A holiday whodunit from the author of Bitter Harvest set in “a quaint, picturesque snow globe of a town . . . a page-turning, gritty-cozy tale” (Annette Dashofy, USA Today-bestselling author). Megan Sawyer is determined to farm year-round. So much so that she braves a December snowstorm to pitch her fresh greenhouse greens to Philadelphia chefs. And then she sees a stranger stranded on the side … a stranger stranded on the side of the road.
But this woman is no stranger to Winsome. It’s Becca Fox–a love chemist. She’s headed to her aunt’s house to sell her love potions at holiday events. Or so Becca thinks. Her sneaky aunt only invited Becca home to reunite her with her estranged father. It sounds noble and kind-hearted, until the man ends up dead.
Megan’s own aunt, the famous mystery author, is dragged into the drama. Her novels implicate her and she’s in trouble. Now that it’s personal, Megan must follow a cryptic trail of literary clues, all while sifting through the victim’s sordid past. She gets closer to the truth as the murderer gets closer to her. . . .
“Worth a read among the traditional cozies . . . a ‘greenhouse mystery’ that finds chickens and goats and babies frolicking among the exotic love potions concocted at Merry’s Flowers & Shrubs.” —The New York Times
“When the Love Chemist hits town the scent of murder fills the cold winter air in Winsome. . . . This complex plot has more surprises than Christmas morning.” –Sherry Harris, Agatha Award-nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries
“Complex characters, interesting twists, and a charming setting add up to a satisfying mystery.” —Publishers Weekly
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In this third book of the series Megan has her greenhouses set up to produce vegetables throughout the cold winter, she is out contacting restaurants hoping to add some new contracts to her ever growing business. When coming home from one of her selling trips she comes across a person stuck on the side of the road, it turns out to be Becca the niece of one of the locals, Mary Chance. When Megan drops off Becca at her aunts house things get a bit dicey. Becca sees her father a man she can’t stand and the person to whom she blames for the death of her mother. When Becca’s father is later found dead everyone looks toward the daughter first. Megan soon realizes that there were quite a few people that didn’t like the man and the suspect list grows from one to many, her author aunt being among them. Is her aunt the killer or was it the daughter? Can Megan find the truth before she ends up as a victim? Who had the most to gain by killing? Was he as bad as some are making him out to be? Find the answer to these questions and more by diving into this well plotted mystery. The authors progression of Megan from book one to three has shown her truly growing as a character, especially one I would like to know better. Her romantic relationship has been moving forward in a realistic fashion along with her relationships with family and friends, this makes for a more relatable character which I always appreciate. I can’t wait to see what is in store next for Megan and the town of Winsome.
This was an intriguing holiday book! Megan is on her way back to Winsome when she comes across a stranded motorist. The woman, Becca, turns out to be Merry Chance’s niece who is a love chemist and has come to sell her potions at Merry’s store. Merry has also arranged for Becca’s estranged father to be there and it doesn’t go over well. After the man is found dead, it is discovered he was murdered by phosgene, which makes Becca a prime suspect. Megan ends up getting involved in the investigation and discovers her Aunt Sarah’s mystery books seem to play a part in the murder and strange behavior of Becca and other incidents happening that seem to be related to the murder. This book certainly proved that looks can be deceiving and the killer could be in your midst without you ever suspecting. An intriguing story from beginning to end. I love Megan’s relationship with her grandmother, employees, and Denver. I enjoyed seeing Megan and Sarah grow a little closer in this book and hope to see that develop more. I hope to see Megan and Denver’s relationship develop and deepen as well. I can’t wait to see what happens with Clay and Emily and what’s next for the farm and the shop!
I selected this book for the holiday theme involving a female farmer with an organic cafe, and a winter storm in Winsome PA. With some colorful characters and a murder thrown in, it was entertaining.
I really enjoyed this mystery. I received this for free and I voluntarily chose to review it. I’ve given it a 5* rating. This is the 3rd in the Greenhouse Mysteries Series. These seem to get better as I go along or it’s just that I’m getting into the characters more. These could be read alone but I think you would enjoy them more if you read them in order. This was another hard to put down story. I read late into the next morning on this. It pulled me into the story fast. A lot of action in this one, coated with a lot of snow as you get closer to the holidays. It was well worth the read. (less)
I enjoyed Seeds of Revenge. I bought all 4 books. And am looking forward to the next book.
I truly enjoyed this book and loved the holiday setting. The characters were people you could relate to and I found the storyline satisfying.
Enjoyed the story
Pleasant read, good characters, interesting plot.
When Megan Sawyer sees a woman stranded during a winter storm, she offers her a ride to town. The woman is Becca, who is coming to Winsome to spend the upcoming Christmas holiday with her aunt. However, when she goes to drop off Becca, Megan witnesses a confrontation between Becca and her very estranged father, Paul. When Paul dies a few days later, Becca quickly becomes the chief suspect. But Megan thinks there is more to his death, especially since it mirrors an unusual death in one of Megan’s aunt Sarah’s books. Is the killer using the book to send a message?
