⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75 stars)

Take one vampire mafia king, add a lost heiress with Strega blood, and sprinkle in a dash of forbidden romance, and you’ve got Blood Bride. CD Reiss blends dark fantasy with steamy, high-stakes drama in this gripping audiobook. It’s 14 hours of brooding, bloodlust, and enough Italian accents to make you crave pasta. 🍝

Carmine Montefiore—part Mafia capo, part ancient vampire—is a fascinating anti-hero with a deadly edge. Luna Beneforte, swept into his world after uncovering her mysterious inheritance, brings a fiery resilience that balances the story. Together, their chemistry burns slow and delicious, though some of the twists leaned a little too much into predictable territory for my taste.

But let’s talk about the multi-cast narration! Jason Clarke and Samantha Brentmoor lead with sultry, tension-filled performances, while Rose Dioro and Dane Anderson seamlessly handle the other characters and accents. It’s like listening to a cinematic experience, and honestly, the narration was the highlight for me—it took an intriguing story and made it immersive.

Thank you to CD Reiss, Dreamscape Select, and NetGalley for the chance to sink my teeth into this dark, decadent tale. If you’re into vampires with Mafia flair and don’t mind a bit of melodrama, give this one a listen. It’s the perfect audiobook to keep you hooked through those long, chilly nights. 🖤

Luna end up in italy for a lie and Carmine seek her for a marriage because he need her. Her blood calls to him the more they spend time together feeling develope and they cant denied it. Luna is atrong and doesnt allow no one to didrespect her she is t a doormat. Carmine is strong cruel and many think he is weak with Luna help he show them who he is.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book! I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down! I love this fantasy romance and this had a touch of darkromance too! This book gave me The Invitation vines. The story brought me straight into the world! The narrators were all absolutely amazing and helped draw me completely into the story!

If you liked the movie “The Invitation” and mafia romance you will LOVE this book.

Luna receives a letter from long lost relatives in Italy telling her about an inheritance. While she is there she ends up meeting the captivatingly gorgeous, but dead, Carmine.

This book is perfectly sultry and the audio is SO good! The narrators did a fantastic job and Carmine was *chefs kiss*.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have so much I want to say about BLOOD BRIDE but I don’t want to spoil a single second. I was instantly drawn into Luna and Carmine’s story. I loved the authors unique take on vampires. WOW. WOW. WOW. WHAT. AN. ENDING. I cannot wait for the next book. And can we talk audio??…it’s a must. Fantastic cast.

Luna has nothing to lose. Her boyfriend it a loser, she doenst have any friends, and her mother is a conspiricy theory obsessed abuser. When a long lost relative tracks her down and tells her she is the inheriter of a fortune and that her extended family in Italy is looking forward to meeting her, Luna is eager to leave her life behind.

This book includes:
- tense family dynamics
- the crime underworld
- a woman with nothing to lose and a man with everything to lose
- vampires
- loyalty and legacy
- dual POV and full cast audiobook narration

The plot of "Blood Bride" merges well-known vampire tropes with popular mafia plotlines and delivers a sizzling mash-up of old traditions in a modern world. Any fans of mafia dark romance will likely enjoy this story, and the elements of paranormal and thriller will only add to their delight. I have pretty neutral feelings about this book. The plot was interesting. However, I found the story repetitive and slow-paced. Even conversations went in circles, with constant parroting. I also found Luna's decision-making process (or lack thereof) to be a frustrating perspective to read from. That said, the audiobook performance was masterful and delightful.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, CD Reiss, and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/

This was a wild ride and this audio was done amazingly. Luna is whisked away to Italy under the guise that she has a rich uncle there. There is a web of lies that she begins to unravel as Carmine, the leader of the Vampires there, makes her his bride. He needs her for her blood and she just needs him. They both don't expect the feelings they have when they are with one another, but with both of their powers entertwining, can the feelings even be real?
This was a face paced read and towards the end I was not sure how things were going to turn out and it ended on a cliffhanger that will keep me coming back for the next book.
Thanks to Dreamscape, CD Reiss and Netgalley for an ALC.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Not my kind of book I think, I felt uncomfortable with the smut scenes, the plot was interesting but I didn’t like what was focussed on. I feel really bad for the son and the rest of the characters I really didn’t care for.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 3rd November and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of December.

I am so (pretend) mad at this booooooooooookkkkk.

Literally screaming in my bed at 2 am having finished this because I couldn't put it down. So much that my ARC was audio and I got the print so the rest of the house could go about their day.

None of this is my genre. I don't read mafia, I don't read darker stuff, paranormal is fine but it's not usually great, urban/modern also not really my jam. Also, I'm a first time caller for this author. BUT THIS BOOK CONVERTED ME.

The audio cast is amazing. It's not on Audible but please go hunt down this book. It's easily one of my favorite audiobooks. The bulk of the book takes place in Italy and between the quick banter and the cast direction, it's so fun to listen to these Italian henchmen squabble like old ladies.

Listen, I'm going to try not to say much but she's a lady. She's a lady with an aunt that comes to visit once a month and he's a blood starved vampire. Just trust me.

Anyway, this cliffhanger is the pits, I'll probably listen to this book again to recover from the sting of having to wait for the next book IN A 4 PART SERIES.

