Bloom: A Candid Prequel

by Aria Daze, David Blackwell (Illustrator)

“You deserve to enjoy life, Winifred. You don’t owe anyone your happiness, dear. Not me, not your parents, not even God.” Winifred Walsh is sick of perfect. She's sick of speeches, estate dinners, coordinated undergarments, and dealing with the "perfect" man. Unfortunately, she could never picture anything else for her life, so she was committed to the end. That is until she met Marvin. He's intelligent, handsome, kind, and everything she was raised to avoid. A working-class white man the blue eyes and no money. Her father has made it clear that she is a representative of their family first and foremost, which meant no partying, no boyfriends, and certainly no sex. But the Heiress quickly realizes that making the most out of life means leaving some parts of herself behind, including her not-so-humble beginnings. Set in the early 70s, Bloom details the challenges a young Marvin Rosenbloom and his wife, Winifred face before Rosencorp and strict employee dating policies. Join them on a story filled with scandal, murder, and sex as they start their lives together.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2023

Reviews

[CLorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloom: A Candid Prequel (Candid Series) by Aria Daze follows the tempestuous love story of Marvin Rosenbloom and Winifred Walsh during the 70s. I first encountered Marvin in Candid, he was the owner of the company where Thebes and Wilhemenia worked. Here we learned that Marvin had been happily married for a while and has an irrepressible sense of humor. Bloom peels back the layers and we get to see Marvin in all his glory. When Marvin meets Winifred in a local diner, for him it is love and adoration at first sight. However, Winifred is not so easily impressed. They are of different races, and her father is oppressively controlling. But Marvin is a man of resolve and strength, he does not allow his straitened financial situation, or societal norms interfere with his pursuit of love. I had to keep reminding myself how young they were…not yet twenty but taking on the weight of change and hope! Ms. Daze has a unique writing style, and her characters are always quirky and larger than life with genuine appeal and likability. Marvin was immensely funny but with an intense focus on fulfilling every one of Winifred’s needs…by any means necessary. Winifred was sweet but with a core of strength not crushed by her father’s dysfunctional need to control and manipulate. The book’s construction cleverly takes us back and forth from the past to the near present as we watch this cute pair grow and flourish in the face of adversity and opposition. Being a greedy reader, I would have liked a more expansive epilog, but the story was satisfyingly told and I am aware that Marvin shows up in a short story, Human Resources! I am not sure about the timeline, but I will be sure to check it out.
https://theretiredreader.com/f/bloom-...

[LaTosha Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet as Pie

This started off as me making my way through one of my favorite author’s catalogues and turned into my favorite book by said author. The signature Aria Daze style of combining hilarious outlandish banter, with glorious spice, and a MMC who is down bad for his girl meet psycho cinnamon roll and the combination was absolutely divine! Also within these pages you’ll find a once forbidden love, kismet tangled connections, a brilliant use of flash forwards, and a story about the complexity of family relationships. I love her writing but this book has me in awe of all she’s capable of. It is well paced and written almost like tv show episodes with places to stop and pick back up effortlessly. Marvin’s obsession with Winnie is perfection and the pint size genius level nymph(o) is adorably lovable. I just can’t get over how much I loved this story!

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

The Vibes 👇🏾
✨ Cinnamon Roll MMC
✨ Genius FMC
✨Touch her and 💀MMC
✨Cute & Funny Banter
✨Coming of age
✨Interracial Love 🤎
✨All The Feels ☺️

It all started with a slice of pie. 🥧🥰

This is my third read by Aria, and it did not disappoint! I loved this one just as much as the first two. This book is a prequel to Candid, and I highly recommend you check that one out too—it’s such a beautifully written love story.

This book was everything! I cried, laughed, got mad, and swooned all throughout. It was so beautifully written. The way she crafted Winnie and Marvin—two people from completely different worlds, polar opposites in so many ways—yet they fall in love despite the forces trying to pull them apart and the discrimination they faced for being in an interracial relationship… it was just beautiful.

There were definitely some moments that made me a little sad, but there were so many more that made me smile. I just wanted Winnie & Marvin to win so bad—they were literally made for each other. They were so adorable together! They reminded me so much of Willa & Thebes, and I loved that. I also really loved how we got to see their love story unfold in the past and get little snippets of them in the future together.

The family moments? Loved them. Marvin and his mom, Winnie and her siblings—so wholesome. Toward the end, I felt like Winnie’s relationship with her mom, Greta, turned a new leaf, and that was really nice to see.

Now her daddy? He can GO STRAIGHT TO HELL! I couldn’t stand that man. He was bitter and mean because he chose not to go after what he truly wanted and ended up settling—and then made his kids suffer for it. I was so happy Winnie got away from him and his controlling ways. Toward the end, after that reveal about him and Rhoda, I kind of understood him a little more… but I still didn’t like him.

Not gonna lie—my mouth dropped a few times during this book! There were definitely some twists I wasn’t expecting. I loved every second of it and was eating it up! Every woman needs a man like Marvin in her life—he was everything: protective, sweet, gentle, and intentional. From the beginning, he knew Winnie was going to be his wife and did what he had to do to make it happen. I just wanted Winnie to be free and loved on—she was such a sweetie pie. 🥰

Well, that wraps up my review! I highly recommend this book, as well as Candid and From Kingston With Love. 🤎

[Sophia Charlot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

This is the most beautiful love story that I have read all year long. It was simply beautiful. We all long for and deserve a Marvin. I hope we all get our own version of Marvin. Aria’s work just keeps getting better and better. I’m so ready to read Candid!

[Jyia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book right here 😮‍💨😮‍💨

I’m in awe at the layers of this plot and how it was so well executed!