The Christmas setting is in contrast to the plot of this book. In fact, it makes it seem darker as a result. This is a plot that will stay with you for a while after you are done. Little things that appear to mean nothing come into clearer focus when we reach the climax of the tightly plotted story. I enjoyed seeing the returning characters again, but the new characters really steal the show. They are very strong, even Paul, which is unusual for a murder victim.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Megan Sawyer, is a lawyer turned farmer, out trying to sell her organic goods to chefs. Heading home in a snowstorm, she encounters a young woman stranded. Megan rescues Becca Fox, and safely takes her to Becca’s aunts’ home. Becca sells love potions. There, Megan encounters an uncomfortable situation between Becca and her father, Paul Fox. Becca appears to be quite livid at seeing her father.
Things take a nasty turn, when Paul is found dead in the house he has rented. Megan learns that Becca has made allegations that her father is responsible for her mother’s death. Things start happening to others in town, that are strongly tied to Megan’s aunts’ novels. When Megan is attacked, it becomes personal. When Becca is arrested, Megan goes on a quest for answers to her own questions.
Great cozy read!
When I read the first book in the Greenhouse Mysteries, A MUDDIED MURDER, I was amazed at how quickly I was hooked. And, again with the second installment, BITER HARVEST. Author Wendy Tyson pulled me in with her easy writing style. You know the kind? Every word she writes belongs in the story. She doesn’t “over” describe things or add a bunch of words just to stretch out her word count. Her stories flow across the pages inviting you to drift with them.
With that said, while I loved the plot of SEEDS OF REVENGE, author Tyson went edgier with this book. Her same wonderful writing is there. Her characters are still just as enjoyable, and I still have a wicked crush on the devilish Denver. But parts of this book didn’t read “cozy” to me. There is also the use of profanity which I think has no place in a cozy mystery. D*mn and h*ll have been showing up more and more in this genre, and while they make me cringe, I manage to overlook them (mostly). But the use of b***h and b*****d just don’t belong. This was a good, strong story, and didn’t need the addition of profanity to make it better. Now, if this doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend you read this book. You will be in for a good read.
This was a fun Christmas cozy. I love Megan, Bibi, and Denver. I like the main characters. They sound very warm and caring. The other characters are a mix, which is what you would expect, some on nice, some not so nice, some cranky. Just a nice mix. They mystery was very engaging. So many twists and surprises along the way.
The only problem I saw was a minor one. Sometimes the character names were wrong. Paul instead of Luke or mentioning Angela Fletcher (Angela Lansbury played Jessica Fletcher). Other than that, I really enjoyed the book and would read another one by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley for my review.
What do a love chemist, mystery writer and a doctor all have in common? A hate for psychologist Paul Fox and now he is dead. The mystery writer’s niece, Megan Sawyer notices some connections between her aunt’s books and the murder and as the suspect and victim lists grow longer Megan rushes to figure out the killer before it is too late.
I like the fact that unlike many cozies in this story the police chief welcomes Megan’s insights on the case and that gives the story an added dimension. Also, the twists and turns in this story will keep you constantly changing the top of your guilty list until the very end.
This is the third book in A Greenhouse Mystery series. It could be read as a stand alone but I feel it would give the reader a better understanding of the characters relationships if you read the other two books first.
An ARC was provided to me by NetGalley for a honest review.
“Seeds of Revenge” earns 5/5 Vials of the Sweet Aroma of…Revenge!
I am very aware of the countless rave reviews for Wendy Tyson’s Greenhouse Mystery series, and am thrilled to finally join in with others to voice my excitement. Although I started with the third book, I never felt at a loss with the backstory or character connections. Wendy brings us Megan Sawyer who had given up her Chicago-based law career for the peace and quiet Winsome, Pennsylvania, helping to open a store and café featuring products from Washington Acres, her grandmother’s organic farm. Along with the ins and outs of farming and running a business, she also falls into various murders and during the subsequent investigations she is assisted by her grandmother Bibi, friends, novice Police Chief Bobby King, and the hunky Scottish vet turned boyfriend Daniel “Denver” Finn.
I very much enjoyed “Seeds of Revenge,” more a cozy with an edge. I was immediately hooked with Megan’s character as she starts off by acting the good samaritan and picking up a stranded motorist on the side of the road during a terrible winter storm. We meet Becca Fox, the niece of Winsome favorite Merry Chance, who is setting up her business in her aunt’s nursery for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Becca is The Love Chemist, who makes naturally scent love potions using pheromones, what she calls the magic ingredient. Dropping Becca off at Merry’s home Megan is shocked at Becca’s reaction upon seeing Paul, her estranged father. She is extremely agitated, not wanting to have anything to do with him, and accusing him of having murdered her mother. Sure many families have conflicts and misunderstandings, but when Paul is found dead, Becca is still the number one suspect. And when she shows signs of mental instability, law enforcement believes it is an open and shut case…Megan’s not so sure, of course, the subsequent investigation is very well written and clever, an engaging page-turner: Fox family secrets, connections to the Sawyer family, multiple murders, along with issues surrounding the farm and navigating through the relationship with Denver. I loved it! There’s always something extra, too, Gardening Tips and a delicious easy-to-follow recipe.