In Bloom by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown
AMAZING GRACIE * Fern Michaels
MEANT TO BE * Lori Foster
THE MOTHER’S DAY CROWN * Carolyn Brown
All three stories are about second chances and Mother's Day added in for fun, there is angst, misunderstandings, forgiveness, discovery, tears, laughter and lots of love to get us to three HEA's.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read Happily Ever After Page-turner Romantic Tear-jerker Funny Entertaining Wonderful characters

In Bloom is an romance anthology comprised of three stories. The stories are written by Carolyn Brown, Lori Foster and Fern Michaels. I loved The Mother's Day Crown by Carolyn Brown and Meant To Be by Lori Foster.

The Mother's Day Crown was so much fun to read. The dialogue was very entertaining. I always enjoy stories where grannys become matchmakers! This is a second chance romance and Ms. Brown hit all the high notes (I loved the country song selections) to bring Monica and Tyler their Happily Ever After.

Meant To Be by Lori Foster was a little different from stories by Ms. Foster that I have read previously, but I really liked it. It was great how Cory and Austin got together for their HEA. Again with a little nudge by family.

Amazing Grace by Fern Michaels brought my review down from 5 stars to 4 stars. I struggled to finish this story. My problem with it was the references to the pandemic. I'm in the camp that doesn't want to read about covid in my romance novels. I read to escape and pandemic references ruin the story for me.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book is a quick read that will make you think of spring time and family. This book was written by three well-known romance authors for years and enjoyed this one as well. You will get to enjoy Gracie, Cory and Monica as they spend time with their loved ones.

Thank you Zebra Books for the opportunity read and review the ARC.

This book s an anthology of Mother's Day stories by three different authors..

Book 1 Amazing Gracie - I couldn't get all the way through the book. I'm not sure if it was the author or the story, but it was very long & drawn out and very wordy. 2 stars

Book 2 Lori Foster was shorter and a much more enjoyable read. The story moved a good pace without drawn-ou, superfluous descriptions. 4 stars

Book 3 Carolyn Brown - story & writing was just so-so for me. Again, I'm not sure if it was the story itself or the story itself. 2 stas

Overall, 2.5 starts.

THE MOTHER’S DAY CROWN * Carolyn Brown
A high school love betrayal and a second chance at friendship a decade later
Will proximity help mend broken hearts or do two meddling grandmothers give nature a push?
Sweet, redeeming, a great escape read

AMAZING GRACIE * Fern Michaels
Mother's Day is supposed to be a celebratory time, and these three women make a point of getting together, to relax and refresh their connection.
While I did figure out the secret early on, it is an enjoyable visit.
The way the secret is revealed is quite the adventure.

MEANT TO BE * Lori Foster
Cory and Austin have been fated to be together sine a very young age. Except not only did Austin not believe, but also Cory's abilities sort of freak him out. A decade later and not one date, Cory decides she'd rather walk away than cause more pain, to him and to herself.

This Mother's Day collection features mild romantic scenarios, family centered.

This is a great book. It has three stories in it about romance. The stories are about lost love, families, grandmothers wanting great grandchildren, exs, and falling in love. It shows no matter what the problems are there is always a solution through love.

IN BLOOM is a book with three stories by different authors. As it turns out all three of these talented authors have been favorites of mine for years, so of course I grabbed at the chance to review IN BLOOM.

As in most stories you have to take a leap into believing the unbelievable. Part of the fun is being swept away with a premise that will hopefully tickle your fancy. And these three writers have that ability. Tested by years in the business and authors of some fabulous works of literary art.

Fern Michael opens the book with her AMAZING GRACIE. Nothing on the surface to explain the title. Gracie is a thirty-two-year-old single flight attendant who loves her job. Loves flying and has been all over the globe. Gracie also loves people and has an affinity for caring for folks which makes her the perfect candidate for her job. Flight attendants are sort of ambassadors and Gracie is well trained for that job. Gracie is flying home to spend Mother’s Day with her mom Ella and sister Hope. The three are very close. This is to be a Mother’s Day to remember as memories and discoveries highlight their time together.

