Release Date: October 15, 2024
About The Book:
Sometimes, uprooting the thorn-filled past is the only way we bloom…
TESSA LEWIS is set to embark on a Big-Time Career and marry Toronto’s fastest rising lawyer, who loves her to pieces. But life wasn’t always sunshine and roses, and when a visit to a flower market from her childhood sparks fragmented memories of the mother she lost too soon, Tessa puts her entire future on hold to work there, determined to come to terms with her past.
At the Blue Iris Flower Market, everything is blossoming except the rag-tag crew, each hiding deep scars of their own. When Sam, the beloved but troubled man in charge, takes off and leaves the market reeling, Tessa and her unlikely new friends come face to face with their hardest truths, uprooting lives carefully cultivated — and just maybe, unearthing everything they’ve ever wanted.
Told from multiple perspectives, The Blue Iris is an intricately woven story of love tested beyond its limits, chosen family, and the beauty that grows in letting go.
About The Author:
Rachel Stone writes stories of hope and redemption, often set against vibrant Canadian backdrops. Her writing placed first in the 2022 OBOA Writing Contest and has appeared in international literary and visual arts magazines, journals, and blogs.
Rachel holds degrees in psychology and industrial relations, and once worked seven summers at a flower market. She’s an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and proud co-founder of a volunteer initiative supporting new and newly-immigrated families in need.
She lives near Toronto with her family, and on weekends you’ll find her along the shore of Georgian Bay, belting nineties pop rock off-key from her paddleboard. The Blue Iris is her first novel. http://www.rachelstoneauthor.com/
Social Media:
Instagram: @racheystone https://www.instagram.com/racheystone/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100030081772132
Twitter / X: @rachestone https://twitter.com/rachestone
Book Blurbs:
Such a unique and heartwarming story about found family. As a huge fan of multiple-POV stories, I thoroughly enjoyed diving into each of these well drawn characters, and watching their fears and hopes converge in a wonderful flower shop I wish I could visit.-Tracey Lange, New York Times Bestselling Author of We Are The Brennans
A story of found family, impossible romances, and the ghosts of the past, The Blue Iris is a riveting page turner as stunning as the blooms that fill the shop at the heart of the book. Haunted and haunting, it keeps you guessing even as you cheer for Tessa and the broken but irresistible makeshift family she builds for herself. A story of growing up and deciding who you really are, it’s an unforgettable tale of roots in more ways than one.-Grace O’Connell, Author of Magnified World
Stone debuts a gorgeous literary novel with a nostalgic aesthetic and themes of complex friendships, family trauma, and healing through self-discovery . . . Stone’s writing is rich and evocative, digging right to the difficult emotions under the surface . . . she deftly utilizes a multiple narrator format, offering a deeply intimate look into each character’s trauma and how it shapes their interactions (and) real emotional depth for characters of both genders. . . the novel’s emotional current, showing broken people whose lives become better when they care for and forgive one another, carries through powerfully.–BookLife (Editor’s Pick)
Riveting, soul-searching, and full of heart. A spectacularly told story. … Stone’s layered characters leap off the page: the cast is vividly drawn, and their struggles feel entirely authentic. The no-nonsense approach to both Tessa and Will’s relationship and the former’s struggles with her past trauma is refreshing, while subplots about love, passion, friendship, chosen family, and letting go add nuance and poignancy to the affecting story. Told in multiple characters’ voices, the narrative is riveting, with shocking surprises unraveling at a steady pace. The plot’s top-grade tension grows taut as Tessa works herself up to take the hard decision. Readers won’t want to put this down.”–The Prairies Book Review
Bloggers On Tour:
Jan. 10th -StamperLady https://instagram.com/stamperlady50
Jan. 11th- A Court Of spines n pages https://instagram.com/acourtofspinesnpages
Jan. 12th- Cassie’s Book Reviews https://instagram.com/cassies_books_reviews
Jan 14th- Idaho Girl Reads https://instagram.com/idahogirlreads
Jan. 20th- Coffee Break Book Reviews https://instagram.com/coffee.break.book.reviews
Jan. 22nd- Tiffany Vt4 https://instagram.com/tiffanyvt4
Jan. 27th- Reading Late Into The Night https://instagram.com/reading.late.into.the.night
Feb. 5th- Art X Souls https://instagram.com/artxsouls
Feb. 20th- One More Exclamation https://instagram.com/onemoreexclamation
Feb. 28th -Reading On The Brink https://www.instagram.com/readingonthebrink
Feb. 28th- Shooks Books https://instagram.com/shook_sbooks
March 3rd- Nature Books and Coffee https://instagram.com/nature.books.and.coffee
March 9th – Red Corset Reads https://www.instagram.com/redcorset_reads
March 10th – Audio books and sweet tea https://www.instagram.com/audiobooks_sweettea
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