Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We start out this book with Ruby walking through the woods being stalked by a man (Rafe) who ends up deciding that he must protect her. Her sister has "episodes" and is essentially homebound, and they are orphans. Ruby works at the bar in town as a waitress. Rafe is a werewolf. That's about it.

I felt this book was lacking. Characters, plot, direction. Ruby immediately accepted that werewolves, witches, nymphs, were real, and then also stated that Rafe was her mate before he told her. How is an ordinary human just like yup this is fine? This is my biggest pet peeve in this genre, why do the main characters accept the truth so readily?

Do you ever read a book that you can't stop thinking about? Where you can't wait until you have free time in your day to continue reading? That was how I felt about A Curse of Blood and Wolves. I love a good fairy tale retelling, and this leans heavily into the Little Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf lore, with just enough nods to the classic tale without being distracting.

Ruby lives alone in the woods with her sister Lena. Lena suffers from unexplained visions, and her inability to control them has resulted in ailing health. It falls to Ruby to get a job and support them both, and Ruby walks through the woods to get to and from her waitressing job. She is very aware that someone, or something, is watching her, and she is intrigued to say the least.

Rafe is a lone werewolf without a pack, living alone in a cabin in the woods. He watches Ruby from afar, but just can't seem to stay away. Despite his history of bad human interactions, he finds himself drawn to her.

Drama, spice, and mysteries ensue...and I cannot wait for the next installment in this series!

Tropes:
Fated Mates
Hidden Powers
One bed
Age Gap (Centuries)
Touch Her and Die

Spice level:
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Ruby is working as a waitress to support herself and her sister while her sister has dissociative episodes and on her way home from work she finds herself attacked by a wolf. Rafe is a wolf who’s been casually stalking Ruby for months because she smells nice and he saves her from the rogue wolf and elects to protect her from future wolf attacks. You know exactly where this is going.

I think my biggest issue was when I read the name Scarlet and thought for a moment the author had changed the name for the fmc for a moment forgetting to update some instances in the text. Any other name would have been better. It would have also been helpful to have chapter headings for POV like “Rafe Past”, “Ruby Present” etc just to keep track of who was doing what. Also as much as I hate to say it, I think the dad should have been alive to provide more of a conflict in the pack. I was also just waiting for the girls to discover some note or journal from their aunt to explain all that they were experiencing. It feels like all we explored was that Ruby and Rafe really like to have sex.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC of A Curse of Blood and Wolves in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2.5 stars/5

Unfortunately, after reading through this book I didn’t quite feel that it was the right fit for me. Although it had prospects, I couldn’t quite relate to the characters as much as I would have liked. The author had a nice writing style but otherwise and the concept was good.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. After reading the synopsis, I really wanted to like this novel, but it just didn't do it for me. I made it about half way before I gave up and the overall premise of the story was interesting, but not enough for me to keep reading. I think the author's pacing was also kind of off for me. I felt like it was very drawn out and I found myself skimming different parts. This book would definitely appeal to some people and I feel like it would hit with the right audience--it just wasn't for me.

Paranormal romance is a great setting for fairy tale retellings, particularly when it comes to something like Little Red Riding Hood.

Ruby has had some weird things go on in her life, and now she's convinced someone is stalking her as she walks through the woods at night. That stalker is Rafe, a wolf shifter who split from his pack a few years before. Both end up in danger from other nearby wolves and have to work together to find out what's going on. All while deciding what to do about the fierce attraction they share.

I really enjoyed the glimpses into Ruby's day-to-day life, particularly as Rafe tried to worm his way into it. It was kind of funny seeing her learn how many supernatural people were in her life, even if it did start to feel overdone by the end.

As the blurb says, there are definitely some scenes in here that were written for smuttok, so if that's your thing then maybe give it a go.

I wasn't really interested in what was going on in the wider world - possibly because the world-building felt a little forced. So while I had an enjoyable enough time reading this, I'm unlikely to continue with the series.

