Bestselling author Staci Hart is back with a brand new romantic comedy and clever spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Meet the Bennet brothers, get to know Longbourne, and fall in love in this steamy opposites attract romcom.They say there’s no such thing as perfect.But I’ve built my life to perfection—the perfect boyfriend, the perfect apartment, the perfect career planning celebrity … perfect career planning celebrity weddings. My job—my only job—is to make sure every event is absolutely and completely perfect.
What’s not perfect? Kash Bennet.
And I wish I didn’t find that so appealing.
I could have told you every perfectly imperfect thing about the gardener at Longbourne. Like his hair, lush and black and far too long. Or his nose, the flat bridge of a Greek god, bent a little like it’s been broken. Or his size. Beastly. Roped and corded with muscles, gleaming with sweat and peppered with dirt. There’s no escaping him, not if I’m going to use his family’s flower shop for my events.
But nothing is what it seems. And in the span of a heartbeat, my perfect life is turned inside out. They say the best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody new. When Kash offers his services to the cause, it sounds like the perfect plan.
What’s not part of the plan? Falling in love with the gardener.
But they were right—there’s no such thing as perfect.
And I’m the fool who finds out the hard way.
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“The laid-back flower guy and the uptight wedding planner, 5 stars”
I love Hart. Plain and simple. Her books just get to me in a way most authors don’t. I get completely consumed. Heck were talking about a woman who is writing a book revolving around a flower shop and I want to become a flower person because of it. I don’t even like flowers! But here I am looking up flowers because Kash/Hart make them sound amazing. You will fall for both the hero and heroine in Gilded Lily, and then you will probably google every flower mentioned because dang it, you just want to know!
Kash is laid-back and keeps to himself. He loves his flower beds and being there for his family. He just lets them all think he’s a womanizer, because why not? There’s something about the uptight Lila who he’s known forever that he can’t help but want to get to know on a different level. Will he be able to convince her to take a shot on him? Will he be able to show her that there is so much more to him than what others think?
Lila is all work and no play. She’s organized and will do anything to get to where she wants. She’s known the Bennett’s forever and feels bad that she’s never used them before. Now that her sister has convinced her to use them for her events Lila can’t help but feel a little bad that she hadn’t already. But working up close with Kash is a little more than she can handle. He makes her feel things she’s never felt before. Is there a future for the two opposites or are they over before they even start? Only one way to find out.
Plot-5/5
Characters-5/5
Heat-5/5
Writing style-5/5
Overall-5/5
I love how Staci Hart tells a story. Gilded Lily does not disappoint!
Kash and Lila are quite the story. She’s high-class event planner, he’s the gardener. Their families work together, I love their banter and chemistry and how they challenge each other.
As they are drawn to each other, I could not stop reading. I wanted to know what they were doing next.
One of my favorite lines from Lila was:
And with every step, I gathered my courage. I was a girl who knew what she wanted and went out and got it. But when it came to Kash, I was as delicate as those seedlings, roots fresh and seeking purchase in uncertain ground. He was uncharted territory—why exactly, I couldn’t say. Not beyond the simple newness, the unexpected truth of him.
This is what Staci Hart gives to readers. Great words, great characters, great feelings. Her characters have depth and I love watching them grow.
Thank you Staci for another incredible read…. go read this book now!
Amazing book! Amazing writing style! Staci killed this . I cannot praise Staci enough for how beautifully this book was written. She always punctuated the feel of the story with words so that it wasn’t just what the characters were saying but also how they were saying it. I’m not sure I’m making any sense here but I don’t know how to put this into words – reading the story was an experience!
I fell in love with the characters instantly. Lila and Kash are so different at first sight, but underneath the surface they hold the same values. Lila is a focus driven, career oriented woman who is consumed by her work. She doesn’t want to show weakness, not to anyone. Then comes in Kash. He is simple, uncomplicated, wears his heart on his sleeve. He offers Lila the distraction she so desperately needs, even if it will cost him everything. Their dynamics is just perfect. They compliment each other like very few characters I’ve read. Lila and Kash have it all – off the chart chemistry, banter, lots of smut…everything the reader needs!
It’s easy to say I already miss the characters. The story had the perfect pace, it focused a lot on the development of Lila and Kash and the circumstances surrounding the beginning of their relationship. We also got to see the secondary characters from Coming Up Roses, the first book in Bennet brothers series, but don’t worry, the book can be read as a standalone!
