An interesting, sexy mix of erotic historical fiction that has something for everyone. These short stories pack a punch for sure! I enjoyed reading these and seeing the variety of situations in the historical setting you don't normally find. #NetGalley #aphroditeinbloom

I didn't get a chance to finish this before the release date, but what I did get through was fantastic! I've been in the mood for something a little more steamy than my normal mystery/thriller reads and this one satiated the desire and gave me exactly what I was looking for.

I wish for sure finish this one up but wanted to share my thoughts for the new release!

Thank you for the ARC!

I am typically not the type of person who gets jazzed up for an anthology or collection of stories and yet this month I have jumped on two! Call me pleasantly surprised when this compilation of short, erotic stories set in the regency/historical eras crossed my path and had me swooning. Each story is an intricate foray into the discovery of the sensual senses with imaginative and vividly depicted scenes.

I loved the uniqueness of each little plot and how there is quite literally something for everyone in these pages. I was engrossed by the feminine strength, exploration and the overall ownership of pleasure and self that each story elicited. If I had a complaint, it was only that some did not last long enough. This will be an anthology I will revisit often to reminisce over my favorite characters and their excursions into the taboo.

If you’re a reader like myself and enjoy the delicious intimacy of the carnal and sexy than you will want to add this to your shelves. The perfect anthology of dark little joyous secrets you can pull out and enjoy whenever you’re in the mood for a quickie. Thank you, Entangled Publishing, and to Anonymous for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My inner tigress is purring delightedly.

This is a super sexy collection of various couple scenarios. The thing that most impressed me is that each title begins with a scenario warning (I.e. “readers who may be sensitive to sexual practices outside the marriage regardless of the circumstances, please take note.”). These warnings allowed me to skip the stories I wasn’t comfortable with and anticipate the ones I couldn’t wait to dive into. Bravo!

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

I enjoyed this anthology. Full of fun and hot stories, I definitely learned a lot about some historical spicy things 👀👀.

A collection of 12 steamy, historical reads with loads of drama, suspense and sizzling scenes. The stories are fast-paced and the chemistry is intense and steamy. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved this hot read.

Ahem. This is not for the faint of heart or anyone who may not be open minded. Each story brings its own erotic things and some may not be suitable for everyone.
Overall these were just smut reads. If you want a bunch of books that are all just sex and learning what you like. This is it. Something for everyone.

A huge thank to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This collection of erotic stories was so deliciously written! I had the most amazing time reading each and every luscious story. I loved that they all had everything for everyone all set in the different varying scandalous situations which made it more exciting getting into each. This had everything from age gap, MLM, WLW, asexuality, reverse harem, se/x parties and more! I definitely enjoyed some more than the others but ultimately, my experience reading this collection was memorable!

I appreciated how each story had a summary and content warning to better the experience and make it more comfortable for the reader in diving into these stories. They all had that perfect balance of swoony, heartwarming, satisfying and steamy! The instalove trope present in the most of the stories was inevitable but it helped in kickstarting off each story with a bang. (pun is intended!)

I also liked how the stories highlighted women empowerment, se/x positivity, body positivity, normalization of se/x toys, lube, etc. and lastly, the importance of consent despite being set in a era where these are socially unacceptable.

If I had to choose favorites, my top 3 had to be One Night with a Duke, The Grand Ball and An Evening of Cards! These stories had characters and scenes that were the most unforgettable and were in line with my favorite tropes and kinks to read about.

I have mini reviews for each of the stories and some may have MINOR SPOILERS so please proceed with caution!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁
This anthology starts off so good! A virgin receives a special gift one night and meets the man of her dreams later on. The idea of using se/x toys during that time was so dirty and intriguing, it made the smut extra steamy! Their insta-love was cute!

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗗𝘂𝗸𝗲
I loved this so much! The whole premise to being given one night with someone’s wife in exchange for money was just scandalous and everything they did that night was just delicious and consensual. I loved that they explored all throughout and that it ended on a happy note!

𝗕𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗺𝘀
This was so cute! I love how open and consensual Livinia and John were with each other and with how they’re both interested in Maude, I love that they helped her explore her sexuality in the most comforting way. Definitely would’ve love more smut but the overall plot was satisfying!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗹
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! Our main lead was very openly sexual and up for anything which I loved! The ball was the scene of my dreams! The weird and surprisingly fascinating turn it took was told in such a fun way and I enjoyed this til the end!

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹
This was so fun! The idea of consensually instructing someone to do sexy things to your partner is so exhilarating! I loved the genuine friendship and love there was between the three of them and I was happy to see the HEA they ended up having!

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆
This was a good older woman/younger man romance! The smut was steamy! Their relationship was almost wholesome and supportive which I love and the ending was unexpected in the best way!

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻
This was such an eye opening read of how transwomen lived through this time. Leigh/Dawn was so interesting and fun! Ulysses was the perfect lover and I enjoyed their time together. Towards the end, I was happy with how things worked out!

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
I really enjoyed the way this was told in letters between the couple as they reminisce on how they got together and fell in love! The smut was so deliciously scandalous and the first person POV added such a nice personal touch.

𝗔 𝗚𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺
The main lead was so interesting! Not only did she venture into the business of sexual pleasure from the salves she had make but she also perfectly explained what it feels to be asexual. This was an interesting read!

𝗔 𝗟𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗻
Ahhh a sapphic love story! This was so wholesome and steamy in the best way! Velvet and Annabelle’s explorations were exhilarating and the way it worked out in the end was satisfying

𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀
I loved this!! I enjoyed the consensual reverse harem feel with the high stakes of a card game. This explored so many positions which I had the best time reading! The characters were all interesting and fun in their own way.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻
Ahhh this book ended with a bang! I loved that we had a MLM story to conclude this bc I really enjoyed it! The Baker really delivered with the amount of steaminess his scenes with his Man had! Such a nice ending as always that had me just as emotional as the main leads!

