The Flourishing

Leicester Trilogy #1

by Merlina Garance

When Andy Campbell, Detective Inspector in Leicester, gets assigned the case of Mr Parry’s disappearance, she expects to find nothing else than an umpteenth marriage ruined by a husband taking off with his mistress.

Instead, she ends up investigating a murder case, and struggling to fight her attraction for the wife of the missing man. When she realises the feelings are mutual, things definitely get complicated…


A secret, forbidden relationship caught in the middle of a murder investigation... Can it become something more?

Genres: Lesbian, Mystery, LGBT, Romance, Adult, Queer, Realistic Fiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2023

About the author

Merlina writes and lives in France, with a husband and their beloved dog. After a career as a social worker, Merlina first published a novel in 2023. Merlina's head is full of LGBTQ love stories, so keep an eye out for those to come...

Social media:
Instagram: @merlina_garance_author
Facebook: Merlina Garance Author

Reviews

[Della B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Flourishing caught me by surprise. It is a beautiful story of finding love in the least expected place, a missing person investigation. The story is well written with a unique writing voice that held me captive until the end.

Garance renders a realistic portrayal of psychological spousal violence. She demonstrates how understanding and loving support can be the counterbalance used to free the victim from the internal shackles put in place by her abuser.

The Flourishing is a gem found amongst this year’s romantic blend novels. It has become one of my top five books from the year.

[Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so surprisingly tender and unputdownable.

[Rachel Bowdler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the type of book whose characters quickly worm their ways into your heart and live there forever and ever. The MC, Andy, felt SO real to me. She wasn’t a character at all. She was an authentic person who I could viscerally imagine sitting beside me. She is now my favourite book girlfriend.

With romance and suspense woven together, I loved every nail biting and heart-melting moment. I felt every single word right in my stomach. Merlina Garance knows words; knows how to pack a punch in the subtlest but most beautiful of ways.

I was in awe from beginning to end. I’m so looking forward to falling in love with more books by this author.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

And honestly, she wonders. What would be the point of life, if that was bound to disappear. If her hands were forever bereft of that tingling need to caress, and love. She nods off thinking that the light grey English sky cannot be that bad if it reminds her of her eyes.

2.5 stars. Lots of promise, and it shone in a lot of places, but overall I was a little disappointed. Romantic suspense/crime novel about a detective working a missing person's case, and the wife of the missing man. Andy is the typical messy, aging cop, with bucket-load of personal issues, but she finds it difficult not to get close to Thalia, who she can clearly see has been mistreated. After a bit of a rough start, a forbidden romance begins to blossom in the midst of the investigation, and Andy starts to coax Thalia out of her shell. The romantic plot beats were really good, and it was super easy to start falling for the couple and pulling for them. It's so easy for me especially to fall for a couple who fall in love despite complicated circumstances, despite everything that says they shouldn't. Unfortunately, I'm going to say what I often say, and what I always hate saying: this was too short. A really good emotional story could have been told here, but it felt like we skimmed past or jumped over a bunch of major hurdles. Andy's baggage with her mother is only mentioned a few times, and I wanted to Thalia to have a much slower road to recovery. The romantic suspense parts of this were really thin. A lot of times during the police investigation, things happened that didn't seem realistic, or the logic behind the police procedure wasn't adding up. Andy's supposed to be an experience cop, but she doesn't act like it. And then in the end the entire thing gets solved in one chapter, by a character whose POV we get for the first time, using information the reader was never told. I felt cheated out of a mystery. I don't mind that the romance was the main focus, but it was just so jarring for things to work out like that.

The writing was okay; pretty good sometimes, but mostly okay. Lots of little bumps that I won't get into, because I try not to be too hard on indie books about this kind of stuff. But it would have definitely benefitted from more eyes to smooth out some awkward phrases, and just to expand upon moments that deserved more care. Really, the romance in itself has really good bones, and it was sweet and sexy and everything I needed it to be, but I really wish there was more of it, considering the plot, and the things the book tackled. 

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was riveted by this book. However I could not get past the relationship between the mains expanding when it did. I also was a wee bit confused by the tea making at the start….. and as a Scot, a couple of the Scottish references, although others are stereotypical for a reason! I could see the romance care developing which I liked, but as I say the consummation I couldn’t get past. The blend plot however really held me. I could feel the spectre of the missing man throughout and felt really quite tense at times. Well worth reading, and I think some of the, at the end, under utilised secondary characters will be mains in other parts of the trilogy. At least I hope so.

