Three women bond while sharing their passion for gardening. Hope Walker is a thirty-year-old breast cancer survivor with hideous scars and a fear of dating. She owns a successful florist and has a beautiful younger sister, Bobbi, who works part time for Hope. Jason Wells comes into Changing Seasons to buy a floral arrangement for his mother, and Hope believes he is the handsomest man she has ever seen. They exchange some light banter, and the next day he comes back to order flowers for his sister. Unfortunately Bobbi waits on him and Jason is blindsided by her beauty. Hope would never say anything to Bobbi, and watches as their relationship blooms.

Millie Baldwin has moved to Heart Lake and lives with her daughter and her two grandchildren. Millie misses her home and her friends, but most of all misses a place to garden. When she reads an article saying the Parks and Recreation Department was reserving plots for interested gardeners at the community garden at Grandview Park, Millie can hardly wait to claim her little piece of land.

Amber Howell, her husband, Ty, and their four-year-old son Seth are newcomers to Heart Lake, and Ty is unable to find a job. They are living on a pittance Amber makes at a bakery. Ty is severely depressed and ready to move on, but Amber likes the town and refuses to budge. She and Millie share neighboring plots at the park, which is a good thing since Amber knows nothing about gardening and Millie is a pro. Hope also has a little piece of land near them, and it isn't long before these women are as close as family.

LOVE IN BLOOM is a wonderful story with characters so real and defined I feel like I am personally acquainted with them. Each of these women has a tale to tell, and when they can't talk to their families, they talk to each other. There is humor and emotion in large quantities in this fantastic book that is next to impossible to put down. Kudos and a large bouquet of flowers to Sheila Roberts for giving us one of the best books of the year.