The Gardener's Wife's Mistress

by Cassondra Windwalker

From award-winning poet and author of Hold My Place and Idle Hands comes a new novel about nature, grief, and the space we hold for loved ones long after death, no matter what they might have done.

Hayden Hill has always felt most comfortable with his hands in dirt, nurturing life. He designs natural spaces for others and comes home to his back yard, where he seeks refuge amidst the fruits and vegetables, flora, and shade-giving trees. When he finds himself suddenly a widower, his garden becomes the resting place for the ashes of his wife, Shelly, and he’s thrown into an unexpected vortex of pain, shock, and guilt. As Hayden struggles to survive the torment of each day and keep his landscaping company functioning, a directive in Shelly’s will leads him to the discovery of a shocking secret.

Fighting to find a path through the weeds of grief, Hayden meets his wife’s secret connections and becomes involved helping local, homeless teens cast out by their families for choosing to be who they are. Rocked by this newly discovered, complicated facet of Shelly’s life, he begins to question their marriage, her identity, his past choices, and whether anything he believed about his wife was ever true.

Praise for Cassondra Windwalker's

"One of the most excruciatingly emotional things I've ever read, and I loved every second of it."

"Compulsive and gripping reading (that) makes you think and reflect on the human condition."

"A powerful work of literary, poetical and lyrical fiction."

216 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2026

About the author

Cassondra Windwalker earned a BA of Letters from the University of Oklahoma. She's the author of nine novels and three works of poetry who does her best to keep fed the menagerie of stray critters, cryptids, marooned kelpies, and lost specters. Born and raised on the red clay, she's wandered the sticky corn fields of the Midwest, the frozen seas of the Wild North, and frequently rests her wings where orange skies meet purple mountains. She enjoys interacting with readers, writers, and generally decent humans on social media.

Reviews

[Cori Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully-written story of grief and how we live after a loved one has died. Hayden's wife Shelly dies suddenly, and leaves behind a mystery and a second life that Hayden knew nothing about. The book is grounded in his work as a gardener, and how the cycle of life in nature informs his process of grieving. Hayden's feelings aren't toned-down or sugar-coated for the reader, but it also never becomes unbearable or wallowing, the author has paced and plotted this perfectly.

I particularly like that there aren't easy answers to the fundamental questions raised by Shelly's actions -- we can guess, but never know. I also appreciate how Hayden accepts help. It might be quite natural for him to shut himself away, but he tries not to do that, and we can see the impact that simple support can have.

Well worth your time, if you enjoy thoughtful character insight stories. Please look after yourself if you're living with a bereavement too.


This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully quiet, yet powerful, and emotional read. A very real and sad story filled with hope for a better future. A slow read and wish I knew more about the wife's motivations.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful story about grief and betrayal and the way life keeps moving on when our life has been irrevocably changed.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Type Eighteen Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Everything about this book interested me. From the cover to the title to the premise - it definitely sounded like my kind of book.

Grief is very difficult to write about, even for someone who has gone through their fair share of it I am not sure I could put it into words. But the opening chapter of this book, Cassondra has perfectly explored grief and all the emotions that come with it - anger, despair, longing, fear, sadness. It's not too much and it's very sensitive. It reads as if Cassondra herself has gone through it for it to read so naturally.

It's a very...introverted book, if that's the right word. It's mostly Hayden's thoughts, actions, feelings, decisions. It's minimal on dialogue and heavy on narrative, which I prefer as I really struggle to write convincing dialogue so I like it when I read a book I can really link to and this was that book.

I really enjoyed the link with flowers and plants, how emotions and feelings and experiences and grief and people are their own type of flora or foliage. And at first think, how can you compare someone to a rhododendron for example, but then you read it and it's really quite obvious. And the comparisons between grief and life after death and the circle of life and the natura world was just beautiful.

Hayden is a very good main character - I mean, he's practically on every single page. He feels very real, flawed, he's struggling, overwhelmed and lonely, and you just want to take his hand and tell him it'll be okay in the end.

Yes there are some difficult topics and it does ask some difficult conversations but it never feels like hard work. It doesn't overwhelm or overload the reader at any point, and so they can still enjoy reading it as entertainment as well as answering some difficult and controversial questions.

