Caution

Blackwood After Dark

by Christina C. Jones

Find something safe to do..
(Caution is a paranormal novella)

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Novella, Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2023

Reviews

[Annette Williams]

Dun Dun Dunnnn! 🤯🤯🤯 And, the plot thickens. River, girl, you got some splain’ to do.

[Rashawnda]

The Blackwood Vampires are back but if you blink you’ll miss them…. No fr why was this story so damn short?! 😩 just when I was locked in, it ended!

We took a deeper dive in to Cassius’ quest for a mate and learned more of their history in the process. He had a pull towards Ambrosia so strong, there was no denying their connection and I enjoyed how their relationship blossomed.

This was a short two piece spicy that left me wanting more! Wesleigh brought the story to life like only she can and I’m sure I enjoyed it more thanks to her because had I read it instead…. Iono 🥴 I’m loving CCJs creative journey into the world of vampires and romance but this one was just ok for me.

[LaTosha Webber]

I’m writing this solely for my benefit.


I’m not liking this story/series as novellas. If she’s going to give us so little detail and information on the lore it might as well be released as a chapter series. The single pov and the lack of information, mean I have no attachment to the characters and I don’t understand the point of the story. I can’t even remember if the mate thing was talked about in book
1. I don’t like the way the brothers move at all. I might feel a little different if it was categorized as a dark romance because this was basically mating by coercion.

['The Book Queen']

The sensory overload ended with a twist

And I am sitting here waiting for the next chapter. The vampires were out this afternoon in Blackwood. Celeste came back to help her friend Ambrosia navigate like a bad A vampire slayer. Cassius was putty in her witchy/vampire hands. I guess Riv will get punched next. Another spooky, scary good read.

[*Ebony I*]

Bonded Safely

The Viggas are at it again.

This time we have the middle brother Cassius of the Black family bonding with Ambrosia in order to keep her safe. This one had potential, but it fell a little flat without questions being answered. It also missed out on the connection between the mcs. It just needed more.

[Sha Sha]

3.5⭐️

Now wait a minute now yall im so confused. I enjoyed this read but it just left me confused. Hmmmm … Anyway let me read the next book maybe I won’t be as confused by the end of that one.

[⌞giselle⌝]

Ambrosia is such a granny dessert name. you can’t tell me that Ambrosia & Cassius not somebody’s grandparents... the spice didn’t give imo, but on to the nexttt!

[Shon Shon]

This was quick and intense

[Danielle Marcia]

Umm Kinna creepy! Parris calling his brothers “viggas” had me cracking up!

[KC]

It was nice getting another peek into the Black Family. Some insightful history was given in Caution and we got introduced to another brother, Cassius, and his mate, Ambrosia. This one felt like it was building to something more.

[Lisette]

Short and spicy

This was an extremely short read that follows The Black family.
I'm really looking forward to the baby's story.
I'm loving CCJ's ability to write literally across all genres. And well!

[Stacie]

Absolutely loved it. Black vampires, yep, count me in. Also, this was actually creepy, but also hot! I want MORE! Happy reading!

[Pages With Pantina]

4.75 🌟 Ooooooh what a cliffhanger!!! I need to know more about River and Parris like yesterday! Well this only solidified my love for CCJ's writing and storytelling because I am invested heavily in this series now, already wishing it was longer... 😩 Black vampires are definitely something I need more of in my life and I never would've come to that newfound awareness if it wasn't for Mrs. Christina C. Jones!!!

I can definitely appreciate that this book in the series was more lore than spice and I'm not disappointed at all. I'm enjoying learning more about the Black brothers with their bonded mates/ladies and the world of Blackwood After Dark. We need more paranormal books based around Black MCs!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Or maybe I just need to do more deep diving to find them... Either way this was a fast-paced, entertaining, unique, (lightly) spicy read once again and I would definitely recommend giving it a read if anything I said intrigues you, because I promise 75 pages won't be enough.

[Ivy Deluca]

Quickish Review 3.25 stars

I liked this second entry into the series because it gives a little more info on the mythology, but the romance is a bit abrupt. But I’m into next cause I I’ve come this far.

[Shawn M.]

