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Equilibrium #2.5
Grow Something
Plant.
Water.
Fertilize.
Grow.
Please note that Grow Something is a short story.
Water.
Fertilize.
Grow.
Please note that Grow Something is a short story.
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2018
236 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
February 2, 2020
Not me about to start crying over this 🥺🥺SUMMER AND HUDSON ARE THE BEST. This is how you write a short story. CCJ’s power is truly unmatched. Making me fall in love with a couple in less than 70 pages
December 1, 2021
This Was A Really Cute Short RomCom…..Summer and her grandmother were both funny in this short….Summer had a great sarcastic personality and Hudson was genuinely a sweet guy…..
April 4, 2021
Here we are, back to where we were before. Is that a song lyric?😁😁😁 Just a short, and extremely heartwarming and touching story, as usual.😁😁😁
Buy it, read it and enjoy.👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
Buy it, read it and enjoy.👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥👍🏾🔥
August 28, 2023
A short & sweet therapy session with plenty of sauce🥵. CCJ never disappoints!!
August 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this short yet super sweet story! Hudson and Summer had such great chemistry and despite their very interesting past relationships, managed to find their way into each others hearts! It was very heartwarming reading about these two!
February 17, 2020
Can I be besties with Summer, and hang out at her market and planet veggies before going to grab lavender latte’s from the coffee shop down the street? Her and Hudson’s romance was so sweet. I really liked them both as individuals and as a couple I just loved them. Summer stole the show for me with this one though; loved her personality, her drive and how she was there for Hudson when he needed someone
August 8, 2023
This novelette hit the spot! Summer owns a neighborhood produce store/community garden. For the past year, Hudson has been getting his fresh veggies from there, and Summer has been lusting after him in her head the entire time. One evening, Hudson shows up after getting left at the altar by his fiancée. No, they don’t have sex (yet), but what starts that night is the beginning of something new for both of them.
CCJ knows how to give you a full story in a few pages. There’s more to Summer than meets the eye, and Hudson wants to know all about it.
I can’t wait to finish this series, because I’m living for everyone’s happiness in Mahogany Heights!
CCJ knows how to give you a full story in a few pages. There’s more to Summer than meets the eye, and Hudson wants to know all about it.
I can’t wait to finish this series, because I’m living for everyone’s happiness in Mahogany Heights!
August 10, 2022
4 "Grow" Stars!
This was like an hour plus long therapy session. I just wish there was more of it. But CCJ always hits just right for me. Happy reading!
This was like an hour plus long therapy session. I just wish there was more of it. But CCJ always hits just right for me. Happy reading!
September 11, 2021
Beautiful!
Sometimes it takes a storm, before we realize it to be a blessing. Hudson getting left at the alter was heartbreaking, but necessary for his growth. Being with someone, because it's comfortable is not living. He knew he wanted Summer, and it took that heartbreak for him to go to her. Summer, a beautiful spirit, with some skeletons. She wanted to live her life freely, full of fun and love after her husband's tragic end. They both wanted, and needed each other. A perfect match! Great work! 👍👍👍
Sometimes it takes a storm, before we realize it to be a blessing. Hudson getting left at the alter was heartbreaking, but necessary for his growth. Being with someone, because it's comfortable is not living. He knew he wanted Summer, and it took that heartbreak for him to go to her. Summer, a beautiful spirit, with some skeletons. She wanted to live her life freely, full of fun and love after her husband's tragic end. They both wanted, and needed each other. A perfect match! Great work! 👍👍👍
August 4, 2025
3.25⭐️
Short, sweet, and surprisingly soulful, but left me wanting a bit more
Grow Something is the kind of quick read that sneaks up on you with its charm; a one-hour audio, a mere 70 pages, and yet, Christina C. Jones still manages to deliver an entire picture of intimacy, healing, and emotional resonance. It’s cute. It’s grounded. It’s quietly powerful.
The setup? A jilted groom named Hudson, freshly wounded, finds himself at a local marketplace-meets-community-farm thingy, where Summer — no-nonsense, veggie-loving Summer — puts him to work planting spinach. The premise alone made me smile.
And somehow, in this little garden of grief and green things, they see each other. Really see each other. No sex. No high drama. Just intimacy — earned, delicate, and deeply human. The pacing? Sharp. The emotions? Subtle but strong.
Hudson’s journey, especially, felt restorative. There’s a softness to him, a quiet unfolding that was beautifully done. And Summer, when she’s in action, when she’s in his eyes, she radiates something magnetic and grounded. But here’s the snag that held me back from rating this higher: when Summer speaks in her own POV, she doesn’t quite match the version of her we get through Hudson. It felt like two versions of the same woman…not wildly different, but enough to pull me out of the story’s emotional current.
