Not for me 2.5/5 ⭐ 3/5 🌶️

What to expect:
Vampires
Magical creatures
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Feisty FMC
Aloof MMC

⚠️ Disclaimer
Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Penelope Barsetti, & NetGalley for giving me access to this audiobook in return for an honest review. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

▪️ Speedy synopsis:
Larissa being immune to a plague wiping out humanity is bartered for the safety of her city and forced into the custody of a vampire king.

🔺 What I liked:
The storyline is a true enemies to lovers. The MMC and FMC truly dislike each other for the majority of this book. I appreciated that their feelings didn’t flip so quickly.

It’s an interesting premise.

I liked Fang.

🔻 What I didn’t like as much:
I didn’t like some of the character names. Every time I heard “King Snake” particularly in a smutty chapter I cringed a bit.

I wished there had been more world building.

I found Larissa really annoying as a character.

The spice was repetitive.

📚 Summary:
If you liked Twilight, this might be for you. It wasn’t for me.

I think I'm not the right reader for this book, but I think there are folks who would adore Bite the Woman That Feeds. This felt very similar to From Blood and Ash to me, but with more explicit sex scenes.

The dialogue felt a bit clunky and obvious to me from the beginning, and I thought some of the consent stuff was a little iffy - it felt like there were either overt or subtle consequences if they didn't have sex, so that really threw me off.

There is a lot of modern language used in a fantasy setting, which doesn't bother me. Also, there's a loooooot of dirty talk.

I did listen to the audio arc, and I do think the audiobook itself was very well done. I think there's an audience for this, it's just not me. I am grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for access to Bite the Woman that feeds.

You had me a vampires! Then add a plague...I'm sold! This was a great start to a paranormal series! The narration was great and kept me interested the whole book. I'm looking forward to book 2.

I had such a hard time with this one. Spicy vampire books are usually right up my alley, but this one missed the mark for me. The writing had me continuously rolling my eyes, it had no nuance, and the spicy scenes were repetitive. The female narrator was intense throughout the whole book- everything was said like they were on the defensive, which made it really one dimensional.

A plague has ravaged the Kingdom of Raventower, killing both humans and the vampires who feed upon them.

Due to the death of his father and brother, the crown has fallen to Elias; making him king. Waylaying his promise to leave and run away with Larissa, a working class woman whom he was once in love with. Larissa is furious with Elias and after being rebuked, he trades her, amongst others to Kingsnake - King of Vampires.

To be honest this Fantasy Romance didn’t really work for me, there needed to be a lot more world building in it and backstory to fill out the characters. The plot was good, but the whole thing needed more depth. Yes I get it’s a romantic/erotic novel but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the book can be weak.

The narrators were good and did a great job with the text.

Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance

I listened to this on audio and liked the narrators. They held my attention and were easy to listen to.

This is a vampire romance between an alpha male and a strong willed female human. There is some spice and it is the first book in the series. It will not blow you away with world building, character development, or plot, but it is a quick enjoyable read. If you like a good vampire romance, you will enjoy this! I will read the rest of the series!

Than you Dreamscapes for the audiobook! 🧛

Great start to a paranormal romance with vampires! Loved the world building to this story. Kingsnake was such an interesting hero! Can’t wait to see how this series plays out!

hmm... this was really maybe just not for me.

There wasn't enough character development, so the strong female character just seemed very immature. The dialogue was also just very immature.

The concept is good, especially for a spicy novel but this just didn't do it.

There wasn't any world building, you were thrown right into it and spent the first half puzzling some things together and I honestly almost decided to DNF...

I could see this being liked by some with the enemies to lovers, strong female character and vampire tropes but it just didn't do it for me unfortunately.....

Thank you to Netgalley and Hartwick Publishing for the opportunity to listen ....

"Bite the Woman That Feeds" takes readers on a captivating journey into a world filled with intrigue, loyalty, and unexpected twists. Larissa and Kingsnake emerge as complex characters driven by core values of loyalty, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative. Kingsnake, in particular, stands out as a fascinating character with a selfless commitment to his people. Bite the Woman That Feeds skillfully balances a rich lore that deepens the connection to the world with a compelling fantasy storyline. It's refreshing to find a book that includes smut without sacrificing a well-crafted plot. The combination of captivating lore and a strong narrative highlights the author's ability to create a fantasy world that engages readers on multiple levels.

While the synopsis initially hints at a different direction, the actual content of the book proves to be a pleasant surprise. The strong storytelling and character development overshadow any initial misgivings, leading to a satisfying and enjoyable read. Larissa's sacrifice to stay in the vampire realm for the greater good adds a layer of complexity to her character, making her journey all the more compelling.

This was so good!!! I am so excited for book 2!!

