Blog Tour: Seeds of Malice by Dale Mayer (Review)

To view all the stops on the tour see the end of this post. 

Summary/Cover form Author's Website: 

Charged with murder. Betrayed by her lover. Shunned by her friends.

After being acquitted of the murder, botanist Fern Geller runs from her past to learn everything she can about poisonous plants. She ends up doing a six month contract at the Garden of Death before finding the answer she's seeking...

When she returns to the same conservatory where she'd worked before, the new boss is missing and several other men are dead. Once again, all eyes turn her way.

FBI agent, London Behring hadn't expected Fern to look like she does now. Ethereal. Gorgeous. Gentle. Why and how had she been a murder suspect? Even more intriguing, how had she been acquitted of all charges? And more mysteriously, she'd come back to the scene of the crime... at the perfect time to fall under suspicion - again.

What magic did she possess to walk away from such crimes? And how can he stay free of her charms... a lure he's finding impossible to resist.

Review:

As soon as I read the summary for Dale Mayer's Seeds of Malice, I knew I had to add to my TBR list. It sounded fantastic - a famed botanist dubbed "Dr. Death" being set up for murder? Now, that's one way to catch my attention! Plus, the science nerd in me was intrigued by the botany aspect.

As it turns out, Seeds of Malice was an enjoyable read. It was like a really good episode of Criminal Minds -you know the one, containing all the twists and turns and extra fright - with just the right amount of romance and paranormal thrown in.

Seeds of Malice introduces the reader to three POVs: Fern, London, and the bad guy behind it all.

Fern was an incredibly easy character to like. I felt immensely bad for her regarding the previous murder trial. Here's this women who didn't do the crime yet still faces the repercussions and hate from it on a daily basis. It made my heart ache for her, especially when they included some of the hate letters in the text. My heart also broke for Fern regarding her family life. At the start, I had no idea her family would pay such a role in the book. Dale Mayer really managed to throw a gut-puncher in with that one! I also enjoyed seeing Fern kick a$$ and take names in her field - she was a smart women who used her talents, surprisingly, for good! London was the typical male hero; however, I still enjoyed reading about him. I liked his dedication to help clear Fern's name as well as the countless times he ended up being there for her, even when she was doing everything in her power to keep him away. He was a good guy. My favorite POV, however, was the bad guy behind it all. Dale Mayer truly managed to bring suspense, fright, and intrigue through it. Throughout the novel, I was trying to figure out who it was, especially when little subtle clues were dropped.

The plot of Seeds of Malice mainly focused on who was behind all the murders, and boy, was it addictive. As mentioned before, the bad guy POV was the perfect addition to really sell the mystery suspense part of this one. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout! There was so many ways I could've seen the plot of this one going, but the end result still managed to surprise me. Dale Mayer did a fantastic job of creating an intricate plot with a great mystery - I'm still reeling from all the surprises thrown in at the end.

The romance between London and Fern was also a good addition; however, at times I wish it was more developed. I wish more was discussed about their previous relationship as well as Fern's previous relationship with London's brother. The context was there but I feel that it would've made the story more developed if it was fleshed out more.

The botany aspect in this was also incredibly interesting. I loved the fact that Fern could "see" the poison left behind from the plants. It was such a cool paranormal ability to have. I also enjoyed how it made this book different from the typical murder mystery.

In all, Seeds of Malice is an enjoyable, fast paced addition to the paranormal world. I'm excited to see what Dale writes next!

Grade: B 

Seeds of Malice (Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play ) is now out!

Source: eBook provided by publicist for blog tour - thanks Tracee!

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties eries. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It's a Dog's Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series). She honors the stories that come to her - and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format. 

To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author. If you like Dale Mayer's books and are interested in joining her street team, sign up here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/402384989872660/. 

 

Click read more to see all the blog tour stops! 

Monday, July 17
Book featured at I'm Shelf-ish
Guest blogging at Mythical Books

Tuesday, July 18
Book featured at Chill and Read
Guest blogging at Hot off the Shelves

Wednesday, July 19
Interviewed at T's Stuff
Book featured at Cuzinlogic
Book featured at Happily Ever After Romance Book Reviews

Thursday, July 20
Book featured at The Bookworm Chronicles
Book featured at Perfect at Midnight

Friday, July 21
Book reviewed at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

Saturday, July 22
Guest blogging at Indie Wish List

Sunday, July 23
Book reviewed at Bibliophile Ramblings

Monday, July 24
Book featured at A Title Wave

Tuesday, July 25
Guest blogging at Must Read Faster

Wednesday, July 26
Book featured at A Book Lover

Thursday, July 27
Guest blogging at Comfy Chair Books

Friday, July 28
Book featured at Mello and June