"A Curse of Blood and Wolves," a dark and twisted retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with a supernatural twist, serves as the ideal werewolf romance. Whenever Ruby traverses the woods on her way home, an eerie sensation of being observed envelops her, yet rather than fear, it incites a sense of exhilaration. Rafe, on the other hand, finds himself relentlessly captivated by her, an obsession that drives him to follow her every move.

This paranormal romance was a genuine delight for me. Their love story exuded an undeniable sweetness, and the manner in which destiny bound them together, despite their personal struggles, was nothing short of beautiful.

Synopsis:

Rafe is a wolf who feels drawn to a girl in the dark woods but doesn't seem to understand why he is drawn to her. Her name is Ruby and she immediately senses Rafe's presence as she walks through the dark woods but doesn't seem to be scared. She is aroused by his presence. Ruby's instincts kick in to run away as he approaches her in human form. She doesn't become aware that he's a wolf and a man right away. After their encounter in the woods, Ruby told him to stay away. Rafe couldn't resist the need to protect her and to be near her. He doesn't listen to her request. He ends up saving her life from a mystery lone wolf. Do things heat up once he saves her life? Do they realize their fates have been sealed?

* Slow Burn
* Sexual Tension
* Red Riding Hood Influences
* Wolves, Magical Creatures
* Medium Spice

My Thoughts:

Rafe made me frustrated. I wanted to shake him and tell him to get over himself and his past but I also understood his fears. There is so much sexual tension that builds up between him and Ruby. He worries about his past repeating itself. That being said, I couldn't stop reading this book. There were tugs at the sexual tension that kept me interested in finding out what happens in the end. For example, the book says: "Fine," Ruby said, nibbling on his lower lip. "We can't fuck, but hands and mouths are fair game?" Rafe agrees to this. Why does Rafe not want to have intercourse with Ruby? That is the beauty of this story. The desire of wanting something one can't have and figuring out if he indeed gets to have Ruby in the end.

This book is for you if you enjoy a kinky werewolf romance with a Little Red Riding Hood influence. I wouldn't consider this book a retelling but it definitely plays off Little Red Riding Hood wearing the color red and the need to run from a wolf etc...

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I think I might be getting burnt out on red riding hood retellings. And I think I need a break from romance for a while too. This one was hard for me to get through. Between the pacing of the plot and contemporary romance approach I was pretty much skimming.

Is A Curse of Blood and Wolves the best book I've ever read? No. But was it insanely fun to read? To me, yes.

This book is a classic fated-mates werewolf romance with off-the-charts insta-chemistry and a little bit of light (consensual?) stalking. There's the moment when both characters realize that they're ~mates~ and the moments when they both struggle with what that means. There's other magical beings and a little bit of future seeing. There's small town vibes and a general air of spookiness that makes this a great fall read.

Is the dialogue occasionally clunky? Sure. Is the plot cliché at times? Absolutely. But I tore through this book because it was the werewolf story I wanted in the moment and it really delivered on that account.

Best consumed with a tasty beverage and a blanket on a dark autumn night.

3.5/5

Thank you NetGallery and One More Chapter for the ARC of A Curse of Blood and Wolves. In exchange for an honest review.

I actually really enjoyed this book. The fantasy werewolf romance is not a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in my opinion. Not in the least, however I loved the story, the character development, and the plot. To me this was more about the fate of wolves and finding their Mate. It is a fantasy romance. I enjoyed it. Fate Doesn’t Make Mistakes Right???

The world as we know it has far more fantasies and magic than we ever knew. Between witches, werewolves, seers, and nymphs. What else can we ask for? Add a romance and mystery to it and it’s all there.

The story caught me right from the jump with Rafe secretly stalking Ruby and Ruby feeling it and wanting it even though it scared her. She has a rush and kinx from it. That was until the night she told Rafe to go away and don’t bother her. Thank god his wolf instincts told him not to as Ruby ends up being attacked by another wolf and he saves her. And this is where the mystery and story really begins.

The plot of the story is to figure out why she is being hunted and why is her sister getting sick and weak after visions she is starts having. There are family struggles and realizations.

