Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher Review: A Slow-Burn Gothic Romance

“A combination of study, timing, and luck had brought me to this moment, and I had a strong sense that it was exactly where I was supposed to be.” – Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher

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Gothic Romantacy, say less! Gothic season has officially begun (unless you celebrate 365 days a year, like me) and I plan on getting in as many gothic reads as I possibly can. Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher was definitely a great start to my plan of all things Gothic for this October!

This was my first book by Sharon Lynn Fisher, even though I have a few of her other books on my TBR (Salt & Broom, Tea & Alchemy), and it is safe to assume I will be bumping those titles up to get them in this gothic season!

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Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher Summary

Catherine Gray, a botanical illustrator, arrives at the isolated estate of Pine Cottage. Assigned to help document its extraordinary greenhouse, Catherine expects a quiet assignment surrounded by rare and beautiful plants. But of course, she finds herself drawn into the strange history of the place, the mysterious flower Bane Bloom, and Thomas Bane, the guarded groundskeeper who is more than determined to keep Catherine at arm’s length.

As Catherine digs deeper into the secrets and mysteries surrounding the house and it’s past occupants, she is forced her to confront not only the mysteries of Pine Cottage, but the mysteries she has spent her entire life trying to understand.

Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher Review

Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher was giving me major Pride & Prejudice meets Outlander vibes all swept inside a gothic glasshouse, and I was so down for it. Those are two of my favorite books, so I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. More specifically, Thomas felt like Mr. Darcy with Jamie Fraser’s knowledge of Scottish history and language. And I’m not sure who enjoyed Thomas calling Catherine “lass” more, Catherine or me.

And then there is warm, intelligent Catherine who is ever so slightly torn between a normal relationship that is expected of her by society, or one that is created by what could be perceived as folklore.

Set against the beautiful and atmospheric Pine Cottage, Bane Bloom really gave me exactly the kind of gothic historical romance I love. With a slow-burn attraction paired with longing and secrets, this story was a beautiful telling of two people who spend too much time trying very hard not to admit out loud what they really want while you’re internally screaming for them to kiss already.

Bane Bloom – Thomas POV

One of the things this book did exceptionally well was adding Thomas’ POV. But unlike other dual narratives, Thomas’ POV’s were few and far between, which only added to the already exceptional longing.

Thomas’s short and very infrequent POV chapters gives readers this brief glimpse behind his gaurded exterior and ended up giving the romance so much more depth. You could see how much he wanted Catherine, but also how much he wanted what he thought was best for her. It made every moment of tension feel more tangible.

Bane Bloom – Catherine’s Desire

Beneath all the beautiful slow burning romance, I found myself constantly thinking about Catherine’s relationship with desire itself.

“What had drawn her here? What is it she hungers for? Whatever it is, the house will find it out.”

Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher

For so much of her life, Catherine believed her mother’s disappearance was an abandonment of her. Only at the end do we learn that her mother’s leaving had nothing to do with Catherine and everything to do with her father. That discovery made me think differently about the life Catherine has built for herself and all the things she has convinced herself she needs.

Because underneath her independence, I think Catherine has always had the strong desire to be chosen and to know that someone will want her enough to stay.

But even more important than being chosen by someone else, I loved that the story becomes about Catherine learning to choose for herself.

She has the option to take the safe and expected path with Hamish, to move into the life he has already laid out for her, and to spend the rest of her life looking through a window at the life she actually wanted.

“Because there was one thing of which I was certain: I could not marry Hamish, move into his house, and then spend the rest of my life trying to catch a glimpse of another man out my husband’s window.”

Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Catherine finally understands the difference between the life she could have and the life she actually wants. And rather than simply accepting what has been chosen for her, (by Thomas, Hamish, or even her father) she allows herself to choose it.

And maybe that is what the house was trying to uncover for her all along: not who Catherine would fall in love with, but what she would choose when she finally allowed herself to want it.

Bane Bloom by Sharon Lynn Fisher Audiobook Review

As if I wasn’t already lucky enough to receive this ARC, I was also given the Bane Bloom audiobook to review making this the full on immersive reading experience of my dreams.

Bronwen Price did such a wonderful job bringing Catherine to life. I do want to add that her interpretation of Thomas took a little getting used to. As I said earlier, Thomas is very much a Darcy in my mind: reserved and guarded with his emotions. And since we veryyy occasionally get to step inside his head, we also know just how much is happening underneath all that restraint. At times, I felt like Price’s portrayal leaned so far into his quiet reserve that some of that underlying emotion got a little lost for me.

Will M. Watt, on the other hand, absolutely captured the Thomas I had imagined while reading. Even though his POV chapters are so few and far between, he brought a little more emotional weight and yearning to those moments, which made them stand out even more for me. And considering how much I loved those glimpses into Thomas’s thoughts, I appreciated hearing that same longing come through in Watt’s performance.

Final Thoughts: Bane Bloom

I really loved my time with Bane Bloom. It gave me everything I was hoping for in a gothic historical romance: a gorgeous setting, secrets woven into an old house, a little bit of magic and folklore, and (most importantly) so much slow-burn longing.

Catherine and Thomas absolutely worked for me, and those little glimpses into Thomas’s POV only made me love them and want so much more of them!

This is truly an easy to fall into story where you cant help but root for two people while they slowly but finally figure out what the hell they want in life.

If you’re like me, always searching for a historical romance that feels like Outlander or Pride and Prejudice, with some botanical magic, Scottish folklore, Gothic atmosphere, and enough slow-burn longing to make you want to scream JUST KISS ALREADY, Bane Bloom just might be your next read…

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you 47North, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC and ALC!