Reviews

Blossom by Helen Hardt

nikinibuya's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

a_devine_read's review

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dark medium-paced

4.0

After a bad experience with a Dom, Mary is not sure she can ever scene again. At the bequest of her friend, she goes to the club and sees a gorgeous Scotsman walk in. Ronan does not think he has it in him to love and is only looking for a companion for the night. What neither know is that the tides may be turning.
Opinion
This is the third book in the Black Rose series. It can be read as a stand alone but as always, I suggest you read the whole series because of how great it is.
I loved the story for this book. There were a few elements that I thought were cliched and overused in books in general. Aside from those elements, the story had me captured. I read it in way less time than any other book recently. I found my mind wandering back to the story wondering what the characters were doing or how they were going to resolve something.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

susans_book_nook's review against another edition

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5.0

So good to finally get Mary's story or Blossom's since we've met her in the previous stories of Black Rose Underground.  I think this was the best of all three book and am sad to see this series come to an end since I really wanted a few more characters to have their stories told.  Hopefully Black Rose Underground will make an appearance in other stories!!  This was great to get Mary's back story and to see her "blossom".  She fell fast and hard for Ronan but it would have been great to have him with a Scottish accent LOL!!  This was a great ending to the series!

whatsalittlesmut's review

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5.0

This was an interesting read and I loved it!

I wasn't sure about the MMC Ronan at first. I was hooked at him resembling Jamie Frasier, thrown by him wearing kilts almost everywhere, and then rehooked when we finally get to see him as a Dominant. Spoiler, it's hot af!

As for the FMC, Mary, it was interesting to see her battle with herself and come to terms with her changing needs. The life she led might not be the life she wants going forward and she has to make a choice.

However, the unsung hero of this book is the MMC's grandma, mémé Yvette. I loved her so much and would love a story about her life. 

kateslovedreads's review

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3.75

*I received an ARC copy however all opinions are my own*

Rating: 3.75 (didn’t want to give this just 3 stars bc I did enjoy the story)
First thing, I absolutely loved Ronan and Mary’s characters. I enjoyed their quick romance and their overall story. The only reason I gave it this rating was because of the ghost scene and the constant mentions of voodoo throughout the book. Idk if it’s because I live in Louisiana but I wasn’t feeling the glorification/ eagerness to learn it. Everytime it was mentioned I felt like I was pulled out of the story which impacted my reading experience through the rest of the book. I understand this is all personal preference and that’s why I wanted to lead with the things I did like about Blossom. I still loved the characters, the writing and their story minus a couple scenes which bugged me. Thank you again for the opportunity to read Blossom :)

nadine_bookaholic's review

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Is there anything sexier than a man that knows how to wear a kilt?

Ronan O’Connor is new to New York after relocating from Scotland for Business, and he knows how to make an entrance at Black Rose especially since he catches Mary Sandusky’s eye which has been hard to do lately. Mary had a bad experience and is unsure if she wants to stay in the scene, can Ronan be the one to make things right for her again? Or will she walk away from it all?

I enjoyed the chemistry between Ronan and Mary, they could heat up a room on a cold day that's for sure. Ronan is an interesting guy, he recently broke things off with a submissive he had a D/s relationship with and moved to another country to start over...talk about cutting ties. He was adamant in what he wanted and a wife and kids wasn't it...could Mary change his way of thinking?

Blossom is the third book in the Black Rose Series and can be read as a standalone. I have only read one other book in this series but I plan to go back and read the one that I missed, this series is perfect for readers that enjoy STEAMY Contemporary Romances, BDSM Romances, or Interracial Romances.

Happy Reading!!!

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bookameme's review

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

When The Fun Happens Outside The Club



Quote:📖
“She will be mine.”

Thoughts: 💡
This book was fun and had me hooked from the start. There’s an instant attraction between the MCs but they take their time exploring one another and feeling each other out before diving in. Which means that they get up to some adventures that I wouldn’t jump into with a stranger, but I felt made for a very interesting story.
I enjoyed the way the author incorporated details of the cities and explored supernatural elements, but this was very much a billionaire romance. The MMC, Ronan is very Scottish, well he’s only part Scottish but that doesn’t stop him from leaning into with kilts and an occasional broque. Anyways he doesn’t think he wants love and marriage until he finds the one woman that makes him want it all. I also really liked Mary, she struggled with some anxiety and processing of a past trauma that made her skittish to “get back in the saddle”, but oh boy did eventually ride that saddle hard. 😂 While there are some graphic bits at the beginning the smut doesn’t start until about 40% of the way into the book, then it’s prolific and prevalent.