Thank you to Christine, Flip City and Netgalley for the bags under my eyes. I received this as an audio ARC and all opinions are my own.

I’m not sure I would have liked this book if it wasn’t for the narrators who really brought the characters to life. I was hooked by the FMCs circumstances and unique plot. She was witty and defiant and the MMC was grumpy but a (vampire) gummy bear.

In the beginning I feel like there was so much to
learn about the vampires of the world, and strygas and their powers etc. but I feel like once we get to the sexy stuff in the book they kind of just don’t explain anymore. I do love a smut book, but I think more explanation here would have been helpful and set the book up better for a sequel. The FMCs development was just kind of ignored for the majority of the book as she was just kind of morphed into whatever the MMC wanted. It didn’t sit well.

Tropes: gummy bear MMC, grumpy x sunshine, vampire romance, blood lust, paranormal powers

This was a wild ride. I still can't decide if I really liked this book or really hated it, I was leaning towards hating it when I reached the end, now I'm going to have to read the next book. The audiobook was wonderful. There's 4 narrators that makes listening easy. For anyone who likes morally gray men and hot sex scenes, then you will love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, C. D. Weiss and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to listen to this book.

🎧 Carmine Montefiore - Mafia Capo and secret vampire king - is searching for a rare witch bride to restore his power! Meanwhile, Luna Beneforte is desperate for a fresh start and finds herself tangled in a dangerous inheritance that leads her straight into his world.

Paranormal romance isn’t usually my go-to, but I found myself LOVING this vampire/mafia story 🙌🏻

Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke, Rose Dioro, and Dane Anderson absolutely CRUSHED it! The cast’s live-recorded performances brought an incredible energy—dynamic delivery, spot-on italian accents, and raw emotion!

Thank you NetGalley for the audio arc in exchange of an honest review!

⭐️4
🌶️3

A modern day "Dracula" in a captivating paranormal DARK spicy romantasy with mafia, witches, vampires, blood orange and oh so much spice!

I for a long time wanted to listen to multi voiced audiobook and were the shift between men and women fitting to the different characters. It was suprisingly confusing and I might just need some adjusting time, haha. But the acting and the accents was very well done!

♥︎𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♥︎

🎧𝐃𝐮𝐞𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
By Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke🎙️
𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Rose Dioro & Dane Anderson🎙️

🩸𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
💍𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝/𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞
🥀𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

✨Thoughts✨
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 Luna Beneforte travels to Italy to reconnect with her family and claim her inheritance, she unknowingly steps into the devil's den. Carmine Montefiore, the Capo and Vampire King believed to have risen from the dead, requires the blood of a Strega to restore his strength. Luna, a Strega herself, becomes the key to his resurgence.

𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 by a talented cast including Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke, Dane Anderson, and Rose Dioro, the story unfolds slowly, drawing listeners into its mysterious and suspenseful world with flashbacks and intricate plot twists.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 story ends in a cliffhanger, leaving the listener on the edge of their seats, eager for the second part. If you enjoy a unique blend of mafia and vampire romance, you'll find this audiobook very entertaining. The use of a cast adds to this movie-like experience.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟑.𝟓/𝟓

This was like a slow addiction. I didn't realize I was addicted until it was too late. Dang that ending! I had to search all over the internet to see if book two was available and I just didn't know it. Sadly, I could not find one mention. Oh the torture of having to wait. I seriously need to know what happens next!!

I haven’t read a book by this author, but I think I might start. I really enjoyed the writing style, and the narrators truly made justice to the characters

3 ☆
-
This started out okay, held my attention, and had me wanting more. The slow burn is good, but once it hit 60%, it started to drag like nothing was happening and nothing was getting solved. The storyline just lacked something.
The audiobook production is amazing! This is duet narration, and I love it. If I had to rate just the audiobook by itself without the storyline, it would easily be a 4 or 4.5☆.
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and Dreamscape Select for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Been on a vampire kick, and this one checked all the boxes.
4* for my first audiobook with multiple narrators, and let me tell you I LOVED that I didn't have to hear men or women trying to voice the opposite gender. Gamechanger.
Luna heads to Italy when she's told she has come into an inheritance from a rich unknown uncle. Eager to get away from the mess she calls home, she doesn't question anything, until she's too far gone and wifed up to the Capo of Vampires.
You get your typical push/pull of Stockholm Syndrome with angels (humans) whispering in one ear, and devils (vampires) in the other.
A good chunk of this book I didn't know who I was rooting for, and I was confused by one swift decapitation from a character I'd have liked to hear more from. But I'll definitely be tuning in for the next installment.
Thanks for the audiobook Dreamscape & Flip City

Audio arc review

I struggled sooooo bad it was just so boring the main narrators for the fmc/mmc I’ve heard before and are actually really good (separately) but together there was nothing no emotion it was one tone the whole way through and tbh they made it boring

Otherwise the plot was there but was ruined by similar authors with the same tones.

Sorry I wouldn’t listen to the next one but I would physically read it for sure.

⭐️⭐️(because of narration)

Thank you netgalley and dreamscape select for the audio book arc

I wasn’t sure I’d actually be interested in a vampire mafia book- but I ended up LOVING it!

The multi cast narration was *chefs kiss*

The actual story was great. It took me a bit to settle into the story, but once I did- huge fan. I’ll absolutely read more by this author!