Thanks to Entangled for the ARC.

This was not my cup of tea. I didn’t realize it was the second in the series, though I’m not sure reading the first would have helped. Personally I just couldn’t get past the Phantom of the Opera angle. Just doesn’t work for me in a spicy romance novel context. The characters also fell flat and I found the FMC to be pretty annoying. Just not the story for me unfortunately.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 ⭐️ This book was just ok for me. It almost lost me early on when “Angel” cries out in ecstasy and “Phantom” says “Yes, sing for me, my angel of music.” That sort of ruined my favorite musical.

Some elements are fine - there’s a decent storyline and obviously there’s spice, but the insta-love wasn’t believable to me and there wasn’t much in the way of character development.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

good romance and finding more about bdsm and loved the that the phantom was a big part of the book and very interesting that many family members are members. loved the smexy times and the romance. Curious on the next book in the series if it is frankie or a sibling

The characters were fantastic and were some of my favorite in a book series. I loved the dynamic between Frankie and Phantom. I love how their relationship started. I was completely enthralled with this story and I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know how things were going to turn out. Definitely did not disappoint.

4.5/5 stars

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
4/5⭐️
4/5🔥

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐖/𝐓𝐖(𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳):
MF/dual POV/HEA/BDSM/hidden identity/temp play/nipple play

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰:
Book 2 of the Black Rose Series. Each book follows a different set of characters and can be read as a stand-alone but to get the most of the story it is suggested to read the books in order.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
Months after a broken engagement with a cheating ex, and now finding out her sister’s getting married, Frankie ends up at a bar having a drink with a mysterious man in a Phantom of the Opera mask. As Frankie can stop thinking about him and meets with him several more times, he tells her he can help her explore her fantasies. This also works as Frankie’s in for information on a BSDM article she’s composing for work.

While unwilling to reveal his identity due to his normal day to day life, ‘Phantom’ feels an immediate connection to Frankie he’s never felt before. He has his own past traumas that hold him back from commitment but the closer he a Frankie get, the more he finds himself wanting to reveal his true identity to her.

This book had me from the get go and I didn’t want to put it down. I had my theories about who ‘Phantom’ may be but I wanted to know just as bad as Frankie, so that lead to this being a very fast read for me. We learned a bit about Frankie in Blush but this is her full story. This book has her following a journey of self discovery, while also exploring her innermost desires. Phantom (bare with me here I’m making sure I don’t use his name 😉) has a very heartbreaking past but i love what he found with Frankie and I love that he was able to see past his reservations for her. I love Helen’s books. I love this new world shes started and I can’t wait to see who’s shows up in Blossom!





** 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 … 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦, 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 =𝘋 **


𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:

“I’m going to figure out all of your secrets, Mr. Phantom.” “Are you, now?” “I am.” “Then you know what that means, don’t you, Angel?” “What?” “That means I will find out your secrets as well.”

He’s going to make me jump through some hoops to get it, but already I know those hoops will open me up to a greater experience.

“Would you like me to suck on that pussy, Angel? Perhaps slide a finger into your cunt?”

“I desperately want to fuck you, and I don’t care if you’re tied up. I don’t care if you’re gagged. I don’t care if I don’t get to spank that sweet little ass of yours. All I care about is getting my dick inside you. That’s all I care about in this single moment.”

“I’m having feelings for the first time in a long time, Frankie. I’m not sure why or what it is about you. You’re beautiful, of course. You’re smart and engaging. But there’s something else. Something that seems to call to the inside of my heart.”

So I read this book on behalf of Entangled Publishing, not realising it was Book 2 in the Black Rose Series.

My reviews, as always, are honest.

I am not really sure where to start, so I will just go to the beginning. The FMC comes off to start with as a complete brat, a spoiled whiny girl who walks out on her sisters engagement announcement. Granted. She walks out on the announcement her sister made, on the day that she should have become Mrs Pendleton Berry (you'll hear this a lot, as she fixates on it for at least the first 5 chapters); even though she is adamant their break up was the right thing.

She then meets this grown man, who parades around NYC dressed as the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera. I get it. He likes his privacy (you hear this a lot, too).

A courtship ensues, but to be honest, it all just feels very wooden, stale, and forced. What is more horrifying to me is that throughout the book, Frankie moans about Penn cheating on her, etc. But there are multiple parts where "Phantom" basically says, "If you can't give me what I want, we have no future," and she just keeps on relenting. That makes me upset more than anything.

There is a story there, it didnt grab me like some do. I didn't DNF this book. I feel terrible for saying it, but I have read better. I felt like the for the relationship between the FMC and MMC to be soulmates it was lukewarm at best, and there really wasn't much character building or descriptions of how they felt about each other.

