Blooms and Bickering

by Morgan Park

A war of the roses ignites between feuding small-town neighbors in this fun, slow-burn lesbian romance.

Retired master florist Kate Willow moved to remote Serenity Springs for one peace. All she wants is a glass of wine, her creaky rocking chair, and the company of her horse, Moose.

Her effervescent neighbor Margot Reed is sunshine and glitter-soaked chaos who just won't leave her alone. Worse, Margot's wild, messy garden ruins Kate's tranquil view and chafes her fraying nerves.

Their simmering rivalry ignites every year at the Rose Festival. Margot has won for five years straight—a crown Kate is determined to reclaim.

But when a crisis forces them to work together, they discover beneath the passive-aggressive barbs an unlikely attraction is starting to bloom.

Genres: Lesbian

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2026

About the author

Morgan Park is a Library Media Specialist by day and author by night. She writes sapphic contemporary romance, and is looking forward to the novels slotted to publish soon!

She’s on a mission to fill the world with more heartfelt woman-loving-woman narratives. Her writing celebrates life's everyday triumphs, navigates through everyday heartaches, and cherishes the enduring tales of love. She lives in Upstate New York with her fluffy fur-babies.

Books written by Morgan Park on Amazon:
mybook.to/haolt

https://www.amazon.com/Blooms-Bickeri...

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Shoreli...

TikTok: @mparkauthor

Reviews

[JulesGP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always had a soft spot for old school romances where couples meet and steal glances. Should they or shouldn’t they. Blooms and Bickering is that book and more.

Kate Willow is a retired master florist, quietly living her days on her farm, working on her perfect gardens and riding her horse, Moose. Across the road, Margot Reed tends her own flowers in a purposefully chaotic display. The two constantly butt heads and mix words but underneath the fiery banter are genuine feelings of attraction.

Kate is the town grump that everyone is secretly fond of because of her big heart and I love that she is easy to like. So often, books feature a really mean main and I feel bad for the sunshine character. Margot also has a well rounded personality. She designs landscapes for wealthy clients and has it all together for business but underneath, feels a bit lost. This is an age-gap romance but the two mains are both over 40. They have crazy chemistry together but it’s deliciously prolonged. Small touches, romantic gestures, and a shared stillness under sunsets. Low key on spice but plenty of love and affection. They also have hilarious friends who cheer them on. I recommend for readers who prefer romance over sex scenes. An excellent story. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc. I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25 stars)

To start off, I really adored this story. From start to finish, I was hooked, not only did I love the characters (main and side characters) but I also adored the story and the fact that both characters were older (in their middle age). I loved this kind of representation and with that also the way it perfectly fit to the main characters.
Since I already mentioned main characters, I absolutely loved both Margot and Kate! I think they literally captured my heart from the moment I started reading and even now, as I’m writing this a while after finishing the story, they haven’t let me go. I loved the way they were written, the way one could literally feel the initial dislike the two had for each other, plus the ‘enemies’ as well as ‘competitors’ side of things was soo well drawn out as well!!! Besides, I also loved how the slow burn was a real slow burn to the point where I just wanted to push the two together because when their friends realized the attraction that was there but they were both too afraid to act on it. I really liked how one could feel the yearning, tension, love and as I mentioned hate in this novel. The Morgan Park really excelled at that!
And I want to give a special mention to Kate who I wanted to cuddle soo much while I was reading the book. She had such a healing experience while finding love and gosh, I adored this! A huge hug goes out to her in the fictional world.
Moreover, in my opinion, the pace of the story was perfectly. I wouldn’t wish it to be longer nor shorter. It felt perfectly balanced. The writing was really good too!!! Having read other books written by Morgan Park, I knew that I would love the writing and this novel showed me once again, how very much I do enjoy it. However, it isn’t a book that completely wowed me even though I adored the characters, their personalities and relationships, the writing and pace which is why I give it 4.25 stars instead of 5. I still highly, highly recommend reading it!!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Ylva Publishing for providing me with a free ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.

[Clara Addicted to sapphic books · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bloom and Bickering" is a spot on title. I really liked the relationship development between Kate and Margot. Kate is a bit of an ice queen, grumpy, and, a bit "bitchy" with her neighbor. Margot is full of life, but both of them have baggage, and they both misjudged each other for years. Kate taking responsibility and helping Margot was delightful to read, with them really getting to know each other and becoming addicted to each other's company.
The slow burn was excruciating, but I definitely liked their chemistry, even if there was no spice. Reading about older women is something I like more and more. I just wished they had discussed the fact that Margot had never been with a woman or the age gap. I also wished Margot's restlessness with work had been addressed, because it felt unresolved and kind of magically disappears when she finds love. Overall, I really liked this book, but I could have done with a few more pages.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate is like the local gardening 'grinch', she is retired, organised, loves her horse named 'Moose' and is fond of a glass of vino. 

