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Book: “A Secret in the Garden” by Jeneane O’Riley
Publishing Info: Bloom Books, February 2026
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Some secrets were never meant to be unearthed.
Perched on a windswept cliff, Blackwood Manor looms like a dark monument to a mysterious family. Behind its grand iron gates, one part of the estate has been left to rot since the tragic death of Hester Blackwood: the once-glorious conservatory, now choked by vines and shattered glass. The rest of the family is gone—only her brooding son, Jasper, remains, the heir to a weapons empire.
Desperate to save her job and out of options, botanist Eliza Arnold makes a bold gamble—drive to the manor and beg the elusive millionaire for a donation. Jasper agrees…on one chilling condition: restore the conservatory. Alone. No help. No leaving.
But the manor is not empty.
As Eliza battles thorns and secrets, a magnetic tension builds between her and Jasper—dark, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. And something else stirs among the roots and ruins…whispers in the walls, confusing disturbances, and a presence watching her every move.
The deeper Eliza digs, the more she uncovers a garden of grief, longing…and desire. Because in Blackwood Manor, even buried things can bloom again.
Review: I’ve had a lot of luck with gothic fantasy novels recently, so I guess I was due for one to not hit for me eventually. And, perhaps not surprisingly, it was the contemporary one that did it. To be fair, there are plenty of contemporary romances that I do really enjoy; this one just didn’t hold up.
Much of this book didn’t work for me, so I’m struggling a bit with the positives. I’ll say that the overall concept was appealing. Gothic fantasy/romances often have a similar premise: some call to action brings in the protagonist to a mysterious manor/castle/what-have-you where they discover much is not as it seems, including, often, the truth regarding some sort of brooding caretaker. So this one set up in a similar way, and the book took no time in getting our main character on location. The story moves quickly, so I was well into it before really settling into why it wasn’t working.
I think my problems with this book come down to two factors: structure of the plot and characterization. To start with the plot, quite quickly the book settles into a pattern of every day: Eliza gardens and Jasper broods. For all that we’re meant to believe there is a great mystery brewing here, the story itself does very little to move this plot forward. Honestly, it all became very tiresome, very quickly. Gothic novels are usually a bit on the slower pace, devoting a lot of time to the development of atmosphere and tension before the inevitable payoff, often late in the story. But here, nothing that was going on contributed to this atmosphere. Instead, it all felt tedious, and I was left frustrated that Eliza was so passive with regards to the mysteries surrounding her circumstances.
And this leads into my primary issue with the book: the characters and the romance itself. First, Eliza. Like I said, she’s an incredibly passive character, and even if you try to make the case that this is part of her emotional arc, I don’t think it makes her a particularly compelling or sympathetic character to follow. While the story sets up a deeper backstory for her, one that includes past traumas that would reflect her behaviors today, I don’t think enough was done to really address these things. Eliza’s thoughts and choices, particularly with regards to the romantic interest, remained deeply unhealthy throughout.
And look, I’m not a dark romance fan for a reason. I get that it works for others, but it very much doesn’t for me. And I think this book strayed a bit too far in this direction for my particular taste. See, there is a very important distinction to be found between fantasy romance and contemporary romance, for me. In a fantasy world, life is often violent, dangerous, and cruel. In this way, the characters that people these worlds have very different views of life and the ways in which death plays a role in their everyday life. In a romantasy, for example, if a romantic lead is slightly murderous, this is often completely reasonable, even necessary, for survival in this world; an attractive trait, to boot, for the heroine in these books. But here, we have a contemporary setting, a romantic interest who seems quite murderous at times, and a passive heroine who seems not only not warned off by these toxic traits, but actively turned on by it all. And combined with her other traumas, I was left feeling like Eliza needed therapy more than a boyfriend. And if she did find love, Jasper is the last person she should be turning to.
Beyond this, the romance itself was very insta-lust-y. Jasper has been a recluse, but for some reason, he’s immediately into Eliza. And like I said, Eliza’s interest in him is portrayed as quite unhealthy, the speed of which it occurs only solidifying this point.
Now, much of what I described above is probably quite tame as far as contemporary dark romance goes, so it’s all quite subjective. If you enjoy this style of romance, all of these complaints may actually be points in its favor.
That said, I also think the writing itself was quite juvenile at times, too often spiraling into repetitive thoughts spinning through our heroine’s head again and again. At best, I felt distanced from the story itself, and at worst, downright bored. Even for dark romance readers, I have to imagine there are better options out there.
Rating 6: Unfortunately, even the gothic setting couldn’t save this one for me. The characters were unlikable in different ways, and the romance relied too heavily on insta-lust.
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