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Alchemy #1
Unfurl
BELLE
When you’ve been told your whole life that something is sinful, you have two options.
Avoid it like the plague. Like it has the power to destroy all that is good and pure.
Or become as fixated upon it as Eve was upon that apple.
I’m sick of the push-pull of terror and temptation. It’s tearing me apart. I just want a bite of the apple.
More than a bite. I want to devour it. Have its juices spill from my lips.
And by apple I, of course, mean sex.
RAFE
My new neighbour is the kind of beautiful that could bring a man to his knees. But she’s twenty-two. Fourteen years younger than me.
That’s too young. I've vowed to stay away. Until she comes to me for help.
It seems she has something to dispose of. Her chastity.
And it seems I have something she wants. The club I run for discerning adults. More specifically, the programme we’ve created for women just like Belle.
A programme that will transform her from innocent to damned.
Unfurl the parts of her she’s denied until now.
It seems I may not be the only one falling to my knees, after all.
God help us both.
Unfurl is a steamy age-gap contemporary romance featuring multiple partner play and a monogamous HEA.
When you’ve been told your whole life that something is sinful, you have two options.
Avoid it like the plague. Like it has the power to destroy all that is good and pure.
Or become as fixated upon it as Eve was upon that apple.
I’m sick of the push-pull of terror and temptation. It’s tearing me apart. I just want a bite of the apple.
More than a bite. I want to devour it. Have its juices spill from my lips.
And by apple I, of course, mean sex.
RAFE
My new neighbour is the kind of beautiful that could bring a man to his knees. But she’s twenty-two. Fourteen years younger than me.
That’s too young. I've vowed to stay away. Until she comes to me for help.
It seems she has something to dispose of. Her chastity.
And it seems I have something she wants. The club I run for discerning adults. More specifically, the programme we’ve created for women just like Belle.
A programme that will transform her from innocent to damned.
Unfurl the parts of her she’s denied until now.
It seems I may not be the only one falling to my knees, after all.
God help us both.
Unfurl is a steamy age-gap contemporary romance featuring multiple partner play and a monogamous HEA.
392 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2023
7175 people are currently reading
33538 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,871 reviews
April 20, 2023
Forgive me Father…or don’t cause idc this was 🔥🔥🔥
If you love Priest by Sierra Simone and the Salacious Players Club series by Sara Cate then you need to read this! The writing is absolutely beautiful, watching Belle unpack her Catholic guilt & own herself was amaze, and Rafe can take me to his club any day, any time please and thank you
If you love Priest by Sierra Simone and the Salacious Players Club series by Sara Cate then you need to read this! The writing is absolutely beautiful, watching Belle unpack her Catholic guilt & own herself was amaze, and Rafe can take me to his club any day, any time please and thank you
April 20, 2024
3.75 stars. I really liked this book a LOT all the way up until about… 70ish%. I’m not quite sure what happened but it really lost my interest at the end and I definitely had to push myself to finish.
I did find out I really don’t like when a 22 year old calls their parents mummy and daddy though. I know that for sure now.
I did find out I really don’t like when a 22 year old calls their parents mummy and daddy though. I know that for sure now.
December 4, 2023
Should have known by a 24 year old calling her mother 'mummy' in the second page and not being irionic that this book would make me contemplate my existence on earth.
April 19, 2023
All I knew about Unfurl before going in was that it was an age gap, contemporary romance on KU and the hero was part owner of a kink club.
This was wildly delicious and fun and easy to binge! I read it in one sitting. Basically it started off like a much more kinky Magnolia Parks meets Salacious Players Club. Set in London, we meet 22-year old Belle and she kind of breaks the wall/talks to the reader like her POV is her journal entries (hence giving me the Magnolia vibes). Belle is a virgin and would rather not be, so when she meets her parents hot new neighbor Rafe (who is 36) and finds out he owns a sex club that specializes in those with little experience, all the stars align (hence the SPC vibes).
Rafe owns Alchemy and one of the club’s programs offered there is called Unfurl, which is for “people with little experience who wish to awaken their sexuality in style”. In other words, a whole program with steps and partner/s to allow someone to discover and experiment with their own sexuality in a safe, comfortable environment. Belle asks Rafe about it and of course enters into the program with Rafe as one of her mentors so to speak.
This moves super fast, lots of kinky times, lots of others involved to have a good time with as well, lots of roleplaying, Rafe and Belle both have/have had hangups due to their Catholic upbringings so that plays a major role in the story and their steamy times too. Everything definitely falls into place super easily, low angst, high heat! The first 65-70% of this I really liked! After that I felt like the story already reached the peak and I was ready for it to be over, so the drama that kind of unfolded after that I didn’t need but I guess it made sense for the character’s story. 😅 I am super intrigued with the next book after meeting the characters in this one (widowed single dad hero and another age gap 👀), and have already downloaded it!
