Orchid Blooming is a moving, inspirational and beautiful story and companion piece to Goodbye Orchid. I empathized with the characters and their journeys and even learned things about myself and the importance of self compassion. The plot builds in such a perfect way that you absolutely can’t wait to see how the story will end! I love Carol’s writing - it is as exquisite as an orchid!!

What a wonderful story! I highly recommend this book. The author did a great job writing this story. Earning five stars from me!

Sometimes we happen to stumble upon some reads that not only blew our mind but also touched our soul and end up marking a home in our heart. Yeah, this book is just like that..Beautiful! this book was absolutely beautiful and touching to read. I just simply loved it.

This is the prequel to Goodbye, Orchid, which I read a couple of years ago. As I read this one, I remembered pieces of that one, and I think it took away a little bit to know what happens next. That said, this story is touching, and beautifully written. It’s a great example of how people can help us grow and overcome, if only we let them in.

Orchid Blooming truly lives up to the title. Orchid has grown up with pure tragedy in her past after witnessing her parent's passing in a dreadful car accident. She hasn't let tragedy stop her though! Orchid has truly made a bright future out of a dark past. In an attempt to reconnect with her heritage, Orchid wants to get the assignment in China for her firm, and in order to do so, she has to beat out aptly named Princeton.

Orchid is in luck when she meets Phoenix, he's just what she needs to help her believe in herself, and to help her get the experience she needs to win the assignment! But Phoenix may not be all that he seems. Orchid learns a secret about Phoenix, and has to decide, is working with him, and possibly loving him worth it?

I enjoyed this book. Orchid and Phoenix a great pair. Their story and interactions were written very well. I truly believed these characters as humans, and that is hard for a writer to accomplish. A truly enjoyable book!

This is a story of a young woman trying to heal and fight for herself and her career. She's trying to get an assignment but what she finds out makes her question if she achieved it herself or if someone else got their hands in this?

It was a very cute story. What I was missing was more in depth descriptions, because I felt like everything was rushed and I couldn't dive into the story completely. Phoenix is a young successful entrepreneur who definitely won my heart. He fights for what he believes in and tries to make the world a better place. There is one thing that was an essential piece missing: I didn't really feel the connection between the two characters, their passion and longing for each other. They were denying their attraction to each other, but as a reader it didn't feel as passionate.

Nonetheless, thank you @netgalley for this opportunity to read the book before the release date! Please don't let my review influence your view on the book and read it!

Orchid Paige is in her late 20s, working in beauty industry marketing, still dealing with the trauma of witnessing the fatal accident that killed her parents when she was young. She wants to win a promotion to China, where her mother was from, to feel closer to the mother she has lost. She is up against tough competition, and seeks to gain experience and pad her resume by working on a project at a nonprofit run by enterpreneur Phoenix. Phoenix and Orchid become closer, but he is hiding something from her that might stop their budding romance in its tracks. This was a touching and realistic love story. I appreciated the sensitive portrayal of PTSD and how Phoenix was so supportive of Orchid.

Orchid Blooming is a slow-paced, slow-burn love story, in which the protagonist Orchid deals with trauma, self-doubt and trust issues to finally fall in love with the male protagonist Phoenix.

There was a clear plot line and clear romance between the two but I think for me that's about all that I liked.

I had a hard time getting into it, it took me two weeks reading on and off to finish it, which is rare. I normally read books in one to two sitting max so already I knew I was going to have problems.

I thought the book could do with a bit of editing as there were parts which were overly descriptive and in my opinion not needed. Also, there were a lot of side characters and some I wanted to know more about - I thought they could have been developed more; especially as this book can be read as a standalone. Additionally, I found that sometimes the conversation didn't feel very organic or natural (I'll include an example below).

"As long as fickle you didn't want something different."

Not sure if it's an error or intentional but either way, in my opinion, it felt off.

It's not a bad book at all, three stars is a pretty solid rating.

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to review this!

✨ I love exploring new-to-me authors, and "Orchid, Blooming" by Carol Van Den Hende was no exception! Carol has a thoughtful, evocative writing style that leads to beautiful imagery. This book was 4⭐ for me and releases 9/13!

🇫🇷 Orchid and Phoenix keep bumping into each other and begin a professional relationship. Sparks fly as they spend late nights working together, including a trip to Paris and Nice. But Phoenix is keeping a big secret, and coming clean could ruin his budding romance with Orchid.

