[ARC Review] Blush by Helen Hardt
Amanda Thomas is hopelessly in love with Jackson Paris, but he will never see her as anything more than his sweet and innocent bestie. After being virgin-adjacent for too long, Mandy is officially ready to move on. She wants to learn about hot, dirty sex, so she joins an online dating app where the enigmatic Mr. Dark promises to fulfill all of her wicked fantasies...
Jackson Paris has been keeping secrets from his stunning, too-innocent best friend—like forbidden sexual proclivities and his membership at the exclusive Black Rose Underground club. But Mandy has decided she needs an education—the filthy kind. As Mr. Dark, Jackson can safely give her a taste of what she wants—and deter her from pursuing more—without revealing his identity.
But in the dim, provocative atmosphere of Black Rose Underground, there are no secrets. Here, every wicked appetite is satisfied. And for the first time, Mandy will discover who her best friend really is...just in time to shock him with a secret of her own.
My thoughts: I love a good friends-to-lovers romance, and Helen Hardt definitely took this one up a notch by introducing some, albeit tamer, Fifty Shades-style action.
Mandy and Jack are perfect friends and even better lovers. I absolutely loved that they've been friends for essentially their entire lives, yet are so clueless about the other's wants and desires. I thought the story played out at a good pace, without too much rushing into the darker elements. After all, Jack would not have believed Mandy if she rushed into her choices, so why should the plot rush into those parts either?
I usually hate the will they/won't they part of a friends-to-lovers story, but I actually didn't mind Jackson's hesitation in this one. I thought Hardt chose a logical path for Jack; not only was his friendship with Mandy at stake, but he could've easily taken her past her limits and broken her in irreparable ways. The fact that Jack was always more worried about Mandy than his own reputation truly spoke volumes about their friendship.
Hardt's writing is always easy to read and get lost in. Her dual POV writing style gives readers a poignant and necessary look into both main characters' heads while they fight to navigate their friendship dynamic as well as Jackson's darker side.
I will say, however, that the "darker" elements are really not that dark at all. It makes sense that Jackson would go easy on Mandy, slowly introducing her to his lifestyle. But even when Jack is with an experienced partner, it's still pretty basic stuff. It's very much a tease for this darker character that Jackson supposedly is.
If you're looking for a well written friends-to-lovers romance that incorporates some darker elements, definitely check out Blush.
[A huge thank you to Entangled: Amara for providing an advanced review copy of this title. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.]
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Release date: 1/24/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: NetGalley
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