“Bloodlust Blues” by Luanne Bennett, takes place in a world where supernatural beings live side-by-side with humans. . Whether you're drawn to supernatural elements or intrigued by the small-town setting, this story offers a thrilling escape into the world of Crimson, Georgia.

Set in a contemporanys setup, the story follows Charlie Underwood, a bartender running an illegal vampire blood business in the bar. When a bunch of vampires start learning about her secret business, it runs the risk of potentially alerting the authorities and revealing her secret.

Being the first book in the series, I started with little expectation, yet Stephanie Cannon's audio narration succeeded to bring the story to life with her expressive delivery and engaging tone. Her (US) Southern accent adds authenticity to the setting and characters, enhancing the overall listening experience. The portrayal of the main character, Charley, is spot-on, capturing her no-nonsense attitude and resilient spirit. While her male character voices may seem to lack some a big differentiation from the female voices, it doesn't detract significantly from the overall performance. I enjoyed that the audiobook production maintains high quality throughout, with clear sound and seamless transitions between chapters.

Overall, “Bloodlust Blues” offers a captivating storyline filled with excitement, mystery, and intrigue. While the beginning may feel slow to some listeners, the plot quickly picks up, keeping you engaged until the thrilling conclusion. The diverse cast of characters and vivid world-building contribute to the overall appeal of the narrative.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #BloodlustBlues #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

The storyline started out a little slow and was hard to follow along at times. Granted this was the audio version. This book intrigued me enough, though, and I think I would like it better being able to actually read the book instead. I will definitely be giving this book another try though.

I am so excited to share my review of Bloodlust Blues by Luanne Bennett. This was the audiobook version of book 1 of the Charly Underwood Series.
I very much enjoyed Charly’s no BS attitude all the while being a complete bleeding heart for her community and found family. This book had so many clues as to what or who were causing so many problems in the community and I loved that it allowed me to try and follow them all and reach dead ends as well as to have that “of course” moment when everything is revealed.
The narrator was spot on for the main character and I loved her interpretation of Charly. A male narrator for the males would have just pushed this over to perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie is a bartender running an illegal vampire blood business in the bar. When a bunch of vampires start learning about her secret business it run the problem of potentially alerting the authorities. Charlie must try to figure out how they got wind of the operation. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the book, but the beginning was incredibly slow for me. I was waiting for some more action to occur. Overall, I enjoyed the paranormal elements, but just couldn't connect to the story or characters that well.

I was really excited for this one as I love a paranormal small town and am a fan of some of the other series mentioned as comps.

I initially enjoyed meeting the characters but I had trouble connecting with them and they felt a bit interchangeable. I kept realizing a character I thought was one person was two. I ended up being so confused that I would have had to go back and start over and I know I’m not going to enjoy it enough for it to be worth it. I did listen to 80 percent.

I think plot driven readers will enjoy this one more. I tend to enjoy or not enjoy stories based on my connection to the characters and I felt that was lacking here.

I enjoyed the narration. The narrator did the appropriate accent well and the other characters voices were distinguishable. I would have rated to audio 4 stars

I managed to get 50% but unfortunately I couldn’t finish this book. When I read the description of the book it sounded great but I couldn’t finish it. I think that could be because of the narrator as I believe that the voice didn’t belong to the character. Maybe once it’s out I can give it a go by reading it as an e book instead of a audio.

I’m sorry 😞

I listed to the audiobook version narrated by Stephanie Cannon, and I did enjoy the narration. She has a bit of a southern accent, and I was here for it. She did an excellent job of making her voice fit the different characters, and differentiating between them. There’s good inflection in her voice, that does a great job of bringing the story to life. The writing itself was done well, for the most part, and both narrator and author did an excellent job of creating easily envisioned scenes.

Urban fantasy is by far one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads. Having seen this compared to Patricia Briggs work, and Charlene Harris, I had pretty high expectations. I do feel there was maybe just a touch too many nods to True Blood. While it didn’t necessarily meet my expectations, I was entertained. The story unfortunately had a habit of telling vs. showing. In this story we are told that the FMC, Charley, was supportive and caring. Although there are situations that would make one wonder if that’s truly the case. She’s worried and cares, then seems to write off or forget about certain characters that go missing or fall ill.

This story centers around an illegal vampire blood co-op that’s being run by the owner of the bar ‘The White Stag’. Charley our FMC is essentially sticking it to the man by providing this blood to people who can’t afford medications they need for different medical ailments and addictions. Vampire blood is essentially a temporary cure all. Then questionable things start to happen, as a mysterious person moves to town and opens a restaurant right across the street from the bar. People start to act strange, a woman is brutally attacked, and others start to disappear all together. Then a group of nasty vampires show up and start demanding a cut of Charley’s business. There are certainly tensions and what is essentially a civil war brewing between humans and vampires.

There were times when the story was a little confusing. I was starting to get easily distracted and had to rewind to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Although not all together cohesive, the story moved along quickly. The ending felt a little rushed, and I do wish there was a touch more on the potential love interest.

One thing that I found I did struggle with, as far as the FMC, was the fact that she was a half witch, half human, who showed she clearly had abilities from very early on. Yet, she constantly denied having any “because my mom said I didn’t”. Well, clearly, she was mistaken. I wish there had been a little more back story on her mom, and her powers. I enjoyed the witty banter, but the FMC was constantly making very questionable decisions. I loved that Charley had a pet Raven, named Jack, and that she “adopted” a cat…I love when animals with personalities are added to stories. I said what I said.

For those that enjoy stories with small supernatural towns, witches, werewolves, vampires that don’t sparkle, questionable and witty characters, this book might just be for you.

Thank you to @NetGalley for supplying me with an audiobook ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Found myself confused a good bit at the start, but the more I listened the more things with the story line and the main character made sense. There was a lot of things going on with the main character, she never really got a break from the action which isn't a bad thing but sometimes I felt the plot was lost a little. One of the better urban fantasy books I have had the pleasure of listening to through audiobook, the narrator was great!
Charley was a pretty likable character, very much a heroine. I do wish there was more romance to it, but that may be something to come as the series progresses which I will be sticking around to find out what happens next.

Loved this title! I know it's going to be a series, so I hope Bennett writes fast! I was in need of a good supernatural series and this has all my favorite parts - strong FMCs, a somewhat mysterious backstory, and a town full of secrets. I can't wait for book two!

DNF at 27%.

I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy. The narrator was fine, but the story is confusing and I don't want to finish.

The heroine is running an illegal vampire blood business; however, it's unclear what's going on and why she's selling blood. It sounds like it could be a money maker in one spot and then, it sounds like she's running a charity in another spot. It's supposed to be super secret, but she talks about it all the time to everyone... and there doesn't seem to be consequences for everyone learning about it.

The heroine makes a lot of stupid choices that make no sense, including feeding someone blood when they're injured (but it's okay cause blood isn't traceable).. It's bizarre. Why would you rush to feed someone blood? Why isn't she concerned about getting caught? And why would it be okay to just give someone blood without getting their consent or making sure it wouldn't have any unforeseen consequences?

She seems to be written as "bad ass" as well as a super empathetic caretaker type. It's very inconsistent.

Bloodlust Blues did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, offering excitement and action throughout the book. I did notice a slight lull at the beginning during the world-building aspect, but there was an awesome recovery about 30% of the way through.

The characters provide depth and relatability to the story. It's a beautifully written storyline that is intriguing, and of course, vampires and shifters - what more can you ask for from a book?

This review is based on an ARC sent to me for free from NetGalley. These are my honest and voluntary opinions on this book. Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me this opportunity.

All the paranormals are here, living together co-exsisting, that is until bodies start turning up.
This author knows how to write some lively well developed characters!
Small town slow burn and chaos all around.

Narrators were spot on I enjoyed listening to their voices which is a huge plus.

I reviewed Bloodlust Blues with my honest response in exchange for a free ARC.
#BloodlustBlues #NetGalley #audiobooks #fantasy

The bloodlust blues is a urban fantasy mystery novel that is good to listening when you go about your day, its not very surprising or an extraordinary book but it’s a good listening, and I enjoyed it even though it didn’t blow my mind. I wish the ending wasn’t so rushed or it wasn’t so obvious, and I also think they could have way more romance because there was practically none. It is a solid 3 stars book.

Bloodlust Blues
A heart-racing and completely addictive urban fantasy
by Luanne Bennett
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon

I received an ARC of this audiobook from Netgalley.

Well, I have a new series I’m hooked on!

The Town: Crimson, down south, USA
The residents: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Regular people, plus who knows what else
The epicenter: A bar named the White Stag

There’s a woman named Charlie and she’s got some very tough skin and she’s the bar owner. The bar’s cook is a werewolf. Her best friend is a vampire.
Oh, and she’s got a side hustle selling vampire blood to the needy to keep them off of opiods and for pain management

The first major scene gripped me and pulled me in tightly. This book has fantastic world building, believable fantastical creatures (sounds weird, I know, but trust me - they sound so realistic), intrigue, thrill, mystery, adventure, and my personal favorite: amateur detecting.

I loved this book and definitely recommend it to urban fantasy lovers!

Vampires, werewolves, demons, witches. What is there to NOT love? I enjoyed this so so much. The narrator was amazing. I loved Charley’s character! The narrators southern accent really sold it for me as well. Dog was such a great character, loved him!! Candy was AMAZING also. We love a stripper witch! I hope there’s more books to come!

Charley Underwood runs the White Stag bar in Crimson, Georgia. The town is small, but it's home to witches, a werewolf pack and vampires. Vampire blood is a hot commodity due to its ability to heal humans, so Charley has a profitable side venture selling it below street value to neighbors in a not-so-secret co-op. Various people are behaving in an odd manner and a New Yorker is opening a restaurant across the street from her bar. And if that wasn't bad enough, her usual vampire donor is out, leaving her to look elsewhere. It lands her right in the middle of a group of vampires hoping to take a substantial cut of her side business or kill her.

Billed as perfect for fans of Charlaine Harris, it certainly reminds me of the Sookie Stackhouse series. We have all the paranormal flavors of beings in this urban fantasy, as well as the illicit sales of vampire blood and the different species trying to live in something approaching harmony. There are signs of unrest, in that threatening letters are being left in mailboxes, vampires are harrassed by church going folk, and there's an entire underground that the local police aren't privy to. Charley has a network of friends of all kinds of folk, animals that show up and tend to hang around, and a tendency to speak before she thinks. On top of this, periods of adrenaline lead to telekinetic bursts of energy, so she might not be entirely human after all.

I enjoy Charley's voice, both in the word choices that the author uses as well as the Southern drawl that the narrator gives the audiobook. She deepens her voice for all the male characters, so they take on a generic sameness, but that doesn't detract from my enjoyment in the story. I started listening and the next thing I knew, hours went by. It's an engaging story, with Charley going from one disaster to the next, digging herself deeper into the underbelly of the supernatural world even when her shifter friends tell her to back off. She can't help it, as she takes it personally when friends are threatened or the townsfolk she cares for might be left without any affordable treatment for their woes. It's an understandable stance to take, even if it means she makes questionable decisions. The people that love her call her out on it, but she continues to try doing everything on her own.

As book one of a series, there are tantalizing hints of more secrets and possible answers that will no doubt come in future volumes. It's a fun start to an urban fantasy series, and will be a joy to follow if you like the supernatural creatures featured showing up in the everyday world.

Vampires, witches, wolves and strange demons...what more could a girl want. I always love a good vampire war and this promises to be the start of a good paranormal action series. Charley is a strong female lead, not prone to the typical immature drama and thoughts prevalent in most female characters. She runs her own business, doesn't take shit from anyone and doesn't back down from a fight. Samuel, the strange new vampire in town is still a mystery and I can't wait to get to know more about him. Sadly not much happened between them in this one but the chemistry sounds promising.

Special thanks to Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky Books, and the author for allowing me access to this audible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start with.. I had high hopes. The cover was very enticing and on that alone I decided to request early access. Unfortunately, at 40% I stopped the audio and DNF. I never do this because when I commit to a book, I like to finish no matter what; however, I found myself saying “huh” more than I was intrigued.

There were a lot of moving pieces and then not enough background for my brain to be able to process and keep track of what was going on.

Honestly, I love the book idea of a young, powerful witch owning a bar passed down from generations in an urban town. I love a good human/supernatural mix in books and it’s even better if there’s a mystery involved, but this didn’t hit the mark for me.

The characters were.. not very likable and instead of a badass witch, the main character, Charley came off very uneducated. Again, I really wanted to love this book but and I’m so grateful for the ARC but this one is not for me.

I really enjoyed this audio. Interesting start to a series. Charlie is a great character along with Candy, Dog, Patrick and the rest. I’m really curious about Tucker. And Samuel seems to be…well I need more. I’m definitely invested!

This book reminded me of true blood I absolutely loved it! I definitely cannot wait until the second book comes out. I was hooked from the very first moment that I started reading. I finished with a day. I love that she had her own power that she was coming into, and that she was pro-equality with her peers. I loved the banter. I loved the type of forces that she was coming up against. I just loved everything!.I am looking forward to seeing how her love life grow in the second book.