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 medicinal 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.

The audio of this book was fairly decent. I didn't mind the narrator, but I didn't love how she voiced her male characters and I sometimes found that there wasn't enough differentiation between voices in a dialogue moment.

Book Title: Love in Bloom
Author: Lucy Eden
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Wesleigh Slobhan
Publisher: Hachette Audio/ Forever
Genre: Romance
Audiobook Pub Date: November 12, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 368

I was drawn to this small town romance featuring Emmaline (Emma) who inherits her estranged grandparent’s farm.

Emma’s big-city PR job goes bust, she since she has nothing to lose and might as well give the farm life a try, even though she knows nothing about farming or even how to kept a house plant alive.
The farm does some with farm manager, Danesh Pednekar, who is gorgeous with a deep voice that vibrates throughout her! Almost immediately these two clicked.
As she is settling in she finds a locked door in the farm's large greenhouse, which is a thriving medical marijuana business.

I prefer a sweet cozy romance- with little or no profanity) than a steamy raunch-com but was pleased that there was more to this story!
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I thought the audiobook narrator Wesleigh Slobhan was great at performing the characters.
Additionally I enjoyed the author’s Q&A at the end of the story.


Want to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio/Forever this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 12, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Eden, and Hachette Audio | Forever for my free audiobook ARC copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

If you are looking for a laugh-out-loud, romance/FMC coming into her own set in a small southern town, then please run out and grab this book. AND soon I hope that it doesn't have to be highlighted (because it should just be normal and widespread) but the fact that this story features POC as the main, adjacent and side characters was amazing!! Also, the narrator, Wesleigh Siobhan, was a hoot!!! She sounded like a good friend catching up with you over a girl's night out.

I was listening to this book in the car and I know people must have been wondering what was going on with me because I was laughing so hard and that was just the first chapter!

Emma has suddenly inherited a farm in rural Georgia from grandparents that she was estranged from since her mother would never visit them or speak to them. Emma is a busy PR rep at a renowned Atlanta firm and is nearly engaged to Teddy, college sweetheart and presumptive next state senator, and has her life mapped out for her.

She thinks she will be quickly disposing of this farm with a big sale and then get on with her life but then she meets Dan. Dan helps run the farm and while they get off on the wrong foot, he takes care of Emma in ways that she didn't even know she was missing (and craving).

Emma finds herself questioning her future plans and more importantly, her past. What happened to her mother's and grandparent's relationship? Why don't her parents ever mention her sister Annie who passed away? Why do the folks in this small town adore her grandparents so much? Would life in a small town really be so bad? Why is she so drawn to Dan who constantly challenges her?

This is a spicy romance that is more than a romance. Emma undergoes a journey of self-discovery including her own family history. She uncovers mysteries including what is really going on on the farm and its importance to the town, why Dan lives in America but is actually from the UK and that this inconvenient disruption to her carefully curated plans may just be the best thing that has ever happened to her.

The publisher's descriptions gives too much away in my opinion, and I would go into this one blind if you are going to read it (and skip my review if you are going to read it....but know that I won't be raving about this one).

There were quite a few things I just couldn't quite buy into with this one (which is saying quite a bit for a romance). Here are my big beefs:
* Yes Emma's ex was a narcissist, but he suddenly became extremely abusive and it felt forced
* The town as a pot haven for thousands that travel to the small town and yet the authorities didn't know - and the hate towards the town by some for the drugs when really many places have legalized weed at this point
* I never felt the sparks between Emma and Dan
* The reason for the fallout of the relationship between Emma's parents and grandparents was weak in my opinion

I do love a good small town vibe, but the town wasn't as welcoming as is typically present with small towns. That alone could not carry the book for me.

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. Wesleigh Siobhan did a great job of narrating Emma and voicing her emotions throughout the novel. Sometimes, it was difficult to understand Dan's dialogue, especially with a South Asian British accent, but overall I really felt all the emotions Emma was feeling through Siobhan's narration.

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.

Wesleigh Siobhan Does an amazing job narrating this story.

This book was nothing like what I thought it would be, and that’s a good thing! I enjoyed the narration, and this book had humor despite grief and sadness. I loved Emma’s journey and I loved Dan. I also loved the supporting characters, and Max needs her own book!

Love in Bloom is a fun, cute romance that makes you fall in love with the main characters and the small country town.

We follow Emma Walters, a publicist from Atlanta, as she inherits her grandparents country farm. At first she isn't sure what to do with this inheritance, but as she got to know the town she realizes it may be leading her to a bigger destiny.

