When I saw that A Curse Of Blood And Wolves was a retelling of A Little Red Riding Hood, I was soooo excited. I'm a huge fan of retelling, and I absolutely gobbled this up. (Pun intended)



Ruby often walks home from work and passes the woods where she feels eyes watching her. She should run, She should be afraid, but something or someone calls to her. She just can't get this out of her mind, but will the person reveal themselves?

A fun romance with magic and werewolves galore. I absolutely loved the romance between the main characters. There's just the right amount of steam, but I love a slow burn where the chemistry is bought to life, and I loved that here. main characters. There's just the right amount of steam, but I love a slow burn where the chemistry is bought to life, and I loved that here. The world building I felt lacked something, but then I also think it sets things up for the next book in the series.

Overall if you enjoy the fated mates trope or just a really fun time then I would wholeheartedly recommend this one to you.

When I look for romance novels, I tend to reach for those that have some of my favorite tropes, at first this seemed like the perfect book for me. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a story I ended up not enjoy as much as I thought I would.

It is a werewolf and human, romance fantasy novel which seemed to be set in the present time. Some of the tropes included grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, fated mates, etc. although the chemistry between the two main characters just did not seem authentic to me. The characters were just a bit too insufferable in some scenes compared to what I normally go for when reading a romance fantasy book.

In terms of plot, I had a hard time grasping exactly what it was versus how it correlates to their love story. The story seemed to just jump into the action and not answer many questions, even when getting well past 50% of the book.

Unfortunately this was not one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read but I always think everyone should give a book a chance. What I did not enjoy might be someone else’s favorite story!

Thank you NetGalley and Melissa McTernan for the eARC of this book!

A Curse of Blood and Wolves was literally unputdownable and I read most of it in one sitting. Between the character building, the magical world, and the tension, I was hooked. It seems obvious there will be more story to come and I can't wait to dive in.

I got serious ACOTAR vibes, so if that's your thing, romantasy readers, pick this one up!

Is it hot in here or just me? Phew...the spice factor in this book is REAL people. I'm a sucker for a spicy fairy tale retelling and this one didn't disappoint. Ruby and Rafe have fantastic chemistry. You know you've enjoyed a book when you finish reading and immediately wish for the next one. Can't wait to see what's next in this Wolf Brothers series.

I received an advanced reader's copy of A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Melissa McTernan is a new-to-me author, but the summary interested me and I am glad that I had the opportunity to read A Curse of Blood and Wolves.

The premise was intriguing and the retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is dark and spicy. You’ll be swept in quickly, and all too soon the final chapter is almost at an end. The pacing of this novel could be smoothed out a bit so the flow is better, but the writing and plot is interesting.

I’m always curious when I see a book described as a retelling, as it can either be a hit or a miss. Spicy Little Red Riding Hood? I’m curious. While I think that calling it a retelling isn’t really what I would call this book, it could have just been described as a werewolf /mate story, and it would have done the job just right. I still found it to give me a little of what I was expecting, still I was kind of expecting more spice considering that it was perfect for lovers of smuttok.

Some of the great things about this book is the premise and how easy it is to read and get into through the book in a matter of hours. Still, the pacing was slightly off (things seems to happen way too fast, and it could have expended on some other things to help with that. I get it, Ruby and Rafe and the main focus of the book, but it just felt like it could have been a little more, since they seemed to introduced aspects and characters for what seems to be nothing.

I’m still curious to see what will happen next, and I might check out the next book to see if the story in itself goes somewhere. It was overall enjoyable read, while not highly memorable.

This is a dark red riding hood retelling where red falls for the wolf. It is pretty quick paced but definitely enjoyable. With werewolves, witches, nymphs and fated mates, I can’t wait to see how the story continues and who or what we will meet next.

If you are looking for something to get you into that full mood then this will be a good read for you. This is a good transitional book from summer to fall. It is a retelling of a classic fairytale, which is one of my personal favorite genres! I will say that you need to go in with an open mind because it is not going to be exactly like the fairytale.

ARC Review of A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan
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A fantastic werewolf romance with a twist of hot stalker trope, destiny, and a strong heroine entering the supernatural world for the first time.

Ruby knows someone is watcher her. She gets a thrill whenever she walks home in the dark, a quiet path to the home she shares with her sister.
One night, she's had enough, and demands her watcher speak.
The next time she feels eyes on her, it is that of a wolf...who soon protects her from an attacker.
Turns out, the man and wolf are one in the same!
Ruby is now tossed into a world of the supernatural, discovering that the attack may not have been random and that her and her sister's 'issues' may link to something happening that no one is prepared for.
There is also another problem...Rafe cannot let his little dark haired beauty go even when he means to protect her.
Can Rafe and Ruby survive breaking each other's hearts before the real threat comes for them?