[Tierney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a super story around this romance involving the police officer investigating a husband's disappearance and the witness wife. Ms. Garance navigates the issues of domestice abuse, fear, obsession, recklnessness, and craving for love very well. She never skirts the issues, yet doesn't let the story become dominated by them. Rather, they play out and are foundational to the core plotline of two people meet and fall in like/lust/love... I'll not spoil which of elements is might be 😏.

I really liked this 😀.

[Helios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely bloody brilliant! This book had me giggling, smirking, laughing, anxiously biting my nails, screaming internally and everything in between, for the most part in public.

Merlina Garance has a way with words that breathes life into every character and scene, making you wish you could live in one of their stories and get to know those people first-hand.

This book is very fast paced and keeps you hooked to the story with seemingly little effort. I sure only took reading breaks out of lack of time to keep going, rather than by choice.

Knowing that these characters I quickly grew fond with will be back in the next books of the Leicester trilogy makes me very happy and excited to be reading Just Stu soon.

If you’re a fan of crime shows and are looking for a quick, captivating and emotional sapphic romance, The Flourishing is the book for you! It has a lot of hurt/comfort, cute scenes, Italian dishes, sexy times and, as I like to put it: the class clown x beauty queen trope (quoting our savior Lorde)

A great read, a rollercoaster of feelings and a beautiful addition to my collection of emotional support fictional couples. Cheers!

[Lyn Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Not the usual romance or mystery, and not my usual read. It was intriguing, as were the characters, and it kept me reading until the end.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I read a book this fast. I started yesterday morning, worked for 9 hours, stayed up far too late reading, and finished it this morning.

Third person present tense is possibly my favourite perspective, and Garance uses it to create an emotional, immediate narrative that sucks you in and won't let go. The writing really flows like water, like there's no friction between the words themselves and the images they evoke in your head.

The characters shine in Garance's effortless writing, from a hardheaded main character to a cheeky and sympathetic love interest and a host of side characters with their own arcs.

The romance is superb. The scene where the two characters meet is delightfully funny, and the relationship progresses from there. The way Andy accepts and cares for Thalia... I leave this book feeling so soft. It's a joy to read about two older queer people finally finding the love they've always wanted and deserved, and I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy, Just Stu, which comes out in a few days.

An easy 5 star read and one that I think will appeal to any lovers of sapphic fiction, romance, or crime looking for a fast-paced, layered read.

[Yves V.H. [Slow reading] · Rating 4 out of 5]

F/F, mystery and romance book.

I totally enjoyed this short read book 💚 I like Andy and Thalia’s chemistry. They trully belong for each other. Thalia's backstory is quite sad but fortunately she finally met her happily ever after with Andy but it wasn't easy because Andy is an officer who was supposed to be investigating her husband's case. It was some sort of a forbidden love but they got through it.

I like Merlina's writing style. So easy and quick to read. Very direct with the storytelling.

🌸 Recieved a copy from the author but all thoughts and opinions are my own

[Loue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This FwF romance was so good, the sex scenes weren't to much
It's the story of Andy a cop in Leicester, who investigates a case of missing men.
During the investigation she is taken to meet Thalia Who is the wife of this missing man. Andy by wanting to take care of the woman, she surely exceeded the limits of professionalism

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the story and writing style. I can't put it down till I finish reading it. Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Lady Olenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The whodunnit and romance aspect of the story was a good balance. However, maybe halfway through the story both aspects felt a bit rushed which hastened the pace of the storytelling.

[Megan]

This is the second book in a row I’ve read where the protagonist is in love with a married woman who has been abused by her husband. The protagonist, DI Andy Campbell, has been assigned to find the husband—who has been reported missing. When the husband is suspected of committing a crime, Andy’s relationship with Thalia could totally ruin the investigation and any subsequent court case.

The book is more of a romance than a mystery, but the fact that the romance is connected to the mystery gives them equal status. The writing is competent, the story moves at a lively pace, and the procedural aspect seems well done. The sex scenes are more graphic than in most lesbian mysteries, but never devolve into pornography. In fact, fond looks, smiles, touches, and groans get a little boring after a while.