This is a really good set of short stories 💕💕

[Jaz Morgan]

Beautiful gowns

[hea booktubes]

Black vampires Black vampiring. Go them.

[Bunny]

"fingers and fangs, one pulling from me. One pushing into me". These "VIGGAS" had some explaining to do. And Celeste's friend Ambrosia got ALL the answers and some. If you read book #1, you know they were upset about not being able to have roses in their garden..lol! Book #2 breaks it allll the way down honey.

We meet Brosia ( celest friend) and Cassius aka "Cash" another one of the "Blacks" brothers. Unable to wait just a few more years before letting her know who she really was. Cash decides to step in and slowly introduce her to the lifestyle she was destined to be part of. (Yep, the are bonded). A very reluctant Ambrosia doesn't buy it at first. So, to get her to see WHO and just how powerful she is. Cash has to let sis fuck around and find out. He also unknowingly had the help of his little brother. "The menace" as I call him, Parris.

Sis, finds out she's "eonian" half ancient mythical being and half vampire. Once everything has finally been brought to light. She's reconnected with her friend Celeste. Whom before she fond all this out, was extremely distant and now she understands why. This book hints at their friend Riv possibly being a part of the prophecy.

This book series is sooo good! On to book #3!!!

[Debbie Green]

when does book 3 come out‼️

This paranormal book is full of suspense, romance, and strong characters. The Black brothers are confidently pursuing their partners, with a bit of a twist. Excited for the next book, especially to find out more about Parriss and what's up with Riv – is she in trouble or causing it? Looking forward to the next installment!

[Topeka]

Reading Ambrosia's story and another of the Black brothers was so enjoyable. I truly enjoyed getting more of the background story for her paranormal existence, as well as more information on the vampires. The development of their love story was unique and interesting. There were great descriptions of the characters and scenery in a short form (I even used the descriptions from book #1 and book #2 to create graphics for my digital book journal). This was another great read by this author!

[Ladi Kreyol]

Baby the way this novella series has me in a chokehold…we need book 3 cuz that ending! I have questions that need answers.

[daeshaaa]

Viggas take me out every single time 😭😭😭😭

[nosha]

Honestly just needed something short and quick with vampires after seeing sinners . Did what it needed to do …though I’m still in a semi slump 🫤

[Brisace]

Girl, CCJ did not disappoint. Caution was the perfect title

[Mybookscafe]

Not enough

Gimme more of this couple!!!! I enjoyed them together and the story . I love the protection he gave but also the freedom

[Ash Zayn]

Novella.

Cassius Blake (a vampire) and Ambrosia (an eonian)

Story -

1. We leave Celeste and Elias and move to Ambrosia

The second novella shifts the focus away from Celeste and Elias.

Our heroine is Ambrosia, Celeste’s close friend.

If you remember Curiosity, Ambrosia is one of the people in Celeste’s life who is completely outside the vampire world—or, at least, she thinks she is.

That turns out to be very, very wrong.

Ambrosia has actually been connected to the supernatural world all along.

She simply doesn’t know it yet.

And that’s where Cassius Black comes in.

Cassius is one of the Black brothers—the middle brother—and, just like Elias in the first book, he has a particular woman who has caught his supernatural attention.

That woman is Ambrosia.

⸻

🧛🏾‍♂️ 2. Cassius knows exactly who Ambrosia is

The dynamic between Cassius and Ambrosia is somewhat different from Elias and Celeste.

Cassius isn’t discovering his mate at the same time she is discovering the vampire world.

Cassius already knows that Ambrosia is his.

He feels an extremely powerful pull toward her.

Readers consistently describe the connection as a fated/bonded-mate relationship. Cassius is essentially drawn toward Ambrosia in a way that he cannot ignore.

And there’s an important reason he doesn’t immediately dump the entire supernatural truth on her.

Ambrosia isn’t simply a normal human.

There’s something unusual about her.

Cassius knows that she has a supernatural identity that Ambrosia herself doesn’t understand.

⸻

🌹 3. Remember the roses from Curiosity?

This is one of the details that becomes much more meaningful in Book 2.

