Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Bloom
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
NARRATOR: Glen Lloyd
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 5 hours and 29 minutes
RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2024
BLURB:
Keats McCulloch opened his florist shop in Sydney two years ago and he’s living his dream. Even though running his own business leaves little room for a personal life, he is very single, sometimes lonely, but otherwise happy.
Linden Acres has sworn off men for all eternity. Armed with his cheating boyfriend’s credit card and a floriography list, he decides to buy him the perfect farewell gift. The biggest, prettiest bouquet of ‘murder flowers’ his money can buy.
Keats convinces Linden to avoid possible jail time and go with a more subdued, somewhat passive aggressive bouquet of black roses and basil leaves. After all, nothing else says you’re dead to me and I hate you with such elegance.
Keats finds Linden hilarious and charming, and Linden thinks Keats is kind of wonderful . . . It’s too bad he’s sworn off men forever. Yet their paths cross again and again, as if fate was planting seeds in the hope that one will bloom.
“I’m more of a green carnations kind of guy.”
REVIEW:
Keats is very content. He’s got a successful business going that he’s poured his blood, sweat and tears into It’s his focus and he’s made his dream come true. He’s got great employees/friends with him for the ride. If he might be a bit lonely? Well that’s the price he’s been willing to pay. He’s been out of the dating game for a while but his business hours don’t lend to being a gadabout. He’s an early to bed, early to rise kind of guy.
Linden has made a successful business of being a personal shopper. He’s the go to guy to source things for his clients who have a lot more money than time. He loves it! He’s very good at it and he’s happy to find Keats as a source for flowers. At first it’s for his own person statement to his cheating ex. But then he needs things for one of his clients, a very successful real estate agent who needs floral arrangements and plants for staging high end home showings. When he reaches out to Keats again, well they chat a bit more and want to see where things go.
They banter and have coffee and a couple of dates. They text and meet up and visit each other’s homes 😉 Things get kind of serious kind of fast, but neither has very felt this comfortable or easy in a relationship before. There is one slight hiccup, but they quickly get back on track and an HEA awaits this adorable and funny couple.
Well this was an absolute delight! It’s such lovely low angst story of two guys who meet by happenstance at just the right time for both of them. Their
“meet cute” over a breakup message to be delivered via floral arrangement was hilarious. I loved both MCs right away. Linden is adorable and funny and very much his own person. Keats is a guy who has made his dream business a reality. That focus has made having a personal life a little difficult to manage. He’s up before dawn at the flower markets and he’s in bed by 9 – so his clubbing days are in the past. Linden is over the club life too and he’s tired of cheating and disingenuous guys. He gets a good feeling about Keats right when they meet and their subtle flirtation and Keats supportive attitude of Linden’s flash and flair. They are so cute together! Their banter is funny and sweet. Both have great friends who I might wish to see in future – especially Corey! I love a story where the MCs communicate and talk through their issues like adults.
Glen Lloyd is the perfect narrator for this book! His voice choices for Keats and Linden especially felt just perfect to the way the characters were described. Linden is a bit of a ball of sunshine who has a wonderful self-deprecating humor. Keats is more serious and they balance each other so well. The supporting characters of both MC’s friends were also just spot-on for the story. Really I love this narrator/author combo so much. Perfection! Highly recommended.
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