Her younger neighbour Margot brings much noise, colour, sunshine and chaos into life.

They both love nature, flowers and compete at the local yearly floral show. But an accident with Moose will bring them much closer.

This is such an innocent, soulful, enemies to lover, slow burn romance. Its beautifully written. The sleepy Idaho countryside setting wraps it all together in a neat floral bow.

[Emmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love enemies-to-lovers and age-gap tropes, so I was very excited to get my hands on this book. Kate and Margot bickered like sworn enemies who were prepared for the claws to come out at any given moment, and I was here for it! Kate wasn’t a big fan of her sweet as candy neighbor because Margot was too sunshiny, too loud, and just too much. Margot couldn’t stand the grumpy older woman either. Seriously, what was her problem?

No worries, because soon enough, the hatchet was buried and beauty blossomed in its place. The slow-burn pace gave the development of their relationship a realistic feel, which I appreciated even though the pace drove me a little crazy at times. You won’t find spice here, but there’s plenty of affection, witty banter, and yearning glances to make up for it. I loved their connection and the laugh out loud banter was some of the best I’ve read. When there’s a significant age gap, I feel that it’s important to at least acknowledge it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here, but it wasn't a huge deal. Overall, this gem was filled with lots of laughs, smiles, and heartwarming moments. I recommend giving this a read.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

[___Isha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable ☺️

[Gaby QT · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate is a retired florist who just wants to enjoy peace and her flowers. Unfortunately her neighbour is a loud Margot with a wild garden that matches her personality and ruins Kate's tranquility. Until one day Kate's horse accidentally destroys Margot's garden and Kate's mission becomes repairing the garden and her heart in the process.

It's a cute story but it needed a little more development when it comes to the back story of the main characters. At times it feels very inconsistent in how the characters experience what's happening, they seem to switch between very intense emotions when the stakes of the story just don't seem that high.

However once our main characters start getting along a little better, the story picks up and it becomes quite an enjoyable read.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thank you to NetGalley, Ylva Publishing and author Morgan Park for this ARC. Happy to share my honest review.

I must first applaud this lovely book cover. I loved the beautiful flowers, vibrancy and simplicity of the cover art, it really did capture my attention immediately. Luckily, this book was very enjoyable and I can say with confidence that you can sometimes judge a book by its cover. Blooms and Bickering is a sweet, warm and character centric sapphic love story that will make you smile and swoon. There is so much about this story to love and once I started, I just couldn't put it down. This was a special small town romance with an enemies to lovers vibe that was incredibly charming and so fun to read.

We meet retired florist Kate who values peace, tranquility and serenity above all else. She loves her home, her garden and her horse named moose lol! Her neighbor Margot is a ball of energy and chooses to have a wild and chaotically beautiful garden. Margot’s wild energy and crazy garden get under Kate's skin and disrupts her appreciation of keeping things orderly. They have a healthy rivalry of sorts and it sets up a charming enemies to lovers story. Kate and Margot clash constantly but there's something underneath it all…an attraction that quietly connects them. When Moose does a bit of destruction to Margot’s garden the two women are thrust together and what ensues is a very sweet slow burn sapphic romance that had me smiling page after page.

I very much appreciated the gradual component to the book which made their love story all the more believable. Kate seems to be struggling to let go of her marriage and though the details are a bit sparse on the subject, the pain is evident. The women gradually realize that their irritation is laced with attraction and spending so much time together allows them to learn about each other. I could see the respect and friendship forming and eventually giving way to so much more. I enjoyed this slow dance toward forever aspect and found their give and take quite charming. Park’s careful attention to detail and imagery enable the story to come alive. I very much enjoyed her writing style and overall voice in this book. The writing is very character centric and favors emotionality and clear language. I appreciated the intentionality in her economy of words at times as well the power given to simple gestures and glances. I was very much enamored with both Kate and Margot. They are strong and relatable women with so many layers and a lot of depth. The age gap worked really well because while Kate may be older she is more emotionally guarded and Margot is braver emotionally, it just worked really well. I was a huge fan of Kate and Margot and was rooting for them more and more as the story went on. They found their way together and did so organically. Their connection was so sweet and I was overjoyed with their happy ending.