That said, I think this story wanted more space. Not more drama, just more time to play, to dig deeper into the incredible concept it starts with. What’s here is so lovely, I just wished it had a little more playground.
Still, for a one-hour listen? It’s a pocket-sized balm. A cosy little meditation on showing up for yourself and letting someone meet you where you are. Just maybe bring a few extra pages next time — this one deserved them.
Short, sweet, and surprisingly soulful, but left me wanting a bit more
Grow Something is the kind of quick read that sneaks up on you with its charm; a one-hour audio, a mere 70 pages, and yet, Christina C. Jones still manages to deliver an entire picture of intimacy, healing, and emotional resonance. It’s cute. It’s grounded. It’s quietly powerful.
The setup? A jilted groom named Hudson, freshly wounded, finds himself at a local marketplace-meets-community-farm thingy, where Summer — no-nonsense, veggie-loving Summer — puts him to work planting spinach. The premise alone made me smile.
And somehow, in this little garden of grief and green things, they see each other. Really see each other. No sex. No high drama. Just intimacy — earned, delicate, and deeply human. The pacing? Sharp. The emotions? Subtle but strong.
Hudson’s journey, especially, felt restorative. There’s a softness to him, a quiet unfolding that was beautifully done. And Summer, when she’s in action, when she’s in his eyes, she radiates something magnetic and grounded. But here’s the snag that held me back from rating this higher: when Summer speaks in her own POV, she doesn’t quite match the version of her we get through Hudson. It felt like two versions of the same woman…not wildly different, but enough to pull me out of the story’s emotional current.
That said, I think this story wanted more space. Not more drama, just more time to play, to dig deeper into the incredible concept it starts with. What’s here is so lovely, I just wished it had a little more playground.
Still, for a one-hour listen? It’s a pocket-sized balm. A cosy little meditation on showing up for yourself and letting someone meet you where you are. Just maybe bring a few extra pages next time — this one deserved them.
December 4, 2023
Grow Something by Christina C. Jones
Equilibrium #4
2h 1m narrated by Eboni Flowers, 68 pages
Genre: African-American Romance
Featuring: Farmer's Market, Jilted Trope, Gardening, Social Media, Sassy Granny, Sexual Healing
Rating as a movie: NC-17 for sexual content and language
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👩🏿🌾
My thoughts: This story was actually pretty good it did take a second to heat app but once you got down to the actual story the rest didn't matter. I was more invested in their relationship than in the hookup event.
Recommend to others: Yes. In a lot of ways, this might be the best story of the series. Although the other stories may have been better if I had a rhythm in the proper order.
Equilibrium
1. Love Notes (2018)
2. In Tandem (2019)
3. Bittersweet (2019)
4. Grow Something (2018)
5. Frosted. Whipped. Buttered (2019)
6. Plus One (2019)
7. Press Rewind (2019)
Holidays in the Heights (2022)
Equilibrium #4
2h 1m narrated by Eboni Flowers, 68 pages
Genre: African-American Romance
Featuring: Farmer's Market, Jilted Trope, Gardening, Social Media, Sassy Granny, Sexual Healing
Rating as a movie: NC-17 for sexual content and language
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👩🏿🌾
My thoughts: This story was actually pretty good it did take a second to heat app but once you got down to the actual story the rest didn't matter. I was more invested in their relationship than in the hookup event.
Recommend to others: Yes. In a lot of ways, this might be the best story of the series. Although the other stories may have been better if I had a rhythm in the proper order.
Equilibrium
1. Love Notes (2018)
2. In Tandem (2019)
3. Bittersweet (2019)
4. Grow Something (2018)
5. Frosted. Whipped. Buttered (2019)
6. Plus One (2019)
7. Press Rewind (2019)
Holidays in the Heights (2022)
June 29, 2022
Growing something new
Ohhh these shorts are such a tease and I really loved this one. It was definitely a unique story with layers that gave the characters depth.
Hudson and Summer had built a little connection over produce. While they knew nothing about each other, not even each other's names, they knew that they appreciated each other's presence. When Hudson finds himself in need of a friend and to feel....happy, Summer is who he wanted to be with.
Summer was down for a little fun with him. When things seemed to turn into more...she was worried about being judged. She was strong and direct, but internally soft about that situation. Hudson seemed to grow stronger in his desire to do what makes him happy and he had a desire to protect Summer.
I loved the unique storyline and could have spent more time with them.
Ohhh these shorts are such a tease and I really loved this one. It was definitely a unique story with layers that gave the characters depth.
