If you want historical immersion, characters acting according to their time period, and detailed research, look elsewhere.

But if you just want some light reading you could do a lot worse. For me 3/5 doesn't mean it's bad, it's means it's better than an average "2.5 it's okay", but not great or mind-blowing either.

I didn't care at all for the romance itself, there was nothing really interesting about the ML and I spend the whole book wondering what the two saw in each other. In the previous book, I felt the same lack of interest towards the ML, but the gradual development of their feelings was much better portrayed I think, and I had no trouble believing that they were falling for each other, while in this book I never could believe it.

The horticultural society plot was entertaining enough on its own, however. The ending was a bit abrupt: the sister just saying "never mind about that guy I resolved the problem for you", and we never see it as it happen directly which was a letdown.

In the audible version, Lucy Rayner once again does an impeccable job as narrator, though her style of diction for narrating might not be to everyone's taste. It's very slow and deliberate and has a mesmerizing ASMR-like quality to it.