This was a ride in a very fun way. I loved how protective this small town is. So much. I loved all of the dynamics in this book and the drama. Emma and Dan are my new faves, they chemistry was great and I was here for their antagonism at the beginning.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I have loved this author's writing in the past, this book was a good read, but not a great one for me.

What is tricky with rom-coms is there will be a group of readers who love implausible antics and conflicts and other readers (like me) who always want believable storylines. Some parts of this story crossed over into "why wouldn't she just..." and "that's funny but would never actually happen" territory.

Readers who like a steamy, small town rom-com with exaggerated plot points for entertainment will love this book! But I just moderately liked this book.

I got about 60% into this book but I just had a really hard time connecting with the heroine. She would say something as fact and then have a few paragraphs later on that contradicted what she already spent a few paragraphs telling us. In the end this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC!

Such a cute small town romance story. Loved how we were able to see the growth of Emma and Dan, as individuals, a couple and business people. The secret about the farm really took me by surprise and warmed my heart!! It was hard for me to get into at first but once I got used to the writing style and got a handle on the plot/characters, I enjoyed myself.

Love in Bloom is a fun, steamy, rom-com that features a city girl who inherits her grandparent's farm in a small tourist town. With the farm, comes a charming yet awkward horticulturalist that sets the tone for a heartwarming journey. Emma fully immerses herself into the farm life and has some hiccups along the way. There is a big of intrigue as Emma learns more about her estranged grandparents and their farm. The slow burn in this book had me pulling my hair out!! This is perfect for fans of slow burn with a small town charm. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Instagram review will go live 08-Nov-2024.

I was so excited for Lucy Eden's debut trad romance, and I went in completely blind because I have loved all of her indie books. I think that was where I went wrong here. Because the entire premise of a town hiding a secret medical marijuana grow op is so wild and almost out of touch in 2024, especially for a Canadian reader. Given the fact that marijuana has been legal in Canada for over 5 years, and is legal in basically 80% of the USA for medicial use, I simply could not get past all the references to the grow op being like Breaking Bad... it was so insane that I struggled pretty hard with the entire concept.

I loved Dan and Emma and their relationship. I loved the way that Emma found herself and grew into the person that she was meant to be. The found family of the town was excellent and I loved the community aspect. The premise was simply too bonkers.

This was a funny and cute small town romance in which a city girl in transplanted to a farm (see what I did there?). I loved the humor of this book--the bloopers a city girl makes in trying to become familiar with the farm she now owns. Emma also discovers that she not only inherited a farm, but a really cute horticulturist seems to come with the farm.

This was pretty steamy, pretty funny and pretty romantic! There is every feeling imaginable felt by Emma in the story that will have you headed for the hills in hopes of finding your own Dan.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads 10/31/24

In a turn of events, Emmaline inherits her grandparent's farm... along with its secrets. Coming from the city, she's faced with some tricky decisions, all while in close proximity to the hot farm manager.

Let's start with the good:
- the cover is so so pretty
- the secret the whole town is in on adds an unique layer to the story
- some parts were pretty humorous
- i liked the conflict and resolution

And now the not so good:
- the fmc calls the mmc "sexy" at least 15x in the first chapter.. which might be 15x too many
- the characters are fine, but leaves you wanting more for their development
- overall a little boring and uninspiring

I don't think I'm the target audience for this, but I think Lucy Eden has the potential!

Thanks Forever Pub for the ARC!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve read some of Lucy Eden’s indie titles before and really enjoyed them, especially the Blind Date with a Book Boyfriend novella series, so I was excited for her trad debut with Love in Bloom. I didn’t entirely know what to expect, as it’s been a while since I read her work, beyond it being higher heat, but I mostly enjoyed it overall.
Emma is exactly the ball of chaos the blurb promised, and that absolutely resonated for me. And considering she’s already a walking disaster in a “regular” life in the city, throw in her inheriting a farm, and it presents a whole set of challenges for her. But I love that she really does find her niche in this new small town and on the farm, and has an unexpected head for business to run the covert medical marijuana business that keeps the town running. And this all plays a role in her personal arc of navigating family issues and a crossroads with her career.
But while she is the sole POV character, that’s not to say Dan is neglected. I didn’t know how to feel about him at first, as he’s broody with his walls up. But as I got to know him through Emma’s eyes, I really liked him, and he truly is a great fit for her, as both have gone through their own traumas in life. And he was very sweet under the rough exterior, providing a lot of support for Emma through all that she was going through. And while there are some slightly flowery/cringey bits to the sex scenes, I otherwise felt those aspects were well-done, and complemented their pre-existing romantic chemistry.
This was a fun read, and based on the interview in the back, there’s likely more to come! I recommend this book to readers interested in diverse, steamy small-town romance.

Love in Bloom is a super cute romance from Lucy Eden!! I have only read one other of Lucy Eden's works before this, and I had a great time reading that one, so I knew I would enjoy Love in Bloom. While this book does follow the expected formula of city girl receives a mysterious inheritance and moves into a small town where she's a fish out of water, there was still several unexpected elements to the novel, which I won't spoil. I enjoyed watching Emma bond with Dan and the other town folk over their protectiveness of her grandparents' greenhouse. The ending of the novel really brought out so much pride in me for everything the town does for each other.