It could have been quite a depression book given its focus on grief (and other topics I won't spoil) and yes whilst there are sadder elements, overall I'd say it's got quite an uplifting feel about it, about continuing your life whilst keeping memories alive. About how life can, and must, go on after loss.

It is a relatively short book and quick to read. I read it in an afternoon as it was so absorbing. I loved Cassondra's style of writing and I will definitely keep my eye out for her other work.

[Eve Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. Beautiful writing style. We meet Hayden Hill, small business owner immersed in artistic landscaping, whose wife dies suddenly. He’s left behind, a widower too early. His wife Shelley is an enigma who managed a large part of their life together, her own business and investments, and who had a business and personal involvement with a lovely florist focused on live plants vs. cut flowers.

The florist, Rachel, was equally involved with helping homeless youth caught in the midst of struggles with gender identity and the hate aimed at them. A cause Hayden was aware of but had never been involved with. Hayden was oblivious to his wife’s involvement with the cause and with Rachel.

This story will cause you to focus on your own partner if you’re blessed to have someone. You’ll wonder how you would handle grief if they died unexpectedly. You’ll wonder if there are interests or passions your partner has that you’re missing out on because of your immersion in your own work and thoughts. You’ll learn about the real struggles, fears, and pain of being a different and misunderstood youth. You’ll learn to celebrate small successes.

I truly enjoyed the connection with nature throughout the story. Hayden’s thoughts always connected with his love of the earth, seasons, and growing things. Below is a short excerpt of Hayden pondering his relationship with Shelley:

“His veins had been the blind little runners, burrowed deep into the safety of black loam and leaf litter. She’d been out there in the sun all along. Wild, reckless bougainvillea.”

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was a beautiful, tragic, and complicated novel, which makes it relatable for me as a reader. A great lesson on how we still love those we lose even when things are uncovered after they are gone. Hayden was a very likeable character and it was easy to understand how he felt at any given time, thanks to the great narration. Full of secrets and confusion, the plot had me shocked and fascinated by home Hayden would cope with everything. Despite grief, this is still a feel good novel that definitely has life lessons as takeaways.

[Bre Clem · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If life with you has her so overwhelmed that watering a plant would be one thing too many, you’ve probably got bigger problems than finding roes. But good luck!”

I devoured this book.! It was sad at times but very through provoking. When a man loses his wife; the wife who makes the budget, pays all the bills on time, holds all passwords to every website, sets up and maintains all the investment and retirement funds he finds himself scrambling to know what to do next in life. How to grieve, how to continue owning a business, how to love your family and friends..

As if grieving wasn’t enough the plot thickens when we find out what else the deceased was hiding. I was intrigued the entire time and can definitely say this was a “page turner”.

4/5 stars because the subplot thrown in with the city council issue just didn’t make much sense to me, as far as needing to be in the book. I felt it pushed it over the edge and would’ve loved to have focused on the main plot more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for a review. Over all I enjoyed this book. It kept me intrigued and interested. It had some plot twists that I didn’t see coming. It makes you keep in mind to be kind to everyone and just treat others as you’d like to be treated.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been looking for a book like this for several years. As an older married person, I've been looking for a book that addresses losing a spouse. This book addresses all the topics - a wonderful, loving married relationship; the loss of a long time spouse; and infidelity.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally emotional! I wasn't quite compared for the raw emotion portrayed in this book and I thank the author for writing it. Also for the moral issues raised here, although I felt the title made the storyline quite obvious.
Highly recommend this and would love to read more from this author.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review: The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress by Cassondra Windwalker.
Thank you to BooksGoSocial, Type Eighteen Books, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Cassondra Windwalker’s The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress is a quiet explosion—a lyrical, character-driven novel about grief, truth, and the deep tangle of what it means to really know someone. It’s one of those books that sneaks up on you. You think you’re settling into a slow-burn meditation on loss and end up knee-deep in emotional excavation, sifting through the remains of a marriage that wasn’t what it seemed.

