A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book.

This felt a little like a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood but a steamy spicy version where Little Red Riding Hood falls for the big bad Wolf.

Ruby lives with her sister in a small cottage in the woods. Ruby is a strong independent young woman who doesn’t need any help. One day she meets Rafe, who is a shifter and instead of being afraid of him, she falls for him. We get to follow Ruby and Rafe and see how their relationship develops, we also get to know Lena, Ruby's sister a little. She is having visions showing danger is coming. Is the danger the other wolves that are lurking outside the cottage?

I must admit I picked this book by its cover and I was a little disappointed after I finished reading it. I would have wanted to know more about the characters, about their granny and Lena about the backstory.

I read this is a first book in a series. I don't think I will continue.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable. The plot is one that is engaging and I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

2.5 stars!

this was....interesting. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a shifter romance, but after reading Bride by Ali Hazelwood, I felt more confident about giving it a try. The funny thing is that there were some similarities between this book and Ali Hazelwood - number one being the main male character being SO BIG. I do think additionally there wasn't really any plot but just meandering from one spice scene to another.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest reason!

A retelling of Red Riding Hood. A little steamy but also a little repetitive in some aspects. Melissa writes well but there could have been more character development and a little more plot or relationship issues. The tortured of the character and shifting from man to wolf was reminiscent of James Deans performance in Rebel without a cause. Sometimes over the top but relatable. Although the female longs and wants the attention of the mysterious man/wolf who follows her, it often leads to a highly sexual tension that keeps you on the brink of release.

Unfortunately had to DNF this one at 20%. I really couldn’t get to grips with the storyline and really struggled to follow the flow for some reason.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. This a good story and the characters were great. I really liked this retelling.

This was a run ride. I couldn’t stop reading it. I was sucked in from the start to the end. The characters were well developed and the story had good pacing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>A Curse of Blood and Wolves</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>A Curse of Blood and Wolves</i> by Melissa McTernan presents itself as a dark and gripping fantasy tale, but unfortunately, it falls short of its ambitions. It leaves one feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.

<h4>The Details</h4>

One of the main issues with the novel is its lack of originality. The story follows the tired tropes of the fantasy genre without bringing anything new or innovative to the table. From the brooding anti-hero to the predictable plot twists, <i>A Curse of Blood and Wolves</i> feels like a rehash of countless other fantasy novels, failing to carve out its own identity.

Furthermore, the characters in the novel are thinly developed. They do not inspire any real emotional investment from the reader. The protagonist comes across as a generic archetype rather than a fully realized individual. This makes it difficult to empathize with their struggles or root for their success.

The world-building in <i>A Curse of Blood and Wolves</i> is similarly lackluster. While the author attempts to create a rich and immersive fantasy world, the setting feels flat and uninspired. It lacks the depth and complexity needed to truly captivate readers. As a result, the story fails to transport readers to a new and exciting realm. It instead leaves them feeling disengaged and uninterested.

Additionally, the pacing of the novel is inconsistent, with long stretches of exposition and world-building interspersed with brief moments of action. This uneven pacing makes it difficult for readers to stay engaged with the story. There is a sort of teeter-totter nature of moments of boredom and frustration.

One more thing: I really do appreciate retellings of classic fairy tales, but I can’t really warm up to the idea of making it a smutty retelling, when I have not been forewarned. I felt a little tricked, to be honest.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>A Curse of Blood and Wolves</i> fails to deliver on its promise of a dark and gripping fantasy tale. With its lackluster characters, uninspired world-building, and inconsistent pacing, the novel ultimately falls flat, leaving readers searching for a more compelling and original fantasy experience.

Spicy 🌶️ Read with a little red riding hood retelling. Expect this book to be on the darker steamy side of things. However don't expect a real plot/character development it does fall flat and more one dimensional in my opinion but I believe that's due to the nature of the retelling and the wanting to be a spicer fantasy so it leaves little plot depth and things I wish was elaborated more on such as the magic, shifting, curse. Overall it was okay and some may love it but it just wasn't for me.

This is another story that I so desperately wanted to connect with. The premise of this novel left a door open to many possibilities but it just fell flat for me. I am such a sucker for a good retelling but to me this one didn’t quite bring what I needed to the table. The writing style was easy to follow, but it became repetitive after a while. I really had to fight with it a little bit to keep going. I do admire the strength that was displayed in our main character, but I couldn’t connect to her personally. If you love a good, driven female main character, then this book would definitely be for you. The romance was definitely there and you could feel that both characters felt for each other on a deep level, but there were certain times it didn’t quite connect. I would definitely recommend this to people looking to start their romantic fantasy journey and want a story that is easy to follow along with.

If you're looking for a spicy version of Red Riding Hood then look no further! A Curse of Blood and Wolves was a addictive and fun read that I found myself flying through.

I really liked all of these characters, with Ruby and Rafe being amazing main characters. I liked getting to learn their backstories, especially Rafe's and I loved the chemistry between the two of them. I also really liked the introduction of certain side characters and I'm so intrigued to learn more about them in upcoming books!

I do wish that their had been a bit more to the main storyline but otherwise I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone looking for a new romantasy series to start!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

- dark vibes, romantasy
- steamy, spicy
- little red riding hood retelling
- paranormal romance with werewolves
- fated mates
- stalker mmc
- suspense
- touch her and d** vibes

The book cover is what sold this book for me - it's gorgeous and so fitting for the genre. Little Red Riding Hood has been my all time fave fairytale and the amount of retellings I've read and watched of this tale is, well, absolutely ridicilous, and I love a paranormal retelling with spice of this concept. Fated mates is also a comfort trope for me so this was overall a great, enjoyable, though a little predictable, read. ✅

I found the book not to my liking because of the premise of having werewolves and mates behind this.

I am giving this one three stars. I didn’t get to it in time to give a full review and I apologize for that

Who doesn't love a paranormal romance read with Werewolves, Fated Mates and a little mystery thrown in? Oh wait don't forget the loose retelling of little red riding hood as well.

This is the first book in a trilogy which I believe is going to follow three brothers who are all Alpha Werewolves. Set in the now the book follows Ruby our main Female MC and Rafe our dark and delicious Werewolf and main man. Ruby is struggling, she is trying to support her sister Lena who is unwell and we later find out is a Seer. She is working a job she doesn't particularly like as she has to interact with others, but she does it. She has always been a bit different and call Goth Girl when growing up, and upon returning home one night from work she meets a dark stranger in the woods. She knows she shouldn't walk through them but its quicker to get home but she is drawn there and this is when she meets Rafe. Rafe is a bit of a tortured soul. He is centuries old and still can't get other how barbaric his Pack was whilst under his father's rule but he is no longer alive and he has been living in the woods minding his own business when he senses Ruby.

OK, so this was a very cliché read but you know what I didn't mind it. with many books people are either going to love or hate it but it was a fun read. Yes there is insta love but you know what Fated Mates, from my understanding this is pretty standard. As I mentioned Rafe is is a bit of a tortured soul and goes back and forth a little but finally pulls his tail out of the kink its in and realises he and Ruby are meant to be.

There is a storyline running through this book but it is more to do with the whole character cast as a whole rather than Ruby and Rafe. This book focuses on them and their journey but also adds in some clues to where the next couple of books are going to go. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing what happens with Theo the second brother as I feel that this one will be funnier.

There is a little spice in this book, it was more of a slow burn until Rafe as I mentioned pulled his tail out of his a**.

I love fairytale retellings, and this did not disappoint. It was a fun read with a nice twist to the Red Riding Hood.

You should read this if you like:

♡ Red Riding Hood
♡ Spicy fairytale retellings
♡ Touch her and 💀
♡ Morally grey MMC
♡ Sexy werewolves
♡ Spooky vibes

This was a nice retelling. I did find myself a bit annoyed with the characters and the denying themselves of what they wanted for silly reasons when the other made it abundantly clear they were all in for the relationship. I enjoyed it though, enough that I look forward to the next book.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, the prose wasn't my favorite and the characters weren't able to grab my attention. It had a few interesting elements, like the presence of werewolves, and I'm a fan of bartender protagonists in urban fantasy/paranormal romance contexts! The plot itself just didn't have what I was looking for.

Rating — 3 stars ⭐️
Vibes — A decent read
Read — October 2023

Right off the bat—it took me a while to get into this book because I didn't know / was confused about what time, setting or world this was meant to be set in, and anytime new information was dropped, my brain reshuffled everything I had already imagined 😅

So I definitely want to reread this ARC so I can give it the "proper" review it deserves.

I will say that the second half of A Curse of Blood and Wolves was more entertaining—again, probs because of the confusion—and I'm really look forward to picking up the rest of the series.

i.e. Rafe's brothers !!! 😜

~ Thank you Melissa McTernan and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review ~

I thought this was fine for what it was! I wasn't surprised by anything, I felt like I knew what was going to happen when it was going to happen, and there's nothing wrong with that. Did it blow my mind? No, not at all. Am I mad at it? Not really.