Thank you to Forever & Hachette Audio for the review copies!

Love in Bloom
By Lucy Eden
🎧 Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
Book 164 of 2024

🎧I really enjoyed this by audiobook! Siobhan’s narration was really engaging, and I never wanted to turn this one off! After a string of audiobooks I didn’t love, this was much needed.

Pick this one up if you love a city girl who finds a home. Now more than ever am I looking for books with close-knit communities who take care of each other, and Love in Bloom is exactly that.

Emma & Dan’s relationship was also so fun to watch - Dan is swoony and supportive, but will push back when he disagrees with Emma. I loved these two together!

I recommend this one for when you are in the mood for a low angst, fairly steamy romcom!

CW: childhood illness/death

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC of Love in Bloom in exchange for an honest review.

Release Day: Nov 12, 2024

Read if you like:
- Small Town Romance
- Black FMC x Indian MMC
- A Mystery?

Review: This is a sweet story, it might be one dimensional, and it might not have a lot of character development but it was cute nonetheless. I enjoyed the town, and the whole "secrets/drama" aspect of the book but the sad truth however, is that although I understand a lot of people can like this story, I can't recommend it. The pace and how "flat" the characters were for me, make this book forgettable. I didn't feel the connection between them, I guess because it is KINDA "insta lust" and I don't love that trope, but the fmc had a boyfriend at the beginning of the book and that always throws me off. Its a me problem, I know...however, if you enjoy stories with drama, and a small town romance, give this one a try. The writing is not bad, and I do think I will read another book by this author, it's just that this one was not for me.

Thanks again to Forever for this ARC.

such a sweet romance and so much growth in emma. not gonna lie, there was a line that shook me to my core in this small town romance lol 😂 but i enjoyed emma’s story, her relationship with dan and her friends. but the way i wanted to strangle her ex was sooooo real omg. and the tears, this book had me angry crying AND wanting to throw my book across the room! ugh!!!! loved it and I'm still thinking about it a week later!

hallmark vibes complete with a harvest festival—but make it spicy 🌶️ 😏 and diverse characters—forever and always, yes.

thanks so much forever for this arc of love in bloom! 🩵🩵

In one huge plot twist to her life, Emma gets fired from her job, breaks up with her boyfriend, and inherits a farm from her estranged grandparents, all in 24 hours. When she gets to the farm she finds the farm manager, Dan, is also living there and is getting in her way. It doesn’t take long to understand why the locals are acting strangely toward Emma. It turns out, her grandparents were doing some illegal activity and keeping huge secrets on their farm.
This small-town romance with a twist was exactly what I needed during a stressful week. This book had me laughing out loud with all of the mishaps and busybodies, the romance had me swooning, and the side characters were chef’s kiss. This book was cozy and so much fun - if you like Hallmark vibes but with steam and a little illegal activity, this is for you!
I loved the audiobook narrated by Wesleigh Siobhan. She did a great job with the multiple characters and accents!
Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

This book was so fun and different and I loved it. The idea that an entire town is in on a secret about medical marijuana is insane, but amazing. Lucy Eden made this book so enjoyable. The love story was great, the banter was great, everything. I also loved how deep the book got, into grief and how it can affect a family for years. This was a great story and I hope there's more books in this world.

I'm dying that the farm in this story is a medical marijuana farm. That was the first time something like that was mentioned in a book I've read. Anyway, I loved this rom com and this was spicyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hunniiii. It was small town vibes so you know you're going to love every character here.

This is romantic dramedy perfection!

Very much heart of dixie meets some sort of vivacious Black female lead, and a yummy Indian male lead.
I do adore the pace of this book. I truly fell in love with the characters and found myself rooting for them during the story.
I appreciate even the third act break up and the way the female main character sits and wallows in some of her fails. As well as community and family coming in to help to lift her spirits.

The steam is a great addition to the couples chemistry!

