Magnifying the Differences: Flower Shop Mysteries
Flower Shop Mysteries have been popular as both a book series by Kate Collins and a Hallmark movie series starring Brooke Shields. However, there are some differences between the two.
Here are the differences we magnified:
Spoiler alert! We’ll be looking at both series as a whole. While we won’t reveal any killers, there might be spoilers about characters and romances.
Abby’s Age
In the book series, she’s in her twenties, having just flunked out of law school. She’s trying to make sense of her life after an abrupt pivot from her original plans of becoming a lawyer and marrying Pryce Osborne (who called off the wedding because marrying her after she flunked out would be “unseemly” to his elitist family.) In the Hallmark series, Abby has changed her career after the death of her husband. She was a successful attorney, but felt that she needed a change. She returned from the city to her hometown.
Abby’s Staff
In the book series, Abby’s staff at Bloomers consists of Lottie (a florist and the former owner of Bloomers who sold the shop to have more time and money to help care for her ill husband and four teenage sons) and Grace (an older British woman who minds the tea parlor section of the shop and uses historical quotes to shame Abby for her “meddling”). In the Hallmark movie series, Abby’s assistant manager is a capable married woman named Nikki Bender who seems based on the best friend and roommate Nikki Hiduke found in the book series (who was single and works as a nurse.)
Bloomers
In the book, it is a flower shop and tea room. The Hallmark series focuses just on the flowers, but is able to show some lovely visuals of all the blooms.
Abby’s Family
In the book series, Abby’s parents and brothers are involved in her life. They have weekly dinners at the country club, Abby’s mother delivers strange artistic sculptures that she creates for Abby to sell at her shop, and Abby’s dad is able to use his connections (as a former cop before becoming wheelchair bound) to help with investigations. In the Hallmark series, Abby is a widow and the mother of Sydney, a caring law school student who often tries to mother her mother.
Abby’s Career
In the Hallmark series, Abby was a lawyer who gave up her career after her priorities changed following the death of her husband. She felt she “no longer made a difference” at her job and pivoted to own a flower shop, which would give her more joy after her daughter went away to school. In the book series, Abby flunked out of law school, which was the deciding factor in her engagement being called off by her pompous fiance, and she used the money that would have paid for the rest of her schooling to purchase the flower shop.
Marco
Much of love interest Marco’s backstory is the same (a sexy former investigator who opens a restaurant), but the details of the business differ a little. In the book series, it is called Down the Hatch and features a slight nautical theme that Marco inherited since the bar is a piece of local history. In the Hallmark series it is called Chicago Bar & Grill. Also, Marco was PI in the Hallmark series and was a cop in the books. The book series also continues past where the Hallmark movies end, with Marco and Abby eventually tying the knot in book 14 and then continuing to solve crimes together.