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Bleeding Heart
“A compelling story … Deftly balances comforting descriptions of gardens and small-town life with the suspenseful unraveling of a mystery" — Kirkus Reviews*
“Gyllenhaal nicely weaves environmental politics, financial shenanigans, and murder into Alice’s compelling story. Could get heated for book groups.” —Booklist
“The multilayered plot and deceptive characters makes this a strong crossover chick lit/mystery novel. Great for book club discussion groups.” —Library Journal
"Alice Hyatt is trying to move on with her life after her husband’s disappearance; he took millions of dollars and a female accomplice with him. She finds solace and stability in her landscaping business, Green Acres. When nearby millionaire Graham Mackenzie asks her to design his garden, she can’t say no—not just because he promises to give a generous donation to her best friend’s charity, but because she wants to take on the challenge of creating the most beautiful garden in the Berkshires. Mackenzie doesn’t exactly have a spotless reputation, however—he earned his money in the hydraulic fracturing industry, and many residents aren’t happy about it. Alice’s controversial client soon causes her problems with many locals, including Tom Deaver, the environmental writer on whom she develops a crush. But Mackenzie doesn’t really cause trouble until he drops dead …‘Gardening thriller’ may seem an unlikely genre, but Gyllenhaal pulls it off.”— *Kirkus Reviews
Conversation Guide included
“Gyllenhaal nicely weaves environmental politics, financial shenanigans, and murder into Alice’s compelling story. Could get heated for book groups.” —Booklist
“The multilayered plot and deceptive characters makes this a strong crossover chick lit/mystery novel. Great for book club discussion groups.” —Library Journal
"Alice Hyatt is trying to move on with her life after her husband’s disappearance; he took millions of dollars and a female accomplice with him. She finds solace and stability in her landscaping business, Green Acres. When nearby millionaire Graham Mackenzie asks her to design his garden, she can’t say no—not just because he promises to give a generous donation to her best friend’s charity, but because she wants to take on the challenge of creating the most beautiful garden in the Berkshires. Mackenzie doesn’t exactly have a spotless reputation, however—he earned his money in the hydraulic fracturing industry, and many residents aren’t happy about it. Alice’s controversial client soon causes her problems with many locals, including Tom Deaver, the environmental writer on whom she develops a crush. But Mackenzie doesn’t really cause trouble until he drops dead …‘Gardening thriller’ may seem an unlikely genre, but Gyllenhaal pulls it off.”— *Kirkus Reviews
Conversation Guide included
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2014
3 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Liza Gyllenhaal
7 books43 followersI'm the author of 'A Place for Us,' 'So Near,' 'Local Knowledge' and the just-published 'Bleeding Heart' all from New American Library. My novels are set in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and explore questions of family, marriage, and small town America.
I'm delighted that two of my earlier romance novels 'Changes of Heart' and 'Heart and Soul' have been made available for the first time as e-books from Diversion Books.
I hope you'll follow my blog here on Good Reads and visit my website at http:www.lizagyllenhaal.com where you can get updates on my upcoming events. I look forward to joining the conversations!
I'm delighted that two of my earlier romance novels 'Changes of Heart' and 'Heart and Soul' have been made available for the first time as e-books from Diversion Books.
I hope you'll follow my blog here on Good Reads and visit my website at http:www.lizagyllenhaal.com where you can get updates on my upcoming events. I look forward to joining the conversations!
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 7, 2015
Bleeding Heart follows Alice, a woman who has lived through some turmoil and is just getting back on her feet when she's thrown into a similar conflict. Going to work for Mackenzie to create the garden she's most proud of takes her down the rabbit hole when she figures out that Mackenzie might not have as much money as he proclaimed to have.
There is so much more to this story than what meets the eye. When reading the back cover I thought I knew what kind of story I was in for, and as the book progressed the more intriguing it became! This is not my usual genre when reading books, I tend to enjoy fantasies more than any other genre. So for me to enjoy this book was a shock. Of course I wasn't completely gripped until "Part 3" of the book. That was when it became hard for me to put it down.
