In Regency Bath, flowers speak louder than words. Someone is using them to lie.
Clara Hartwell trusts flowers more than she trusts people. Camellias for admiration, violets for loyalty, heliotrope for devotion that never speaks aloud. Her work as a secret flower-writer creating floriography books for rich clients keeps her fed and mostly content. That all changes the day a body is found with a bouquet in its hands and her careful language turned inside out. Partnered with Bath's new coroner, Gideon Bell, Clara follows a trail of petals and lies and begins to wonder if she has been translating her own heart all wrong.
Adrian Vale likes the world neat and knowable. Bottles in straight rows, ledgers balanced, a future with Clara she can't say no to. Her secret language of flowers and his gift for scent seem made for each other. But when bouquets begin to appear beside the dead and Clara is called to advise the new coroner, Adrian feels his careful arrangements begin to shift. To protect the work they share and the life he hopes for, he must decide what he is truly willing to risk for the woman at the center of his plans.
Perfect for readers who love:
historical romance mysterystrong, clever heroinesgentle protector heroeslove trianglessociety scandalforced proximityclass coflictslow-burn romancefound familyVictorian floriography and secret messagesFlower glossary included.