Mani – A delightful read!!! – Amazon
I don’t read many rom-coms as I find most of them end up with similar sorts of storylines and to me nearly every book starts to feels the same, but not this one. This one was different it was more originally. There were some great silly moments that had me giggling, while at the same time had the perfect amount of seriousness added.
There is a great cast of characters, all different and unique in their own ways. But the main character Perdita is the one to look out for. I wasn’t sure about her character at the first as she came across as quite naïve and clueless and rather an unreliable character, but as you read on you actually start feeling sorry for her and realise she is just an innocent hard working person. By the end her character actually ended up being my favourite.
Love & Pollination was an easy and delightful to read. If you’re looking for a well written rom-com that will have you giggling and grinning during your read then this is definitely a book to try out.
It is a light hearted book, with some laugh out loud moments. Personally, it was slightly too quirky for me, but I know that a lot of people will enjoy the quirkiness.
And on Goodreads, Mani began her review with this:
Firstly, I want to start by thanking Mari for taking a big risk in asking me to review this book. If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that it’s not very often I pick up a rom-com read. But this year I’m trying very hard to try books out of my comfort zone and when Mari got in touch asking if I would be interested in reading it I knew I had to give it ago. So, I would like to thank Mari for taking the risk and for sending me a physical copy of the book.
Now for the moment of truth was Mari’s book a hit or a miss??
Well, I’m delighted to say it was a massive hit!!!
Amazon Customer – Rom-com with lots of action and lots of laughs – Amazon
Raised by nuns, quirky Perdita Riley is ill-prepared for the real world of men, dating, and sex. She becomes close friends with two gay men whom she regularly confides in. Luke, Gavin, and her beloved cat, Frank, see her through the good times and the bad times.
Without giving away spoilers, the storyline revolves around what Perdita calls Setback Number One and Setback Number Two. These setbacks and a meddling, but delightful old lady (Aunt Violet), ultimately lead Perdita to a new home, new love, and new family. In between there is lots of action and lots of laughs. Love & Pollination is a recommended read for all lovers of rom-coms.
Elysia – The book itself is everything you want in a rom com. – Amazon
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by the author to read and have honestly really enjoyed reading!!
First of all… the main character of this book is Perdita – a 28 year old maths graduate with a brilliant working life but not much knowledge when it comes to romance! Without giving anything away, I found Perdita be a really relatable character. Not only is she witty and funny, making you laugh out loud, but she is seriously in the dark when it comes to men!
Throughout the story, the twists and turns of events made me really feel for Perdita. Everything is looking up for her and you think you know her as a person but then all of a sudden she makes a decision you didn’t expect. She is such a down to earth person, you cant help but identify with her (especially when Saul is being such an idiot). But as a whole, Perdita is a character with the hope and amibition that everyone should strive to have and that’s what I loved about her the most.
The book itself is everything you want in a rom com. From the light hearted moments, to the heart pulling romance, all the way to the moments of laughing out loud at the pages. I was personally rooting for Perdita and Saul throughout the book which kept me reading and wanting more. It’s definitely worth the read!
Deborah King – Delightfully Quirky – Amazon
The first few chapters of Law’s story caught me completely off-guard. The main character is a weak, naïve young woman. Her soon-to-be love interest is an unbelievable bully, and not a sole who witnesses their first encounter phones the police.
I did not enjoy the beginning of the book, but I am so happy I stuck with it as the story fell into and action-packed rom-com.
I adored Perdita’s use of botany terms to explain the precarious position she finds herself in. Violet’s constant meddling and delightful personality had me in stitches along with Luke’s and Gavin’s, Perdita’s best friends, reactions to her life and vocabulary choices.
Saul rubbed me the wrong way throughout the story, but I was able to ignore him and revel in Perdita’s journey toward her dreams, despite her numerous “setbacks.”
I read at least eight books a month and normally cannot remember what each book was about, but Law’s story is embedded in my mind. If you appreciate quirky reads, you’ll savor Love & Pollination.
This was a very sweet story which I enjoyed reading.
To be honest, when I started reading the story I really didn’t know what to make of it. A lot happens in the beginning when Saul ‘kidnaps’ Perdita. However, it gets entertaining when Perdita moves in with Saul and they start interacting with each other. I really enjoyed both of them as a couple. Moreover, I liked Saul as character and his backstory. All the supporting characters were also charming and quirky in their own manner. Gavin and Luke are awesome and I loved their support on Perdita through her situation. I also enjoyed how Tony appears and spices up the story with his involvement. I also laughed out loud at the scenes when Perdita delivers the baby, or when Elliot confuses the situation.
