Late Bloomer

Eddings (The Plus One) marries laugh out loud humor with sweet romance in this sexy standalone. When Opal Devlin wins the lottery, she has big dreams of a “fresh start” as an artist and uses most of her winnings to buy Thistle and Bloom flower farm to serve as her home and studio. When she arrives on the property, however, she faces an obstacle in the form of Pepper Boden, who believes the farm to be rightfully hers. Pepper’s sure her Grandma Lou’s will named her as the inheritor—but with the document missing, her mother sold the farm out from under her. Pepper and Opal decide to be roommates, and though they clash at first, they gradually come together in a gentle enemies-to-lovers arc that proves their differences make them all the more compatible. Both strong-willed, neurodivergent, and bisexual, the heroines are sure to charm. Their main stumbling block is their determination not to involve feelings in a roommates with benefits arrangement, which, while somewhat unbelievable, is good tropey fun. The silliness and levity perfectly balances the plot’s more serious elements, with a memorable hair dye mishap providing some especially good guffaws. Readers will luxuriate in the loving bond these women build together. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callahan, Handspun Literary. (Apr.)