As Ruby and Rafe try to find the answers their attraction grows stronger and stronger pulling them together with sexual tension and occasional scenes to satisfy those primal needs. As if fate has stepped in. They both realize that they are bond to each other. However, Rafe has an internal struggle that keeps him from following those instincts but the need to keep Ruby safe matters more. But is it really Ruby that needs saving??? You will have to read to find out. Cannot wait for book 2. I have to know what happens as there is a cliffhanger.

I read this book in one sitting. It kept me captivated and wanting to know why and when and how. I enjoyed the writing style and how the story flowed. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy fantasy romance with a mystery.



Spice 🌶️🌶️
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development 🎥🎥🎥🎥
Writing Style ✍️✍️✍️✍️

Tropes
Fated mates
Class Differences
Werewolves

Romance - Fantasy

ARC READ
A Curse of Blood and Wolves
by @melissamcternan

RATING ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
SPICE ~ 🌶 🌶 🌶

"HE LET HIS LIPS TIP INTO A PREDATORY GRIN AS HIS GAZE RAKED OVER HER."
"WELL BRAVE GIRL, YOU BETTER RUN."

"Is it possible to be drawn to someone you’ve never met?

When Ruby feels the eyes of a stranger in the woods, she knows she should be scared that she should run away, but she can’t. Instead, she feels a thrill, feels drawn to this stranger who follows her in the woods. Yearns for his eyes on her every night as she walks home, hoping to hear the crunch of leaves under his feet that signals he’s there."

'Will he ever reveal himself?"

"After all, fate doesn’t make mistakes . . ."

This book is a dark fairytale retelling of little red rising hood, if you ever craved a story that gives you Jacob & Bella vibes then this book is for you.
This is a slow burn dark fantasy romance, which ends on a cliff hanger that with leave you wanting so much more.

The smutt in this book may be slow to start but when it does you will be completely satisfied. This book definitely unlocked a new Kink I didn't know I had and I love it.

If you like .....

Witches
Seers
Nymphs
Werewolves
Fated Mates
Troubled Past
Passion
Danger
Mystery
Touch Her and Die vibes

Then this book is definitely for you, it's available on kindle this book is such an easy read and you will completely fall in love with not just the main characters but also the side characters who have their own quirky charms.

I wanted to love it, but overall this novel didn't do it for me. As an avid reader of this genre, it fell short in the character development, pace and plot.

Our FMC, Ruby, aka Little Red Riding Hood, works at a bar to make ends meet and lives in a shack in the woods and goes the short route through the woods after her waitress shift. Our MMC, Rafe, is a werewolf who is hot for Ruby. He's a lone wolf and he saves her from a wolf attack, and so begins a tedious back and forth of him not wanting to recreate a past mistake that involved a human woman he was into and things turned out bad.

She wants him. He wants her. But he can't allow himself to have her. She tries to convince him. He rejects her. She tries again. He reject her. That goes on for a long while. To keep us "engaged" there's a sick sister who might be a seer, and they are interested in getting more information about that.

They're fated mates, and if you're a reader of this genre, that means you *KNOW* they're going to get together, so the hemming and hawing about are they going to make it official -- when it goes on too long becomes annoying rather than exciting.

The spice was maybe 3🌶️ (out of 5) but it took ages to get there.

Overall, I found myself skimming through the repetition, I can see what the author was up to, and there's a good foundation, but could have used some more good stuff to keep me interested.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I would give this a rating of 2.5 stars. I rounded up to 3 because I liked the overall vibes of this book, but a lot didn't really happen. I felt like the entire book they were searching for a threat that the reader was never really shown, except for on two occasions. And in the final 'showdown', the reader is just told that Rafe fights them off, we don't get to see any of the action. It just felt very slow plot wise.

Spoiler:

As for Rafe and Ruby's relationship, I did like it, but I think a bit more reaction from Ruby when she found out the truth of supernatural beings would've been a nice addition. I understand that the character was built up to be 'weird' and into that kind of thing, but I still think a little surprise before the complete acceptance would've been nice. I also felt that Rafe's 'tortured soul' act went on a little bit too long. Over and over it was him distancing himself from her and once it happened like the third time I felt like that it was one too many times. It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger that didn't really feel like a cliffhanger just because not a lot happened in the book, other than half-heartedly searching for clues and coming up with nothing. And with Ruby being so concerned about her sister, it seemed unbelievable that she would happily leave her alone for weeks after her and Rafe finally made things official.

TLDR: Vibes were alright, plot needed some more fleshing out.

I love fairytale retellings, especially when they are a little darker.
Its Red Riding Hood meets her alluring wolf stalker.
Not only was it a great plot but there was SOME spice, humor, and romance.
The book does end on a cliffhanger BUT that just makes me more excited for what’s coming next.

Definitely recommend to romantasy/paranormal romance readers & those who love a darker spin on a fairytale.

A supernatural romance reminiscent of Twilight but with werewolves.

I wanted to learn more about the werewolves, and less about her sister as I'm sure that will come to play in another installment. The information was to vague and pretty basic. Give me a bit more excitement, and enhance the cliffhanger then this would've been a good read.

Thank you One More Chapter for the complimentary copy.

I always enjoy a retelling and was interested to read this spin on Little Red Riding Hood.

However, this almost felt like a prequel to me as the focus was mainly on Rafe and Ruby's relationship and establishing their characters (which is fine as this is definitely a medium/fast burn romance) but the plot surrounding Lena and the wolves was just so much more interesting in comparison. I found myself skimming due to the pacing and would rather have checked in on what Knox and Theo were doing rather than the main characters towards the end of the book as the plot just seemed to stall. Although I liked Ruby and Rafe well enough I just found myself more drawn to the side characters. Given that there is a narrator switch for the epilogue the set up seems like book two may follow a different couple which after the cliffhanger jarred a little as we hadn't even seen Lena's POV at that point.

That being said, I still liked it and would be back to read book two as I am genuinely interested in what is happening to Lena!

My interpretation of the star system;
3 stars - I enjoyed it; would read the author again
4 stars - I really liked it; I am invested and definitely want more from this author/series
5 stars - I loved it; I engaged with this book completely and I have added all the authors works to my TBR!

I gobbled this book up so fast. Modern day Little Red riding hood except the Wolf stalks her through the woods and Red likes it. This paranormal romance has plot and spice. I was hooked on what was happening from beginning to end. Don't miss out on this one! Werewolves, seers, and woodland nymphs oh my!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

when I read the synopsis for A Curse of Blood and Wolves, I suspected I’d like it but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. yes, it was lovely and smutty but it was also oddly heartwarming. it’s the type of book you read when you want something magical, easy to jump into, not super plot-driven, and spicy. it kept my interest from start to finish and the atmosphere was so autumnal.

so werewolves aren’t usually my thing but Rafe is precious and complex. the way he nurtures and protects the main character is so endearing.
Ruby is self sufficient, confident, and doesn’t take shit from anybody. their love story, while spicy and passionate, was also so sweet and soft. and the TENSION between the two of them😮‍💨

quite a few moments in this book made me laugh. I loved how light it was at some points while still dealing with deeper issues as well.

the issues I had were minor. it was a bit repetitive near the end, especially Rafe’s inner monologue (bless that self-deprecating werewolf). I found myself a little confused by the magic system but I’m thinking more will be revealed in the second book! miscommunication is my least favorite trope BUT even though Rafe and Ruby misunderstood each other often, the issues were very quickly resolved which I appreciated!

overall, this book is super entertaining with lots of lovable characters and all the fall vibes. definitely a good one-sitting read with PSL in hand.

can’t wait to check out the next book!

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A quick thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A curse of Blood and Wolves is a Red Riding Hood retelling with a stalker romance vibe. While the spice was exactly as I expected, the build up to it was severely lacking. Our MMC was adamant that there would be not sexual relations with our FMC, but a few pages pass and suddenly a switch is flipped and all bets are off. I really craved a bit more pining after the emphasis was placed on waiting. I was also a bit disappointed with the lack of plot. There was so much potential for this story, but it just wasn't developed enough to keep me interested.

If this would've been more romance forward then I could've forgiven the lack of plot, and vice versa. I'm not dying to read the next book in this series, but I could be convinced to pick it up in hopes that the story finds its feet.