The Cradle Robbers: Bloom (Cradle Robbers Series) [Paperback]

Linda Dominique Grosvenor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cradle Robbers Series | Publication Date: October 15, 2003

Lily Manchester's husband wooed her with carnations up until the day that he enlisted in the Army and never came back. Eleven years later she has picked up the pieces of her life and is quite content with he flower shop Bloom in Bliss, North Carolina, until an irresistable young deliveryman named Alex James sets his sight on her and stops at nothing to win her heart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bloom is an enchanting story...hard to put down!" -- Shelia Goss for SOR Magazine

"a delightful tale..." -- LoveRomances.com

About the Author

Linda Dominique Grosvenor is the bestselling author of several novels including Bloom, Fever and Like Boogie On Tuesday as well as a motivational book for single Christian women titled The Plural Thing: Spiritually Preparing for Your Soul Mate.

Product Details

• Paperback: 129 pages
• Publisher: Sadorian Publications (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974171417
• ISBN-13: 978-0974171418
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,661,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet Love Story ..., April 8, 2004

By 

Tyora Moody "cookieaisle" (Columbia, SC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cradle Robbers: Bloom (Cradle Robbers Series) (Paperback)

BLOOM is the second book in the Cradle Robber series. This series embraces love between an older woman and a younger man.

Lily Manchester's husband enlisted in the Army eleven years ago and never returned. From the time of his departure, Lily's life and "love" has been her floral shop, Bloom. One day a very handsome delivery man, Alex James, delivers more than flowers to Lily's shop. There is an immediate attraction between the two, but Lily is determined to keep from being the "talk of the town." 

"We (women) weren't looked upon as savvy when we dipped below thirty. I didn't even want to think about what they would call me if I was ever caught up in a scandal liaison of any sort with Alex." [excerpt]

Despite Lily's fears, Alex boldly pursues her - determined to prove himself worthy and mature for his age. As their love "blooms" Lily struggles with the disapproval of a motherly, but nosy customer and the surprising return of her ex-husband.

This was a sweet love story proving that age is nothing but a number. Lily was at a stage in her life where it was time for a relationship - time to learn how to love again. Her fears were very real and the decision to be open-minded was a lesson for the readers about taking risks. It was a delight to read about a young man who truly pursued love rather than another sexual conquest. The author is to be commended for creating an extraordinary male character like Alex.

While BLOOM is a short read, the characters were well developed and readers will find the storyline to be engaging from the first page to the last.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bloom Blossoms, October 21, 2003

By 

Davidae Y. Stewart "Also writing as Miranda P... (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cradle Robbers: Bloom (Cradle Robbers Series) (Paperback)

Bloom
Linda Dominique Grosvenor
Sadorian Publications
2003, 124 pages (pbk)
ISBN # 0-974171417 (pbk)
4.5 Star Rating

Dee Stewart, Reviewer

Eleven years after Lily Manchester's husband ran off with the Army and ran off with her heart, Lily meets a charismatic young man twelve years her junior, who won't take "no" for an answer. Her quiet world in her quaint little flower shop gets turned upside down when her heart and her ex-husband returns home. Will she jeopardize her good standing in the small town of Bliss, North Carolina, to pursue "something that has been missing from her life for far too long" or will she take the safe route by taking her ex-husband back?

Grovesnor's addition to Sadorian's The Cradle Robbers Series is just as fresh and brilliant as the flowers she describes in "Bloom". This novella is an intelligent and sweetly written story about the blossoming relationship between an older woman and a younger man.

I love short works of fiction be it short stories or novellas, because they cut to the chase and tell the story matter-of-factly. In order to do that successfully, characters must be developed and fleshed out immediately. Plain and simple- you get to know the main character in detail by the end of the first paragraph or page.

Grosvenor does an excellent job at fleshing out her characters. She makes them real int an instant. In most of the last books I've read the characters have been either too good, too bad, or too crazy. The characters in "Bloom" are just right. They are human.

Lily's character flaws enhances the conflict. Her inability to trust, her fear of self-freedom, her own inadequacies about her age, lends to the question of this novella. It makes her problem real. Will she allow herself to love Alex James despite her own mess?

Alex is just as real as his love interest. He is young, seductive, jealous, and insecure. Alex is as unsure of himself and his future as Lily is as unsure about her feelings toward him.

Last weekend I had a discussion with some members of my writing group about making a familiar story your own and I used this book as an example. It is not a lackluster version of MacMillan's How Stella Got Her Groove Back or another remake of the "Graduate". This story has its own timeless voice. It is such a clever story that I've read it twice in three days. Thus, I give the novella a 4.5 rating.

This book is cute and sweet enough for the purchase price. It is short enough to take on a weekend trip and it is intelligent enough to stimulate your mind. Kudos.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and refreshing good old fashioned love story, September 19, 2003

By 

C. J. Curtis (Northwest Suburb of Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cradle Robbers: Bloom (Cradle Robbers Series) (Paperback)

From the very first paragraph until the last, Bloom, a novella written by talented Author, Linda Dominique Grosvenor was an entertaining and refreshing read. What I enjoyed most about this book was the mere fact that it was centered on a flower shop, which made this book such a treat. Let me just say that this book was a breath of fresh air from some of the drama-filled fiction that is being written today.

As an author, I do know that there seems to be a heavy readership for drama, but every once in while I find it refreshing to read a moving and entertaining fiction book, supported with a wonderful story line, without having to be barraged with intense drama throughout. And, Bloom offered me just that -- an entertaining and refreshing good old-fashioned love story in every sense of the words.

The story begins with the main character, Lily Manchester, reminiscing about her life as she stood in Bloom, her labor of love. Although Lily had been through a very big disappointment in her life at one time, she never gave up and would soon open the doors of Bloom. Lily fondly recalled her deceased mother keeping a garden and telling her that everyone needs his or her zone. And, Bloom would become Lily's zone and her place of refuge since in her mind there was something so therapeutic about horticulture.

Lily's whole life was devoted to Bloom until the day that, Alex, a substitute deliveryman arrived at her flower shop. After this delivery, Lily's life would never be the same. Even a ghost from the past couldn't sway Lily from eventually embracing true love, which is what I believe life is all about.

Pick up a copy of this wonderful novella. You'll find this book entertaining and refreshing as you grow to love this old-fashioned love story as much as I did.

Reviewed by:
Carla J. Curtis, Author of A Single Woman's Parenting Journey: Survival Tidbits and Grip the Rope: Prayers for Single Mothers
www.trccommuniccations.com