Bloodlust Blues is the first in a new urban fantasy series from author Luanne Bennett featuring bar owner and reluctant witch Charley Underwood.

The White Stag in Crimson, Georgia, welcomes everyone - vampire, wolf or human-as long as they don’t cause trouble, but trouble is coming for owner Charley Underwood, ready or not. It begins when an armed stranger holds up the bar, then a vampire gang demands a cut of the illegal cooperative she runs providing therapeutic doses of donated vampire blood to locals, her best friend is possessed by a demonic spirit, one of her staff disappears, and to top it all off there is a new restaurant across the street from the Stag stealing her regulars, who are all acting a little weird.

I thought Bloodlust Blues started strongly but unfortunately I began to lose interest about half way through, even though there were some elements I quite liked.

In terms of plot there is just too much going on, as if in introducing the series Bennett wanted to set up every possible arc for later instalments, or perhaps couldn’t decide which one to start with. It results in uneven pacing and tension, and the potential involving one of what is really two main antagonists suffers as a result.

The bigger problem for me however was the inconsistency in characterisation with regard to Charley. What we are told about who she is and how she actually acts doesn’t quite line up, for example she’s presented as a saviour in the blurb yet there are several instances where she treats people, even close friends, rather carelessly. I never really warmed to her and I found some of the supporting cast more appealing.

Book two in the series, Bloodlust Bites, is already available, but based on my experience with this one, I’m just not feeling compelled to pick it up.

Bloodlust Blues wanted to be bigger and better than other supernatural stories I have read but unfortunately fell flat. At times I was confused and couldn't seem to figure out what the author was trying to show to tell readers. The author didn't really push anything new when it comes to the traditional telling of supernatural characters. I can't say it is a throw away story but I can't say I am sold on this series just yet.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Luanna Bennett new Series Charly Underwood Series

"Bloodlust Blues" introduces fans of urban fantasy to the world of Charley Underwood. Charley, a reluctant witch, has the task of unravelling the complexities of Crimson Town, a town filled with humans, shifters, witches, and vampires. The town is plagued by a string of unexplained disappearances baffling Charley and her cohorts. Offering a perfect blend of magic and intrigue, "Bloodlust Blues" is a must-read for fans of the genre.

"Bloodlust Blues" is book one in the Charley Underwood series. Charley, a businesswoman, runs a bar bequeathed to her by her mother. The establishment serves as a haven for Crimson Town's residents, where everyone is welcome provided, they don't cause any disturbances. Besides managing the bar, Charley secretly operates a cooperative, supplying vampire blood to humans as an affordable substitute for prescription medications for various ailments, an endeavor that, unbeknownst to her, may not be as clandestine as she thinks.

Everything was proceeding smoothly until her co-op business partner suddenly became possessed. Meanwhile, some residents have disappeared, and others began acting oddly. And then there's the new business owner across the street—what exactly is his agenda?

This is my first Luanne Bennett novel, and it certainly won't be my last. As I write this review, I've began reading the second book. 'Bloodlust Blues' encounters the common challenges of first books in urban fantasy series entries: an emphasis on world-building and not much character building, setting the stage for the unfolding drama that's to come.

At first, the multitude of simultaneous events made the story challenging to follow, but eventually, it all came together. Unanswered questions remained but hopefully the next installment provides answers. The mystery proved to be underwhelming since it was obvious who was responsible for the disappearances, although Charley and her friends failed to see it. However, determining if the victims were dead or alive provided some redemption to the mystery. The secondary characters are quite intriguing.  I am keen to discover more about Dog the werewolf, Tucker the psychic, and Samuel the vampire. Samuel seems to be emerging as a romantic interest for Charley, and I am interested in seeing how this element of the story unfolds.

The trip to Crimson Town was an enjoyable, magical and chaotic adventure brimming with humor

I wasn't as thrilled with this as I WANTED to be. It felt ...... rushed. I'd like to see the author slow it down a notch or three, do a longer book and have a bit more background and worldbuilding.

For fans of Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and Seanan McGuire. Love the premise and it is a good addition to urban fantasy.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky for the chance to read Bloodlust blues by Luanne Bennett. I am always up to finding a new urban fantasy author, so I decided to give the first book in the Charley Underwood series a try. I really liked the character of Charley, but found the plot was overcomplicated with different supernatural characters, and slow pacing. I almost put it down, but because I enjoyed Charley, and her fierce defender Dog, I kept going. Midway through, the pacing improved, and I enjoyed the ending (not a cliffhanger!) I will probably continue with the series.