I had seen this book floating around Instagram but hadn’t had a chance to pick it up yet. This was so good and was actually my first vampire read. I loved the dual narration!! The enemies to lovers trope is one of my absolute favorites and this did not disappoint! The performance by the narrators was really well done and I felt the emotions!

Was not able to read this in time prior to release but absolutely loved it when i did get the chance to read it after!!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ //5

Bite The Woman That Feeds

I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Do you love a book that:

🖤 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Friends w/ Benefits
🖤 Strong FMC
🖤 Morally Grey MMC
🖤 Vampires

THOUGHTS:

The hold that this book had on me. Our narrators Ramona Master and Michael Ferraiuolo were incredible through this entire book. I am very picky with my narrators and they can absolutely make or break an audiobook and I loved them from start to finish. Bravo and now I will keep an eye out for them working on other books as well.

The world building in this book is amazing, we get to know all the details and information we need to know and all about our characters. This book takes place during the medieval time situation. The character development and growth throughout the book was perfect, I loved watching the dynamic between the characters. This book is very fast paced and fast moving and keeps you moving along through to the very end. We follow our human FMC Larissa and a vampire king names Kingsnake (who will forever be a book boyfriend of mine). Their banter and chemistry is so enjoyable!

The spice in this book is spicn’ but not in your face over the top, which I personally thought was a great touch in this book. You are left with an ending that has you handing on and craving the next book. If this book isn’t on your TBR, you absolutely should as well as the audiobook version as well. This series is one you do not want to miss.

Bite the Woman That Feeds is a quick supernatural book. I absolutely loved this take on vampires and the other supernatural creatures. There was so much potential for world building and expanding on the multiple different kingdoms involved.

The FMC, Larissa, is fiercely independent and can hold her own in most situations. When a plague tears across multiple kingdoms, Larissa gets sold to a neighboring vampire king due to being immune to the plague. This is where we are first introduced to the sexy grumpy vampire MMC Kingsnake, who is king over the Greyson vampires. Things started lacking a bit for me here as we don’t actually learn much about him, his snake, or his family/kingdom. The story is in more of a medieval time, but the swears and dialogue were all modern which I wasn’t a big fan of. Larissa and Kingsnake quickly fall for each other and start working together to create a cure for the plague to save both humans and vampires. While they grow closer together, word gets out that Larissa is immune and multiple different supernatural creatures try to kidnap her for themselves and basically start a massive war over her.

This book left me with a lot of questions. There was very little character backstory or development in this book - between characters or internal dialogue so the readers are left in the dark more often than not. I’m looking forward to the next one, and really hope there’s some character development for everyone.

If you like morally gray MMC, strong FMC, vampires, enemies to lovers and lots of spice (albeit a bit repetitive) scenes, this book is perfect for you!

5 ⭐️ for the supernatural storyline.
2 ⭐️ for the execution and character development.

Thank you for the opportunity of receiving an ARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

This was a very steamy audiobook focusing on a romance brewing between a human and a vampire. Larisa is a maid in Raventower, but she's immune to the sickness that's plaguing the lands and so she's sent to care for the sick. Kingsnake, the King of Vampires, needs healthy blood for his people, so he makes a deal with the King of Raventower: the vampires will never return in exchange for healthy humans. Larisa is sent with Kingsnake, who promises her that once he figures out why she is immune to the illness, what properties are in her blood that make her different, she can leave, but until then she is his prisoner. It is an enemies to allies to lovers back to enemies back to lovers type of romance. This was a rather dark romance, with some elements of mystery and fantasy as Larisa and Kingsnake try to figure out where the sickness originated from and lay the foundations of the lore of the vampires.

I was super hooked into the world from the beginning and really liked the main characters and how their relationship developed. The human and vampire dynamic is super interesting and i liked all the tension throughout. Very quick paced and easy to get through.

I can never say no to a dark vampire romantasy!

A world where a deadly plague is spreading rapidly, killing thousands of innocent people. But amidst this epidemic, there is one person, Larisa, who seems to be immune to the disease. Her king made a desperate deal with Kingsnake, the King of Vampires and Lord of Darkness to save their kingdom. In exchange for Larisa and a handful of healthy humans, Kingsnake promised to leave their kingdom alone and never return.

But when Larisa found out about the deal, she decided to run away. Unfortunately, she didn't get far before Kingsnake caught her and took her as a prisoner. However, as she spent more time with him, she began to realize that vampires are not the evil creatures that people have always made them out to be. As she tries to uncover the truth behind her immunity to the plague and who is responsible for the outbreak, she discovers shocking secrets. What will happen to her now that she's in the hands of the notorious Kingsnake? Join her on her journey to find out!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel! The author did a great job of introducing other paranormal creatures into the story, which I found quite fascinating. The inclusion of magical snakes was a unique twist that added to the overall appeal. However, I would have liked more world-building. Despite that, it was still a captivating story that left me eager for more. I highly recommend it to all fans of paranormal romance!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Penelope Barsetti, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I wasn't a huge fan of the way this was written. Didn't like that there was hardly and description of the main character or the world they live in, but I do like a fun smarty fantasy when it comes around. I don't think I'll continue with the series though.