Loved this read! Cannot wait to see what else is in store for this series and who it will feature next, although with the ending I do have speculation.
Rafe grew up in a harsh environment. After one event years ago that tore his family apart, he is now facing them to help Ruby, however, after his past heartbreak it is a challange for him. He wants her but he fears he will be the cause of her death. Ruby, one awesome gothic barmaid with a stubborn streak and boots I want to steal, isn't having any of that. She may be new to the whole werewolf and magic world, but she is not ready to give up on the man she just found that could be her forever...even if he was her stalker!
Giggles, awkwardness, super sexy scenes!

This was a good retelling of Red Riding Hood; it felt as though the romance was more of the plot than the actual story. I wish there was more in-depth descriptions about things and why things happened. It was easy to read and I was able to read it in one sitting!

I did really like Rafe’s and Ruby’s relationship- it was super cute and made me giggle a couple times.

I am definitely curious about what happens next in the series and to see where this goes!

I DNF this book about 30% in

I was excited about the premise of the book, but I just couldn’t get into it. I just think it was not for me.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, one more chapter for the e-arc of a Curse of Blood and Wolves.
This was a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style where you alternate between the pov of the two main characters. This kept my interest when the plot slowed down. This feels very much like a first in the series with setting up lore, although I wished for more details and feel it could have been fleshed out more. I liked the dynamic between Ruby and Rafe, but the overarching plot felt slow, I would have liked to have seen it pick up a bit more. That being said, the ending was a good cliffhanger and may have convinced me to continue with the next book. I hope there will be more from Lena and the werewolf brothers. A little red riding hood inspired story, worth a read if werewolves are your thing.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

I kind of struggled with the ranking of this book so I am going for 2.5 stars.

I am always interested in anything vampires, werewolves, fae, anything. So of course when I seen werewolves I had to give it a go. It seemed to have an interesting premise because I love a steamy retelling but I have to be honest and say it wasn’t my cup of tea.

I found there wasn’t as much world building as I would have wanted, sure it’s great to get right into the story but I feel like it would’ve helped with the background of it all. So it kind of fell flat for me in those aspects.

I didn’t mind the main characters Ruby and Rafe even though sometimes things seemed to be repetitive through their POVs.

The ending was a cliff hanger and I can maybe see myself picking up the next one to see what happens with the sisters and Rafes brothers.

This book was fun and ejoyable but not that good.
I think a lot of people will really like this, and i might have to read the sequel because I think it's about Theo.

Okay first of all, I know this was supposed to be a Red Riding Hood retelling, but naming Rafe's two love interests through time for Scarlet and Ruby seems a little lazy to me, but whatever I can look past that. I also know it falls into all the wolf tropes but the insta-lust turned insta-love was a little annoying.
Also I feel like the entire book was leading up to this big moment that we never got because there was no climax in this book (except for Ruby and Rafe hehe). No but seriously, it felt like the first half of a book and when I finished i was like "Where's the rest?"

Will I read the sequel? Maybe, well see, but I am curious about Theo and the overall plot.

Fun but nothing special
2.5/5

Melissa McTernan's A Curse of Blood and Wolves is a romantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (the second I’ve read recently). The first book in a series, it focuses on Rafe, a werewolf, and Ruby, the woman to whom he’s mysteriously drawn.

The novel has some clever plot points that contribute to the fairytale elements, and the story is propulsive enough. I do wish that the writing had delved more deeply into the characters and their relationship.

Rafe has two brothers, also werewolves (the condition is hereditary rather than transmitted), who will —I think—be the focus of the next two books, along with other paranormal creatures. Ruby’s sister, who has visions, also offers some opportunities for development.

Overall, this was enjoyable, if not a book that stuck with me much.

Firstly, I would just like to say a massive thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Melissa McTernan for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The premise of this story really drew me in. I mean, a dark and steamy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood? Yes pleaseeeee.
Also, I think the cover design for this book is absolutely beautiful!