Of course, the romance of the book was very enjoyable to read. I loved how easily the Black and South Asian representation was included in this interracial romance. The themes of chronic illness and disability were very thoughtfully handled in this book and I can't wait to read Lucy Eden's future works!

I think this is such a unique story concept! Definitely unlike any other I’ve read. I always love when a woman finds herself and leaves a life behind that wasn’t right for her. Dan and Emma are such a great couple! I love the way Dan takes care of her with the simple things like making her tea or coffee.

If you can, go into this one blind—or at least a little bit. The synopsis gives away too much, in my opinion, and uncovering the secrets of the inherited farm alongside Emma would have added a bit more fun and shock factor.

I did find it hard to believe that an entire town would accept these secrets—the logistics felt too unrealistic for me—but I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and low-stakes this romance was.

There’s some drama, yes, but it’s mostly outside of Emma and Danesh’s relationship. Danesh, the British farmhand with a speciality in horticulture, was such a charming character. I loved his teasing, their ongoing chess game, their quiet moments together, and… the roses! Swoon.

I loved this book! I found myself completely absorbed in the story right from the start! This story is a good mix of fun banter, spicy lovin, and thought provoking emotional moments! Danesh was the sweetest, most attentive MMC! He was so good to Emmaline, even at moments when she was being less than honest. I enjoyed their chess playing dates and thought the epilogue was so cute. Read the book and you’ll understand the connection!

Overall, a sweet small town romance that I definitely recommend reading! Looking forward to reading more from Lucy Eden in the future!

3.5/5 stars—This was cute! This story is a cozy, small-town romance with a dash of spice! The town's moral dilemma also gave the story a unique spin. Emma and Dan are well-rounded and likable characters. Their romance felt a bit insta-lovey, but it was still an enjoyable read. Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-ARC!

The story starts with Emma, finding out her grandparents have passed and she’s headed to the reading of the will. It’s clear things are going her way as she accidentally goes into the men’s room, has some car trouble, and doesn’t know anyone in town. The real kicker is that her grandparents gave her the farm.

Since she’s from Atlanta, Emma has no idea how to run a farm and it’s even worse since she’s paired up with Dan, the farm’s manager. Emma immediately wants to sell and goes back to Atlanta only for things to get worse, resulting in her coming back to live on the farm. From there, it’s a true fish out of water story.

Aside from figuring out how to live on the farm and care for it, she’s learning more about living in a small town and the impact her grandparents had on the town. Eventually, we do find out the impact and it might not be what you think. Regardless once Emma gets on board, there’s an extra layer of story you won’t be expecting.

Love in Bloom focuses a lot on Emma’s character growth, but watching her fall for Dan is amazing. The two form a tentative friendship and then their attraction starts to grow. In a way, it feels like these two were meant to be together. From their very first meeting, it was written in the stars, not to be corny about it. Lucy Eden didn’t skimp on the steamy scenes either if you’re in the market for that.

If you’re sensitive to strained family relationships, you might want to steer clear of this as Emma has a strained relationship with her mother. Things do get better but it can be hard to read at times. Dan also has some past trauma related to his career path which is part of the conflict between these two. Regardless, Love in Bloom is fresh as a daisy and has me even more excited for what’s to come from Lucy Eden.

Cute story, I enjoyed reading it and the audiobook was done really well too. I enjoyed the drama between Teddy and Emmaline but definitely loved the budding romance between her and Dan much better!

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, Hachette Audio & Lucy Eden for the chance to read and listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for any story where life goes absolutely crazy and the character gets a whole new perspective and simplifies life. Add in a steamy, intense romance and saving the town- this book checks many boxes!

While it wasn't a focal point- this story is a great reminder of how the political system is controlled and manipulated on more levels than we know. Teddy is just ew.

The town/farm's conflict really was a compelling debacle. It really made you think about big picture. And while most stories about small knit towns lend themselves to their camaraderie- the conflict really brought everyone together in a very believable way. Truly, everyone's livelihood and health was at risk and dependent on the decisions made.

Regarding narration: This was incredibly well done. The personalities and flare of each character shined through in the intonation that the narrator used.

I wanted to like this one more than I did. I thought the premise/setting was unique, especially the setting but overall, was bored by the instalove between the two main characters.

This book is the “should be adapted into a movie” trope, and if that’s not a thing it should be. Emmaline has several bad things happen to her within a short amount of time, and she runs to the farm left to her by her grandparents. There she find Danesh, a trusted friend of her grandparents. Dan is immediately protective and caring toward Emma, and that will always earn points in my book! As the time passes, Emma and Dan share laughs, hot moments, secrets, and chess games. Emma and Dan are both runners who have to find reasons to stay.
Set between small town Georgia and Atlanta, with southern phrases throughout, I felt right at home reading Love In Bloom!
If you love a small town romance, with secrets shared by the community, this is a perfect book!

I LOVED this book. While the cover makes it seem like this is a cute and fluffy romance, it is, but it is also so much more than that! Our FMC Emma loses her grandparents which results in her inheriting a farm in rural Georgia. This also coincides with her life and livelihood blowing up right in front of her eyes. This books will pull at your heart strings as it explores love, parental relationships, discovering your roots, and rebuilding the life that you actually want. Every chapter of this book is filled with a new element or twist to the story and moves at a good pace. Highly recommend for the people that love a romance read.