My main problem with the book is that I really do not like Andy or Thalia. Both of their backstories are skimpy at best. Andy, in fact, seems to be borderline insane. I needed to know way more about their pasts to believe in what is happening in their present.

The best character is Andy’s colleague Claire, and the two once toyed with the idea of having an affair. Seeing Claire’s quiet confidence versus Andy’s angry energy made me groan a sign of relief that the two friends never followed up on the idea. And it is actually Claire that solves the mystery, making me realize that if Claire had been the book’s protagonist, it would have been better all around. Claire does get her own story in the third book of the trilogy, but it is a simple romance without crime or detecting.

And now for the mystery. Although Thalia’s husband is eventually found—by Claire—the explanation of why he was missing, what he had done, and who was after him is mostly left out. In fact, if the “explanation” is true, the husband—who also is given almost no backstory—would probably have faced no jail time.

So I guess that I hope that Andy and Thalia live happy lives together. But I have the unhappy duty of giving the book somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.

Final Rating: 2.7

Note: I read the ebook version of this book that was available on Amazon in Octorer, 2023.

Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel , along with information on over 1150 other lesbian mysteries by over 375 authors.

[Tofi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was over too soon. It was so nice reading this, but suddenly it's over and I am a little bit sad about that. Reading about Andy and Thalia (and Claire) was like a warm hug for some reason. The pace of this book was very quick. The style was really nice to read and the story was interesting 🥰...
.
It is mainly romance book so if you'd like to read it solely for the mystery, you might be a little bit disappointed. But for me this was just enough. I like to read thrillers from time to time and this book had these thriller-ish vibes AND the main focus was still on the romance aspects = perfect for me ✨😂! I have only one complaint (complaint is probably too strong of a word 😂) about this book. The unraveling of whole case was quicker than I thought it would be and if the book was longer maybe it would bug me a little bit more but given how short the whole story is...
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Now a little about characters. Andy (main character), Thalia (love interest) and Claire (MC's best friend) were all well-written characters with enough personality and depth. Also all of them were really really queer and I learned to love them very quickly 🥹🥰. They all had issues they had to deal with - Don't forget to check trigger warnings before you start reading! ❤️ - and you can see some of these problems be dealt with on screen.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE this book.

The romance is adorable and the characters have so much chemistry. At no point did it make me feel uncomfortable. The police investigation never got boring and kept me guessing at every turn. Most importantly the conclusion was satisfying and I love it.

I have a very hard time getting myself to read, but this book kept me engaged and I was hooked. Even after taking a break I still returned to finish it and it was more than worth it.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

i feel like this book had a lot of build up and absolutely no pay off. you have this big mystery about where john is and what he’s done and then randomly we get a new POV from a side character where she finds him and there’s no big take-down, there’s no big reveal.

the information we get in the book isn’t enough to put together what’s going on with john which totally ruins any mystery/thriller aspects of the book and therefore leaves at as a bog-standard romance with a bit of weird side plot going on about the love interests husband.

this would have worked significantly better if we’d had more focus on the mystery/murder side of things and let the romance flourish in the background

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Leicester Trilogy, The Flourishing is not quite a thriller, not quite a romance, not quite a mystery, but at the same time, all of the above. The love story, in particular, was very tender and sweet, I found myself rooting for them! The characters had personality and depth, it's well paced, the writing is fluid and easily digestible, but honestly, for me, it was over too soon - I enjoyed it and wanted more! I am very much looking forward to seeing how the rest of the trilogy pans out.

[She · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing change from clichés, great story-telling, good narrative and good character design. 11/10, can’t wait for the other books in the series! Can highly recommend! (More details for those interested - without spoilers - below.)

Honestly you don’t have to be a huge reader to get through this story. It didn’t feel like a chore, the reading experience is so fluid I finished it in 3 days. You can tell there’s been some groundwork and some research done; police work isn’t always blazing fast and exciting like in Hollywood. But sometimes it is! And this book captures that really well. I’ve spent a good few years in the UK and I recognised the language habits and the figures of speech very well, but it didn’t come across as “just another Brit / Scot stereotype.”

Frankly I don’t know what label to stick on it. It’s not just a romance, it’s nor just a police thriller. Not quite something or the other, and that's a good thing! There’s going to be a bit of everything all intertwined. Author did a great job encapsulating the interesting bits in an easy-to-digest format. It didn’t feel I was dragging along, waiting for something to happen.

