WOMS: A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets

Saffron Everleigh is at it again, and this time she’s going undercover to unravel the secrets of a sinister society in the heart of the British government. This week for “What’s on My Shelf,” it’s A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets!

In the third installment of a series I am absolutely adoring, Saffron is tasked with helping clear Alexander Ashton’s brother name as a suspect in King’s Cross constabulary’s latest murder case.

“But wait!” You might say. “Isn’t that the same love interest who almost broke her heart in the last book, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons?”

You would be correct! He is indeed. Has he learned from his misjudgement in the last book? Why is he asking for her help now when he knows it will put her in peril, the very thing he wanted her to avoid at all costs?

You’ll have to read Kate Khavari’s latest to find out more!

What I can tell you is my mostly quieted fears of having some horrid teenage love triangle in the last book were further quashed in this third book. I won’t go so far as to spoil whether or not the ship I’m on fully sailed away, though.

Instead, let me encourage you to read Saffron’s latest adventure because the end, darlings, is atrocious, and not because it was poorly written. The opposite! What I mean is the most dastardly and heinous twist was revealed at the last second, clearly setting up book four, and I am aghast. Simply aghast!

For those who have read these books and are up to date with me, you may recall the insidious insinuations a certain lewd professor made about Saffron’s undeserving father. Was he undeserving though? That is the doubt which has plagued our dear Saffron, and it is in book three she begins to unravel the veil shrouding these lies. Or truths?

Alexander, though, is always by Saffron’s side being the supportive friend (or paramour?) through her investigations. Of course, there is the desire to clear his older brother’s name, but there might be more motivating him. His strength sustains Saffron as she goes deep undercover to solve the question of who killed the Russian scientist in the train compartment with Alex’s brother, and more importantly, what research did her father carry out before he died?

The best part, I think, of this entire book, though, was that Elizabeth—Saffron’s dearest and oldest friend and roommate—finally got her chance to be a part of the action. She might have partaken some in book two, but in this latest thrill she’s mixed up right in the middle of all the action with Saffron. Could it be because her estranged older brother, Nick, suddenly returns to town and strikes it back up with her as if no time or distance had passed between them?

What is it with all these older brothers anyway? Why do they need their younger siblings to bail them out?

It is quite the mix in this book, and we learn more about the histories of these beloved characters, why they made the choices they did to bring them to this moment, and whether or not they’ll continue to fight for who they want to be despite the challenges they face with striking out and starting anew. There’s even a surprise appearance from Saffron’s family, too!

A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets is exactly what I would expect in a third book. It reveals the strings pulling our characters along, weaving their lives together, but what this tapestry reveals you’ll need to find out for yourself.

Read Saffron’s latest case and let me know what you think in the comments below, and stay up to date with what’s on my shelf by following me on Goodreads!