Three amazing authors come together in this warm and engaging antholopgy that demonstrates the power of love and family. The common theme in this book is Mother's Day.

AMAZING GRACIE * Fern Michaels

I have only read a couple of Fern Michaels books before reading her novella. and this was the perfect read to bring this talented author back into my purview. In this warm story, secrets and love seem in stark contrast for Gracie Walden, a flight attendant whp has taken some time off. She hopes to reconnect with her mother and sister, and to sort out some issues of her past.

THE MOTHER’S DAY CROWN * Carolyn Brown

Neighboring grandmothers Dottie and Winnie play roles as charming matchmakers for their grandchildren Monica and Tyler. Getting Monica and Tyler to be in town at the same time proved difficult before. With Dottie and Winnie moving into a retirement home, both Monica and Tyler are needed to sort out the houses where they lived. This second-chance romance gets a boost from these two meddling, but well-meaning grannies. Everyone in this story was a true delight as love proved to be the ultimate prize.

MEANT TO BE * Lori Foster

As a long-time fan of Lori Foster's, I loved Meant to Be. It only took a few words for me to recognize Visitation, North Carolina, as the setting. In fact, Say No To Joe, 2003, came to mind. I have easly read thousands of books since that title, but Joe, an alpha male, is still near and dear to my heart. Thank you, Lori Foster, for bringing Joe Winston and other favorite characters like Jamie and Faith back. In this novella, Meant to Be, we have Austin as an adult, a construction worker who finds his happily ever after with Cory.

Many thanks to Zebra Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

In Bloom is a Mother’s Day Anthology, by three amazing authors. I never laughed so hard and cried at the same time.

Amazing Gracie by Fern Michaels

Prepare for a heartwarming journey with Amazing Gracie. This story weaves unexpected twists that add to its charming essence.

Love drives us to do what we believe is best for our loved ones. As secrets unravel, the depth of love for Ella, Hope, and Gracie shines through.

Meant to Be by Lori Foster

Return to Visitation, North Carolina, and get ready to be swept away by Cory and Austin.

Cory Creed, the daughter of Jamie and Faith, embodies the family spirit beautifully. Can Cory convince Austin of their destined connection, or will fate slip away?
Austin Winston, Joe and Leah’s son, undergoes a transformative journey. He starts to wonder if he’s missed out on something significant.

I can’t help but to go all in on these character’s, as their parents are some of my favorites by Lori Foster.

The Mother’s Day Crown by Carolyn Brown

Get ready for a delightful romp at Pecan Valley Senior Retirement Center in “The Mother’s Day Crown”! This story is an absolute joy.

Monica and Tyler’s chemistry, even after a decade, remains as potent as ever. But can it heal the pain from their past? I connected deeply with these characters, feeling their hurt, loss, and love. Can they rekindle something special? Time holds the answer.

Rated 5 Stilettos by Deb!

Perfect for Spring. There are three separate stories in this one. Each story is by a different author which is refreshing. This one was an easy read.

I enjoyed all the storylines in this book. I’m a big Lori Foster’s fan and her story did not disappoint,

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

In Bloom is a collection of short stories surrounding Mother's Day. The first story in the book is by Fern Michaels and is titled Amazing Gracie. This story was quite frankly, forgettable. It has a weird plot with characters thrown in for no apparent reason. That was my least favorite of the three.
The second is by Lori Foster titled Meant to Be which follows a clairvoyant as she navigates her love life and relationships with family and friends. This story was better than the first (thankfully,) but still an unusual plot and not a very compelling read.
The final story is by Carolyn Brown titled The Mother's Day Crown. I always enjoy Brown's quirky characters and this is no different. This story saved this entire collection in my opinion. There are some great one-liners and laugh-out-loud moments in this story!
Over all 3 stars average for this collection.

Three wonderful authors that wrote three very entertaining stories. Wonderful characters in all of the stories. There are some unexpected things that happen in each story that keeps you reading until the end. Each book is wonderful all on its own. Wonderful set of books to read.

A highly entertaining, heartwarming adventure. Laugh out loud fun and emotionally thrilling journey filled with dangerous and engaging charters, witty banter, heart racing twists and exciting turns from beginning to end.

Lovely book to pick up when you want, and enjoy part of a story! I really enjoyed this. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book

This was a set of three short novellas. These were fun short romances. These were sweet reads by some great authors. Carolyn Brown is a personal favorite. These were sweet reads.

3 different short stories from 3 authors which can be read as standalone.

1st story by Fern Michaels are gearing more towards women fiction. Started off with Gracie’s coming home to spend her holiday with her mother and sister only to discover the truth about herself.

Lori Foster wrote the 2nd story focusing around Cory and Austin. The story developed rather too fast and as a result the love story between them look surreal to me.

The 3rd and final story is by Carolyn Brown is about Tyler and Monica, their 2nd chance to be together again with the helps from both their grandmother.

Three amazing stories written by three amazing authors. I enjoyed each story and the characters. The stories captured my attention and I didn't want the book to end at each story! Highly recommend!

All three novellas very nice reads. Great for times when you want a short read and something to ponder,as each has something to say. Read the jacket cover for details of each, it covers them better than I could.
I was provided an advanced reader copy of these novellas and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read these stories.

I enjoyed these 3 books. They were all sweet & family oriented, with the running theme of Mother's Day. In Fern Michaels's book Amazing Gracie, we meet Gracie who gets a shock around Mother's Day that changes how she thought her life was but doesn't really have any fall out from it. Her single sister gets a surprise as well in this story & a new family is formed.
In Meant to Be, Lori Foster brings a crush to an end as Cory makes some life changing decisions regarding her job & where she'll next reside. Giving up on Austin, she decides it time to move on because Austin is never going to love her the way she loves him. When Austin finds out she's thinking of leaving he finally realizes that he's been in love with her for a long time. Now he has to prove to Cory that he does love & care about her & hope that she'll stay. This story had a little bit of paranormal to it, as Cory & her father both had a way of knowing what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Cory & Austin as well.
In The Mother's Day Crown by Carolyn Brown, we meet Monica & Tyler who were best friends & a couple until their graduation party 10 yrs ago, when Monica walks in on Tyler being kissed & undressed by a vengeful classmate. Now their neighbours because their grandmothers left them their houses right beside each other. The grandmothers play matchmaker to get these two back together were they belong & Tyler is definitely on board but Monica is not so sure about it. I really enjoyed Winnie & Dotty(the grandmothers), they were definitely a hoot & I laughed out loud a lot at their antics. I also enjoyed the escape artist cat Sheba, who was always escaping from Tyler's house & running over to Monica's.
Thank you to Kensington Books & Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review.

In Bloom is three short stories written by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown. All my favorite authors!
Each story follows a Mother’s Day theme.
All in all, each story is heartwarming and engaging.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Each of the stories deals with families, secrets, and love. In Amazing Gracie, Gracie comes home to tension between her mother and older sister. Secrets are revealed and lives are changed. In the Mother’s Day Crown, Monica and Tyler have unresolved issues and work to bring back the love they once felt. In Meant to Be, Cory has loved Austin since she was a little girl. Austin, however avoided her as much as possible. Austin suddenly realizes that Cory is important to him and works to convince her that he loves her and wants her to stay and be his. A good read.

I really enjoyed the story by Fern Michaels. I could not get into the other two even though they are short. Different tales will appeal to different people. Some may enjoy all three. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I know I have enjoyed books by the other two authors previously.

In Bloom is a lovely collection of quick to read books by three best-selling authors – Fern Michaels, Carolyn Brown and Lori Foster. A mother’s love. Mothers encouraging, and even giving a slight push to help their children make the right decisions. Feisty grandmothers. What a treat. I especially liked Amazing Gracie by Fern Michaels. Gracie is looking forward to a trip home to spend time around Mother’s Day with her mother, Ella, and sister, Hope. They have always been close, but something’s different this trip. Gracie’s determined to find out what’s going on.

In Bloom is an anthology of 3 novellas that are kind-of romance, kind-of Women's Fiction, and kind of....I'm not sure what. I've read each author in the past and have enjoyed their books. This book was a way to pass the time while on a 5 hour flight...although it took less time than that!

Amazing Gracie by Fern Michaels was just so predictable. You could see the ending coming from the first time her sister and mother were sharing secrets and not including Grace.

Meant to Be by Lori Foster tells one couple's story from a series she previously wrote, so some of the interactions that seem stilted were probably written with the backstory of the series in mind. Those of us who haven't read that series have no clue what this is about.

The Mother's Day Crown by Carolyn Brown was just silly. I'm not a fan of seniors acting out. Sorry...it's probably just me, but matchmaking by women in a retirement home who have given their homes to their grandchildren, in the hope that they will get together, just doesn't do it for me.

It was a way to pass the time while in flight but it won't be one of the books I reread.

I was gifted this book by the publisher and Net Galley. The review is my own.

It was nice reading the three stories in the In Bloom Anthology. I liked that the three books were very different Mother's Day stories about moms, love, marriage, and family.
One book featured Mother's Day secrets and how that affected their family. Another book featured moms who were not the biological moms of their children. These moms who stepped in to help when a child had lost their biological mom. Another book featured moms who were best friends and loved to play matchmaker with their children.

Amazing Gracie by Fern Michaels
I liked this sweet story of Grace, a flight attendant who came home to Amarillo to visit her sister, Hope and her mom for Mother's Day for two weeks. I liked the surprises and how the story ended. A mother-daughter spa day sounded fun.

The Mother's Day Crown by Carolyn Brown
I really liked Winnie and Dotty and the grandmothers of Tyler and Monica. They were so funny and so full of sass, They were also quite good at matchmaking. I enjoyed their antics trying to win the Mother's Day crown at Pelican Valley Retirement Center. I also enjoyed the theme of forgiveness that played out in the book with Tyler and Monica.

Meant to Be by Lori Foster
I found it interesting that in this book Cory had a gift of reading people and knowing what would happen. She was adopted by her mom and her future best friend, Austin was adopted by his mom too. I liked that both Cory and Austin loved mothers that did not give them life and that they had these special people in their lives.
I received an advance copy of this anthology and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

EXCERPT: (from The Mother's Day Crown by Carolyn Brown)

'I feel as free as a bird,' Dotty held up a hand to high-five her best friend Winnie.

The crack when they slapped hands could be heard all up and down the halls of the Pecan Valley Retirement Centre. A smile deepened the wrinkles around Dotty's mouth and bright blue eyes.

'It's liberating, not to think about mowing the lawn and making sure the plants are watered this summer, ain't it? But I thought Monica was going to cry when I handed her the keys and the paperwork.'

'She'll settle into the change, and didn't I tell you how good it would feel to be free of all that stuff?' Winnie eased down on the brown and orange plaid sofa. 'It's like making peace with the fact that we're both happy as baby piglets in a fresh mudhole right here in this retirement home. We should've done this five years ago. You are welcome.'

'For what?' Dotty asked.

'Putting our names on the list to live here,'Winnie answered.

'I suppose you're going to lord it over me like you do the trophy for best afghan, aren't you?' Dotty sighed.

'Yep, I am,'Winnie said, nodding. 'If you'd have agreed to come with me, you wouldn't have had to wait three months for an apartment, but oh, no, you weren't leaving your home. They gave your place to someone else, and you had to be lonely for all those weeks. So, you are welcome for me putting both our names on the list, and for me begging the supervisor here to put your name back at the top when this place came open. If it hadn't been for that, you wouldn't live here, and you wouldn't even have a chance to be Mother of the Year.'

ABOUT 'IN BLOOM': AMAZING GRACIE by Fern Michaels

After years spent traveling the world as a flight attendant, Gracie Walden is ready to stay a little closer to her roots, starting with two weeks at home in Amarillo, Texas. But there’s unexpected turbulence between her mother, Ella, and her older sister, Hope—and it will lead to a revelation that changes Gracie’s life in amazing ways . . .

THE MOTHER’S DAY CROWN by Carolyn Brown

Monica Allen still hasn’t forgiven Tyler Magee for breaking her heart when they were teenagers. Ten years on, they’re back in Luella, Texas, visiting their respective grandmothers. and there’s just a white picket fence and a whole lot of awkwardness between them. Will two weeks be long enough for Monica to learn to stop holding a grudge—and hold on to love?

MEANT TO BE by Lori Foster

When Cory Creed was just a little girl, she knew she’d grow up to marry Austin Winston—and she made the mistake of telling him so. Tired of watching him avoid her ever since, Cory has decided it’s time to leave Visitation, North Carolina, and Austin, behind. But Austin has finally realized what Cory was once so sure of, and now it’s his turn to prove they belong together . . . with a little help from their mothers.

MY THOUGHTS: I am just going to say straight out that it was the Carolyn Brown story that saved this read for me. InBloom contains 3 novellas. I have rated each separately.

Amazing Gracie by Fern Michaels was just an okay read. It was pretty obvious what had happened and there seemed to be an awful lot of 'filler' before Gracie got to the truth. I didn't feel anything for the characters. ⭐⭐.5

Meant to Be by Lori Foster enthralled me even less. To me, it was just plain silly and based on this, I am unlikely to ever read anything else by this author. ⭐⭐

THE MOTHER'S DAY CROWN by Carolyn Brown was a wonderful story about two feisty matchmaking octagenarians and their grandchildren. It's written with the author's customary warmth and wit, and she makes the characters come alive on the page. I didn't want this story to end. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Overall rating ⭐⭐⭐

#InBloom #NetGalley

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #romance

THE AUTHORS: FERN MICHAELS: Fern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail. I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years.
LORI FOSTER: Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.
Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.
Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity.
CAROLYN BROWN: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of In Bloom by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

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