Charley manages a bar in a small southern town that is home to paranormal creatures. She facilitates an illegal vampire blood bank from her back alley and will defend her friends and neighbours when strange things begin to happen in her town. Oh - and she'll adopt stray cats too.

I've always liked Luanne Bennett's books and this is no exception. There is a wonderful cast of side characters that will make this quirky town a joy to visit again and again. I am interested in seeing how Charley harnesses her gifts as the series developes.

This is the first of a series that had me interested from the start. It combines paranormal and action with just a sprinkling of slow burn romance (maybe).

Charley runs a bar in a town called Crimson, in a world where supernaturals are out in the open. Just because they are out, though, doesn't mean everybody forgot how to discriminate. Charley is just doing her best for her patrons, taking a stab at providing vampire blood (a drug in this universe) to folks who need pain relief. It spirals pretty quickly, though, after a new business moves into an abandoned shop across the street.

This story give a little bit of needful things vibes in that the aforementioned neighbor seems to be doing the impossible and luring in all the townsfolk with a French restaurant of all things. There's attacks, disappearances, and murders in what used to be a very quiet town. Charley, who strongly believes she did not inherit her mother's powers, is the only one willing to stand up to their supernatural bully to try to set things right. She risks her life and her bar in ways nobody would expect and ends up coming out stronger for it all. I'm excited to learn more and see Charley grow into her powers in future books.

I really really REALLY enjoyed this book and was just what was needed after a book that I had to really work on to get to the end. Charley is a bar manager in Crimson who finds herself in a lot of trouble with problems at every turn. You immediately know there is more to Charley than meets the eye and she will be on a journey of self-discovery during Bloodlust Blues while also fighting for her life. Literally!

It was a little bit of a slow burn at first as there was A LOT going on that felt a bit disconnected. However, by the time I was halfway through I was completely invested and was really looking forward to how it would all come together. It’s obvious that Bloodlust Blues is the first book in a series as it lays down some great groundwork to get to know all the key characters and by the end I was invested in so many of them! So much so that I will be looking out for the other books in the series and can’t wait to see what happens to them next.

If you like a good paranormal story filled with witches, shifters and vampires then you’re going to enjoy this series!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the first in a new series. My expectations might have been to high for this one. I liked some of the characters, but often asked myself-what are you doing? Why? Charley, I I wanted to like her and I sort of did-but she was confusing. I did like Dog. The ending seemed rushed. So many sub plots and then bang its over. I enjoyed Sebastian. I would read the next one in the series. 3 stars

I got really frustrated reading this, it feels like it is going absolutely nothing the whole story than boom, in like 1 chapter the finale hits. I would not recommend unless you like to read about the supernatural without any plot. #BloodlustBlues #NetGalley

This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the characters and the snarky attitude. She had a bit of a TSTL moments, but it worked out. I think this is a wonderful start to something that is going to develop into intricate future plots.

Im not a fan of vampires, but u really appreciate how these were depicted and that there is a bit of background to their usefulness.

The BBEG was very predictable but I wasn’t prepared for the intricate weaving of how everything connected or the details. So that was really well done. I look forward to the sequels!

This s a first book of a new series and I enjoyed it a lot.
Charley inherited the bar when her mom died. It welcomes, humans, vampires, werewolves and anything else out there as long as you don't cause trouble. She also runs a what I call a blood bank of vampire blood to humans who are sick as it is cheaper than meds and chemo.
But someone wants to make money off of Charley and her business, which wlll put her business out.
There is also a man that bought the restaurant across the road from her bar. But that went up really quick and when people eat there they just aren;t the same anymore. Charley and her friends do not trust the owner.
I had to laugh at some of the antics that went on and some of her friends but there is a hot guy who seems interested in her.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ebook to review.

This. book. Usually I prefer the action to be set in a more fictional world, not in one that resembles or times but this book got me hooked. It is filled with witches, vamps, werewolves, and the main place is Charley's bar, where she makes the rule. But she has an underground operation and that's gonna bring a whole lot of problems, but that's not even the beginning.

When everything started to unravel my heart was beating so fast and I couldn't read fast enough to find out more about what's gonna happen.

And don't forget about the sexy vamp that helps her and how mysterious he is. I. need. more.

I received an ARC of Bloodlust Blues in exchange for an honest review, so first I would like to say thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this copy.
Unfortunately by the sinopse I had some expectations for this books because it looked like something I really would like and when I start reading I was enjoying but after a little bit a lot of things start happening and it becomes a little bit confusing, at least for me.
I really tried to keep reading but I couldn’t so I dnfed até 30%, the story had a lot of potential but the beginning wasn’t enough to finish the book.

