Save the Date

Finished March 31

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

This novel has romance, drama, and intrigue, all set in Savannah, Georgia. Florist Cara Kryzik is a recent transplant to the city, coming from Ohio with her now ex-husband Leo. She had been working as a florist, when the owner retired and gifted her the business and its assets. She put her own money into it, and it is now an up-and-coming favourite for weddings, thanks to a previous client. She has an assistant Bert, who she also considers a friend. 

As the book opens, there is much drama around last-minute changes and work needed for an imminent society wedding. The mother-of-the-bride, Lillian calls several times a day, and has high expectations. 

When Cara's golden-doodle Poppy slips her collar, she is searching the neighbourhood for her, and sees her with a strange man who refuses to give her back. She and Bert have to leave for the wedding venue, so she can't deal with it at the time, and the police don't seem to consider it a priority.

As is usual, Cara stays at the wedding awhile, and sees the man, Jack, who had her dog there. He turns out to be related to the groom. 

The wedding goes well, and the next day Cara is pleased to find she is one of the florists being considered for another society wedding. Her competition is new in town, recently expanding from another city. When she gets the contract, the bride insists that she do it all, and Cara is put to the test. 

And when Jack keeps showing up at the weddings she is working at, she finds him growing on her. 

Cara is tight financially, having put all her money into her business, and dealing with an unresponsive landlord, a building that needs a lot of repairs, her ex wanting her back, and a possible lawsuit over a missing decor item a client entrusted her with, so there is a lot going on. 

I liked Cara for the most part, but she definitely has some baggage, but she's also worked through a lot starting her business and really making it her own, with her own flair and style. She works hard and has a high standard that she sets for herself. She is also one who creates relationships with her clients, so there is ongoing business that comes out of the initial contract. 

I also liked Jack. He's another hard worker with high standard, but also has some baggage. I was definitely rooting for them. 

A fun read. 

Nightmares Can Be Murder

Finished December 2 

Nightmares Can Be Murder by Mary Kennedy

This novel begins a series set in Savannah, Georgia around a group of women who meet regularly to discuss and analyze their dreams. Taylor Blake is a business consultant based in Chicago who has come to Savannah to see her sister Allison (Ali) and offer some assistance with her candy store. The store is relatively new, but hasn't yet turned a profit and Taylor is worried about Ali's tendency to lose focus. Alison also runs a Dream Club, a group of women who meet regularly to share their dreams, discuss the meaning of them and try to help each other with the life issues that are connected to these nighttime messages. 

When the owner of another business in the area, Chico Hernandez, a charming but smarmy dance instructor, is found dead in his dance studio, Ali is one of the people that saw him just before his death, and thus gets drawn into the investigation. One of the dream club members, Sam, is a police officer involved in the case, and another, Gina, works for Chico and is the one who finds the body. Taylor is determined to dig deeper to solve the case so the neighbourhood can move forward, and she involves her ex-boyfriend, Noah, an ex-FBI investigator who now works as a private detective. 

Many of the women here have their own secrets and agendas, and there are lots of red herrings to take you off the track of the real murderer. This is a cozy and light mystery with a lot of sweet food discussion, but unfortunately no recipes.