Bite the Woman that Feeds by Penelope Barsetti
3.5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

•••Spoiler free review below•••
If you are looking for a fast paced, paranormal romance that throws you right into the world, this is the series for you! We follow Kingsnake - king of the vampires - and Larissa - a human immune to a plague terrorizing the human race. They must work together to save humankind and Larissa may just be the key.

Read this book if you like:
-Romance as the main focus
-🌶️🌶️🌶️
-magical reptile sidekicks
-sassy main character
-fast paced plot

Bite the Woman That Feeds is already available and is newly released in audio format. If it's not yet on your tbr, it should be!
.
.
.
Special thanks to Dreamscape Media for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

The plot synopsis was EVERYTHING…vampires, dystopian medieval world, a plague for which the FMC is the cure…yes, yes, yes! Sadly, I was a bit letdown in a few areas: weird modern language and slang that doesn’t fit my picture of “old world”, also not enough world building to truly understand the leadership and divisions of humans, vampires, werewolves, etc., and man the female lead is ridiculously obtuse.

Larissa is given to the King of the Vampires (aptly or maybe not so, named Kingsnake) to use as he sees fit. Fortunately for her she is more important than a simple blood donor as she is resistant to the plague that has decimated the kingdoms. Kingsnake bargains with Larissa for some bloodletting and “hot steamy” romance in return for seeking the cure in her blood.

This is the first book in the Dirty Blood series and I am just intrigued enough to follow through with book two. I have high hopes that there will be more connections and world building in the next novel along with the “erotic” passages. The audio production is well done and I enjoyed the narration from Kingsnakes point of view. Larissa was simply annoyingly narrated and I cannot imagine she reads any better.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audioARC!

This one was a bit of a surprise, but I think I liked it! The description was right up my alley for the whole enemies to lovers kink, but here lately I've set my bar high for books that do this well. For me at least, this audio book delivered! The voice artist was spot on and didn't have any annoying tick that made me cringe (like lip smacking or breathiness).

I wasn't a fan of the character description for King Snake (please reveal his real name in the next book...wasn't a fan of his name AT ALL). All I kept envisioning as I read was Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort. Well, Tom Riddle with snake-like eyes. It wasn't working for me. I did enjoy the spicy scenes and despite the fact that they were all very similar in positioning and brutality, I'm okay with that. What I wasn't a fan of is how she gets coerced into his bed so easily. I understand he makes her an offer she can't refuse, but maybe lay off the down right loathing and disgust of him and what he is (vampire) before she all too easily becomes a puddle of lust. It was a bit too quick in my opinion for that portion of the enemies to lovers. Just some thoughts!

Overall, I was entertained and will be watching out for the next. Maybe also consider a bit more world building/explanation and background. This is fantasy, after all!!! :-) Also please make it very clear that KingSnake (cringe) is not Voldemort. Please and thank you!

No Regrets!!!! 3.5 stars out of 5 outta do it!!

I literally could not stop listening to this book!! I am not one for paranormal storylines, but this one locked me into it from the opening lines. Larissa's secrets and Kingsnake's mayhem were beautifully intertwined. The listener is left clutching their hearts and hoping for a HEA only to be left wanting more. Penelope Barsetti knocks it out of the park with a novel that has everything a listener needs - sparks, passion and the unknown. I cannot wait for more in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of Bite the Woman that Feeds in exchange of my honest opinion.

First and foremost, I think the narrator of this audiobook did a good job with the interpretation of the scenes, however, even though I like fantasy romances, this book was not for me.

We have a sickness going around where our FMC is the only one immune. Not only humans are dying but the vampires are getting restless because they can't feed from sick people.

Both main characters in this book are really one-dimensional and I did not see any character development throughout the story. The only thing I noticed is that at some point they tried to communicate as adults but in the POVs you could see that they did not have the understanding of the other person predicaments, so it felt flat.
I also think that the book lacked more in-depth descriptions. Starting with the world, you have the perception that this is a medieval-like world, however you have very modern language and objects (description of the boxers versus underagents, for example), which causes a disconnect with the story. Also, I could not picture the main characters because of lack of descriptions of their physical appearance, (meanwhile we learned too much about the physical attributes of his p3nis).

This type of inconsistencies pulled me out of the book with also impaired my enjoyment.

