Lose yourself in this opposites-attract romance set on a sunny Malibu hillside
Ivy Bauer is a young, bright soil scientist and inventor of a game changing organic irrigation system. She’s on top of the world when, suddenly, her husband is killed in a biking accident. Needing space to grieve, she takes a summer job as a gardener in Malibu.
Conrad Reed is a wealthy Hollywood has-been who, after the death of his wife, feels overwhelmed by the care of his anxious stepson Hudson, massive cliffside estate, and deteriorating career. He hopes Ivy will help take at least one thing off his plate. But the bossy, opinionated Ivy isn’t making things any easier for him. Sparks fly—and not the good kind.
But it’s when Ivy finds the key to Hudson’s heart that Conrad’s own heart begins to melt as well—and then the sparks that fly are the ones that kindle the best kind of love affair . . .
This novel gave me some Ali Hazelwood vibes, who happens to be a favorite author of mine, and it was so fun to dive in and meet Ivy Bauer, soil scientist. With everything going for her, including inventing an organic irrigation system, her world is flipped when her husband is tragically killed. Looking for a place to catch her breath while she grieves, she takes on a gardening job in Malibu for the summer. Once there, she meets Conrad Reed, also reeling from the death of his wife, and his Hollywood career is sinking lower and lower. When the two continue to clash over the smallest things, it’s clear sparks are there – but can two grieving widows really be a good match for one another?
At times heartbreaking, at time heartwarming, Gill writes with an ease that brings all the characters to life amongst the beautiful setting of Southern California. Ivy is instantly likeable, a bright woman trying her best to manage pain while also being undercut at her career. There is a little mystery with the death of Conrad’s wife, and the unraveling of what grief and love and moving on looks like painted throughout the pages. It’s a hopeful story that offers escapism, laughs and an engaging ensemble of characters that you can’t help but fall for.
