Solstice Secrets

The Village Apothecary Mysteries #2

by Lauren Kaye

The longest day.
The darkest secrets.
A killer in the shadows.

Summer has arrived in Thornwick Green, and apothecary Ivy Blackthorn is finally finding her place in the charming Cotswold village. With the shadow of recent crimes behind her, and a blossoming romance with vet Seb Ashworth, Ivy looks forward to the upcoming summer solstice celebration.

But when ambitious newcomer Richard Pemberton arrives to lead the festivities, tensions simmer beneath the village's idyllic surface. Richard's grand plans threaten local traditions, and his arrogance has made him more enemies than friends. When Richard is found dead at the ancient stone circle after the solstice night, suspicion falls on everyone in the village. As dark secrets emerge and desperation mounts, Ivy must untangle a web of blackmail, financial troubles, and angry confrontations.

But someone doesn't want the truth revealed, and as Ivy creeps ever closer to unmasking the killer, she places herself in mortal danger once again, and the flames of the solstice might just claim another victim.

Perfect for fans of cozy British mysteries with a touch of small-village charm, folklore, strong friendships, and a slow-burn romance that will warm your heart, Solstice Secrets is the second book in The Village Apothecary Mysteries.

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2025

Reviews

[Stacey Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge thank you to Whimsy Words PR and the author Lauren Kaye for the opportunity to read The Village Apothecary Mysteries.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my very first dabble into the wonderful world of the cosy mystery genre and luckily enough I got to read book 1 Deadly Bloom and book 2 Solistice Secrets back to back.
Consider me a new member of the cosy mystery club. I absolutely LOVED both books. They were so easy to read and a little addictive in the sense that I was desperate to find out if I’d solved the who done it mystery…I’m now considering a career in crime solving 😂
I loved the atmospheric setting of the books. The world building was so well written that I could totally picture the village of Thornwick Green, I likened it in my mind to Stow-on-the-wold or Bourton-on-the-water which bought on lots of nostalgic feelings which I loved.
Both books offer interesting plot lines with easy to follow stories full of great characters. There are a lot of characters introduced and often quite quickly so at times I had to go back and just put it all together in my mind.
The Village Apothecary Mysteries off so much to us as the readers, fun, mystery, a hint of suspense and a smidge of romance. I genuinely looked forward to ending my day with these books.

P.S I’m not a cat lover but Basil you’ve won me over❤️

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid continuation of the Apothecary Mysteries series, building on the already established setting and characters, in another cosy mystery story. It was a quick read, though the pace remained more relaxed: a largely gentle read, ideal for relaxing with (despite the murder mystery of it all) .

We follow Ivy as she, again, becomes entangled in solving a local mystery with disasterous consequences, after a murder victim is discovered in the village. Putting her botanical expertise to use, Ivy consults on the police investigation and undertakes her own sleuthing to find the murderer and protect the cosy Cotswolds settlement from further harm.

I enjoyed seeing how Ivy's relationship with Seb developed further, and how she had really solidified her position in the village, with the locals demonstrating much more trust in her character and motivations than they had in the previous book.

Thanks to WhimsyWordsPR and to the author for providing a review copy of this book.

4⭐

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Solstice Secrets’ definitely did not disappoint! This is the second book in 'The Village Apothecary Mysteries' and I love this just as much as the first book! In this read, we get to learn even more about Ivy and I admire her determination, focus and care she has for the people of the village! I adore that we see Ivy and Sen grow closer, I ship them so much! There is a lot more romance in this read and it makes it more cosy if that’s even possible, I’m really enjoying this series and I can’t wait to read the 3rd book! These books short and sweet and easy to read in a day!
This series is perfect for mystery lovers!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the village apothecary mysteries series where we see Ivy (FMC) tangled up in another situation that potentially puts her life at risk. There has been a new arrival in the village who is causing misery for lots of the villagers. It’s a nice easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to forward to book 3 in particular how the relationship between Ivy and Sep grows and surely there can’t be any more bad things happen in this beautiful Cotswold village.

Lauren Kaye

[Sunah Wildhaber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Apothecary Mysteries series, this is a perfect cozy mystery that anyone can dive right into.

I wanted to badly to love this one more. It was very fast paced and the characters are still well loved in my opinion. I think I’m slightly annoyed at the fact that Ivy just dives right into danger even when she promises others that she will ask for help. We get to see more of Seb and Ivy, which was nice.

[Ebony Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute instalment of The Village Apothecary Mysteries! I am really enjoying this series, can’t wait for the next one!

[Arcs & Edges · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, review coming