Unfurl: Alchemy, Book 1

Format(s) available: book, e-book, audiobookFormat read: audiobookThe following ratings are out of 5.Romance: 💚💙💜🧡❤️Heat/Steam: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Story/Plot: 📘📗📖📕📙Funny/Humor: 😂😂😂.5Character development: 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂The Hero(s): Rafe one of four owners of a shmex club, playboy and older neighbor of Bel and her parents.The heroine: Bel is the daughter of Rafe's neighbors. She is tired of being of for being a virgin and wants her first time to be with someone who can do it right.Premise: 20 something Bel is ready to loose her V-card, unfortunately she has to get past the shemex shaming and religious shame she experiences from her father and the religious school she grew up in. Her bestie Maddie tells her that her sexy neighbor Rafe owns a shemex club and they offer a grow for people with little to no experience called Unfurl. Naturally Bel does the only correct thing to do and goes right to the source Rafe. He gets her enrolled in the program and Bel is indeed Unfurled.My Thoughts: When I tell you I thoroughly enjoyed this book. When Bel goes to Rafe to ask him about the club, he is compassionate and understanding. He informs her about the program and does a bang up job of making sure that she is comfortable.Some of the side characters like Maddie and Cal made the book more fun to read. The characters are funny AF and loyal. It has the perfect amount of drama. I was constantly waiting for the shoe to drop and there be a third act break-up. Not in this world and I love it. It's so refreshing not to have to worry about them breaking up over a misunderstanding etc. Nope, they act like the adults they are and talk it out. I'm officially hooked on the world that is Alchemy.I listened to this on audiobooks and honestly they could not have gotten better voice actors, they brought the story to life for me.

Unfurl was such a delightful surprise! I didn’t know much about what to expect going in but this wasn’t just a fun, super spicy read (it was that, too!) it was catharsis and growth and so many bits of wisdom! If you, like me, are on a journey of healing from religious trauma and navigating your real desires with honesty and courage, then this book will resonate deeply.I loved Belle’s journey as a character and found her so relatable but not stagnant. She grows more empowered throughout the book in a way that’s authentic to her. I really appreciated the nuance and complexity of these characters. Hart shows instead of tells the growth with such authenticity. The growth isn’t linear in this story, it’s is like real life- happening in fits and bursts and steps backward and stumbles forward.I also appreciated that Belle owns both her own complex relationship to sex but also the contradictions inherent in how women are expected (and expect ourselves) to think about and go about sexuality in the 21st century when not all of the world has caught up to the reality that women have power.Raffe also grows and portrays such emotional maturity by the end, it’s an arc rarely seen in this genre and very appreciated. Even when he doesn’t know if it’s the right thing to do, he approaches things honestly and communicates thoughtfully. He’s definitely going in the Book Boyfriends You’d ACTUALLY like list. I loved him, but make no mistake is definitely Belle’s book and it’s very much worth reading.Definitely check the trigger warnings for this one, especially if you have religious considerations because it’s heavily critical of religion, especially Catholicism. This is a large part of the story but definitely not the point or really even the end-place of the Characters, but still- do your due diligence, because that BOUNDARY is on you 🥰 (iykyk)4.8 out of 5 ⭐️4.2 🌶️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book right up until the climate and conflict came to play. It was a little obvious the author is a progressive liberal but during the climax of the story, the author kept harping on the fact the FMC father was a “religious extremist” for being a strict or acting Catholic and how horrible it was. Acted like the father was abusive but strictly stated he wasn’t. The talking point in this section of the book were like a talking point playlist for liberal lgbt agenda on sexuality. It was distracting and so clear what the author viewed was “morally acceptable”. I don’t want to read the authors actual views or feel like I am. I’ll read the next book in the series as this is very good writing in general, and great character development. Hopefully, the agenda is toned down a bit.

This book is so on fire! Spicy and a quick page turner. Love love love. Diving into the next book now.

I enjoyed this age gap romance. Good characters and a very intriguing premise. No major twists or turns but good dialogue and spice.

There is only one way to describe this book... Unbelievably hottt! The whole, Virgin wanting to give her innocence to someone else is normally a hot scenario as it is, buy enter a sex club with an entire program dedicated to doing is that is amazing. It becomes even better when a hot older man mentors her on her journey. Rafe is delicious and know how to please. Belle is innocent and pure. Bring them together and their Catholic upbringing will hot factor on anything they to.

New to me author Elodie Hart writes a well written, fresh and intriguing take on the glass house of Catholic sexual repression and unfurling its chains.The enigmatic and complex portrayal of Belle, the institute of Alchemy and Rafe, Belle's guide to sexual freedom, adds depth and mystery to the plot, keeping the reader engrossed. Loved this first foray into the world of Alchemy.

This book was so unbelievably good! I don't know why I waited to read it. Now, I'm going to have to read all the other books from this amazing author!

This was so hot and steamy! Fantastic characters, fun plot, and the sex scenes were outrageous. Definitely reading the other books in this series.

Jesus! This book is all about Belina's sexual discovery. This woman has some kinks and maaaaaaaaaaannnn the Alchemy club AKA Rafe delivered. Just read it with a fan because you'll need to fan yourself the whole time, OMG

Lots of delicious spice, self exploration and self reflection. Sinfully a good book with a HEA. Good characters with good chemistry

For me, the beginning of this book was all about a certain aspect, and I struggled with that. Once it moved on, I really settled in and enjoyed this book. I understand why it was written this way as it gave a great insight to the characters.Rafe was just the ultimate, and the blossoming of Belle was enlightening. The way Elodie Hart approached the topics in this story was amazing.Rafe and Belle were the perfect fit.I read on Kindle and read along on Audible. The narration was on point and well done.

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🌹𝕌𝕟𝕗𝕦𝕣𝕝🌹 - 𝔼𝕝𝕠𝕕𝕚𝕖 ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕆𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ℙ𝕝𝕠𝕥 📚📚📚📚𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 🌶🌶🌶🌶𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆-𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎!Such a steamy read! I just love the way this is written, where the author references real life to set the scenes. I found Bella's shyness and prudeness very comical, I had a chuckle at: "...I'm about to let his vaby maker inside my body."Belina's journey from a life constrained by patriarchal Catholic norms to exploring the Unfurl program at Alchemy (the high end Sex Club owned by her hot as sin neighbour, Rafe) is a fascinating exploration of self-discovery and liberation.The theme exploring the contrast between faith and pleasure, and the idea of embracing the grey areas is thought-provoking and very well executed.Rafe, the hot, rich neighbor - Belina left an impression on him from the moment he laid eyes on her! Surprisingly, it's his tenderness that makes him even more irresistible. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between them as Belina navigated new territory, with Rafe ensuring her pleasure and care were always at the forefront of their encounters." 💖