This book was immensely entertaining and greatly held my interest from the first page. I really enjoyed the journey with Saffron and the fact that she was so determined to take things into her own hands makes me super excited for the next books in the series. The audiobook was amazing, and I really enjoyed the narrator's carious voices for the characters.

Following a young female botanist in 1923, Saffron, who is determined to clear her mentor’s name when Dr. Maxwell is charged for murder, she will stop at nothing, especially when the authorities find mounting evidence against him. Saffron realizes that if she wants the outcomes she desires, she must do it herself, even if it’s poison. After all, every great scientist knows that it’s all about carefully documented data and, perhaps, a little sacrifice. It's perfect for fans of historical mysteries that enjoy an engaging story with a strong female lead. Even if you don’t know anything about botany or poisons, this book is a great read that is easy to digest, but has all the drama and intrigue of any other mystery. Solid four stars! And I would definitely recommend.


POV & Tense: Third person in past tense.

Immense thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for the eAudiobook of the ARC of "A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons" by Kate Khavari, narrated by Jodie Harris in exchange for my honest review.

Where to start -- I enjoyed the botanist prospective storyline: it was something new to me. I came to the realization that I don't enjoy this time period (London 1923). The story is simple, the dialogue is simple, the characters are simple. Argh. Basically 300 pages of nothing.

I had a difficult time understanding clearly the narration. She had the Eng!ish dialect, troublesome for me sometimes, and there were a few times the audio (whisper) was too low to hear.

I will give kudos to the author and publisher, and all others making decisions for no profanity. For that I would gift this book in either format (physical or audio).

This is okay for someone else. Sadly, it was a chore that will leave a sour taste when I hear about it or see the beautiful cover.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Potions.

The beginning and the end of this book was decent; however, the middle was unmemorable. I’m not sure I really remember what happened in the middle of this book. Set in London in the 1920’s, Saffron Everleigh is at a party where one of the guests was poisoned. Her boss is the main suspect. Saffron works as a research assistant at a university studying botany and is the only female in her department. Saffron isn’t happy with the way the police and detectives are trying to solve the case, so she teams up with Alexander as an amateur detective to try to solve this mystery. It didn’t hold my interest as I was reading. As a reader, you learn a lot about what type of plants are poisonous. This was too slow-paced for my liking. There was a little romance in the story but, it felt forced. I did, however, enjoy the ending as it wrapped things together nicely.

Title: A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (audio version)
Author: Kate Khavari
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery
Rating: 4.5 out 5.0

London, 1923. Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh attends a dinner party for the University College of London. While she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon, she doesn’t expect Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin.

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect, having had an explosive argument with Dr. Henry a few days prior. As evidence mounts against Dr. Maxwell and the expedition's departure draws nearer, Saffron realizes if she wants her mentor's name cleared, she’ll have to do it herself.

Joined by enigmatic Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons. Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list?

I enjoyed listening to this audio book! I enjoyed the interactions between Saffron and Alexander a lot, and there was a lot of humorous moments. The mystery was well-done and there was a lot going on that the author juggled and wove together to keep the action always moving. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Kate Khavari Lives in the DFW area. A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.)

I have been trying to expand my audiobook library but am always hesitant that my attention will be held by the narrator of the story. I was intrigued by this cozy mystery which follows a research assistant trying to clear her mentor's good name. Narrator Jodie Harris does such an excellent job bringing Kate Khavari's exciting story to life, I really enjoyed how animated and engaging she was.

Saffron was a great character all around, I felt like she was a historical version of Brad Pitt's character in World War Z in the methodical way she went about solving this mystery. The addition of the dashing Alexander Ashton. a fellow researcher working with Saffron, was a great romantic plus to the story. The attention to detail about the time period and about the plants/poisons in question was phenomenal. Who knew greenhouses could be so sexy? And the race against the clock was the perfect pressure cooker for this entire novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review! I really enjoyed this one and would re-read this in physical format. Very excited to hear there will be a sequel!