However, the only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was because I was conflicted with Perdita. At times, I liked her innocence how naive she is to certain situations. However, at times I was just rolling my eyes wondering if she could be so clueless. Personally, I love strong female protagonists, hence it was hard for me to like her because of how lost and dependent she was on Saul and risk her health and the baby’s. I mean, how did she not even realize that she was pregnant, considering her education? But, like I said, I really liked her chemistry with Saul and I thought they both made a very cute couple.
Overall, the author did a very nice job of writing this adorable story-line. It’s quirky, weird, and eccentric but works well.
Raisha Hayes – Funny read – Amazon
Much love to @marijanelaw and @lovebookstours for an Ecopy of Love and Pollination
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I’m not usually into Romantic Comedies in either book or film. However, upon reading it I found a well written RomCom that was funny and quirky and not like others of its kind!
The characters are wacky, flamboyant and fun. Perdita, who was the main character, was really relatable to me personally being a naïve, hard working lady who just couldn’t seem to catch a break.
All the situations these characters found themselves in seem unreasonable yet naturally done. It also didn’t feel too heavy handed on the typical tropes you find in Romantic Comedies.
Overall a 4/5 star from me
Mrs Karen Andrew – Cute – Amazon
Perdita lives alone and when we meet her she is sitting huddled up under her duvet on the sofa crying with her cat Frank. She got fired… Setback Number Two in Perdita’s life.
Perdita worked in finance and lost a client called Violet a lot of money, disagreed with company procedures hence getting fired. She is devastated. She is tracked down by Violet’s nephew Saul as he blames her for his aunts losses. Violet wasnt entirely honest with her assets and it would seem the loss passes to Saul.
Saul believes that Perdita is at fault regardless to Violet signing terms and conditions. He will sue Perdita unless she comes up with a way to pay back the loss to the tune of £25k. Violet needs a carer, Perdita needs a job and their needs seem to be met.
As the story progresses we realise that Perdita is different and quirky and sometimes doesn’t understand things the way other people do. This just makes her character lovable. She struggles to understand that she is pregnant and what impact that will have on her.
The story is a beautiful love story and of a woman’s journey to feel normal in a busy and sometimes unkind world.
I loved this book and the characters.
Mrsljgibbs – An endearingly funny romance – Amazon
I would just like to say a very big thank you to @lovebookstours and @mari for gifting me a copy of this wonderful book in return for an honest review.
This book was a wonderful, endearingly funny romance and i really enjoyed everything about it.
Love and Pollination is very well written and was very easy to read – I found myself wanting to read more and more to find out what happens net.
I absolutely loved how all the small pieces fall into place and make up the bigger picture.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a laugh and to fall in love, but who also wants something a little bit different…
Book Lover – A compelling and delightful read – Amazon
This book made me want to keep reading. Its storyline was unique and engaging. If you enjoy romantic comedies, this book is worth a read.
☑️Relatable & entertaining characters
☑️ Engaging and hilarious
☑️ Charming romantic story
I can relate to Perdita’s naivety as it is both admiring and funny. I mean, the book didn’t tell unrealistic situations and challenges, I found myself thinking, “OMG, that’s what will I do, or that’s so me.” It’s fast-paced with humorous twists. I definitely enjoyed reading it.
Thank you so much @lovebookstours, for my gifted copy
Abbi193 – Great romcom – Amazon
I really wasn’t sure about Perdita at the start of the book as she seemed too naive for my liking but I really liked her by the end. It’s a great romcom story with even better characters. I loved how fast paced it was and at times extremely hilarious!
What I liked:
* Great characters
* Hilarious
* Fast paced
Sally – Instagram
I don’t know about anyone else but I loooooooooooove a romantic comedy, film or book, I love them all! This book was like a breath of fresh air, especially whilst reading a few SK books (#iykyk ) and I loved every page of it. Perdita is such a relatable character and one I wasn’t sure about to begin with, but absolutely adored by the end. I loved the light-heartness of the book and how it made me laugh out loud througout, it really made me appreciate the comedic side 🤩 the character development of all the characters, especially Perdita and Saul, is fantastic and really completed the story for me. I absolutely recommend this to everyone – its just a fun book to read!
S. J. Main – Good Contemporary fiction – Amazon
Love and pollination is a funny contemporary fiction written about Perdita. Perdita has never been kissed and has a crush who has no clue about her feelings. Her client realizes the ordeal and suggests some moderation towards Perdita’s image. Her failure and its complications to attract and adapt to coping with society make this book a thrill to read.
As the story moves on, Perdita does eventually meet Saul, and she experiences the ups and downs of a relationship that promises a brighter future.
