Member Reviews

This is a cute, sweet rom com. I love the Hallmark type feel of this story. There is some spice but there is a great story that will have you laughing and rooting not only for Dan and Emma but for the whole town!

Was this review helpful?

I unfortunately did not really vibe with this book. I found it hard to be invested in the relationship when it felt like they went from being acquaintances to saying "I love you" in almost no time. The small town vibes were cute, but considering this is set in present day when so many states have legalized weed and medical marijuana doesn't have a great deal of tabboo around it anymore, it was hard to buy into the idea that people travel into this town from all over for this farm.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Was this review helpful?

I've been waiting for Lucy Eden's next book and she did not disappoint. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover.

What I loved most was the element of enemies to lovers. It's so delicious when it's well done and this author did it well.

The small town was super cute and had a chosen family vibe that resonated with me.

I was so excited to get to know this couple and read how their story would play out. They were adorable, quirky, and steamy. A yummy combination.

To give you a taste of what you can expect, here's my favorite quote:
"His lips were soft and welcoming but with an undercurrent of furious desire that made me wonder what he was holding back..."

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

More like 3.5 stars but I’m rounding up!

Emma is an overachieving PR agent who suddenly inherits a farm from her grandparents that she really didn’t know. It is very unclear to me what happened to her grandparents but they’ve been declared dead and it’s not really addressed. After she gets fired and dumps her boyfriend (who sucks) she flees to the farm to get away from her life. Dan is from London and lives on the farm as a botanist and farm manager.

I like Dan and Emma. I think they had a nice sweet little romance. I like the meddling small town and the cast of characters in it. I even liked the twist with the farm (even though I think Emma way overreacted but whatever). However, everything just felt kinda one dimensional. I wanted there to be more depth to everything and instead it just fell kinda flat for me. I wanted Emma and Dan to be deeper more complex characters and instead they were just kinda there. I did love their romance and the epilogue was cute. I’d recommend as a nice quick happy read (I read it in a day so I clearly enjoyed it).

Was this review helpful?

Love in Bloom is surprisingly empowering! I really loved seeing Emma turn into Emmaline in her discovery of her past.

While discovering who she was she falls in love, with herself, the town, and Dan which was very endearing to see her go through this growth.

Was this review helpful?

Emma inherits her grandparents' farmhouse after their passing and suddenly her world shifts from the fast pace city life in Atlanta to the slow moving country pace of her grandparents' small rural town. Little does she expect to meet Dan, the man who oversees the greenhouses on the property or that he will be the first in her life to show her the meaning of unconditional love.

This was a slow burn romance that centered around the town, the history and secrets the townsfolk keep and how Emma finds a new path moving away from her old lifestyle and into a new path discovering her family legacy and creating new relationships of her own.

It took me a while to feel invested in the story and the romance. It takes a while for the romantic tension to evolve into an actual relationship and waiting for that in addition to waiting for the blanks in Emma's memories from her childhood that took 95% of the book to reveal made the story feel a bit drawn out at tines. That being said I did enjoy the build up to the climax of the book and appreciated the way everything in the story concluded.

Read if you enjoy:
💚 forced proximity
💚 city girl, country guy
💚 British hero
💚 opposites attract
💚 inheriting the family farm
💚 small town vibes

Romance: open door
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

Many thanks to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this story. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 / 5 stars

I had zero expectations going into this book and I'm glad about that because it was quite the journey. I must have missed the part of the description where it called out that the farm actually is a medical marajuana business, but that gave the book a bit of a mystery feel to it because I had to wait to discover the big secret. This book was more than a romance—it was a rediscovering of self and family as well. I enjoyed reading Emmaline's growth arc.

Certain parts of the writing fell a little flat for me, but the story was entertaining and it was funny to see how the characters chose how to resolve the big problem in the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I love the idea of the book; however, I feel like it focused too much dialogue and the plot could've had a little more to make it exciting because it is very formulaic to the tropes that it has. Emma and Dan have such a funny meet cute though. I like their characters and think they go well together. There isn’t a lot more for me to say because while I didn’t mind the book, nothing stood out that dazzled me.

This review will be posted on my Instagram on November the 19th.

Was this review helpful?

Wow this was such a fun read! I loved the message of the book and the town supporting each other! I loved the chemistry between the leads!! The tension was there from the beginning and I really fell for each of the main characters. They were both very endearing and I was rooting for them individually and for them to find happiness together. Dan was such a soft character who had clearly been through a lot and I loved him for Emma who really needed that unconditional support. It was really sweet to watch him be so proactive in trying to care for her. I loved that he gained a cheerlearder in Emma as well. The author really made it clear why they worked together and I was very invested. I loved them so much that I was sad about anything that pulled us away from their story. As much as I loved the town community plot I feel like we could have done with more focus on the couple. Despite that quibble, I had a great time with this book and I have no doubt that others will too!

