Yet another retelling of a fairy tale and this time we have Red Riding Hood.
Except that this appears to have been written by a teenage girl going through some kind of angst.

The blurb promised so much but failed to deliver.

Very disappointing.

If you're looking for a dark romance retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, "A Curse of Blood and Wolves" is for you. Ruby is an independents woman. Since the death of her parents at 8 years old, she has been the emotional backbone for herself and her sickly older sister. She takes care of everyone and she doesn't need anyone to take care of her; in fact, she prefers to flirt with a bit of danger. When she encounters Rafe, a lone wolf shifter, she ignores any inclination to be afraid and instead leans into her dark attraction. Reed is equally enthralled by Ruby, absolutely unable to resist his bone deep attraction to her. When a mysterious rival wolf pack begins stalking Ruby and her sister, it's up to Rafe to protect the sisters without letting himself get too close, or even worse fall in love.

This book includes:
- brooding semi-immortal werewolf shifters
- dual pov
- seers, nymphs, and witches
- "I'll never be good enough for you" trope
- fated mates
- family trauma and dead parents
- a lil bit of dark romance
- cliffhanger ending

This was a fun read. I really liked Ruby, although Rafe drove me a little crazy with his constant self hating monologues. I devoured this book, and enjoyed it so much. There was a little character building I think was missing, and the story felt a bit superficial at time. But I will still be interested to read Theo's story in book 2. That is, as long as Theo has a better pet name for his love interests than "Brave Girl", that gave me the ICK so hard.

I recommend this book to fans of the Plated Prisoner series and other dark romantasies.

I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa McTernan, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

I was excited to read this because it sounded like a dark, fantastical retelling of little red riding hood. Unfortunately the only thing similar between this story was there was a wolf in both stories. This one suffers from a lack of any kind of explanation to the plot, bland characters and in my opinion doesn’t have any stand out moments.

Up until about the 40% mark I was very intrigued by this story, the author was setting up a great romance, there was intrigue and I liked our characters. Something switched right around then and this book became a wild goose chase of the male love interest going back and forth with his feelings, the plot being a wild goose chase with (even at the end) no answers given, and our characters who only became focused on each other, losing all their personality.

I don’t plan to continue this series, but I would be intrigued to pick up something else by this author, I think if there was a bit less time spent on the romance and a bit more on the fantasy I would have enjoyed it more, or maybe this book just isn’t pitched as what it should be.

An amazing red riding hood-based story. and must I say more WEREWOLVES. As someone writing a werewolf book this one is SO GOOD

Thank you Netgalley for this book.

This was a good book. I believe it had the potential to be amazing, but there was more romance drama than there was an actual plot the whole way through. I would have loved if the author added more to the story she was trying to tell. I wanted more about Ruby and her sisters background, more about all the other characters/creatures that were introduced. It fell short for me unfortunately, but I did love the relationship between Ruby and Rafe. I was just expecting more suspense and more the plot itself.

The writing was okay. I'm not very picky about the writing as long as it's not absolutely horrible. It was hard following who's POV it was at times, it would start as one characters POV and switch the next paragraph. I would have prefered the chapters being one POV and the next another or at least a break in the story to show it has switched POV's. Hopefully the published book remedied that.

I liked this book enough to want to read the next one. It was good, so close to being great. I can't wait for the next one to get more answers. Praying book 2 has more story building than this one.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves, a dark and twisted Little Red Riding Hood retelling is the perfect werewolf romance. Ruby always feels like someone is watching her while on her way home in the woods, although it doesn't make her afraid- she feels thrilled. Rafe can't get her out of his mind, he needs to follow her.

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance, their romance was super sweet. The way fate destined them to be together, even though they both had personal yhings to work on was beautiful.

The book was most definitely a page turner, the plot was extremely entertaining- I wish there was some more focus on it, and the author's writing style was simple and easy to get through. There was a lot of good dialogue as well, it was very engaging.

The novel did end on a cliffhanger, and although I normally enjoy these, it seemed very abrupt in this book.

Overall this steamy romance novel was a delicious read. I would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a werewolf romance.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was a “feet-up” kick back and enjoy kind of book.

