This is the first book in a new series.
Slow burn romance with really spicy intimate scenes once you get there.
Highly recommend to anyone who likes a modern retelling of old fairy tales.
Love the authors sense of humor, definitely enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

While I did have fun reading this book, looking back on it, there wasn't a whole lot that happened, aside from exploring the mercurial relationship between Ruby and Rafe in this Little Red Riding Hood retelling. We find Ruby being hunted by werewolves, a sister who may be a seer, and a whole bunch of pack politics. But beyond that.... meh. It was fine. Not a whole lot else going on.

Book 1 leaves off with a cliffhanger, and the book did grab my attention enough that I do want to find out what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves was a cute werewolf romance. I found it to be an easy and enjoyable read. The main character Ruby gave off modern little red ridding hood vibes.

The setting being modern times with magical creatures lead to some interesting interactions. Having the wolves almost living in the past while the rest of the world moved forward help to set up the disconnect between their lives

In this dark and alluring retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, I was captivated by the mysterious connection between Ruby and Rafe. The magnetic pull they felt, drawing them together in the depths of the woods, made for a thrilling romantic fantasy. Despite the swift pace typical of contemporary romances, the story's enchanting atmosphere and witty dialogue kept me engrossed. While some plot twists felt underwhelming, the strength of the characters, particularly Ruby's independence, added depth to the narrative. I appreciated the blend of humor and steamy romance, even if I wished for more world-building. Overall, it is a spicy and suspenseful fantasy read that, despite its flaws, offers an enjoyable escape into a world of mystery and desire.

Let me just start by saying I absolutely LOVED this book. The pacing was a little slow to begin with but once I got into it I was hooked! If you grew up reading werewolf books and always fantasised about dating the werewolf MMC then do yourself a favour and read this book. Melissa perfectly captured how it would feel to finally get to date the wolf man of your dreams as an adult. I loved how Ruby was written, she was funny and kind and had so many relatable moments!

The perfect mix between plot, romance, humor and spicy, this is an excellent read to add to your TBR.

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to netgalley and harpercollinsuk for an advanced copy of this book! I cannot wait for book two 😻

I got sucked into this immediately- I loved the slow burn and chemistry between Ruby and Rafe! I cannot wait to read more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the ecopy.

A Curse of Blood and Wolves was an interesting retelling of Red Riding Hood. I enjoyed the supernatural aspect and the spooky vibes this novel gave.
The characters I felt were well rounded and made the story come together.
I enjoyed this read, it felt different from other retellings.

This read is a fantasy one full of magical creatures fierce characters. I enjoyed the slightly spooky vibes and quirky characters as well as the budding romance between the two main characters. The action and magical creature politics added interesting elements which will have you craving to read more about this world and it’s characters.

The book follows the story of Ruby, a seemingly ordinary girl and Rafe, a werewolf. One day as Ruby is walking home through the woods she senses that someone is following her. Rafe sees Ruby walking home and decides to follow her home, intrigued by this human girl, having a desire to keep her safe. Their paths cross when Ruby is attacked by another werewolf and Rafe defends her, ultimately showing her what he is. The story then progresses with Ruby and Rafe working together to find out who is attacking her and why.

This isn't your typical werewolf story. It has some aspects of a regular werewolf story but with a twist, and it is loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. What added to the story was the introduction of other mythical creatures like witches, nymphs, and seers.

Unfortunately, even though the story had unique aspects to it, the pacing of the plot was its downfall. There wasn't much buildup to Ruby and Rafe meeting. Then once they started investigating the werewolf attacks, the suspense seemed lacking. There was no true suspects or answers. Whether that was purposefully done for book 2, it made this book slightly boring. But I believe once the plot is more developed and written at a more concise pace, the rest of the series could have great potential.

Thank you to NetGally and HarperCollins UK for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well rounded story with some great characters. I could have used a little more world building but overall fantastic! A modern retelling a Little Red Riding Hood with some of my favorite tropes!!

This is the first book that I have read of this author and I’m excited for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an opportunity to read this as an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is tough to review - a red riding hood retelling sounded SO cool and I was really excited going in but unfortunately this fell flat for me and I won’t be continuing the series.

For as old as he is and to have experienced what he’s supposedly has, Rafe just seemed too immature for me. The biggest gripe was how easily he told her about himself and his backstory and how she was just like EH OK MAKES SENSE. I found the FMC to be a little annoying and the world building and character development to just be surface level.

This is a pulse-pounding reimagining of the classic little red riding hood tale that tells a beautiful dark love story, full of intrigue, mystique and romance. However, it falls short in terms of worldbuilding and character building, though the relationship remains strong. This would be good for fans of dark romance, or anyone who is looking to break into the fantasy genre.
2/5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley for gifting this arc for an honest review.