Was this review helpful?

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden is a small town romance featuring Emmaline (Emma) and Danesh (Dan). Emma inherits her estranged grandparents farm and after her life falling apart in a 24 hour period, she decides to trade her city life for the farm. The book includes quirky small town characters, chess matches, family secrets and a farm that is growing more than what meets the eye.

Thank you to the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I mostly enjoyed Love In Bloom. There were some very sweet and hilarious moments between Emma and Dan. Dan was a great match for Emma. I appreciated the way the author portrayed his validation of her feelings and concern for her well-being, whichwas something lacking in Emma’s life. It made for a wonderful romance between the two of them.

I also commend the author for addressing serious topics in the story. I felt she handled them respectfully and integrated them well without overwhelming the reader with heaviness.

However, there were prolonged sections in Love in Bloom that disrupted the pacing and made the story somewhat cumbersome. Emma's inconsistent characterization, marked by impulsive behavior and recurring anger, became rather grating. Furthermore, Dan's unexpected anger felt out of place. These inconsistencies detracted from the overall experience, and I expected more cohesive character development for a more fulfilling read.

Overall, it's an okay good read. If you enjoy small town romances, then I'd say add this one to your to-be-read list

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝐼𝓃 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓂
By Lucy Eden
𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟮𝘁𝗵

That’s right: I read something TWO MONTHS EARLY. That’s how you know it’s a good read! 🙌

Thank you Forever for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you 🩷:
• 👨‍🌾 Small Town/Farm Romances
• 🔑 Forced Proximity
• 💚 BIPOC and Indian Representation
• ♟️ Flirtatious Chess Moves

Emma Walters's life falls apart in just 24 hours—she breaks up with her boyfriend, loses her job, and inherits a farm in Green Acres, Georgia. Trading city life for a rural escape, she quickly realizes farming isn’t as easy (or peaceful) as she thought, especially with the handsome but skeptical farm manager, Dan, questioning her every move. As Emma tries to adjust, she uncovers that the farm, and the quirky town, are hiding something bigger. With the farm in danger, Emma has to step up and save the day—if only she can figure out what’s really going on in this unusual town.

Do I know this book won’t be for everyone? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not, because I had the BEST time reading it! 😍 Emma and Dan’s meet-disaster had me in stitches, and their chemistry is so obvious that even the town catches on before them. Speaking of which, each member of Green Acres is so well thought out that it’s hard to believe Lucy Eden fit this whole story into less than 370 pages. 😮Good luck trying to not fall in love with this small but mighty community!

While some may consider “Love in Bloom” to be too “Hallmark Movie” for their taste, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this one, as the underlying theme of medical marijuana and how it can help those with chronic illnesses hits close to home. I hope those who pick this one up learn a little bit more about how this plant can help those who need it as well as their community! 💚

That being said, please read with caution if you are sensitive to the following content: grief (death of a sibling and grandparents, off-page), child illness/death, terminal illness, drug/alcohol use, emotional abuse, stalking, and classism.

If you love fish-out-of-water stories and quirky small towns, be sure to preorder or pick up “Love in Bloom” at your favorite local bookstore when it is out on November 12th. 🙌

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden.

Emma’s grandparents, who she was distanced from since she was young, inherits their farm. After, Emma breaks up with her longtime boyfriend and loses her job. After these events, Emma decides to leave Atlanta and stay at the farm, which also puts in her close proximity to the farm’s manager, Dan. Emma soon learns how essential the farm is to the town and when the town is placed at risk, will Emma find an HEA for her new relationship with Dan and the farm?

Cute cute cute cute cute!!!! The romance between Emma and Dan is lovely. As the romance develops you can feel how connected these two are to each other. This book builds such a good story in addition to the romance, which leads to so much love for the farm, the town and the supporting characters.

I would definitely recommend as a read this fall and I’m excited to read Lucy Eden’s next release!

Was this review helpful?

This was a good read. I think anyone that likes small-town romance with a bit of farm life and fun moments will enjoy this one. The main character inherits her grandparent's farm and meets the mmc who's the horticulturist. She has to navigate taking over the farm, gets closer to the mmc as she's navigating family secrets, career changes, and her feelings for the mmc.