This was wildly delicious and fun and easy to binge! I read it in one sitting. Basically it started off like a much more kinky Magnolia Parks meets Salacious Players Club. Set in London, we meet 22-year old Belle and she kind of breaks the wall/talks to the reader like her POV is her journal entries (hence giving me the Magnolia vibes). Belle is a virgin and would rather not be, so when she meets her parents hot new neighbor Rafe (who is 36) and finds out he owns a sex club that specializes in those with little experience, all the stars align (hence the SPC vibes).
Rafe owns Alchemy and one of the club’s programs offered there is called Unfurl, which is for “people with little experience who wish to awaken their sexuality in style”. In other words, a whole program with steps and partner/s to allow someone to discover and experiment with their own sexuality in a safe, comfortable environment. Belle asks Rafe about it and of course enters into the program with Rafe as one of her mentors so to speak.
This moves super fast, lots of kinky times, lots of others involved to have a good time with as well, lots of roleplaying, Rafe and Belle both have/have had hangups due to their Catholic upbringings so that plays a major role in the story and their steamy times too. Everything definitely falls into place super easily, low angst, high heat! The first 65-70% of this I really liked! After that I felt like the story already reached the peak and I was ready for it to be over, so the drama that kind of unfolded after that I didn’t need but I guess it made sense for the character’s story. 😅 I am super intrigued with the next book after meeting the characters in this one (widowed single dad hero and another age gap 👀), and have already downloaded it!
July 27, 2023
Я писала дуже довгий відгук, що чудесного є в цій книжці із цитатами, але гудрідз вирішив, що він непотрібний і закрив додаток, коли я вже дописувала. Тому скажу одне: я рада, що натрапила на цю книжку, яка будучи дуже спайсі піднімає безліч важливих питань, починаючи від відносин між батьками і дітьми і завершуючи вивченням власного тіла. Це та книжка, яку хочеться перечитувати і обгорнутися нею, як теплим м’яким пледом (я ніколи б не подумала, що буду говорити таке про гарячі любовні романи), але слова, якими я можу охарактеризувати її, це pure, wholesome, magical. Ця книжка жодного разу не здалася мені dirty, незважаючи на специфіку роботи одного з головних героїв. If you’re into smut and want to try something new you are on the right path. Just wow. Incredible.
May 9, 2024
I really liked the beginning of this one and how the heroine wanted to lose her virginity and was using the club to do that. But there was nothing to these characters except their trauma with religion and wanting to have sex. And the role play at the end? And entire hour of the audiobook? I was definitely over the book at that point. I wanted a lot more plot outside of the sex and a lot more character development.
Read
January 4, 2024DNF'd at 30%
The writing was just too cringeworthy for me.
The writing was just too cringeworthy for me.
January 29, 2023
I've read a lot of @saramaddersonauthor books before, but this was something different, her writing as Elodie Hart. The best way I can describe Unfurl is like the book Priest on steroids less the boring religious parts. There's religion in this, don't get me wrong, but Unfurl doesn't get bogged down by those parts. They add to it in a way that helps build the character arcs and increase the intensity.
Belina (Belle) is 22 and still a virgin, much to her dismay. She's had the chance to ride herself of that pesky problem, but always chosen not to because it never felt right and the poor girl is dealing with some serious moral dilemmas. She was raised a Catholic by a very patriarchal, extreme Catholic father and a mother who just submits. When we meet Belle, she's in her head fed up at the way her father is asserting his religious beliefs as fact, a never ending source of frustration for her. She swears that if and when she has kids they will be raised to be open minded. Her strict upbringing and the religious brainwashing she's grown up with have made intimacy, even self intimacy, something that she struggles with. Shame, disgust, judgment. She feels it all even thinking about these fantasies she can't seem to shake. Enter her parents' upstairs neighbor Rafe. He's the perfect guy to help rid her of her virginity. He's older, mature, and surely knows what he's doing since he owns a sex club. Belle's in for a truly religious experience.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I knew it was going to be spicy, but DAMN. I was not prepared for this. This may have been the most well done spicy read ever. We're talking crazy, INSANE levels of hot here. Give me Unfurl over Priest every single day of the week.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Belina (Belle) is 22 and still a virgin, much to her dismay. She's had the chance to ride herself of that pesky problem, but always chosen not to because it never felt right and the poor girl is dealing with some serious moral dilemmas. She was raised a Catholic by a very patriarchal, extreme Catholic father and a mother who just submits. When we meet Belle, she's in her head fed up at the way her father is asserting his religious beliefs as fact, a never ending source of frustration for her. She swears that if and when she has kids they will be raised to be open minded. Her strict upbringing and the religious brainwashing she's grown up with have made intimacy, even self intimacy, something that she struggles with. Shame, disgust, judgment. She feels it all even thinking about these fantasies she can't seem to shake. Enter her parents' upstairs neighbor Rafe. He's the perfect guy to help rid her of her virginity. He's older, mature, and surely knows what he's doing since he owns a sex club. Belle's in for a truly religious experience.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I knew it was going to be spicy, but DAMN. I was not prepared for this. This may have been the most well done spicy read ever. We're talking crazy, INSANE levels of hot here. Give me Unfurl over Priest every single day of the week.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 14, 2023
I really wanted to love this one! I loved the hero but I felt the heroine was very naive. A little to naive for me that it got a bit annoying. The beginning of the book was a solid read but the ending was just okay.
July 16, 2025
We have age-gap, sex club, sexual awakening and no plot. That's exactly what I needed at the moment I picked up the book.
Belle grew up in a very religious family, so she goes through major shift in how she sees faith, morality, and herself - and that is a big part of the book. It's not something I want to read about but it gave me 'priest-nun' role-play so no complaints 😂
Belle grew up in a very religious family, so she goes through major shift in how she sees faith, morality, and herself - and that is a big part of the book. It's not something I want to read about but it gave me 'priest-nun' role-play so no complaints 😂
January 28, 2023
Fans of cozy mystery writer Elodie Hart should be aware that this is by a different author using the same pen name and quite possibly in a very different style. I have enjoyed contemporary romances by Sara Madderson before and while those books got quite a bit of sexual chemistry going on this second pen name cranks up the steam levels several notches. But it's not just steam, you get the same quality writing and the way with words, and the sex scenes are part and parcel of the FMC trying to liberate herself from her oppressive upbringing.
Belle has been educated by nuns and her father is extremely religious in a patriarchal, controlling manner that has begun to feel oppressive to her. His religion is not the kind where you talk about God's mercy and love and give your second shirt to the poor but the kind where you totter around in expensive design everything and speak in demeaning terms of people who like Harry Potter and enjoy sex. Belle's mother panders to him in everything so he doesn't fly off in rages. Belle said that the stress responses are fight, flight, freeze and fawning, and in this family the females have perfected fawning. But Belle has begun to doubt and to realize that her father's faith is just his beliefs and opinions and not necessarily what is good for her. When she meets Rafe they are both struck by lustful thoughts at first sight, and when she finds out that he owns a private club that offers a program for people seeking to unfurl sexually it seems just the thing to help her get over her fear and guilt related to her sexual desires. What with the age difference and his varied sexual history and the mentoring dynamic it doesn't feel like a monogamous relationship is in the cards but it turns out that she can open up new avenues for him too. Belle's reactions to her dad's anger were pretty strong and I thought she might benefit from some professional counseling and not just rely on one man to fix her.
Steam level: Role playing fantasy scenes with multiple partners. The HEA is just the two of them though.
Series status: This is a standalone but it looks like at least one future book was set up. I liked Maddy who is the straight-talking best friend character so would not mind reading her story.
I got an arc and this is a voluntary review.
Belle has been educated by nuns and her father is extremely religious in a patriarchal, controlling manner that has begun to feel oppressive to her. His religion is not the kind where you talk about God's mercy and love and give your second shirt to the poor but the kind where you totter around in expensive design everything and speak in demeaning terms of people who like Harry Potter and enjoy sex. Belle's mother panders to him in everything so he doesn't fly off in rages. Belle said that the stress responses are fight, flight, freeze and fawning, and in this family the females have perfected fawning. But Belle has begun to doubt and to realize that her father's faith is just his beliefs and opinions and not necessarily what is good for her. When she meets Rafe they are both struck by lustful thoughts at first sight, and when she finds out that he owns a private club that offers a program for people seeking to unfurl sexually it seems just the thing to help her get over her fear and guilt related to her sexual desires. What with the age difference and his varied sexual history and the mentoring dynamic it doesn't feel like a monogamous relationship is in the cards but it turns out that she can open up new avenues for him too. Belle's reactions to her dad's anger were pretty strong and I thought she might benefit from some professional counseling and not just rely on one man to fix her.
Steam level: Role playing fantasy scenes with multiple partners. The HEA is just the two of them though.
Series status: This is a standalone but it looks like at least one future book was set up. I liked Maddy who is the straight-talking best friend character so would not mind reading her story.
I got an arc and this is a voluntary review.
October 27, 2023
DNF constant mention of daddy and mommy put me off
November 4, 2023
dnf
Stopped at 33% in.
The book is boring as hell. With way too much repetitive inner monologues from both mc's.
Stopped at 33% in.
The book is boring as hell. With way too much repetitive inner monologues from both mc's.
August 5, 2024
What can i say ... It started well I could see tha appealing but it kept getting boring plus i couldn't sense an aouns of chemistry between them . It fell shallow and superficial.
February 6, 2023
This is not written by cozy mystery writer Elodie Hart!