One thing that I really liked about this book was the fact that it was as close to real life as a fictional story can get. You were never ready to believe that the happy ending was around the corner, and there were always real world problems coming up. It's rare to read a book about people going into debt, and struggling to keep their business from going under. So it was refreshing to be able to read a story that didn't shy away from reality.
Gyllenhaal has a natural ability when it comes to writing. I really enjoyed how she described things, mainly settings that Alice was encountering. I was always able to envision what was going on. She also has a knack for making a story that's captivating. For her to be able to get someone who wouldn't normally read her books (me!) to get hooked is a great talent, I wouldn't say that I will now go in search for stories such as this one. But now if I come across another one of Liza Gyllenhaal's books I might pick it up.
There is so much more to this story than what meets the eye. When reading the back cover I thought I knew what kind of story I was in for, and as the book progressed the more intriguing it became! This is not my usual genre when reading books, I tend to enjoy fantasies more than any other genre. So for me to enjoy this book was a shock. Of course I wasn't completely gripped until "Part 3" of the book. That was when it became hard for me to put it down.
One thing that I really liked about this book was the fact that it was as close to real life as a fictional story can get. You were never ready to believe that the happy ending was around the corner, and there were always real world problems coming up. It's rare to read a book about people going into debt, and struggling to keep their business from going under. So it was refreshing to be able to read a story that didn't shy away from reality.
Gyllenhaal has a natural ability when it comes to writing. I really enjoyed how she described things, mainly settings that Alice was encountering. I was always able to envision what was going on. She also has a knack for making a story that's captivating. For her to be able to get someone who wouldn't normally read her books (me!) to get hooked is a great talent, I wouldn't say that I will now go in search for stories such as this one. But now if I come across another one of Liza Gyllenhaal's books I might pick it up.
August 27, 2017
I have to say this book definitely delivers on its entire story from beginning to end. It has the mystery, intrigue, some romance and love among a family.
The main character Alice Hyatt for the most part is a very strong independent women who owns her own lawn and garden kind of business and basically just trying to stand on her own two feet after her husband deceives her big time.
Each character is built up just enough to be believable and from that the author creates an amazing journey of events for this story and main character.
The main character Alice Hyatt for the most part is a very strong independent women who owns her own lawn and garden kind of business and basically just trying to stand on her own two feet after her husband deceives her big time.
Each character is built up just enough to be believable and from that the author creates an amazing journey of events for this story and main character.
July 19, 2018
Alice had the ‘perfect’ life. And then one day it was over. Without warning. One moment she knew who she was. The next she didn’t know who anyone was. Fast forward the years: Alice has built a wall and surrounded herself with a new perception of who she is. She built a new life and identity doing what she’d always dreamed of doing. She owns an up and coming garden design company back in the town she grew up in. But this is no run-of-the-mill gardening company. She’s running with the big dogs now. Competing for the big estates, the historic home gardens. Her fortunes are about to change with a single decision. Enter Graham Mackenzie. The one job she has already made up her mind she will never ever take.
Will Alice sell out her heartfelt conviction for the dream of a here and right now prize? It’s a very real dilemma. Where do you draw the line between personal convictions and just doing a job with no judgment for a customer? It may be easier when the person can hand you what in your wildest dreams you never thought you could attain on your own. Is it a sell out? Is Alice hearing just what she wants to hear?
All of what follows doesn’t bring any closure or peace to Alice. It opens up her past in a big way. And lays bare the truth about who she really is.
Will Alice sell out her heartfelt conviction for the dream of a here and right now prize? It’s a very real dilemma. Where do you draw the line between personal convictions and just doing a job with no judgment for a customer? It may be easier when the person can hand you what in your wildest dreams you never thought you could attain on your own. Is it a sell out? Is Alice hearing just what she wants to hear?