💕 Orchid and Phoenix have a sweet, easygoing relationship and I love how they take care of each other. They are both working through grief and there is great mental health representation, including specific discussions of Orchid's self-care strategies.

✨My only critique is that the major plot point of the book seemed glossed over - it was only a page or two and felt unrealistic to me. I aslow would've loved to read about Orchid's trip to China, but maybe that's in the sequel? I enjoyed their love story overall and I'm adding the sequel, "Goodbye, Orchid" to my TBR.

✨ My favorite quote: "It filled her with pleasure. To be known. To have her enigma understood. And with flaws and all, to still be cherished."

Shareability: great for readers who enjoy characters who globe-trotting marketing execs (who are gooey on the inside)

Spice: none 😩

Pairs well with: vegan eggplant parm 🍝...or French coffee & pastries ☕

Thank you @netgalley, @carolvandenhende and Azine Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

⚠️ PTSD, car accident ending in death (briefly graphic), unexpected death of a parent, injured servicemembers

Carol Van Den Hende is a new-to-me author. This was a wonderful story about trauma, secrets, trust, healing, forgiveness, new beginnings and more. Orchid is hoping to get a dream assignment at work that would allow her to spend time in China where her deceased mother was from. She’s up against tough competition and must work very hard to gain more experience to qualify for the position. She’s allowed to take on a nonprofit project with entrepreneur, Phoenix. Despite her attraction to him, she vows to keep things professional. Getting to know him and working on the project makes that vow hard to keep.

Can Orchid gain the experience she needs, overcome her own PTSD issues, win the coveted assignment, and keep from falling for Phoenix?

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

What a page-turner!

Deep down, Orchid Paige has never recovered from traumatically witnessing her parents' death as a child. She’s damaged but resilient. She’s worked hard to build herself a life and a career in marketing, and now she craves an assignment to China that will let her get closer to the mother she lost. But she’s up against “Princeton”, a blue-blooded colleague who represents all the elite who block doors for those like Orchid who come from poverty and must try twice as hard.

When Orchid meets Phoenix, a handsome entrepreneur who comes from that same elite world, she is hesitant to let him help her, but he’s kind-hearted and genuine and Orchid finds herself slowly falling for him. But just when she begins to trust, new events and secrets will possibly tear them apart again (no spoilers!).

Touching on issues of PTSD and childhood trauma, combined with a love story for our times, Orchid Blooming reminds us of the power of empathy and connecting to another’s pain.

Truly touching, Orchid Blooming will especially appeal to anyone who has faced trauma or sought to move beyond their past. With the extra gift of fun insights into the inner-workings of the advertising world,Van Den Hende’s first novel won many awards and reading Orchid Blooming reminds the reader of why. Beautiful writing, complex and interesting characters, a slow burn romance that jumps off the page and pulls you in, and touching on more serious topics like living with PTSD, this is a heart-warming story that will stay with you long after the last page.

Fans of slow burn, meaningful, real-life love stories will adore this touching, emotional read.

I really enjoyed this book and read it quickly! The title immediately drew me in and the story that followed was more of the same.

I need to go back and read the previous book. Could relate to the characters, and the plot was fantastical. Will recommend this story.

Full review to follow here and on blog. Thank you very much for the opportunity and privilege to review this book. It seems to be a gorgeous touching storyline with a lot of content that hits close to home for me and I’m sure many future readers. Absolutely can’t wait to start.

A childhood tragedy followed her into adult life. Will she ever claim real happiness again?

Kind and generous, twenty-seven-year-old Orchid Paige will never forget that day. Living as best she can after witnessing her parents’ fatal accident, the beauty industry marketer yearns to win a promotion to China to connect to her mom’s ancestry. But with competition fierce, she despairs she’ll never make the grade… until she meets an encouraging man who makes her feel safe despite her usual distrust.

After Orchid convinces the handsome entrepreneur to let her gain experience at his nonprofit project, she’s determined to keep their relationship professional and ignore their powerful attraction. But when working on his military ad campaign for veterans triggers her own unresolved PTSD, she fears her confident mentor may be too good to be true even if she could trust him with her heart.

Can she conquer her vulnerabilities before she loses her chance at forever?

Orchid Blooming is the captivating first book in the Goodbye, Orchid women’s fiction series, and can be read as a standalone. If you like complex characters overcoming trauma, heart-warming stories, and compassionate connections, then you’ll adore award-winning author Carol Van Den Hende’s emotionally satisfying page-turner.