Might be projecting here, but I could almost feel the social commitments of the author, and their infuriating impatient yearning for justice or for things done "right". Either way, I couldn’t put the thing down until it was over, and boy was it a satisfying ending. The story begins where at a good place, and we leave the characters and the events at an appropriate time. Good ending, satisfying closure to this story while wanting to stay in this book-iverse.

Please don't pull a GRR Martin and leave me hanging!

[Jessica Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🚓🫖🏈🚉👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

I loved this police detective story about DI Andy Campbell who is put on a case to find a missing man only to fall in love with his wife. This story is a mixture of romance, suspense, and grade-A detective work.

Andy reminds me of the Scottish Lesbian version of Jane Rizzoli, so of course, I loved her right away. She is stubborn, great at her job, cares way too much, and is an absolute charmer. I loved every second of her POV and the way she processed things about what was going on in the case, and how she started to feel about Thalia.

Thalia is a sweet angel who had a rough life with her husband who is missing. She is a victim of DV and she is a very scared woman who lives in a shell at the beginning, but I loved the way she opened up when she started having the same feelings for the detective. Her story of coming out is so heartbreaking, but also so true for someone who was a teenager in the eighties. I just wanted to be like Andy and bundle her up in love and tell her she's worth it and she is loved.

The story was engaging, and it felt like I was watching a TV show. It was hard to put down.

Thank you to the author, Merlina Garance for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

[Magnolia]

Delicious, suspenseful, sapphic romance with crime whose characters jump from the page!
I love the grump with a heart of gold type of lead, so Andy is a woman after my own heart. She loves fiercely and readily, if explosively, you can't help but be endeared to her. Also, I'm Italian, so I approve her passion for pasta.
Thalia's personality was trickier to decipher. Andy's POV positions her almost as a muse of sorts, interestingly fitting considering the references to the Greek muses (which, as a former student of classical literature, I loved). On a first read, I found her coming out of her shell very fast at points, and her demands of Andy sometimes too reckless and risky.
Upon reflection, I'm coming to think that Thalia just refuses to conform to the meek battered woman stereotype and doesn't want to waste any time or get her heart broken again, so is not up for any nonsense or hesitation. And, you know what? Good for her.
I breezed through this book in two days, definitely recommend if you like romance, sapphics, cosy-crimey stuff (if there is such a thing, this book is it!) and pasta!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's based around a police investigation, a man has gone missing. His wife reports it and the police officer, while trying to find out some more info, starts to get feelings for the wife. I loved the romance bits but I also loved the slight sence of suspicion - did the wife do something? However as time went on, I felt like she was just too sweet to do so. Could that have been the trick though?

I enjoyed Andy and Claire's relationship and thought their investigation was really interesting. I liked watching them all develop as characters too, including the romance as it went from something little to something more.

This isn't too long so the action and the romance is straight to the point which is great. This is excellent for someone who wants a bit of a thriller but also a bit of a romance!

[Random Human Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous and refreshingly sweet queer romance. I loved the relatable feel to the characters and how great it felt to read people healing through love in a realistic way. If you love books with great characters and development I highly recommend.

I ended up finishing this in 2 days because I was just sucked into the story. The writing style and pacing is extremely well done and I love at how effortlessly I can envision the story because everything is purposely done to evoke exactly what the author is trying to portray.

I can't wait for the next books to meet the new characters and see how their stories intersect with this book.

[nicoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was cute thank u lesbians. I'd give 3 and a half if it would let me but i definitely still like the third book better
I would have liked if the mutual pining went on longer and was more evident i guess like i wanted to see more moments like the one where they almost kissed

unimportant but WHO takes a bath in a hotel. u are going to get a virus in ur poon. also the gripping that nasty hotel carpet with ur toes too like girl put ur damn shoes back on

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good

Enjoyed the hunt for the missing and possibly dead husband. How that turns into a love story, I am not quite certain. But when two women meet in that specific way, perhaps a love story is inevitable. Good read.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of those who write and publish ( I cant call them writers) should first of all learn about what quality writing means, from Miss Garance writing, and also about true, quality slow burn and build up.
I almost ate up this novel and had to stop myself from reading it too quickly!

[Maelie Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25

[ARR62 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

An unconventional and heartbreaking start leads to a messing gooey finish. Had me smiling. Hopefully, Claire finds love too! Read and enjoy!