Can I give this book at least a thousand stars? No? Okay five will have to do 🙂
Staci Hart is known for her charming, romantic, and unique books. Guilded Lily, the second book in her Bennet Brothers series, definitely lives up to the other wonderful books she’s written.
At first glance, Kash and Lila do not seem like a good match. He works in the gardens of his family’s flower shop and she plans weddings for elite clients. Their chemistry becomes more apparent, though, as they get to know each other better after Lila’s relationship ends badly. They were both fun characters who had more going on than first impressions made it seem.
The story has a nice balance of humor, sweet moments, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. I loved getting to see more of the Bennet family and Lila’s sister Ivy. The siblings are so much fun and add a lot to the story. I can’t wait for more books in this series!
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.
Sigh… Nothing like a good story to make you happy.
Kash and Lila are complete opposites and even when you think they won’t be able to get past that you realize that nothing and no one could keep them apart. Their attraction for each other is undeniable and the chemistry between these two pours out of the pages even if they are at some point, at each others throats with the most hilarious banter ever. The build up in their relationship is everything you didn’t know you needed until you’ve had it. I absolutely love how they went from just having a casual relationship for rebound purposes and ended up catching feelings for the other one.
This book is romance at its best. It’s just not sparks that fly, fireworks explode high in the sky when these two are together, their love for each other had me swooning all over them. They made me laugh and they made me cried, and of course at some point I wanted to get in there and smack some sense into these characters. Another thing I loved about this story is the character development. I loved getting to know the real Lila and I very much fell for her at the same time Kash did. And Kash? He is everything. Kind, caring and so very much in love with her.
Beautiful and swoon worthy.
There is always something so refreshing about Staci’s books. Kash and Lila are fantastic together. Lila likes to appear she has everything under control. Yet, when Kash is around he is able to see behind her facade. Loved It!
These Bennet Brothers!
Guilded Lily, is the second book in the Bennet Brothers series and I love this family so much! This book is a romance of opposites attract with the perfect amount of slow burn.
Kash Bennet is the gardener in the family and is the most laid back of the bunch. When his siblings left to follow paths other than the family business, he stayed behind to help. Lila Parker is a high-strung party planner. She gets things done and when she needs help making sure the flower arrangements are correct for her events, Kash is put in charge of dealing with her.
When Lila realizes that a rebound is just what she needs after finding her boyfriend cheating on her with one of her clients, Kash offers to help. He promises to help her forget her troubles and the lines start to blur when their chemistry is off the charts and feelings start becoming more real every time they’re together.
I loved watching these two navigate their relationship. They have to learn to trust each other, grow as individuals, and break down the walls they have each built up around their hearts.
I struggled with the first part of this book. It was a little wordy and I couldn’t help but stumble on a sentences as I read. However, that completely changed a little after the halfway mark and I couldn’t read the rest fast enough.
I can’t wait for Marcus’ story,Mum’s the Word, which is coming next!
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
Gilded Lily by Staci Hart gives us Kash Bennet and Lila’s story in the Bennet Brothers series and is a bit of an opposites attract story. Lila is on the rebound. She is determined and a hard worker. Kash is more relaxed and easy going. He is not looking for anything permanent, but what happens when the sparks are flying left and right?
Though on the surface they seemed to be from different worlds, their connection was undeniable. Though they wanted to keep what they had light and easy, life hardly ever works that way. I also loved the back and forth between them. They were great characters and I loved watching them develop throughout the story. Such a sweet and delightful read.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I don’t even know how to start my review, this book was so much more than I expected. Staci Hart has just done one of my favorite books from her. Gilded Lily was perfect, Kash was perfect, LIla was perfect, their story was perfect.
Kash was everything I loved in a hero, I think he has to be my favorite Staci Hart hero so far. I also loved Lila, I just loved how she was on top of everything, she never gave up and did what she loved. I was smiling and swooning like crazy over these two. Kash and Lila start off as a rebound, but then become so much more. These two needed each other, they needed to find their person.
This is a must read, you will love this book so much!!
”She was beautiful because she was mine. In that moment, the woman who gave nothing gave herself to me. To me. And that gift would not be squandered.”
Wow. Gilded Lily goes BEYOND everything that has ever been described as exquisite as Staci Hart’s writing. Gilded Lily in a way is the flower that can’t be unearthed even in the wildest is storms. THAT perfectly indicates Lila and Kash’s love. And THAT is how Staci continuously writes her books.
