As Love Blooms

April 1, 2015

Tessa Gregory is determined to land a job as a gardener at the prestigious Como Park in St. Paul. However, Mr. Nussbaumer, the park superintendent (based on an actual historical figure), is opposed to hiring women. Enter handsome horticulturalist Reese King, who helps Tessa hatch a plan to disguise herself as his male assistant. Meanwhile, Tessa's sisters concoct another scheme to abet her efforts to achieve her dream. As tenacious as Tessa is, she soon realizes that the only one who can truly move mountains for her is God. And God works at his own pace and in his own time, a hard lesson for the impetuous Tessa to learn. VERDICT Seilstad's third series entry (after When Love Calls and While Love Stirs) so successfully evokes a particular time and place that readers will feel they are actually witnessing the creation of Como Park at the turn of the 20th century. Historical romance buffs are sure to savor this sweet inspirational tale.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Seilstad (While Love Stirs, 2014) returns to the era of the early feminist movement in her third installment in the Gregory Sisters series. As a promising horticulture student, Tessa Gregory wants a position with Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota, hoping to prove that her passion for garden design is more than a whim. Reese King, a gardener at the park with a promotion at stake, surprises himself by offering to help Tessa after she is denied a job because she is a woman. The two join forces to create a show-stopping garden, but each starts the project with an ulterior motive. When they realize more than friendship is blooming between them, their secrets cause Reese and Tessa to question whether they can trust each other or their love. Written with the same charm and wit as the previous books, As Love Blooms features new and familiar characters who journey through manipulation, family pressures, and self-discovery. Set against a backdrop of garden arches, bubbling fountains, and fragrant flowers, the romance between spunky Tessa and steady Reese will delight and entertain readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)