Hudson and Summer had built a little connection over produce. While they knew nothing about each other, not even each other's names, they knew that they appreciated each other's presence. When Hudson finds himself in need of a friend and to feel....happy, Summer is who he wanted to be with.
Summer was down for a little fun with him. When things seemed to turn into more...she was worried about being judged. She was strong and direct, but internally soft about that situation. Hudson seemed to grow stronger in his desire to do what makes him happy and he had a desire to protect Summer.
I loved the unique storyline and could have spent more time with them.
November 8, 2018
Just One More Chance
It's always nice to get one more chance to visit our friends in Mahogany Heights. I loved Hudson and Summer to pieces. They fit better than a new pair of glove at Christmas. The premise for the story was ingenious... A guy meets the girl he's supposed to be with on his supposedly special day. Ingenious!
It's always nice to get one more chance to visit our friends in Mahogany Heights. I loved Hudson and Summer to pieces. They fit better than a new pair of glove at Christmas. The premise for the story was ingenious... A guy meets the girl he's supposed to be with on his supposedly special day. Ingenious!
June 7, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 🌶️🌶️
Tropes: strangers to lovers
TW/CW: abusive relationship, murder,
Representation: black romance
Thoughts: chilleeeeeeeeeeeee this shit was good!!! and so much in the short amount of pages this book had!! im obsessed with these two and i need a longer book of them cuz they are so damn good together!
Tropes: strangers to lovers
TW/CW: abusive relationship, murder,
Representation: black romance
Thoughts: chilleeeeeeeeeeeee this shit was good!!! and so much in the short amount of pages this book had!! im obsessed with these two and i need a longer book of them cuz they are so damn good together!
June 8, 2021
Love can grow anything
I was heading to a reading slump but knew if I pulled some CCJ out the stash my heart will bloom!!!! This little gem was what I need to fuel my love chakra and allow me to grow in reading again
I was heading to a reading slump but knew if I pulled some CCJ out the stash my heart will bloom!!!! This little gem was what I need to fuel my love chakra and allow me to grow in reading again
December 29, 2023
This was so cute and fun to read. Her grandma’s comment had me laughing so hard. Also the hole ex husband storyline was kind of funny because it legit caught me off guard.
Overall I had a lot of fun with this one.
Overall I had a lot of fun with this one.
December 13, 2025
I love Summer she’s hilarious and so straightforward. I actually felt bad for Hudson, and I’m glad he ended up going to the garden, lol. I definitely want more of these two, Ms. Jones, pleeease 😂 Overall, I really loved how Summer came out on top after everything she went through.
November 12, 2018
Short & sweet. Hudson & Summer's conversations & past experiences led to their budding of so much more. And grow something they did...Storyline made this novelette a nice romantic read.
January 11, 2021
4.5
I need Summer to be my BFF. 😩😩
I need Summer to be my BFF. 😩😩
August 28, 2022
Summer and Hudson have my heart! I wish this was a full length novel, but CCJ gave me enough in 70 pages.
July 4, 2024
3.5 stars 🌟 Hudson x Summer 🌞
🥬 💒🥹🏡🫂👩🏾❤️👨🏾
🥬 💒🥹🏡🫂👩🏾❤️👨🏾
March 25, 2025
Now that's how you write a novella! Summer and her grandma had me rolling
August 26, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ rating
May 16, 2022
I don't think I read Ms. Jones best work. I had a hard time with the lingo and Summer's personality at the start was abrasive. I did like the plot and I got a better idea later in the story on kinda why Summer was the why she was. I did like Hudson and I liked getting both their POVs. I do plan on reading more from Ms. Jones, but this one just didn't it hit it out of the ball park for me.
January 24, 2022
This was such a sweet, short book. Give me a Hudson any day. Hell, give me the spirit of Summer any day too.
I liked Summers' whole vibe. Her history with her ex was horrible, yet she didn't let that lead her down an even worse path than she was on when she was with him. I loved the garden/grocery store idea and how she was helping the community with the small garden.
Hudson and his ex, Josephine aka Josie, were holding on to something that died, yet neither knew how to back out of; or at least he didn't. I'm sure it sucks being left at the alter, yet I'm glad Josie had the guts to not go through with the marriage. They would've been miserable and Hudson wouldn't have finally stepped to Summer. I like that even though their relationship was new, he stood up for Summer to Josie's horrible friend, Kia. Kia apparently is an a**hole of a friend whom doesn't deserve anyone's friendship. I hope Josie puts her in her place too.
Even though it was short, it was packed with so much goodness.
Great read. Loving this series. Highly recommend.
