Blossoms & Steel

Seaside Pointe #1

by Mindy Michele, Mindy Hayes, Michele G. Miller

Chloe Lockwood’s legacy balances on a tightrope. Her nemesis holds the rope.

As the sole heir of Lockwood Blooms, the flower farm is Chloe Lockwood’s priority. After her father suffers a stroke, Chloe takes the reins. She’s confident in her skills growing the most beautiful blossoms in the Pacific Northwest, but keeping the farm her great grandfather began from sinking? Insecurities get the best of her.

Kipling Harris dreams of proving himself without his wealthy father’s help. He’s well on his way, two thousand miles from home, when an opportunity returns him to Seaside Pointe. Harris Development is Kip’s if he finds peace with returning to small-town living and his father’s side after seven years away.

Kip and Chloe are the latest in a generations-long feud. They grew up with the stories and added fire to the disdain, until one moment, they swore changed nothing. 

A thin line exists between love and hate. Kip and Chloe are about to discover how fragile that line is.

Blossoms & Steel is the first installment in a four-book series. While the romance stands alone, the plot continues in the following novels releasing throughout the remainder of 2021.

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2021

About the author

Pen name of Mindy Hayes and Michele G.
Miller

Hi! Mindy Michele is the co-writing duo of sweet romances with low to medium heat, such as the Paper Planes Series, the Seaside Pointe novels, and The Archer and His Rosebud.

We’re pretty awesome! We like singing in the car, eating white cheddar popcorn, and going on road trips together. You’ll find us sharing a table at a few book signings each year. We have a love of romance, New York, anything sweet, and great books.

To find out more you can hunt us down on social media. We’re all over the place!



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Reviews

[Mandy Reads Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both Kip and Chloe are what some would call stubborn and can hold a grudge like nobody’s business. And we are talking a grudge that started way before their time and has nothing to do with them, besides their last names being involved. But like any good family member would do, they kept up their roles in the feud by playing their part and their pranks over the years.

BLOSSOMS & STEEL was beautifully written and wonderfully told!! I got so caught up in the romance that fought like mad not to happen between both Kip and Chloe. Call it fate...call it whatever you want...but something sparked between them both early one morning, in town, and did not want to let go. And it was everything.

Will either be able to squash their family feud in order to form a long enough truce to see what may transpire? Or will family prove to be bigger than this love blossoming between them? There will be lots of questions come up as the story progresses and not every thing will get answers. But I look forward to seeing where the series goes and what twists are revealed next. 5 Stars!

[Sara Oxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blossoms & Steel by Mindy Michele a flourishing five-star read. This is number one in the Seaside Pointe series and I am so excited to see where we will be taken next. Kipling Harris will simply make you swoon, he has that extra something special about him, and its that little something that means that Chloe Lockwood can’t ever walk away from him, but when he could mean the downfall of everything what would you be able to do, would you be strong enough to walk away from a love that is blooming to stop a rot from killing the field. All of the characters of the Pointe deserve a special mention, and I can not wait to hear more from them, there are such deep emotions running through this story that will just encompass you. What a great pair these two are, they write as one and create the most sublime words on the page.

[Mindy Michele]

What an escape from 2020 writing this series was!

[Michele Miller]

This inspiration board (and a few of those shelf tags) says it all:



Cover reveal May 7th. Releasing June 10. Preorder now!
#sweetsexydrama

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhhh baby! I sure loved Kip and Chloe. I started slow but once I had a good bit of uninterrupted time, I FLEW through this book. I loved it sooo much. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Well done, Mindy Michele 👏🏻👏🏻

[Elisha Hutcheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, thank you Mindy and Michele for joining forces once more and creating yet another beautiful masterpiece!

I always struggle with reviews as I never want to give much away, but I hope this helps a little… (it’s totally voluntary btw!!)

So we have a small town, two families who have had a family feud with each other for over 50 years; one beautiful, kind-hearted woman, one dreamy, handsome steal your heart immediately man, and an awesome group of friends who bring the banter and good vibes - what more could you want?!

