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Product Description
Book Description
Flower shop owner Abby Knight does not believe rumors that Vlad Serban, friend and employee of Abby's fiancé Marco, is a vampire. But how to explain that Vlad is from Romania, has prominent canines, likes bizarre plants such as bloodwort and Dracula orchid, and dresses entirely in black?
When a local woman is found dead, her body drained of blood, the stakes become life and death. With Vlad the #1 suspect, Abby and Marco race to find the real killer, before Vlad's life really starts to suck.
When a local woman is found dead, her body drained of blood, the stakes become life and death. With Vlad the #1 suspect, Abby and Marco race to find the real killer, before Vlad's life really starts to suck.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Biting Mystery, April 17 2011
By Cindy Chow - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Night of the Living Dandelion: A Flower Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Along with the rest of the world, the small town of New Chapel has gone vampire crazy. The new bartender at Down the Hatch is Vlad Serban, a rather pasty, handsome, Romanian, phlebotomist from a blood lab in Chicago (perfect, right?). Half of the town (the female half) is obsessed and charmed by him, the other half suspicious and guarded (guess which half). But Marco Salvare, the owner of Down the Hatch and a former Special Ops officer in the army, has taken on Vlad as an intern in the bar and Grill and scoffs at the rumors.A little less sure is Marco's girlfriend and mostly secret fiance, flower shop owner Abby Knight. A fashion shoe-induced induced injury has her stuck with crutches and a wheelchair, frustrating her to no end when she's forced to rely on others for transportation. This becomes crucial when the director of nursing, Lori Willet, is found dead, drained of blood and who was last seen lusting after Vlad. As the townpeople's pitchforks and torches come out ready to go after Vlad, Marco convinces Abby to help him clear his friend and discover who is using rumors and paranoia to railroad Vlad.
As usual, Abby must juggle the chaos in her own life with the investigation, especially when her cousin Jillian goes more off the rails than usual when she becomes convinced that Vlad has changed her into one of his Children of the Night. Most terrifying of all for Abby, though, is that Marco has been called back into service and will soon be leaving on a mission.
Kate Collins can always be relied on for light hearted, humorous mysteries with quirky characters and a strong heroine. She taps into the vampire craze without becoming overwhelmed by it, and this latest entry in the Flower Shop Mystery series retains its heart and focus on characters in Abby's life. Central to the novel is Abby learning to give up some of her independence as she laid up with a sprained ankle, accompanied by her fear that just as she's become committed to Marco he's leaving her to go on a dangerous mission. This is one of the strongest books in this cozy mystery series that shows no sign of losing any of its uniqueness, humor, or charm.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sink your teeth into this nice cozy mystery, Jun 20 2011
By drebbles - Published on Amazon.com
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With fiancée Marco Salvare recalled to active duty and due to leave any day, Abby Knight is determined to spend as much time as possible with him and won't let a minor thing like a sprained ankle get in her way. Marco wants to make sure things are taken care of while he's gone so he hires good friend Vlad Serban as bartender. There is one slight problem - Vlad looks like a vampire and many people think he is indeed one. When a local woman is found murdered and drained of blood many people, including the police, think Vlad is the culprit. It is up to Abby and Marco to clear Vlad's name - but will they be able to do it before Marco has to leave?"Night of the Living Dandelion" is the delightfully funny eleventh book in Kate Collins' Flower Shop cozy mystery series. Collins tackles the vampire craze with tongue firmly in cheek with a touch of a lesson about letting people be who they are and not who you want them to be. The humor can be a bit over-the-top at times, but you can't help laugh at what is going on - especially with Abby's cousin Jillian. Collins has a lot of fun with the vampire thing and Vlad's character including the plants he orders. the murder itself is gruesome to think about but Collins never goes into great detail about the death. The mystery is well plotted with plenty of suspects, although I did figure out early on who the killer was. I did wish a few times that Abby would ask more questions or that Marco would stop withholding information from Abby - it got a bit ridiculous at times (did the reason Vlad wanted the dandelions really have to be a secret?).
Outside of the mystery, some of the things I like best about this series are the characters and the setting. I love Abby's coworkers at her flower shop - Lottie and Grace who care deeply for Abby and are always ready to help her (and Grace always has just the right quote for the occasion.) Abby's family may be eccentric but are also loving and add much humor to the book - especially Abby's mother's latest art project. It was nice to see Marco develop a better relationship with his brother Rafe in the book. Finally, I love the description of the various flower arrangements Abby makes - how I wish the book came with illustrations!
"Night of the Living Dandelion" is a very funny cozy mystery.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A VAMPIRE CREATING HAVOC???, April 6 2011
By Lori Caswell "dollycas" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Night of the Living Dandelion: A Flower Shop Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
Abby Knight has badly sprained her ankle and must use either crutches or a wheelchair to get around and do her job. Marco Salvare has been recalled to active duty. As a newly engaged couple they want to spend as much time together as possible before he is deployed. But there is a huge obstacle in their way. He needs to train his army buddy, Vlad Serban, to take over the bar in his absence and Vlad is drawing way too much attention. He is a very pale man, always wears black, has prominent canine teeth, his former job was as a phlebotomist (One who draws blood for analysis or transfusion.) and he is from Transylvania, Romania. Everyone in town thinks he's a vampire.Then the body of Lori Willis, a local nursing director, is found in the dumpster behind Marco's bar and the cause of death seems to be exsanguination (drained of all her blood). Still women swoon in his presence, crowding the bar. There are a group calling themselves "The Garlic Party" protesting in from of the Down the Hatch Bar & Grill, plus a group of teenagers gathered wearing "I LOVE VLAD" T-shirts. Not to mention, Abby's cousin Jillian going off the deep end because Vlad had kissed her hand.
Before this circus gets any more out of hand Marco and Abby need to help clear Vlad's name and find the real killer or as it says on the back cover of the book Vlad's life is going to start to "really suck".
I really enjoyed this story, but it is not my favorite book in the series, I really loved the last one Dirty Rotten Tendrils. It just amazes me how many vampired themed books have turned up lately with the success of the Twilight books and movies. Vampires have never really been my thing but thankfully Kate has gone over to the horror genre from cozy mystery. This book is a fun cozy read and if you don't laugh out loud at some of Jillian's antics, I will eat my copy of this book. She is hilarious!!!! Plus the book ends perfectly, leaving us wanting more. We only have to wait until November for To Catch A Leaf. This reviewer can't wait to get her copy!!!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Obsidian/NAL, A Division of the Penguin Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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