I liked Summers' whole vibe. Her history with her ex was horrible, yet she didn't let that lead her down an even worse path than she was on when she was with him. I loved the garden/grocery store idea and how she was helping the community with the small garden.
Hudson and his ex, Josephine aka Josie, were holding on to something that died, yet neither knew how to back out of; or at least he didn't. I'm sure it sucks being left at the alter, yet I'm glad Josie had the guts to not go through with the marriage. They would've been miserable and Hudson wouldn't have finally stepped to Summer. I like that even though their relationship was new, he stood up for Summer to Josie's horrible friend, Kia. Kia apparently is an a**hole of a friend whom doesn't deserve anyone's friendship. I hope Josie puts her in her place too.
Even though it was short, it was packed with so much goodness.
Great read. Loving this series. Highly recommend.
November 11, 2018
Ladies and gentlemen.... THIS is how you write a short story! CCJ has written a beautiful masterpiece that lets us know that even though life gets hard... like life changing hard, don’t count yourself out!
I knew Summer was gonna be special, and in about 65 pages I found out just how special she is and got a tiny, powerful glimpse of what she’s been through. What would’ve broken most people, made her come through and come up even stronger. Her history helped her communicate with and to Hudson that sometimes ish just happens, but you gotta move on and push through.
Even though this was short, it was a very complete story and Hudson and Summer are a welcomed addition to Mahogany Heights!
I knew Summer was gonna be special, and in about 65 pages I found out just how special she is and got a tiny, powerful glimpse of what she’s been through. What would’ve broken most people, made her come through and come up even stronger. Her history helped her communicate with and to Hudson that sometimes ish just happens, but you gotta move on and push through.
Even though this was short, it was a very complete story and Hudson and Summer are a welcomed addition to Mahogany Heights!
December 6, 2018
Of course, this WAS NOT long enough :-(
Once again, Mrs. Jones did her thing with this story! Just when Hudson was beginning to entertain the idea of wallowing in the unplanned misery of love turned sour, his blessing in disguise, Summer appeared to (inadvertently) save the day. From beginning to end, this unlikely pair reminds us that, even on the painful side of misguided love, there is someone out there who will remind us that the truth will always hold more value than keeping up appearances.
It was good to read about the intricacies of a man's emotional journey for a change. The chemistry between these 2 characters was refreshing and palpable and Granny was a hilarious scene-stealer in her own right.
Thanks again for this gem, Mrs. Jones.
Once again, Mrs. Jones did her thing with this story! Just when Hudson was beginning to entertain the idea of wallowing in the unplanned misery of love turned sour, his blessing in disguise, Summer appeared to (inadvertently) save the day. From beginning to end, this unlikely pair reminds us that, even on the painful side of misguided love, there is someone out there who will remind us that the truth will always hold more value than keeping up appearances.
It was good to read about the intricacies of a man's emotional journey for a change. The chemistry between these 2 characters was refreshing and palpable and Granny was a hilarious scene-stealer in her own right.
Thanks again for this gem, Mrs. Jones.
April 23, 2019
Short and oh so good!
I wish this book was longer because I definitely wanted more! This book had me laughing so much. Once again I will say, no one does character dialogue like this author. I was drawn in from the first page and ready to purchase even though I have Kindle Unlimited! I loved the chemistry between Hudson and Summer. And the grandmother was hilarious! Even though the story was short, I was happy that the author didn't leave out the important scene between Hudson and his ex. Great little story. I hope we get to see more of Hudson and Summer in Mahogany Heights.
I wish this book was longer because I definitely wanted more! This book had me laughing so much. Once again I will say, no one does character dialogue like this author. I was drawn in from the first page and ready to purchase even though I have Kindle Unlimited! I loved the chemistry between Hudson and Summer. And the grandmother was hilarious! Even though the story was short, I was happy that the author didn't leave out the important scene between Hudson and his ex. Great little story. I hope we get to see more of Hudson and Summer in Mahogany Heights.
October 31, 2021
Funny and Sweet
Reading this after reading one of the Hockey Gods books feels like reading two different authors. The versatility is impressive. Anyway, this was an amazing quick read. She somehow covered so much without it feeling rushed or not done well for a kind of heavy issue. I truly loved Summer and her grandmother‘a personalities. I’m enjoying Mrs. Jones’s writing so very very much!
Reading this after reading one of the Hockey Gods books feels like reading two different authors. The versatility is impressive. Anyway, this was an amazing quick read. She somehow covered so much without it feeling rushed or not done well for a kind of heavy issue. I truly loved Summer and her grandmother‘a personalities. I’m enjoying Mrs. Jones’s writing so very very much!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews