The Daisy Chain Flower Shop: a review by Kayne
Daisy thinks she might be cursed and everyone in Dream Harbor thinks so too! I was looking for a comfort read and this fit the bill perfectly. It’s my favorite of the Dream Harbor series so far.
Daisy has a flower shop in Dream Harbor but three recent weddings Daisy worked on have ended in divorces. She’s having a streak of bad luck and her own love life hasn’t been great either.
The town begins to steer clear of her, afraid her curse will rub off on them. When Daisy’s ex shows up at her shop with his new fiancé, Daisy pretends that Elliot is her boyfriend and he goes along with it. Elliot is still grieving from a divorce and knows how it feels to be left behind. He moved to Dream Harbor to start over and is an architect, working on a remodel of a historic inn. He and Daisy decide fake dating would help her business and keep his mom from being worried about him. He retreated from the world after his divorce and his mother worries about him not dating. Daisy likes his shy smile and nerdy glasses. Elliot thinks Daisy is beautiful, intelligent and funny. They are both eager to fake date!
Daisy and Elliot begin to research the history of the flower shop and Daisy’s family history to try and find out more about the curse and how they can break it. It’s also special to see some of the characters from earlier books, especially Iris, Daisy’s best friend from The Strawberry Patch Pancake House. She’s a new mom and brings a lot of humor to the story.
My favorite part of the story is the town’s Beltane festival to celebrate the start of summer. There’s a maypole, bonfire, food trucks and fairy wine, plus Daisy makes beautiful flower crowns that quickly sell out. Daisy and Elliot have both been hurt before and are trying to learn how to let go of the past. They are kind and gentle and there’s not a lot of drama except for when they run into some exes and that is really funny.
This gentle romcom is lighthearted and full of joy. I recommend it to fans of the series and romance readers looking for a comfort read. It had me in my happy place. I see Laurie Gilmore will have a new series this fall starting with Big Bad Wolf and I can’t wait.
by Kayne Spooner