Overall, this book was surprisingly amazing! I usually give short story collections around 4 stars but I had to bump it up to a 5 because of how some of the scenes from this book are ingrained in my memory that I’ll definitely be going back to this when I crave for historical erotica.

To the author of this book, I just wanna say that I’m completely and utterly in love with your stories and I would gladly read more of it! Thank you for sharing these stories!

I HIGHLY recommend this if you’re looking for a really good historical romance and erotic read!

Let's just say that I had no idea what to expect with Aphrodite in Bloom. I don't always pick up anthologies because you never truly know what you'll be getting. But a recommendation from a friend had me picking this up and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Aphrodite in Bloom is a collection of erotic romance and (in my opinion) erotica novellas in a historic setting. Historical romance is not my jam no matter how many times I keep trying. They're not a sub-genre that I gravitate towards. And even with that little known fact, I still enjoyed this immensely.

Like the synopsis says there's something for everyone, tons of representation AND content notes before each one. I know there's been an endless battle of cw/tw, but I don't mind them.

Serious major props to the anonymous author, so eager for more by them because seriously the writing is fantastic!

Even though I enjoyed most of them, these were my top faves:

The Gift
Bosom Chums
One Night as a Woman
An Evening of Cards
The Baker's Man

While not all stories have the required romance of a HEA/HFN, I felt like some of the stories fell into the erotica genre. And that's a genre I don't read much of, but now am definitely adding some to my TBR.

Totally recommend this one,tons of steam, great writing and absolutely a story for everyone.

Excellent bite size portions of erotic love. Set in a time when most people were encouraged to suppress their true sexual nature this will fulfill a wide range of fantasies one story at a time.

There was something for everyone's taste in this collection. The stories were short and very well written.

This collection of erotic short stories is so delicious. There is definitely something for everyone. So much so that I'm ordering a physical copy for myself. Every story is its own little world and none of them skimp on the steam. Each story also has a little content warning, in case you have triggers. Off the top of my head I had five stories that I loved above all the others. Thats not to say that the rest aren't good, because they are. And I realize that this review is pretty vague but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

My top five in no particular order.
One Night With a Duke
Bosom Chums
Standing in for an Earl
An Evening of Cards
The Baker's Man


Thanks so much to the authors, Entangled and Netgalley for this ARC to review.

This was such a different and interesting read for me. I've never read a book that was a collection of smaller stories before and I have to say I'm not disappointed. I loved that this one gave a little synopsis and trigger warning before each short story, which gave you the option to continue on or skip that particular story. I am a massive historical romance fan, so the setting of these stories were perfect. The erotic scenes were incredibly descriptive and believable. I think a couple of these could have been turned into full length books for sure.

Thank you Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest 'shortNsweet' review! All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

The writing of this book is a lot different than others I have read. It was an easy read- and the multiple POVS was a great touch. I enjoyed the setting of the book as well.

I enjoyed the short novella type story telling. It was to the point and very hot. I also enjoyed the trigger warnings as well that we're placed before the chapter. The writing style was good, and enjoyable.

Aphrodite in Bloom by Anonymous
A Collection of Erotic Stories

Luscious lusty lovingly told stories that were absolutely lovely. I can easily see this book being kept at the side of one’s bed to read and reread alone…or…with a lover or two or three ;)

What I liked:
* The writing – superbly written, hot, steamy, drew me in and made me care
* The wide variety in the various stories
* That I could actually visualize the scenes and at times felt I could have stepped into some of them
* The historical setting
* That there were characters from more than one social class.
* That the lovers were given happy endings even if sometimes unconventional
* Wondering who the anonymous author might be and wanting to read more of their work
* That the stories accomplished their purpose…am sure my glasses steamed up more than a few times
* That each story was complete
* That relationships were consensual
* Everything about these stories was superb

What I didn’t like:
* I usually put this section in but…there isn’t anything for me to say that I didn’t like. The only story that I didn’t relate to quite as well was one with letters and that surprised me since I have always been a pen pal throughout my life.

Did I enjoy this book? YES!
Would I read more by this author? Definitely…if I knew who it was ;)

Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled-Amara, and Insklinger PR for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Lots of variety in short stories.
I loved the small snippet prior to each one, that gives a brief idea of content and any warnings that are necessary.
Sensual and passionate with stories for many tastes!
Fun read!

Aphrodite in Bloom is a very interesting anthology of short stories that I was at first really excited to read. However, as I continued to read the stories I was sad that they are all historical romance. I think had I know that it was all in that vein I probably wouldn’t have requested it. I think there should be some details added to the summary or blurb so that readers aren’t misled. I was looking for more modern stories, so this wasn’t for me. The writing, though, was excellent. Sometimes with steamy erotic stories the quality isn’t great, but that’s not the case here. The stories were well done and easy to read.

I enjoyed reading it! It was not quite what I expected... but great nonetheless! I loved the Multiple POVs the book provided.

Aphrodite in Bloom is an anthology of erotic short stories, all of them historical romance, I must admit I wasn't aware of the historical romance aspect of the collection when I requested this, not that this is an issue at all. As in most collections, these were a bit hit and miss for me. I did appreciate the diversity of characters represented here but I didn't find the writing as good as some in other collections. There were a few standouts, though, including one where a husband and wife write letters to each other while he is away on business, and one the gift received by a woman. I also like the way the stories each had brief descriptions to warn about the content ahead.

Overall this was an okay read and I will give it 2.5 stars overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for a free advanced reader copy. This review is provided voluntarily.