Orchid Blooming

By Carol Van Den Hende

Book Overview

"A literary masterpiece of contemporary romance fiction" -Midwest Book Review

Orchid Paige has learned to hide her pain. After a childhood tragedy shattered her family, she built a life of hard work and quiet resilience. Now, as a beauty industry marketer, she sees a chance to honor her mother's heritage with a work assignment to China. But the competition is fierce, and victory feels out of reach, until she meets Phoenix Walker.

Phoenix is an entrepreneur, whose own scars run deep. His quiet strength draws Orchid in, though her heart resists the pull of a man who could so easily break it. When he invites her to work on his military ad campaign for veterans, she begins to see him as more than a mentor. In his presence she feels an unfamiliar safety, yet their growing closeness awakens fears she thought she had mastered.

Working side by side forces Orchid to face her own past. The project's images and stories stir her unresolved PTSD, testing her resolve and her trust. Phoenix understands sacrifice, but love is a battlefield neither of them has prepared for. She begins to see in him the tenderness of a second chance romance, the quiet courage of a wounded hero, and the unwavering hope that marks true inspirational fiction.

Drawn together across cultural boundaries, their relationship becomes a multicultural love story rooted in empathy and the belief that kindness can heal. But trust is fragile. Old wounds, the shadows of loss, and the risk of heartbreak threaten to undo what they are building together. Orchid must decide if the chance at real happiness is worth risking everything, even her carefully guarded heart.

And yet, like the best of disability fiction, this story does not dwell on limitations. Instead, it celebrates the depth of love that can grow when two people truly see each other beyond the surface. Orchid's challenges are part of her, yet they do not define the strength, generosity, or passion she brings to Phoenix's life.

For readers who crave emotional depth in romance novels, who believe that brokenness does not end love, and who cherish the triumph of resilience over fear, Orchid Blooming offers a tender, unforgettable journey. This is contemporary fiction woven with the emotional pull of romantic suspense, the compassion of disability romance, and the enduring beauty of star-crossed lovers who dare to dream of forever.

Buy Orchid Blooming today and discover a love story that blooms against all odds.

This novel is the prequel to Goodbye, Orchid and reveals Orchid Paige's early journey before she meets Phoenix Walker. While either can be read as a standalone, beginning here offers insight into Orchid's past and the challenges that shaped her.

Orchid Blooming Awards: Independent Press Award​ Best Contemporary Novel, Chanticleer Chatelaine Award 1st Place Winner, Pulpwood Queen Book of the Month, Pinnacle Achievement Award Best Multicultural Fiction, Royal Dragonfly Award 1st Place Winner Cultural Diversity, Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Top 100 Notable Book, Best Book Award 1st Place Multicultural Fiction, American Writing Award Multicultural Fiction Winner, Book Excellence Award​ Best Book Cover, International Book Award Finalist, New York Book Festival, Beach Book Festival, International Impact Awards, Hollywood Book Festival, Outstanding Creator Awards, The Book Fest 2nd Place Award

Publication order:

Book 1: Goodbye, Orchid

Book 2: Orchid Blooming (prequel)

Book 3: Always Orchid (sequel)

Each book can be read as standalone

Look for Dear Orchid, a collection of true stories and new fiction

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1958223018
• ISBN13: 9781958223017
• Release Date: August 2022
• Publisher: Azine Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Orchid Blooms perfectly

I finished Carol Van Den Hende’s wonderfully written first book of this trilogy. She has done an outstanding job of beginning the story of Orchid & Phoenix - the girl who witnessed a tragic accident at age 12 killing her parents resulting in a form of PTSD. The young man who raised by a stern father who is a judge - trying to make his father proud. Then there is the request from father to son 6 months after the father’s death - resulting in the meeting of the two. The project they both feel passionate about - Wounded Veterans with PTSD. This is where the story begins and you have to read to see how Carol brings you into the world of advertising and Wounded Warriors and how PTSD is tied to all the characters. Very well researched and exquisitely told. I found I want to see how this all unfolds and I hope you will as well.