You guys I can’t even. The story was beyond amazing but with this one, Staci’s writing took the cake. MORE THAN the cake. I just can’t explain Staci’s prose when it comes to Gilded Lily. Everything about me is still nose in the book, pages constantly turning, and feels reeling and I finished this book DAYS ago.
Kash and Lila are the bees fucking knees. It’s enemies to lovers and friends to lovers all in the same mix and if anyone can pull that off while writing a book akin to the best poetry you’ve ever read, Staci can do it. And she did it with Gilded Lily.
”I broke the kiss, turning my face to the sky, hanging on to him like an anchor in a storm. But he was the storm, unbridled in my arms, raw and wild and beautiful.”
‘Gilded Lily’ is the second book in the Bennett brothers series by Staci Hart. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hart is one of my all time favourite writers, she is on point with all of her stories and characters, and has the ability to enable me to envision her fictional worlds clearly as if I am living the story. I love the uniqueness of her characters, their flaws and fears, and there’s something so beautiful in reading a book with characters you can immediately relate to.
The story is about Lila Parker, an ambitious event planner, who is working her butt off to make it to the top and achieve her dreams. She is gifted with an opportunity to coordinate a wedding for a celebrity, determined to pull it off and make it an event to remember. If only, one of the bridesmaids hadn’t slept with her ex-boyfriends, and made things incredibly difficult!
Kash Bennet is the trusted gardener at Longbourne’s Florist. He works hard planting and digging in his greenhouse, and has given up on the notion of even finding ‘the one’. He is always assuming he understands what women want. Certain that they couldn’t possibly want to spend a life with a gardener, when they could have a lawyer, or a doctor etc. So when he find Lila broken and distraught, he is determined to be the one to be her distraction, certain that they can have an arrangement that will satisfy both of them until it’s eventual expiration.
I love Kash! He is protective, fierce and loyal to his very bones. He can’t help but be affected by Lila despite how uptight she is, and how determined she has been to argue and back-chat him at every turn. He sees the woman behind the facade, the woman he could only dream about having the heart of. So when he sees an opportunity to help her, he offers it easily, determined that he can cope with however it ends in order to see her happy.
Lila is relatable, she has been very job focused, that she’s forgotten that you don’t always work to live. She longs for safety, security and the love of a genuine man, but after being hurt, she isn’t so sure they love really exists. Will Kash be able to prove her wrong? Or is everything about them destined to be temporary?
The story is well-written, carefully coordinated and I love the close knit unit of the Bennet family and friends. The story for the florist and the troubles they are facing is heating up, and I am so excited for Marcus’s story!
If you love books that depict chemistry, and have you hooked, then this read is for you. It was the perfect romance read, and I couldn’t stop myself from getting caught up in the story!
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this book and it’s finally here!! I really really love Kash, he is so far my favorite. This story was so cute and once I hit 65%.. I was flying! I didn’t want to put it down, I loved the relationship between Kash and Lila and I even enjoyed getting all the little side characters. And I really dug (hahaha pun intended) the gardener and wedding planner story line and their connection to each other.
Now you’re probably thinking why 65%.. and honestly I’m not sure. The felt the first half was a little wordy for me, and there were times when I just wanted to get on with it. But the slow build led to a great second half and I’m looking forward to Marcus’s story!
“Love doesn’t wonder. It doesn’t question. It trusts with its whole self”
*
With a poetically beautiful writing style, this book breathed life into my soul and had me falling in love with Kash and Lila. I absolutely adored this enemies to lovers tale of the take charge wedding planner, Lila and the laid back gardener, Kash, rebounding together and fighting while falling in love. Opposites truly attracted with this story and it had my heart melting at how open and honest they were with each other from the start. I ached for Kash and his self doubt about his worthiness of being loved and valued for who he is and not what society deems successful. And my dear Lila – she was a warrior- donning determination and power as her armor – when all she really wanted was to be loved and welcomed into a family of friends. I loathe little niggling secrets between partners in stories and this book never once had me yelling at the characters even though there were untold truths. The story unfolded perfectly and I am undoubtedly head over heals in love.
Staci is my absolute favorite author ever! She never disappoints EVER in her words and her books. This one was amazing and such an amazing book.