I enjoyed the fmc character and the farm aspect was a new twist. There were a lot of fun hijinks and adventures. I thought the family aspect was interesting and would have liked a better tie-up with that storyline. I also liked the romance; it was steamy and happened with minimal conflict. I felt the structure was a bit fast paced and too clustered. Wouldve liked paragraphs to be broken down much more. Overall really cute, sweet, and heartwarming. Thanks for the arc.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma meets Dan in a public bathroom. What she thought was the women's room but is clearly the men's room. She's late to get to the reading of her grandparents will and of course Dan is going to the reading as well. She gets a shock when she discovers her estranged grandparents have left her their farm.

This one took me a bit to get into but around the 30% mark I was fully invested and could not put it down! Recommended for fans of:
- small town romance
- family secrets

Was this review helpful?

This book was solid but I didn't connect with either of the main characters. I do enjoy a good small town romance with grumpy + sunshine characters. But at times the story just didn't connect for me to continue high interest.

Was this review helpful?

Love in Bloom made me IMMEDIATELY add the rest of Lucy Eden's books to my tbr.

Emma Walters has the "picture perfect" life to an outside- a boyfriend politician and PR firm job. But on the inside, she's breaking down as she's just learned her grandparent's left their farm to her. The farm that both parents refuse to talk about, as it links to the loss of her sister. Needing an escape, she packs her bags and sets off to Green Acres, Georgia.

But Emma soon learns that there is more than meets the eye with this small town. The farm is used for something that she would have only expected in her wildest dreams. There's also a handsome horticulturalist now living and running the farm, someone who she can't ignore if she wanted to. Emma's gotta buckle up, and grab some outdoorsy gear, for she's got a farm to handle/make decisions with and other's lives at stake... one flower "bloom" at a time.

I LOVED this cutesy, charming small town and everything that the farm stood for. While this book was the first I read that featured a medical marijuana farm, I truly hope that there are more to come. I immediately was rooting for Emma and Dan and loved that their relationship didn't take too long on the page to develop into what it ended up being towards the end. There were times where I wanted to get inside Dan's head and figure out who he truly was however; Eden did a fantastic job of letting me semi-into his head even without his POV. I ended up staying up later than planned to finish "Love in Bloom" and know other readers will as well when this hits bookstores in the upcoming months.

Was this review helpful?

4 ☆
-
I am still a little new to Lucy Eden, but I can say I will be on the look out for her books! First, this cover is GORGEOUS 😍. I'm in love with it. This book was super cute, with cozy vibes. Could easily read this book in one day. The spicy scenes were pretty good as well.
Emma unexpectedly inherits her grandparents' farm. And the Green Acres farm manager, Danesh Pednekar, is smoking hot. Emma can't even keep a goldfish alive, not to mention all the houseplants she's massacred over the years. But when her big-city PR job goes bust, she has nothing to lose and might as well give the farm life a try.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Small town romance
•Rom-Com
•Farm life
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Nov.12
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and Forever (Grand Central Drive) for the eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Love In Bloom is a Hallmark small town romance in book form. City girl Emma leaves her HBSU educated, soon to be politician boyfriend behind in Atlanta to run her unknown grandparents farm after their disappearance. Wouldn't you know she has to live with the hunky British Indian transplant horticulturist who was the son her grandparents never had. The first 200 pages of this book were quite cute. I thought some of the spicy scenes were clunky, but Dan was an interesting character and Emma seemed to be growing. At least, that's what Dan told the reader. You really see Emma grow the most through Dan's emotional proclamations, not her actions.

Unfortunately there were some real jump the shark moments for me. And lots of plot conveniences. Maybe it's because I'm from NY, but is medical marijuana really taboo anymore? It's legal in Georgia. So...

I love to see diverse characters in romance. And this book had a bunch of quirky small town folks of color who never seemed like characatures. We need more romance with diverse leads, so I'm glad this book exists, despite its minor flaws. 2.75 stars. Thanks to Forever and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was a cute small town romance. It's kind of like a typical Hallmark movie where a city girl goes to a small town and learns the way of country and farm life. The thing I like about small town romances is that the whole town becomes a found family. This book had a fun set of characters and I enjoyed how cute they were with one another.

My biggest complaint with small town romances is that sometimes the story focuses too much on the town and whatever the situation is in the book and not enough on the two main characters building chemistry. Dan and Emma's romance progressed too quickly and it was too insta-lovey for me.

I enjoyed this book and if you're looking for a quick and easy small town romance read, this one may be for you!

Was this review helpful?