This book came to my attention through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I am so glad I won a copy, or I might never have discovered this gem.

In fact, Her Little Flowers, drew me in from the first page, as few books do. I found it hard to put down. It ended up taking a position on my Favorite Books of All Time list. I loved this book! It hits the mark for me on many levels--favorite genre, atmosphere, geographic location, and other elements. In fact it added a new element to my favorites: the language of flowers and plants in general. I had no idea of the extent to which this flower language could be and was, historically, used. I now want to read further into that and the author has provided some supplementary information at the end of the book to help me get started.

I found the atmosphere in Her Little Flowers to be much like that in Jane Eyre, my all time favorite book. It is Gothic and Victorian, while somehow managing to take place in dual timeframes. It seamlessly weaves together scenes from fifty years ago with current events. The five hundred year old manor is a key player in the drama, portrayed as a living, breathing entity holding its own secrets. The wonderful descriptiveness of everything from the plants in the garden and what they do and mean, to architectural details of the manor; the centuries old Thwaite family cemetery with its generations of Thwaites and their secrets, to the former mental asylum on the grounds of the Thwaite family property. The author's writing style is superb and I found her use of language compelling and lyrical.

The story we are drawn into is fascinating, dark and tragic. It is peopled with ghosts, yet the ghosts belong to the story every bit as much as the living people. The mystery builds and our heart breaks again and again as the tragedy builds with it. Yet there is a silver lining we can glimpse, an element of hope built in throughout the story as well, to prop us up and not give in to the despair.

For me, this story had everything I want in a book and I soaked it up from cover to cover. ( )

Francine lives alone in the home she has grown up in. In her mid-fifties, she sticks to herself and rarely leaves her house. Although she lives alone, she is surrounded by the ghosts that are attached to the house. Her favorite is a young girl she calls Bree.
During one of her sister's rare visits, Francine tries to unravel the mystery of the tragedy that occurred when she and her sister were young girls. Francine is confused that she has no memory of events. When two lodgers stay in the house, Francine is unexpectedly pushed to discover the truth of that night.
The book was pretty suspenseful, even if at times it was too overexaggerated for me. It isn't scary despite a house of spirits. The story focuses more on family drama, secrets and forgiveness. I will definitely pass the book along so more readers can enjoy it. I received a complimentary book as part of Goodreads First reads giveaway program. ( )

Francine has lived her whole life in her family’s ancestral home, more than 50 years. She lives alone, but she is not alone. This home in England has ghosts, but they are friendly and familiar to Francine, especially the ghost she calls Bree, the ghost of a young girl. Francine leads a happy life, even if the villagers think she is a little strange. There was a tragedy that occurred to her family many years ago, so it is understandable that it has colored her life. But her life is turned upside-down when her younger estranged sister returns home. Madeleine brings with her a tale so strange and so bizarre that it threatens everything that Francine has believed her whole life. This chilling gothic ghost story is a gripping tale of terror and heartache, yet it is also one of hope, forgiveness, and redemption. One thing for sure, Francine’s life will never be the same. The novel is well written, and the characters are well developed and defined. The novel surely will appeal to readers of this genre, but it will also be liked by readers who don’t normally read this type of book: it’s just that good. ( )

*thriller and intrigue all throughout the book
*easy to read with short chapters
*very well-written
*great character development
*storyline is very exciting and kept my interested from cover to cover
*highly recommend ( )

Fifty-five-year-old Francine Thwaite has lived in the family home, Thwaite Manor in Cumbria, England for all of her life. The land her home was built on has been in her family for over five hundred years. Francine is a loner who rarely ventures outside her home and her social interactions are limited to her trips to the nearby town for necessities, visits from her late mother’s close friend and her interactions with lodgers who rent rooms in her home. Her younger and somewhat estranged sister, Madeleine has a life very different from Francine and lives in London. But Francine is content with her quiet life and is averse to modern technology (no phone or computer to be found on the premises), She spends her time tending her garden, reading about the history of the house and the family and in the company of the ghosts of the Manor among whom is a six or seven-year old girl she calls Bree her favorite since her childhood. Francine’s late mother was a believer in the healing and protective power of herbs and flowers and passed the same down to Francine who regularly uses her knowledge to keep evil spirits away. When Madeleine returns home after several years away, she shares some shocking information she has gathered about their family history forcing Francine to question everything she knew about her parents and her childhood. As the narrative progresses, Francine tries to find out the truth behind Madeleine’s revelations and what follows is a journey of catharsis and discovery, recovery of repressed memories of traumatic events from their childhood dating and unraveling of long-buried family secrets from over fifty years ago. Her search is complicated by the presence of an evil apparition that enters her home with harmful intent and it will take all of her knowledge and courage to keep herself, Madeleine, her home and her friendly ghosts safe from harm.

With its combination of Gothic elements, mystery and family drama, Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan is an absorbing read. The author seamlessly weaves past and present timelines into an engaging narrative. I enjoyed getting to know both Francine and Madeleine and was invested in their stories and liked how their quest brought them closer together. I loved how the author incorporates the language of flowers, which plays such an important role in this story, into the narrative. Initially, the pacing is a tad uneven but picks up as the plot progresses. The narrative does suffer from minor repetitiveness but not so much that it detracts from the overall reading experience. I did think, however, that the romance track felt forced and unnecessary. There are some heartbreaking moments in this story but I am glad that the author chose to end it on a positive and hopeful note. The plot is well structured and the build-up to the final reveal was suspenseful with plenty of surprises along the way.

”There were so many reasons a soul might remain: a debt that needed paying, vengeance, guilt over earthly actions and their subsequent consequences”.

This is not a genre I read much, but I enjoyed the spooky, Gothic vibe, the characters (even the "ghosts and ghoulies") and the mystery at the core of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )