Roses, lilacs, irises, mimosa—glamorous flora matches New York society fauna in this vampy romantic drama by bestseller Gould (Sins; Love-Makers; etc.). After years of hard work, Carolina Mountcastle has finally made her flower shop the first choice of New York's most demanding hostesses. Factor in her storybook marriage to successful businessman Lyon, her 16-year-old son Richie and her great friends, and Carolina would appear to have it all. But when her husband suffers a fatal heart attack while traveling abroad for business and a mysterious woman and her daughter appear at the reading of his will, Carolina's world begins to unravel. To make matters worse, socialite Payton Fitzsimmons is opening her own floral and decorating business and will do anything to sabotage Carolina's outfit. Seducing one of Carolina's employees, Payton manages to damage her stock, spread the word that Carolina is unreliable and foil an important delivery. Dealt blow after blow, Carolina turns to customer and friend Seth Foster for support. With Seth's encouragement and powerful connections, Carolina's business begins to thrive again. But Carolina still can't forget Lyon's betrayal. When Richie runs away to make sense of his father's secrets, Carolina is forced to reevaluate her marriage and to open her heart and mind to Seth, who has been by her side through thick and thin. Gould's page-turning plot and deliciously evil villains distract artfully from some tone-deaf dialogue ("Come on, Richie!... We're getting out of this... this... hell!"), and the flower descriptions are a delight. (Aug.)
