"Doom and Bloom" By H.Y. Hanna: Review/Giveaway

by Kathleen Costa

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a print or ebook copy of this book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Green Thumbing!
Having closed the door to life in London, twenty-something Poppy Lancaster has found herself in the Oxfordshire countryside knee-deep in mulch, fertilizer, and a variety of perennials, annuals, bulbs, and seedlings. Hollyhock Cottage and a much-need-of-attention garden nursery is her inheritance from a grandmother she knew very little about. An estranged relationship between her mother and her grandmother left her with little family including the undisclosed identity of her rock-n-roll father. But she is settling in as a resident of Bunnington, slowly with a "trial and error" attitude improving her growing skills, navigating a love/hate relationship with her handsome neighbor and his demanding ginger tom cat, and happening upon too many suspicious deaths. Life in the English countryside...


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Doom and Bloom earns 5/5 Coconut Shy Trys...Engaging, Clever Fun!

Poppy is enjoying the village fête despite her trouble at the coconut shy booth; challenged by the smirky attention of her neighbor crime writer Nick Forrest, she launches one too many wooden balls hitting a man in the head. Ok, it wasn't on purpose, but it's just one more embarrassing moment. The fête is the first fundraiser for the South Oxfordshire Animal Rescue lead by Ursula Philips. Poppy is taken with the woman and her wealthy aunt, Muriel Farnsworth, whose attention to her toy poodle Flopsy borders on weirdly eccentric. Case in point: she wishes to hire Poppy as her dog's personal gardener and nurture the dog's outdoor needs by creating a Doggy Scent Garden. What? Well, the money would go a long way to restoring the nurseries potential. All seems to be going well, until a scream echoes..."Murder!" Nooo, not another one!

This series definitely has gained my top favorite status! Clever murder mystery, delightful and quirk characters, a fascinating theme, "fur" friend antics, and an ending with just the right amount of nail-biting. H.Y. Hanna's writing style doesn't overload the reader with too much extraneous falderal; you know someone is going to be...dead, but she creatively leads you through the investigation, offers a few misdirections, provides clues to let you "play along," and adds a few giggles to keep you totally engaged. It's not only murder, murder, murder, though, she explores, strengthens, and celebrates the endearing relationship between Poppy and her surrogate mother Nell, generational mentoring, and a love/hate connection with Nick Forrest who has his own complex family issues. After reading the first two books that I highly recommend, I've been eager to continue following Poppy as she tries to take her very novice gardening skills, like me, and build a successful business, learning about the nuances of a proper English Garden, and exploring fascinating information about plants and herbs.

For the animal lover, H.Y. Hanna always puts in a "fur" friend or two as key characters with whom others interact and often providing assistance. Oren, the demanding ginger tom adopted by Nick, has no trouble putting his own two "meows" into the situations. However, dog lovers don't despair, this third book has a plethora of breeds available including Poppy's other neighbor and inventor "Bertie" whose mixture mutt Einstein seems to be having a case of "puppy love" for the toy poodle. Whatever the animal, they always seem to have the natural senses to be helpful.

My only constructive criticism, minor and selfish, is the absence of a recipe or "how-to" information. Being a story about a novice gardener, I'd love to have had gardening tips on seasonal choices, flower projects, or a recipe using specific herbs, vegetables, etc. Just saying...

Be a Big H.Y. Hanna Fan!
H.Y. Hanna is the author of my all-time favorite series the Oxford Tearoom Mystery. This nine-book with a prequel series comes in all versions: print, eBook, and audio. The stories are engaging and clever, the characters are well-developed, and a little treat is always included for you to bring the Tearoom into your home. She also authors my tied-for-first favorite. She takes the very entertaining five-book Bewitched by Chocolate series and adds a bit of magic to her mystery along with close friendships, possible romance, family secrets, and a centuries-old vampire who loves his fruit!

It's the audiobooks with which I am totally passionate. They have the delightful voice artistry of narrator Pearl Hewitt who enriches the already engaging story with varied accents, dialects, emotions, and tone. As I say, "Murder is always better with an English accent!"

Like, Visit, and Follow!
Facebook
Website
Twitter @_HYHanna

To enter to win an ebook or print copy of Doom and Bloom, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "doom,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen June 15, 2019. If entering via comment please include your email address, and if by email and you want a print copy please provide your mailing address. BE SURE TO STATE IF YOU WANT PRINT OR EBOOK. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:



Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Comments

  1. I love all of this authors books! Really looking forward to reading this one! Thanks for the chance to win!
    faithdcreech at gmail dot com


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  2. Sounds like this one has it all. Count me in

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  3. Would love to read anything from this series! Thanks for the chance to win! jeaniedannheim(at)ymail(dot)com

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  4. I love her Bewitched by Chocolate series. Would like to read this too. Would prefer a print copy as I don't have an e-reader.
    kozo8989@hotmail.com

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  5. I would love to win a print copy. Thanks. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

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  6. I'd love to win this in print. Thanks so much! JL_Minter (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  7. I would love to win a print copy. Thanks for the giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  8. Taylor R. WilliamsJune 1, 2019 at 7:30 PM

    Such a great series. Love the cover. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. tr Williams 69 at msn dot com

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  9. Love the covers on her books...I would like an ebook copy should I win.
    thank you,
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  10. I would love to win an ebook copy. I have the others in the series and have very much enjoyed then!
    goozylucy71@gmail.com

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  11. Great cover! Would really like to read, thanks for the chance. I prefer a print copy.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Faith, if you have read the three books in this series H Y H is having a giveaway for some prizes, IF you can answer three questions about books one, two and three. I have not read them so could not answer the questions. I read all of the reviews hoping to get the answers, but only got an answer to question one.
    Karen94066 at aol.com

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  13. This looks like a great book, would like an e-copy. kc20083@gmail.com

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  14. Thanks for introducing me to this series. kckendler at gmail dot com

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  15. I'd love to win this book it sounds like fun to read. Awesome cover thanks for the chance I like print books.

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  16. This is a great series. I have read them all and can't wait for the next.

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  17. Oh, how I'd love to win!
    I've followed this author for several years an enjoyed ever book. I'd love to win an ebook. Thank you so much for having these giveaways.
    cgclemons@verizon.net

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    Replies
    1. I am afraid that you didn't win this time, but I hope you keep coming back we giveaway books every week!

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