Blooms and Bickering was a sweet and endearing small town sapphic romance that had me swooning. I loved the gardening aspect as it created a fresh and unique aspect to the story and contributed to the happy reading experience. This is a feel good and very heartwarming romance that focuses on celebrating romance and connection. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone looking for a gentle romance with mature and deep characters.

[M the avid reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book toned my smile and laugh muscles, warmed my heart and spirit too
Even before I finished reading this book I knew it was going on the re-read pile.  Mains Kate and Margot have chemistry that flies off the page whether they're fighting or not; there's a meddlesome horse named Moose who has no shortage of attitude; and the (inner and outer) dialogue and narration all kept me chuckling or outright laughing throughout.  Add to that some fabulously colorful secondary characters with a flair for evocative similes, gossip, and being the embodiment of community in all the best senses of the word, plus ample fodder for flower/plant/garden nerds to bask in, and the feel good moments continue on chapter after chapter.  There is drama aplenty but the romance is so deliciously sweet between two over forties with an age gap between them; having it set in the South ups the charm and hilarity of all the ladies on the page.  May the audiobook narrator be well chosen for this story to really surpass what my imagination conjured for my own amusement in terms of character voices and accents.  The grumpy sunshine dynamic between Kate and Margot is perfect as is their transition away from that to something warmer and sweeter.  I wrote 'awww' so many times in my notes while reading and may have teared up a time or two as well so have tissues handy just in case.  This is the kind of book that movies ought to be made out of with all of it on the big screen, no changes.  This is my favorite book by author Morgan Park so far and I look forward to reading whatever she publishes next as well as revisiting Blooms and Bickering for all the feels and laughs.  If your smile and laugh muscles need a workout and your heart needs some heartening and uplifting, this book delivers that in abundance.  And if you want to read about older ladies who aren't stereotypical senior citizens, you'll find them here as well.
Highly recommend this book.

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such fun!

Kate just wants a peaceful life in Serenity Springs with her horse, Moose, but her neighbour Margot is the reason she doesn’t get what she wants. Margot has a messy garden and they share a rivalry with one another to have the winning roses at the annual Rose Festival, but when an incident leads to Margot’s garden getting ruined, Kate feels she must help right things.

Kate was amazing and so relatable, grumpy and not in any mood for Margot and her sunshine and rainbows attitude. I totally understood her frustrations! But I also got why she was feeling such guilt even though she hadn’t purposely set out to hurt Margot. The accident had her acting almost out of character, but helped her to grow and really get to know Margot properly. I loved the opportunity they both got to learn more about one another and really get to understand why each other was the way they were. The closeness they found in working together to restore Margot’s garden and flowers, was sweet and lead to a life I don’t think either of them could have imagined.

Margot was uplifting and good for Kate. She’d always wanted them to be friends at least, but Kate was closed off and not welcoming towards her. She managed to get under Kate’s skin though and she was good for bringing out a side of Kate I think she’d been trying really hard to hide. The misunderstanding between them at the beginning were funny, but when they started working together and really talking it all became clear that Margot had also been quick to misjudge Kate and she accepted how she had perhaps had a negative impact on Kate as well. I was so glad when she decide to accept Kate’s help as an attempt to put things right between them.

A very sweet romance, representing older characters and proving that retirement is not without its drama. The slight age gap made an interesting dynamic, and brought excitement to a slow burn romance.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars) Kate Willow (59) retired from her career as a master florist. She loves her horse Moose and the quiet acreage she owns near the small town, Serenity Springs. The thorn in her tranquility is her across the road neighbor Margot Reed (41). Margot is younger and lets her flowers grow in an intentionally chaotic manner. Both are planning to enter the annual Rose Festival that Margot has won for the last five years. The crusty neighbors are forced to interact when Moose is responsible for the destruction of Margot's flower beds.

I love two mature women going from enemies to more. This is a gentle, age-gap, slow burn romance that doesn’t go beyond kissing on the page. I enjoyed the friends that tease and push them together. It is the kind of book I should really like. But it felt a little shallow. Kate’s background is that she was with someone for almost twenty years and still has photos of her wife up. but it isn’t really explained why they split up. Margot was a workaholic and cut back by moving away from the city. She still takes on projects. Her intentional design work felt at odds with how she manages her garden. Margot's feeling of attraction to a woman is new as well. Details seem light and breezed over that could have added to the story. The main plot of them being rivals for the rose festival seemed low stakes to me. But maybe if you were more of a plant person than you would feel more invested in that part of the plot.

