The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni

 


The Blooming of Delphinium by Holly Varni is my first book about Moonberry, MN. I enjoyed it as a stand-alone, but I definitely want to go back and read the first book, On Moonberry Lake. 

Delphinium owns a flower shop and  the apartment above the shop where her Grandma used to live before she passed away. Delphi, as her friends call her, has a fondness for the elderly. Her elderly friend Henry, brings all of his friends over to hand out in her cooler in the back room, when the Moonberry Gardens Assisted Living air conditioning goes out. Soon, she finds her shop is host to a whole bunch of elderly folks who she feeds and helps in other ways. Delphinium then must face the director of the senior care facility, Elliot Sturgis, who is trying to figure out how to handle the meandering folks. 

Delphinium also has a unique talent where she can tell someone's most admirable characteristic by getting a whiff of them. Elliot carries the scent of love and loyalty, which smells like violets, and she admires him. However, they are quite different in their personalities. Can they work together to solve Henry and the others elderly folks' problems?

Delphinium is also behind on her mortgage payments for the shop, which means she may lose both her livelihood and her home. Can she also save her flower shop?

I really enjoyed The Blooming of Delphinium. This book made me laugh--and cry. I worked for a couple of years in a nursing home so I also have a love of elderly folks. I especially enjoyed those characters in this book. I also enjoyed the growing relationship between Delphi and Elliot. The book kept me turning pages to learn how it would all turn out. I did think things went a little overboard in the plot towards the end but I still enjoyed this book a lot as a whole. I am looking forward to the next book too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

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