This book was fun to read. The mmc is written well. The overall story is very fast paced but I don't mind that! The is a book in a series. Very spicy. Definitely recommend to others.

*Blossom* by Helen Hardt is a romance novel that blends passion with emotional depth, as the main characters navigate personal struggles and growing attraction. Hardt's writing is engaging, and she creates a palpable chemistry between the leads, which keeps the reader invested in their connection.

However, the story sometimes feels a bit repetitive, with moments that drag on and certain plot points that feel predictable. While the romance is steamy, the pacing could have been tighter, and I found myself wanting more character development, particularly in exploring the protagonists' backstories in greater depth. The emotional stakes were present but didn’t hit as strongly as they could have.

Overall, *Blossom* is an enjoyable, easy-to-read romance, but it lacks the depth and complexity to elevate it beyond a typical love story. Fans of the genre may appreciate it for its chemistry and steamy moments, but it may not leave a lasting impact for those seeking something more unique or thought-provoking.

The pacing was a bit uneven, with some sections dragging while others moved too quickly. That said, there were still a few heartfelt scenes that stood out and made the story enjoyable in parts. It’s not a bad book, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression for me.

I’d recommend this for fans of Helen Hardt’s other works or readers who enjoy lighter, emotional stories, but it’s probably not a book I’d revisit. Solid 3 stars.

Then this author created a very moderately light to dark romance with a lot of heat, spiciness intention. I really love this world of the deviant desires that she is in right now with the series. This couple enough characters in the book has been my favorite so far and I enjoyed the growth and development they both had. I also found that the storyline in this one kept me more entertained and more sucked in than the previous two. I loved getting more viewpoints about the plot and the club, and the whole kind of scenes of taboo and deviant desires that is explored in this book.

This book was much better than the second in the series. I really enjoyed getting to know Blossom's (Mary's) backstory, and the way Ronan is with her is sooo delicious. I was really pleased with the way this one turned out.

This was my first book by this author but it will not be my last - I went into this book blind but was surprised to find how much I loved it! Books with BDSM is not typically what I read but this book was done so well and I loved the MCs and their character and relationship growth. Absolutely will recommend and read more of this author!

Blossom is the continuation of Helen Hardt's Black Rose series that features stand alone stories about the Black Rose Underground club. Blossom, the third in the series, focuses on Mary and Ronan's spicy love story. After Mary experiences a bad scene, she reevaluates her needs and makes the tough decision on whether to leave Black Rose for good....until she meets Ronan, a Scottish Dom. This book features great scenes, intriguing characters and a sneak peek into the BDSM nightlife. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC and #Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book #Blossom in exchange for my honest review.

Blossom by Helen Hardt is book 3 of this series. I love this author and I love her writing on the BDSM world. This story was so good! Two people coming out of long term situations and trying to start over but finding themselves together instead. Love can make a person completely change their mind on what they want and this book does a great job showcasing that along with a great spicy story!

Blossom is the third installment in the Black Rose Sage by the ever-talented Helen Hardt. Like all her other series, this one has me in a frenzy of need for more. Blossom is a spicy BDSM romance filled with drama and suspense. As always, I recommend reading the series in order to get the full effect of the saga, but each book is based on its own couple.

Mary and Ronan are a really angsty couple and Hardt did a great job of incorporating their Dom/Sub relationship and how that can change. Mary is a submissive and Ronan is a Dom, their relationship sounds like it would be pretty cut and dry, but their personalities push back against one another and they both want more. So much more that maybe their Dom/Sub relationship turns into much more.

This book is all leather and love, yes BDSM but the feel of it is more romantic to me. Mary and Ronan are great as a couple, their chemistry and need for each other make them such an interesting read, one that I think HH readers are very much going to enjoy. She does, after all, give some of the best HEA’s.

4⭐
3 🌶️

I love this author. Here books get better and better. I love the characters and the storyline line. Would highly recommend

I have been a fan on this Black Rose series and have read each installment. I loved the first book, Blush, but the last two have just been okay. In Blossom, we re-visit an old friend from Blush, Mary "Blossom," and find out more about the incident that happened between her and a Dom. Ronan is a half-Scottish, half-Louisiana man who prefers kilts over pants and is a Dom who supposedly knows exactly what he wants...until he meets Mary. To me, this story felt really rushed. The love story was rushed. The explanations for a characters way of thinking and doing things were rushed and also the exact same information was repeated in several passages throughout the book. I also struggle with these books a little because so much time is spent talking about BDSM and the Dom/sub relationship, but not much actually happens in the book. Mary and Ronan had one scene together in the book and one or two "vanilla" scenes. I just think if someone is reading this hoping to hear more about the scenes at the club they'll be a bit disappointed. I still liked it and I will still read any further books in the series in the hopes of getting to see the mysterious Braden Black in action!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I love Helen Hardt but this one was not my favorite. I was not convinced of the connection between the 2 MCs. Tossing it up to a fluke on my part, will not deter me from her books in the future.

Having not read the first book standalones in the series, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Mary, after having a horrible experience with a Dom, steps back into the BDSM world at the bequest of a friend. There, she finds, Ronan, a sexy Scotsman looking for a partner for the night. But, it’s not always as simple as a one night stand where hearts are involved. Love always comes to those who least expect it.
Hardt has managed to write a book full of spicy, fiery passion, and line with undertones so often forgotten in BDSM books. The romance keeps readers interested, but it’s the undertones that make a story like this so much more than just the spice.

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.

˗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♥

I really love the Black Rose series and this book definitely delivered in true black rose style. This time we get to be with Ronan and Mary, and I seriously loved these characters, the spicy scenes, the drama, and the romance between them. It was all perfection!!

blossom by Helen Hardt is an exquisitely written novel that delves into the depths of the human spirit with grace and poignancy. Hardt's masterful storytelling skillfully intertwines themes of love, loss, and redemption, creating a narrative that is both emotionally resonant and utterly compelling. The characters are vividly drawn, each with their own struggles and triumphs, making them relatable and unforgettable. As the story unfolds, readers are swept away on a journey of self-discovery and healing, guided by Hardt's lyrical prose and insightful exploration of the complexities of the heart. "Blossom" is a gem of a book that will linger in the mind long after the final page is turned. Highly recommended for anyone in search of a deeply moving and beautifully crafted story.

I always enjoy Helen's books and Blossom is the continuation of her Black Rose series that features stand alone stories about the Black Rose Underground club. It's a leather club with a whole host of members and this one focuses on the character of Blossom.

She's a seasoned submissive, but a recent scene experience has left her questioning whether she wants to continue this lifestyle, or maybe it's time for her retire for good. As she meets Ronan, he challenges those feelings inside her and she finds herself wanting to stay.

These two characters were really fun to read about and the book moves along pretty quickly. I never felt like it lingered too long and I enjoyed their chemistry and dynamics together. This series has been really fun to read and I'm looking forward to more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4,3 stars
Boy oh boy! This was amazing!
This steamy BDSM story is not what was on my bingo card this year and I am absolutely obsessed! Great representation of BDSM, importance of consent, overcoming trauma and finding yourself. This is instalove story, but in the beat way possible! I like that Mary is her own person who has her limits and wants and needs and she is following them. Ronan is a dreamboat and i am absolutely in love with him. Related with his grandmother is very charming and my heart is overall melting from this book.
I haven’t read any other books in the series, so I confirm this can be read as a standalone, as I haven’t felt like i was missing out on anything.
The spice is indeed very spicy and i was very pleasantly surprised.
If you are a fan of Sara Cates SPC series, i would highly recommend this book.
I received this book as an ARC and i leaving my honest review.