I enjoyed the descriptive writing. But for me personally I missed connecting to the characters which would have boosted my rating. I’m still rounding up and hope to read more from the author. I enjoyed her previous age gap novel "Beyond the Shoreline” (August 2025). Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely read! Highly enjoyable grumpy vs sunshine tale of two women older in life set around one accidentally destroying a rose garden during a much loved rose festival.

Kate is the grumpy ex master florist who just wants her peace but when Margot’s horse accidentally trampled over her roses, Kate really is firing all barrels at her. Margot is her sunshine neighbour which annoys Kate generally. This leads to Margot doing everything she can to repair the damage not only to her garden but a slow burn friendship and attraction the becomes for both of them undeniable.

The attraction is not rushed or forced and has them both questioning themselves, it is slow glances, slow touches with showing up for each other and opening up from a painful past. The chapters are quite long and this can make it at times a very slow pace but you don’t wish to rush as the payoff is for them is doing something on impulse which was satisfying to see after the will they wont they push.

I did fine one area odd around a previous relationship and still wearing the ring, this area understandably was very vulnerable but did feel odd to be holding on to a memory even after being treated very badly. For me this did make me question this characters self respect and worth, not a criticism just an observation in my opinion a bit of a weak plot point.

Easy, enjoyable read, I recommend it’s a great Sunday soft read! I was given an opportunity to read this prior to release (it’s out now!). Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva publishing.

[Shannon Luchies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Willow WANTED to retire to peace, quiet and growing roses. Sadly the quiet ended when Margot Reed moved across the way. The woman's house and gardens are a chaotic mess, unlike Kate's.

Margot is devastated when a accident ruins her flower beds, one caused by Kate. Kate is incredibly apologetic, but the damage is done and Margot is unusually furious.

Mild gripe: there's a lot of 'tell not show' going on with characters assigning traits and behavior not shown on page.

We find out Margot was previously a workaholic, and her cheery persona is a bit of a act. Similarly, Kate is less cold and mean than she appears.

Kate finally decides to fix it herself, drives up with a truck load of plants and gets to it. Margot charges out in her undies, then realizes she's undressed. They work together fixing the damage, and start to become friends.

Kate realizes part of why Margot bugs her is that she's attracted to her, but as far as she knows Margot is straight. Visiting Kate's Margot learns she's gay and that her lover left her years back... they almost kiss, but Kate stops herself. Also, this is the first time Margot liked a woman like this.

And... third act jealousy arc over the new lady doctor. The book really did not need it.

Wrap up, they get together, conclusion. Good book, no spice if that's your thing, but solidly good.
4 out of 5 stars.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet enemies to lovers story I really liked the read. The older bitter Kate and the younger high-spirited Margot are just right for each other, ice meting fire, they can finally get to a place where they find true love after a lot of disappointments in life.

Kate has retired early and all she wants is peace and quiet, but she has this annoying chaotic neighbour Margot. They look at each other from afar and are fierce competitors at the annual Rose festival. One day Kate’s horse Moose is destroying Margot’s garden with her award-winning roses. It is quite the disaster, and Kate is feeling obliged to help Margot to rebuild despite their animosity. That is of course the beginning of them finally getting to know each other, becoming friends and perhaps something more.

I was a bit disappointed with the lack of backstory of the troubled MCs Kate and Margot, that addition would have been great to have to get a better understanding of their journey to where they are when they finally start interacting. Some physical intimacy beyond the very chaste kisses would also have been a great add-on to make this book a lot more enjoyable.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave an honest review voluntarily.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the eARC!

I picked this up while slowly digging myself out of a reading slump and it ended up being a pretty good match for my attention span right now.

The story follows two neighbors, Margot and Kate, who’ve spent years in a gardening rivalry, marked by the Rose Festival, judging each other’s yards, and acting irritated while clearly paying very close attention to each other. When an accident forces them into each other’s routines, the proximity helps wear down the annoyance and transforms it into care.

I also almost never read romances with older leads (41 and 59 here), and that really changes the tone. They already have established lives and habits, so the conflict is mostly stubbornness and miscommunication rather than big emotional upheaval. You get neighbors-to-lovers, rivals-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and a small age gap, but everything stays intentionally low stakes.

It does drag a bit in the middle—a lot of circling the same feelings—but I liked the banter and the way they slowly stop pretending they don’t care about each other.