This story takes place at Seaside Point, a town where everyone knows everyone, and gossip travels faster than Gossip Girl posting on her blog.

Right from the get go we know that Chloe and Kip have grown up believing that each other are the enemy. Despite their very best effort to hate each other, and to go against each other, there’s always been a little something more between them.

One of the many things I loved about this book, is that the MC’s are a little older; they’re in their mid 20’s. It made them a little more relatable as characters.
Chloe is successful in her families business - Lockwood Blooms, while Kip has worked hard to be the business man of any company’s dreams. Both of them just want to do their families proud and live up to their families names.

Whilst the start was a bit hard to get into as there were A LOT of flower names being thrown about (Google was a great help haha), the chemistry between Chloe and Kip is undeniable from the get go - lots of teasing, lots of banter, lots of love-hate, lots of sexual tension…
Both Chloe and Kip are strong, hardworking, also very stubborn characters that will stop at nothing to fight for what they believe in. Even when things go a bit pear-shaped, they stand by what they believe to be true.

The book begins to pick up pace around the half way mark and then you reaaaally can’t put it down. Not only do you want to ship the leads because let’s face it, Chloe is a badass that you will just love, and Kip is well, Kip 😍 but, we all know behind any great main character, lies some pretty great best friends - they’re fiery, they’re loyal, and let’s not forget comical!
Maybe, just maybe, well get to see more of them… I hope… cos I’m deffo crushing on Bodhi!!

Overall, this book will have you laughing and smiling and wanting to start your own flower farm, go camping and break some mirrors 😉. And just like any Mindy Michele book, it will also frustrate the crap out of you!!! (three words - James and Denton). But above all, this story will grip your heart strings and leave you with the desire for more; yes we need more!! ESPECIALLY after chapter 42!!! (I knew it!!)

So, the question is, can love really overlook a generational family feud? Guess you’ll have to read to find out!

P.S. When’s the next one out?!?! 😜😂

[Jennica Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Mindy fan and a Michele fan I live for the worlds these two create when they write together. I LOVED Blossoms & Steel and fell hard for Kip and Chloe’s story. I found my heart racing at certain points in the book because I had so much emotion invested in the characters and felt like I was along for their journey. The pacing of the book is just my style and never felt slow. I hated to see this book end and can’t wait for Seaside #2!! Mindy and Michele did it again!

[S. Sidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each new world from Mindy Michele, their characters become more real and more loveable. Kip and Chloe are no exception - feisty and stubborn, born into a decades-long family feud in a small town, the sparks that fly between them grabbed me from page one. The supporting cast is stellar. Both Mindy and Michele are absolute masters at minor characters with major impact, and you'll not only fall in love with the book's stars but their friends too. I'm ready for book 2 now, ladies. Bring it on.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what an amazing book! I am so grateful I got to read this early. When they ask for volunteers, I jumped at the chance. Its a book that makes you think, trying to work out what is happening. Mindy & Michele have done a grand job. Definitely a book I would read again and definitely looking forward to the next book just to find out why and what happens next. Grab a coffee and some treats as you will find it hard to put down.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing book! These characters are like fire and ice! With all the fighting they did they kept me wondering what was really going to happen. I really enjoyed the character development and especially all the talk of flowers. Made me wanna open a flower shop.I love whatever these ladies write and this was another fantastic story!!!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mindy Michele know how to write good men. I fall for them every single time. Kip Harris was no different. Add this one to your TBR for a June release. You're going to want to read this one. Can I have book two NOW??

[Karmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me all the feels. Kipling and Chloe have a beautiful story. I would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good romance that won’t make you blush in public.

