I couldn’t finish this book. I got 10% through before giving up. The last time I didn’t finish a book (even when I didn’t like it and it wasn’t well written) was years ago. I could see the potential this book had for the story and characters but I didn’t enjoy it. Why? The constant description of how large the guy is (he’s tall and wide and has big hands I get it) and how small the woman is. I also didn’t like the Insta-lust they had for eachother. The writing wasn’t enough to keep me hooked although I liked how snarky/sassy Ruby is.

🌹 Little red riding hood retelling
🌹 Werewolf
🌹 His & Hers POV

I received an advance reader copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan, Book #1 of Wolf Brothers. A steamy retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood. Lots of spice and hardly a plot.

Being the first book in a series, specifically a fantasy series, I really wished I could have seen more world building and character depth. From what I learned of the characters I did like them, but they were superficial.

I will not be continuing the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Melissa McTernan's "A Curse of Blood and Wolves" takes readers on an enchanting journey where fantasy, romance, and mystery seamlessly converge. This enthralling novel effortlessly immerses its audience in a tapestry of storytelling, leaving them craving more. One minor observation is the initial lack of background information and world-building in the first installment. It evokes echoes of the Little Red Riding Hood tale but with a darker twist, as the story begins with Ruby, the main character, being shadowed by Rafe, a brooding and enigmatic wolf. Ruby, a spirited and protective individual determined to safeguard her sister, contrasts with the quieter yet equally protective Rafe. The author adeptly constructs these characters by presenting multiple perspectives, providing readers with a well-rounded view. As the narrative unfolds, so does the intricate relationship between Rafe and Ruby, marked by their struggle to resist an undeniable connection. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to lovers of paranormal romance and eagerly anticipate discovering what the rest of the series has in store.

Holy Sh!t! I read this book in 2 maybe 3 days! I could not put it down! This was better than any reimagining of Red Riding Hood I could’ve ever imagined. I was hooked the second I started reading!

The relationship between the FMC Ruby and the MMC Rafe was frustrating at the very least. He starts off as a stalker, but turns protector that is in denial of what they are. But when he finally gives up fighting what they are they are magical together!

This book does have some spice towards the middle to the end. It was the perfect amount of spice! It wasn’t overbearing and just at the right times (although I do wish Rafe would have gave in sooner).

It does end in a cliffhanger and I can’t wait until the author releases the next one! I was speechless with the ending!

Overall, this was a great read! As a kid being obsessed with fairy tales and princesses, this was perfect!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️

It took a little while to get into this but once it got going man did it get going!
There were a few parts where I felt like the actions could have been explored more, or gone further into the world building, but in the grand scheme of the book I found those minor.
The dialogue was really funny. There were a lot of parts where I laughed along with them. The FMC wasn't a damsel in distress which I appreciate. Love me a self sufficient girlie. The spice was definitely spicing 👀
Definitely a solid choice if you're looking for a spicy fantasy that can be read in a day.

“Any sensible woman wouldn’t be travelling through these woods after dark. She shouldn’t be here. But she was not a sensible woman.”

Releases October 1st, 2023.

If you’re looking for an intro into paranormal & fantasy romance, this would be a good place to start.

A Little Red Riding Hood retelling, A Curse of Blood and Wolves features werewolves/fated mates, and is coming out just in time for fall/spooky season.

It was a very easy read and I enjoyed the FMC Ruby, and her chemistry with Rafe (🐺). Her sister Lena is one that has a lot of potential for the rest of the series, along with Rafe’s brother Theo.

I think that there could have been more world building added into the story, diving more into the werewolf lore and the town Ruby and her sister live in as a whole. I hope we see more of that in the sequel!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and I loved the idea of a Red Riding Hood retelling. The first couple of chapters had me hooked, but it only went downhill from there. I found myself skim reading and not really enjoying the story. I decided to DNF, as life is too short to continue reading a book that feels like work to get through. It just needs more excitement than the FMC going back and forth from work, and I am not really interested in what happened with the MMC and a girl with the same color name. Sorry, but I was really hoping to enjoy this one.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice meter: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

First off, thank you @netgalley and one more chapter publishing for giving me this eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I ate this book up and finished it in about a day and a half! It’s a little red riding hood retelling / werewolf romance, and it had my attention from the first chapter! It’s kind of a mixed dual pov within each chapter which I enjoyed! And I really liked the FMC and how she was unapologetically herself and didn’t care about what other people thought, how hard working she was, and how she cared for her sister. (Who also factors into the mystery of the plot🤭)

I’m excited to see how the rest of the story plays out, because it does leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger with some things left unanswered 😩 I do kind of wish it had touched on her sister and that part of the story more, because it was mainly focused on the main characters and their inner struggles / romance between them but I feel like her sisters struggles were important also. Hopefully we will get more of that in the next book and have it explained! But I still enjoyed this read!