Lila knows she wants to use the Bennet families business, Longbourne, for flowers for the wedding she is working on. Not only is it for THE celebrity family you see on TV nightly, it’s her chance to prove that she is ready to be on top in the wedding planning biz. Too bad her boss and the youngest celeb sister are out to get her and she doesn’t need daily interactions with Kash and his stupid t-shirts on top of that. Everything seems to be going great until her perfectly curated life comes tumbling down. The only stress relief she really needs is a good rebound and Kash is there with his easy charm and offer of no-strings fun. She never realized how good looking he is, how smooth, how complicated this could make things.
Kash is the easy brother, the one who likes his greenhouse work and feels more connection with the flowers and dirt than with the sassy Lila and her white suits. Nevermind that he’s pictured her all mussed up, relaxed, and beneath him. Working together is one thing, even being her rebound is alright, but when his feelings just can’t be buried anymore he challenges Lila for more. What he isn’t ready for is just how different their lives are and just how much he doesn’t fit in. With wedding season underway and a family crisis bubbling to the surface, Kash and Lila must decide whether opposites truly do attract or if the blossoming romance is destined to wilt.
“And I had to admit it was nice to be handled just a little.”
Talk about not only an incredible retelling, but just an incredibly well-written, magical book. Staci Hart absolutely knocked it out of the park with Gilded Lily, it’s just beautiful to read. Like a bouquet, this is a romance that blossoms with time; Kash and Lila’s story is an opposites attract story line filled with character growth and emotions that reach out and touch you. It’s filled with chemistry, heart, and life. Kash and Lila are easy to like, their goals, dreams, and struggles are so relatable and the added elements of the Bennet business just bring it all together. Plus, somehow Staci Hart managed to write the most beautiful smut scenes I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Seriously, they are works of art.
“The longing and quiet envy I felt struck me in the softest of places.”
Gilded Lily is a story of passion, both for one’s dreams and for another human. Kash and Lila are both so intense, but in such different ways. Despite their differences they fit together very well. Their coming together is certainly a choice made of convenience, but in time their intensity overflows and along with it their emotions. It’s a chaotic time though and Staci Hart brought the wild ride that is a celebrity wedding to life, I even had anxiety. The dialogue in this book felt natural, the settings so easy to picture, and the characters are just so perfect. I love how the characters, including the secondary characters, band together to tackle issues. There is no issue too big for the Bennet clan to tackle and those friends and loves they’ve added along the way are just as much a part of the family.
“It was anything but casual. And I didn’t know just what to do about that.”
With the Bennet Brothers series, a Pride & Prejudice retelling, Staci Hart has given us characters with family values, realistic issues, and love stories that play before your eyes like a movie. Gilded Lily had just enough heat, heart, and quirk to keep me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep. I even cried, yes, that’s right I cried and no one is surprised at all. I was that attached to this book, it’s not even angsty, but it sure did feel like I was physically there! I absolutely recommend this book, this series, and always, always this author.
Gah! I just love this series soooo much! Kash and Lila are a very much opposites who attract in such an amazing way! How can you not love this? As only Staci can do, she wrote a beautiful story with beautiful characters whom you can’t help but root for. As is the case with love, past relationships work their way in to cause insecurities and rattle the blossoming relationship. But rest assured, Kash and Lila get the ending they deserve. 5 blossoming stars for this one!
4.5 ‘Can I get that in writing?’ Stars!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
These Bennet brothers.. Staci Hart surely knows how to write and create some deliciously charming heroes that will steal a girl’s heart in less than a heartbeat! First Luke and now Kash. I am loving this new series and these outstanding characters! Who wouldn’t knowing they are based in Austen’s beloved characters? Kash and Lila’s story definitely did not disappoint!
So, Gilded Lily is the second installment in Staci’s Bennet Brothers series and it now focuses on Kash Bennet and Lila Parker. Lila has the perfect life: job, apartment and boyfriend. She wants to keep it that way and get her much deserved promotion. However, she catches her boyfriend cheating and everything turns upside down. She needs a distraction. Enter Kash Bennet. Hot gardener, momma’s boy and the perfect man for “no strings attached” sex. Right? Right. What happens when feelings start getting in the mix?
Lila Parker was unhappy. I wondered if she existed in any other state.
Subsequently, I wondered if anyone had ever tried to make her happy.
Ah, another sweet, sexy and funny romance from one of my auto-buy authors and Staci definitely did not fail us. I believe I said this in my review for Coming Up Roses but I adore families like the Bennets. All the family interactions and the love between all the members it’s an aspect I very much enjoy in a romance. I loved how it was even more developed in this second book and how Kash and Lila fall right into it.