It seems like other reviewers had a similar experience, unfortunately. Apparently ,Book 1 was amazing.

Dom/sub ; push/pull ; yes/no this was a ping pong of a relationship with what felt like very real dialog
This does have a third act breakup which is my only draw back -otherwise an amazing contemporary read

*noted the website says no triggers (at the time of this review) however …
Death of a loved one -off page
Relationship trauma
Cheating -off page
BDSM (consent is mandatory)
Broken engagement

To be honest, I’m disappointed. This book was full of tropes I find cringey, including insta-lust/insta-love. I found the main character annoying and selfish; she gets upset when anyone else is happy just because she recently got out of a relationship. The MMC was also flat, and completely unrealistic. I really disliked how quickly this progressed considering the main characters knew literally nothing about each other. Also, it wasn’t very spicy at all, which is odd considering that is the major theme of the book. I appreciate the ARC, but unfortunately, this just wasn’t it for me.

Bloom, the second book in the Black Rose series, follows the story of Francesca "Frankie" and Phantom, the dominant who Frankie never knew she needed in her life. This book continues in the exploration of BDSM and the underground clubs that exist for those with an appetite for something other than a "vanilla" lifestyle. Frankie is a woman who has recently had her heart broken - or so she thought until she begins to uncover Phantom and the secrets he holds. Both have been unlucky in love and neither are looking for a series relationship, but sometimes, you can't help but fall for what's behind the mask. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in the series! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy of the book.

Bloom was not the book for me. It had a strong intriguing start and I didn’t mind Frankie at the beginning, but I found her to be and unreliable FMC, and much of her was kind of whiny and frustrating. And she was so rude to poor Tom (this date dialogue was very tough to read as well).

As for Phantom… nothing about his disguise was appealing or attractive to me, so I had difficulty engaging with their relationship. I had high hopes / guesses for who the phantom would turn out to be and the direction the book would take and unfortunately was disappointed by how off I was.

All-in-all it had a lot of potential just fell really flat, and I wish I’d DNF’d. I would try something else by this author though.

Thanks Entangled and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bloom is a steamy romance that centers on trust and self-discovery/exploration. The main characters, Frankie and Phantom, learn to live their lives in full bloom in and out of the bedroom.

Frankie is a junior editor at a women's magazine. She recently discovered that her fiance cheated on her and is looking to drown her sorrows at a bar. That's when she meets Phantom! He is mesmerizing even though he wears a mask like in the Phantom of the Opera. He is mysterious and sexy, but she isn't looking for anything serious. It turns out that he isn't looking for a relationship either. Maybe, a few casual hookups will be their perfect arrangement.

Well, that arrangement quickly goes out the window. Phantom introduces Frankie to the world of BDSM and has an assignment to write about the lifestyle. So, she is becoming fully immersed in BDSM. She learns quickly how important privacy, identity, and trust are to him and makes it a point to never cross those lines. So, she will do her best not to mention him or any of their experiences in her articles.

Together they share some of the most thrilling and sensual moments in and out of the bedroom. There are obstacles that they each have to face and those begin to play a role in their relationship. Sure their feelings are strong, but can they trust each other to stick it out even when they are up against the walls?

I always enjoy reading Helen Hardt and I enjoyed reading Bloom. Phantom and Frankie aren't supposed to be more than a casual hookup, but they can't fight their chemistry. Phantom adds so much mystery and allure to the story that I think readers will have a hard time putting this book down!

Thank you to Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for this Arc.

We meet Frankie who is heartbroken after a recent engagement and trying to move on. She does to this bar and meet Phantom who introduces her to an underground sex club. The two immediately hit it off and Phantom realizes her really likes her enough for
Him to want to reveal his true identity to her.

It was really fast paced, spicy but I think it fell a little flat for me because I had a hard time connecting to Frankie. I honestly like Phantom more than her. This is book 2 in a series so please read book 1 before reading this.

This is book two in The Black Rose series and it is Frankie and Phantom’s story. When Frankie finds out that her fiancé had been cheating on her she walked away after being upset and feeling betrayed but on the day that she should have been married she decided that she needed to do something to take away everything that she is feeling and that is when she meets a man named Phantom that makes her feel everything at the Black Rose underground club where every desire that you want to feel is fulfilled but you can’t reveal any private information. Phantom had been hurt so many times and is so over relationships but at the Black Rose he can be who he wants to and explore what he needs without and relationships or connections while keeping his identity private and that way he can’t be hurt ever again but then he meets Frankie and tries hard to keep his distance from her. Frankie and Phantom have a connection and strong chemistry which they explore in great depth which was super hot but will it eventually lead to anything more, well you will just have to read this book to find out what the outcome will be for them in the end. This book takes you in and kept you turning the pages to see what would happen next and i really enjoyed reading it as it kept your attention throughout. This is the first book that i have read by this author and I can’t wait to read more of her books in the future.