Rafe a werewolf meets Ruby in the woods as she is walking home from a work shift and he has this need to protect her. Ruby’s sister might be a seer and is having visions. Rafe realizes these sisters might be in harms way but he cannot leave them be alone unprotected against the supernatural. Rafe is your typical protective Alpha. This romance is a little bit on the slower side, perhaps a slow burn burn with spice. This is a paranormal romance with a fated mate trope. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5- I would have liked the pace of the book to be faster I felt like the chemistry was far outpacing the storyline. Netgalley provided this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

A Curse of Blood and Wolves
Melissa McTernan

“You take care of everyone. That’s clear right away.” He held her stare. “It’s time someone took care of you.”

This re-imagining of little red riding hood did it for me. I read it entirely in one night….. 😮‍💨🌶️ 🐺
Like COULD NOT put it down.

The cat and mouse between the two main characters had me hook, line, and sinker.

I’ll be over here waiting for book two!!!

I absolutely loved this modern take on the red riding hood story into a dark spicy romance with fated mates and werewolves! The story gripped me from the beginning and all the characters felt rea and so alive. Even though the world stayed small it felt so well developed and left me excited to see what’s to come. The cliff hanger at the end makes me looking forward to the next one!!

Disappointing. I somehow managed to finish reading this book even though I found it quite terrible to be honest, perhaps I was hopeful it would improve, however it never did. It lacked a well thought out plot, the writing itself felt very naive; I got the impression a lot of the story developed as an afterthought, the characters were one dimensional & it felt very repetitive. Another reviewer put it perfectly: A rinse & repeat plot of ‘oh I want you, but I can’t be with you, insert somewhat spicy scene, then rejection, then brooding and back to square one’.
1 Star.

I didn’t love this book. It was really hard for me to get through, there was never a time where I felt drawn into the story and I found myself trying to skip over the descriptions to get through the pages. It seemed like a lot of rinse and repeat plot, ‘oh I want you, but I can’t be with you, insert somewhat spicy scene, then rejection, then brooding and back to square one’. I felt like Lena was a one dimensional character and could have had so much more personality to her. Rafe made me infinitely irritated with his holding back and worries over Scarlet from over 100 years ago. I did finish the story, but it was so tough and not enjoyable.

The concept of this book intrigued me from the very first time I read the synopsis. It was so good, and had me wanting to not put it down. The urge to keep going page after page to find out what happens was so strong. Not to mention the cover is gorgeous as well.

I have never read a red riding hood retelling before, and this was incredible and steamy!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

I never thought I would read a Red Riding Hood retelling as intense as this one! If you like:
🌶️Slow Burn
😈Villain Gets the Girl
🩷Fated Mates
🏰Retellings
💀Touch Her And You Die

...then you'll absolutely love this epic, spicy retelling of a favorite classic fairytale. Ruby walks through the woods one day, and senses something eerie. Someone is watching her. Turns out, she likes the thrill of the chase, and our Big Bad Wolf isn't as bad as he seems. Through immense world building and incredible descriptive language, watch as Melissa Mc Ternan turns a beloved fairytale into one of the best fated-mates stories told in recent years.

For some reason, I have always been a vampire girl and tend to favor vampire romance/smutty books—no, it did not stem from twilight series which I cannot stand, in all honesty.

However, I think I’m getting back into my werewolf romance, thanks to this book! Red riding hood retelling mixed with a steamy romance between the beautiful Ruby (Red Riding Hood) and the sexy Rafe (the Wolf).

The chemistry between these two is off the charts! From the beginning, the two of them know that there is something more between them other than pure infatuation or lust. Of course, the smut is a bit part of their relationship and the book but I love that we see so much cuteness between them, especially when Rafe treats her like she deserves to be treated after years of being labeled a freak or a weirdo.

One of the changes that Melissa McTernan made to the original story that I absolutely love is that Ruby lives in the woods with her older, very-ill sister Lena whom she is very close with and feels very protective of. Although I wish we could have seen more interaction between the sisters, I know that this is the first book in a series featuring the sisters as well as Rafe and his brothers so I have a feeling that we will get to see more of these complex sibling relationships.

I highly recommend you guys try out this stunning novel and I promise you that it won’t disappoint—especially with the comedic, just-as-sexy side-character of Theo, the younger half-brother to Rafe.

From werewolves to nymphs to witches, there is a lot about this novel to appeal to a lot of readers out there so make sure to try it out!

Note—I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It is now available to buy from Amazon and other vendors and trust me, you will not regret purchasing it!