This story is by Sara Madderson writing as Elodie Hart.
I’ve not read anything quite like this before. Having been raised Catholic in the US, I get where this is coming from.
Although some US Catholics have ridged acceptance of the church doctrine, where I grew up it was much more the center of social goings on, that being said, I had a Catholic, very liberal minded Mom who defended our choice to choose or not, church doctrine or just not choose the church at all-clearly, I was lucky!
This story is unique because we meet Bella who was raised at a Catholic boarding school and was told all the things that my older siblings had told to them while attending Catholic school-and that is some pretty messed up stuff! By the time I attended, none of that was taught.
Bella is 22 and still maintaining her virginity, but she’s made it her resolution to give that up and after meeting her parent’s neighbor Rafe-a $ex club owner and with the gentle help of her very uninhibited friend, she enrolls in the clubs program for virgins. (I could only wish for a friend as amazing as Maddy!)
Rafe wants Bella the moment he sets eyes on her. Rafe is 14 years older, but, you know, it’s just not really an issue because they are peas and carrots.
You need to know that they have an HEA, that this story examines Catholicism’s effect on children through adulthood and that is a heavy theme throughout the story, including a parent with extreme views.
Throughout the story we meet side characters and we get bits of what we will see in future stories in this series.
This was a good story, I enjoyed it.
This story is by Sara Madderson writing as Elodie Hart.
I’ve not read anything quite like this before. Having been raised Catholic in the US, I get where this is coming from.
Although some US Catholics have ridged acceptance of the church doctrine, where I grew up it was much more the center of social goings on, that being said, I had a Catholic, very liberal minded Mom who defended our choice to choose or not, church doctrine or just not choose the church at all-clearly, I was lucky!
This story is unique because we meet Bella who was raised at a Catholic boarding school and was told all the things that my older siblings had told to them while attending Catholic school-and that is some pretty messed up stuff! By the time I attended, none of that was taught.
Bella is 22 and still maintaining her virginity, but she’s made it her resolution to give that up and after meeting her parent’s neighbor Rafe-a $ex club owner and with the gentle help of her very uninhibited friend, she enrolls in the clubs program for virgins. (I could only wish for a friend as amazing as Maddy!)
Rafe wants Bella the moment he sets eyes on her. Rafe is 14 years older, but, you know, it’s just not really an issue because they are peas and carrots.
You need to know that they have an HEA, that this story examines Catholicism’s effect on children through adulthood and that is a heavy theme throughout the story, including a parent with extreme views.
Throughout the story we meet side characters and we get bits of what we will see in future stories in this series.
This was a good story, I enjoyed it.
April 20, 2023
4.5 Stars ⭐️ this book took me by surprise! Rafe was such a great hero and had me swooning the entire time. However, I was missing some romance that I didn’t feel like I got. I wanted the stakes to feel a little higher.
Other than that, I had the best time reading this.
BEAUTIFUL writing!!
Other than that, I had the best time reading this.
BEAUTIFUL writing!!
November 5, 2024
Якщо тема віри для вас табу, то проходьте мимо цієї книги.
Книга захопила мене з перших сторінок. Просто не можливо відірватись.😍
І так тропи
🖤секс-клуб
🖤 Різниця у віці
🖤"навчи мене"
🖤рольові ігри (священник)
🖤 він закохується першим
🖤присутні сцени за участю інших чоловіків , але без проникнень)
Белль - 22 р. з дитинства живе по правилам католицизму, так як її батьки віруючі, особливо тато. З малечку вона відвідувала спеціальні школи, в яких навчали всіх церковних канонів.
Рейф - 36 р. в минулому теж був віруючою людиною, але зараз він мільярдер який займається акціями, криптою, мистецтвом, короче все що можна продати. І в цей перелік входить - секс.
Батьки Белль їдуть в Італію, тому вона буде жити в їх квартирі якийсь час. А Рейф їх новий сусід, скажу одразу між ними двома запалюється вогонь. Але вони обоє думають що один одному не цікаві, Белль думає що вона занадто невинна, і його цікавлять жінки з досвідом, а Рейф думає що він за дорослий, і вона не цікавится їм.
(думки Рейфа це щось, вони такі мило-гарячі, так як він живе вище поверхом)
І в їх першу зустріч, він покидає Белль з такими думками.😆
Белль повинна покорятись батьку, і жити так як він вважає за потрібним. Тому вона ніколи йому не суперечить, і мовчить навіть тоді коли з ним не згодна. Белль розуміє що він не має права диктувати правила за якими їй жити.
Також вона має подругу Медді, яка теж навчалась в школі Святої Цецилії, але попри все Медді не така покірна як Белль, та має своє бачення на світ. Белль захоплюється подругою, тому що її сила, мудрість, внутрішній компас і віра в себе , робить її справжньою.