In Curiosity, there are references to the Blacks having trouble with roses/gardens, which seems like a random little supernatural-world detail.

In Caution, we begin getting an explanation for why some of these seemingly strange things matter.

The Black family has a much longer supernatural history than Celeste initially realizes.

And Ambrosia is connected to that history in a way that makes her relationship with Cassius considerably more important than simply:

vampire falls for human woman.

She’s tied into the supernatural mythology itself.

This is one of the reasons readers describe Caution as being more lore-heavy than Curiosity.

⸻

🖤 4. Cassius begins introducing Ambrosia to the supernatural world

Ambrosia, understandably, does not immediately go:

“Oh okay, vampires are real. Cool.”

😂

She’s skeptical.

She’s confused.

And she’s reluctant to accept Cassius’s explanation of what is actually happening.

This is important because Cassius doesn’t simply expect her to accept everything blindly.

He gradually introduces her to the reality of the supernatural world.

One reader’s detailed spoiler review describes Cassius as deliberately slowly introducing Ambrosia to the lifestyle she was destined to be part of, while another describes her as initially reluctant to accept the existence of paranormal beings.

And Cassius is very matter-of-fact about everything.

He’s basically:

This is who I am. This is who you are. This is what’s happening.

Ambrosia:

?????

⸻

🩸 5. Ambrosia discovers that she’s not simply human

This is probably the biggest revelation of Caution.

Ambrosia eventually discovers that she is an Eonian.

That’s the term readers use when discussing the revelation in this book: she is part ancient/mythical supernatural being and part vampire.

So Ambrosia isn’t simply some ordinary human woman who gets bitten by Cassius, as Celeste was.

She’s something much more complicated.

That explains why Cassius is so interested in her and why her existence is significant to the supernatural world.

It also explains why Ambrosia has certain abilities/potential that she doesn’t understand.

⸻

⚡ 6. Cassius has to make her understand what she is

Ambrosia’s biggest problem is that knowing something intellectually isn’t the same thing as experiencing it.

Cassius can tell her:

You’re supernatural.

But she’s not necessarily going to believe him.

So eventually she has to experience enough of her own abilities—and the supernatural reality around her—to understand that Cassius isn’t making this up.

This is where the book gets into the idea that Ambrosia is much more powerful than she realizes.

One reader’s spoiler summary describes Cassius essentially letting Ambrosia “find out” just how powerful she actually is.

And that’s a pretty important distinction from Curiosity.

Celeste’s story was:

human woman → discovers vampires → gets turned.

Ambrosia’s is:

woman who thinks she’s human → discovers that she has ALWAYS been something supernatural.

⸻

❤️ 7. Cassius and Ambrosia’s bond

Of course, all of this supernatural revelation is happening while Cassius and Ambrosia are becoming increasingly attracted to each other.

The attraction is tied to their fated bond.

Cassius isn’t pursuing Ambrosia because he randomly finds her attractive.

There’s something almost instinctive pulling him toward her.

And Ambrosia eventually starts feeling that pull as well.

Their romance therefore becomes much less about:

“Should I date this strange vampire?”

and more about:

“Why does this man feel so familiar and why does my entire existence seem connected to him?”

A number of readers specifically describe Cassius’s pull toward Ambrosia as extraordinarily strong and unavoidable.

⸻

🩸 8. The “bonding” becomes real

Eventually Cassius and Ambrosia consummate their bond.

This is the main spicy/romantic payoff of the novella.

It’s not simply a random hookup.

Their physical relationship is connected to the supernatural bond between them.

That is why reviews refer to the story using the fated mates/bonded mates trope.

And importantly, Ambrosia isn’t turned into a vampire in the same way Celeste was.

She’s already something supernatural.

Her story is about discovering and accepting what she actually is, rather than being transformed into something completely new.

⸻

👭🏾 9. Celeste comes back into the story

This is one of the fun parts if you liked Curiosity.

Celeste returns.

And now Celeste is no longer the clueless human chef from Book 1.

She’s a vampire herself and understands the world Ambrosia is suddenly being thrown into.

So Celeste becomes someone Ambrosia can turn to while she’s trying to make sense of everything.