[Jenine Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writing duo is one of my favorite collaborations! Mindy Michele is off to a great start on this new series. Blossoms and Steel is an Enemies-to-Lovers meets Second-Chance-Romance that resulted in a fresh take on familiar tropes. I was going to say the only downside was that all of my online ads are now for flowers since I had to google a few I wasn't familiar with - but seeing all the flowers just brightens my day and reminds me of Chloe and Kip. I'm hoping Mindy and Michele have been hard at work behind the scenes and I don't have to wait too long for the next book.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we just take a second and enjoy the girls are back writing together and have not just one book for us, but 4 in this series! I’m a series junkie…when you have good characters and get to follow their stories and watch them grow it makes my heart happy.

So this is the first of the series where we are introduced to Chloe and Kip who are the newest generation in a long standing family feud. The two families have property side by side and over the years the two have added to the drama, by now when Chloe tried to step up her family’s business her world collides with Kip and his.
Can the two work past all the built up history and learn to work with each other? Can they fight the feelings that have been laying dormant for years when they have been told the other is the enemy?

I couldn’t put it down once I started, because the characters are so real and the good ole’ Romeo/Juliet feel pulled me in. I’m a sucker for those sweet forbidden love stories and this is one of the best I have read! I can’t wait to read the other books and see who gets their own stories.

[Valerie Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about how HS crushes and misconceptions carry over into adulthood and how to handle them when they do.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this 10 stars? I loved this book! I’ve read about 50 or 60 books this year (not exaggerating; 2021 has been the year of books for me) and I’m gonna say that this one is unquestionably my favorite of the year!

You know the general storyline from the blurb, so I won’t rehash that, but Chloe and Kip’s story drew me right in. It’s an enemies to lovers trope, but this one hit all the right buttons for me compared to others I’ve read in this trope. Although the main characters have their misunderstandings that could wreck their relationship, they handle them in very reasonable ways. I’m always put off by the heroine who misunderstands everything and almost willfully refuses to listen to reason. In this story, when one MC misunderstands something, the other reaches out to try to set things right. They are invested in their relationship and put forth the effort to fix things instead of stubbornly hanging onto their misunderstandings. They balance each other well, like in real relationships. The characters are well fleshed out, and I felt like I understood where they each were coming from.

And this story was clean! No vulgar language and no gratuitous adult scenes. There was plenty of steam, but the more than PG-13 scenes were played out behind closed doors. I appreciated that and never felt gypped.

The Mindy Michele writing team has always had great stories in my opinion, but this one felt like they had really grown as a team. The writing was so seamless that I couldn’t tell who wrote what. It felt like Mindy Michele was one writing entity, not two.

I very highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming story with a happy ending. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, per se, but the final chapter reads like an intro or preview to the next book in the series, which I am super anxious to get my hands on when it becomes available in a couple of months. Do yourself a favor and read this book! The writing is intelligent and edited well. The story is clean and interesting. It’s tight and well written. You can thank me later.

[Callie Baldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying the find the right words to express how great this book is, and I just can't. (Thats why I am the reader, and they are the writers). Not going to lie, I've been in a book slump lately. I start something, get about 50 pages in and quit it. This book definitely got me out of that! I couldn't go to sleep for thinking about what happened next, I was up half the night reading again. It was just what I needed! Kip and Chloe are so relatable, and such great chemistry! I'll just be sitting over here counting down the days until their next release ;) NEVER disappoints.

[Ashley Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family rivalry story that is very cutesy. Chloe is slowly taking over her family's flower farm business and Kipling is trying to prove himself to his father. Both have been stuck in this generation-long feud since they were born but there may be more than hate present between them. It was very feel good story, not too deep or thought provoking. Sometimes that is okay, but was expecting a little bit more. The ending did feel a little flat, but this is a series, so maybe it continues on in the next book.

[Amanda Louder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down. I hated having to stop reading to sleep. I read while I was eating. I read in the shower! Mindy Michele has done it again! Kip and Chloe’s story was so good and I can’t wait to read more...when is the next one coming?

(This review was voluntary!)