What to expect:
🌾city girl inherits farm
🌾secret family business
🌾long standing chess game
🌾fall festival
🌾Hallmarky farming fails

I was invested in the storyline at the start and loved how Emma stood up for herself, and was determined to carve out a life she was happy with. The romance was sweet, but also moved quickly. I thought the pacing was a little off with things moving fast between them and then little happening but spice once the farm secret was revealed. I'm glad I had forgotten the summary by the time I read this, so the weed farm secret was a surprise for me. I was also surprised to see afterwards that this was actually revealed in the book summary. I think it was more enjoyable not knowing that up front personally. Overall, it was just an okay read for me, though it did have cute aspects

When a woman inherits a farm moments after breaking up with her boyfriend and getting fired the last thing she expects is to start living on said farm with a hot farmer... who happens to also be farming weed. Emma is a publicist from Atlanta and she expected her life to go a certain way but when she gets fired and breaks up with her boyfriend, she discovers that her grandparents had left her a farm in Green Acres Georgia.... but then there is also the matter of the farm manager, the extremely hot British guy named Dan who has her hot and bothered. Emma soon discovers that the farm isn't just any old regular farm.... but something much bigger, a weed farm that caters to the town and helps out, it's the town's biggest secret. Yet Emma has to find. away to save it when the farm is threatened... all the while dealing with her ex who won't leave her alone and her new feelings for Dan. This one just didn't really catch my attention in the way I was hoping it would. The premise is fun and unique and the small town vibes were nice, but I just didn't find myself all that invested in the romance or the characters. It's a fine small town romance and I do think that someone else might enjoy it, but it just felt lacking to me and I just didn't get drawn in the way I was hoping I would.

Release Date: November 12, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @ 37%

Unfortunately, the writing in this one was not for me. It felt overly simplistic, and the plot felt kind of silly in a way that I couldn’t quite take seriously.

However, if you like a city girl suddenly moving to a small farm, this could be for you!

I love this book. Remi was a totally relatable FMC. She struggled with accepting help and was very independent. Like many people can relate to, she found herself feeling like she just didn’t belong in her current life and relationship. She wasn’t happy anymore. When she inherits her estranged grandparents farm, she is opened up to a whole new lifestyle. Her connection with Dan was undeniable. There were times I teared up but also lots of times I laughed. I read the majority of it with the physical book but I did listen to a couple of chapters as well with Libro.fm and I enjoyed the narrator. This book has a lot of character growth, it has romance, found family. Truly a great read. Excited to read whatever Lucy writes next!

Emma is a successful businesswoman with a PR career and politically driven boyfriend. However things start going wrong after a trip to her grandparent's hometown for the reading of their will. She finds out that they have left their farm to her. After she returns home, she has a disaster at work and gets fired. This leads her to break up with her perfect on paper boyfriend and a decision to return to the farm to try to start over again. She soon finds the farm and its attractive manager, Dan Pednekar are not quite what they seem.

I really loved this book. Emma and Dan had incredible chemistry from the start and really charming banter. I loved the town and how the people all ended up taking Emma in and making her part of the family. I thought that the town secret was really interesting and heartwarming. Emma's family story really broke my heart but it really contributed to her growth as a character. I have hope that we might get some more stories set in this town in the future. This was my first Lucy Eden book but it will not be my last.

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

Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Forever Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Netgalley, and Lucy Eden for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was super cute and so much fun! It was such a cozy read and I loved seeing how the MCs both grew while following along on the FMC’s small town journey. Seeing how Emma finds herself throughout this story, even as she took on farming and small-town life, was both entertaining and inspiring.

There were tons of awesome adventures while also having a deeper storyline as Emma tries to figure out why her parents were not close to her grandparents. The family aspect was interesting and strengthened the overall storyline. The MCs trauma was highlighted while still remaining upbeat/positive all in all. Emma and Dan had great chemistry and there is spice throughout. This had perfect small-town vibes and seeing Emma do whatever it took to ensure that nothing happened to the town was so wonderful!

Overall, this was a sweet and heartwarming read that I’d recommend for all who are looking for a cozy romance read!

