This was a fun small town cozy witchy mystery.
Charley was a snarky, take no shit, main character. She was smart, kind, worked hard, and magical.
There was something fishy going on in town, the citizens were acting out of character, going missing and causing trouble, but why?
Charley and her friends were trying to figure out what was going on, while also trying to help the people in need.
This was fun, full of mystery, magic, and secrets.
I am looking forward to what happens next.

This book is perfect between EPIC reads!

I loved the narration! It was perfect! It gives the MC a certain gravitas.

Charlie is a witch & has inherited a bar frequented by shifters, vampires & humans! All’s good as long as there’s no trouble.

One day this quirky small town wakes to find they have an evil vampire infestation. The townsfolk are disappearing & attacking neighbors. There’s a mystery afoot & Charlie is on the job.

Inconveniently a lovely new restaurant pops up across from the bar and Charlie finds herself drawn to a recent addition to her town, a little too handsome vampire restaurant owner who wants to be her white knight.

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette UK - Second Sky. I’m off to look for sequels! This book did exactly what I needed it to do! Fun, easy read! More!

Although I enjoyed this urban fantasy story it was missing something for me.
I think it was the slow start and very obvious bad guy.
I did like the characters and the fun they had.
Will definitely give book 2 a chance if I come across it.

This was perfectly ok. I just want more from urban fantasy - quirkiness, an unusual MC, humour, action and an intricate plot. And if there are vampires, they had better be different in some way. This was written exactly for its target audience which meant it didn't push those boundaries. That's a valid choice but it didn't hold my interest.

Bloodlust Blues is the first book in a new paranormal series. Charley is the daughter of a very powerful witch, who passed away a while back. Charley runs the bar her mother owned and employs a couple of people in this bar. Charley has grown up believing she has no magic, but she employs the alpha of the local pack they call "Dog" as in "Top Dog" and the sister of shifters because that gene doesn't spread to females apparently. Charley runs an illegal blood co-op with her vampire best friend out of the back of her shop which helps people in financial/health crises. So, bad things start happening. Charley discovers she is more than what she seems and everyone wants to kill her.
This is your typical indie paranormal fantasy novel. Set in Georgia, we have that attempt at "Southern charm" thrown in. I found the book fairly entertaining though a bit demeaning toward women in several ways. The bad guy in this and that whole plot was very obvious from the beginning. No one knows what's going on but it's spelled out for you and the story could have ended from the get-go. We add another character toward the end, who adds nothing to the story, but I assume is to set up the next book. Also, though there is no romance in this book, it seems that is also being set up for this one.
The narrator did a fantastic job with the story, she was able to perform a southern accent without sounding over the top, as often happens. She really gave the book life and I probably enjoyed the audio more than I would have if I were reading the physical book, due to the performance.
Overall, this is a cookie-cutter paranormal fantasy with shifters, danger, familiars, demons, vampires, and lots of animosity with local PD.

"Bloodlust Blues" blends the sass of Mercy Thompson with the supernatural charm of True Blood. The book crackles with witty banter and sharp one-liners, keeping the dialogue snappy amid the action-packed plot.

Protagonist Charley’s humor-as-a-shield attitude makes her instantly relatable. Her line, “I know, but if I don’t joke about it, I’ll end up crying. Would you rather see that?” perfectly captures her resilience.

The supporting cast, including Dog, Patrick, and the enigmatic ex-stripper turned witch Candy, adds depth and intrigue.

While the fanged antagonist delivers, the identity of the main villain feels too obvious, making the characters seem unrealistically oblivious.

Overall, "Bloodlust Blues" is a fun read, brimming with quick-witted characters and hilarious one-liners. I’m excited to see Charley and her crew tackle more supernatural shenanigans in the future.

I enjoyed this book for what it is. The characters were interesting, the setting was colorful, the narrator was great, but the plot was... meh. It was entertaining enough, but I listened to it as background while I did laundry and other chores.
It's a great start to a new Urban Fantasy series, and I would recommend it to someone who's just tipping their toe into the UF genre. Fans of the genre however may find it lacking.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky Books for this ARC audiobook! I'm an audiobook girlie and was thrilled to get my hands on it.

Listen, I'm giving this a solid 5/5. It was FUN, the narrator was a pleasure to listen to, and it kept me fully entertained while I went on walks and did the dishes. Totally worth the listen.

I am going to give some disclaimers on things I wish I knew beforehand but by no means would lower my star ratings. So please enjoy these FYIs.

This is an urban fantasy, NOT a paranormal romance. The cover and title got me all prepared to dive into a paranormal romance, but dear listeners, it is NOT a romance. There is a romantic subplot, but it's like a C level plot, definitely not an A or B. The love interest doesn't show up until halfway through. So, just be prepared.

Also, how did I know that it was the love interest? Because he was the only not unattractive male voice. I did love the narrator but her men were not sexy, which is fine for a not romance book. But as a romance fan, be prepared. You're not going to find any of these men sexy by voice. I feel like reading it would've given me a totally different perspective.

That being said, I love that the narrator had a distinctive different voice for each character. LOVED it! She could do a woman's voice so well. 10/10.

I did have a hard time figuring out how dangerous the vampires were. They kind of seemed like losers of society. But I loved the wolves! I wished Dog had a sexier voice because I would've lusted all over him. And I did appreciate that Charlie had a male business partner and friend that was purely friendship. Loved it! Same with Patrick, who I loved too.

