The series name implies a cutesy factor in these stories, but thankfully, there isn't. Even the brief mentions of fairy houses the MC has throughout the garden have a more mysterious, spooky edge to them.

While getting ready to open their town's historical museum, the Greenstockings (women's business organisation) finds a sealed up butter churn they believe is a time capsule. During the opening ceremony, they find a number of items from the gold rush days, including a rather sizeable nugget. Later the night, the local historian is murdered in the museum with all the items stolen - except for the nugget, which had been taken by the police to the bank.

While the mystery goes in unexpected and interesting directions, the murderer was telegraphed by the author from their first appearance, so the ending held no surprises for me. It didn't keep the story from being interesting though; the plant lore sprinkled throughout, and the solid female friendships, as well as the low key romance, all held my attention and kept me reading. There were some bits that didn't work so well here and there; parts that felt awkward, as if the editor added them to 'zest' the story up, but they were mercifully brief.

An enjoyable read by a reliable author; I always look forward to the new release notices for these books.

I read this one for the Murder Most Foul square in Halloween Bingo ( )

Ellie owns a natural perfume shop in Poppyville, CA. Her business group is helping to open a new local history museum. Unfortunately, a professor, who was helping to open the museum, was found dead in the museum. Among the artifacts was a photo that was a dead ringer for Ellie. ( )

This is the third book in the series and I really wanted to like it as well as the first two (although I did like the second one better than the first, I will admit). But I was turned off completely when I found out what the professor was doing.

First, they find an old butter churn and discover that it's a time capsule from the 1800's. When, among much fanfare, it contains an old botanical notebook, Ellie finds it's hot to the touch - at least for her. The rest of the items - a diary page and large gold nugget among them - seem to be just pieces of history.

But the professor who takes charge of everything (save for the nugget which has been removed to the bank) for the museum. While the botanical notebook haunts her, Ellie goes to see if she can look at it again and finds the professor dead and all the items missing.

Now, of course, Detective Max Lang thinks she's guilty, but Ellie isn't going to sit still while he tries to pin a murder on her. She's determined to figure out where the notebook is, and who stole it and why...

This book started out well enough, and it was discovered that Ellie's ancestor was the woman in a photo found in the churn. I thought this could be interesting. But it wasn't. It seems the esteemed professor was going to write a book on the photo and the botanical notebook, which would have both belonged to Ellie as the rightful descendant. And she wasn't going to ask Ellie if it was okay to do so, or include her in the book, or ask for her help. Basically, she was going to steal the items for her own profit. I didn't like this one whit, and I didn't feel sorry for her death after that.

I also don't like Max at all. I get that he's the friend of her ex-husband. But did he hate her when they were married, too? Or did he just develop that when they got divorced? There's no reason at all for his attitude unless he loves her ex-husband Harris and is jealous of her for having been married to him. He's a character the book could do without.

It disappointed me so much that I didn't much care for the book after that. And I cared even less for Ellie's "relationship" with Ritter. Which isn't a relationship at all. He goes away for work months at a time, only returning while he's waiting to leave again. He doesn't have any plans to really have a future with her if he's never there. Just around often enough to make sure she isn't seeing anyone else. Nope. No future in that.

These things ended the series for me. Even if there were any more books, I wouldn't read them. ( )