Vampires, small town and a mystery, who wouldn't want to read this book!! I found that I read through this very fast, I finished it in barely two days. I'm rating this three stars because I wasn't a huge fan of the FMC, Magnolia. I found myself rolling my eyes over some of her decisions and I skimmed a lot of her inner dialogue.

Elizabeth Stoots’ debut novel, "Blood Luster," is an enthralling blend of romance, mystery, and supernatural intrigue that grips the reader from the very first page. At a concise 220 pages, this fast-paced novel packs a significant punch, weaving a tale full of unexpected twists and turns.

The story follows Magnolia Sutherland, a woman haunted by nightmarish memories and seeking closure from her past. Returning to her birthplace to uncover the truth about her mother's death, Magnolia encounters her ex, Ricky, rekindling unresolved feelings. Simultaneously, her enigmatic new neighbor, Benjamin, stirs emotions within her that she never knew existed. This dynamic sets the stage for a captivating love triangle that adds layers of complexity to Magnolia's journey.

Stoots excels in creating a rich and immersive world, introducing readers to the Genovo clan, who see Magnolia as crucial to their survival. The plot thickens as the rival Gallentine clan shows an unnatural interest in her, leading to a high-stakes conflict that keeps the reader on edge. The tension between Ricky and Benjamin, the rival clans, and Magnolia's internal struggles culminate in a shattering climax that leaves readers breathless.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its well-developed characters, each bringing their own unique flavor to the story. Magnolia's evolution from a haunted woman to someone who finds herself in the midst of chaos is both compelling and relatable. The romantic elements are skillfully interwoven with the overarching mystery, making for a story that is as emotionally engaging as it is suspenseful.

While the novel’s brevity contributes to its brisk pace, it occasionally leaves some plot points feeling a bit rushed. However, the complexity of the characters and the unexpected plot developments more than compensate for this minor flaw.

"Blood Luster" is a remarkable debut that promises even more excitement in its sequels. The ending leaves readers with lingering questions, eagerly anticipating what’s to come. Elizabeth Stoots has crafted a tale that is sure to satisfy fans of romance, mystery, and supernatural fiction alike.

This is a "Can't Put Down Until Your Finished" kinda Book!!. It keeps you hanging on and wanting more! It has mysteries, funny and some intense moments!! And of course vampires! It is a super fast-paced novel with multiple love interests. Our FMC is coming home after seven years to find her Mothers killer. The love interests are all different in their own ways and brings interest and spice to the story, although I did not see the twist coming in the end of this book. Can't wait to read book # 2!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, the storytelling was phenomenal and I fell in love with the main character! If you love blood, vampires, clubs-why do they always hang there I have no idea, but this book is amazing!!

What mess did I just read?

I was very excited about this title, but my expectations were set way too high. The title, paired with the premise, led me to believe I was about to go on a whirlwind adventure and find a new world to get lost in, but that was not the case.

The voice reads like a 14 year-old's fan-fic. The FMC is poorly written: she makes decisions that cannot qualify as impulsive due to her personality, rather just impulsive choices by the author to have something to put on paper. There are silly plot holes, and I mean ridiculously silly, where was the editor?

I was initially pulled in by the premise of the book, small town mysteries, vampires, but as I read the book felt all over the place. Magnolia is all over the place with her feelings, her actions. I didn’t really enjoy the dialogue between the characters and it wasn’t edited very well to me.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me, but I do appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy of blood luster by Elizabeth stoots. This is one I couldn’t bring myself to finish because of formatting, and errors. These things that don’t get checked over make it too difficult to immerse fully into the writers world. I think the premise was good and the story needs a bit more detail worked in. The errors will need to be fixed of course.

1.75/5 stars! I feel like this book will either be loved or hated by its readers, with very little in between. For diehard fans of the vampire genre, they will likely enjoy this story and overlook its obvious flaws. For more casual readers of the genre, I feel it will entirely miss the mark. Additionally, there were a lot of grammatical issues and the writer’s style changes across the story, which made it difficult to follow.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

An intriguing, addictive and curious mystery story mixed with a beautiful and captivating romance! I also really liked the cover.

In serious need of editing.
Reading it was giving me a headache. Almost all italics were bunched with no spaces, or double spacing, then the narration parts did not flow, he said/ she said on the same line, no grammar, I struggled to find out who was saying what.

Sentences were broken up with strange paragraphing. It would be in the middle of a sentence, then a paragraph, then continues with the sentence.

Then after one mini spice scene it was all fade to black encounters. Sorry but DNF. The story was lack luster not blood luster.

If you like vampire romances this is the book for you. When Magnolia comes home after 7 years to find out what happened to her mom, she gets more then she bargained for. Had a slow start for me. Be aware this book is a cliff hanger!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Hooked from the start!! An amazing combination between mystery and romance! Would recommend for readers who want something different!

Blood Luster by Elizabeth Stoots.
Magnolia Sutherland returns to her birthplace to discover the truth about her mother's death and finally find closure from the painful memories haunting her from the shadow's.Will the nightmares ever stop? The nightmares that wake her in the middle of the night, leaving her breathless and exhausted. She again meets her ex. Ricky, for whom she still has feelings. But now the new neighbor, Benjamin, has awoken feelings inside her she didn't know existed.As the story develops, Magnolia is welcomed into a world beyond her wildest imagination. One that requires her to make unimaginable decision's and at times, question everything she's ever known. But in some ways, she's never felt more herself.The Genovo's know she is essential to the survival of their clan as they watch Benjamin fall in love with Magnolia and his need to rescue her, regardless of the consequences. When the Gallentine's, the eldest vampires, express an unnatural interest in Magnolia, they know protecting her might be the ultimate cost.
Really enjoyable read. Loved the cover. 4*.

***NetGalley Review***

What did I like about this book?

The premise of this book is amazing; hometown hidden secrets, mysterious murders, FMC returning to small town from the big city after years away to confront her past and right some wrongs. Serendipitous run-in with sexy former high school ex-boyfriend, and a new mysterious and seriously flirtatious man with a whole bunch of new secrets. Then, on top of all of that we get this undertone of the paranormal - Twilight'ish - small town romance. Honestly, it feels like it should be a masterpiece...

What did I NOT like about the book?

First, the FMC is all over the place, and not in a 'she's burdened by well developed layers of her complicated character onion'. No, she feels like whenever she has to make a decision the author flipped a coin; heads for reasonable; tails for irrational and impulsive. The FMC drives all the way home to essentially solve the 13 year old murder of her mother, and we are reminded over and over about how she has so much she needs to do, and she doesn't have time, YET for nearly 50 pages we sit quietly on the side as she naps, watches SpongeBob on the hotel TV, goes on dates with her ex, goes on dates with the new guy, on day 3 she finally lets her father know she's in town for all of maybe a paragraph before the coin lands on tails and she freaks out for no reason and leaves to go back and take a nap.

Second, the insta-love thing that happens with the new dude makes no sense whatsoever; it's so choppy and disjointed. Their dialogue is laughable; New Dude: You shouldn't be around him (her ex) he's dangerous. FMC: Why?. New Dude: I can't tell you, you just have to trust me. Keep in mind that this dialogue is happening like maybe 24 hours after the first time they met.

Finally, the whole point of her returning to this damn town to begin with was to dig into her mother's death. For over 100 pages she does LITERALLY NOTHING related to that. BUT when she finally does, and I mean she googles a few people (like really you couldn't do that from the city?), she then says F IT, I've changed my mind and gonna head out... The most action we get happens in the final third of the book and it is rushed, messy, inconsistent, incomprehensible, and to be quite blunt I just didn't have the energy to care.