Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

4/5

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was an intriguing premise, and an interesting story. I think with a little more polishing, it would be a great story. I found it hard to really like our serial killer MC, but it felt like he wanted the reader to like him. Unfortunately, there was nothing really charming or interesting about him, he just sort of fell flat for me. The FMC was slightly better, but still didn't feel fleshed out enough. That said, the story itself moved along at a smooth pace, and the technical side of the writing was fine overall. I'd love to see this refined a little more, I'd absolutely read an updated re-release.

I really wanted to like this book.
The premise was right up my alley. I love all vampire books, dark romance, and a good serial killer/thriller novel. Unfortunately, despite several attempts (and restarting) I could not get invested in any of these characters. The execution of what could have been an amazing story was lackluster.

Bloodwork by Melissa Demirel...it's something quite unexpected. I may give it that.
It was my most anticipated ARC because I love romance, dark books, and vampires. Everything in this seemed perfect to me,
But I tend to be wrong and my anticipated read become the biggest flop of the year so far.

Timothy, our main character, is traveling America like a ghost, killing people who rub him the wrong way in the darkest alleys and disappearing before anyone could suspect about the creepy stranger who sat by himself at the bar. But this style of living is filled with loneliness no one can erase, and it's eating him alive. He needs a partner, a friend...someone to share his murderous nights with.
So he made a public announcement : a Serial killer wants to find the Robin to his Batman.
Now something sinister is watching from afar. Waiting and studying him.
What he does not know is that that lurking monster would be the perfect match for his rotting heart.

This novel follows two lonely individuals: A serial killer, and a vampire nurse who wants to reconnect with the monster inside of her. From Timothy inner monologue, we would see how they met and started this complicated connection.
It's a story filled with dark elements, yet it revolves around love and wanting to find someone you can be yourself with. It's about the ugly love between two monsters.
I, personally, would not define it as a romcom (at ALL).

I think this story would have been so much better as a novella... The narration is too tedious and repetitive because Timmy Tim here is not the most sane individual.
At the beginning, he was giving Merricat vibes. He was dark, unsettling and so wrong it would disturb anyone. But this book is about 300 pages... At the end of it, I was begging for him to stop thinking.
Lynette, as a romantic interest, was not really...interesting. Her story WAS INTERESTING, but her character? She was bland and for someone who is supposed to be working for decades as a nurse, she lacks empathy! (She grinds on corpses... I almost had to stop and throw up). The miss of an inner conflict in her is so obvious it hurts.

I would say in conclusion: the characters needed more development; the romance aspects of the book were mid; and the narration was too heavy to be enjoyable. It had a potential at the beginning and the dark elements were good, yet I cannot recommend this novel.

Had the potential to be really good but unfortunately something about the writing just threw me off. It wasn’t quite cohesive. Thank you for the opportunity

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital copy of this book for an honest review <3

I can't lie and say that i enjoyed reading this book! so much so that i was able to forget about it and i didn't want to rate it. Unfortuinately, other authors are declining my book requests due to me having this one unread, i assume they think that i gave up. Anyways, this had such a great premise. I loved the whole vampire nurse thing going on. I thought it would be something I'd enjoy. As well as the well cover. I LOVED IT. but its definitely not dark.. its not funny, and at the very end of it.. it was just disappointing bc i just didn't wanna care for the characters.

I felt the novel started off a bit slow but once we introduced both characters I started to invest in them. Overall I enjoyed this, but I felt the ending was a bit sad and rushed. I hope we get a sequel of sorts.

I wanted to like this book so much.
A serial killer teaming up with a vampire nurse with the potential for more? A blend of horror and dark humor?
All of this drew me in to request Bloodwork and for a bit I really liked the story, I thought being in the mind of a serial killer was intriguing.
Sadly Timothy started to get annoying as his thoughts kept circling around things he came across, he lacked charisma and was not even likable enough, in a twisted way, for being one of the main characters. And Lynette, the vampire nurse, could not live up to the main character vibe either.

Bloodwork is categorized as dark rom-com but the story is neither dark enough for it's premise nor was the humor truly there.
I feel sad for giving this book such a low rating but I expected more, the potential was there but the story and characters did not deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Demirel and Black Rose Writing for this ARC.

