Audiobook4 hours
The Accidental Florist
Written by Jill Churchill
Narrated by Susan Bennett
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Agatha Award winner Jill Churchill has delighted fans for years with her Jane Jeffry mysteries. Jane is finally getting married to longtime boyfriend Mel, who's convinced her and her best friend Shelley to take a self-defense class. But when two people in the class are murdered, all thoughts of learning karate are put on hold. And of course, there's still that pesky matter of a wedding to plan.
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Reviews for The Accidental Florist
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
4 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5With an almost empty nest and after years of dating police detective Mel Van Dyne, Jane Jeffrey decides it's time they get married. Jane is determined to have the wedding she wants even if it means battling with her late husband's mother Thelma and her soon to be mother-in-law Addie. While Jane easily deals with Addie by setting ground rules and refusing to let them be broken, she has a harder time dealing with Thelma who is becoming increasingly nasty and doing her best to try and take away the money Jane inherited from her late husband. When she's not dealing with Thelma and Addie, Jane is preparing to write her next book and also overseeing the addition of an office for Mel onto her house. Also, Mel wants Jane and her best friend Shelly Nowack to take a women's safety class. Jane and Shelley agree and learn some useful tips until their instructor is murdered. Now Jane really has her hands full as she adds helping Mel solve the murder to her long list of things to do.While I used to enjoy Jill Churchill's Jane Jeffrey series, it's gone down hill the last few books and "The Accidental florist" is no better. The writing is clunky and the dialogue awkward. One example of this is when Churchill has Jane, who has been dating Mel for years, tell Mel exactly how much money she has and how her husband died, something she should have told him years ago. There are continuity errors like when Mel says he is taking the day off to attend a meeting with Jane and a few pages later Jane checks to make sure he has the next day off to attend the meeting. Later on Churchill has Jane running out to buy litter boxes for her cats saying she didn't have any, even though in an earlier chapter Jane had cleaned their litter boxes! Ironically enough, Churchill stresses how carefully Jane researches her books before writing them, perhaps Churchill should do the same. While I found some of the advice Jane and Shelley got during their safety class to be useful, after a while it felt like filler for the book as did the many details of the building of Mel's office. The mystery plot line is poorly done and written - Mel does all the investigating (and most of that is off-page) instead of Jane and Shelley. And the recurring gag of Shelley's husband not being seen in the books wears too thin in this book when he misses Jane and Mel's wedding for the flimsiest of excuses."The Accidental Florist" has some touches that reminded me of what I used to like about the series - little things like Jane's sneaking a cigarette when she felt stressed; a touching moment involving her dog; interesting glimpses into the world of book writing, publishing, and promotion; and Mel and Jane's decision to forego wedding gifts and having money sent to various charities instead (one of the few times in the book that Jane was likable). But these were only brief glimpses that make it even sadder to realize how good the series used to be and how much it's gone down hill.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Churchill forgot to add the mystery to this book. It was a 'pleasant read' but not what I have come to expect from this author. The focus was much more on Jane's up-coming weddings, the evils of mothers-in-law, building an addition to her house for Mel and her writing. Oh, I forgot to add shopping! Mel did solve the murder thanks to an idea from Jane. I am still wondering about the title and how it fits...
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a departure for this series. The story has a transitional quality that makes me wonder if Jill Churchill wants to keep her character, but change the nature of the stories. I wonder if Jill Churchill wants to make Jane's life as a writer the focus of her adventures, and leave most of the mystery solving to Mel. Personally, I like the characters enough to continue even if the series does change, but some readers may be distressed.The mystery is a subplot in this volume. While Jane does make a useful suggestions to her detective boyfriend, she doesn't solve the mystery, and it is definitely secondary to Jane's personal life. The main plot is that Jane has agreed to marry Mel, and the upcoming wedding(s) create serious strains with certain relatives and test Janes' growing assertiveness. Her mother-in-law Thelma takes the opportunity to challenge Jane's ownership in the family business. Her prospective mother-in-law wants to run the wedding, and Jane has her work cut out keeping her in line. Jane is definitely not as hapless as in many of the earlier volumes.Meanwhile, Jane has sold her first two novels and mumber one is about to be released. She has also decided to add on to her house. Her two oldest children are now out of the house, and her pets are getting elderly.The book also has features of being Advice from Aunt Jill, with tips on various safety measures for women, inside information on writing, and a look at the importance of setting boundries.I enjoyed it, but I can understand why some readers are rather upset at the changes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another Jane Jeffrey's mystery. Jane is a regular mother & housewife, engaged to a policeman, who along with her next door neighbor always seems to find trouble.Lots of fun characters, just good fun. I always get a kick out of Churchill's titles. The play on words is great.