Wow.... I have not read many of Helen Hardt's other novels but I may just go back and take a look. This one was spicy and entertaining. There was also a good underlying story as well. Would recommend!

Blush is my first read for 2023. This best friends to lovers/light BDMS romance held my interest until the end. I loved Jackson and Mandy's friendship and how close they were to each other all their lives. They were really perfect for each other had excellent chemistry when they got together. I enjoyed seeing how their relationship changed however I will admit that I got a bit irritated with the repetitive back and forth cycle they seem to be in due to hiding their feeling from each other. The story gave us some hott steamy scenes and focused on these two with some side characters mentioned. It ends in a HEA and sets us up for the next book in the series. This was a enjoyable read.

This was such a steamy, sexy read! Surprisingly enough, this is my first Helen Hardt book and I can't believe I've been missing out on such a great author all this time. Definitely looking forward to delving more into her books. In Blush, we have Amanda and Jackson - best friends who know almost everything about each other... except the more intimate aspects of their lives. Jackson thinks Amanda is sweet and innocent, and much to naïve for his sexual proclivities. Amanda knows that Jackson is a serial dater but has no idea about his membership to the Black Rose Underground and his darker urges.

This is a friends-to-lovers story which isn't usually my favorite trope, but I thought it was really well done here! I loved the contrast between the characters and felt like bringing them together only made them stronger. Despite the hot erotic scenes, this book remains a really sweet story, and I loved that contrast. Jackson could be a bit annoying with his back and forth inner mantra on whether or not to get with Mandy, but by the end of the book I was happy with where the two ended up.

Overall, a good read with great writing style. Looking forward to checking out this author's many, many other books!

Another great book from the amazing Helen Hardt. If you read the Follow Me series then you will love this book as there are appearances from the Black brothers. This story focuses on Braden’s club and two best friends, Amanda and Jackson. Amanda has been in love with Jackson forever but doesn’t ever expect anything other than friendship between them. Jackson has a side that Amanda knows nothing about. When Amanda decides to go outside her comfort zone, Jackson decides he is going to be the one to scare her back into it. Things don’t work out as planned and we get to see their relationship develop. This book is hot, sexy and I couldn’t put it down. I am looking forward to more books in this realm. I am sure Helen Hardt will not disappoint.

I don’t think this author is for me. I felt the writing was constructed of short, choppy sentences. There didn’t seem to be any flow for me. And there certainly wasn’t any descriptive paragraphs to give ambiance or setting of the scene. Even the steamy scenes seemed rather perfunctory. I also felt the main characters couldn’t get out of their rut (I may as well be a virgin/My best friend is so innocent!) so most of their inner thoughts were repetitive. I DNF at 50%.

I absolutely loved this . Amanda and Jack best friends who both secretly have feelings for one another . Super steamy , I definitely recommend this !

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review. I'm so so thrilled I got to read Helen Hardt's upcoming book. I loved that this was a spin off start to the Follow Me series. Seeing characters from those books was fun for sure. I fully enjoyed this book and I was fully screaming internally for Mandy and Jackson to talk to each other. I adored the best friends to lovers trope I just wish I would have seen more of their relationship as lovers. It did make the tension amazing though and made me completely want to keep reading. The spice is great and omg the cherries, I think I might have been the one blushing. I'm so excited to be back in the Underground world and I love these new characters so much. I loved how Mandy stood up for herself and decided what she wanted. I'm looking forward to Frankie's story because she deserves so much better! Overall, I will always come back to Helen Hardt books and I really enjoyed this one!

This was pretty good and kept my attention. I would say it's about 50:50 plot to spice, a friends-to-lovers with some unrequited love thrown in. I liked that it was a dual POV and we got to see Jack's attraction to Mandy; if he was as indifferent to her as she thought it would have been brutal. A few things were repetitive: Jackson's angst over Mandy being too "innocent;" Mandy reiterating that she's an introvert.