[Taylor Hardy]

I loved this book! I get irritated when characters almost refuse to get out of their own way and don’t want to communicate to rectify their obstacles. These characters were not like that. They were very good at navigating through everything that stands in their way. The ending left me anxious for the next book, I can’t wait to get an answer as to a big question in the book and get to know other characters better. You will not regret reading this book!

[Rhona Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was recommended to me by a family member. Slightly different that what I normally read but I do enjoy books where the characters overlap and I was looking forward to reading all 4!
This book was slow in pace but I enjoyed this and can see how it was setting up for future books.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic start to a new series full of romance and humor.

Favorite Quote:
“If you’ve had even one moment where you thought you weren’t reason enough for me to stay here, then I’ve screwed this up.”

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this romance and flowers. Kip is sexy and Chloe makes me want to grow flowers.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blossoms and Steel is the first book in a new modern romance series that takes place in the town of Seaside Pointe. In this story, we meet Chloe and Kip, neighbors and members of rival families who have had an attraction to each other since school days - they just didn't realize it until they got older and wiser and came back into each other's lives. They were the kids that went from pulling nasty childhood pranks on each other to getting jealous when they were dating others. It was engrained in them since they were young that their families are rivals. No one really gave the fully story why, but it's apparent that it runs very deep and across generations. Chloe is fiercely loyal to her family and their flower business. Kip went his own way to escape the shadow of his wealthy and overbearing father, but came back to town to prove himself. Their paths cross on business and personal fronts and old sparks begin to fly. With their family rivalry, things get more than a little complicated fast. The odds seems to be stacked against them.

I'm not a big fan of romance and I knew this was a romance going in. The romance was very predictable for me. I did like the underlying plot regarding the rivalry between the two families and I'm intrigued enough to keep reading the books in the series to uncover the fully story behind it.

I received a copy of this book from the author.

[T.O. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been dying to finally get around to reading this book, and I FINALLY did yesterday!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 stars

Blossoms & Steel is a slowburn, enemies to lovers romance that I bought solely because of the cover 🤣

I'm not normally one for slow burns, but this book kept me hooked! I loved the family feuds. It gave me a Romeo and Juliet vibe without the toxicity and immaturity of their love.

I loved that they had real life relationship problems that they were able to resolve and overcome. Their issues weren't petty misunderstandings. ❤ I hate it when authors put ridiculous miscommunications in relationships that really could have been handled with a single, adult face to face discussion.

What I didn't like was the ending. While it is a HFN, it is not an HEA. And the issues with the heroine and her father are NOT resolved in this book. And while I know the plot continues through the rest of the series, I felt that it should have been covered in this book since it pertains to the heroine.

Otherwise, this is an absolutely amazing book, and I'm so glad I read it!

[Asona Vallo]

This one has a bit of a psychological vibe. I liked my time while reading it. As the sole heir of Lockwood Blooms, the flower farm is Chloe Lockwood’s priority. After her father suffers a stroke, Chloe takes the reins. She’s confident in her skills growing the most beautiful blossoms in the Pacific Northwest, but keeping the farm her great grandfather began from sinking? Insecurities get the best of her.

Kipling Harris dreams of proving himself without his wealthy father’s help. He’s well on his way, two thousand miles from home, when an opportunity returns him to Seaside Pointe. Harris Development is Kip’s if he finds peace with returning to small-town living and his father’s side after seven years away.

[Sarah L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book certainly kept me reading but the ending left me a bit high and dry. After such a build up, it didn’t feel like the cliffhanger that it was meant to be - rather more of a fizzle out.

Chloe and Kip were wonderful characters and trying to unpick their families’ backstories was interesting but sadly, everything stopped just as it became interesting. I need to know what happens in the second book but if there isn’t more clarity, I’m not sure that I’ll continue with this series.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the writing and storyline but only 4 stars cause they just needed some closed door romance at some points in the book…a little too much for me.

[Zoe Katrichis-Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the history behind it all but felt the ending fell a little short. I know there is more to continue with the other books with other characters. Good read

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ loved the dialogue!