Saturday, January 18, 2025

About the Book

Book: A Year of Flowers

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: November 18, 2024

In this collection of four heartfelt novellas, three former friends have found success in the floral industry, but happiness–and love–remain elusive.

In An Apology in Bloom, wedding florist Jaime Harper is on a meteoric rise, working for an event company led by a successful and way-too-handsome boss. When a letter arrives from her past mentor with an offer too good to pass up, will she stay or head back to her hometown?

In A Bouquet of Dreams, Claire Murphy has always dreamed of owning a flower shop, and when her employers hint at retirement, she believes her moment has arrived. But first she must confront her past–and the man who caused her to flee her hometown years ago.

In A Field of Beauty, Tessa Anderson has found an acre of farmland to start her flower farm and forget the past. She’s grateful for the help of two men–her boyfriend, Tyler, and a quiet soil specialist named Dawson. But as the farm finally starts to bloom, Tessa will discover something that challenges everything she’s built.

In A Future in Blossom, Jaime, Claire, and Tessa return to their hometown, finally ready to face each other and their beloved mentor, flower shop owner Rose Reid. As they unite to pull off an extraordinary wedding, amid the flurry of preparations they just may find their way to forgiveness.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a Christy finalist, a Carol and Selah winner, a two-time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, and the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of more than forty books. Her genres include contemporary and historical romances, Amish romance, and women’s fiction. She and her husband live in a small town in California, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and why. Most friends act a little nervous around Suzanne because they usually wind up in one of her novels. She has four grown children and enough grandchildren to keep her young.

More from Suzanne

A Year of Flowers: Friendships in Full Bloom

If you’ve ever tended to a garden, you know that flowers and friendships have a lot in common—they both need a bit of love, attention, and sometimes, a good pruning. That’s the heart of my novella collection called A Year of Flowers, stories of three teenage girls who bonded over bouquets and blossomed into best friends under the guidance of Rose, the wise and wonderful flower shop owner.

But life, much like a garden, doesn’t always go according to plan. On one sweltering August day, something dreadful happens in the flower shop, and the girls, who once shared everything, suddenly vanish from each other’s lives.

Seven years later, we find out where each girl, now a young woman, has gone. Their love for flowers is still in full bloom. Jaime’s taken her talent to the big city, working as a floral artist for a high-end event agency in NYC. She’s turning heads with her extravagant designs, but something’s missing—maybe it’s the simple joy she once found in that small-town flower shop.

Claire has run off to Savannah, Georgia, where she’s knee-deep in blooms, working in a flower shop with dreams of running the place one day. She’s got her eye on the prize, but she’s also discovering that you can’t outrun the past, no matter how far you go.

Then there’s Tessa, who’s found solace in the soil of Asheville, NC, where she’s started a flower farm. It’s a peaceful life, but even in the quiet of the mountains, memories of that summer day haunt her like the mist that rolls over the hills.

As each story unfolds, we see that, like flowers, friendships need TLC. They can wilt easily without care and attention. And sometimes, a good pruning is necessary, to help it grow stronger.

In the final novella, the three young women are drawn back to where it all began—the flower shop, and to Rose. It’s time to dig up the past, clear out the weeds, and see if their friendship can bloom again. After all, just because a garden has been neglected doesn’t mean it can’t be revived with a little care and attention.

So, if you’re a fan of flowers, friendships, or happy endings, get a copy of A Year of Flowers. It’s a reminder that with the right care, both flowers and friendships can flourish, no matter how long they’ve been left untended.

MY FLOWERS

A collection of stories where flowers are featured. Each story is filled with faith, friendship and happy endings. The author does a great job of giving us relatable characters we want to cheer for. I loved learning about flowers and how delicate they are. The descriptions were so vivid I could see the beauty of the bouquets that were created. Get ready for a great time with friends who support each other. Healing the heart happens in the most unexpected ways in this faith filled collection of stories.

An Apology in Bloom

Jamie works very hard trying to please customers with her designs. One particular customer is very picky but Jamie pulls off an exceptional bouquet that brings a nice compliment for Jamie. With all her skills Jamie thinks it is time to enter the Blooms to Bouquet competition.

Jamie’s boss Liam is found rocking out to a gospel song when she arrives at the shop. She had no idea that he liked Christian music. It is a perfect opportunity for Jamie to be reminded that she still has not found a church to go to since moving to New York City. I loved when Liam told Jamie, “Faith brings new life.” Hmm. Is Jamie looking at Liam in a different light now?

What a mess Jamie gets into when her bouquet becomes a finalist. The problem is the bouquet is for a very prestigious wedding. The mother of the bride is furious because the picture of the bouquet is all over Instagram. Will Liam forgive Jamie for this huge mistake? Is the wedding ruined? Stay tuned to see where Jamie goes after the fiasco she thinks she made.

A Bouquet of Dreams

Claire finds herself at a boring conference on her twenty-fifth birthday. What a way to celebrate her birthday. Her boss thinks she needs to have better customer service skills. Perhaps being direct and expanding on her knowledge of flowers all the time isn’t quite what customers want to hear.

It was interesting to learn Claire’s background. Being a military brat she traveled a lot as a child. When her mom left, she lived alone with her dad going from place to place. Her dad goes overseas but Claire has had enough of moving. Staying with her grandparents was a great decision. Her life makes another sudden change when she suffers a loss.

Claire has big dreams in the flower business but her dad doesn’t share her enthusiasm. No one seems to understand that flowers ‘is in the business of happiness.” Meeting MaryBeth and her husband is an answer to prayer for Claire. They take her in and let her work in their flower shop. I did see that Claire did begin to complain a bit when she was so sure MaryBeth would retire. Is Claire expecting to be given the flower shop?

This story has a great lesson on forgiveness and giving second chances. Claire faces her past at the conference and sees how much she has judged someone unfairly. Will Claire return to her hometown?

A Field Of Beauty

Tessa is ready to open her own flower farm. What an intriguing idea. Now all she has to do is get started. After buying Mountain Farm she is ready to go. Can she convince Dawson to analyze the soil? It doesn’t sound very promising as Dawson lets her know that it will need a lot of work to get the soil in good condition.

I can’t believe that Tessa was talked into giving Dawson base plus a fifty-fifty cut. This is going to get very interesting . Her boyfriend is not happy that she cancels their date in order to stay and help Dawson out. As they work together, they see tiny little seeds start to grow. It gets them both hopeful that they will be successful in their long term plan.

Oh my . I am shocked at what happens at a dinner that Tessa attends with her boyfriend. He is running for office and I didn’t like him much. He is a bit arrogant and doesn’t really respect Tessa at times. Things did go from bad to disaster as Tessa’s farm is in danger of being taken away from her. Dawson tells Tessa, “you can’t fix what you don’t face.” Such a good story of turning your life back to God. God will forgive your of your mistakes. The hardest part is to forgive ourselves.

A Future in Bloom

This story brings four characters back together. I loved seeing how the women all came back to face their past. Rose is definitely the reason the group has returned to reunite. Past pain and harsh words need to be healed. The wedding planned to be hosted in the greenhouse sounded so exciting. I loved seeing how the friends began to work together again. But lingering in the background was the past that they all needed to talk about. The ending is bittersweet but oh how I loved how the author brings this story full circle.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.