Thanks to Hardt, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

** Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. **

I've been wanting to read Helen Hardt's books for awhile and, when I saw an advanced copy of Blush available, I thought why not try it. While the overall story was entertaining, I found the writing too repetitive and the characters too flat.

While this wasn't a yes for me, I'm sure other readers will find her a favorite.

Amanda Thomas is firmly in the friend zone for her longtime bestie, Jackson Paris. Jackson has never been able to fall in love and maintain a longterm romantic relationship. (I wonder why that is, dear reader???)

When Amanda decides it’s time to move on and that she is ready to learn what she has been missing, Jackson is thrown by what she posts in her online dating profile. And, in what he convinces himself is an attempt to protect his sweet “Mandy Cake,” Jackson poses as a potential suitor willing to show her something more taboo than her norm.

What ensues is a tale of activities that take place in an exclusive private club, of pushing boundaries both physical and emotional, and of realizing the feeling of true love.

In my opinion, the reader response to this book depends on what that person is trying to get out of it. Jackson isn’t expecting Mandy to appreciate his—ahem—proclivities, so if you are just looking for hot scenes that fall into a taboo category, fast forward to those club scenes and get your fill.

If you are reading this for the story, you may be disappointed. I appreciate that Amanda is going through an awakening and is ready for a change in her life. I appreciate that Jackson is struggling to see his best friend in a different light after placing her in a box labeled, “Do not touch,” for so many years.

BUT you spend a lot of time in their heads. And the thoughts get pretty repetitive. If the friends-to-lovers trope is a favorite for you, though, you may find these internal debates appealing. Think “I don’t want to lose him/her. If I cross that line, will I lose him/her?” Also, there are lots of thoughts along the lines of “But she’s ‘Mandy Cake’. I don’t see her that way, do I?”

Expect lots of thinking and sporadic bursts of activity and events.

I have seen some rave reviews for other works by this author and would be interested in giving some of her other books a try. I probably will not revisit this one, though.

I received an advance copy from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Helen Hardt does erotic romance very well. Jackson and Amanda have been best friends since they were babies. The scene is set for a change in the status of their relationship. It is a page turning sensual feast as the characters divulge their desires for each other. It is an interesting and romantic story as the best friends battle their desires to the very happy ending.

This book had all the makings of a fun and steamy read based on the synopsis. And everyone loves this author. I thought for sure, for it's genre, it woudl be worth my while to read...

I am conflicted with my feelings on this book. At first, I liked the characters. They had a great friendship. I mean, Amanda was a little bit eyeroll worthy, but it mostly worked. Jackson was cool. Then, I don't know, I lost interest in them for a little bit in the middle of the book.

By the time I reached the end of the book, I wasn't sure if I enjoyed it or not. I think I expect a little more substance to romance relationships. This book straddles the line between romance and erotica, which really had my feelings and expectations wavering.

I am sure many will love this book. I think I am just not the target audience for the book. It really didn't do much for me.

I did not make it through the entire book. My main issue with it is the fact that the book summary does not match the story. The summary makes it sound like it's going to be a more BDSM-focused story with a boy and a girl that are in love with each other but are too afraid to have the conversation. And there are some elements of that in here, but it's really more about an innocent virgin wanting experience (and going about it in a frankly unsafe manner) and the boy almost tries to scare her into staying single. I think the summary should be rewritten to more clearly reflect what the story is actually about so readers know whether or not it will suit their tastes. To be clear, the main reason I'm giving it a lower rating is the fact I felt the summary promised one thing while the story was something else entirely and not something I would normally choose to read. But I also really hated the naivety of the main girl. For example, she basically wrote on her dating profile that she wanted someone to help teach her about physical intimacy and then acted all shocked and offended when almost all the responses were super focused on sex. I know she's a virgin and sort of sheltered but come on; she works for a romance writer! She runs the author's social media pages, but she somehow didn't expect for people to be so crass?

I can hardly wait to continue reading Amanda and Jackson’s story. And now what will happen before Penn and Frankie’s impending nuptials.

