‘The Seventh Flower’ is a very sweet, very gentle romance with two men who are extremely shy, a beautiful setting on a midsummer night in Sweden, and a lovely tradition that says if you put seven flowers under your pillow, you will dream of the person you are meant to marry. It may be considered a kids’ story by most, but both Christer and Henrik secretly still sort-of-believe, or maybe want-to-believe is a better way to put it.

Their first meeting at Christer’s family’s celebration is more than awkward. Christer is a journalist by day and a writer by night, he is extremely shy, and has admired Henrik, a well-known blogger, for a while. Meeting the object of his admiration totally floors him, and he ends up way clumsier than usual. Christer also has a failed marriage in his past, and he believes Henrik to be straight and a womanizer. Quite a few obstacles to overcome right there. Henrik seems a little more self-assured, but he, too, has some moments of hesitation and not quite knowing what to say.

As they get to know each other in the course of the evening, the differences begin to matter less and less as their physical attraction flares and they realize there may be a future for them. They bond over shared interests and the fact that they are single among a group of couples. And while they aren’t married at the end of the evening, I felt sure that they are going to give a relationship a go – never mind the physical distance between them.

If you want to experience the magic of a Swedish Midsummer Night celebration, if you think that two shy men with no hope of finding Mr. Right deserve a chance at happiness, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read about family, second chances in life, and lots of romance in a beautiful setting, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )