Emma is having the worst day ever driving to the will reading of her late grandparents, which also involves an awkward first meeting with farm manager, Dan. It also turns out she inherits her late grandparents’ farm and does not know what to do with it, since she’s been estranged from them for the past twenty five years. When her regular life blows up, she escapes to the farm to learn what she can about the past. She learns a lot about how to rely on others (like the handsome and kind Dan) and how to integrate into small town life. Plus, the farm has a bonus secret that explains the town’s reliance on it. Flirty, steamy, and emotional book. Loved it.

Emma’s world seems to be crashing around her. She loses her job and breaks up with her boyfriend all in one day. She decides to try her hand at managing the farm that she inherits from her grandparents. She is definitely a fish out of water city girl who knows nothing about running a farm!

“I felt like I was drowning in my life, like I was strapped to a roller coaster that I couldn’t get off. I was trapped.” I captured his cheeks in my palms. “You rescued me.”

Farm manager, Dan attempts to help Emma but all the while keeping her in the dark about some town secrets.

“I wasn’t looking for it. I wasn’t expecting it. I tried to fight it, but this year with you has been the best year of my life. I hope it never ends.”

I really enjoyed this sweet, emotional story. It was my first book by this author but I’m sure it won’t be the last.
-4 Stars-

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden
Contemporary diverse romance.
Emma Walter’s life takes a turn when she loses her job and dumps her boyfriend. Not knowing what else to do, she decides to go live in the farm that she recently inherited from her grandparents in Green Acres, Georgia. She doesn’t know anything about farming but she’s also not afraid of hard work. Plus the handsome farm manager, Dan Pednekar is sure to help her, right?

Blackmail is illegal, as much as selling non medical marijuana is in Georgia. The sheriff should have known that and brought it up in the conversation to save the situation. More, they are growing and selling medical grade cannabis which is legal. But maybe I’m missing something in the specifics.
Sure, they still would have had to figured out how to keep the secret if they don’t want it made public, but it’s a factor a political individual on the rise would know.
I liked Dan and his romantic gestures.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Love in Bloom is a delight—messy, passionate, and full of everything I love about romance novels.

Emma, a Black PR consultant and Atlanta debutante has a profound personal journey after inheriting a farm from her estranged grandparents, getting fired, and breaking up with her boyfriend. At said farm she meets Dan, an Indo-British MMC who manages the farm and breeds roses for funsies. Their love is quick and easily rooted.

Their story is set at a farm in small-town Georgia which is also one of my favorite things. Small-town romances excel at crafting rich supporting casts, and Love in Bloom delivers beautifully. There’s a quirky town doctor/vet, a grumpy yet talented waffle-making restaurant owner, an eccentric first lady, and a precocious “hostess with the mostest.” Everyone is such a delight ... especially once they get over their fear of Emma revealing the town secret they can change their way of life.

This story is also hilarious, the “meet cute” is absolutely hilarious—more of a “meet ugly,” but it sets the tone for all the banter and gorgeous chaos that follows in Love in Bloom.

There are also way fewer diverse small town romance novels than I would like so I was so excited for the chance to gobble this one.

It's a pretty straightforward contemporary romance. FMC's bug city life imploded, she inherits a farm in a small town and she has the life she dreams of. It reminded me of the Christina Millian movie Fallin Inn Love but instead of an bed and breakfast it's a farm.

It was nice and refreshing to see a small town romance with Black and brown people! I didn't love the voice of the writing (though the southern twang was great to establish the atmosphere of the world) and wanted a bit more tension between the MCs...but the ranch was a lot of fun and I'm almost grateful it wasn't heavy on spice. I normally *love* spice, but for the grief and emotional journey these characters needed it would have felt out of place.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

Grieving the loss of the grandparents she barely knew, Emma leaves her fast-paced life in Atlanta for Green Acres, a small rural town and home to the farm she’s unexpectedly inherited. Thrust into a close-knit community that’s skeptical of the city girl now holding their town’s livelihood in her hands, Emma is determined to uncover more about her grandparents and the legacy they left behind. With the help of the farm’s dedicated—and undeniably charming—manager, she dives into her new life in the country. But as Emma finds her footing, she begins to realize that both the farm and the town hold secrets she never anticipated.

I loved this city girl, country boy romance! Emma is the ultimate fish-out-of-water—stubborn, independent, and so used to being in control that she can’t bring herself to ask for or accept help. Enter Dan, the swoon-worthy farm manager who shows his devotion not through words but through thoughtful, supportive actions. He’s a man obsessed, and their chemistry is off the charts. This cozy romance offers the perfect escape, blending Hallmark charm with HBO-level spice. If you’re looking for a heartwarming love story with a side of heat, this one’s for you!

Read if you enjoy:
+ City girl, country boy vibes
+ Fish-out-of-water heroines
+ Small towns where everyone knows your business
+ Hallmark-style rom-coms with an extra dash of steam

Thank you Forever for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While I loved the representation, premise, and overall warm-heartedness of this story, I found it too cheesy and at times cringe. Wish it was written with a little more mindfulness to an adult audience.

The small town vibes of this book were immaculate. It was giving Hallmark movie but more edgy/spicy. It was definitely a bit unrealistic, especially towards the end. I liked Emma and Dan, and their relationship was cute. It was a bit too insta-lovey for me though, especially since Emma had just gotten out of a serious relationship. Overall, it was cute and unique but not my favorite.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will always love a city girl and a farm boy coming together.

After the death of a family member, Emma inherits her family farm. Following disheartening events, Emma moves to the farm but is greeted by fickle townspeople and the farm manager Dan. As always, I love an opposite attracts, but I wasn't super tied to the characters. This was a fun read, but I just wanted a little more from the plot.

Thank you NetGalley for an EARC in exchange for an honest review

Love in Bloom is Lucy Eden's most well-written book so far. Being traditionally published has its perks for sure! However, while the descriptions and writing semantics were great, the plot and characters were not.

Forced proximity? I'm in. City girl in a small town? Love it. But the time jumps without acting like we were jumping time irked me. The lack of personality in the MCs bothered me. The plot stagnating for the middle 60% and then five different plots being thrown at me in the end was super annoying. The ex randomly being THE villain bothered me because how do you not notice for years and YEARS that you're with someone like that? I could not wrap my head around the plot decisions. Like having the MCs having to wait forEVER to sleep together because they don't have protection and can't get it in town because they don't want people to talk even though people were talking about them anyway?? Bonkers. That makes no sense to me. It was literally just to prolong the "tension" but there wasn't really any and then the "payoff" was meh.

ANYWAY I will be reading more from Lucy Eden and I'm very happy for her that she's traditionally published now, but I liked the indie novellas of hers that I've read better.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden is so adorable such a cute feel-good romance exactly what you need! Emma and Dan make farm life look so appealing. The charm & comedy thus story had was perfect!

Lucy Eden has a new fan. LOVE IN BLOOM stole my heart and tied it in a pretty bow. An unexpected delight!

There is so much to love here:
- Big city girl inherits a farm in rural Georgia
- Small town vibe with interesting characters and a BIG secret
- MMC is swoon worthy for all the right reasons
- Themes of loss, grief, estrangement, and forgiveness handled beautifully and with a gentle touch
- An interracial relationship between BIPOC main characters
- Female friendships play a big role
- Found family ❤️ (I’m a sucker for found family)
- The steam and spice are integrated into the storyline
- King Richard and Frisbee

This book checked all the boxes for me. I absolutely loved it. If I could make one request of Lucy Eden, it would be to write a book with Max as the FMC. Pretty please.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

LOVE IN BLOOM BY LUCY EDEN REVIEW…

Lucy Eden really has a fun way of writing that keeps you engaged and entertained like no other. This book for one was hilarious but also came with a twist (no spoilers! find out for yourself). I really did enjoy reading this book. I loved reading about Emma and Dan. While I had a hard time with her being in a relationship for a majority of the book... I totally understood it. Not my favorite thing but I can live considering how much fun I had reading this. I will be looking more into Lucy Eden's work after this to see what she's got out there because I really did enjoy this book. Dan was great from the jump and I totally felt for Emma when it came to falling fast because ME TOO.  ️

RATING: 4/5 STARS

4.5⭐
1🌶️
Tropes: City girl/country boy, fish out of water, starting over/he falls first
Single POV 1st person

Wow, this was such a good story! It’s so freaking cute and funny. Emmaline has been given her grandparent’s farm in their will, but it also comes with the sexy and sweet farm manager Dan Pednekar. Her original plan had been to sell but when she’s fired and breaks up with her long term boyfriend, Teddy, she ends up moving into her grandparent’s farm house.

I loved the connection and chemistry between her and Dan, it had me smiling and kicking my feet in excitement, and definitely had me staying up past my bedtime to finish it. I think my favorite part was the chess game as an extension of their relationship. I was also so invested in the story that the third act drama was incredibly stressful lol. I don’t know how to explain it without giving away a bunch of the story but I was literally on the edge of my seat until it was resolved.