Fun Bits:
⚜️ InstaLust with a Slow Burn Romance
⚜️ Ghosts & Voodoo
⚜️ Leather Club, Dom/sub Relationship
⚜️ Exploring NYC & New Orleans

Important Note:
Book 3 in a standalone series.


Stats:📊
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: 💙💙💙💙
Billionaire Romance: BDSM, Scottish Billionaire (kind of but it counts), Working Class Girl, Self Discovery, Voodoo 
Dual POV
⚠️: Explicit with BDSM Themes

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liz_mackie's review

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4.0

A hot Scot Dom in a kilt, be still my beating heart and then throw in that New Orleans drawl – well that’s how he sounds in my head – and I was a goner for Ronan O’Connor probably just as quickly as he fell for Mary Sandusky or Blossom as she was known in the Black Rose adults only club they both belonged to.  Although American, Dominant Ronan who had spent much of his adult life in his father’s home country of Scotland, was newly returned to the US and fresh out of an arrangement where his sub had wanted more than he was prepared to give.  He’d gone to the club to check it out and the first person he saw was Mary where he was instantly intrigued.  Mary was at a crossroads in her life.  She had been happy to play but only on a casual basis with no long-term agreements with any Dom.  This arrangement had suited her but she’d recently lost confidence in her own judgement after a scene had gone wrong and she’d had to use her safe word.  Now she was afraid of trusting another Dom and was trying to decide what it was she wanted and whether or not she to remain in the lifestyle.
 
This was a slowburn, friends to lovers romance as Ronan, with the aid of his grandmother helps Mary decide what it is she wants from her life and to go out and grab it.  Ronan hadn’t been looking for a relationship, he didn’t do hearts and flowers but as he played tourist to Mary’s guide in New York and then reversed the situation when he showed her his ‘N’awlins’ even introducing her to a randy ghost that resulted in a sizzling threesome, love gradually snuck up on them both but both were afraid to make the first move until a near tragedy showed them just what was important.  The development of their relationship was well paced and believable as he rebuilt her confidence.  Perhaps I felt there could’ve been more of a thing made of his ex-submissive’s stalker like tendencies but that’s just me always wanting more.
 
 

lysyreads's review

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˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙄𝙈𝙀𝙍: 𝙄 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙄𝙑𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆 𝘼𝙎 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙍𝘾˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙞 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚.

𝘼𝙡𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙/𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨
♥︎ 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙨 ♥︎
  ❥ 𝙎𝙚𝙭 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣  

𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠/ 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣📝
♥︎ 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨 ♥︎
  ❥ 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨
     ⤷ 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨. 
  ❥ 𝙈𝘾 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 "𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙟𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨" 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙
  ❥ 𝘿𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩
     ⤷ 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙞 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮.
  ❥ 𝙇𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 = 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜/𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬
  ❥ 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖-𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚
     ⤷ 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 9 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 10 𝙞 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙚𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚
  ❥ 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝘿𝙉𝙁

⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾ ゚。⋆𝙈𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾ ゚。⋆
𝙐𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙞 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙩♥

thisdiwata_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This review took a long time to write because I truly can’t decide on how I want to rate this book. 

For now I will be rating it a 3.5, round up to 4 for GR. 

You tell me that a character is a Scot that grew up in NOLA? I’m in! I’m there! I love that character already, and I think this is where it became difficult for me. There are a few, very small scenes that involved the paranormal due to Rowan’s grandmother. Voodoo was something that was introduced and I guess if it was in a different series it wouldn’t have mattered. This threw me off a bit. 

Overall I love blossom and her courage to face what she wants. I love Rowan because there’s nothing to hate. Give me a a man wearing a Kilt anytime! 

Spice is quality and hot! Helen Hardt knows spice and can do it sleeping, that I can trust.