A calm, sweet, and easy read while I’m catching up on ARCs.

[Sue Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

who could guess at the rivalry that starts when the rose festival begins.....

margot has entered for a while now and has won for the last 5 years but her neighbour kate isnt to happy from losing her crown.... that they live next to each other is another thorn in kate side as she likes her peace and quiet which ended when margot moved in....power drills drive kate insane....

but things come to ahead when moose kate horse runs amok through margots garden ruining all that she had built up. kate is mortified and offers to help but margot is just to angry and shocked to take the offer of help

but time helps to heal and calm margot down that she takes up the offer of help and along the way she finds herself drawn to kate in a way that she hadnt realised...

a pleasant read that gives you that feel good moment

[Henriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful sapphic romance with a lot of heart and roses
This is a heart-warming, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance set in a small town. Neighbors Kate and Margot have been feuding for years and as avid gardeners have been rivals at the yearly rose festival. Then disaster or rather Kate‘s horse strikes and devastates Margot‘s garden. Kate wants to help and they reluctantly start working together.
I loved how we see more and more layers of Kate and Margot. The story slowly shows their defenses and the armour around their hearts. There were heart-wrenching scenes of vulnerability - well balanced by beauty and joy. So well done!
The language was beautiful, descriptive, at times witty and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of gardens and roses.
Since I loved all the meddling folks I have high hopes for a sequel.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful story of Margot and Kate, neighbours and competitive gardeners vying for the top place in the annual Rose Festival. That is until Kate's horse Moose steps in and haphazardly throws the dynamic upside down. As each character reveals the layers of protection they've built up to each other, a friendship begins, and, much to each woman's surprise, deeper feelings blossom.
The story takes you on a journey of understanding about each character's life story and how it has shaped their personas. The author has spent a great deal of effort in their development and its what makes this such a successful and enjoyable read. The kind of book that leaves you with a smile on your face and in your heart. Highly recommended!

[Horace Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley & Ylva publishing

This book centers two older women, with the younger of the two being 41 and the older being 59, with a low simmering annoyance with each other. They have a little rivalry with their roses. They start to spend a lot of time together because of an accident.
The love develops slowly, with both of them having different reservations aside from them being unfriendly to each other for the longest time. One has relationship baggage while the other has just realized that she's interested in women. The romance takes its time with the leads only kissing at around 70%, but they have physical attraction to each other much earlier. The leads and the other townsfolk are all quite fun.
I thought this was a really solid love story.

[Sam]

I learned so much about flowers, I also know I should get my backyard in better shape. Thanks for that.
Maybe this story revolved around the gardens too much, but I liked the ease and comfort of it.
Our main characters are a bit older than the usual in books like this, I like it. They are both a bit troubled, while we find out why and what for one of them, the other remains a bit of a mystery. I miss that “resolution”..
I also feel like we see some secondary characters quite often early on in the book, only for them to almost disappearin the second half.

Overall I’d say this is a cozy gardening read, nothing special, nothing too demanding, just a light weight read with some emotions,

[Jasmine Shouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cozy and sweet romance about two neighboring women in their 40s and 50s who both enjoy gardening. Blooms & Bickering is a slow descent into their romance by way of friendship. While they start off as neighbors who dislike each other, Margot and Kate build a beautiful friendship while Kate tries to make up for her horse making a mess of Margot's garden. At a certain point, that friendship tips into allurement and captivation while grumpy and orderly Kate is learning to be vulnerable in front of sunshine, workaholic, chaotic Margot. If you enjoy slow-burn and sweet age gap romance, this is the one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

[Red Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slow burn, low angst flowering love story.
Margot and Kate are neighbours who appear to be the complete opposites and have a standoffish relationship.
They are also each other’s main rivals in the annual rose festival.
Things begin to change when Moose goes ‘wild amongst the flowers’!!
The author is wonderfully descriptive and her writing brings the romance to life and you can feel the emotions running through Kate and Margot.
You’ve also got a lovely supporting cast in Charlotte, Deanna and Jess.
Thanks to Ylva and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and it was a decent book. Kate and Margot are right for each other, ice and fire, heaven and hell but they fit.

One day Kate’s horse Moose destroyed Margot’s garden and Kate felt obliged to help Margot to rebuild despite their animosity which is the beginning of them finally getting to know each other, and become friends. This needed more backstory to help relate to the characters, but overall it was a pretty good story,

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Unpopmary · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐

Masterfully written in places, but strangely empty at its core
...