My only complaint is that I wish it had been dual POV because I really want to know Dan’s perspective, and I wish there had been an explanation about what happened to her grandparents. All you’re told is that they’ve been missing for over 30 days so they have been declared deceased, which is what starts off her getting the farm. I half expected them to show up in the middle of the story.
Highly recommend!!

Love in Bloom is a great read. It’s a big city girl inherits a farm with grown up Hallmark Christmas movie without the Christmas vibes. And spice. Have some ice water on hand.
Emma Walters has Molotov cocktails in her soul and watching her learn to direct them where they belonged, instead of at her own life was a delight. Emma is a good girl, a highly competent perfectionist who smooths the path and cleans up other people’s mess. Except she keeps blowing up her own life. Right off the bat, you can see that Emma is doing too many things, in too short a time, and not taking care of herself. Her car is the outward manifestation of how she is doing – driving on a donut, needs an oil change, and probably needs new brakes.

I loved that Lucy Eden takes the big city girl inherits a farm trope and gives it some great twists. Sure, Emma finds love, community, and meaning in a small town while learning how to live an agricultural life (you will meet King Richard the rooster and Frisbee the goat), but the farm manager isn’t a small town guy. He’s Dr. Danesh Pednekar, a horticultural scientist from the UK. The contrast between the big city, ambitious corporate boyfriend and the small town new love interest avoids the anti-intellectualism that can happen in these stories. The problem with Teddy isn’t that he’s Big City, it’s that he’s a narcissist who expects Emma to always make his life better without ever seeing her. New love interest Dan isn’t grumpy to break Emma down and put her in touch with her rural roots, he’s grieving the loss of his friends and uncertain about his future. But he is taking care of Emma and enabling her to take care of herself from the start.

I’m not going to spoil what’s happening on the farm, but this isn’t an embrace of back to the land values. I also loved that towards the end of the book, the town does come together and put on a show to save the day.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Forever Grand Publishing and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

BEAUTIFUL. Zero complaints whatsoever. Such a heartwarming story.

Thank you so much to Hackett Audio & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ALC & ARC review copies!

I had never read any of Lucy Eden’s books until this ARC, but I am SOLD! The writing was fantastic and touched on so many important themes. Grief, loss, healthcare issues, etc.

The story starts with Emma, finding out her grandparents have passed and left her their farm. Being from Atlanta, Emma has absolutely no idea how to run a farm. After some back & forth decision making, the true focus of this story is Emma’s character development. While adapting to farm life, she learns more about the small town and her grandparents impact that holds it together.
Emma also forms a tentative friendship with the farm manager, Dan. The way their attraction is written, it feels like they were ‘meant to be’ from their very first encounter. The steamy scenes are amazing and not over the top!

I adored the small town feel of the book and ALWAYS love a ‘fish out of water’ trope small town romance!

Love in Bloom follows Emma, who inherits a farm from her estranged grandparents only to discover it’s secretly a medical marijuana operation. Recently fired from her high-paying job in Atlanta and reeling from a breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Emma decides to give the farm a shot. There, she meets an Indian British horticulturist who helps her see she doesn’t have to do everything alone.

I had two personal gripes:

The initial "insta-love" connection between the leads. I almost put it down because of this, but I’m so glad I kept reading. Eden's writing and storytelling won me over, pulling me into a world filled with complex themes of family secrets, mother-daughter dynamics, and found family.
The frequent use of “love” as a term of endearment. While some find British accents sexy, it doesn’t work for me; it just reminded me of when older men call women “sweetheart.”
It just gives me the ick okay.

Highlights to note:
Black female lead
Small-town setting
Biracial romance with non-white main characters
Big-city girl and Indian British horticulturist dynamic

This was my first read by Lucy Eden, and she did not disappoint!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of Love in Bloom.

This was a cute romance with BIPOC main characters, a small-town setting, and a fish-out-of-water story. I think Love in Bloom is a story that a lot of readers will enjoy and devour, especially those who love Hallmark-esque cozy romances. I though the writing was good, but unfortunately, I've come to learn that cozy romance just may not be my thing. I really enjoyed that the story had a focus on medical marijuana, it's not something you see often in literature, but one that I think deserves to be explored more. Overall, I didn't find myself as invested as I wanted to be, again, I think cozy romance is just not my niche in the romance genre, but nevertheless, I would still recommend and can see other readers love.

I had so much fun with this book. Love in Bloom is full of small-town charm, scorching romantic chemistry, humor, and depth! The hilarious town antics reminded me of my favorite TV show, Hart of Dixie. If you loved that show and enjoy steam, I highly recommend it.