All of what follows doesn’t bring any closure or peace to Alice. It opens up her past in a big way. And lays bare the truth about who she really is.
August 8, 2024
This book started off kinda slow and I felt a little confused by where it was going when all we knew was that Alice was designing a garden for McKenzie. Towards the middle of the book it started to get a little more interesting but it wasn’t till 2/3rds of the way through that the actual mystery began to unfold. At that point I started getting more invested and the reveal at the end was unexpected to me but I think I would’ve guessed it had I been thinking about it but since I hadn’t been super interested at the beginning I wasn’t paying attention to the little details. I’m giving it three stars because I think it does touch on good themes of womanhood and you really see how Alice’s trauma and mental battles have affected all of her relationships in her life.
July 29, 2017
I enjoyed this book, mystery was good and I liked the characters. I expecially liked that the setting was in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts since that was where I was born and lived for most of my life and was familiar with the places, events , cultural venues that she referenced in this book.
July 6, 2021
Alice career is going in the right direction; as she has a rick client who is requesting her services for a beautiful regal yard landscaping. But, things turn on Alice. New author to me, but no disappointment here. Liza Gyllenhaal has great suspense, mystery and fine details in this novel..
October 23, 2017
2.5 cheesy and predictable but a light read with a little suspense.
November 17, 2014
Liza Gyllenhaal brings readers another great novel set in the Berkshires. Bleeding Heart is one part chick lit, one part mystery and one part gardening tale and that adds up to one very special book. Readers who are looking for a strong female lead character, who is observant, smart and a wonderful gardener will love Alice Hyatt. Gyllenhaal not only engages the reader by providing a solid mystery, but her attention to detail and description is simply exquisite.
What I liked:
I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book since I had never read any of the author's other work. But I will have to say, I was really impressed with Bleeding Heart for several reasons. It is obvious that the author knows her subject matter. Her descriptions and way of writing about gardens felt very authentic and believable. Gyllenhaal has to be a gardener in her own right to be able to write this way. I not only wanted to dive into this book for a good read, but I afterwards I really wanted to plan out my own garden right down to the flowers and accents that I wanted in it. That's definitely going beyond the book.
Alice Hyatt was a woman who was used to scandal. She was implicated in her husbands scheme to steal millions of dollars but she lived through it and not only survived but thrived. She moves to her grandparents home in Berkshires where she spent many a pleasant summer. She has moved on from her trauma and has her own thriving landscaping business, appropriately named, Green Acres. I liked Alice right away. She was resourceful and resilient. She took a bad situation and turned it around. When she becomes embroiled in yet another situation that ends her up as murder suspect she doesn't go down without a fight. She starts poking around and looking into things and she really struck me as woman who was determined not to let life get in her way. I loved her!
Graham was such an interesting character. He is rich man who has made his wealth from a less than environmentally sound business practice, called fracking. If you don't know what that means, you will after you read this book. I love it when a book not only entertains me, but also educates me. And I felt like that was one of the things I took away from this novel. Not only did a learn what fracking meant, but why is was bad. I learned a ton of things about gardens that I had no idea about before and I learned the ins and outs of gardening as a business. It was a very good read, interesting and thought provoking.
Bottom Line:
There are so many good reasons to read this book. It was insightful, very descriptive and had a strong main character that readers will want to root for. I felt the authenticity of the authors gardening abilities on every page. It was just a joy to read. Who ever thought of a garden thriller? Great concept. Exceptional book!
What I liked:
I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book since I had never read any of the author's other work. But I will have to say, I was really impressed with Bleeding Heart for several reasons. It is obvious that the author knows her subject matter. Her descriptions and way of writing about gardens felt very authentic and believable. Gyllenhaal has to be a gardener in her own right to be able to write this way. I not only wanted to dive into this book for a good read, but I afterwards I really wanted to plan out my own garden right down to the flowers and accents that I wanted in it. That's definitely going beyond the book.