"Bite the Woman That Feeds," the first book in the Dirty Blood series, presents a unique blend of paranormal romance with a dystopian twist. The story revolves around Larissa, a human immune to a plague, and Kingsnake, the vampire king. The book shines in its audio format, with narrators bringing an added depth to the characters that might not be as palpable in the print version.

The novel heavily leans towards erotic romance, which may appeal to fans of the genre. The magical reptile sidekick is a delightful addition, offering a break from the intense main plot. However, the character development is somewhat lacking, particularly in the case of Larissa, whose decisions often defy logic and reason. Kingsnake's character, while intriguing, could benefit from more depth and background.

Where the novel struggles is in its world-building. The setting is somewhat confusing, with modern language and elements juxtaposed against a medieval-like backdrop, leading to a sense of disconnect. The relationship between Larissa and Kingsnake, central to the plot, sometimes feels rushed and underdeveloped.

Despite these shortcomings, the book has its strengths. The narration is engaging, and the plot, while not groundbreaking, offers enough intrigue to keep the reader interested. The steamy scenes, though repetitive, are well-executed and fit within the genre's expectations.

Overall, "Bite the Woman That Feeds" is a mixed bag. It's a good pick for readers seeking a paranormal romance with plenty of steamy moments but may not satisfy those looking for robust world-building or complex character development. The ending suggests more to come in the series, which might address some of the first book's weaknesses. As it stands, it's a solid three-star read—entertaining but with room for improvement.

“A man should never tell a woman he loves her unless he’s willing to burn the world for her.”

“Bite the Woman that Feeds” by Penelope Barsetti is the Dirty Blood series book 1. Larissa is immune to the plague killing the humans, the humans that feed the vampires. The new King of Raventower has traded her to Kingsnake, King of Vampires and Lord of Darkness, under the condition that the vampires never come back to the town. Despite Larissa’s hate for the Kingsnake she cannot help but feel drawn to him in some way.

The audio of the book was really good. This book is heavier on erotic romance than plot. I did really love the snake side character and how Kingsnake character changes when it involves him. Where the plot is concerned, I didn’t like Larissa’s backstory with the King of Raventower and how they couldn’t be married. That whole backstory could have been taken out and even her feelings surrounding her past feelings and it wouldn’t change a thing because she can still hate vampires just because she is human. The only thing that needed to be there about her history is that she tended to the sick and dying and is immune, which shows she is a caring person. Where the world building is concerned it was confusing with lack of information and the information that was there was rushed. I actually think I’d like a prequel about the Kingsnake and his brother which could give a better opportunity for the world building to be the focus and get more on why they hate each other so much. I liked the book, but it was more of a book to read if you want a lot of smut in a dark vampire way without a lot of fantasy plot elements. 4 out of 5 stars.
-Vampires
-Snakes
-Plague
-Enemies To Lovers
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Kidnapped/Slave

Thank you to Netgalley, Hartwick Publishing, and Ms. Barsetti for the opportunity to listen to this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Honestly, the narrators are pretty good. If I was reading this in print I might have stopped by now. They're doing their best with the material they've been given, and their best is ... pretty darn good.

The plot isn't tremendously unique, although the snake spin on things is neat. I actually like snakes (no pun) so it just seems like a cool aspect rather than something creepy. The modern day language plunked down in this setting was a little odd but not too bothersome. The sex, I just sort of tuned out when it got to be a little much. Mostly my issue was Larissa. (NOT to say that "Kingsnake" (really, is that his only name?) or any other character are problem-free, but. BUT.) Larissa is the most deliberately obtuse idiot EVER. For example, in her quest to be absolutely anywhere but the safety of Kingsnake's side, she willingly runs into dark tunnels underneath a mountain where she could (at best) easily get lost and starve to death and in fact gets caught by a pack of (I believe they were called orcs? but they sounded like werewolves?) some sort of beings ready to kill and eat her. She repeatedly makes dumb choices just to be pridefully stubborn, completely disregarding logic, reason, and common sense. That's BEFORE she gets hypnotized by the power of Kingsnake's, uh, body parts. FMCs described as "sassy" and "feisty" are so often written as bigmouthed hotheads and unfortunately Ms. Larissa seems to fall into this category.

I kept listening to the story because I enjoyed the narrators, so, if they do #2 I might keep listening just because it's so hard for me to find narrators I like. Maybe the plot will pick up some (and maybe Larissa will wise up) in the next book.