Clever and unique story of friendship and love between the unlikeliest of pairs, or maybe the most likely? So, a serial killer meets a vampire, who is a nurse ... and the oddest of relationships blooms. Will there be a HEA?

Personally, I think that the book was just okay. The ending was predictable in a way that wasn't entirely unenjoyable, but I found Timothy to be really annoying. I think the writing itself wasn't very much my style, and for a book marketed as a "rom-com" I found it lacking in both romance and comedy. It seemed to just have a lot of self-loathing from Timothy. Overall, while I don't think the book was terrible, I don't think it was worth the time I spent reading it.

"Bloodwork" by Melissa Demirel presents a tantalizing premise: a lonely serial killer, Timothy, crosses paths with Lynnette, a bored vampire nurse. Together, they explore the depths of their own darkness, contemplating a partnership in crime that could bring out both their worst and best qualities.

In theory, the idea of a serial killer seeking companionship with a vampire nurse promises an intriguing blend of horror and dark humor. However, the execution falls short of expectations. The main character, Timothy, comes across as bland and unlikable, lacking the depth or intrigue one would expect from a figure in his position. Despite being a serial killer, he's as dull as a blank canvas, devoid of the twisted charisma or dark allure that could have made him truly captivating.

Moreover, the writing style is criticized for being convoluted, redundant, and overly descriptive. Despite being categorized as a "dark rom-com," the humor falls flat, and the darkness feels subdued. The killings, central to the plot, are portrayed as mild, lacking the intensity or impact that one might expect from such a narrative. Consequently, the promised dark comedy fails to materialize.

While the premise may draw readers in with its promise of a twisted and entertaining tale, the reality falls short. "Bloodwork" ultimately struggles to deliver on its potential, leaving readers longing for more depth, wit, and genuine darkness.

The premise of this book sounded similar to butcher and black bird which is why I requested a copy. Definitely not any where near as steamy as that, this is much more slow burn kind of romance. It was refreshing for a male POV narrative to not oversexualise the female, he seemed to admire her power and personality a lot more.
Ita written in a very a descriptive, train of thought style. Which was great in places for setting the atmosphere but I'm some places felt a bit slow, that's great if you're into slow burn romances. I'm some places the use of alliteration adds emphasis, in others it feels a tad heavy handed.
The ending was a bit of a twist, it's definitely foreshadowed though. The conflict ended a bit quick but you can understand why its there and why it's resolved so quickly. They're meant to be because they're so twisted, and it makes you realise Timothy isn't the one corrupting Lynnette.
I would recommend this to people who enjoy a slow burn romance that's got some murder and paranormal vibes.
Thank you NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC.

This book had such a promising premise that... fell painfully flat unfortunately.

I could not bear to go on long than 20% and I had to dnf. The writing was painful and the characters unlikeable. And although the serial killer is supposed to be unlikeable, I could not stand to read a thing about him.

I hate to give negative reviews but this book was just not good. I wanted to like it so much as it had all the makings of something great, but unfortunately the writing and execution let it down.

The premise of this book drew me in. The book itself felt a bit wordy at times, some scenes over-described but nonetheless an enjoyable read. Lynnette is a vampire and a nurse who meets a man named Timothy and they realize they’d likely make a great team with their combined lifestyles. Together, they bring out the best and worst in each other, engaging in various bloody experiences. With Lynnette, Timothy feels less lonely, while Lynnette embraces her true vampire nature without the burden of having to stick to the rules of her profession and save lives. Their unique partnership seems to satisfy both of them, as long as they don't turn on each other in the end. The notion that they won't harm each other is a risky one, considering their predatory natures. Will they be able to remain a team, partners in crime? Or will their bloodthirsty instincts unravel and destroy their lives?

I got really excited as I read the premise of this book: serial killer and vampire nurse partnering up? I couldn’t sign up for the ARC quick enough! However, whilst I really did like the story, I’m sad that I didn’t love it…
The story is told entirely from the serial killer’s perspective (Timothy), which is refreshing as lots of books today are at least dual POV. And it really was every thought he had as he searched to find a literal partner in crime. For the most part, this was very well written and really showed the emotions that he was going through as the story progressed. There were however, whole paragraphs that I would occasionally skip because they were just so repetitive. Whilst I believe the author was trying to show the frantic, nervous, and somewhat obsessive, thoughts of Timothy, it was sometimes just too rambling for my liking. Not a criticism as such, but some of the chapters were also quite long and again, just personal preference, I haven’t come across chapters quite that long in some time, and I’m a fast reader!
Seeing the relationship develop between Timothy and his new partner was interesting as they were both quite strong and quirky characters, so it made for some rather humorous scenes!
I definitely haven’t read a book like this before and it was a pretty fun read!

3 ⭐️ 1🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Demirel and Black Rose Writing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Whilst this is an easy read, it isn't structured very well. It is like a stream of consciousness thoughts which can be very distracting. The story line has promise just needs a more refinement.

Never in my life have I wanted a serial killer to kill themselves more than I want this fictional serial killer to kill themselves just so I didn't have to read another word of their overly descriptive inner dialogue. This book was pure torture to get through. The main character Timothy is supposed to be this serial killer that has traveled all over and is so good at it that he's never been caught, but at the first sign of "finding a partner in crime" he gets caught by the cops? Not to mention he is super whiny and never stops complaining about how lonely he is. I'm pretty sure the first 5 chapters are just Timothy the MMC whining about being lonely and shy and how he'll never find a friend/partner.
There chapters were overly discriptive and I really struggled to get through them. Did I need to know every single action Timothy took to escape from handcuffs? No. But I could probably escape from some handcuffs myself after the 20 min chapter I read of him escaping handcuffs.
Overall. This was definitely not a book for me.

I recieved a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC. This was such a fun and entertaining book. I loved the main characters Timothy and Lynette because they were such a unique couple. Timothy is a serial killer, who is looking for love. He puts up a poster by a bar in the hopes of finding his mate.. Lynette is a vampire who responds to his ad. The story has so many great elements very relatable characters, and was such an easy read. I will definitely read more from this author, and it would recommend this book !

I liked the easy-read structure of the blood however, I struggled to enjoy the plot of the story. written in pov first person, it felt very long-winded, repetitive and dull. the moon references felt over the top however, i could see the poetry behind it.

DNF at page 132/54%

The writing style really isn’t my jam - it is way too descriptive and drawn out, making me unable to ever really get into the story. Most of the time I t was cringey, and that is cringey as in “I’m 14 and this is deep”. It made me absolutely despise the male main character before I even finished the first page. His issue is that he’s a very lonely and misunderstood dude, but he’s also a serial killer so can’t say I’m surprised people aren’t lined up to be his bestie. He is a boring and unreasonable character.

I was really, really sad this book didn’t work for me, because the plot line is very unique and I think it has amazing potential. But the writing style takes up so much time and attention away from the actual story. The plot honestly feels more like an afterthought. At times I nearly forgot what was even happening because in the middle of a scene there would be entire paragraphs of the main character dissecting the interior decor.
I’m sure this writing could work in other books, but it just doesn’t fit a thriller/horror book like this.

I liked the female main character, I think she was well-rounded and unlike the male main character she had a clear motivation and reasoning. Considering she is a vampire it’s weird how she made so much more sense than her human counterpart.

Even though the book is so slow paced and the characters are described as lonely, wary, distrusting and always on-guard, they fall head-over-heels in love with each other within 24 hours of their first meeting. I get that they’re a vampire and serial killer, but even then it’s unbelievable.
On the note of believability; the “logic” when it comes to the murders should be re-worked, I see no logical reason why they wouldn’t have been caught already. Again, I realize it’s a supernatural fiction, but still. He was arrested with plenty of witnesses but escaped because the cops died and the police didn’t find out any of that until next morning? Don’t you think the police would notice immediately if two police cars are missing, 5 officers are dead and an arrested murderer has escaped?

In my opinion, this book should’ve been much less “emotional”. The main focus should’ve been on the main plot (the vampire and serial killer joining forces) and the romance should’ve been a slow burn and a sub plot.


Thank you to the author and Black Rose Writing for the ARC!