Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Garden of Cupid: Love’s Bloom
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Hollows
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 128 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 6, 2021
BLURB:
A Love’s Bloom story
Will doesn’t want a relationship. Blain isn’t looking for a boyfriend. But with an old lady playing Cupid, how can they ignore a chance at love?
Will Brewer is a shy artist living with only his cat for company. He’s not good with people and even worse with relationships. He isn’t looking for a boyfriend. He just wants to paint. In fact, he would happily be living the life of a hermit if his eighty-year-old neighbor, Mrs. O’Grady, wasn’t constantly roping him into tasks around her house.
And he isn’t the only one she’s preying on.
The new and gorgeous mechanic Blain Stewart has just moved in next door. Where Will feels like an awkward fool around Blain, the mechanic finds him adorable.
Blain has just ended a bad long-term relationship with a high-maintenance man who didn’t understand him. He feels like he’s starting all over again and he’s hesitant for his fresh start to include the talented and charming Will.
But when Mrs. O’Grady asks them to plant some flowers in her garden, the tension between them skyrockets.
They both think friendship would be safer than a new romance. But when attraction, connection and an enthusiastic old lady are pushing them together, can they resist?
REVIEW:
Will Brewer is a successful artist who his very happy in his work, but he’s not so great with people 🙂 He’s not had much luck with finding a boyfriend – although he did have a “friend with benefits” for some time but that’s been over for a while. He has a lovely older neighbor, Mrs. O’Grady, who he has been friendly with. He helps her with things around her house and garden, and she bakes and cooks for him sometimes and helps look after his cat 🙂
One day he is helping her with a squeaky door. While he’s working on the door, she tells him oh by the way, she’s invited the other new neighbor from the other side of her house to join them for tea. Blain Stewart is a handsome mechanic who has moved in next door. He is coming off of a contentious breakup from a 4 year relationship and is not interested in a relationship. But he’s intrigued by Will and his adorable shy and awkward personality 🙂
Mrs. O’Grady comes up with a gardening chore for Blain and Will. Both men are well aware of Mrs. O’Grady’s rather transparent attempt to push them together. Will shares her past attempts to set him up 🙂 They realize they are both gay and that there is an attraction there. But Will thinks Blain is out of his league and Blain is reluctant to get into anything after his breakup. But they agree to be friends.
When they are alone together at Blain’s house though, things move out of the friendzone pretty quickly 😉 Even though they try to set some ground rules, they seem content to break them pretty quickly. Their second date moves things along even quicker – with a bit of a nudge after an unwelcome blast from the past intrudes.
Elizabeth Hollows is a new to me author. I wanted to like this story more than I did. There’s nothing bad about the story. It’s definitely a bit insta-lovey, but it was the way it happened that gave me pause. I just struggled with how fast both characters discarded their real original misgivings based on their past relationships and literally fell into each others arms. That being said, they are both very likable characters and I was definitely happy to see them get their HEA. The lovely meddling Mrs. O’Grady certainly gets some credit for pushing them together 🙂 She was quite adorable and also transparent in her scheming to get Will and Blain to take a chance. Pollock the cat even helped! I felt like had this been a longer book with more time to see Will and Blain develop their relationship, I would have been more on board. I found myself skimming the sexy times even which led me to believe I wasn’t that invested in these two. Overall, it’s a sweet, low-angst story of two very likable young men that I couldn’t help but root for, even if things did move at lightning speed. If you’re in the mood for a shorter story with a guaranteed HEA, this might be for you.
RATING:
BUY LINKS:
Pride