The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio

A romantic and suspenseful tale about two women whose destiny is bound across the years

On the eve of World War II, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes.

More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate

I picked up this book in a Chatham Massachusetts bookstore while on my Anniversary Escape with Leao.  First drawn to the cover (What can I say?I love beautiful books.)  and read the back cover and knew it needed to be added to my book collection.

I found this book so easy to slide right into. The story draws you in going back in time first with very vivid details. And then delivering you to the present every other chapter. This never was a nuisance it actually made me want to keep reading and guessing what happened. I love gardening and was fascinated by the concept of story line around the Camellia flower. I  truly enjoyed the descriptions of the garden in the book.

This was my first book by Sarah Jio and I will definitely be looking for another of her novels to read.

Happy reading!

Belinda