Alice Hyatt was a woman who was used to scandal. She was implicated in her husbands scheme to steal millions of dollars but she lived through it and not only survived but thrived. She moves to her grandparents home in Berkshires where she spent many a pleasant summer. She has moved on from her trauma and has her own thriving landscaping business, appropriately named, Green Acres. I liked Alice right away. She was resourceful and resilient. She took a bad situation and turned it around. When she becomes embroiled in yet another situation that ends her up as murder suspect she doesn't go down without a fight. She starts poking around and looking into things and she really struck me as woman who was determined not to let life get in her way. I loved her!
Graham was such an interesting character. He is rich man who has made his wealth from a less than environmentally sound business practice, called fracking. If you don't know what that means, you will after you read this book. I love it when a book not only entertains me, but also educates me. And I felt like that was one of the things I took away from this novel. Not only did a learn what fracking meant, but why is was bad. I learned a ton of things about gardens that I had no idea about before and I learned the ins and outs of gardening as a business. It was a very good read, interesting and thought provoking.
Bottom Line:
There are so many good reasons to read this book. It was insightful, very descriptive and had a strong main character that readers will want to root for. I felt the authenticity of the authors gardening abilities on every page. It was just a joy to read. Who ever thought of a garden thriller? Great concept. Exceptional book!
November 27, 2014
http://openbooksociety.com/article/bl...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Bleeding Heart is a wonderfully written book which catches the main character Alice Hyatt as her landscaping business is established and doing pretty well. She is rebuilding her life and finding her way after her husband left her with nothing, but facing his crimes. The characters are well written, the storyline is interesting and the mystery is intriguing. The detail of landscaping ideas, the plants and the whole setting are so wonderful. As a gardener, I can say it was all spot on and I definitely had plant envy.
Alice thinks she has found the golden goose for her business when wealthy, yet controversial, newcomer Graham MacKenzie decides she is the one to do his extensive landscaping. Although she is hesitant at first, the ideas and income are too tempting to pass up. With little mysteries popping up throughout the book, the reader’s interest is held and never released. After the way her husband left, Alice is devastated when things start to get sketchy with this new opportunity.
The interplay with the characters, Alice, Mara (her assistant), Graham, Tom and many others, is well written and interesting. Alice is likeable to the reader, even as she is standoffish. The mysteries are well developed and keep you guessing. Liza Gyllenhaal’s writing style is descriptive and pulls the reader in. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in relationships, intrigue, mystery and gardens. I am hoping there may be a second or third book with these characters. I did not want the book to end.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt
Bleeding Heart is a wonderfully written book which catches the main character Alice Hyatt as her landscaping business is established and doing pretty well. She is rebuilding her life and finding her way after her husband left her with nothing, but facing his crimes. The characters are well written, the storyline is interesting and the mystery is intriguing. The detail of landscaping ideas, the plants and the whole setting are so wonderful. As a gardener, I can say it was all spot on and I definitely had plant envy.
Alice thinks she has found the golden goose for her business when wealthy, yet controversial, newcomer Graham MacKenzie decides she is the one to do his extensive landscaping. Although she is hesitant at first, the ideas and income are too tempting to pass up. With little mysteries popping up throughout the book, the reader’s interest is held and never released. After the way her husband left, Alice is devastated when things start to get sketchy with this new opportunity.
The interplay with the characters, Alice, Mara (her assistant), Graham, Tom and many others, is well written and interesting. Alice is likeable to the reader, even as she is standoffish. The mysteries are well developed and keep you guessing. Liza Gyllenhaal’s writing style is descriptive and pulls the reader in. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in relationships, intrigue, mystery and gardens. I am hoping there may be a second or third book with these characters. I did not want the book to end.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*
December 26, 2014
Alice Hyatt is a woman who is making her way in the world after her husband absconds with a huge fortune never to be seen again. This first mystery is still unresolved when a second mystery occurs. A powerful wealthy man who has hired Alice to design his garden for him in his new mansion suddenly dies, perhaps the victim of foul play.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the plot unfold as Gyllenhaal placed several mousetraps and intriguing red herrings. The small town where Alice works is well drawn, and Alice's loyalty to family is convincing and touching. I especially loved the politics of the garden club ladies, who are realistically and humorously portrayed.
