Guy Shadowfade is dead, and Violet Thistlewaite is out of a job. After a lifetime as the dark sorcerer's right-hand witch, she's ready to turn over a new leaf. And this time, she wants to sprout peonies instead of poison. The quiet town of Dragon's Rest seems like the perfect place to start over. Violet opens a flower shop, swears off dark magic, and does her best to be...good. Even if her reputation - and her mildly homicidal, sentient houseplant - make that tricky. Her vibrant bouquets soon charm the locals, but nothing she does seems to impress the grumpy (and infuriatingly gorgeous) Nathaniel Marsh, the alchemist she's forced to share a greenhouse with. But when a strange blight begins to rot the roots of Dragon's Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together - through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings - to save the town. And as old secrets start to surface, Violet can't help but wonder: does a former villain like her truly deserve a happily-ever-after?