What do you think?
Rate this book
Tales of Angaride #2
Before the Lotus Blooms
Jaeyun does not trust the gods. Regarded as a curse and left for dead on the streets of Masu as a child, his resentment toward Dayan and Dayir—the weavers of fate—roots deeper than any crop he’s ever cared for. Motivated by the prospect of wealth and a better life for himself and his adoptive father, he enlists as a palace gardener, despite his distaste for the gods’ divinely appointed rulers. But it isn’t long before he’s twisted into a dangerous and confusing relationship with Satesaru’s crown prince. To earn the salary he was promised, and keep his head attached to his shoulders, he has no choice but to become a character of the prince’s design.
Yuzeharu must trust the gods. As the First Prince of Satesaru, he has always understood his purpose in life; to serve the interests of the crown and the divinities it relies on, by whatever means necessary. However, after a childhood injury leaves him permanently ailing and isolated from the rest of his family, he begins to wonder if there’s a chance he could ever escape his royal cage. Desperate to flee from his responsibilities and racing against the dwindling sands in the twin gods’ hourglass, Yuzeharu implicates the mysterious gardener taking care of his estate in a risky scheme to outrun his destiny.
Before them unwinds a treacherous path of deception, romance, and tragedy as they work together to take control of Yuzeharu’s future. As the line between their act and reality begins to blur, Yuzeharu fights to keep his true feelings concealed, and Jaeyun finds himself inexplicably yet increasingly driven to protect the prince. Must the two bow to their preordained fate, or can their love be enough to defy the will of the gods for good?
Yuzeharu must trust the gods. As the First Prince of Satesaru, he has always understood his purpose in life; to serve the interests of the crown and the divinities it relies on, by whatever means necessary. However, after a childhood injury leaves him permanently ailing and isolated from the rest of his family, he begins to wonder if there’s a chance he could ever escape his royal cage. Desperate to flee from his responsibilities and racing against the dwindling sands in the twin gods’ hourglass, Yuzeharu implicates the mysterious gardener taking care of his estate in a risky scheme to outrun his destiny.
Before them unwinds a treacherous path of deception, romance, and tragedy as they work together to take control of Yuzeharu’s future. As the line between their act and reality begins to blur, Yuzeharu fights to keep his true feelings concealed, and Jaeyun finds himself inexplicably yet increasingly driven to protect the prince. Must the two bow to their preordained fate, or can their love be enough to defy the will of the gods for good?
- GenresM M Romance
476 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2026
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Jaeyun❤️Yuzeharu
Another beautiful story that shows how love slowly blooms with gentle care—being there for someone from the beginning, learning to trust them even without knowing everything, and sharing moments of comfort, illness, grief, and happiness.
Yuzeharu Khani, the first prince of Satesaru, has been ill since a childhood injury and lives in isolation in Gajoro. Wanting to escape the responsibilities of royal duty, he comes up with a plan to delay his marriage by taking a consort. That consort becomes Jaeyun, a palace gardener who only wishes for a better life for himself and his adoptive father and holds little respect for the rulers. With no real choice, Jaeyun becomes part of the prince’s plan. As they spend more time together, they slowly learn about each other and their feelings begin to grow, even as the prince’s health continues to worsen. Jaeyun stays by Yuzeharu’s side from the beginning, caring for him and wanting him to live.
I loved how Jaeyun shows his care for Yuzeharu and believes that he deserves every happiness, and how he wants to stay by his side in the future even though he was unable to express his feeling openly. Its show by his action how he loves Yuzeharu which was a beautiful emotion. I also liked the other characters—Inuhori, Jaeyun’s father Iro, Nesa, Ohyiro, and the adorable pet Piko.
The story is beautifully detailed, and the way the hidden truths slowly unfold adds drama to the plot. In order to bring the truth to light, the prince does everything within his power to protect the one he loves, revealing who can truly be trusted. All Yuzeharu wanted was to be with Jaeyun, free from all the responsibilities of royal life, and to have a chance at living a life of his own. Jaeyun, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to have Yuzeharu in his life.
I loved how deeply they cared for each other and how they were willing to do everything in their power to make that happen, even if it meant going against fate. The trust they have shown to each other is deep and unwavering.