This novel is about women who struggle to make ends meet and somehow manage to wrest some power of their own in order to not only make their way in the world but to succeed in gaining self confidence. Men are sources of power, but eventually recede to the background. Compared to the deep friendship of Alice and Gwen, forged in childhood, and the blossoming relationship of Alice and Mara, her talented assistant, men are not very reliable. Women must depend on each other to get things done.
As a longtime fan of Gyllenhall's work, I think that this is one of her best. As a bonus, if you are interested in gardening, you are in for a treat.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the plot unfold as Gyllenhaal placed several mousetraps and intriguing red herrings. The small town where Alice works is well drawn, and Alice's loyalty to family is convincing and touching. I especially loved the politics of the garden club ladies, who are realistically and humorously portrayed.
This novel is about women who struggle to make ends meet and somehow manage to wrest some power of their own in order to not only make their way in the world but to succeed in gaining self confidence. Men are sources of power, but eventually recede to the background. Compared to the deep friendship of Alice and Gwen, forged in childhood, and the blossoming relationship of Alice and Mara, her talented assistant, men are not very reliable. Women must depend on each other to get things done.
As a longtime fan of Gyllenhall's work, I think that this is one of her best. As a bonus, if you are interested in gardening, you are in for a treat.
December 15, 2014
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Alice Hyatt has already endured one crazy spouse scandal and I love how this book opens beyond the scandal and even beyond her recovery from the sandal. She has moved and set up her own business that is slowly building at the perfect pace. Through a series of events, she ends up working for someone new building in town and although it takes a while drama ensues!
It was so quick and easy to get into this book and to root for Alice. I wanted to succeed even more so than most folks because of the past that she had overcome. I also completely enjoyed reading a book about a character that had passion for gardening - I actually learned a few things which is always a plus. Reading books with characters who have different hobbies is such fun because you as the reader may learn a thing or two, but you aren't aware that you are learning!
Alice Hyatt has already endured one crazy spouse scandal and I love how this book opens beyond the scandal and even beyond her recovery from the sandal. She has moved and set up her own business that is slowly building at the perfect pace. Through a series of events, she ends up working for someone new building in town and although it takes a while drama ensues!
It was so quick and easy to get into this book and to root for Alice. I wanted to succeed even more so than most folks because of the past that she had overcome. I also completely enjoyed reading a book about a character that had passion for gardening - I actually learned a few things which is always a plus. Reading books with characters who have different hobbies is such fun because you as the reader may learn a thing or two, but you aren't aware that you are learning!
January 1, 2016
This was a really good read. It was good for me to go into this without too many assumptions. At the beginning I thought I'd be reading a romance novel, had no idea it would get deeper. There's good layering in the story. I liked the intermixed story progression with surprising turns in focus, while not losing focus on the characters and the story overall. Ultimately, what you get is a light crime fiction with some depth. I liked the play on the mix of genres. I'd definitely read more of Liza Gyllenhaal's work.
Read
December 3, 2014Something about this book struck me as all wrong, and I couldn't get past the first 50 pages.
January 16, 2015
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author did a great job with the settings and the gardening info.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author did a great job with the settings and the gardening info.
March 28, 2015
I enjoy the characters that the author creates and the challenges they face.
August 14, 2015
This book was interesting. I'm a little disappointed, though, that a central part of the plot is unresolved and will probably lead to a sequel of sorts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much.
May 7, 2015
Moving, Enlightening & Captivating!!! A Beautiful Read!!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews