I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The author always has a way of making the reader feel the deep love her characters feel for each other. This book does not disappoint. Mandy learns an awful lot from her man and gets an eyeful at the club she convinces Jackson to take her to.

A friends to lovers romance with a lot of heat!

This was fascinating. If you are looking for a cute friends to lovers trope with the added aspect of getting a glimpse into BDSM lifestyle, this is the book for you.

I usually like Helen's book but I didn't like the couple the writing.I really couldn't get into to the story to even finish. Sorry this book was not for me

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

SUMMARY: Blush is a best friends-to-lovers, BDSM-centered romance following Amanda and Jackson. Amanda is a virtual assistant to a romance novelist (ha!) and Jackson works at Black Inc. doing top dog business things (lol). Amanda, affectionately called "Mandy Cakes" by Jackson, has had an unrequited crush on Jackson for most of her life. In contrast, Jackson has steadfastly kept Mandy firmly in the "friend zone". Both have not crossed the line for fear of risking their long friendship.

Until...

Mandy is pushing 30 and wants to get down and dirty!!! Her sister's about to get married and the clock is ticking! So she decides to enlist Jackson to help her set up a Lustr profile only to find herself introduced to a world he has kept secret from her -- the world of BDSM.

Suddenly things are shifting rapidly between them, and the lines between friendship, love, and lust begin to get blurred.

REVIEW: I was really excited to get this ARC, but unfortunately, it was not for me. I found the writing to be predictable and both characters' inner thoughts to be repetitive and frustrating. While this book leans heavily on the ~spice~ factor, the chemistry felt so forced that I couldn't really enjoy what could have been a very fun exploration of BDSM community and play.

Mandy epitomizes the Girl Next Door/Not Like Other Girls character trope and it got so old, so fast. The random tidbits of toxic diet culture were equally annoying -- at one point she literally insists on wearing a corset to dinner because it will "prevent her from overeating". Jackson's strange obsession with her being a beacon of purity and him, in contrast, being a corrupt and bad person didn't feel based in reality.

I hope that this book goes through more revisions, but I don't think this author is for me.

The only thing I didn't really like in this novel was the constant repeated cycle the characters fell into with their own stubbornness and almost refusal to communicate. But beyond that, this was fun.

Blush is set to be published on January 24, 2023. Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara, NetGalley and the author for the Advanced Reader's Copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read all The Steel Brothers books, so when this author put out another book, I jumped at the chance to read it. I know all of Helen Hardt's books are classified as erotica, but I always find myself more interested in the storyline than the sex scenes. I really liked the relationship between Mandy and Jackson in this book. (I wish it were a stand alone book, though; I'm not very invested (yet?) in Fraankie's story.) 4.5 stars.

Well goodness gracious! I have to be completely honest, friends. When I started Blush I didn’t know if I liked It or not. I mean, all this turmoil about being best friends and not wanting to lose it! But I kept going and very easily this friends to lovers, teacher/student, D/s connection grew on me. Jackson and Mandy are three dimensional. They have their own issues, not even least of which is the incredible chemistry they share. Now if they can figure out how to just admit they’ve been staring at their missing half since forever..,. Admittedly, Jackson is the one missing this memo. Mandy may not know what turns her on at the beginning of this journey but she is brave and leans i to new experiences that made me incredibly jealous. The spice is…well, it’s very spicy. It’s really well done here. BDSM is well represented and great attention is paid to explaining submission. I was thrilled to see it. There is heart here. There is excitement. But best of all…there’s a happily ever after moment that the romantic in all of us will love.

Blush is a spicy and fun friends-to-lovers romance.

When we first meet up with Mandy, she's at a bit of a crossroads in her life and is ready to find "the one". When she enlists her best friend Jackson to help her get out there and find the one, her world gets turned upside down in more ways than one....

I adored the friendship between Mandy and Jackson. Their friendship stood the test of time no matter how many obstacles stood in their way. I thought they had wonderful chemistry together and it was obvious that they both had deeper feelings for one another but were too scared to admit or act on them. That being said as much as I liked them together, these two frustrated me to no end. The back and forth drove me nuts. Jackson couldn't make up his mind with his feelings and I felt like he just strung Mandy along. I wish that Mandy had more of a backbone and didn't let Jackson toy with her the way that he did.

Overall, this book is an ok read. The writing is easy to get swept up in and the characters are easy to connect with. I did find the storyline to be a bit predictable and I do think the back-and-forth between Mandy and Jackson might be a turn-off for some readers. I think this is a book that readers are either going to love or going to hate. This reader is just somewhere in between.

*Thank you so much to Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this title.*

This book was one of the best books I've read this year. Helen knows how to pull you in and keep you hooked. Definitely a 5 star must read.