I liked the characters, Ruby and Rafe. The relationship building was not too fast. (Although in my head I was screaming for them to just communicate!!) The sister Lena is also a very interesting character and I would like to know more about her.

The story flowed nicely, was interesting, it kept my attention, and I would definitely like to read book two.

I did toy with three or four rating and went with four because while not the best i have read, it most definitely kept me wanting more. If asked i would recommend this light easy read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the EBook in return for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This was a spicy, pretty fast read that I enjoyed! I struggled to connect to the characters fully, but it was a good and solid read. It took a bit for me to get into it and I wished the worldbuilding had been a bit more fleshed out. I did enjoy the banter, the spice and the tension between Ruby and Rafe. It's an interesting retelling and I definetely recommend it!

I actually DNF this book, which is a first for me. The plot was intriguing and I’m usually a sucker for a fairytale retelling but the writing fell flat.

I'm a fan of fairy tale retellings so I was very excited to read this. Overall it was a good quick read, but I would have liked the world to be a little more fleshed out. The characters were enjoyable and the spice didn't feel uncomfortable or forced in to make it spicy.

This book was just not for me. I loved the idea of the concept, but not for me, which makes me sad as I was so excited for it. DNFed at 15% in the end.

I do enjoy fairy tale retellings and I believe this book qualifies as one. It is touted as variation of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

The main character, Ruby finds herself being followed by Rafe late at night when she gets off work. Rafe is a wolf or werewolf if you will. But there are other mystical creatures in this story as well - - nymphs, seers and more. In addition, the belief of fated mates is prevalent in the story.

I believe the author did a nice job of world building and character development. The storyline is a strong one and I look forward to seeing how it continues to develop in the next book. Yes, you read that right. This story will continue on as this book leaves the reader with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Okay so the premise intrigued me however it just fell flat. The characters were immature, I wish we had seen more of the world: it felt really overshadowed by what the main characters were doing. The build up to the smut was also lacking and that’s the best bit!!!

A Curse of Blood and Wolves was a fun and spicy take on the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I loved that Rafe was so awkward. He was fascinated with Ruby and slightly stalkerish at first, but he became protective and attentive as they became closer. I also loved that he lived in a little cottage in the woods rather than some high-rise or mansion. It was easier to connect with him and his mannerisms.

Ruby was so much fun to read about. She reminded me of Fairuza Balk in The Craft only curvy and not insane. She gave Rafe hell every chance she could, and even did the pursuing on more than one occasion. She wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted, when she wanted it, and backed off when it seemed like her desires weren't reciprocated.

I teetered between 3.5 and 4 stars because the book slowed down about 1/3 of the way through. I came back to it after a few weeks and was able to speed through the rest of it with no problem. If you find yourself stuck at some point, push through! It truly is worth it. I look forward to finding out more about Lena, Theo, and even Knox.

This is a spicy Red Riding Hood retelling. We follow Ruby as she meets Rafe, a werewolf who is stalking her through the woods.

I really liked our main characters. They were complex, with an array of feelings and emotions. Ruby isn't a damsel in distress, she can take care of herself and lets Rafe know that from the get go. Rafe being the good boy that he is, just goes right along with it, but is there for Ruby if she happens to need him.

The side characters were also great. I can't wait to see more from Rafe's brothers.

The book itself was super easy and enjoyable to read. I would start reading, and the next time I looked up, an hour had passed. Very easy to binge.

This one ended on a cliffhanger, so can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I found it difficult to get into this book and understand the world building behind the story. I felt like the plot and some of the twists fell flat and didn't have the intended dramatic effect. Sadly this one was just not for me.

In this entire book, the plot was introduced and promptly forgotten. It was almost as if it was an underdeveloped backdrop to have Rafe and Ruby angsty stare at each other and do nothing about their feelings, all while ignoring the very real danger of an attack from a strange werewolf pack.