I really liked the cover design for the book. It suited the content. The dynamic was a bit far-fetched and fell apart at times but came together as I read along. The pace was steady and kept the reader intrigued. The story was easy and fast to read.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a fun, entertaining fictional story.
Dan Smith – Charming with plenty of laughs – Amazon
This novel delivers enough laughs to earn its inclusion in the romantic comedy genre. I was simultaneously charmed and disturbed by the innocence and naivete of Perdita. In this novel, the author is illustrating the potential negative impact of Catholic schools not providing comprehensive sex ed.
And, on Goodreads, Dan adds a bit more:
Perdita is so naive that her unwanted pregnancy is a predictable outcome. But her innocence is charming. Saul is frustratingly obstinate, but this provides much of the novel’s needed tension. Both Perdita and Saul are characters that I am able to root for. I intend to read additional novels by this author.
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by the author to read and have honestly really enjoyed reading!!
First of all… the main character of this book is Perdita – a 28 year old maths graduate with a brilliant working life but not much knowledge when it comes to romance! Without giving anything away, I found Perdita be a really relatable character. Not only is she witty and funny, making you laugh out loud, but she is seriously in the dark when it comes to men!
Throughout the story, the twists and turns of events made me really feel for Perdita. Everything is looking up for her and you think you know her as a person but then all of a sudden she makes a decision you didn’t expect. She is such a down to earth person, you cant help but identify with her (especially when Saul is being such an idiot). But as a whole, Perdita is a character with the hope and amibition that everyone should strive to have and that’s what I loved about her the most.
The book itself is everything you want in a rom com. From the light hearted moments, to the heart pulling romance, all the way to the moments of laughing out loud at the pages. I was personally rooting for Perdita and Saul throughout the book which kept me reading and wanting more. It’s definitely worth the read!
MHC – An endearingly funny romance – Amazon
It’s impossible not to engage with Perdita who, though living in the modern world, is at heart a 19th century ingénue in search of true romance. Given that her understanding of human relationships derives almost exclusively from botany, pitfalls inevitably abound, and her repeated efforts to disentangle herself from them seem to simply make matters worse. Will she ever achieve the “happy ever after” ending of her dreams?
Chantelle – Goodreads
Perdita is so relatable she reminds me of a good friend always trying to do best in life. I found it charming with valued reflecting a vibe of normalized life & multitasking.
8/10 “High Rater”
MH – Chick Lit Club
Life has not been easy for Perdita, an orphan who was raised by nuns in a convent. As a result, she’s a bit naive when it comes to the birds and the bees and is now facing the greatest dilemma of her life.
Her understanding about love, sex and fertility is based on a story about woman being flowers, men as bees and the final act is pollination. After she is used by Tony – the man she liked – she finds out that she is “pollinated”. She also realises that in her capacity as a financial advisor, she has messed up the investments of her client Violet.
Violet’s nephew, Saul, decides to take revenge. He kidnaps Perdita from a store, takes her home and blackmails her to move in and help him with Violet who has had a stroke.
With a baby on the way and no other plans, Perdita accepts and the relationship between her and Saul soon gets even more complicated. Will there be a good bee that is willing to stay by the flower? Dubbed a “whacky romantic comedy” by the author, this is a beautiful story about life that doesn’t always go the way we planned.
Books R Best – QUICK, LIGHT READ – Amazon
The title of the book is very apt as Perdita leaves the convent and ventures into the outside world. This book is worth 5 stars, the editing is good, the flow maintained, but I could not get to grips with the main character. One moment Perdita is an innocent the next she has plenty to say for herself. I found her changes of moods quite bewildering and like a Brian Rix farce no one gets to explain the situation before they are interrupted or stalks off in a huff. Try this, read it, as I said it is well written and there are several quirky and amusing lines.
KarenK is Reading – Also on Amazon and Goodreads
A 3.5 star read for me.
Today I’m sharing my review for Love and Pollination by Mari Jane Law. Thank you to the author and Du Bois Publishing for a paperback copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Firstly, I loved the cover design – it is beautiful and fits the story title perfectly.
This is the story of Perdita, an orphan who grew up around Catholic nuns, who a degree in maths and is a financial advisor, but who has no experience of intimate relationships. Perdita is persuaded to help look after an elderly client, Violet, who was left out of pocket after following Perdita’s financial advice (after lying about her assets) .
However, Violet is not the ‘victim’ her nephew Saul believes her to be, and is quietly trying to pair Saul and Perdita together. However, the course of true love is never easy and there are lots of mishaps and misunderstandings along the way.
It is a light hearted book, with some laugh out loud moments. Personally, it was slightly too quirky for me, but I know that a lot of people will enjoy the quirkiness.
Mari Jane Law 