I had a hard time getting into this book. It started off okay but I never really felt connected to the characters. This was my first book by this author so that was disappointing, but I'll try again with another of her books.

I appreciated that the leads were characters of color and that the plot was different. The female lead was annoying and made even more so by the voice actress! She did a great job with the male lead, but otherwise, just no. The book was not enjoyable.

This story is BEYOND CUTE!!! I don't usually reach for romance novels but this was exactly what I needed to kick of the holiday season! It was a cozy and cute read, and it felt like curling up with a Hallmark movie with the fireplace on. I loved seeing MFC Emma grow and find herself through this story, even as she tackled the mess of farming and small-town life.

Wesleigh Siobhan, take a bow. I don’t think I’ve laughed out loud so often during an audiobook. Emma’s inner monologue was priceless, and Wesleigh’s narration made me feel like I was getting some hot tea from one of the girls. Chef’s kiss. She made Emma feel so relatable and hilarious, and I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t have hit the same way if I’d read it myself. Honestly, it felt like a dual narration at times—I’m still not over how perfectly she nailed it.

The downside. The pacing slowed right down in the middle, the third-act breakup felt overdone, and the 40-minute chapters were crazy! And even with the predictability, this story was cozy, and I loved the small-town vibe.

Emma & Dan 4eva ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an early copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

In Love in Bloom, I found myself drawn in by the setup: Emma Walters, a city publicist with her life in shambles, inherits a farm in rural Georgia. She’s forced to navigate the prickly small-town locals and her budding frustration (and attraction) toward Dan, the ruggedly skeptical farm manager. It had all the elements for a charming fish-out-of-water romance, with a twist of mystery that involves a hidden family secret and a suspicious series of farm accidents.

Wesleigh Siobhan’s narration elevated the story. She brought Emma’s sharp wit to life, making the character feel layered and relatable. Her pacing made it easy to stick with the story, even when my attention wavered.

While the quirky town and its unique shops added charm, I did find the middle of the book a bit slow. There was a point where the story seemed to lose momentum, and I was hoping for a change. Fortunately, the plot regained its momentum towards the end, and the stakes were raised just in time to reignite my interest, leading to an enjoyable ending.

It had some enjoyable elements, and Siobhan’s narration was a highlight. However, I felt that the pacing in the middle of the book didn't maintain the initial excitement and charm I experienced at the beginning.

4.25 stars

This town is bad at keeping the big secret...secret. Like it couldn't be more obvious what was going on there and I genuinely cannot figure out the logistics of that actually working. BUT the romance was fun. At first I really wasn't into the fact she was in a different relationship at the beginning but I think it worked for the story. The conflict also made sense at the end and it felt real (regarding the reactions and dialogue). The fish out of water trope worked well (city girl on a farm, classic). My favorite was the ongoing chess game, I found that to be really sweet and also like a whole separate conversation happening at times.

Regarding the audio specifically, this narrator was fantastic. Her laughs and acting choices were perfect for the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

This story follows Emma and Dan. Emma is an Atlanta publicist who has recently inherited her Grandparents farm. While Emma is considering selling the farm, she has no choice but to get to experience all it has to offer after she is fired from her job and breaks things off with her fiance. Now living on a farm and with Dan, the local farmer who has the studio apartment above her grandparents home.

Dan has had an interest in plants since he was a little kid. Now, he gets to run the farm and stay where he works. That home is under the same roof as his former employers granddaughter. Will they get along? Will Emma get used to the farm or will she sell?

The emotional connection of Emma and Dan kept the story intriguing. I enjoyed the pacing of the story, and the resolution.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC audiobook.

This one be SPICY and I was totally here for it. I loved the small town vibes, the medical marijuana farm storyline and the diverse main character leads. Lucy Eden was a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed her excellent blend of humor, heat and heart in this well written story about finding your place and taking charge of your life. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. The audio narration by Wesleigh Siobhan was extremely well done considering she tackles both a British male voice and an American female voice. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Talia Hibbert and Denise Williams.

This is a strange one for me to rate! On one hand, I really liked a lot of this book. On the other hand, the FMC annoyed the ever loving crap out of me with her naivety and jumping to conclusions and the third act breakup was so dumb. I think the third act external plot conflict could have been enough for the book - we really didn't need that breakup. It seemed like it just served to get the MMC off page so that the other conflict could happen but I think there could have been other ways to achieve that.

4.5 ☆
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I am still a little new to Lucy Eden, but I can say I will be on the lookout for her books! First, this cover is GORGEOUS 😍. I'm in love with it. This book was super cute, with cozy vibes. I could easily read this book in one day. The spicy scenes were pretty good as well.
The audiobook is chef's kiss; Wesleigh Siobhan is phenomenal and deserves an award for her narration skills! I enjoy every book she narrates.
Emma unexpectedly inherits her grandparents' farm. And the Green Acres farm manager, Danesh Pednekar, is smokin' 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 farm life a try.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Small town romance
•Rom-Com
•Farm life
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Nov.12
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Hachette Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Love in Bloom was essentially a Hallmark movie: high-powered city girl inherits a farm from (x) relative and meets (x) attractive person who conveniently works on the property. They clash at first , but of course end up together. Meanwhile, our main character has a vapid city ex who who's set on destroying the livelihood of the entire town to further their own career goals . Like I said, verrrry Hallmark (not derogatory) except it's not set during the holiday season and most of the characters are Black. The small town itself is charming, with a hint of mysterious family drama and a weird yet welcome sprinkle of Breaking Bad. It was fine albeit rather long for the slice of life pacing the book had .

