Feel the Fern (Review) – I am just like Mia

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I sit up to write this review, and then I realise that I never reviewed a single book from this series. My bad, honestly, and I sincerely apologise, because I have been reading it since the first book came out and love Mia and the gang to bits. However, this latest release seriously prompted me to write about it because I am, honestly, just like Mia in this book. And I am not talking about her lack of care for her crystals (mine are in tip-top working shape)!

What the book is about

Synopsis:

Mia Thorne is finally blossoming thanks to a career on the upswing, a serious relationship, and growing friendships in the bucolic riverside town of Newberry. She’s thrilled when Patrick connects her with a client, the owner of a local gym called Burn Notice. She’s less than thrilled, however, when a dead body is discovered on the premises. Chief Tuck and Detective Fairfax have a potential PR nightmare on their hands when it turns out the victim is a promising young woman from a nearby boarding school. With the town’s reputation on the line, they call upon Mia’s special skills to help identify the killer before they can strike again.

Can Mia carry the weight of the investigation or will she throw in the towel and end up a bag of bones?

It hit me right in the feels

I am not joking when I say that I am just like Mia, insofar as I have long felt unworthy (and often still do), that I am a people pleaser in remission, and that I am also learning to channel my own psychic (long story of a girl, now woman, who has always thought herself crazy because she could hear voices, among other things, only to discover in her early 40s that she is not crazy, “only” a psychic).

In other words, some parts of the book hit me right in the feels.

For instance, this quote. I need only change Dane’s name to my boyfriend’s and it is exactly me.

At times, the feeling I had of being just like Mia was almost uncanny, something that does not happen that frequently when I read a book, and I thank Annabel Chase for having created such a relatable heroine.

However, contrary to Mia, once I discovered my psychic, I completely embraced it. And I take care of my crystals. 😉

Plants and psychic investigations

Starting with Petal to the Metal, The Bloomin’ Psychic is the story of Mia Thorne, a New York publicity worker who escapes the Big Apple following a disastrous relationship and career ending. Yes, both nearly simultaneously, and I will let you read the book to find out how it came to be. Hint: it’s hilariously sad. Leaving New York brought Mia to Newberry, Pennsylvania, in a house she has inherited from her estranged aunt Hazel, a well-known psychic, along with a garden in complete disarray and an obese cat called Ophelia.

More info about the series and how to get the books (which are all available on Kindle Unlimited)

There she meets her amazing neighbours, Patrick and Scarlet, as well as the hot lawyer in charge of Hazel’s inheritance, Dane Fairfax… and a corpse in her garden, whose appearance has Mia meeting with the police department of Newberry, particularly the elderly Chief Tuck and Annabel Chase’s version of Detective Douche, Derek Fairfax (and I am not joking about the Detective Douche reference).

From investigation to investigation, of which she is either unwittingly or willingly participating, Mia also discovers that she does have psychic abilities and, thanks to her friends, she is learning to channel them, one at a time.

And one plant at a time for this notorious “brown thumb”.

A series that became one of my favourite Paranormal Women’s Fiction one, and not only because I relate so much to Mia. Her friends, particularly Patrick, are hilarious and amazing, and the investigations are, frankly, gripping. In other words: the books read themselves.

The latest release

Feel the Fern is the latest book of the series, and one that I enjoyed from start to finish. Seeing Mia and the gang after many months was an absolute treat and I completely devoured this new investigation, in which Mia, now an official consultant of the Newberry police, helps elucidate the death of a promising and popular teenager attending the most exclusive private school of the area.

On the personal front, Mia meets Dane’s parents and the non-Derek part of his family, at an anniversary celebration full of surprises. Thanks to Patrick for his fashion tips! (I really need a Patrick in my life!) Furthermore, she is once again invited to a barbecue at her prepper neighbour’s house, where she learns about some dubious ways to increase a property’s security.

Of course, there were scenes where I saw myself so much in Mia, like I mentioned, that I had to stop and highlight and share and all and all. But I also laughed my silly head off many times, especially thanks to Patrick (and Susie, who still scares the bejesus out of me).

No, there is never a dull moment with Mia and her friends!

My verdict

I apologise again for never reviewing this series until today! As you can see, I really, really love it, and the latest book is only one more proof of it for me. Now waiting impatiently for Mint Condition, which is scheduled to be released in June of next year. By the by, always pay attention to the titles, which are not only excellent puns!

As for Feel the Fern, is is more than worthy of

An ever-growing five stars!

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