About the Book:
Making the perfect match is like arranging the perfect bouquet--and no one is better at it than Delphinium Hayes. Except when it comes to making a match for herself.
As far as hidden talents go, she is blessed with one of the more unique ones. With the slightest passing whiff, she knows someone's most admirable or weediest characteristic. This peculiar perception never fails to give her an advantage in understanding people--except for one man, whose scent doesn't seem to match his demeanor.
Prim and proper Elliot Sturgis, director of Moonberry Lake's Gardens Assisted Living and Senior Care Facility, carries the scent of violets--meaning love and loyalty--yet is strict and unwavering in his determination to stop a group of his wily residents from sneaking over to Delphinium's shop to play cards in the flower cooler. But the more glimpses Delphinium gets of the soft side beyond Elliot's harsh exterior, the more she understands his scent--and her intrigue deepens as sparks fly.
The crowd in her cooler isn't Delphinium's only problem. Behind on the mortgage payments and on the verge of losing her shop to foreclosure, Delphinium isn't sure where to turn for help. But God has a funny way of putting the right people in the place at the right time . . .
My Thoughts:
"Without community to give the feeling of home, a person feels only displaced and loneliness." (p. 79)
When Delphinium speaks these words to Elliott Sturgis, she was not only explaining the unusual behavior of the seniors under his care, but she was also talking about her own place in the community she'd come to love as a child through her grandmother in Moonberry Lake. She was also addressing her place on the square as a business owner struggling to make a difference and realize her ow dreams. Holly Varni brings more characters to life in her second installment of the Moonberry Lake novels, and she does it in ways that will both surprise and delight you! I never dreamed there were so much adventure to be found by mixing such diverse elements of the human story!
Varni choses to mix eldercare with floral arranging in a way that I daresay no one could anticipate! She even throws a red herring love interest in the mix that only serves as emotional fuel to keep the pages turning with rapidly increasing anticipation. Folks like Henri and George, Arlene and Gurdy make me laugh out loud, and Mason made me frustrated and angry more than any fictional character should! Once I got to know Elliot, I had so much respect and interest in what he'd do next, I found myself frustrated with both he and Delphinium in ther effort to connect.
In short, I felt like I was a resident of Moonberry Lake while I read the novel, and I was left satisfied by the realistic way folks came together. I love being reminded that hope and love, friendship and community still matter. I am privileged to have enjoyed community all of my adult life, and it was fu and engaging to be able to become a member of Varni's fictional town! I can't wait to see what happens next!
About the Author:
Holly Varni is the author of On Moonberry Lake. A native Minnesotan of strong Norwegian descent, she was raised in the Lutheran Church that Garrison Keillor made a career depicting. Though she, her husband, and their three sons live along the Central Coast of California, her beloved Midwest roots continue to haunt everything she writes. She hosts the Moments from Moonberry Lake podcast, where she shares more stories of her beloved characters. Learn more at HollyVarni.com.
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