If you like:
💫Fated Mates
💫 Werewolves, witches, seers
💫 Insta-lust
💫 Dual POV
💫 slow burn tension
Then this book is for you!

Sold 3.5 stars... Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book for my honest review.

First off, the build up in this story is a slow burn, you're thrown into Ruby's mind right away. Ruby is single, walking the woods at night coming home from her job at a bar. She's unafraid, unabashed and bold - I loved her so much! Someone is following her home and it excites her, she doesn't know who it is but she's already attracted to that person... Rafe is a werewolf drawn to Ruby's "cinnamon sweet" smell and he cannot stop following her home from work.

The story jumps right in and leaves nothing to the imagination... The other cast of characters, Lena, Fee, Theo and Knox (just a few) made me want to know more about them, what they're thinking and feeling. When an author can draw you into the side characters lives and have that feeling, especially in a book series, it's just great!

As the story progresses, I felt that Rafe, who is working through some issues, just kept leading Ruby on and then pulling away. Not a few times, but 3-4 times. It became redundant but in the end, the story was a solid 3.5 stars and a great start to a fun, easy reading series. I cannot wait for the next book.

My foray into Fantasy Romance is rather new thanks to the craze of Tik Tok. However, I am obsessed. I didn’t know that a whole different sub-genre of fantasy awaited me. It’s fun, exciting, and definitely brings something new to the genre. The Curse of Blood and Wolves had me entranced from start to finish and I read cover to cover in about a day and a half. I usually take a lot longer with my fantasy reads.

I am a huge fan of the darker side of fiction (regular readers of the blog will know this) and I love a deeper, darker retelling of those famous fairy tales. This story stripped back the basic nature of Red Riding Hood and it took on arms and legs, monstrous ones. Just for a moment imagine the big bad wolf and Red Riding Hood, her skipping through the woods and then imagine the version we are faced with in The Curse of Blood and Wolves. It’s so dark it oozes blood from its spine, so dark you need a light on to read it.

Ruby has always believed in the occult, ghosts, and haunted houses, much to the frustration of her sister Lena. The sisters are orphans after their parents die in a car crash. Lena is the much lighter sister, whereas Ruby is a bit of a goth girl -black skirts, dark hair, pale makeup, black eyeliner and kick up the arse boots. She works in the town’s bar and often walks through the dark woods. It’s during these walks that she’s always felt a presence watching her, stalking her. She knows she should run away but her feet just won’t move.

I enjoyed the story but there was only a couple of things that stopped me from rating this five stars. One being the lack of world-building, I wanted and needed more. I wanted to know more about the wolves’ backgrounds, more than just a few past POV’s would have been good, I just felt they really lacked substance, I love a good backstory and it just felt like a missed opportunity.

I know this was an arc so I fully expect the book not to be perfect but there was quite a few grammatical errors which more than likely will be rectified in the final edits, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story thankfully.

The Curse of Blood and Wolves is a great start to a new series and I’m looking forward to seeing where book 2 goes.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went to this book thinking it would have more world building and more developed MC.
Regarding the re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood, I couldn't find much similarities than the existence of wolves and her name being Ruby.
The MMC is a werewolf with hundreds of years and behaves like an hormonal teen.. It got so frustrating!
We didn't get any hint on why and who did it. I understand this is a series but I hoped much more.
The fact there this is a dual pov and we could find them in the same chapter, sometimes was confusing and I had to reorganize my thoughts, but the writing is pleasing and it makes a quick read.
As expect it has few smutty chapters, and sometimes I had some deja vu and kept thinking it was similar to "True Blood", am I the only one?
The next book will probably follow a different brother, but I hope the plot has a better development. I want to know more about the world they live in, what type of creatures exist and how is their interaction.

Solid 3.5⭐️

Honestly this book has everything I (unashamedly) love.
Fated Mates ✔️
Badass FMC ✔️
Gruff MC who is turned into a little cute puppy when FMC looks at him ✔️✔️✔️
WEREWOLVES ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

Very much enjoyed this read and devoured it in one sitting. However was it anything I havent read before? No, Not really! BUT that’s not to say thats a bad thing! If it ain’t broke dont fix it.

All the characters were wonderful, the story kept me invested and the spice 🥵

I for one will be 100% reading book 2, because I want to know about Theo and Phoebe!!!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy!