Tropes:
* City girl inherits farm
* Found family
* British MMC
* Forced Proximity
* Family Secrets
* Small Town Romance

I really enjoyed this book and the story. I went in blind and was surprised at some of the plot, which is so rare in a romcom. I liked the family drama. Emma and Dan's relationship was super sweet. I did feel like the writing was a bit elementary and some of it felt very Hallmark channel.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated, but I did feel like the voice wasn't consistent for all the characters, especially Dan's British accent.

3.5 stars

I loved this book! I found myself completely absorbed in the story right from the start! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a phenomenal job! I loved her voice and the way she brought the story to life!

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!

This audiobook is so well done, the narrator (Wesleigh Siobhan) really brought Emma's character to life and her pacing/expressiveness were so enjoyable to listen too.

Love in Bloom is a sweet & spicy small town romance about Emma, who loses her job and her direction in life. After she learns her estranged grandparent have left her their profitable farm she decides to uproot her life to find inspiration.

At Green Acres she meets Dan, the farm manager and it is instant chemistry as Dan is tall, handsome and super smart 🤓🔥 As the two begin to learn how to co-exist on the farm together and Emma gets a crash course into farming. . . that has more mis-adventures than successes as the sparks fly.

This novel is laugh out loud funny but also tackles some difficult issues such as grief/loss, health issues and finding your calling.

Super cute!
I loved the main characters in this story. Separately and together they were wonderful to read.

I loved Emma's journey of acceptance from the town. I loved that she brought Dan out of his 'darkness' and gave him something to desire.
Usually 3rd act breakups are the bane of my existence but this one worked for this storyline.

The narrator's added emotions to the reading made this great.

I will pick up any romance with a farm involved, and Love in Bloom did not disappoint! It took me a moment to resonate with our fmc, but once she won me over, this took off. This is the most Stars Hollow/Gilmore Girls town I've read in any book, and I can absolutely promise that you will not see the plot twist with the farm coming!

The audio book is so so fun. If you're looking for characters to listen to and love, this is going to need to be your next read!

This book was not my cup of tea. The pacing felt incredibly weird and the characters felt like they were adults written by a 14 year old. I didn’t resonate with this at all and I DNF’d it at nearly 60%. Thanks, but no thanks.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Predictable but cute story about a young woman who has inherited a farm from her grandparents that she has lost touch with as she grew up. There is a love story theme weaved throughout the story but I felt like the story was all about community bonding together and how a person is on the precipice of making difficult life decisions. The audiobook switches between the female and male characters voiced by Wesleigh Siobhan. She has a very distinct voice that at times adds a lot of spunk to the character and she flows very easily into voicing the male British character. She really does a fantastic job. There is great POC representation within the book and the found family gives off warm vibes!
Great read for those looking for a romance with some really good vibes with the surrounding story.

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 Netgalley and hachette audio for the ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. What a perfect perfect book. I loved it from cover to cover. I enjoyed the plot, the MCs, side characters the steam and just no notes loved it!! I only wish the ex boyfriend got a better punishment like embassament or similar. Definitely Want a copy for my shelves.

5/5☆

This was my first book by this author, I did not know what to expect but it definitely didn’t disappoint! I also went in blind because I didn’t read the synopsis. 🫣

Small town romance, family secrets & drama, black FMC, unexpected plot twist !!!

Emma is a true city girl that inherited a farm from the grandparents she doesn’t even remember because they were estranged from her mother. I loved Emma down but she was a walking disaster. On that farm she meets big DAN not the little one. The spice in this took me by surprise!!! I was gasping !!! That last chess scene really took me out Dan hurt my feelings too. 😭

This love story was so beautiful and well done. There was character development with every character. I think this book will be popular.

Audio is 10/10 because it’s Narrated by Wesleigh Siobha she’s a fav. The beginning of the book dragged a little & the chapters are entirely toooooo long. 40 mins to a hr in one chapter is crazy!!!


Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, Forever, & Lucy Eden for this audio ARC.

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 really enjoyed this story!!! Emma and Dan have such a whirlwind of a romance: they start as adversaries but quickly fall into their attraction to each other, mixed with some deceit, and good intentions, and town gossip, and strong bonds…they finally get their happily ever after. there was a lot going on in this story, several plot twists that kept it fun, and I really enjoyed all the characters.

the narration was amazing! I felt like the tone, animation, and characteristics of the characters came through brilliantly. the narration let me just dissolve in the story and read the whole book very quickly!

thank you for the alc!

Cute romance. Small town. Very hallmark- but I don’t think that’s a bad thing just nice to know going into it.

Business lady is going through it and inherited her grandparents farm so she moves away to see what she can do about the farm and reset. Small town guy works on the farm perfecting a rose after a scandal in a UK rose competition.

Cutesy. Spicy. Fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and forever for an eARC.