І так в Белль є проблема це її невинність. І Медді коли вперше бачить Рейфа говорить що саме він зможе їй допомогти.
Медді дізнається що Рейф володіє секс-клубом, який називається Алхімія, в цьому клубі є набір послуг.
І також в них є пограма для людей, в яких мало досвіду і які хочуть побудити свою сексуальність. Програма має назву - "розбещення".
Перші думки Белль коли вона дивиться сайт Алхімії, це те зо вона відправиться в пекло.😂
На сайті вона знаходить інформацію, але там все досить розмито, тому вона йде до Рейфа, і запитує на пряму про цю програму. Звісно Рейф не очікував, цього, алн він настільки здивований, що його бажання до Белль тільки зростає.
Так ми дізнаємось що Алхімією володіє Рейф та його друзі Джен, Зак, Каллум.
Звісно Белль вирішує прийняти участь в цій программі.
В цій книзі мені сподобалось все, починаючи від головних героїв. Які вони були дорості, та мудрі, одразу говорили якщо в чомусь сумнівались. Рейф взагалі лапочка.🥹
Хоч ця книга в якійсь мірі про секс-клуб, але сцен +18 тут не багато. АЛЕ....які ж вони гарячі, я вам не можу передати.🌶️🌶️🌶️
Особливо перша сцена, це було щось неймовірне.
Тут була драма, але не між головними героями, це настільки порадувало, не можу передати словами.
Також піднімається тема своїх особистих кордонів, у спілкуванні з батьками.
Ця программа не тільки розкрила для Белль сторону її сексуальності, а і показала ким вона є насправді. І вона зрозуміла, що не хоче жити так як хтось інший їй говорить.
Скажу що всі інші герої дуже інтригують, з нетерпінням хочу дізнатись їх історії. Тому одразу почала 2-книгу, вона про чарівну Медді❤️🔥
Книга захопила мене з перших сторінок. Просто не можливо відірватись.😍
І так тропи
🖤секс-клуб
🖤 Різниця у віці
🖤"навчи мене"
🖤рольові ігри (священник)
🖤 він закохується першим
🖤присутні сцени за участю інших чоловіків , але без проникнень)
Белль - 22 р. з дитинства живе по правилам католицизму, так як її батьки віруючі, особливо тато. З малечку вона відвідувала спеціальні школи, в яких навчали всіх церковних канонів.
Рейф - 36 р. в минулому теж був віруючою людиною, але зараз він мільярдер який займається акціями, криптою, мистецтвом, короче все що можна продати. І в цей перелік входить - секс.
Батьки Белль їдуть в Італію, тому вона буде жити в їх квартирі якийсь час. А Рейф їх новий сусід, скажу одразу між ними двома запалюється вогонь. Але вони обоє думають що один одному не цікаві, Белль думає що вона занадто невинна, і його цікавлять жінки з досвідом, а Рейф думає що він за дорослий, і вона не цікавится їм.
(думки Рейфа це щось, вони такі мило-гарячі, так як він живе вище поверхом)
. "Особливо коли тепер я знаю, що ти проведеш тут літо. Прямо піді мною, як що можна так сказати"..
І в їх першу зустріч, він покидає Белль з такими думками.😆
."Ти не можеш трахнути маленьку доньку Лорен"..
Белль повинна покорятись батьку, і жити так як він вважає за потрібним. Тому вона ніколи йому не суперечить, і мовчить навіть тоді коли з ним не згодна. Белль розуміє що він не має права диктувати правила за якими їй жити.
Також вона має подругу Медді, яка теж навчалась в школі Святої Цецилії, але попри все Медді не така покірна як Белль, та має своє бачення на світ. Белль захоплюється подругою, тому що її сила, мудрість, внутрішній компас і віра в себе , робить її справжньою.
І так в Белль є проблема це її невинність. І Медді коли вперше бачить Рейфа говорить що саме він зможе їй допомогти.
Медді дізнається що Рейф володіє секс-клубом, який називається Алхімія, в цьому клубі є набір послуг.
І також в них є пограма для людей, в яких мало досвіду і які хочуть побудити свою сексуальність. Програма має назву - "розбещення".
Перші думки Белль коли вона дивиться сайт Алхімії, це те зо вона відправиться в пекло.😂
На сайті вона знаходить інформацію, але там все досить розмито, тому вона йде до Рейфа, і запитує на пряму про цю програму. Звісно Рейф не очікував, цього, алн він настільки здивований, що його бажання до Белль тільки зростає.
Так ми дізнаємось що Алхімією володіє Рейф та його друзі Джен, Зак, Каллум.
Звісно Белль вирішує прийняти участь в цій программі.
