The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne
by Summer N. EnglandCategory
About this book
Love grows in the most unimaginable of places in Summer N. England's sweet and spicy cozy romantasy debut, for fans of The Spellshop and For Whom the Belle Tolls! Most stories end with a happily ever after. But mine? Well, it begins with one ... After a lonely childhood, Clara Thorne is living out her happy ending as the magically gifted gardener for the town of Moss. Sure, her closest companion is a surly hedgehog, and she’s forever stuck on the first line of her novel, but she has a home. That is, until The Goddess chooses Clara for an important quest—travel to the cursed town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. In less than a month. Only Clara’s hiding a terrible secret: her magic doesn't work outside Moss. Worse, The Goddess has assigned the absurdly sexy, annoyingly cheerful Hesper Altanfall to keep her safe. Clara would rather eat thorns than accept help—especially since Hesper insists that Clara’s magic is bound to her heart, not her home. Nevertheless, the two can't help growing closer as they traverse enchanted woods and share tavern beds. But with an ancient evil threatening from the shadows, saving Dwindle will require more than enchanted crops. Clara will need to unearth a magic she’s always believed impossible.
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What readers are saying
Laura MillerA Good ‘Ole Quest - With a Delightfully Grumpy FMC
"Overall Rating: 4/5 Spice: 3/5 I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy novel, but I do think that it is a mistake for the reader to approach it expecting the story to fit neatly into the “cozy romantasy” box. It is more nuanced than that, more complicated than a surface level trope sorting, and readers approaching it with ANY preconceptions will finds themselves (unfairly) disappointed. First, the best way that I can describe the FMC Clara is as a female version of Bilbo Baggins. At multiple points during the story I found myself making the direct comparison - Clara’s cantankerousness, her longing for her routine and her quaint home… ALL of it reminded me of the Hobbit. What makes Clara unique is that she KNOWS in her bones just how lucky she is to have found a home in Moss, to be able to do a job she loves, and surrounded by people who genuinely care for each other. Because she knows that, she also lives with the constant fear and anxiety of losing her enchanted life - of being deemed unworthy of it in some way. And so, when she is given a task by their Goddess, she knows that she has no choice but to complete the quest, even if she has zero idea how to do so. Does Clara spend a lot of internal monologuing time wishing that she was NOT on a fate-of-the-world-deciding quest? YES, yes, she does. But honestly, Bilbo did it too and no one criticized HIM. Add to all of this, the sexy Hesper - Clara’s Goddess-appointed guard and companion on her quest. I loved Hesper. She is the quintessential mysterious fighter, she has a sense of humor, and she doesn’t let Clara listen to her own doubts. Hesper banters, teases, and kicks ass. I absolutely loved her, and I loved her for falling for someone like Clara. Their relationship development felt natural to me, and I didn’t find the spicy scenes to be out of place (like some reviewers have). I think that by regarding the story simply as a quest-based fantasy that ALSO has a romantic subplot will help prevent readers from feeling jarred by the sexual scenes that fall outside of the “cozy” romance rules. My only true criticism is that the final boss fight felt rushed. We spent a long time anticipating the tremendous stakes of Clara’s task, and the minions of the “dark lord” villain were sufficiently scary as they chased her and Hesper through the enchanted countryside. However when it finally came down to Clara’s confrontation, it was all over before it really began. Imagine if Frodo and Sam just flicked the One Ring into the volcano and the orc army just drops dead before the other heroes even get their swords out… it was just a bit too anti-climactic. I read some reviews that said the book overall was too long - I think that really the pacing of the rest of the story was good, but we should have drug out that last battle to match it. Not everyone needs to be rescued/revived/healed for us to achieve the HEA feels. Overall, I did really enjoy the narrative style. I felt like Clara was a very true to herself character - even with her internal struggles, she never once strays from her guiding values of protecting her friends and her home. I adored Hesper, and would honestly follow an entire series with her in it. It did well as a standalone, but if the author continues the series, I would definitely return for more. ["
April 18, 2026
MaryIt starts with a hedgehog and just gets better from there!
"This book is a delight and will surprise you with its depth, warmth, heart, and spice. England plays with some of our favorite fantasy romance tropes masterfully fulfilling and subverting them interchangeably. Her characters' journeys are beautiful, both internally with surprising emotional depths and externally with rich cozy world building. This is the perfect spring time read to get you excited for what can blossom in unexpected places. Can't wait to see what this debut author puts out next. ["
April 7, 2026 Verified Purchase