Poppy's Proposal By Tara Grace Ericson

Poppy's Proposal
by Tara Grace Ericson
Publisher: Silver Fountain Press
ISBN: 978-1949896145

I have LOVED being part of Tara's launch team for her Bloom Sisters series! This is the 3rd book I've read (the series includes the novella aka book 0). I read the ebook version of this book that she sent me In. A. Day!! Literally couldn't put it down.

Summary:

She vowed he would never hurt her again.
He hides his pain behind a campaign smile.

Harrison Coulter is in the spotlight. Rumored to be the next candidate for governor, there is just one problem – the people won’t elect the most eligible bachelor to the state’s highest office. He needs a wife, but he isn’t looking for love. There is one woman from his past though…

Poppy Bloom has roots as deep as the produce she grows on Bloom’s Farm. When her livelihood is threatened and she finds herself helpless to make a difference, Poppy agrees to a proposal she never saw coming.

Old feelings blossom into something new, but their individual goals clash with the promises made to each other. How will God use this marriage that was strategized instead of starry-eyed to open them both to the power of love?

My Review:

I have fallen in love with the Bloom family. That's where I'm going to start with Poppy's Proposal. As a reader, don't you just love when characters become "friends"? My favorite aspect of this series is that we get to see all of the family in each book! The family just grows with each consecutive story.

Once again, we start with Laura, the mom opening the story with a reflection on one of her daughters. This time it happens to be Poppy. I look forward to reading the prologue as well as the epilogue simply to hear her point of view. I think as a mom with grown children I relate to her.

In previous novels Poppy was rather standoff-ish and I feel like we didn't really get a good sense of who she was. She was just on the periphery. Turns out, she feels that way about herself in her family so I appreciate the consistency of her character through the first books. I also liked that we were able to catch a glimpse of what her story would hold because we see her and Harrison working together in A Date for Daisy.

Speaking of Harrison... can I just say he rubbed me the wrong way at the start of the story. His political advisor, Neil, is the one who pushes Harrison to go the marriage route in his bid for being Governor of Indiana. He was kind of a jerk years ago by ditching Polly not once, not twice, but three times! And while Polly does bring up the first instance, I wish she would've mentioned the other two as well. I feel like even though she agrees he was a "dumb high school boy" he was apparently also a dumb college boy. Harrison does remember earlier in the book the other times he left her high and dry so I was glad he was at least conscious of what he'd done.

Whew, I digress...

I really enjoyed the build up of Poppy's relationship with Harrison. While both of them believe they're going into this with the intention of it being basically a business deal, it's no surprise feelings begin to emerge. The crisis of their relationship, what their marriage was started from in the first place, really helps them show their true colors to each other.

Sometimes it's so difficult to share what I love about a book because I can't actually say a lot without giving too much of the storyline away. Things like Harrison coming home overly tired one night, Poppy meeting Harrison's parents, Senator Hawkins, and Stacy. Those are just to name a few in the most cryptic way!

Don't delay in getting started with this series! Lavender and Lace will be the next book in the series and I can't wait! I think if I were a Bloom sister my name would probably be Iris because Peony might not work.

About the Author:

Tara Grace Ericson lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons. She studied engineering and worked as an engineer for many years before embracing her creative side to become a full-time author. Her first book, Falling on Main Street, was written mostly from airport waiting areas and bleak hotel rooms as she traveled in her position as a sales engineer. She loves cooking, crocheting, and reading books by the dozen. Her writing partner is usually her black lab - Ruby - and a good cup of coffee or tea. Tara unashamedly watches Hallmark movies all winter long, even though they are predictable and cheesy. She loves a good "happily ever after" with an engaging love story. That's why Tara focuses on writing clean contemporary romance, with an emphasis on Christian faith and living. She wants to encourage her readers with stories of men and women who live out their faith in tough situations.