Love in Bloom: Book 1
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
This heart-warming second chance love story about hope and healing from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains is perfect for fans of Raeanne Thayne and Jenny Hale!
For a gardener blessed with a green thumb, Savannah Collins’s life sure seems like it’s all thorns, zero roses. She has no job, no relationship, and no place to live. With nothing but a car full of plants and her new rescue kitten, Savannah heads to Bloom, North Carolina, to spend the summer with her beloved Aunt Eleanor, a retired librarian.
Her aunt shares her love of literature with the Finders Keepers Library, located in her beautiful garden, where anyone can stop by to pick a book or leave a book. When a sudden summer storm destroys the library and many of the roses, it will take a village to get everything ready for the garden wedding that is planned there in just three weeks.
As the entire town joins in to make the necessary repairs, Savannah bonds with their neighbor Evan Sanders over the books that Eleanor has handpicked for each of them, helping them both find healing and self-discovery. Savannah only intends to stay through the summer, but when an unexpected job offer, a sudden health crisis, and a wayward pre-teen push her future in new directions, she has to wonder whether this is the place that she is meant to be—and the family she’s meant to be with.
The Finders Keepers Library by Annie Rains is the first book in the Love in Bloom series, and I look forward to reading more.
The Finders Keepers Library is a heartwarming second-chance romance for Savannah and her Aunt Eleanor. Savannah returns to her aunt’s hometown after her fiancé breaks their engagement when she’s diagnosed with a chronic illness—lupus. She studied botany and is looking for a full-time position now that her dreams have been shattered, or have they? Her aunt is a retired librarian with a book quote for every occasion and a book list for many characters that hit the right notes even if they don’t initially think so. Eleanor also has the Finders Keepers Library in her backyard, which attracts neighbors and others in town to borrow a book and leave another in return. Her late husband built it and sits in her yard, surrounded by the flowers that were his passion.
The story had a good flow and held my interest throughout as we got to meet and know the characters. Savannah and Evan’s paths unexpectedly cross when Savannah shows up at her aunt’s house to visit since she no longer has a place to live or a job once her fiancé breaks up with her. She didn’t know Evan still lived next door or had a daughter. He nor her aunt knew she was coming for a visit.
Evan and June, Evan’s daughter, are both central to the story, as is Eleanor’s love interest, Charlie, his granddaughter, and her former summer best friend, Mallory. Several storylines are wrapped into the main arc and neatly threaded through the story. Evan and Savannah take one step forward and many more back, even though it seems most of the town is rooting for them. Even his daughter gets on board.
The story is told in alternating chapters by Savannah, Evan, and Eleanor, which is different than most books I read since there really are three main characters in this book. There’s also a short book quote at the start of each chapter, and it was fun to see how many of the books quoted I’ve already read or have on my radar to do so.
There’s teen angst, the loss of loved ones, ends and starts of relationships, lots of flowers and books, small town life, learning to deal with a chronic illness, romance, love and so much more. There is depth to the story and the characters if they only get out of their own way. By the end of the book, the stars align, and love is definitely in the air, with another sweet wedding taking place. There is closure with the epilogue, and I look forward to returning to Bloom repeatedly since there are many more tales to tell.
The Finders Keepers Library by Annie Rains is filled with books, book quotes, and plants of all kinds. Sit back and relax with a glass of sweet tea or another drink to your liking and savor the friendships, romances, family, and friends you meet throughout!