Hot was my desire, pent up and tugging at its chains. And Kash held the key in the palm of his broad hand.
Obviously, I also enjoyed a whole lot this couple. Two people who seem quite opposite but simply work so well together. What starts as hilarious banter and sexual tension becomes so much more. I loved how Staci developed this love story and how Kash and Lila could not stop themselves from falling in love for each other. I loved their chemistry and how strong they are as a couple and as individuals, I am so happy they found happiness together.
She was everywhere, in the air, under my skin, living in my heart.
Therefore, I am rating Gilded Lily with 4.5 STARS because I loved how it developed even more on the Bennet family and how Kash and Lila find love in the most unexpected moment. I love Staci Hart’s writing so much and how easy it is for me to fall in love with her characters. I loved this sweet and sexy story and I cannot wait to read the next one in the series (that teaser at the end gave me life!). Highly recommend this one!
Holy epic enemies to lovers story! The push and pull that Kash and Lila have is insane and beyond intense. Lila is a hurricane while Kash is a steady rain. When these two combine, it is pure magic. Their chemistry sizzles even with just a friendly agreement, I adored watching their romance blossom. Between the insanity that is the Felix sisters and the backstory of the greenhouse. I heart melted, I swooned and I wanted to yell at times with how stubborn these two really are. But I understand why they are so guarded.
Overall, I absolutely loved this story. It was quirky and unique with such a beautiful depth of a story in it. I am really excited to see what else these Bennett kids can get themselves into!
Jane Austen always inspires the best in everyone, and this author is proof of that.
Fun and love bloom in perfect unison in Gilded Lily, and the Bennet Brothers have a singular charm of their own to add to the Austen universe. Lila is the absolute main character, therefore her life choices and evolution take precedence and the romance is subject to those. That and the fact that they are opposites-she is a flawless and ambitious professional and he is a laid back gardener- make for a very slow-burn romance.
Until the moment it really burns which is so hot and poetic it will make you levitate. I found the whole plot beautifully developed and bittersweet and moving. These two opposite characters agree on a temporary relationship while secretly nurturing feelings and a deep sense of connection and belonging. It is just pure romance, like classic unrequited love. So touching.
The family dynamics are humorous and cute, all defending the flower shop and its legacy. Kash may look invisible, but he is like the scaffolding that keeps everything together. Despite their hidden longings, Lila and Kash behave with tender honesty towards each other. His patience and understanding are to swoon over, and I loved every aspect in Lila’s determined personality with its hard and soft points. She is a queen of control, efficiency and poise.
I laughed with the language of flowers, learned some gardening, felt enlightened by all the selfless generosity of a man who seeks the happiness of a woman in the most vulnerable stage in her life. I fell in love with this couple, and fretted over the impending doom. After all, the differences in status and goals raise a wall that threatens to destroy the beauty of their relationship. Will her old dreams get in the way of her new self? Will his self-doubt undermine the trust that is vital for their feelings to thrive? So exciting!
The plot surrounding Lila’s job as event planner collides with their personal land mines, and the final chapters are fraught with anguish. The Bennet brothers and a very loyal sister are there to support their loved ones, and the happy ending is full of dreamy love and second chances in life. Such a treasure.
The writing is gorgeous, fun and insightful. I feel proud of this book, guys, and it’s not even my work! 😀
In this second book in the series, I sighed for Kash love story, the only Bennett brother who stayed with his mother to take care of the family’s flower shop. He always had a serious self-esteem problem and always found himself inferior to others because he had not gone to college and was content to be a simple gardener. But I found out that Kash is anything but a gardener, and I could fall madly in love with his sweet, purposeful heart.
Lila is the powerful and bossy sister of Ivy, one of the florist’s employees, and has always been the perfectionist type becoming a great wedding planner in town.
After being betrayed by her fiance and being forced to live with the woman who cheated on her because she is organizing Natasha sister’s century wedding, Lila gladly accepts Kash’s attention to her.
Between great confusion, reality show filming, quarrels and intrigue, Kash and Lila will rediscover themselves and a beautiful love story will spring up. The question is if they are willing to fight so that this story does not die in the thorns of the road.
I loved their romance, I loved seeing the characters in the previous book, I loved to follow the love sprouting along with the Kash’s flowers, and I loved their first kiss so much.