Before the Lotus Blooms

Tales of Angaride #2

by Harumi .

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?

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 13, 2026

Reviews

[Mrs Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Laura La · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Karen Hrdlicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Byrd Koto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I beta read for harumi’s novel. Review to come after reading the arc.