Sunflower “Sunny” Bloom has always been an introvert, happier working in the family flower farm than talking with people, but it’s time to step out of her comfort zone.
With her sisters blissfully partnered, Sunny enters a Valentine’s Day bachelorette auction, dreaming of her own shot at love. Worst decision ever. She doesn’t know what to wear or how to do her hair and makeup, and only one person bids on her after endless seconds of silence. Mortified, Sunny flees.
Burned-out architect Thorne Westbrook traded corporate grind for his own firm and a balanced life, but blueprints can’t fill the void. At the auction, on a whim, he bids high on the wide-eyed beauty no one else wants. She vanishes before hello, so he chases her to small-town Marietta, Montana, hungry for that date…and maybe more.
Defenses crumble over dinner confessions, fascination blooms, and passions ignite. But can two wary, guarded people trust each other to finally get it right?
Titles in The Bloom Sisters series include: Headstrong Cowboy ~ The Firefighter’s Christmas ~ The Bachelor’s Winning Bid ~ The Cowboy’s Unexpected Family ~
This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.
Title: The Bachelor’s Winning Bid
Series: The Bloom Sisters #3
Author: Nicole Flockton
Published: February 10, 2026
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4.5 stars
We continue The Bloom Sisters series with Sunny’s story in The Bachelor’s Winning Bid. I am enjoying this series so much, especially since it is set in my favorite fictional town, Marietta, Montana. We’ve met Sunny before, and her quiet personality, completely wrapped up in her love for the flower farm, runs deep. It was such fun to see her find her own happily-ever-after.
Sunny had decided to step outside of her comfort zone. She’s watched her sisters find their perfect match and, even if she is shy and content creating new flower hybrids at the flower farm… still, she’d love to have someone special in her life, too. She’ll take a risk, and enter a Valentine’s Day auction… and immediately begins to second-guess her decision. When the silence stretches uncomfortably long, and a table full of arrogant men starts to make comments about her, Sunny simply wants to sink into the floor. Until a bid is made, a very unreasonable high bid is made. She’s not hanging around to find out who did such an outrageous thing, convinced that she’ll just be a laughingstock to the bidder, Sunny flees home and vows that her romantic notions are firmly behind her. Romance is just not for her. Until that bidder tracks her down and insists on their date… perhaps that risk was worth it after all.
Thorne is burned out. Simple. Burned by life, by romance with a disastrous marriage now behind him. He needs a reboot, a fresh start, and never could have expected that helping out a friend by going to that Valentine’s Day auction would be the step that could lead him into a far different future. He could see how uncomfortable that lovely young woman was up on that stage, and he could hear the rude comments from a table full of idiots. Did he intend to bid? No. Yet that impulsive action is about to change lives, and if winning the charmingly shy Sunny takes a bit of time, it’s certainly an enjoyable experience.
I loved Sunny and Thorne’s romance (and I got a bit of a chuckle at a pun I saw in this hero’s name since Sunny had just created a new rose hybrid). Both are wounded in different ways, both are looking for something, someone who truly gets them, understands them, and could love them just exactly as they are. Their story is well-written (I expect that from this author), full of emotions from tears to laughter, the shenanigans of the residents of one quirky small town, and the love of family, even when they can be annoying. If you love a well-crafted romance with relatable and believable characters, then you’d enjoy this one. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the series with The Cowboy’s Unexpected Family, due out in June of 2026.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
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