I loved watching Jackson go from Mandy Cake , to Mandy to Amanda!!!
I didn’t want this book to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled publishing for allowing me this ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Publishing, and Helen Hardt for the opportunity to read and review this book early. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was an easy read, sometimes book take some time for me to really get into, but I was quickly intrigued with this book… with the relatable characters, and an intriguing story. I enjoy a good friends to lovers story so I had high expectations going into this book. There were times it was a bit predictable and maybe a little repetitive in some situations, I also wish it was more of a slower burn, but in my opinion that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the overall story. To me this book had the perfect amount of plot and spice. I would recommend to other readers.

I really wanted to like this book because I did get through a large chunk of it in one night, however it didn't deliver how I anticipated it would.
The huge "reveal" was presented way too early on in the book and after that, it became plotless and repetitive. I wanted to learn more about both main characters, however this wasn't an option.
I appreciated that the author explored BDSM from a woman's perspective and explored female sexuality as something that can be empowering and shameless.
The end felt rushed and I honestly hated how Jackson came to his realization of love and adoration for Mandy. I enjoyed the smut scenes, which is the reason for the 2 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the advanced copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed, all opinions are my own.

Blush is a standalone erotic best-friends to lover’s romance novel by bestselling author, Helen Hardt. I’d class this as erotica but with a sweet friends to lovers storyline and enough plot that will keep you entertained between spicy scenes and have you cheering for the main characters to get their happy ever after. I enjoyed this fun and easy to read romance. A perfect escapism book for people wanting something light hearted and cheeky to pass an afternoon. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Loved this. I wasnt surprised how much I enjoyed it, Helen Hardt is a great writer . I have enjoyed many of her books and series in the past
This one was differnt though, it was kinky, hot and steamy but had a softer side without the darker twist that so many of her others have.
I loved all the characters in this too, and am curious to see where their journeys will take them also.
Im really looking forward to the next in this series .

Blush is a book that made me instantly blush awkwardly with the childish nicknames. Knowing that the plot was supposed to be about a woman having a sexual awakening with her best friend, I was instantly turned off with what he calls her. I could not finish this read after the first fifty pages.

5/5⭐️
4/5🔥

MF/dual POV/BDSM/fast burn/unrequited love/best friends to lovers/angst/sexual tension/food play/HEA

Mandy and Jack have been best friends since they were in diapers. They know everything about each other... or so they thought. Mandy has been in love with Jack for quite awhile. She's never told him how she truly feels but she knows he doesn't see her that way. He still calls her 'Mandy-cakes' for christ sake. At age 29, Mandy is tired of being alone and decides to join a dating app. Jack isn't so thrilled with her idea of meeting up with random strangers, but his plan to scare her off having random hooks up back fires real fast! Jack accidentally introduces her to his underground world of BDSM. Now she's more than intrigued and if Jack is not willing to teach her and let her explore this side of her sexuality, she'll find someone else who will....

I flew through this book. I love Helen's writing and I'm always drawn in by her characters stories. There was so much sexual tension through out this book. Mandy is solid in her feelings for Jack but she struggles with it being unrequited, and knows she needs to move on. Jack never commits, he always 'get bored' and moves on to his next partner, but there's just too much at stake with Mandy. He's never seen Mandy as more than a friend just because he never let himself... but seeing her in a new light might just be the eye opening push he needed.

I love the chemistry between Jack and Mandy. I felt like while their friendship made it hard in the beginning, I also feel like it strengthened them in the long run. I enjoyed Mandy's determination to explore her sexuality and how she also kind of used it to show Jack she wasn't just this sweet and innocent girl her grew up with. When Jack finally let himself loose we were able to see his dominant side shine, and we get to see Mandy's naturally submissive nature come out to play... and play they did! 🔥🔥
(also...I loved the Jonah Steel reference. IYKYK 😉)

This was a great read and I'm looking forward to Frankie's story!