The story follows Hayden Hill, a man most comfortable with soil under his fingernails and silence in his bones. A professional landscaper and deeply introverted soul, Hayden finds peace in nurturing life, in the design of gardens, in the rhythm of growing things. But when his wife Shelly dies unexpectedly, his world collapses inward. Her ashes are buried beneath a tree in their yard, and her absence plants something dark and unrelenting inside him.

Then, Shelly’s will drops a bomb.

In the wake of her death, Hayden discovers secrets she kept hidden—people he didn’t know she knew, causes she championed without his knowledge, layers to her identity he never glimpsed. Most notably, Shelly had been quietly helping LGBTQ+ teens who had been cast out by their families. These weren’t passing acts of kindness—they were deep connections, meaningful relationships, secret fragments of a life lived outside of Hayden’s awareness. It’s a stunning betrayal, not because of what she did, but because of how much she kept from him. Was she truly the woman he thought he married? And if she wasn’t, what does that say about him?

Windwalker takes her time exploring these questions, and she doesn’t force tidy answers. The prose is intimate and fluid, more interior monologue than traditional narrative. Hayden’s grief is not cinematic—it’s claustrophobic. And Windwalker nails it. Grief isn’t linear, and it’s rarely graceful. It’s ugly and repetitive and exhausting. And somehow, she makes that experience compelling, even beautiful.

What’s most striking is how nature weaves through every emotion. Hayden’s grief is mirrored in the earth around him: dry patches, overgrowth, diseased roots, sudden bloom. The metaphor isn’t subtle, but it works. Windwalker doesn’t use the garden as background—it’s a living, breathing metaphor that shifts as Hayden shifts. She links emotion to environment so effectively that by the midpoint of the book, a fallen leaf feels symbolic, a sprouting seed feels like a plot point.

The writing is tight and poetic, which makes sense considering Windwalker’s background in poetry. Some passages read like meditations, others like gut punches. One line that stuck with me long after I finished the book: “If life with you has her so overwhelmed that watering a plant would be one thing too many, you’ve probably got bigger problems than finding roses.” That kind of line doesn’t just move the plot forward—it stops you in your tracks and forces reflection.

Structurally, the book leans heavy on introspection. Dialogue is sparse. There’s no flashy action or rapid-fire pacing. Instead, it invites you to sit with discomfort, to breathe with it, to follow Hayden’s emotional unearthing with patience. For some readers, especially those who prefer plot-driven stories, this may feel slow. But if you’re drawn to character studies, especially those rooted in grief and moral ambiguity, this will feel like a perfectly paced unraveling.

Thematically, The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress asks difficult, necessary questions: What does it mean to love someone you didn’t fully know? What does it mean to carry on after their secrets become part of your story? Can you still trust your memories of them? And how do you rebuild your life not from a place of closure, but from openness—an acceptance that some things remain unfinished, unanswered, unknown?

There’s a subplot involving local city politics that didn’t quite land for me—more of a narrative detour than a development—but it didn’t detract from the emotional core of the novel. At its heart, this is Hayden’s story. And it’s told with empathy, restraint, and a deep understanding of how loss is never just about death—it’s about identity, regret, guilt, and transformation.

What I appreciate most is that Windwalker never lets grief become melodrama. She gives Hayden space to fall apart, but also allows him to evolve. There’s no neat resolution, but there’s forward motion. A sense that healing is not a return to what was, but a planting of something new.

For readers who enjoy introspective fiction with lyrical prose, quiet tension, and deep emotional resonance, this book will hit home. If you’ve experienced loss, you may find echoes of your own journey here. And if you haven’t, this novel will still leave you with a profound respect for what others carry—what they bury, and what they grow from it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheGardenersWifesMistress #CassondraWindwalker #BookReview #LiteraryFiction #GriefLit #NetGalley #BooksGoSocial #TypeEighteenBooks #ARCReview #CharacterDrivenFiction #QuietFiction #GardenFiction #LGBTQThemes #PoeticProse #WhatWeLeaveBehind #LifeAfterLoss #NatureAndGrief #EmotionalFiction #Bookstagram #ReadMoreFiction

[Lauren Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress by Cassondra Windwalker is an emotionally layered story with an unusual and unexpectedly powerful premise. As the title and cover suggest, there is a gardener, his wife, and a mistress; it is a setup that initially feels straightforward enough. What I did not expect was the depth of emotion woven throughout the story, nor the way Windwalker explores guilt, resentment, isolation, and acceptance with such raw honesty.

