Wildflower Haven: A Review

 Readers who have enjoyed Lin Stepp's other Mountain Home books are likely to enjoy the latest one: Wildflower Haven. The cover depicts the setting nicely: a mountain range in the background and wildflowers in the foreground. Both mountains and native plants are important to the book.

The back cover gives hints of the main characters and the plot:

 

Like previous Mountain Home books, Wildflower Haven is rich in family values, a strong sense of faith, connection to the land, family traditions as well as local traditions, and—of course—romance. The Mountain Home novels also characteristically have a happy ending, but the road to getting there is a bit rocky and sometimes surprising.  

 

Wildflower Haven could be classified as an Appalachian novel, a Christian romance, a women's novel, or a blend of all. But it's an entertaining read however you classify it.

 

When the cats wake up, they will decide who reads Wildflower Haven first.
 

The novel—set in Cosby, a small town in the Smoky Mountains—gets its name from Wildflower Haven, a nursery and garden store that's been in the same family since it was established in 1889. Valerie Merton and her sister Senna help their grandparents and great-grandfather run the family business. 

Both sisters are college graduates who chose to return to their roots. At college, each was involved with a man, but Senna divorced her husband who wanted her to return to Ireland with him, and she and her daughter returned home. Valerie rejected her college suitor when he wanted her to move far way with him. But both women have found their niche back home—Valerie tends the herbs and gives lectures on plant use and care, and Senna tends the beehives. Senna's former high school sweetheart, Emmett, lives nearby and is still in love with her, but she isn't interested in rekindling their relationship. When Valerie encounters Patrick, a handsome college professor who just bought the house next door, she isn't attracted to him—at first. However, in both cases, love finds a way, but the way has many twists, turns, and complications. 

 

There are some other complications, too.  Plants and shrubs are being stolen from neighboring greenhouses and garden centers, and the Mertons worry that theirs will be hit. The son of neighbors—who also have a nursery business in the area—returns home after years of being away and returns to his former obsession with Senna, who can't stand him. Plus Senna has a secret that only a few know. . . .  Of course, there's a lot more to the plot.

The setting is important, and Stepp uses plenty of description so readers feel as if they're almost there. For instance, hiking is a major activity in the book, so the trails are described in depth and let the reader see the wonders of the Smokies. When Patrick lets Valerie know he enjoys hiking, she invites him to show him some area trails. Of course, they discover many of their common interest as they hike.  

 

Typically, Stepp includes a map of where her characters live. Here's part of the map that shows where the nursery is. . .

. . . and the part that shows where the Mertons' house is and where Patrick's house is.

 

Wildflower Haven will be available on Amazon in paperback on March 7, 2026, and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon. It will be available for Kindle soon.

 

Looks like Charlotte is going to read Wildflower Haven first.

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