Synopsis:
Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.

Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.

When a mysterious blight endangers every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together, through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another, to save their community. But with a figure from her previous life knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?

Review:
“Goodness wasn’t something you could just be; it was something you did.” (Page 322)

I loved how Violet works to reinvent herself and is always wondering whether or not she can be something other than how she was raised. There were so many times that I wished people would just communicate with each other in this book! Given how very long it took Violet and Nathaniel to get along, I had expected more than his frantic and quick blow up on her at the first sign (for him) that she was more than just some girl who grew flowers. There were so many twists and turns between the townspeople and Violet’s history at the very end that it seemed almost an abrupt- ah, she was capable all along! I do understand why it wasn’t revealed sooner, but most of which I had figured out throughout the reading (though clearly Nathaniel didn’t). Although the premise would make it seem as if it would be far darker, this read as a cozy fantasy romance.

This book, while original, didn’t draw me in enough to want to continue the series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