Darling Daffodils Farm
Author: Brittanee Nicole
Series: Hope Harbor #1
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Small-Town Romance
Format: eBook (ARC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis
Aspiring pastry chef Tally Darling returns home to her family's daffodil farm only to discover that quite a lot has changed in her absence.
For starters, there's a gorgeous, half-naked stranger living in her childhood bedroom.
Jesse Walker has been helping run her late father's farm, and neither he nor Tally is particularly thrilled about suddenly having to share space or deal with each other.
But somewhere between arguments, salted honey cupcakes, small-town interference, and an attraction that becomes increasingly difficult to ignore, their mutual irritation begins turning into something neither of them expected.
My Thoughts
I'll admit that Darling Daffodils Farm and I had a slightly rocky beginning, but once the story found its rhythm, this became such a fun and incredibly bingeable romance.
One of my main issues early on was the secrecy surrounding the farm.
I understood the reasoning behind wanting to protect family members from difficult circumstances, but the amount of information being hidden, particularly from their own mother, felt excessive to me. At times, it crossed the line from protection into something that felt more like deception.
Thankfully, the book didn't turn that issue into one enormous, drawn-out conflict. The secrecy remains relevant throughout the story and eventually contributes to a larger reveal, but I was relieved we weren't subjected to endless chapters of avoidable drama.
Once things settled down, though?
This book really worked for me.
We have enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, an age gap, slow burn, spice, a baker and one very grumpy farm guy who would apparently like everyone to know that he is NOT a cowboy.
Sure, Walker.
Whatever you say. 😂
Tally was a fun FMC. She's lively and brings plenty of personality and energy to the story. There were moments when I wished she believed in herself a little more, but overall, I really enjoyed following her journey.
Walker, meanwhile, begins the story as a proper grumpy grouch.
Naturally, that couldn't last forever.
I loved watching him gradually open up around Tally, and his increasingly unsuccessful attempts not to fall for her were especially entertaining. This man absolutely gave me he falls first energy, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
Their relationship also develops gradually enough for the slow burn to actually feel like a slow burn, before eventually becoming considerably... less slow. 😂
Hope Harbor
Another highlight was the small-town setting.
Hope Harbor has exactly the kind of population you'd expect from a small-town romance: everybody knows everybody, everybody knows everybody else's business, and apparently minding your own business is merely an optional recreational activity.
But I actually liked the townspeople.
Their meddling generally came from a place of genuine affection and support rather than feeling intrusive purely for the sake of creating drama. It made Hope Harbor feel like an actual community and left me interested in returning for future books.
And speaking of future books...
The mayor.
Excuse me, sir. What exactly is going on over there?
There is very clearly a story waiting to happen, and I finished this book extremely curious about him.
Final Thoughts
Despite a slightly rocky beginning and some family secrecy that didn't entirely work for me, Darling Daffodils Farm turned into a charming, funny, and very bingeable small-town romance.
Tally and Walker were fun together, the forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers dynamic worked well, and Hope Harbor gave the story a warm sense of community.
Most importantly?
I finished the entire thing in one night.
I'd say that speaks pretty well for how much fun I ultimately had with it.
Now bring me back to Hope Harbor!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
ARC Disclaimer
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
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