В цій книзі мені сподобалось все, починаючи від головних героїв. Які вони були дорості, та мудрі, одразу говорили якщо в чомусь сумнівались. Рейф взагалі лапочка.🥹
Хоч ця книга в якійсь мірі про секс-клуб, але сцен +18 тут не багато. АЛЕ....які ж вони гарячі, я вам не можу передати.🌶️🌶️🌶️
Особливо перша сцена, це було щось неймовірне.
Тут була драма, але не між головними героями, це настільки порадувало, не можу передати словами.
Також піднімається тема своїх особистих кордонів, у спілкуванні з батьками.
Ця программа не тільки розкрила для Белль сторону її сексуальності, а і показала ким вона є насправді. І вона зрозуміла, що не хоче жити так як хтось інший їй говорить.
Скажу що всі інші герої дуже інтригують, з нетерпінням хочу дізнатись їх історії. Тому одразу почала 2-книгу, вона про чарівну Медді❤️🔥
May 15, 2023
3.5 stars in terms of the writing, but rounding up to 4 stars because I loved how much I resonated with this book overall. The author’s note in the end about her motivations for writing the book was easy to relate to and I’m glad she wrote this book.
February 1, 2023
Holy Mother of Pearl! Gottaughschmott. Lurvelshff. Luvoo!
*** NOTE: this is not a cozy mystery review, but a different, much raunchier Elodie Hart (Sara Madderson), writing naughty things! ***
Oh my gah! I can’t say enough about this amazing book! I was given an ARC copy of Elodie Hart’s new book to review before release date. It centres on the theme of letting go and unfurling from sexual repression. It’s beyond good. It enters the lofty realm of the sublime!
Unfurl is the best title (in a Georgia O’Keefe kind of way) for this book. In a process of trust and transformation, Belle becomes a self-actualized woman under the tutelage of Rafe and the men of his private club, Alchemy. Rafe is a recovering Catholic himself. Through the book, Belle changes from timid to confident in herself and in her relationships and finds her way out from under her father’s oppressive thumb.
I think most women will find something of themselves in this book, even if you have not experienced oppression and sexual repression through religious dogma. It feels so important to emphasize this, especially in the backlash times we women live in.
Rafe may never have expected to meet his ideal match in a younger woman (oh yes it’s all of these tropes — age gap, coach {oh the lessons she learns}, erotic in the best profane way {more of a sub-genre, eh what?!}, alpha male, coming of age), but his soul match is definitely Belle. He thinks of her as much as she thinks of him before they come together. and he’s also the first to fall. I love when that happens!
The epilogue in and of itself makes the book worth reading! It’s not merely an epilogue, it’s an EPIC-logue! And if you want to know what that means… you’ll find out there!
Oh, and, in reading this particularly racy section my fitbit recorded my heart rate at 20 BPM higher. It's almost like a polygraph! (You’ll also understand that reference when you read it).
I don’t even need to give you a passage, just remember these words and think of me fondly when you read this gorgeously sensual book’s epic-logue:
This one also has a guaranteed HEA! If you’re a fan of Sierra Simone — it’s got all the heat, steam and passion — but thankfully, without the angst.
*** NOTE: this is not a cozy mystery review, but a different, much raunchier Elodie Hart (Sara Madderson), writing naughty things! ***
Oh my gah! I can’t say enough about this amazing book! I was given an ARC copy of Elodie Hart’s new book to review before release date. It centres on the theme of letting go and unfurling from sexual repression. It’s beyond good. It enters the lofty realm of the sublime!
Unfurl is the best title (in a Georgia O’Keefe kind of way) for this book. In a process of trust and transformation, Belle becomes a self-actualized woman under the tutelage of Rafe and the men of his private club, Alchemy. Rafe is a recovering Catholic himself. Through the book, Belle changes from timid to confident in herself and in her relationships and finds her way out from under her father’s oppressive thumb.
I think most women will find something of themselves in this book, even if you have not experienced oppression and sexual repression through religious dogma. It feels so important to emphasize this, especially in the backlash times we women live in.
Rafe may never have expected to meet his ideal match in a younger woman (oh yes it’s all of these tropes — age gap, coach {oh the lessons she learns}, erotic in the best profane way {more of a sub-genre, eh what?!}, alpha male, coming of age), but his soul match is definitely Belle. He thinks of her as much as she thinks of him before they come together. and he’s also the first to fall. I love when that happens!
The epilogue in and of itself makes the book worth reading! It’s not merely an epilogue, it’s an EPIC-logue! And if you want to know what that means… you’ll find out there!
Oh, and, in reading this particularly racy section my fitbit recorded my heart rate at 20 BPM higher. It's almost like a polygraph! (You’ll also understand that reference when you read it).
I don’t even need to give you a passage, just remember these words and think of me fondly when you read this gorgeously sensual book’s epic-logue:
“Gottaughschmott.”
“ Lurvelshff.”
“ Luvoo!”
This one also has a guaranteed HEA! If you’re a fan of Sierra Simone — it’s got all the heat, steam and passion — but thankfully, without the angst.