Unfortunately however, I personally didn’t enjoy the story overall.
I didn’t mind the FMC at times and I liked that she was one to stand up for herself.
The MMC however, I didn’t particularly take much of a liking to. For someone who was centuries old, he acted a bit more like a teenager…
Overall, I didn’t personally connect with either of these characters.
I get the whole “fated mates” idea in a book and usually do like it, but this more felt like “insta love” than anything else (more specifically “insta lust”…)

I won’t lie, I did also get a slight “ick” at the MMC referring to the FMC as “brave girl” all the time 😂

Majority of this story is told during the present time, with a few being told from the past. I did find it a little confusing during some of these time switches and found I had to do some brief re-reading, before I was able to determine what I was reading in the book.
This also goes for the switch in POV’s between the FMC and MMC. The structure of the paragraphs made it a little tricky at first.

I would have loved to see a bit more world building and character development throughout this story. A lot of the plot unfortunately fell flat for me.

The ending does leave an opening for potentially another book to follow. I think with some tweaks, it could set out to be something promising, especially if we see a bit more in the way of world building and character development.

Although I didn’t personally love this book, it doesn’t mean everyone else will have the same experience. So please don’t let my review deter you from picking up a copy!!

Again, thank you so much for the opportunity to read A Curse of Blood and Wolves in exchange for an honest review 💙

I’m actually torn between wanting to finish this book or dnf’ing this book. I just can’t get into it. It seems like it could be a good book but it’s a bit of a slow burn. I also don’t like how the story is told from 3rd person POV. Maybe I’ll eventually go back & finish reading this book.

I received this ARC from NetGalley to read & review. Thank you for the opportunity for letting me read this book.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves is a werewolf/ paranormal fated mates, Red Riding Hood retelling with a black panther on the cover instead of a wolf because the cover artist is either not very good at rendering the likeness of a wolf or lazily did not use a photo reference.



This is my honest review.



When I’m reading a romance, I don’t really enjoy the characters talking about their ex’s a bunch. I certainly don’t look forward to chapters about the times they were with said ex’s and then having the shift of the next chapter of them trying to work it out with the current love interest. It jostles you from the story. I understand the intent to give backstory but I think the author’s time developing the main characters with more detail and focusing on their interactions would’ve been a better use of time/pages.



Trigger Warnings: Ends in a cliff hanger (which triggered me to say, “what the fuck.”).



I would recommend this book to people that talk about their ex’s a lot. People who can run in heels. Especially in the woods. Those that live with the insane desire to put make up on before they eat breakfast so that no one sees their real face.

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

This book was personally a good place for me to start delving into the world of supernatural romance. The writing was simple enough that I found it easy to get into the story and this was helped along by the main characters being quickly introduced in the first few pages.

I did have a few issues with the repetition in the dialogue - specifically, the cliched descriptions when describing the size of the two main characters was rather grating (i.e. the male character was ‘huge’ and the female character was ‘tiny’). However, this was minor enough in my mind that it didn’t take me away from the story.

What I liked the most was that the FMC wasn’t portrayed as helpless or completely under the control of the MMC. Ruby knew her own mind; worked tirelessly for herself & her sister; and demanded respect from Rafe, her werewolf love interest, from the very beginning. I am often put off reading paranormal romances because of the elements of control & abuse, but this one was so much softer and was therefore much more palatable.

Rafe was also a surprisingly mixed character. The author chose not to focus too much on the territorial aspects of his wolf alter ego, and instead focused more on his self-critical attitude & his desire to nurture Ruby, rather than intimidate her. He did still have the protective instincts that are to be expected in a supernatural romance, but they didn’t feel overly stifling.

The romantic connection between Ruby & Rafe was super sweet - they were both respectful of each other and I never felt uncomfortable reading about it. I really enjoyed the ‘chase’ part it as I love seeing a relationship slowly blossom, along with the frustration & anticipation of the build-up.

I was admittedly the most absorbed in that part of the story; however, that is purely from a personal perspective. Rafe’s family background and the plot around Ruby’s seer sister were very interesting, and the tale as a whole was very well-rounded. The ending was predictable, but left the reader on an intriguing cliffhanger.

Whilst this book would be a great first step for fantasy & supernatural beginners, I think that veterans of the genre would be disappointed by the simplicity of it. Either way, I would be interested in reading the next in the series.

Hmmmm. I’m a bit conflicted over this one. I read it pretty quickly, but I am not sure how much I enjoyed it. Though the cover is absolutely wonderful.

I think it just felt a little too cheesy for me. Everything moved so fast — which makes sense with fated mates and what not, but this felt even faster than I’d expect for me.

I wish there was more development into the rogue wolves attacking and the sort of “big bad”. I know that is the point of a sequel, but as the series seems like it may focus on the brothers, I would have appreciated more.

The transitions between flash backs are a bit hard to follow at first — I think some distinctions would really help the overall readability.