book to my kids because they wanted to know what was making me laugh so hard. After I read it to them they were laughing as hard as I was.
Profile Image for Teya Teya.
Author 9 books103 followers
January 4, 2015
Wow, what an end. I had it figured out in book one however, the journey through the mystery w as worth it. That coming from me is huge. I hate mysteries and won't read them. This was a really good solid series. It was on the harsh side a the end but understandably. Seems as though it could keep going but it's not a cliff hanger at all.
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
September 8, 2014
This was my guilty pleasure read for the weekend. It was good, just as I have come to expect from this author and this series. My favorite part was that Tai and Cleo didn't having a falling out to get over, it was just them against the world from the beginning. Good, Clean Romance.
Profile Image for Beth.
378 reviews
October 7, 2014
oh my!!! I LOVED LOVED LOVED all of the fircrest series books but this one was amazing! I hope we have more to come...cant leave out Asher and Meredith and Pule!!!
Thank you Ms. Guymon for your amazing work!
Profile Image for Toni.
157 reviews5 followers
December 16, 2014
Loved the whole "Love and Flowers" trilogy, even more than the others. What a great strong series it turned out to be. I am so not done with wanting more from these characters and Fircrest. So worth reading.
Profile Image for Valerie Waters.
1,213 reviews
September 6, 2014
Aww how sweet. I think I'm in love with Tai!!! That guy....aww. I love Pule. He so dang awesome!!! I want a whole book on him with his funny quarky sense of humor! Love him.
Profile Image for Christina.
800 reviews34 followers
March 11, 2023
4 Stars!

I was so excited to read Cleo’s story, especially after hearing so much about her from Rayne and Ivy’s books. Clean has a hard time trusting that Tai really likes her, as she feels more insecure about herself than she used to. Tai was a sweet and wonderful guy, but gosh I missed having him and Cleo together! They barely got to see each other or talk in this book, which drove me crazy. It often felt like the author wanted to tie up loose ends and revisit lots of old characters, rather than focus more on Cleo and Tai. That being said, the suspense and action that happened in this story was probably my most favorite of all three books in this trilogy! SO so good!! Cleo was a great heroine and I loved her determination to keep fighting for those she loved.
40 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2014
Shannon once again knocked it out of the ball park! I love all these series, and I don't want them to end!! I always look forward to a new one coming out, and this one sure didn't disappoint! I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book!! The story had me so hooked from the beginning to the end, I couldn't put it down!

The story had everything you want in it mystery, suspense, adventure, humor, and the cutest love story ever!! I love all the characters in this book, they all bring so much to the story. I love when authors make you feel as if you are in the story itself that is what Shannon has made me feel throughout all the series! You will laugh, cry, scream, grin and be on the edge of your seat in this book! I'm not kidding it's that good!!

Cleo is such a fun, sweet, sassy, loveable girl with a heart of gold! Tai is umm hello gorgeous, fun, knock you off your feet romantic, and a great all around guy! What more could you want in your leading man!! Oh did I mention he also cooks, swoon!! These two together have an undeniable chemistry that leaves you grinning from ear to ear! Ahhh so cute!!
It's always my favorite to catch up with the other characters from the series as well, just like one big family reunion!!

Do yourself the biggest favor and check this and all of the other books in the series out!! The only thing you will be sorry for is the lack of sleep you will get when reading any of Shannon's books! They are the hardest things to put down!!
Profile Image for Christina Tarbet.
79 reviews12 followers
September 5, 2014
Another great book from Shannon Guymon! I love this trilogy and A Passion for Cleo is a perfect conclusion to the love and flowers series. I love how Shannon pulls you in from page one. I love how she writes in such a way that you feel a part of the story. She has a way of writing so that you feel the characters' emotions. I loved Cleo's story. I loved her character and how strong and loyal she is. I love reading about the characters from all of Shannon's other trilogies. She does a great job intertwining the past characters into the story so you can read how their lives continue. I love a great happy ending. Shannon is good at writing a good happy ending. Her book isn't all sugary and sweet. The characters have to overcome some conflicts to get there. I love to sit back, relax and read a good book to take a break from my busy schedule and Shannon's books are perfect for that!
Profile Image for Tiffany.
991 reviews
September 20, 2014
This was a great conclusion to this series. It definitely makes me want to move to some place like Fircrest where I can have all of these friends. I really did like this story and I love Cleo. My only complaint was the relationship with Cleo and Tai to me seemed like it was not a priority and somewhat non-existent in the story. It was there but I would have liked either more phone conversation, more visits or something. We definitely saw and heard more from Pule and Asher then we did with Tai. Despite this I loved both Tai and Cleo. I found them adorable in the second book in the series and I wanted more of their teasing and flirting. I liked that there were all these other characters that I learned to love.
Profile Image for Julia Lance.
382 reviews7 followers
January 9, 2015
Loved Ivy’s story so much I had to immediately start and finish Cleo’s so I could see what happened. Cleo is the kind of friend every person wants and needs. She is willing to put her life on the line to protect her friends and even after being severely injured that didn’t stop her. I was so happy that she was able to find a guy that would treat her with the same kindness she gives to others and have to admit for a while I thought she might go to the wrong guy. I’m so glad that everything worked out for her in the end. It was such a sweet story. I can’t wait to hear the ending in the upcoming books. Love the town of Fircrest!
Profile Image for Shauna.
1,425 reviews13 followers
October 2, 2014
Absolutely love this ending to a great series. I've invested so much time in these trilogies that I feel like I should be able to go and visit them. Can't wait to see who gets to spin off a new series!
Profile Image for Cici.
1,308 reviews
January 28, 2015
Loved it!

I love the end of this trilogy. The way in which everything came together. Really well done. I loved the relationship between the hero and heroine. The saga of Fircrest continues. Great chemistry!
62 reviews2 followers
October 16, 2016
Awesome!!

This was an amazing trilogy! So glad all 3 were out so I could read ten back to back. I loved this trilogy and I recommend it for those who love romance ,suspense and mystery!!
1,912 reviews
September 4, 2014
Good conclusion to this series with lots of characters from other books by Shannon Guymon appearing. Lots of intense moments and plenty of funny moments too.
Profile Image for Kim.
1,148 reviews
May 23, 2015
Cleo is one of my favorite characters, I'm glad to read her story!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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