The audiobook makes this book enjoyable and entertaining. The dual narration brings the characters more fully to life and gives them an added bit of personality that was needed to flesh the characters out. Objectively, if I had picked up this book to read, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much as the character descriptions and interactions would have not come to life on the page the same way the narration was able to bring the characters to life. That said, if you like vampires, orcs, goblins and more, then this fantasy suspense will be a good start. It does have bedroom aerobics for those who like a bit of steam, but the steam isn't well crafted in that it is more rudimentary in description so even those who have a bit more vanilla preference shouldn't be to put out with the descriptions. The scenes are less hot and more building of the connection between the main characters. I personally could go for a bit more spice. My favorite character out of the batch is actually Fang, the snake companion! Who would have ever thought that I would like a snake!?! The banter between the main characters is fun and entertaining. The plot is interesting and apparently going to cover more than one book as this one ends in a cliffhanger. I'm now invested in the story so once the next audiobook is available, I'll listen to it to see where the story goes. I'm giving this book a 3.5 (I know I have to choose between 3 or 4, but I want to give my 4-star rating a bit of a qualifier) star rating as I thought it was good and entertaining, but needed a bit more depth in the characters to bump it up to a full 4-star rating. I do think that if you listen to this book and the next back-to-back, it would most likely strengthen your enjoyment of both books so keep that in mind when selecting the books and order that you read. I'll be anxiously awaiting the opportunity to listen to the next book to see if that theory holds true!

I ended up DNFing this book.
I think the concept had potential but it came across very shallow and the dialogue was very immature.

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

I enjoyed this vampire-human romantasy immensely! It is easily digestible, and I finished it in a day. Larissa, the FMC, is supposedly immune from the disease that is wiping out all humans, and she is basically given to the vampire king, our MMC. There is some world building, but it is great as a fantasy/romance palette cleanser and does not require a whole of brain power. However, there are some nice twists and turns, which I am looking forward to discovering in the next book, and plenty to keep your interest. My favorite character, however, was the "pet" venomous snake - he was so real and cute. I always enjoy these little sidekick characters, and he even communicates, so he's a lot of fun. I cannot wait to see his character and snark develop in the next book.

Now, this book is not for everyone. There is quite a bit of spice and some of the language is a bit rudimentary. Th enemies to lovers romance is also a bit rushed. Despite these flaws, I still ate this book up, and I look forward to the next installment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just ... How many times can you mention his big d*ck, his fat d*ck, and being folded under him and having zero interest or knowledge in anything about him except that he wants you and OMG that giant phallus. This starts with things happening and NO world building to understand WHAT is happening or who is what and why. It seems like this is supposed to be fantasy with a lot of spice but I stead it's just OH I HATE YOU YOU'RE GROSS OH HEY THERE'S A BIG D*CK IN MY FACE well fine. I have no issue with hate sex but there never really seemed to be a reason to want it.

I don't normally listen to paranormal romance or spicy sexy books. It is not my genre at all. But I liked this cover so I snatched it up. Also I am a giant prude.
Um this book had me blushing and laughing so hard. Also I was gasping because I wasn't expecting like anything in this book.
It is so silly. It is hilarious.
I loved it so much! I will probably finish the entire series.
The narration is okay too.

Great world building, well described characters & amazing narration. Hate, love & deceit intertwined together creating intriguing plot. I loved the snake!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Absolutely loved this book! i cant wait for the rest of the series! Super Spicy Vampire World(:

A sickness has claimed the kingdoms of men. Everyone is either sick or dying, weak to a curse that has no cure—except for me. I’m immune to this mysterious illness, and I do my best to heal the sick and ease the pain of the dying. I was supposed to marry the Prince of Raventower, but after his father and elder brother succumbed to the sickness, he’s now king—and can only marry someone of his station.

Kingsnake, King of Vampires and Lord of Darkness, marches upon our gates and demands a handful of our healthiest citizens. The vampires have always stuck to their lands, but their lack of food has made them desperate. King Elias not only succumbs to his demands—he offers me on the condition that Kingsnake never return. The man I loved betrayed me—and will feed me to a monster.

Prisoner to the vampire king, I witness his cruelty and malice first-hand. I knew I would hate him, but I didn’t know how much I would hate him. The feeling is mutual, because I can feel the emotions of those around me, and his emotions burn with rage anytime he’s in my presence. But the second he tastes my blood, everything changes.

His anger is replaced by an intensity I’ve never felt in my life. It’s so powerful it smothers me until I can’t breathe. His stare is like wildfire, so searing hot it makes my skin melt. I know he wants me—and he wants me more than anyone else ever has. Even the man I loved never wanted me like this… I would never sleep with a vampire…but Kingsnake is no ordinary vampire.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this book! (:

Bite the Woman That Feeds
By: Penelope Barsetti
Narrated by: Ramona Master, Michael Ferraiuolo
Series: Dirty Blood, Book 1
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 12-19-23

This book had such a good premise but so much of it had me shaking my head. The characters are somewhat flat, the worldbuilding is bland and the spicy scenes were mediocre at best. Unfortunately this book was a let down for me and that makes me sad. I was tempted to DNF but I put the audiobook speed up as high as I could manage and slogged through. I do think the next book has potential but I don't even know if I'll give it a shot.

The best part about this book was Fang. The other names were obnoxious (Kingsnake, Cobra, etc.). Like I get it but do they have to be snake names?

I did get the audiobook ARC of this, so I will say that the narrators did a good job but some of the sound effects were.....not great. Listen, I don't claim to know how to voice-act a snake but maybe special effects could have been used for those bits :)

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Penelope Barsetti for the audiobook ALC in exchange for an honest review.