The author’s writing is always so detailed, which made me fall in love with the characters all over again. Their life journey felt beautiful in its own way. The symbolism of the lotus was perfect, reflecting how both of them were healing in their own ways. It reminds us that there is always hope and that something beautiful can bloom even after hardship.
" I love you, Jaeyun.
wait for me.
I know we will find each other again."
"His blood, his breath, his beating heart belongs only to me, from now unto eternity. He is mine to hold, mine to love, mine to worship."
“Stay with me, Yuze,” I command.
“Forever,” he promises.
There are so many quotes that became my favorites, each carrying a deep and heartwarming meaning.
❤️❤️
Another beautiful story that shows how love slowly blooms with gentle care—being there for someone from the beginning, learning to trust them even without knowing everything, and sharing moments of comfort, illness, grief, and happiness.
Yuzeharu Khani, the first prince of Satesaru, has been ill since a childhood injury and lives in isolation in Gajoro. Wanting to escape the responsibilities of royal duty, he comes up with a plan to delay his marriage by taking a consort. That consort becomes Jaeyun, a palace gardener who only wishes for a better life for himself and his adoptive father and holds little respect for the rulers. With no real choice, Jaeyun becomes part of the prince’s plan. As they spend more time together, they slowly learn about each other and their feelings begin to grow, even as the prince’s health continues to worsen. Jaeyun stays by Yuzeharu’s side from the beginning, caring for him and wanting him to live.
I loved how Jaeyun shows his care for Yuzeharu and believes that he deserves every happiness, and how he wants to stay by his side in the future even though he was unable to express his feeling openly. Its show by his action how he loves Yuzeharu which was a beautiful emotion. I also liked the other characters—Inuhori, Jaeyun’s father Iro, Nesa, Ohyiro, and the adorable pet Piko.
The story is beautifully detailed, and the way the hidden truths slowly unfold adds drama to the plot. In order to bring the truth to light, the prince does everything within his power to protect the one he loves, revealing who can truly be trusted. All Yuzeharu wanted was to be with Jaeyun, free from all the responsibilities of royal life, and to have a chance at living a life of his own. Jaeyun, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to have Yuzeharu in his life.
I loved how deeply they cared for each other and how they were willing to do everything in their power to make that happen, even if it meant going against fate. The trust they have shown to each other is deep and unwavering.
The author’s writing is always so detailed, which made me fall in love with the characters all over again. Their life journey felt beautiful in its own way. The symbolism of the lotus was perfect, reflecting how both of them were healing in their own ways. It reminds us that there is always hope and that something beautiful can bloom even after hardship.
" I love you, Jaeyun.
wait for me.
I know we will find each other again."
"His blood, his breath, his beating heart belongs only to me, from now unto eternity. He is mine to hold, mine to love, mine to worship."
“Stay with me, Yuze,” I command.
“Forever,” he promises.
There are so many quotes that became my favorites, each carrying a deep and heartwarming meaning.