After the death of his wife, Shelly, Hayden finds himself unraveling under the weight of grief and the realization that he no longer knows who he is without her. When Shelly’s will is read, he is forced to confront the quiet complacency within their marriage and question whether what they shared was truly love or if he unintentionally drove her toward someone else, the mysterious person named in the will.

As Hayden struggles through loss, loneliness, and introspection, he begins experiencing emotions he cannot fully understand, forcing him to reevaluate both himself and the life Shelly left behind. What remains is not only a garden shop, but also a deeper purpose tied to a group of teenagers fighting to survive in a town that refuses to understand them.

What begins as a story seemingly centered on infidelity gradually unfolds into something far more profound: a thoughtful exploration of grief, identity, forgiveness, and the lasting impact love can have even after death.

The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress is undeniably a unique and creative story with a premise that immediately stands apart from more traditional narratives surrounding grief, love, and identity. There is a great deal happening beneath the surface of the plot, and while the emotional direction of the story ultimately makes sense for Hayden’s journey, there were moments where it felt as though the intended target audience became slightly blurred as the novel shifted between themes and genres. Even so, the emotional depth woven throughout the story remains one of its strongest qualities.

Windwalker creates characters that feel authentic, flawed, and emotionally believable, while also building a setting that feels grounded and lived in. The relationships are layered in a way that invites readers to decide for themselves what feels natural, complicated, or even uncomfortable, which I appreciated given the nature of the story being told. There are several strong personalities competing for attention throughout the narrative, yet each character still manages to maintain a distinct presence and purpose within the story.

From a technical standpoint, the writing quality is excellent. The story flows naturally with polished sentence structure, and during my initial read-through, I noticed very few grammatical or spelling issues. The storyline progresses in a steady and intentional manner, with slower pacing that allows readers to sit with the emotional weight of Hayden’s grief and self-reflection, as well as the struggles faced by the other characters. While the pacing is gradual, moments of urgency are placed thoughtfully throughout the story, helping maintain engagement without creating confusing transitions or noticeable plot holes.

What stayed with me most, however, was the underlying message beneath the plot itself. While certain genre elements occasionally feel muted in order to give space to others, the story ultimately reflects something larger than betrayal or loss alone. It becomes a quiet exploration of acceptance, healing, identity, and the importance of creating space for people to feel understood. For readers willing to remain open to the message Windwalker is trying to convey, there is meaningful emotional impact waiting beneath the surface.

Through Hayden’s grief, Rachel’s vulnerability, and the sense of community built around characters searching for belonging and healing, Cassondra Windwalker creates a narrative that explores identity, acceptance, forgiveness, and the ways people attempt to rebuild themselves after loss.

For readers who appreciate character-driven stories with emotional depth, layered relationships, and themes surrounding grief, healing, and community, this is a novel that offers much more beneath the surface than its title may initially suggest. Turning Another Page gives The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress a 4-star review.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚The Gardener's Wife's Mistress
✍🏻Cassondra Windwalker
Blurb:
From award-winning poet and author of Hold My Place and Idle Hands comes a new novel about nature, grief, and the space we hold for loved ones long after death, no matter what they might have done.

Hayden Hill has always felt most comfortable with his hands in dirt, nurturing life. He designs natural spaces for others and comes home to his back yard, where he seeks refuge amidst the fruits and vegetables, flora, and shade-giving trees. When he finds himself suddenly a widower, his garden becomes the resting place for the ashes of his wife, Shelly, and he’s thrown into an unexpected vortex of pain, shock, and guilt. As Hayden struggles to survive the torment of each day and keep his landscaping company functioning, a directive in Shelly’s will leads him to the discovery of a shocking secret.