A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan is a loose Little Red Riding Hood retelling. The overall vibe of the book is just what you are looking for when you think of mixing LRRH and a shifter romance. The FMC Ruby has had a traumatic past. She lives with her sister and is trying to keep them afloat since her sister has started having moments where she seems to drop out of reality. The MMC Rafe is a wolf shifter who can not seem to stay away from Ruby as she walks through the woods every night after work. When the two come together their connection only grows stronger, and the mysteries of her sister's illness, and some attacks on Ruby only get more complicated. Overall the story was entertaining and kept me interested. I did enjoy Rafe’s background, it was different from other shifter stories I have read in the past. There were times where I felt there needed to be more information to deepen a moment or elaborate on a plot point. I also feel like this first book is going to be a very good setup for the next one. I will definitely look forward to the rest of the series. This is a solid 4 star book with a 2 spice rating.
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves is a fun, steamy and thrilling retelling of Red Riding Hood. I did not want to put this down and I was hooked from the very start, The characters were great and I love the twists on the original premise that made everything unique in its own way. This is perfect for any YA lovers who love romance with a bit of thrill and endings which leave your craving more.

Ruby knows that someone has been following her as she walks home from work. She feels the presences in the woods, and while she should be scared, she also feels excited about it.

Rafe can't seem to stay away from Ruby, especially once he's revealed himself as the person who's been following her. Ruby should fear him, but they both have bigger things to worry about with Ruby's sister Lena having disturbing episodes, and unknown wolves sniffing around Ruby's home.

I was hoping for a lot from a dark/erotic Little Red Riding Hood retelling, and while I finished the book and didn't hate it, I felt let down. The only homages to LRRH were Ruby's name and the fact that she walked through the forest; otherwise, I wouldn't really consider this a retelling.

While the ideas behind the book were interesting, the writing was immature and there was a lot of telling not showing. Ruby, especially, seemed like a caricature, and not in a fun, campy way. The page count is pretty high, so if I'm going to invest myself in a 400 page book, I expect a lot of rich world-building or character development, or in the case of erotic fiction, lots of steamy scenes, and we didn't really get any of that. The sex scenes were kinda meh.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with and ARC of A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan.

"A Curse of Blood and Wolves" is a book that falls into the supernatural fantasy genre and offers an engaging experience for lovers of gripping and mysterious stories.
The plot of the book is filled with magical elements and supernatural creatures, capturing the reader's imagination from the very beginning. The author creates a detailed and fascinating world, populated by complex and interesting characters.
One of the aspects I appreciated the most was the characterization of the protagonists. They were developed in a thorough manner, with nuances and motivations that make them realistic and engaging. Their evolution throughout the story was well-handled, creating a sense of suspense and curiosity in the reader.
Furthermore, the plot is well-structured and full of twists and turns. The author skillfully maintains the reader's attention, creating suspense and tension effectively. I also appreciated the presence of subplots and narrative interweavings that further enrich the story.
However, there might be room for improvement. Some readers may find the plot slightly predictable or certain characters less developed than others. Additionally, there might be a sense of familiarity with typical elements of the supernatural fantasy genre, which may not surprise more experienced readers. The novel ended on a cliffhanger, and although I normally enjoy these, it seemed very abrupt in this book.
In conclusion, "A Curse of Blood and Wolves" is a book I recommend to fans of the supernatural fantasy genre. It offers an engaging plot, well-characterized protagonists, and a fascinating world. Despite some weaknesses, it is able to entertain and keep the reader glued to the pages until the very end.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the opportunity to read this book in advance!
Publication Date: 1st October

3.5 Stars.
A thrilling, steamy red riding hood retelling. The book gripped me from the start, and focused on the relationship of the two MCs, although I truly wanted to slap the MMC a few times over his indecisiveness.
As a lover of Romantasy books, this was executed very well, with lots of angst, pining and push and pull.
Lots of breadcrumbs being left, which hopefully are answered or explored in the next books.
Great steamy scenes, and ends on a cliffy.
Will read the rest of the books that are released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meh. The plot, writing, dialogue, characters, and world building are barely 2 stars. The spice was 3 maybe. Some of it was pretty hot and I wish there was more.

The writing, plot, and world building/history were all pretty shallow, the characters were annoying. Especially Rafe. He is over 500 years old and acts like a toddler. Won’t be continuing the trilogy. It had some elements that could have been really cool, but overall it was pretty mediocre.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves is a dark and alluring read, tailored for readers who enjoy a mix of romance and fantasy, with a generous dose of sensuality. This book has captured the hearts of many, including mine, and I found it deserving of a solid 4-star rating.

The story revolves around Ruby, a young woman who experiences an inexplicable and tantalizing connection with a stranger she encounters in the woods. The allure and mystery of their connection pull her in deeper with every passing moment, leaving her unable to resist the temptation of his presence. The tension and anticipation that build as she yearns for his unseen but keenly felt presence make for a captivating and steamy narrative.

However, be warned that it does leave on a cliffhanger. Now, like many other fans, I'll be eagerly waiting for the release of the second book to see where Ruby's journey takes her next.

Truly a “Red RidingHood” retelling in a fantasy romance spin. Really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see how the others in the series showcase even more details with the brothers, the sisters, and what other magical elements might be at play!