❤️❤️
Review of advance copy
When I seen this was a second book in a series, but could be read as a standalone, I was a little put off, but figured “meh, I’ll give it a chance.” I read the introduction, my stomach bottomed out, and I hopped, skipped and jumped over to Kindle unlimited and downloaded the first, devoured that in a day then started this one. They are that good!!! While the first book was low angst, and left me feeling the warm fuzzies, this story kept me in a constant state of panic. Considering how the story started I was panicking throughout the whole journey, and once I got to the last 20%, I was not putting it down for anything. Harumi knows how to tell a story that packs some emotional punch. I’m actually abit disappointed my kindle algorithm hadn’t brought ‘Dance on the Sun’ up, as these MM historical fantasy books are right up my genre. Thank you Harumi for starting my 2026 ready journey strong. The only reason I’m giving 4 stars is that I did find them to be little fast passed, as in throughout the story you’ll find yourself jumping a couple of weeks or months at a time. I do prefer my stories abit more fleshed out, but it absolutely is more a me problem then a you problem. The time jumps take nothing away from the story whatsoever, and I can see that they were done to keep the momentum going as both these stories take place over the course of a year or more. You absolutely can read ‘Before the Lotus Blooms’ (I just finished the book 15 mins ago and writing the title just made the significance of it click, and now I’m crying) as a standalone, but treat yourself and read both, you won’t be disappointed.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 14, 2026
After reading the first chapter I made eye contact with my Kleenex box to make sure it understood the assignment. I had the feeling this book was going to crush my heart and make me sniffle into my sleeves. What starts out as Jaeyun grudgingly taking a job at the palace for extra money, rapidly turns into a slow burn, friends to lovers. When Jaeyun meets a sickly young man his initial feeling is dislike of royals with their rich lifestyle and careless regard for the common people. But when Yuze drawns him into a desperate scheme, he learns that even princes can be victims of their circumstances. When Yuze admits he is trying to avoid an unwanted wedding, forced on him by his father, by pretending to take a male consort, Jaeyun agrees to go along with the ruse for a time. As Jaeyun acts out his part, appearing at functiona with Yuze, flirting in public, defending their relationship, the feelings start to feel less like an act and more like he might be fall for prince. As they both struggle to not reveal their growing desire, their budding love unfolds as as slowly as a lotus bloom, until the tension is too much for either of them. But Yuze's prognosis is worse by the day, and he believes he has less than a year to live, making Jaeyun realize the spark of love he found will be snuffed out far to soon. As Jaeyun races to find a cure, dark secrets of the royal family suddenly start to surface, the truths of madness, illness and the unwanted fate of a prince come to a deadly head. The surprise twists and soul crushing losses keep coming to the very end of the book, and will leave you guessing (and crying) as you see the fate of these desperate star-crossed lovers. Two thumbs up for the sweet, intense and dark love story.
February 27, 2026
A beautiful story of unlikely love and political plots, conspiracy, illness and grief. A poor man, a gardener, ostracised for his appearance and given the hardest task in his new work at the palace bumps into, without recognising him, the crown prince, isolated due to an illness that has beset him since childhood. The gardener finds himself pulled into a barely thought through plan to end the prince's engagement, made privy to the knowledge he has been given only a year to live, he is made a public consort. It's chaotic, it's complicated and it's crazy. Feelings grow, but so do tensions, and the prince's health continues to worsen. The ending is dramatic, cunning, devastating and beautiful.
The world building is brilliant. The politics is intriguing and the religious element interesting, the two intertwined and balanced through falsehood and quiet murder... The slow build of information through the book is well-paced and consistently engaging, the attitudes shifting throughout from despondency to fear to hope to joy. The characters are brilliantly crafted, their personalities opposite but complementary. One brash and opinionated, the other reserved and resigned, they challenge one another and they work well together. Secrecy is necessary but damaging, it is painful and drawn out, but everything comes together in the end.
A beautiful romance wrapped in political plots and intrigue. Brilliant.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The world building is brilliant. The politics is intriguing and the religious element interesting, the two intertwined and balanced through falsehood and quiet murder... The slow build of information through the book is well-paced and consistently engaging, the attitudes shifting throughout from despondency to fear to hope to joy. The characters are brilliantly crafted, their personalities opposite but complementary. One brash and opinionated, the other reserved and resigned, they challenge one another and they work well together. Secrecy is necessary but damaging, it is painful and drawn out, but everything comes together in the end.
A beautiful romance wrapped in political plots and intrigue. Brilliant.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 24, 2026
I don’t even know where to start besides saying this book completely filled me with so much love and broke my heart and ripped it out of my chest in the same breath.
If only goodreads had a higher than 5 star rating.
Before The Lotus Blooms had me in my feels with every page and the amount of tears I shed is ridiculous and I 10/10 would do it again for the next book in this standalone series.
I received this copy as an arc and I forever will worship the ground the Harumi walks on for creating this beautiful masterpiece and giving me the chance to arc read this beautiful work or art.
I fell in love so deeply with Jaeyun and Yuze from the beginning and just grew more as the story went on. I smiled, laughed, highlighted literally everything, cried, and threw my kindle across the room multiple times during the last couple chapters. I’m completely obsessed with this book and I WILL be talking about it constantly to everyone every chance I get to. The writing was phenomenal. The characters were phenomenal. The story was beyond phenomenal. I cannot express or write into words on how bad I need everyone to please read this book and give this author a try. You won’t regret it one bit. Just have tissues at the ready!