Audiobook review
This was my first time listening to Wesleigh Siobhan and it certainly won’t be my last! She’s such a dynamic narrator - her delivery was gold and had me hooked within the first ten minutes. I know that if I’d physically read this book, I would’ve found the first chapter cringey, but she really sold it . However, the British accent was a bit inconsistent ,Siobhan’s accent slipped at times, which made it a tough listen, especially since the love interest was such an active character in the story.

Between the non-stop self-inflicted horror marathon of October and then all of the election madness, I needed something a bit lighter to indulge and Love In Bloom was exactly it! Emma’s life is turned upside down in one fell swoop, from losing her job and her boyfriend…but at least she has a newly inherited farm to escape to! Lucy Eden’s journey of finding her family roots and self-discovery with the help of a handsome horticulturalist is such a delightful and unsuspectingly funny ride! Love In Bloom is a wonderful escape filled with hilarious antics and undeniable chemistry, perfectly brought to life in narration by Wesleigh Siobhan!

The narrator on this audio is GOLD. The book was cute but this narration was such a perfect fit I adored it! The book is written in parts as inner monologue that had me LOLing along. The premise was unique and very modern and made it a book I had never read before which was very appealing. Highly (pun intended) recommend this on audiobook!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this amazing audiobook!

This was a great listen. Despite being vaguely the plot of a Hallmark movie (big city girl has to save/inherits the family biz and is charmed by a small town guy) Love in Bloom is more than that. Emma has spent her whole life trying to be perfect for her parents and her partner, so when her estranged grandparents leave her a farm four hours from her high powered PR life in Atlanta, she's confused. Then her whole life implodes and luckily she has a farm she knows nothing about to try to pull the pieces together. As Emma figures out what to do we get to meet the farm crew, including Dan, an attractive horticulturist, and a town who knows Emma as a grandchild of beloved town members.
The writing and the narration were a joy. The side characters feel as real as our two main characters and we see a lot of character development even in our side characters. The third act crisis is a real doozy but I really appreciated how it got resolved.

This one's a winner!

3.5⭐️ City girl inherits the farm. But it’s just not any farm. The premise had a lot of potential. Family secrets. Douchy lawyer boyfriend. Handsome grumpy but kind farmer.

It had the feel of a hallmarks movie and I enjoyed it. Emma is sometimes too much and it veers on the side of irritating instead of being funny.

The audio production was great and I really enjoyed the narration.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, NetGalley & Lucy Eden for the ALC, all my opinions are my own.

I'm a sucker for small town romance, and this was just adorable! The found family, the self love, the bits of spice, and the amazing community.

I think this is considered a rom com, and personally, I didn't see the comic relief. I also wanted more of her on her own solo journey. Maybe it's because I'm not a fan of the insta-love trope, but after a 10-year-long relationship, it was weird to see her saying I love you within the first month of knowing someone new. I guess the pacing was off for me.

The audio of this book was really good. Sometimes, the narrator can be a bit over dramatic, but she did bring our mfc to life! I would have loved a dual narration from a guy with an accent just to give it that true feel.

Overall, I thought this was such a sweet read, and I would love another book in this series about her friends!

My thoughts: This is such a delightful read! And it was not at all what i expected when i started the audiobook! Emmaline, recently dumped and jobless, ends up at the small town where her estranged grandparents have left behind a farm for her. But the city girl knows nothing about farming and the handsome farm manager, with whom she had the most embarrassing and hilarious meet cute, is not confident in her dedication to the farm either. But he and the rest of the town are hiding an incredible secret. And an illegal one too. But Emmaline soon finds that she would do anything to protect Dan and her new found small town friends.
This mystery romcom was funny from the start to finish. As Emmaline goes through her journey of finding closure and a new family, we also see the heartwarming relationship with Dan evolve.

Storytelling : Good
Plot : Loved it!
Character Arc : Good character development, although the third act break was a bit blown out of proportion
Pace : moderately fast paced, i finished the audiobook in 24hrs
Dialogue : good
Spice: Open door scenes, 🔥🔥🔥
Narration : i enjoyed the performance by Wesleigh Siobhan

3.5 stars rounded up

I think this is Lucy Eden's first traditionally published book and I could not be more thrilled for her! She had written some really amazing indie romances and while Love in Bloom is not my favorite book from her, there was still a lot I liked about it. It's a steamy rom-com with a hot mess of a heroine.(how she managed to be so successful in her PR career we may never know!)

The book begins with a bathroom mishap as Emma is changing clothes before a will reading for her estranged grandparents. They leave her a farm, complete with a rather attractive manager/ horticulturalist. She has no idea what she would do with a farm, but when she loses her job and breaks up with her long-time boyfriend all in one day, the farm becomes a refuge. But when she tries her hand at farm work, she is entirely unprepared! And the town has secrets...

Emma is sometimes a "too dumb to live" kind of heroine. It certainly makes for conflict, and sometimes plays for laughs, but I think some readers might find it irritating while others find it funny. Dan/Danesh is an interesting character and do like the depth of development with the two of them and their relationship. It's quite a sexy book, but some of the conflict elements at the end are a little wild! I liked this and the audiobook is done well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This book is so freaking cute. I loved every second of it. I love the not so sure 'adversaries' to reluctant friends to lovers. I totally fell in love with the characters as well

I loved it! The story is interesting and the underlying mystery kept me engaged. Wesleigh Siobhan is a great narrator and she did this story justice all by herself. I liked all the funny side characters including the chicken. The whole town was brought alive in the story and it felt like a character all on its own.
The romance had me invested from the start. There was a lot of delicious sexual tension. They were made for each other and their differences made them so much more compatible. Lucy Eden is really good at writing insta lust/love.
Overall a great story!

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.