A gripping novel for fans of true blood and the twilight series. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook

2.5 rounded down to 2


In the first new a new series, Luanne Bennett shows what happens when a new creature sets it's site on a small town:

Crimson, Georgia is just like any other small town, one where people keep to themselves but are also up in everyone else's business. When a new restaurant opens up across from Charley's bar, The White Stag, she is curious about who the owners would be and it seemed a bit too fancy for their small town. The members of the community start to act strangely and some are starting to go missing Charley can't help but think it is due to this new restuarant, but how could a new restaurant be the cause of all the extra havoc in town, Charley doesn’t know but she is going to find out.

I am pretty well versed in the urban fantasy genre but I can honestly say I have not heard of Bennett before so I was really eager to check her out. I am always on the search for new urban fantasy author as that genre is one of my favourites and my favourite authors in it do not write fast enough.

This book was okay, did it add anything new and different to the urban fantasy genre, not really other than the power that Atticus had and what he was doing. I think that this was the most interesting aspect of the book, but there really wasn't any suspense or intrigue to get there. I think that right from the beginning it is pretty obvious who the Big Bad is in this book and Bennett does not do anything to dissuade this fact.

Charley (why did she have to be named Charley I swear there are too many women named Charley in Urban Fantasy) was not a very memorable character other than the fact that she has some underdeveloped powers that she knows nothing about or how to control them. I mean Charlie started off strong with her love of helping out Misfits, I was just expecting more out of her and she just felt flat at times, or completely different people. Most of the story seems like Charlie is just going about her day at the White Stag. The only real interesting character in the book is Candy, an ex-stripper who is a powerful witch.

I really appreciated that there is no obvious love interest for most part of the book, which gave very early 2000 urban fantasy feel to it and i am here for. There is one that is hinted in the latter part of the book and I hope that Bennett lets it progress slowly and more naturally.

I do wish there was a bit more world building, though it did feel like a regular small town set in our world, just with paranormal creatures here and there. There is the typical people do not like vampires and they are on the other side of town type of thing, but there are exceptions to this rule. So world building was pretty typical as well and you can tell why Atticus chose this town to set up his restaurant.

This book was good but not great I think is the best way to sum up this book. I finished the book but I kept waiting for Bennett to push the envelope a little bit more and throw something really exciting and interesting in. I would continue on in the series to see where Bennett takes it but I cant really recommend anyone rush out and buy it.

Cheers!!!

It was really good, the story was fast paced and loved the concept. I wish there was more given on the vampire side. That would have made me more interested!

I had a great time listening to this book and the author did a great job setting this series up to be amazing. I can't wait to see how this series develops. The author created a very intering world, it kinda gave me True Blood vibes.

2.75

This series has potential, but the first book is very convoluted. There are many plot lines and I didn't come away with a feel for the characters or the town. I do want to continue with the series because it reminds me a bit of Sookie Stackhouse. Maybe that's because of the southern setting and the Barmaid (in this case owner) main character. The narrator does a good job.

This isn't necessarily my normal type of book to read, but I thought I would give it a try. It wasn't bad or anything, but it just wasn't for me. I know it has gotten a lot of four or five star ratings to many people really like it and so I'm glad that it has found its audience.

Bloodlust Blues (Charley Underwood #1) by Luanne Bennett
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon
Publisher: Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Published: March 22, 2024

Bloodlust Blues is the first book in the Charley Underwood series by Luanne Bennett. This is the first book I’ve read by the author and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.

I thought this book was really good. It had an original storyline and interesting characters.

The narration by Stephanie Cannon was so good! I really enjoyed how she brought the book to life!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I didn't get a chance to read this before it was archived. Rating for the cover and description. Look forward to reading it when it is out.

Audio. I really wanted to listen to this book, but it archived out of the Netgalley app.
This makes me mad because there are so few urban fantasy books listed on Netgalley.

Bloodlust Blues works well as an audiobook, and the narrator does an excellent job of bringing the various characters to life. In a bar welcoming diverse clientele, the setting is immersive and easy to visualise. The cast of characters is predominately paranormal in this urban fantasy, and they are well-written. Once I got used to the characters and their world, it was an entertaining read written with good use of sensory imagery. I like the characters, the fantasy world and the dynamic between the protagonists.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Really enjoying this right when I started listening to it. I’m loving the main character and her accent and the banter between characters! The characters are pretty good and fleshed out too. So much fun! We get a setting of Crimson Georgia and that really made me wonder so I kept listening. Very paranormal for sure with fantasy elements. The narrator really did good throughout the novel. Charley really seems to have overprotective friends, there’s vampires who are good and bad. I was hooked from the beginning and I really can’t deny the character development. Those characters made me laugh! If you like fantasy that’s action packed, fast paced and funny then I recommend!

Bloodlust Blues is the urban fantasy you need to read! In this fast paced read we meet Charley, bar owner in a town that has vampires, witches and shifters, who has set up a blood co-op to help vampires in need. When another group of vampires turns up and demands in on Charley's business, everything goes pear shaped.

Charley was an excellent character. She was badass and strong, and carried most of the story along. The supernatural and the drama takes hold of the plot, leaving very little room for romance - which can sometimes be a nail in the coffin for some books, but in this one, makes it a much more enjoyable read.

It's resemblance to another series is the only let down in the series, some moments felt taken directly from it. However, I am really looking forward to the next in the series. I read this one via audio and highly recommend it along with the book, it gave the story a completely different dimension.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky Books and Bookouture Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Bloodlust Blues is available now!