If only goodreads had a higher than 5 star rating.
Before The Lotus Blooms had me in my feels with every page and the amount of tears I shed is ridiculous and I 10/10 would do it again for the next book in this standalone series.
I received this copy as an arc and I forever will worship the ground the Harumi walks on for creating this beautiful masterpiece and giving me the chance to arc read this beautiful work or art.
I fell in love so deeply with Jaeyun and Yuze from the beginning and just grew more as the story went on. I smiled, laughed, highlighted literally everything, cried, and threw my kindle across the room multiple times during the last couple chapters. I’m completely obsessed with this book and I WILL be talking about it constantly to everyone every chance I get to. The writing was phenomenal. The characters were phenomenal. The story was beyond phenomenal. I cannot express or write into words on how bad I need everyone to please read this book and give this author a try. You won’t regret it one bit. Just have tissues at the ready!
Review of advance copy
Have tissues at the ready, because this will make you cry your eyes out! But it’s so beautiful! Their journey to be who they want to be is fraught with perils and obstacles, illnesses, lofty expectations, impossible dreams, enemies disguised as saviors… the whole gamut and more. It’s a beautiful love story, historical intrigue, and mystery all rolled in one amazing book, with 2 incredible characters (I have a hard time spelling their names correctly, sorry), and a love that changes destinies. I love the resolution to all their problems, it’s fantastic, and even though stretches the believability of the story, you want it to make it happen that way because the prince and his gardener deserve a HEA. But what a ride! And the illness! And the future bride! And the kingdom! There are so many things in their way, but our prince is very smart, very much in love, and very keen to be with his gardener Beyond Eternity, so… buckle up, get tissues at the ready, something to throw around when despicably people pop up, and a ton of time to finish reading it, because you won’t be able to put it down!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book pulled me in quietly and then never let go. The level of detail in the writing is remarkable, not in an overwhelming way, but in how precisely chosen each moment feels.
I could "feel" the weight of the garments as characters moved, "sense" how fabric restricted or comforted them, and "visualize" small, ordinary actions with striking clarity...like the cat startling and leaping when a door slammed shut. Those details made the world tangible and the interactions feel lived-in rather than described. And there were so many other moments I felt just as strongly, but saying more would spoil the experience.
The writing itself is clean, intentional, and beautifully organized, making the story effortless to follow and impossible to put down.
I could "feel" the weight of the garments as characters moved, "sense" how fabric restricted or comforted them, and "visualize" small, ordinary actions with striking clarity...like the cat startling and leaping when a door slammed shut. Those details made the world tangible and the interactions feel lived-in rather than described. And there were so many other moments I felt just as strongly, but saying more would spoil the experience.
The writing itself is clean, intentional, and beautifully organized, making the story effortless to follow and impossible to put down.
March 9, 2026
I want to thank the author, Harumi, for giving me an E-ARC copy to review before the book releases on March 13, 2026
This story was amazing from start to finish. Harumi has a beautiful way with words that brings the characters to life in a way I rarely experience, with only a few exceptions. Her writing keeps you turning the pages because you genuinely want to know what happens next.
Overall, this was such a cute and engaging story. At certain moments I honestly got a little nervous while reading because events were unfolding and I thought, “Oh no… is this going to end in tragedy? Do I need to get tissues ready?” But I was pleasantly surprised by how everything turned out.
If you’re looking for a heartfelt story that keeps you invested in the characters, definitely check this book out when it release, You won’t regret it!
This story was amazing from start to finish. Harumi has a beautiful way with words that brings the characters to life in a way I rarely experience, with only a few exceptions. Her writing keeps you turning the pages because you genuinely want to know what happens next.
Overall, this was such a cute and engaging story. At certain moments I honestly got a little nervous while reading because events were unfolding and I thought, “Oh no… is this going to end in tragedy? Do I need to get tissues ready?” But I was pleasantly surprised by how everything turned out.