Blush is a steamy book about two best friends, one innocent and the other hiding a dark secret. Amanda (Mandy) has been hopelessly in love with her best friend Jackson for as long as she can remember. Being a virgin for so long, she is finally ready to learn about hot sex, so she joins an online dating app where Mr. Dark promises to teach her all the wicked ways. Jackson has been keeping secrets from his beautiful and innocent best friend, like his forbidden sexual acts and his exclusive membership to Black Rose Underground club. Mandy has no idea he is Mr. Dark; Jackson wants to keep her safe and deter her from pursuing her wicked fantasies without revealing his identity. But in the Black Rose underground there are no secrets and Mandy finally discovers who her best friend truly is… she might shock him with secrets of her own.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. There was a few slow parts, but I still would recommend to other readers.

Hardt knows how to grab your attention in her stories! She simply pours on the heat and steam while lacing with bits of erotica with BDSM for a fabulous reading experience.

One of the first things I fell for was the characters together. The best friend trope was so easily delivered with the simmering heat just below the surface. The painfully slow realization of the reality of their love was crazy! I could not turn the pages fast enough!

Blush brings so many emotions to the table. I loved that it was mainly focused on Jack and Many with other characters on the fringe and not highly involved with the day-to-day. That for me is huge!

This book has everything you want in a fabulous love story. It is captivating and definitely a must-read if you love a deeply connected burning love match that will fire you up inside.

DAYYUUMM! This was STEAMY! I truly loved Mandy's sexual evolution throughout the entire story. It's very rare that a female main character leads the way in the bedroom. THIS IS AMAZING! Jackson was a total dream!!! Would not want anyone else like that as my best friend/boyfriend. I am super interested in knowing what Mandy's corset looks like! READ THIS!!!

Blush by H. Hardt, published by Entangled Publishing LLC, is a stand-alone romance novel.
Amanda and Jackson are friends since forever. And since forever, Amanda is in love with Jackson. And since forever Jackson is friends and friends only with Amanda. Verfahrene Kiste, or?
This friends-to-lovers story is a slow burn, gives warm and fuzzy feelings. A sweet story, 4 beautiful stars.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Loved this
I am new to this author although I have been aware of them for some time
So I was thrilled to be able to read this

I cant wait to find more offerings from them

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book is part of the Steel Brothers saga, but it can also be read as on its own. Wow this book was spicy and had me blushing at times. I enjoyed this book and friends to lover story.

It was a spicy read but I had fun with it! There were a lot of triggers, so hopefully people can read the trigger warnings before going into this. But they were clearly called out and I felt comfortable reading!

Childhood best friends to lovers…? Mandy and Jackson have been best friends since they were in diapers. They have had some fleeting thoughts about the other romantically, but neither thinks the other is interested. When Mandy wants to broaden her sexual horizons, she looks to a dating app to do so. Jackson doesn’t like this, so tries to get Mandy to be scared off of the app, even though he doesn’t fully understand why. As they delve deep into Jackson’s proclivities, they both realize they could be exactly what the other has been missing.

This book is mostly smut, so if you’re looking for a quick, impersonal read, this is your book. Not for me, as it seemed repetitive “she’s so innocent, my Mandy Cakes” and “he couldn’t possibly be in love with me too.”

Not my favorite read and I wouldn’t recommend because 1 it is not appropriate for students, and 2, I just didn’t find it that entertaining. Not the worst book I’ve ever read but I wouldn’t pick it up again.

Going to a dating app with your best friend helping you to lose your virginity and explore what you like? What could go wrong?? While Mandy thought this would be a piece of cake and fulfill her needs, she didn’t count on Jackson. This was a title that followed through and was absolutely the perfect name for this book. With everything you want and come to expect from Helen it was a book hard to put down.

Mandy is inexperieneced and in love with her best friend, Jack who has a secret sexual passion. When Jack offers to be Mandy’s teacher in all things sex and kink, things get a little more hot than they bargained for.

This was a 🔥 one. I liked Mandy and Jack as a couple but would have liked to see them be less hesitent to start something. All of the 🔥 scenes were well thought out and actually educational when it came to the BDSM. I also liked seeing Mandy have a sexual awakening!

“Tonight I will begin my education in the art of sex and seduction”
Blush, you say??? This book had me blushing, feeling frustrated and excited and so many other things from the beginning to the end !!!
Wow !!! I don’t think I can explain it differently !!! Wow !!!! And let me tell you that this “discrete” cover doesn’t being to cover the things that are happening to Jack and Mandy inside of it!!!
I’m absolutely in love !!! I never thought I could like so much a book like this one !!! Thank you so much to the publisher for, always, adding the trigger warning list at the beginning of the book. I believe that for this one that list was more than necessary!!! If you’re not comfortable with reading about bdsm and Dom/sub dynamics then, Jackson Paris is definitely not for you !!!
This is probably one of the few boos about a best friends to lovers development I actually fell hard for !!!
Definitely an unconventional turn of event !!
It all starts with Mandy asking her best friend (whom she happens to be madly in love since forever) to create a profile on a dating app. And then everything started going sideways!!!
Honestly I loved this book so much !!! Spicy, steamy, hot, so much … but also romantic and sweet !!! And after that epilogue ???? I need another book in this series of standalones !!
“All right. Your safe word is … blush”
“Come with me, Mandy. Come with me to the dark side”