February 8, 2023
if you like the salacious players club by Sara Cate- this is going to be such a fun one!
tw: there is a lot of religious trauma / conversations- however- I still really enjoyed this story. it felt like a good mix between how the SCP series and Priest series (by Sierra Simone) are written- so if you like those- you will probably enjoy this as well.
this book was hot as hell and honestly I had such fomo bc the spicy scenes were hot as hell. I kept saying "good for her" lmao
(also this is the same author- Sara Madderson- who I love. this is just her new pen name for the ultra spicy books she'll be writing!)
tw: there is a lot of religious trauma / conversations- however- I still really enjoyed this story. it felt like a good mix between how the SCP series and Priest series (by Sierra Simone) are written- so if you like those- you will probably enjoy this as well.
this book was hot as hell and honestly I had such fomo bc the spicy scenes were hot as hell. I kept saying "good for her" lmao
(also this is the same author- Sara Madderson- who I love. this is just her new pen name for the ultra spicy books she'll be writing!)
March 15, 2024
Unfurl
“She grins, and my heart shatters in the most exquisite way. I want to spend my life looking at the world through Belle’s eyes. I want to stand by her side in front of every sunset and every artistic masterpiece the world has to offer and have the singular privilege of knowing the most exquisite human being on the planet is soaking up that magic beside me. That it’s feeding her beautiful soul.”
star rating: 4.75
spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spicy Overload. This. Was. Hot.
This book surpassed every expectation I had going into this book. Beyond anything I was ready for. All I can say is I want more!
“She grins, and my heart shatters in the most exquisite way. I want to spend my life looking at the world through Belle’s eyes. I want to stand by her side in front of every sunset and every artistic masterpiece the world has to offer and have the singular privilege of knowing the most exquisite human being on the planet is soaking up that magic beside me. That it’s feeding her beautiful soul.”
star rating: 4.75
spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Spicy Overload. This. Was. Hot.
This book surpassed every expectation I had going into this book. Beyond anything I was ready for. All I can say is I want more!
May 2, 2024
I love a shit ton of sex and a dash of religious trauma in my romance books 📚 🛐⛪️
August 14, 2023
A benediction!
I love a book that seems to be taking me in one direction, and I end up on a whole different path. Although this book has some slightly heavy themes, at its heart this is a book about love. Oh, and overthrowing the pious patriarchy.
Belina Scott is a young innocent in every sense of the word. Highly educated, yes, but naïve in the ways of the world. Brought up in a fervently Catholic household ruled by her sacrosanct father, Belle never really questions anything other than what’s been spoon-fed to her. Until she meets her family’s upstairs neighbor, Rafe Charlton. He’s dark, dangerous, and oh, so sexy. Rafe makes Belle quiver with an unnamed need, and when she finds out he runs a high-class club for patron’s baser desires, with a special program for women like her, she’s all in.
This book is highly erotic, highly blasphemous, and deeply moving. Rafe is absolutely the perfect romance hero. He’s worshipful of Belle as he does dirty, dirty things to her. So hot. And Belle is the heroine we all love. Strong, smart, and willing to take a huge leap into the unknown to grasp happiness. Their love story seems improbable, but under Elodie Hart’s brilliant talent, it becomes the most beautiful story ever. I loved every word. This book is both intelligent and sexy, I recommend it 110%!
I finished the audiobook and it was even more powerful, if possible! Will M. Watt and Kylie Stewart give beautiful performances as Rafe and Belle!
I love a book that seems to be taking me in one direction, and I end up on a whole different path. Although this book has some slightly heavy themes, at its heart this is a book about love. Oh, and overthrowing the pious patriarchy.
Belina Scott is a young innocent in every sense of the word. Highly educated, yes, but naïve in the ways of the world. Brought up in a fervently Catholic household ruled by her sacrosanct father, Belle never really questions anything other than what’s been spoon-fed to her. Until she meets her family’s upstairs neighbor, Rafe Charlton. He’s dark, dangerous, and oh, so sexy. Rafe makes Belle quiver with an unnamed need, and when she finds out he runs a high-class club for patron’s baser desires, with a special program for women like her, she’s all in.
This book is highly erotic, highly blasphemous, and deeply moving. Rafe is absolutely the perfect romance hero. He’s worshipful of Belle as he does dirty, dirty things to her. So hot. And Belle is the heroine we all love. Strong, smart, and willing to take a huge leap into the unknown to grasp happiness. Their love story seems improbable, but under Elodie Hart’s brilliant talent, it becomes the most beautiful story ever. I loved every word. This book is both intelligent and sexy, I recommend it 110%!
I finished the audiobook and it was even more powerful, if possible! Will M. Watt and Kylie Stewart give beautiful performances as Rafe and Belle!
January 30, 2023
I would’ve finished this book in a whole day if it wasn’t for the real world ruining it.
