Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

So in the first 15% of the book. Waitress takes a shortcut home in the middle of the night in the woods, feels eyes following her and instead of being scared or creeped out she likes it. Then her sister had these weird episodes where she goes into a “state” and can’t function anymore. Then she finally confronts the person in the woods and turns out she thinks he’s hot. Then she walks through the woods YET AGAIN in the middle of the night and is confronted by a huge wolf, wolf gets in fight, she drags massive wolf into her living room to recoup for the night (who does that with a wild injured animal). Then when said wolf is gone and a man is in his place in the morning she’s just ok with werewolves existing?

I felt like this was very thrown together and nothing was making any sense! I DNF’d at 20%.

Rating: ⅗ Stars
Chilli Spice: 1

Thank you HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC for A Curse of Blood and Wolves.

“Is that what you wanted, brave girl? You wandered through the woods hoping the big bad wolf would find you?”

This novel is somewhat a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Ruby is stalked in the forest by a massive wolf she would come to call Rafe.Little do they know they are destined by fate to be mates.

I loved the concept of this novel and the exploration of the characters. We learn Rafe’s vulnerabilities and his reason for no longer having a pack. Whilst, we also learn that Ruby is working to pay off medical bills her sister accumulated due to a condition no one can diagnose her with. Although, is it possible that magic blood runs in Rubys family's veins.

I did enjoy the writing style of this book and viewing first hand the point of view of Ruby and Rafe. My favorite scene in the book had to be when he chased her in the woods. It was sooo hot and I love a good cat and mouse game.

I did find this book somewhat slow to get into and I found myself tiresome of Rafe throwing his tantrums, leaving and then crawling back. I found I only really got into the book in the last 20-30%. I did get thrown off this book a little by Rafes’ nickname for Ruby being “brave girl”. For some reason this really did not hit and gave me the ick. This book would have grabbed my attention a little more if there was more world building and exploration into the fantasy world.

Overall, I am already very excited for the second book to come out and I will be reading it. If you enjoy fairytale retellings you will love this book!

Thank you to Melissa McTernan and One More Chapter for providing me with an eARC of this book.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves</I> is the perfect retelling for anyone who likes spicy paranormal romances. This book immediately stood out to me because it pulled me in right away. In the first few pages of the book, we learn that Ruby walks home every night from work knowing he's watching her, but doesn't know who or what he is. Of course, I had to read this book in one sitting - I couldn't put it down!

This book is well-balanced; while the MCs' romance is central to the plot, there's still a mystery that drives the book forward. It also covers several of my favorite tropes, including: fake dating, bodyguard, "touch her and die," fated mates, (light) stalking, banter, found family, and rejected mates.

Overall, this was a 4-star read for me. It checked all my boxes for a top-tier paranormal romance. I highly recommend A Curse of Blood and Wolves for anyone who enjoys books by Jennifer L Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, and J Bree.

I can't wait for the next installment in the Wolf Brothers series!

Thank you to NetGalley via HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I wanted to love this more but sadly just couldn't. The premise of the story and synopsis is gripping which is why it's disappointing that I didn't fall in love with it. It could very well be a me issue.
I feel like for me it was due to the pace of the story. I went through the first half quickly but from mid point onwards I slowed down and didn't feel the urge to pick up and keep going. It felt like it was getting a little repetitive and I just didn't develop an emotional connection.

Others have seemed to enjoy it so if it does sound like a story that interests you I'd still encourage for you to try it!

A Red Riding Hood retelling. A good read for this time of year. A bit dark, a bit creepy. A good amount of sexual tension building between the characters throughout. And while I wasn’t blown away by it, it did leave me curious enough about the secondary characters to read more.

It is a contemporary and sensual retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with paranormal characters and an evocative setting in a wood. Ruby lives with her sister Lena after losing their parents in a tragic accident. Lena struggles with debilitating visions, and Ruby is determined to keep her safe. Rafe is drawn to Ruby and senses danger around her, his protective instincts to the fore; he watches her as she walks home late at night through the woods. Ruby is independent and knows what she wants; she is aware of Rafe, and he fuels her fantasies. The romance is full of conflicts and sensuality. Both Ruby and Rafe have complex pasts. This story explores Rafe's. Ruby remains mysterious. I like the character dynamics, the mystery and the spicy romance.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

New author to me, didn't love, didn't hate this book a sexy retelling of a beloved fairy tail is always worth a look and in some aspects it worked in others it didn't.

A Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but make it sexy! I went in super intrigued but for some reason it never grabbed me or turned into the page turned I had hoped it would be. I didn’t really find myself getting invested in the characters either. And the inner monologues of both Ruby and Rafe were super whiny for my taste. I feel like the majority of the book was just them pining after each other. I wish there would have been more world building, what we got was pretty basic. I did think the cast of support characters were fun - there were other werewolves, a dryad, and a witch. The book does end in a cliffhanger, but not sure if this is a series I am wanting to continue. We shall see!

This book was good on some levels, though the story and the on and off again themes, this book has a lot of good things going for it.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves is a paranormal romance which is meant to be a "re-imagining" of Little Red Riding Hood. There's really not anything here, aside from the fact that the FMCs name is Ruby, and the MMC is a werewolf, which really screams LRRH to me, but I find that's pretty common these days with retellings.

This is a standard paranormal romance. It didn't stick out as particularly good or particularly bad. The chemistry didn't excite me. The story didn't really grip me. I'm not super interested in the next one.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan🐺💄

genre: romantasy
format: epub arc
pages: 287
times read: 1
date (dd/mm/yy): 5/10/23
would reread: not sure
tropes: fated mates, stalker, werewolves
rating: 3,5⭐

review:
Found this on netgalley and liked the blurb

tbh i didnt expect much with this book but some things did surprise me (like the amount of spice and sexual innuendos🫣)

this story follows a reformed werewolf Rafe who's been stalking a human girl Ruby, one day they finally meet and he's forced to protect her when something dangerous attacks her.

rafe and ruby were actually cute asf and i liked the way their relationship evolved.

all the other characters didnt feel forced and i liked them (not you Knox i have a bad feeling abt you) so there's that.

wtf was that ending, i need A Curse of Wolves and Dryads rn miss McTernan

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending me an advance reader copy of this book in exchange of an honest review

Thank you, NetGalley, and One More Chapter for approving this ARC. This book was so good it was a hot, spicy red riding, multiple POV retelling, and it was delicious.

Ruby is our feisty FMC, and she knows someone is out there stalking her on the way home from the bar she works (we all love a stalker MMC). Rafe is that stalker but he's not just a man he's a werewolf.

Rafe is possessive, touch her, and die vibes, and I love when the FMC is like please I don't need a man! He also left his pack years ago and has lived a life of solitude.

Ruby and her sister Lena (who gets these weird visions) are attracting random wolves and not for a good reason, which leads Rafe & Ruby forced to spend time together and the tension is just *chefs kiss*

The main plot of this story kept me turning the page, and I can't wait for book 2, which seems like it will be from one of Rafes brothers and his best friend who is a dryad.

Did not have time to even read the book since it was archived not long after i was accepted to read it

If you go walk home through the woods today,
You can expect to have a surprise.
If you walk home through the woods today,
You'll hardly believe your eyes!
For today's the day when you realise
They're there to protect and aren't telling lies!

If you walk home through the woods today,
You'll be meeting your mate.
If you walk home through the woods today,
You know he'll be testing fate!
For he's huge, attractive and you're not bait
But who else is there, hidden in wait?

Little Red Riding Hood in contemporary form,
A paranormal romance to keep you warm.
With fated mates, surprises and more
A different fantasy world for you to explore.
I really enjoyed this great start to a new series and so
Hope you'll also give it a go!

For my complementary copy of this book I say thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Strong female lead, hot guy, fated mates supernatural fantasy…

I split my love of fantasy into two categories - one is what I fondly refer to as ‘trashy easy reading’ and the other as ‘deep, and intensely gripping’. This book falls firmly into the first category, and whilst I made the mistake of reading some other reviews before the book, I found I disagreed with most and enjoyed my time with it regardless.