If you’re looking for a heartfelt story that keeps you invested in the characters, definitely check this book out when it release, You won’t regret it!
March 15, 2026
I loved the story!! Excellent writing, great characters, adorable cat. 😁
Jaeyun & Yuze broke my heart & put it back together again. I really enjoyed the growing friendships between Yuze & Ohyiro, & Jaeyun & Inuhori. Jaeyun pulls this shtick at the beginning of not remembering Yuze's name & it cracked me up! I did find that it made it harder for me to remember his actual name for a while, tho. 😆
The mystery / suspense in the story kept me engaged & reading faster to figure out various clues! ❤️
Overall, story flowed really well, emotions were invoked, I loved the characters, & I understood their motivations & feelings. I'm looking forward to a reread!
😍😍😍
(Review is based on a beta copy, so I may add more when I reread.)
Jaeyun & Yuze broke my heart & put it back together again. I really enjoyed the growing friendships between Yuze & Ohyiro, & Jaeyun & Inuhori. Jaeyun pulls this shtick at the beginning of not remembering Yuze's name & it cracked me up! I did find that it made it harder for me to remember his actual name for a while, tho. 😆
The mystery / suspense in the story kept me engaged & reading faster to figure out various clues! ❤️
Overall, story flowed really well, emotions were invoked, I loved the characters, & I understood their motivations & feelings. I'm looking forward to a reread!
😍😍😍
(Review is based on a beta copy, so I may add more when I reread.)
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
I was nervous at first to read this because I hadn't read the first book in this series, but then saw it was a standalone.
After reading Before the Lotus Blooms I immediately purchased the other book because it was just that good. It's definitely less spicy than my usual read, but I was so hooked that that didn't even matter.
Seriously, the characters, the setting, the romance, all of it was just so good. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for anything else by Harumi!
I was nervous at first to read this because I hadn't read the first book in this series, but then saw it was a standalone.
After reading Before the Lotus Blooms I immediately purchased the other book because it was just that good. It's definitely less spicy than my usual read, but I was so hooked that that didn't even matter.
Seriously, the characters, the setting, the romance, all of it was just so good. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for anything else by Harumi!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review to come
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was privileged to be a beta reader for Harumi and now, an ARC reader. Let me just say this upfront: Harumi is a very talented writer who paints a beautifully immersive world of Satesaru and the palace in Gajoro. It makes me feel as if I am walking alongside Yuzeharu and Jaeyun as they meet for the first time, get to know each other, begin to yearn (yess!!) and then, fall in love with a reallly classic confession scene.
I tend to associate books with colors and verdant green is what I associate with Before the Lotus Blooms. Not because the cover is green, but also the way Harumi describes the world through Jaeyun’s eyes. He, as a gardener, is often working out in the plots and having his hands brown with earth as he toiled to revive the dead-looking Gajoro, which I read it as a metaphor for the trapped prince’s weakening condition. He observes the surroundings with a cautious eye. And as gardeners do, they nurture seedlings to bloom into full life. The symbolism with lotuses is heart-wrenchingly rendered and the scene when the night lotuses bloomed was my favorite. It’s just so delicately written but you feel all the emotions, especially when set against the backdrop of a potential tragedy.
If you love prose that is evocative, your scenes painted landscapes and your Achillean couple full of yearning and devotion, I highly recommend Harumi’s book.
I tend to associate books with colors and verdant green is what I associate with Before the Lotus Blooms. Not because the cover is green, but also the way Harumi describes the world through Jaeyun’s eyes. He, as a gardener, is often working out in the plots and having his hands brown with earth as he toiled to revive the dead-looking Gajoro, which I read it as a metaphor for the trapped prince’s weakening condition. He observes the surroundings with a cautious eye. And as gardeners do, they nurture seedlings to bloom into full life. The symbolism with lotuses is heart-wrenchingly rendered and the scene when the night lotuses bloomed was my favorite. It’s just so delicately written but you feel all the emotions, especially when set against the backdrop of a potential tragedy.
If you love prose that is evocative, your scenes painted landscapes and your Achillean couple full of yearning and devotion, I highly recommend Harumi’s book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews