If you love monster romances with darkness but not dark themes, and LOTS of smut. Pick this one up! This one was just unfortunately not for me, it felt like too much spice and not enough plot, but if the opposite is exactly what you are looking for then you might love this one. 2.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-ARC.

This was an interesting book I like the plot the drama just everything was very good hurt my feelings as some part but yes worth the read

Moonblood is for the romance lovers, specifically for the shifter romance lovers who want a cozy, content and warm love in between any wolfing out or shifter politics. I was surprised at how sweet and lovely Aleck and Selena’s relationship was, and how much of the book was thoroughly dedicated to it.

Their devotion and communication was so refreshing, and though their romance is certainly undeniable right from the start, it still feels earned, which in a book where we already go in knowing they’re mates, is very important to me.

Once again (emphasis) this is for people who love romance—and everything else is just extra.

So let’s talk about the romance: to put this into trope language: this is an intense fated mates, shifter, he falls first, strangers to lovers whirlwind between a devoted alpha and his smart, self-assured mate.

It is not quite insta-love, but it gets quite close. However, it fully makes sense why Aleck, who is fully in-tune with his wolf nature and has embraced both (all) sides of himself would give in to the mate bond and the immediate attraction between them first. Honestly, their entire relationship is so utterly wholesome. When the two of them are together on page I can practically see the hearts in their eyes and the saccharine, gooey mess of their feelings for each other. That’s not to say they don’t have disagreements, but they possess a miraculous and much-needed ability that I find many book pairings lack: the ability to communicate clearly about their boundaries, needs and wants.

I liked that the book lingers on tender scenes between the two—while there is never any doubt that they will fall in love, it does put in the effort to convince us that it’s real. (And when they do finally give in and devote themselves to each other, whew, it’s good.)

There is a shifter politics plot that starts this book off with a bang and is carried out through to the last pages, but it is definitely not the focus of Moonblood. I did appreciate the contrast between these chapters with the sweetness of Aleck and Sel’s dates and conversations, but we don’t really get to see much of it. Oftentimes, they feel more like status updates, so there is a lack of tension or danger, and thus, it didn’t interest me as much as the romance.

Overall, Moonblood was unexpected in how gentle it ended up being. For those who want a bit more tension, a bit more will-they-won’t-they, a bit more angst and drama in their relationships, this might not fulfill all those needs. But for those who enjoy fluff, it is really there in full force between two characters who are entirely likable with very few on-page flaws.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately the organization level of this book was not easy for me to comprehend. The chapters either flow into one another or the paragraphs jump. I could not get over the editing and overall layout of the book to allow myself to really enjoy the plot itself. The story follows the would be alpha wolf who is wrongfully accused of murder. The premise is there and I feel that with further tweaks this could be a popular book.

It just was personally not for me.

Review of Moonblood by Jade Ambrosia
I was really looking forward to picking up Moonblood, and it turned out to be a quick, engaging read. This fast-paced werewolf romance centers around the fated mates trope, following an Alpha on the verge of losing everything as he's exiled from his pack after the death of his father.
Aleck, the MMC and Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack, carried a strong presence throughout the book—as you'd expect from a pack leader. His emotional turmoil and unexpected connection with his mate added a compelling layer to the story. I enjoyed his protective, caring nature, and the emphasis on consent in the relationship was a refreshing and welcome element.
Selena, our FMC, is portrayed as fiercely independent, which made for an interesting dynamic. Her introduction—running her own store and refusing help even with simple tasks—sets the tone for her character. Her meeting with Aleck is intense and magical, sparking a connection that drives the rest of the story.
There’s a lot to appreciate here—particularly the unique aspects of the werewolf world and the rich pack dynamics, which stood out as fresh and imaginative. That said, there were a few areas where the story didn’t quite hit the mark for me. At times, the pacing felt rushed, and the shifts in point of view could be a bit unclear, which made it hard to stay grounded in the narrative.
I also struggled a bit with Selena’s characterization. Her emotional responses sometimes felt inconsistent, and I found it hard to connect with her as her reactions toward Aleck shifted quickly and without much buildup. One moment she seemed deeply drawn to him, and the next, she was pushing him away with seemingly little reason, despite already knowing and accepting that he was a werewolf.
Still, Aleck was a strong point for me—he truly felt like an Alpha, and his balance of strength, sweetness, and restraint worked well within the story’s focus on mutual respect and consent.
Overall, Moonblood was an enjoyable read with solid ideas and intriguing worldbuilding. With a bit more development and clarity in character arcs and pacing, I think this story has the potential to be something really special.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read Moonblood. I really enjoyed the premise and was intrigued by the story's potential. Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 40%. The frequent POV shifts and the ability to hear other characters’ thoughts while in a specific POV made the narrative feel inconsistent and hard to follow.

While I loved the premise of the story and the prologue really drew me in.
Unfortunately the rest of the novel fell abit short. The pacing and povs really felt rushed and drew me out of the story
The lack of depth in the characters and world building also made the novel feel rushed.

Thank you to net galley and victory editing for the arc

Book review ❤️🖤🐺~ ARC

Moonblood by Jade Ambrosia

Alpha Alecksander , wrongfully accused and cast out of his pack, is a classic morally gray hero—dominant, possessive, but tender beneath the surface. His exile sets the stage for a fated encounter with Selena , a grounded and self-assured woman whose quiet life is upended when she learns of her connection to a hidden world of shapeshifters and ancient powers.

Ambrosia wastes no time establishing a fast-paced, emotionally resonant plot that centers the romance. The chemistry between Aleck and Selena is undeniable, marked by mutual consent, intense attraction, and well-executed primal tension. This is not a slow burn; rather, *Moonblood* thrives on instant magnetism, steamy scenes, and emotionally charged moments. Readers who appreciate “he falls first” dynamics and the "you're mine" trope will find plenty to enjoy.

Selena and Aleck's story is also notable for its strong emphasis on communication and healthy relationship dynamics, even amid the heat of desire and supernatural danger. The novel embraces familiar tropes—mate bonds, fated mates, primal play, and dominant/submissive tension—but grounds them in a thoughtful exploration of choice, trust, and healing.

Ambrosia’s writing leans heavily into spice and sensuality, but does so without sacrificing character depth. Fans of character-focused romance will appreciate the emotional layers and the careful attention to both protagonists’ arcs. The author also sensitively includes content warnings for themes such as grief, foster care, and violence, ensuring an informed reading experience.



Recommended for:
Readers who enjoy steamy paranormal romance with a strong emotional core, lovers of werewolf lore, fans of fated mates and morally gray alphas, and those seeking fast-paced, high-heat romance with mythological undertones.



Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)


Thank you to netgalley and Jade Ambrosia for the opportunity 🙏 and I look forward to read the next book 🐺🖤❤️

A good romance, but needed at least one more editing pass.

The alpha of a pack is blamed for the murder of his father, the previous alpha, and therefore is banished. He vows to find the real murderers to get revenge for his father and clear his name in order to be able to return as alpha of the pack. Banished, he wanders to the outskirts of pack land and ends up in a town, there he finds the one person he never expected, his mate. He must now figure out how to gain his revenge without placing the one he cherishes most in harms way.

All of the romance aspects were very well written, it was a slow burn, kind of. There were clear descriptions of physical things happening between the MCs, but nothing crazy spicy, things got more heated the further you got in the book. It was definitely a slow burn relationship build with many cute dating moments that were great! The writing was very poetic with many overly descriptive instances, which also fell into making the character interactions a little cheesy, and unfortunately awkward in reading.

The biggest aspect that took me out of the story were the inconsistent POVs. At any point in time you could be reading the inner thoughts and impressions of any character in the current scenes. There was a lack of ‘show don’t tell’ aspect to the writing, where characters spelled out exactly what they were feeling.

The world building I also found was limited, along with the plot that had some holes that needed to be addressed. There was a very interesting world to explore, but much of it wasn’t addressed, we remained in the contemporary reality we know for most of the story. The magic was barely mentioned and there were no parameters set for the magic system, it would appear as a convenience or inconvenience with no reasoning behind why it couldn’t have been the other way around.

Overall a book with great potential, the romance was certainly romancing, but the paranormal aspect needs a little more refining.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this new shifter romance. I'm a big fan of werewolf stories so I was excited to dig into this.

The premise and TLDR of the book had me hooked.
- older adults ✅
- consent ✅
- insta love ✅
- touch her and you die energy ✅
- a badass FMC who doesn't need saving ✅✅✅

Although the premise reeled me in, the plot and the pacing of this first installment felt lacking for me. The story sets out to do two huge tasks: unify two mates (with one being newly minted to the supernatural world) and to overthrow the pack. While aspects of the relationship felt nice, with them having pretty good communication, multiple dates, consent being given even step of the way...the plot kind of suffered due to this. By 90% into the story, they become mates and then he's going to battle.

Also, her suddenly having some sort of powers at the end?! This honestly gave me Breaking Dawn vibes where Bella manifested some shield/barrier magic. Here she does the same in an instant. I'm assuming book 2 will focus on her side of the story and the wizards "she doesn't need protection" spiel was a red herring of sorts, but can't she just be a regular girl who's with a werewolf?

This was by no means a bad debut novel. Just as a lover of werewolf stories, I craved more background information, more lore of the magic system and honestly more insight of the inner workings of the pack. He gets exiled but can afford to hole up in a hotel for weeks. Then at the end, they go away on vacation in a jet?

This was still a quick read and I found myself chuckling at some moments and awing at others. I will for sure check out the second installment to learn more about our FMC's background and how she balances life as a Luna of a pack and a business owner.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read the Arc!

Moonblood follows the fallen alpha Aleck as he is exiled due to being accused of killing his father. As he is figuring out his plan to take the pack back, he runs into Human Selenca, who is more than meets the eye. With the need to reclaim what is his, he needs to sort out his heart as he has finally found his mate. Selena is thrust into a new world, bound by desire and love, but uncertainty is on the horizon. Will their bond be strong enough for them to make it through?

I would say my final rating is between 2.5-3 stars. I love it when authors really show their passion in a story. I am always a fan of reading debut authors to see their work come to life. It was a quick read, but very shallow. There is instalust, quick scenes, and not a whole lot of world building. While it was not the most exciting book to read, I was entertained, and it made for a quick palate cleanser. The character development is okay, Selena just kind of accepts what's going on, and Aleck is already full-send in this relationship. It was okay, and I don't think I will continue on with the series. But it brought my love for wolves back.

I wish nothing but the best to the author!

The premise of Moonblood sounded like something I would enjoy, but this was just not for me. A bit too fast paced and predictable for my liking.

thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing, and Jade Ambrosia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. and a big congrats to Jade Ambrosia for publishing her first novel! what an amazing feat to accomplish!

I will be giving this book a 3 star rating as I DNF'd about 7 chapters in but want to be fair to the potential of this book and the audience who this is meant for. This book jumps you right into it with no character build up or world setting. The relationship seems to be instant love for both of them. I'm a very plot focused reader and while I can see the outline of a plot to come, there was way too much of a focus on the relationship for me to enjoy. I skimmed further into the book to see if anything could captivate my attention enough to read further and I just feel like I am not the intended audience for this one. For those who really love romance-focused shifter books, this would be a great book to check out but it's not my personal preference and therefore I don't have much to say on it.

Again, thank you for the ARC and I would always recommend the audience to check out the book for themselves as we are all different readers who enjoy different things!

The premise of this book and the beautiful cover attracted my attention right away. I enjoy a good werewolf-fated mates story. I did see before I requested it that this was the author's first book - and I'll be honest that is something I could tell when reading it.

The book starts out fast and furious with Aleck finding his father's been murdered and he's being accused of the murder and cast out of the pack. Very shortly after that he meets his fated mate. We have no real character or world building at this point, which is fine! It's just a "woah, that happened fast" type feeling when reading. It's a very typical werewolf-fated mates story to me - no big surprises.

Congrats to the author on their first book. It will be interesting to see how they grow in their writing!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read! I know this is the authors first book so first off congrats! Personally I think it’s a very basic story of werewolf x human and fated mates. I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen. However if you are in the mood for a more predictable stable romance this would definitely fit the bill!

3.5⭐️


Sinopsis en español:

Falsamente acusado de un crimen que nunca cometería, Alpha Alecksander Hale es despojado de su título, su hogar y su legado. Con su paquete robado de él, y el verdadero traidor en el poder, promete descubrir la verdad y regresar a MoonShadow para reclamar lo que es legítimamente suyo.

Pero el exilio trae un giro inesperado: su compañero destinado. Dividido entre la abrumadora atracción de su vínculo y la pesada responsabilidad que aún se cierne sobre él, Aleck debe luchar no solo por la justicia, sino por la vida, y el amor, que nunca pensó que tendría.

La vida de Selena Claire es simple, segura y completamente ordinaria, hasta el día en que un extraño magnético entra en su tienda y destroza todo lo que creía saber. Afirma ser un hombre lobo... y su compañero de destino.

Empujeda en un mundo oculto de peligro sobrenatural y poder antiguo, Selena debe enfrentarse a una elección que podría redefinir toda su existencia. ¿Se aferrará a la vida tranquila que ha construido para sí misma, o arriesgará todo por un amor que se siente escrito en las estrellas?

Reseña:

Disfruté de la historia, no soy el público meta. La verdad esperaba algo un poco más maduro, pero resultó que el estilo de escritura esperaba juvenil (que no tiene nada de malo), pero como dije anteriormente hace que no sea el público meta. Mi yo más joven, lo habría amado.



Todavía no me aparece en Goodreads y Amazon para dejar la reseña, en cuanto estén, lo subiré.


Gracias NetGalley por el ARC.

Follows our werewolf MMC Alpha Alecksander “Aleck” Hale after he was framed for the death of his father and exiled from his pack, where he then finds a town and stumbles upon his human mate Selena “Sel” Claire. Aleck struggles between the pull of the mate bond and the need to find the traitor who framed him and take back his rightful place at the top of the pack. Sel is thrust into a world she never knew existed and must make a choice, cling to her quiet life, or risk it all for the mate bond.

It’s what’s on the tin. Exactly what you’d expect from a werewolf x human fantasy romance. Corny, cheesy one-liners, action scenes, predictable plot, and smutty. Had a blast reading it though. There is also random Latin in the book?? There was no real purpose for it. Made it feel kinda unnecessary. Pretty solid for what it is as long as you go into it knowing that it’s more focused on the romance part, everything else is kinda on the back burner.

Thank you Jade Ambrosia, Victory Editing, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Moonblood is beautifully descriptive. Jade Ambrosia really brings you into the world of Aleck and Selena by describing their surroundings in vivid detail.

Aleck is kicked out of as the alpha of his pack and stumbles upon our main FMC, Selena, in her store and instantly feels the mate bond. They are immediately drawn to each other because of it. Aleck treats Selena like a “goddess” as evidenced by his nickname for her. The story explores Aleck and Selena, how they navigate the mate bond, Aleck being a wolf, and the conflict within the pack, MoonShadow.
Selena has a really strong female friend in Cassie and I appreciate the representation of strong female friendships in books. Selena is a really strong and independent and has been through hardship and needs to take care of herself. Aleck is able to show her that she can rely on other people to take care of her.

I feel like the premise and the world is really exciting and has a lot of potential, but for me personally, I thought there was too much focus on their relationship and physical connection and not enough background on them as people and the pack dynamics. I personally needed more information on the mate bond, and how that draws two people together. They felt very fast in everything they did and I didn’t understand enough about why, besides it being the mate bond. There’s also mentions of different people in the pack but not a lot of explanation of who they really are to the story until towards the end. There was personally too much spice for me.

I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review Moonblood!

Thanks to Victory Editing, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

Alright, here we have a story about Aleck, the Alpha of the MoonShadow pack, who has been exiled after being wrongfully accused of murdering his father, the previous Alpha. We have Selena, a shop owner, good friend, and independent woman. They are mates, and set off on their journey of fated love, while Aleck works to clear his name and regain his leadership of his pack.

Overall, a setup and premise with a lot of potential from this debut author. I enjoyed Aleck's strength and surety, and I enjoyed that Selena was equally determined and strong willed and didn't put up with nonsense.

Stylistically, this was a little rough for a few reasons. I don't know if the random Latin worked here as a language that Aleck would randomly drop phrases of throughout the book, with minimal context or purpose for it. It's a bit pretentious and unnecessary. There's a steady use of italics for emphasis that gets irritating (and also confusing because it's also used for when the characters are talking to themselves and also for when the mates can mind speak), there's a scene where a character is running and every one or two words has a ... To show ... that ... the character ... (etc) is running and out of breath, and there's several choices to elongate words (things like "yesssssss"). It's not necessary and distracting, and makes the writing feel like a lot of lower tier fanfic I've read. There are also a few scattered typos still that I hope get sorted before publication.

Plot wise, I felt like this was two different stories for 2/3 of the book? Aleck is running around trying to to find allies and advance his investigation into who is behind his father's murder and his exile, one story. Aleck and Selena working through their relationship and mate status and dating, a separate story. The two lines took a while to intersect, and when it did, I'm not sure it improved the situation. They have some miscommunications and non communications that aren't super great. Selena has been told Aleck is a werewolf, he sort of dropped some fang then ate a lot of food to prove it, but hasn't really shown her more or talked about his particular situation and what's going on and what it all means. Selena has worked hard to be strong and independent, and we get the sense that she's had some not great relationships before, but I didn't get the sense that she shared that with Aleck. Later, she sees Aleck ... being a werewolf, and promptly panics because turns out, he's a werewolf (Girl.), largely it feels like to superficially create an act three bump in the relationship road. Aleck's investigation seemed pretty light, the building out of the pack hierarchy and world was glossed over, and the battle for his pack felt fairly cursory. (Also, his inspirational speech could have been better.)

I recognize this is the author's debut novel, and that's a great accomplishment and I wish them well as they continue on.