The Blooming of Delphinium is the second book in the Moonberry Lake series. I have not read the first book in the series but this one seemed to be easily understood as a stand-alone novel without needing prior knowledge from the first book. Upon further investigation I found that Holly Varni also has a podcast about Moonberry Lake that some of you might enjoy, called Moments from Moonberry Lake. Most of her posts are about 5 or 6 minutes long but she takes the time on two of them to read the first chapter from each of her books. If you want to take a listen to see if they are a good fit for you click the link I shared in the first sentence to learn more.

A Bit About the Book

The main character, as you might have guessed from the title, is a woman named Delphinium. She is the owner of a local flower shop in the small town of Moonberry Lake. She is talented and has a way with putting together the “perfect” bouquet or arrangement for any occasion. Her big dilemma in this story is a shortage of funds to be able to keep her shop open.

She is surrounded by a cut-up group of elderly citizens from a local assisted living/senior care facility. The residents of this center are always looking for a way to dodge the strong arm of the director of the home, Elliot Sturgis. They often seek the refuge of the flower shop for escape. The shop has a refrigerated flower storage room that is big enough for a small group to set up a card game from time to time. It seems to Delphinium that the gap in between times of card playing rebel-rousing is getting shorter and shorter as the heat in town rises. She just hopes they keep their shirts on… literally, as well as other garments while they play. This story is quirky and playful, with a bit of magical realism thrown in.

As we get to know Delphinium more we see that she is still mourning the loss of her grandmother, Annie. She is also a little estranged from her family. When she decides to find a place to live she chooses to take up residence in her grandmother’s former residence. She had a special bond with her grandmother while she was alive due to special traits they shared. Her grandmother had a form of synesthesia. While Delphinium’s “gift” is not exactly like that of her grandmother she related to her more than any other family member. They forged a deep relationship from it.

Delphi, as some in town call her, has an odd sense of smell. When she comes in contact with someone she notes specific flower scents. She discovered that certain scents paired with personality traits and she could get a sense of a person from the flower scent she was detecting. It gave her insight into people’s personalities that no one else could detect.

What I thought…

This book reminded me of Hallmark and RomCom movies I have seen in recent years. It would actually make a good Hallmark movie if they were so inclined to take on the project. There is certainly a witty cast of characters, small town drama, and a romance. It fits the bill.

I am not a huge fan of this kind of story, unfortunately. I can see that many of my friends and family would enjoy this kind of book but it is just not my cup of tea. I did not hate it… please know that I am not saying that. Small town and romance stories can be fun and charming. I thought it was enjoyable enough but it is not suited to my tastes like other books I have read from this publisher. I think the bigger issue for me was the magical realism aspect.

The book is pretty clean with a closed door romance. It is a romance but also more of a “community comes together” kind of story with lots of comical moments along the way. I am interested to see what comes next in this community of Moonberry Lake. I enjoyed her writing style and I do plan to read the first book in this series to see if I enjoy it more. As for magical realism I just don’t think my “realist” personality enjoys the suspension of disbelief enough for it. It is a weakness in me, I suppose, that I don’t enjoy fantasy, magical realism, or science fiction as much as some other people in my circles. If you know me at all you know I am an avid mystery fan and I read a lot of nonfiction and more historical fiction.

It is a delightful fun read. If you love a romantic comedy with a touch or magical realism this might just be what you have been looking for in your next book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Revell Publishing) and was only asked to give my honest opinion. Here you have it. I would give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.