Blood Ties

by H.N. Duvall

Ivy is a bright criminology student, looking to turn a new leaf in Windsfield, IL. That doesn't come without its sacrifices, though. Windsfield was plagued with murders and disappearances for decades, leading Ivy to have an even more particular interest in the town. Soon she will find herself in a nightmare, watching her friends die around her and the killer infatuated with her. Will she live until the end?

Genres: Dark Romance, Novella, Romance

75 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2023

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very recently made the acquaintance of a newer author, H.N. Duvall. And a great big ol’ congratulations to her for getting her first book published! I’m incredibly excited for her! Duvall is very positive and considerate, which is, unfortunately, a rarity in the literary world. But it’s always refreshing to meet a colleague with such a solid level of integrity. Now fans of films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and other similar slashers will have a good time here. We followed an undergraduate, Ivy, as she moved into her dorm and met a new group of friends, some with sinister motives. However, this didn’t stop with the basic killer/final girl concept, as it expanded into a deeper lore with some interesting sexual dynamics and resolutions. I’m a big fan of seeing authors take tired old ideas and reinventing them, which this definitely did. It’s a quick read, which wasn’t a bad thing, but may have benefited from some additional padding, mostly around Ivy. There were certain plot points, ie her mother, the very quickly evolved and oddly-timed relationship with Billie, her past, etc that felt a bit underdeveloped, all of which needed some additional focus to make her character feel well-rounded. With all that being said, publishing your first book is always a bit of an experiment to see how the readers take to your style and content. And from there you fine-tune your skills over time, finding a particular balance and gradually improving with each subsequent project. Although this wasn’t perfect, can any of us claim that our original works are? Of course not. And if you do…you’re a liar…and a bad one, too. But this was a fun story, and I have full faith in H.N. Duvall’s abilities as a writer. I am eager to see what she comes up with next.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Ties is a short novella about a girl named Ivy. Ivy is headed off to college in a small town known for murders 🔪 and disappearances. She rooms with a girl named Sam, who grew up in Windsfield, so what could go wrong? As Ivy finds herself in the middle of a few sticky 🩸 situations, will she choose to help the killer, or help her new friends? 


I read Blood Ties in one day! It is a very fast read that keeps you on your toes. The chapters have different points of view which is always a favorite of mine! If you are looking for a fast-paced, mildly spicy, dark romance novella, this is definitely one to try! 


🚨 Please be sure to read the trigger warnings before picking up this book! 

[Laura Schofield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this little book was certainly a wild ride! If you're looking for a sexy, messed-up thriller that you can curl up with for a couple of hours, this might be right up your alley.

The story follows this girl Ivy who's a criminology student, because of course she is. She moves to this town with a dark history of murders and disappearances for decades. Obviously, bad things are just waiting to go down. Before you know it, Ivy's friends are getting offed left and right by some creepy masked killer who's utterly obsessed with her. Bondage, knife play, the works - this book really leans into all the twisted stuff.

I'll admit, I was totally hooked from the first few pages. The chapters all end on these insane cliffhangers that had me frantically flipping pages to see what happened next. The suspense and mystery of who the killer is and why they're targeting Ivy had me in its clutches. And the spicy scenes? Sheesh, they did not hold back on the erotica at all.

My biggest gripe is that I wish there was more time spent fleshing out the characters and their motivations beyond the surface level. I get that this is more of a sexy popcorn thriller, but I still wanted a bit more depth. And while the fast pacing definitely propelled the story forward, part of me wished they'd slowed down in parts to develop the plot further.

But overall, if you're looking for a quick hit of messed-up Halloween-style horror merged with erotica, this definitely delivers the goods. Just don't expect too much substance beyond the scares and smut. An enjoyably trashy and twisted way to spend a couple hours!

[Katie Ranney · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like masked men, murder, bondage and no one touches her troupes and are looking for a short read this is a quick great read for you.

The connection between the FMC Ivy and the MMC Joe is almost instantaneous. I loved the idea of a masked murderer loose on campus and for Ivy falling for him, however I felt like the story was rushed and I wished there was more character development not only with the main characters but with all the supporting characters as well. The rushed story left you wanting more than what was given. Overall I this was a great first book for Heather Duvall.

[Katie Boutwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Blurb✨

Criminology major, Ivy moves to the town Windsfield, IL hoping to dive into the dark history of murders and disappearances. What she doesn’t expect is for her curiosity to have her thrown right into the middle of the towns deepest, darkest secrets. Will the masked man reveal himself to her, or will she die along with her friends?

Trigger warnings include:
•masked men
•b0ndage
•C N C

✨Review✨

As a lover of all things dark, twisted, and mysterious, this book definitely kept me guessing. I feel like the story line could have definitely had more growth especially among characters and relationships but the spice was spot on! I would have loved to have had more character development and maybe a longer story line. But all in all, it was a nice quick read that was easy to pick up and not put down.

[Katie Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you like erotica, crazy plot lines, Ghost/masked men, some bondage then this book is for you!! It’s a short read that you could easily finish in an hour if you want a short story to hold your attention!

This was not for me, I prefer more plot/story development & I felt like the author progressed the story too fast. I loved the plot line, just wish there would have been more development included!

I was turning the pages, wanting to know what happened next. The ending of the chapters kept you wanting to know more! Even though I wish it was more flushed out, it was still an enjoyable read!

Trigger warnings might include: bondage, blind folding, masked men, knife play, cuts/blood (minor), unaliving people (not described in detail), mention of suicide

[Chase N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot: ⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️.5
Suspense/Thrill: ⭐️⭐️
Spice: ⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️

[Very mild spoilers included]

Debut books are always a mixed bag—you never know what you're going to get. While I respect the effort and courage it takes to write and publish a story, this one feels more like a rough draft than a finished product.

Let’s address the obvious: the massive walls of text, grammar and punctuation issues, and awkward formatting make this a really tough read. The pacing is all over the place too. At just 88 pages, it’s no surprise things felt rushed, but it’s more than that. The story doesn’t take the time to really develop its plot or characters. A good editor could’ve done wonders here.

The main character, Ivy, is supposed to be a bright criminology student, but her actions don’t back that up. She runs headfirst into danger repeatedly, makes questionable choices, and somehow ends up as the killer’s accomplice and love interest—all in less than five days. It’s hard to buy into her transformation, and the timeline doesn’t add up. The rest of the characters aren’t much better. Their reactions and decisions don’t feel realistic, especially considering they’re dealing with murder and betrayal.

Speaking of the murder mystery element—it’s not much of a mystery. The foreshadowing is way too obvious, and I figured out who the killers were almost immediately. For a suspense or horror story, that’s a problem. The ending was also pretty unsatisfying, leaving me feeling more frustrated than anything else.

Then there’s the romance subplot, which includes some light BDSM elements. The problem is, there’s no real trust or depth in the relationship to make it believable. It reads like, “I trust him because he hasn’t killed me yet, and he thinks I’m hot.” That’s not enough to make this dynamic work, and it honestly comes off as under-researched and cringy.

Overall, this novella just isn’t ready for prime time. It reads like a first draft that needed a lot more polishing before being published. There are some interesting ideas here, but they aren’t fully developed, and the execution just isn’t there yet.

To the author: Don’t give up. Writing and publishing a book is a huge accomplishment, even if it doesn’t land perfectly. Take this as a learning experience—get some feedback, work with an editor, and keep growing. You’ve got potential, but this story needed more time and effort to reach it.

[Jasmine Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay…. Wow. Such a short book with so much happening! I loved this plot of the obsession the killer had with the main girl, that was an interesting trope that I can definitely say I’d pick another book with that vibe. This is also a dual pov book so you do get to see inside our obsessive killer. Figuring out the killer was interesting too. But One could definitely read this all in a day for sure! It does have some dark scenes as I did but it from a Dark Romance stuff your kindle day, however the scenes weren’t as dark as a lot of Dark romance books tend to be! But just a heads up incase you check this book out!

[Fantasylover87 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Duvall’s Blood Ties is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read. Ivy, a criminology student, lands in the murder-plagued town of Windsfield and quickly finds herself ensnared in a deadly game with a masked killer who’s consumed with her. The book’s fast pace and cliffhangers kept me hooked, and the spicy elements definitely add to the thrill. While the characters could have been more fleshed out, the intense suspense and erotic twists made it a gripping, quick read. If you’re into dark, sexy thrillers, this novella is a wild ride you’ll definitely want to read.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was what it was lol

I think maybe I would’ve liked this to be a full novel so that we had time to grow with the lore of the land and everything that was happening. It’s a novella so it was always going to feel rushed, but this felt like it should’ve been a full novel. Giving us a lore and a back story but condensed into 85 pages seems so bleh lol. I would’ve just preferred no back story.

[Kelsey Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was dark, spicy, and fun. I kept trying to figure out who the Ghost was but I definitely didn’t get it until it was revealed. I loved the way the Ghost and the Prey ended up working together. The Ghost’s actions vis a vis the unalivings were entirely justified in my opinion but there’s definitely some dubc0n in this so be mindful of that. Really fun and quick read.

[Heather Duvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean.. obviously i’m a little biased here.