This book is perfect for lovers of Agatha Christie. I wasn’t sure what to expect, honestly, I was drawn to the beautiful cover. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this mystery, and it kept me guessing. This is a poisoning mystery that takes place in 1920’s England, during the age of great scientific expeditions. It’s fascinating to get an inside glimpse of that world, while also being swept up in this lush historical fiction. 😊🌺 I listened to the audiobook and it was well-narrated and the narrators voice really put me in the story.

An entertaining new historical mystery series that was full of great botany details. I loved the main character and the mystery kept me on my toes til the end. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes next! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy!

Ohhhhhhh, this was so good.

Saffron is a botanist, and a very good one. Well, rather, she is a research assistant to a botanist, but Dr. Maxwell likes her and gives her much more leeway than most professors would. She is extremely knowledgeable in plants and when a woman drops at a party and goes into a coma, and her mentor Dr. Maxwell is accused of the poisoning, Saffron takes it upon herself to solve the crime when it looks like the police are uninterested in finding any other suspect. With the help of Alexander Ashton, another research assistant, they snoop, dig, creep and at one point run an extremely dangerous experiment, all to try and save Dr. Maxwell. There is quite a bit of shenanigans [which is glorious] and tons of poisons and plants and fun stuff like that. The reveal is edge-of-your-seat and I was thoroughly surprised at it all, which is just fantastic. When one reads as many mysteries as I do, it is always such a treat to not have a clue at what the heck is happening. :-)

Very well done and I cannot wait for the second book!!

I was also able to get the audiobook ARC of this book and I have found a new favorite narrator. Jodie Harris is delightful and I enjoyed the book even more because of her excellent narration of the story. She does excellent work of bringing Saffron and Co. to life and I will be looking for her narration in other books. Well done!

Thank you to Kate Khavari, Jodie Harris - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing this ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

e Khavari
I will admit to having a guilty passion for historical mysteries set in the 1920s. It is something I can indulge in often because there are so many series out there. And I was thrilled to discover a new one.

This series takes a little different approach than many of the cozies. Fashion is not such a character in this series as many. Instead, it is set at the University College of London, where Saffron, the first woman botany researcher. During a professional dinner, one of the professor’s wives collapses and it is revealed poison is responsible. When Saffron’s boss and mentor is accused of the crime, Saffron is determined to find the real culprit.

A little bit more serious than many other 1920 series, it addresses the prejudices women faced in academia and society, the blatant sexual harassment they were subjected to, and the post traumatic stress that soldiers suffered from World War I.

The characters are good and the mystery is solid. This has more substance than just a frothy creation (which are lovely too). But it is not all serious. It has some humor, romance…and a few descriptions of fashions wore at parties.

Jodie Harris does a good job as the narrator. It felt like it had the right pace.

I look forward to reading others in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I had high hopes for A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons because a favorite author raved about this book. I wasn't very impressed with the book. The narrator does a good job. The problem for me is the main character Saffron Everleigh. She thinks of herself as very logical and scientific but then proceeds to do very dumb things. Saffron poisons herself; she breaks into university offices and one professor's garden; she steals items; she treats her friend Elizabeth poorly; she treats her new acquaintance Alexander Ashton poorly. I would have to conclude that while Saffron is fairly smart, she has very little common sense.
The mystery is interesting and has nice twists in the plot. I liked the way things worked out well enough, however, I am not sure how much I can recommend the book.
Content warnings: threatened rape, inequality for women, poisons used indiscriminately
Thank you to @DreamscapeMedia for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

Not my usually type of book, but I really enjoyed this story. I found the beginning a little slow, understandable to build the world that we were reading about.
The whole mystery of who poisoned Mrs. Henry at the party was fantastic. I loved following along with Saffron as she went about doing her own investigation to figure who did it, as she did not believe Dr. Maxwell was not the culprit.
As entertaining as the mystery is I loved how Saffron and Alexander got to know each other and start a relationship amongst everything that was happening.
So many twists, turns, and flirting that I never knew what was going to happen.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

When Dr. Henry’s wife collapses from a toxic poison at a University dinner reception, Saffron Everleigh is standing nearby and does her best to help revive her. The next day, she is shocked to find out that her mentor and employer, Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect in Mrs. Henry’s poisoning. With the help of a fellow researcher, Alexander Ashton, Saffron sets out to find the true criminal and free her boss before she becomes a victim as well.

The Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Potions is a lovely historical fiction novel set in 1924, with rich, deeply developed characters and an easy flow to the writing. It has a little bit of humor and romance added in with the mystery to form a wonderful novel! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was very good and so interesting about plants, medicines and poisons. It was alittle slow but it was a good book. I wonder if this is a series.

I loved this. Women in academia after the Great War. Touches on many topics of the day and has a great mystery. Would love a follow up of after the research trip to Brazil. Don't want to leave this story =)

An absolutely delightful summer read! I adored the characters and how they interplayed between societal expectations and their own wills. It was a wonderful weekend listen and I look forward to more by this author!

An interesting mystery that focuses on Saffron Everleigh and her work on plants a university long before it was commonplace for women to work at universities in research. The mystery was intruiging enough but I found the talk of plants (the focus of her work) and the poisons derived from them went on too long. Otherwise, this was a slow-moving mystery with a little romance thrown in. I will continue with the series to see where it goes.

Audio was well done, no issues

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari
Standalone
Historical Mystery
Format: Audiobook
Publication Date: June 7, 2022

Saffron is a research assistant attending a dinner party at the university when one of the professors’ wives drops dead. Her mentor is the main suspect and as evidence mounts Saffron uses her knowledge of poisons and plants to clear her professors’ name with the help of fellow researchers.

This might just be the worst review I’ve ever posted but I don’t remember a single thing about this book and I wrote this only a few days after listening to it. I only recalled the characters names after reading the synopsis on Goodreads and the plot only vaguely rings a bell.

My initial thought was immediately I must have been distracted while listening. So I asked a family member who was road-tripping with me while we listened to this book what their thoughts were. She said “while I remember when they got caught” to which I asked, “whom?” Silence followed... so it wasn’t just me.

We both agreed that the narrator had a rather easy to understand, relaxing voice but there was nothing particularly remarkable about the story. I will note, I usually listen to audiobooks at least 2.0 speed. This narrator spoke so quickly I actually slowed it down. Which by no means is an issue, just a helpful tip if you’re thinking of giving this one a listen.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing an advanced listening copy through NetGalley for review.

I switched between audio and ebook for this one, and I really feel the narration of the audio really added something to this story.

This adventure takes place in the 1920’s in London. We meet Saffron - a woman ahead of her time, working as a research assistant with much knowledge about usage of poisons, which comes in handy after there is a murder attempt!

We start with Saffron attending a party with her fellow academics and some of society to introduce some expeditions the academics are about to embark on. It ends with attempted poisoning and cries of murder attempt and one big police investistigation.

When her boss, Professor Maxwell, is accused for the poisoning, Saffron is determined to find out the truth. She teams up with Alexander Ashton, another coworker. There's some romance that sparks during the investigation.

Saffron is fiesty, smart, genuine, and a helper by nature, so she wants to jump right in and help with solving the mystery of the murder attempt. She's determined but has an uphill battle against many of her male colleagures who are condescending, sexist, and even inappropriate at times.
She sometimes acts without thinking things through, but generally her intuition is spot on.

I loved that this was set in the 20's in London and we got to experience that era and geographical location. Saffron was an amazing heroine, and was a little quirky, which even made her more fun to read about. The romance part was mixed in well with the mystery and all in all it was a very enjoyable story!

Many pecial thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for advance ebook and audio copies in exchange for my honest review.

When I first saw this title and read the description, I was immediately intrigued! Deadly plants and a mystery? This definitely felt like my type of read!

I wanted to love this one but found myself confused by the characters often and just never fully connected to them as a whole. However, my favourite part was Saffron! She made for a fantastic heroine and I enjoyed how clever, strong and gusty she was! And that name? Perfection!

Overall, it was a fun historical mystery with a side of romance. While it was a little too slow for my liking, I am interested to continue Saffrons journey and am excited to see where the next one takes us!

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari. This was a fun bistros historical mystery to listen to. I enjoyed it!