Tropes:
- Small town romance
- Found family
- City girl FMC
- Grumpy MMC
- Family secrets/drama

Imagine you meet a man who loves flowers more than people
Imagine you meet a man by accident because you're in the wrong bathroom on a very important day (not knowing the day is important for him too)
Imagine meeting a man that knows more about your family than you but it's your parents fault
Imagine your grandparents that your barely remember leaving you their farm
Imagine everyone in the town being skeptical about you because they all depend on said farm
Imagine that same man lives on said farm
Imagine that same man you actually find attractive

Dan and Emma were so cute to me, Teddy and his family are jerks and I am glad that Emma and Dan were both mature enough to work out their problems. Dan is the man!

DNF Details

How far did I get? I listened to an hour or two of the audiobook before switching over to the ebook and then ultimately skimming.

Why did I stop? I was not feeling the story at all, unfortunately. That cover is absolutely adorable and I've heard good things about Eden's writing, but it was clear from the start that this wasn't going to be a win for me. The heroine has a long-term boyfriend when the book begins, yet she's lusting over the hero almost immediately. There are over 200 mentions of her boyfriend throughout the book, so it's not like she dumps him at the beginning and then connects with the hero - the OM drama is present throughout. Definitely not my personal preference to just keep hearing about a past relationship while I'm trying to connect with the new one. The cover gives off such sweet and swoony vibes, I wasn't expecting to encounter that much drama.

Was I enjoying it initially? No, the red flags popped up pretty quickly, and there was no going back after that. Technically speaking, this should be a fun, fish out of water romance, with our city girl heroine re-evaluating her life after inheriting a farm. I was excited to get to that part of the story, but it took a LOT of stops and starts for me to get that far - every time I would try to pick it back up, something would pull me right out again.

Would I finish this? I would not. Looking at other reviews, very few people have rated it as 5 stars, so I'm okay with leaving it unfinished.

Who would I recommend this to? Fans of fish out of water romances who don't mind some OM drama.

I appreciated that the leads were characters of color and that the plot was different. The female lead was annoying. The male lead was bland. I didn't care about their story.

Love in Bloom is a sweet, steamy rom com set in a small town. Emma is a successful PR exec whose life gets flipped upside down after her grandparents leave her their farm, she makes a huge mistake that costs her job, and her seemingly picture perfect relationship ends.

Life on the farm is an entirely different pace. She meets Dan (in a pretty hilarious manner) the farm manager who takes care of the plants and flowers, and is keeping a secret about what lies behind a locked door. The folks in the town seem to harbour a grudge against Emma, and she yearns to unearth more about why.

I liked a lot of the charm and quirks of this rom com. I wish the chapters had been a bit shorter and that the tipping point of the conflict had been less frustrating. For someone who was such a helper in her soul and prolific in her PR career, it was tough to believe everything came crashing down so quickly. I liked that the story had grit, and the spice was spicy! 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely a romance but I think it's equally about Emma's journey as a person. Emma learning how she fits into the town and falling in love with it was fun to read. I feel like this is a pretty unique take a girl inheriting her family's farm and I liked it. Dan was such a good guy who was in love with Emma from the moment he met her.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I stopped reading after the big reveal at 35%. Just no.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

3.5 stars! This book is about a woman who’s down on her luck and moves to a small-town farm willed to her by her late grandparents. I don’t want to harp on the romance too much here because I felt like the romance was secondary to the main character’s growth. The romance aspect was fine, albeit almost instant love, but the more interesting part of this story lies with the found-family and character growth. I enjoyed how the town grew to be a place where she felt at home. She built relationships that are really strong. I also really enjoyed the cultural representation!

There’s a moral dilemma in this book that I struggled with. I, personally, don’t take issue with the actual dilemma in the book, but the fact that there is one to begin with makes this story a little less enticing for me. It could have been any moral dilemma and I’d still feel the same way.

That said, if you enjoy books that take place in small towns, found-family, and sweet love, this book is a great read. It’s fast, easy and enjoyable.