Ruby's life is turned upside down, when on her way home from a regular night shift at the local bar, she catches a glimpse of her stalker in the dark forest. But as we all know, in fiction its never creepy if the stalker is hot. Rafe, part wolf part human (and honestly with a personality of a dog) feels an intense urge to protect Ruby from some unknown danger he feels coming her way. When suddenly, she is attacked by some rogue werewolves. Fate threw these two together to figure out what is causing the attacks, and what are the strange wolves after.

A lot of this book is a whole lot of staring at each other, Ruby having absolutely unhinged fantasies about Rafe and ignoring the actual plot, Rafe running from every drop of emotional intelligence in existence, and Lena being well, a flat character that is conveniently there when the angsty staring between Ruby and Rafe cannot go on any further.

And in the end they leave Lena alone so they can live out in their secluded love shack, conveniently forgetting that the whole reason they got together in the first place was to protect her. Well, spoiler alert, with the negligence, Lena is taken.

Honestly the book ended right when the plot began. The majority of it was disappointing set up. It kind of felt like a one short fan fiction in the werewolf camp of Jacob Black form Twilight - which there was a reference to in the book as well.

2 stars because I actually saw potential in the premise of this world, but gosh it was all ignored for a hint of smut. (Which was disappointingly written as well.)

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for a free EBook in return for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I was hooked from the very first page, and absolutely devoured this book. I loved that it was a re-telling, yet felt that the author did a fantastic job of making it their own. Such a good read.

Okay, let me start with pointing out this BEAUTIFUL cover. I mean, look at it, it screams to your attention. The reason that I wanted to read this book, and I also hadn't read a lot of books including werewolves, so I was quite interested in reading about that as well.

I liked reading this book. I love the strong FMC, Ruby (we also follow her pov in the book), and how she navigates through life alone and doesn't need anyone to save her. She even refuses all the help from Rafe (come back to him later) at first. But later on, she realizes that sometimes getting help is not a sign you're weak, but a sign you're even stronger when you're together.

Rafe, the second pov, is a werewolf. He follows Ruby through the woods when she walks through it alone from work to home or from home to work. Rafe wants to make sure she's safe, but the day Ruby gets attacked by other werewolves, Rafe starts to think maybe he brought them to her. He wants to take a distance from Ruby, but he also wants to protect her from the other werewolves. Rafe also doesn't want to ask his old pack if they maybe know more about attacking werewolves, but he doesn't want to get reminded of his earlier life as well. But one day, he realizes that he has to go to them to be able to keep protecting the one he starts to love more every day.

The relationship building between Rafe and Ruby is done pretty well. The tension and chemistry (and later on some spice) is definitely there. But I had some issues with their lack of communication and not wanting the other to explain things. If the characters would have a bit more deep conversations about their relationship a lot of the drama between them would have been solved very easily, or it didn't even need to happen at all.

Also, I would have loved to see some more plot. Like, yes, there was a plot, but after this first book I feel like I still know as much as before I read the book. It feels like not even a single question is answered (for sure). And I would have loved to have known at least something.

A lot of things get introduced, Ruby's sister who might have powerful visions (werewolves maybe looking for her), Ruby who herself might have powers too. Their difficult past together and with their family. Rafe's werewolf life, and his past. More different creatures with different powers. Everyone is looking for answers about werewolves attacking. From all of this, you know a bit of information. But nothing has been solved yet. Nothing is totally clear. And it would have been nice if at least a simple question would have been solved.

The ending was a good cliffhanger, though. And that's a thing that makes me want to read part 2 one day. Also, I do actually want to know the answers. And I want to know more about world building. So, I just want to find out if that still comes. So maybe it's a good idea to leave it all unanswered, but it's also frustrating that you have read 400 pages, and you quite still know nothing.

Besides that, the writing style was easy to follow and the build up has been done well. I just had hopes of a bigger plot, while this was more relationship based. Still, I enjoyed reading this book, and I will read the rest of this series one day.

An adult and creative twist on a classic tale, with Ruby and the werewolf (get it?). The hidden others reveal themselves to the humans with a bit of mystery, intrigue, family politics, hidden powers, tragic history, and a bit of humor thrown in. A very strong slow burn simmers throughout, making for definite fun. A HEA and maybe not a total end? Hoping for more!