OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS

What would you sacrifice for true love—and can you force others to make that sacrifice for you?

When rising senior Rose Pauly is forced to move from New York City to small-town Connecticut following her parents’ divorce, she feels out of place. But a chance meeting on her first night in town leads her to “her first love, her biggest enemy, and her best friend.” When Rose meets Hart Hargrove, it’s love, or at least lust, at first sight and their romance is a whirlwind. Heather, Hart’s sister, is less enthusiastic about the match and tries to warn Rose away. Though the pair, who present white, are head over heels, Hart harbors secrets about himself and his family’s seemingly magical garden, one that can make all your wishes come true—but at a price. The main action is interrupted periodically for vignettes. Are these glimpses of the future? Daydreams? Flashbacks? Clues hint at a darker timeline, but the truth, which astute readers may begin to harbor inklings of, isn’t fully revealed until the climax. Hart’s possessiveness of Rose demands that readers grapple with whether he truly loves her or she’s merely the object of his obsession, and if her affection for him is even her choice. The story ends on a satisfactory cliffhanger, leaving the lingering question of what price one should pay for love.

Young love’s twisted roots will leave readers in suspense.