Bloom
The Cradle Robber
By Linda Dominique Grosvenor

      Bloom, a wonderful passionate spring/autumn romance by Linda Dominique Grosvenor, makes great use of horticulture as a theme throughout the entire book. The chapter titles employed the use of various flowers, but the real warmth of the book was not in the greenhouse, but in the characters.

      Lily, the main character, was immediately drawn to the new delivery boy when he showed up as a substitute deliveryman. From the first delivery, when they shared his tuna sandwich, to the very last, when they decided to share a life, the depth of feeling between these two was delightful.

      A side-issue was the appearance of a typical small-town busybody, who came in regularly to purchase her calla lilies. She warned Lily of what might lie ahead of her, but it was only at the end of the book that Lily learned why she was so concerned. It was a very tender, heart-rending touch to the book.

      Whether you have a green thumb or not, this book is one that will have you wanting to go buy a bouquet of flowers in honor of Lily and Bloom.