Ruby is strong, protective and full of heart; she is likeable and you get drawn into her life as it changes. I enjoyed understanding the background behind Rafe’s reticence, and Ruby and his interactions together.

It would benefit from some more editing, particularly the first few chapters. The start of the story feels a little disjointed to the rest, particularly the initial introduction to the characters, and I think this would help it grip other readers. I disagreed with other reviewers saying there was too much smut - whilst it isn’t a necessity for me, it was actually far from it in my opinion as most of the book relies heavily on the build up of sexual tension as opposed to simply sex. I do agree with other reviewers that more thought could be given to world-building, particularly as this is to be part of a series.

Overall, perfect light read for getting your fill of this particular fated mates trope, without expecting too much depth and dimension.

Thank you to HarperCollinsUK and Melissa McTernan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#openuniversity #openuniversityenglish #oustudent #englishstudent #oustudychallenge #studygram #bookstagram #studywithme #bookreview #bookreviewer #fantasy #booktok #bookcommunity #bookishfeatures

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We start out this book with Ruby walking through the woods being stalked by a man (Rafe) who ends up deciding that he must protect her. Her sister has "episodes" and is essentially homebound, and they are orphans. Ruby works at the bar in town as a waitress. Rafe is a werewolf. That's about it.

I felt this book was lacking. Characters, plot, direction. Ruby immediately accepted that werewolves, witches, nymphs, were real, and then also stated that Rafe was her mate before he told her. How is an ordinary human just like yup this is fine? This is my biggest pet peeve in this genre, why do the main characters accept the truth so readily?

Do you ever read a book that you can't stop thinking about? Where you can't wait until you have free time in your day to continue reading? That was how I felt about A Curse of Blood and Wolves. I love a good fairy tale retelling, and this leans heavily into the Little Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf lore, with just enough nods to the classic tale without being distracting.

Ruby lives alone in the woods with her sister Lena. Lena suffers from unexplained visions, and her inability to control them has resulted in ailing health. It falls to Ruby to get a job and support them both, and Ruby walks through the woods to get to and from her waitressing job. She is very aware that someone, or something, is watching her, and she is intrigued to say the least.

Rafe is a lone werewolf without a pack, living alone in a cabin in the woods. He watches Ruby from afar, but just can't seem to stay away. Despite his history of bad human interactions, he finds himself drawn to her.

Drama, spice, and mysteries ensue...and I cannot wait for the next installment in this series!

Tropes:
Fated Mates
Hidden Powers
One bed
Age Gap (Centuries)
Touch Her and Die

Spice level:
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Ruby is working as a waitress to support herself and her sister while her sister has dissociative episodes and on her way home from work she finds herself attacked by a wolf. Rafe is a wolf who’s been casually stalking Ruby for months because she smells nice and he saves her from the rogue wolf and elects to protect her from future wolf attacks. You know exactly where this is going.

I think my biggest issue was when I read the name Scarlet and thought for a moment the author had changed the name for the fmc for a moment forgetting to update some instances in the text. Any other name would have been better. It would have also been helpful to have chapter headings for POV like “Rafe Past”, “Ruby Present” etc just to keep track of who was doing what. Also as much as I hate to say it, I think the dad should have been alive to provide more of a conflict in the pack. I was also just waiting for the girls to discover some note or journal from their aunt to explain all that they were experiencing. It feels like all we explored was that Ruby and Rafe really like to have sex.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC of A Curse of Blood and Wolves in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2.5 stars/5

Unfortunately, after reading through this book I didn’t quite feel that it was the right fit for me. Although it had prospects, I couldn’t quite relate to the characters as much as I would have liked. The author had a nice writing style but otherwise and the concept was good.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. After reading the synopsis, I really wanted to like this novel, but it just didn't do it for me. I made it about half way before I gave up and the overall premise of the story was interesting, but not enough for me to keep reading. I think the author's pacing was also kind of off for me. I felt like it was very drawn out and I found myself skimming different parts. This book would definitely appeal to some people and I feel like it would hit with the right audience--it just wasn't for me.