This book is the smuttiest spiciest book I’ve ever read. I received an ARC for an upfront & honest review.
I’ve read a lot of books, especially smut & spice, & this by far has blown away any competition, past, present, & future.
This book is the smuttiest spiciest book I’ve ever read. I received an ARC for an upfront & honest review.
I’ve read a lot of books, especially smut & spice, & this by far has blown away any competition, past, present, & future.
January 3, 2024
Top notch smut but the rest of it was honestly just not my cup of tea, took me months to read this
February 29, 2024
That was hot and well the priest kink got me 😩
I enjoyed it a lot but It was just an solid book.
In my opinion the characters were too flat and the story telling could have been better tho.
But it was a smutty,kinky,spicy and a bit angsty book but it was something that I was fully in the mood for.
I enjoyed it a lot but It was just an solid book.
In my opinion the characters were too flat and the story telling could have been better tho.
But it was a smutty,kinky,spicy and a bit angsty book but it was something that I was fully in the mood for.
February 10, 2023
Sara Madderson, whose beautiful books I've recently discovered, has, under the pen name Elodie Hart, taken a deliciously darker detour in her new release, Unfurl.
The prose is simply sumptuous, and the writing is brilliant, as always. In this erotic romance, Belle dares to shatter the glass box of Catholic repression in which her father has kept her a virtual prisoner.
Rafe, fourteen years her senior, handsome owner of an elegant sex club, is the perfect man to show her how to unfurl her wings and fly. And, lest I forget, he’s sexy AF and the perfect amount of dirty.
I highlighted so many passages that spoke to me, even though I had no religious upbringing, but because this story delves into the human, especially the female, psyche with astonishing accuracy and powerful revelations to which I think many will be vigorously nodding their heads in agreement.
This is a magnificent romance, and I can’t wait for the next book in this new series.
The prose is simply sumptuous, and the writing is brilliant, as always. In this erotic romance, Belle dares to shatter the glass box of Catholic repression in which her father has kept her a virtual prisoner.
Rafe, fourteen years her senior, handsome owner of an elegant sex club, is the perfect man to show her how to unfurl her wings and fly. And, lest I forget, he’s sexy AF and the perfect amount of dirty.
I highlighted so many passages that spoke to me, even though I had no religious upbringing, but because this story delves into the human, especially the female, psyche with astonishing accuracy and powerful revelations to which I think many will be vigorously nodding their heads in agreement.
This is a magnificent romance, and I can’t wait for the next book in this new series.
February 21, 2025
This book/series gave off Salacious Players Club vibes. Definitely reading more in this series. 🙌🏼
January 31, 2023
I received an advance copy of Unfurl, and I would like to issue the following warning: if you don’t want to read a book that will make you sweat from the steam rolling out of it, then this is NOT the book for you. This novel has an age gap, as well as challenging some religious ideologies. But it definitely delivers lots of sexy times, and as with every book by this author, it’s very well-written. If you prefer your erotic romance to be high-class, then you’re going to love this one.
February 10, 2023
Sinfully Delicious!!!
Although I know little about Catholicism, Belle's story was relatable. The relationship involving her parents really touched home for me. Sex was ALWAYS spoken about as a dirty act, in Belle's life and mine. Her struggles and guilt made her feel more human in my mind.
Her methods of devirginizing herself were utterly unexpected and scorchingly hot! Have mercy this may have been the hottest, sexiest, most sinful story I've ever read, and I am here for it!
I went into the story thinking that Rafe was going to be some sinister bad boy. However, he turned out utterly decadent with just the right amount of kinky dark side.
We may all need to confess after this read, but TOTALLY WORTH IT!
The secondary characters were interesting and added depth to the storyline. Zach's character tugs at my heartstrings, and I feel that Callum may end up even a little kinkier than Rafe. Belle's best friend, Maddy, is my favorite kind of BFF, fun and always has Belle's back. I cannot wait for more from these characters.
Although I know little about Catholicism, Belle's story was relatable. The relationship involving her parents really touched home for me. Sex was ALWAYS spoken about as a dirty act, in Belle's life and mine. Her struggles and guilt made her feel more human in my mind.
Her methods of devirginizing herself were utterly unexpected and scorchingly hot! Have mercy this may have been the hottest, sexiest, most sinful story I've ever read, and I am here for it!
I went into the story thinking that Rafe was going to be some sinister bad boy. However, he turned out utterly decadent with just the right amount of kinky dark side.
We may all need to confess after this read, but TOTALLY WORTH IT!
The secondary characters were interesting and added depth to the storyline. Zach's character tugs at my heartstrings, and I feel that Callum may end up even a little kinkier than Rafe. Belle's best friend, Maddy, is my favorite kind of BFF, fun and always has Belle's back. I cannot wait for more from these characters.
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