Fighting to find a path through the weeds of grief, Hayden meets his wife’s secret connections and becomes involved helping local, homeless teens cast out by their families for choosing to be who they are. Rocked by this newly discovered, complicated facet of Shelly’s life, he begins to question their marriage, her identity, his past choices, and whether anything he believed about his wife was ever true.
My Thoughts
A beautifully-written story of grief and how we live after a loved one has died. Hayden's wife Shelly dies suddenly, and leaves behind a mystery and a second life that Hayden knew nothing about. The book is grounded in his work as a gardener, and how the cycle of life in nature informs his process of grieving. Hayden's feelings toned-down or sugar-coated for the reader, but it also never becomes unbearable or wallowing, the author has paced and plotted this perfectly.Grief is very difficult to write about, even for someone who has gone through their fair share of it I am not sure I could put it into words. But the opening chapter of this book, Cassondra has perfectly explored grief and all the emotions that come with it - anger, despair, longing, fear, sadness. It's not too much and it's very sensitive. It reads as if Cassondra herself has gone through it for it to read so naturally. Hayden is a very good main character - I mean, he's practically on every single page. He feels very real, flawed, he's struggling, overwhelmed and lonely, and you just want to take his hand and tell him it'll be okay in the end.. Full of secrets and confusion, the plot had me shocked and fascinated by home Hayden would cope with everything. Despite grief, this is still a feel good novel that definitely has life lessons as takeaways.
Thanks NetGalley, Type Eighteen Books and Author Cassondra Windwalker for the advanced copy of "The Gardener's Wife's Mistress" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#TypeEighteenBooks
#CassondraWindwalker
#TheGardener'sWife'sMistress
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress by Cassondra Windwalker

~ Lyrically written emotion driven intense deep dive into grief is what I experienced along with Hayden as I read about how he dealt with the loss of his wife and all that came afterward ~

What I liked:
* Hayden Hill: gardener, widow, older brother, business owner, responsible, loved his wife deeply, dealing with stages of grief, confronted with information that leaves him conflicted, learns a lot, good man, intriguing
* The insight into how Hayden felt at all times during the story
* The many references to plants throughout the story
* Learning what Hayden did as he learned it and then thinking about what I might have felt if in his shoes
* That there were many questions raised related to love, loss, grief, anger, society, and more but as is true for all of us…some questions don’t have easy or even any answers
* That it drew me in and made me care about more than one character in the story
* Lorne & Jacie: Hayden’s brother and sister-in-law that were supportive and there for him
* Finding out the secret of his wife, Shelly and the developments that followed
* The homeless teens that became a big part of Hayden’s future and how he went about trying to make their lives better
* Grief as it was portrayed
* Thinking of a few people I know that might enjoy this book – especially those that are currently dealing with grief
* The ending that provided a glimpse of healing and hope

What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about intolerance, bullying, abuse, infidelity, harmful secrets, and the grief process that has to be lived through
* Wishing that there was a way to know for sure how some of the characters fared after the last page of the book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though it was an emotional read
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to LibraryThing, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

When I opened the book, to my surprise and delight, I found flower seeds (which I hope to plant) since Hayden Hill (a landscaper with his own business), designs natural spaces for others and likes to putter around in his own garden.

This was a sad and melancholy book. The title says it all. Hayden really didn't know his wife Shelly at all it seems. What a shock also to find out that she was the co-owner of a florist shop with Rachel. He's like who's Rachel, her business partner and why didn't she mention it. He thought they told each other everything but this was not the case obviously. Come to find out, she left him half the business too. What is he going to do with it? Sell out to Rachel even though he couldn't afford it?

It took half the book (and the book was only 205 pages) after Hayden went through Shelly's phone to figure out that she was apparently having a relationship with Rachel. Then he finds out that Rachel is using a small room at the back of the shop to house homeless transgender teens, who aren't accepted at home and she doesn't want them to be homeless and wants to help. It was a passion of Shelly's too which of course he didn't know about.

He became an advocate like Rachel in helping trans people and building a shelter for them with the help of Rachel four years later.

[Charlotte Lachance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read I finished in under two days. The pacing pulls you along naturally.