Next up is MEANT TO BE by Lori Foster. Lori Foster decided to tackle something that most people feel is rather not based in reality, shall we say. The idea that there are folks that see things. Folks that see the future. In MEANT TO BE Cory’s dad Jamie has that innate talent. Cory and her mom Faith have always believed in Jamie’s innate ability to see things. Candidly Cory also has some of those talents. And that’s the basis for the conflict in this story. As a very young girl Cory had seen and alerted her friend Austin that they were meant to be. Lori Foster sets us up for a very entertaining tale about destiny and love. MEANT TO BE certainly lives up to its title as expected coming from the creative pen of Lori Foster. You know the expression it takes a village, well in MEANT TO BE that totally describes Visitation and Cory and Austin. Be prepared to be charmed. Even if you don’t believe in second sight, suspend disbelief for just a while and enjoy.

Last in line is THE MOTHERS DAY CROWN by Carolyn Brown whose stories have always made me laugh out loud. Carolyn Brown likes to mix up angst with outrageous humor though the characters she creates. In THE MOTHERS DAY CROWN we face folks that are moving onto the next stage of their lives. Two grandmothers, spry and sassy, in assisted living homes enjoying themselves and appreciating their lives and families. Winnie and Dotty are almost as precocious as a young child. And their antics and dialog remind us that being eighty has a lot of joy. Their grandkids Tyler and Monica are also moving onto new lives. Both have been given a chance to follow their hearts and give each other the second chance richly deserved, albeit difficult to navigate. Great moments are accompanied with country songs and lyrics which is trademark Carolyn Brown.

All three authors flexed their writing muscles to come up with this trilogy of tales all based on forgiveness, trust and love. Personally these authors have entertained me for years. And I am sure that IN BLOOM is going to delight readers.

I was excited to get this for Austin Winston’s story, we first met Austin in Say No To Joe? one of my all time favorite LF books. I loved Joe, Luna, Willow, and Austin along with the rest of the Visitation residents (which I wish we would have seen more of here but I understand why we couldn’t).

While this novella was good it didn’t satisfy my hunger for more. It was good and there was some sweetness but it just seemed to be lacking….something. I hoped for more I guess. All in all it was good to be back on the lake in Visitation.

In Bloom contains 3 short stories by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown. The common theme between these is of Mother's Day.. They all of the short stories are romances, the second two concentrate on parents or grandmothers connecting a couple, but all are enjoyable!

I love these authors, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read these stories for review.

Thank you once again to NetGalley for introducing me to authors I've neglected. It surprised me that I haven't read a Fern Michaels book previously.

In Bloom contains 3 short stories by Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown. The common theme between these is of Mother's Day. The expected publish date is 22 April, 2022 ... just in time to celebrate that special day.

The all of the short stories are romances, the second two concentrate on parents or grandmothers connecting a couple.

They were ok. The middle story was a bit "sexy" and probably not a book that I'd give to my mother.

I have some comments about the third story that I'm going to provide to the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors Fern Michaels, Lori Foster and Carolyn Brown and the publisher Mass Market Publisher for the opportunity to read the advance read copy of In Bloom in exchange for an honest review.

Such a lovely tribute to Mothers of all kinds. Birth mothers, Adoptive moms and Grandmothers that are also great mothers. The three authors bring us stories of deception and trying to find a way forward with the truth, A story of childhood love that becomes forever love. And a story of high school betrayal and finding a way to mend broken hearts and begin again. Highly recommend this easy and engaging read.

Thank you Zebra Books for the ARC to read and review.

In Bloom is an anthology centered around Mother's Day through three independent stories.

I got through 1 1/2 of the stories. I have never read Fern Michaels so this was the chance to see if we meshed and we definitely do not. Gracie goes home to see her mother and sister for Mothers' Day. While she's there her sister and she are in constant disagreement and when a huge secret is revealed I just wanted to throw something across the room. 2 stars

Lori Foster's short story about Cory and Austin was a much better read for me. Thank goodness I started with that one first. Cory has a special second sight and has declared since childhood she will wed Austin. She's decided to give up and on Mothers' Day their moms maneuver them into their relationship. 4 stars

I have not read Carolyn Brown either and want to set her story aside for later.