This is a great fantasy/paranormal story with vamps, shifters, and witches. Charley runs the local bar-friendly to all creatures. When a newcomer opens a restaurant across the street, stranger (than normal) things start happening: people go missing, some start acting out of character, and others start inciting violence against vampires. And Charley is wrapped up in the middle of it. I really enjoyed reading about Charley’s story. She is a strong FMC that never compromises her values. She is willing to sacrifice herself to save the town if necessary. I read a lot of fantasy and paranormal books, and this one is safe for all ages-no explicit scenes. This is the first in the series, and the cliffhanger ending left me waiting for book 2! Can’t wait for more from Luanne Bennett!

Thank you @secondskybooks, @Netgalley, and @LuanneBennettBooks for the opportunity to read this advanced copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a ride this was!

Urban fantasy isn't my usual go-to genre, but Bloodlust Blues has opened a whole new catalogue (sorry, bank balance!) for me to delve into. It's my first book by Luanne Bennett but will not be my last.

This series introduces Charley Underwood. She's the landlady of a small-town bar which just happens to cater to the local supernatural beings. 

Oh...And she's a witch.

I adore her! Imagine DI Kim Stone with magical powers and no higher-ups to stop her doing what she wants and well, that's who Charley is to me.

We're thrown straight into the action and the author sets up the plot for this book, and I hope many more to come, with such a gusto my head was spinning - in a good way. Fast-paced without losing the plot, characters you love and hate, and a writing style that pulls you out of the real world and into this amazing fantasy land where anything can and does happen.

We meet her team of friends, we know what the score is - or do we?! - and we see who's who in this small town where vampires and witches and ghouls collide.

Sexy, slick, and so much fun...Bloodlust Blues kept me turning the pages and had me on edge. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Rounded up from 3.5

Charley runs a bar in the small town of Crimson, Georgia, where vampires, werewolves and witches live in harmony with humans, up until now. Humans are turning against the supernatural beings and it seems like the town is going to explode into chaos with Charley right in the middle of it.

Bloodlust blues is an urban fantasy novel paced with supernatural beings, a fierce heroine and plenty of action to keep up with.

I liked Charley. On the surface she seems strong and fiery, but underneath she's full of self doubt, sometimes making a dubious decision or two. She's trying to run her mother's bar and an illegal vampire blood co-op, but not for selfish reasons; she's to help the people of the town. She's also still dealing with the loss of her mother, who was a powerful witch and getting to grips with her own powers.

This was definitely a bit more gritty/gory than I was expecting, but that's not a bad thing! I always enjoy when a fight scene is a bit more realistic.

As it's the first book, I feel like it crammed quite a lot of world building in quite quickly, which slowed the pace down a bit in places. And I will say I got a bit annoyed it took Charley so long to work out who the actual bad guy was.

There were some intriguing revelations at the end of the novel and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

A definite must if you're looking for a novel to escape from boring reality for a bit.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Bloodlust Blues has many plot points, leading to a complex web of activities. While a complex plot can be engaging, the different strands have to hint at one another or start to come together sooner. Many characters come and go, sparking new conflicts and mysteries before resolving the previous ones. But the atmosphere was well developed, showing the town of Crimson as a smaller town, yet large enough for fresh faces to pop in and out of the narrative.

Charlie as a character is a determined woman, willing to put herself on the line for the betterment of others. She has a good heart and a group of friends willing to follow her lead and assist where needed. But she is trying to run a covert business on the side selling vampire blood and doesn’t seem to be the best at keeping a secret. Though the choices she makes lead to conflicts surrounding the business and creates some well deserved action sequences.

However, there is also a moment where a female is nearly assaulted and the writing downplays what happened. Even going so far as to have a male character snickering at the mention of it occurring, yet the female is obviously distraught. This felt wrong to read and while that may have been the intention to churn up emotion in readers, Charlie also brushes it off which seems against the character that was so carefully created. She removes the offender from her bar but has little emotional response or offer of help for the woman who was involved.

Bloodlust Blues hits the mark on urban fantasy and supernatural elements, but the emotional side of the story is lacking. Two many plots and too little character development. And to not address the full wrongness of what occurred during the assault was shocking.

I've always struggled with fantasy reads for some reason or other, then I came across urban fantasy and found I really enjoyed it.

Bloodlust Blues is the first in a promising new series by Bennett and was such an enjoyable, addictive read, I devoured it in one sitting.

I loved the authors world building and her characters, Bloodlust Blues was the perfect way to ease us into the series, introducing us to all the characters, of which there are many including witches, shifters, vampires and witches.

A brilliant start to the series...is book two ready yet?