The story starts with a grieving husband right after his wife suddenly passes away. We see the raw practicalities of loss: legal procedures, life alone, support groups. The writing is fun and easy, full of plant and gardening metaphors (the husband's profession), though sometimes a bit on the nose.
Early on, we learn his wife had a secret business with another woman, her mistress. I was surprised this revelation comes late for the husband, even though it's the title. That disconnect got me slightly out of the story for a while.

But that's not really what this book is about. What's more powerful is the revelation of difficulties trans people, especially trans kids, face daily in the community. We follow not just a grieving husband regaining his pep, but his illuminating journey of taking part in these issues and helping fix problems as best he can. His wife's secret work was about activism, safe spaces, protecting vulnerable youth.
Watching him move from grief-stricken husband to active ally is genuinely moving. The book handles these issues with care and urgency without preaching.

It's a beautiful, though quite sad, story that deserves light. The characters are endearing but without much depth; this is about societal issues and problem-solving more than character study.
A quick, meaningful read using grief to explore vital contemporary issues. Sincere, timely, and moving.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassondra Windwalker deals with difficult subjects in her books. The last book I read had the theme of missing and murdered indigenous women and children. This book has one of its themes: the treatment and vilification of trans girls and teens. This was a choice by my husband for our Book Club for 2.

Hayden Hill has lost his wife, Shelley, at an early age. His overwhelming grief threatens to turn his life into chaos. One mantra he retreats to is when someone is broken, nature heals. And he throws himself into creating a garden and safe place to remember his wife.

Then he finds that his wife has had a secret lover for many of their marriage years. To add to his grief, he now feels betrayal - especially because his wife has been a partner in a flower shop owned by Racel, her lover. Much to his surprise and dismay, he finds that the shop is also a temporary shelter for homeless trans girls and teens.

The book deals lovingly with Hayden’s grief, loss and feelings of abandonment, while also bringing Hayden and Rachel together to fight for justice for the teens. Excellent book - I just wish that the editing was a bit more scrupulous. There were points where I felt I was playing mad libs with the dropped words, and I was left to figure out which word worked best in the sentence.

[Tracy Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Type Eighteen Books for providing me with the ARC of Cassondra Windwalker’s THE GARDENER’S WIFE’S MISTRESS.

Windwalker is a poet, and the fact that she is a poet breathes through her writing. This novel is most alive when its characters find themselves in a garden or tending to plants. The green and growing natural world serves as a vibrant thread tying the novel together. It starts out as an exploration of sudden loss and the overwhelming grief that follows, a grief that is compounded as the widowed gardener learns that his comfortable assumptions about who his wife was were just that, assumptions. How can we ever know another person? this novel asks. And, if we can’t ever do so, how do we go on living with that fact? But Windwalker doesn’t stop her novel there. Instead, we follow the central character as he pushes himself forward into a new life, one that is unexpected, but which also continues that connection to his late wife. There are no pat answers here, just the power of the changing seasons to which Windwalker shows we are inextricably tied.

[Tamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the things I liked:

The way grief was handled.

The ways the main character changed and grew throughout the book.

The wife's mistress. I thought she was an interesting character and I wish we got more of her.

All the side characters were well developed and added depth and perspective to the story.

Things I thought could have been better:

The title is awful.

The relationship between the wife and the mistress was not addressed satisfactorily. There was so much more he should have waves to know. It was frustrating how little he delved into their relationship.

The trans message. While it would probably work for readers who have little or no knowledge of what trans children and young adults face, for everyone else, it just seemed simplistic and almost like an afterthought. Some of that might be because we never really got a sense of what it meant to the wife.

All in all, it was well written, could have been stronger, but definitely for a different kind of reader than I am.

I hope it finds that audience. And that's my honest review.

[Joe Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Windwalker's work because each book is specific and does not fit into one particular genre. Her books are an automatic read for me and I got an advance copy. I had no idea what the plot would be or what to expect.

No spoilers, just one person's reaction:

The title gives an immediate clue that there are at least three main characters. Those characters are joined in a relationship also given away by the title. But they are not the only unique people. Each character is relatable and some belong to the LGBT category. This put me outside a typical reading experience that I would seek. It is not brow beating or political or exclusionary to a reader who is, like me, ignorant of LBGT. It is easy to empathize with the characters and see things from different perspectives. It was a relief to read a story with a positive ending, despite the grief that is explored in it. A very "feel good" read.

