The Unfinished Garden

A lovely story by Chapel Hill author Barbara Claypole White, who specializes in “love stories about damaged people.” I really love how she normalizes mental illness and incorporates people who are affected by it (either themselves or in their families) into her novels. I look forward to reading more by her!

I am a sucker for romances that feature damaged characters but this one didn't quite do it for me. It was well written, and the author creates good chemistry between hero and heroine. But the emotional baggage is piled on so heavily that it weighs down the romance and makes it difficult to believe that there can be a true HEA ending. Having a hero with OCD is a challenge enough, but also having him be guilt-ridden about his relationships with various family members? Likewise, the heroine is not only grieving the death of her husband, but also taking a guilt trip about the part she fears she played in his loss, not to mention experiencing a health scare AND facing her childhood first love. The author should have had more confidence in her writing and her characters without setting so many obstacles in their path. Still, this is an impressive debut and a surprise to find such a thoughtful read from Harlequin. I would definitely check out White's next novel.