This was the perfect amount of sexy and sweet.
Normally when a man says their favorite book is The Great Gatsby, I assume the worst, but Phantom was charming, sexy, and down to earth. Frankie was such a relatable character and I love how strong and independent she is.
The relationship that blooms (pun intended) between the two characters was a beautiful example of letting your guard down and compromising for the person you love and that love is not measured by time.
This book was also a nice introduction to the BDSM world for people who don’t know much about it. All the right things were there. The number one being constant consent.
I really enjoyed reading it and I’m excited to read the others in the series.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

We start out this book with Frankie going to dinner with her sister, sister's boyfriend, and her parents. Her sister, Mandy, announces her engagement on Frankie's would be wedding day. Frankie leaves in a huff, her fiance cheated on her after 6 years together, and she ducks into a nearby bar. Enter the Phantom, like the musical, and sparks immediately fly. Throughout the book Frankie is introduced to the BDSM lifestyle, while writing an article for work, and falls in love.

I really did enjoy this book, and completely devoured it. It was easy reading, fast storyline. I have not read the first book in the series but didn't feel like I was missing anything. My main complaint is just that Hunter and Frankie both seemed a bit immature. Hunter just screaming about his privacy, the blow ups were very sudden and didn't have great reconciliation.

Overall 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

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

Wowza! Hunter and Frankie heat this one up! When Frankie first meets the Phantom there are a lot of questions that aren’t answered.

Once Phantom realizes Frankie is the real deal he slowly gives more information about himself however sometimes the truth can stab you in the back. Will their connection survive? Read to find out!

title: Bloom

author: Helen Hardt

publisher: Entangled: Amara

publication date: August 22, 2203

pages: 352

peppers: 4 (on this scale)

warnings: consensual sexual violence

summary: Frankie, mad about the announcement of her sister's engagement on the day that was supposed to be her own wedding day, flees to a bar where she meets a man in a Phantom of the Opera costume. They strike up a conversation and eventually go to a leather club. She enjoys learning about the BDSM lifestyle while he breaks all of his regular rules about not getting emotionally attached to his subs.

tropes:

failed engagement/cheating fiancé
sister's wedding
masked man
what I liked: the two main characters are nice to each other and learn that they're worthy of love.

what I didn’t like: the book was very repetitive and felt somewhat like a manual about the BDSM lifestyle more than it felt like a novel about two characters.

overall rating: 3 (of 5 stars)

A marvelously steamy novel with a fair mix of mystery and allure between two strangers in a bar.

Phantom — using the mask and nickname as a guise to enjoy his own fantasies while also achieving the partner at the time.

Frankie — feeling incredibly burnt out and screwed over by her ex-fiancée so close to the day of their planned wedding, given a task to write about alternative lifestyles. Leather clubs.


One fateful night where they meet and gravitate towards each other without fail. A world of new firsts, and a ton of ‘research’. This super sweet spicy romance novel is sure to sweep you off your feet.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I loved how the characters had real struggles to move past in order to make their relationship work. This is my first book that I've read from this author and it was well written. I enjoyed the spiciness that the club brought to the characters relationship.

Oh man, what can I say about this book without giving too much away? First of all, can I just say that I absolutely loved the banter and conversations between Frankie and “Phantom” Both characters are immaculately written. I really feel like I was present for their conversations and interactions and I could have sat and listened all day. Both characters are fun and intelligent. The world building was beautifully done and I could actually see every single place as I was reading it. I wasn’t expecting any plot twists but then ended up with a not so surprising surprise. I kinda started piecing things together and then when it was confirmed I was even more intrigued. But…..

Francesca is a 27year old woman who recently broke off her engagement with her long time on again, off again fiancé. And a day that’s very significant to her her sister announces some good news but without any regard to what the day was supposed to represent for Frankie. And this event has Frankie steaming.
“Phantom” (I’m going to omit his actual name because it adds intrigue and mystery to this very steamy book lol) is a 35 year old man who’s never had good luck in relationships so he lives his life in a non traditional way. He’s a Dom and decides that’s all he has the ability to entertain the idea of since he’s been crushed before. Can’t get hurt if you don’t get attached right? Wrong! Because he meets a stunning young woman who leaves him wanting more than he’s ready or willing to give, but it couldn’t hurt to introduce her to his lifestyle……

This book is a ton of fun following Frankie and Phantom on this journey of growth and “Blooming” together. Can their worlds collide and provide something for both of them?
I absolutely LOVED this book and can’t wait to read the next installment. Helen Hardt….. you just became one of my auto buy authors. Thanks for this gem!