[Michael Doane]

The Gardener’s Wife’s Mistress is a deeply emotional and quietly devastating novel about grief, identity, and the long shadows we carry after loss. Cassondra Windwalker’s lyrical prose transforms soil, gardens, and living spaces into metaphors for memory and mourning, creating a story that feels intimate, raw, and profoundly human. The garden itself becomes a living witness to love, regret, and unanswered questions.

What makes this novel especially powerful is its refusal to offer easy resolutions. As Hayden confronts his wife’s hidden life, the narrative explores how love can coexist with betrayal, and how grief can uncover truths that reshape everything we thought we knew. Windwalker handles these revelations with compassion and emotional intelligence, weaving themes of chosen family, acceptance, and healing into a story that lingers long after the final page.

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Gardener's Wife's Mistress", by Cassondra Windwalker, is a well-written fictional novel that delves into the complexities of relationships, love, betrayal and grief.
Hayden Hill finds himself unexpectantly a widower. He questions the last few years of his life with Shelly. Should he have made more of an effort in their relationship? Were they just too comfortable in the way things were? As he processes through the grief and guilt, he comes across a different side of Shelly, a secret that she kept from him over the years. Will he be able to overcome the anger and betrayal? Will he be able to move on with his life and forgive?
This novel really makes the reader think and question the complexities of relationships. Definitely recommend.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

The description and even the title of this book hint at some things at the heart of the story. In order to avoid spoilers, I’m not going to expand on any of the specifics, but will say I found this book to be an incredibly great and in many ways inspiring. The author of the book works through some difficult discoveries in the wake of his spouse’s death. It’s a difficult time for him, but in the end, he grows as a person and learns a lot that will help him in the future. As a reader, it might get you thinking as well. I wonder how I (or you) would deal with things if you found yourself in the same situation.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about life after grief and discovering that you may not know the people closest to you as well as you think.

When Hayden's wife Shelley dies, he discovers her well hidden secret, as well as her passion for supporting vulnerable teens cast out by their families for reasons that may seem unfathomable to any right thinking person.

But even as he finds himself reeling from these discoveries, can Hayden utilise what he has learned to carve out a new life for himself?

Touching, insightful, and told with warmth, this story gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hayden thought he had the perfect marriage with Shelly untill she unexpectedly died and his world crumbled to pieces. Everyone works differently with loss and death and this story is an eulogy to the dead as is a shot of hope to the remaining ones. Hayden will discover Shelly had a totally hidden life with Rachel the flower shop and the kids they supported. What started as a helpind hand will grow into something major willing to help all of those who dared to knock on their door. Beautifully written, this story is not an easy read, although it has a bright a hopeful end.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the heavy topics at the core of the story — grief, betrayal, and discrimination — the story felt soft and gentle in a way. Hayden's grief, along with his anger and longing, was never sensational or cinematic; instead, it settles into every mundane moment. And it worked to draw me in, I felt like I was sitting with him and walking beside him as he finds his way through the pain and confusion. There was a simple warmth to both the characters and the plot. Hayden was an average man with his flaws, but he was always trying and drawn towards compassion. It was lovely to see him finding community and purpose again.

[Sean McGillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer - I was given an ARC version of this book. There was no compensation other than being able to read a beautiful story well before it's published.

This story is so much different than others I've read by Cassondra Windwalker. It's not a horror story, and no elements of the supernatural are involved. Instead, it's a story of loss and discovering that what you thought you had might not have been real.

And boy does Hayden Hill find out that his marriage wasn't what he thought it was. The beauty in this story is what comes after.

After some soul searching Hayden realizes he can either A) Remain upset at what he's discovered, or B) Come to a realization that he's been put in a unique situation. Things aren't always black and white. It's in the shades of gray that you can find that an antagonist can become an ally and you can make change in the world. It's all about learning to view things differently and having an open mind.

It's a shame this story isn't in print right now. It's truly that important of a story.