One reader specifically describes Celeste returning to help Ambrosia navigate her new supernatural reality.

There’s almost a nice reversal here:

Book 1:

Ambrosia is the normal friend watching Celeste disappear into a bizarre vampire world.

Book 2:

Celeste is now the vampire friend helping Ambrosia understand the bizarre vampire world.

😂

⸻

🧬 10. And then the mythology gets MUCH bigger

This is where Caution becomes important for the overall series.

Cassius explains more about the history of the Black vampires.

We learn that the Blacks aren’t simply immortal men who happen to drink blood.

Their history goes much deeper.

There are ancient supernatural beings, immortals, vampires, bonds between supernatural creatures and their lovers, and historical events that have shaped the Black family.

The book also begins introducing the idea that certain supernatural relationships and bloodlines are connected to larger prophecies.

Readers repeatedly mention that Book 2 provides significantly more mythology and history than Book 1.

And this is where Parris Black, the youngest/final brother, starts becoming VERY important.

⸻

👀 11. Parris is watching everything

Parris is another Black brother.

And, honestly, his personality is very different from Cassius.

He’s mischievous, provocative and considerably more impatient.

He also appears to know more than he lets on.

⸻

🌊 12. The River mystery

Remember how Book 1 made the supernatural world seem like this hidden vampire society?

By Book 2, we’re realizing that the world is far larger.

River is connected to this world in a way that isn’t fully explained yet.

she knows much more than she’s telling people.

This is why one of the most common reactions to Caution is basically:

“RIVER, GIRL, YOU GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO.”

😂

That reaction comes directly from readers who reached the ending and were left with questions about River.

⸻

🚨 13. The big twist/cliffhanger

And THIS is where Caution gets frustrating.

Because just when Ambrosia’s story starts making sense…

the book ends.

😭

Cassius and Ambrosia have established their bond.

Ambrosia has learned the truth about herself.

Celeste has returned to her side.

The supernatural history has become much clearer.

The Black brothers’ larger story is beginning to emerge.

And then suddenly we’re dealing with:

River.

Parris.

A prophecy.

A future bond.

And we’re basically left going:

WAIT. WHAT DOES RIVER HAVE TO DO WITH ALL OF THIS?

Readers repeatedly describe the ending as a cliffhanger and specifically mention wanting answers about River and Parris.

⸻

🖤 So where exactly does Ambrosia end up?

By the end:

Ambrosia accepts that the supernatural world is real.

She discovers that she isn’t an ordinary human.

She learns that she’s an Eonian, with both ancient supernatural and vampire heritage.

She discovers her connection to Cassius.

Cassius and Ambrosia become bonded/fated mates.

And she reconnects with Celeste, who is now part of the same supernatural world.

So unlike Celeste, who had to be turned to enter the vampire world, Ambrosia discovers that she already belonged to it.

That’s probably the single biggest distinction between the two books.

⸻

🧛🏾‍♂️ The Black brothers by the end of Book 2

At this point, you can basically map the series like this:

Elias Black + Celeste

Book 1 — Curiosity

Celeste is a human chef → meets Elias → discovers vampires → Elias claims/bonds with her → she becomes a vampire.

Cassius Black + Ambrosia

Book 2 — Caution

Ambrosia is Celeste’s friend → Cassius is drawn to her → she discovers she’s supernatural → learns she’s an Eonian → she and Cassius become bonded.

Parris Black + River

Book 3 — Clarity

This is the relationship that Book 2 is heavily teasing.

And Clarity confirms that Parris is the final Black brother seeking his fated mate, while River has been resisting the destiny connected to her family.

⸻

🩸 One VERY important thing about Caution

If you read Curiosity and thought:

“Okay, so Celeste gets turned into a vampire and that’s basically the whole mythology?”

No.

Caution reveals that Celeste’s situation is actually only the surface.

The supernatural world contains different kinds of beings, ancient bloodlines, Eonians, prophecies, fated/bonded mates and family histories that go back much further than the Black brothers themselves.

[Jahda]

It's great to see the Black Family again. With each new book, we get a deeper comprehension of this world's history and structure. It's interesting how CCJ tells stories while keeping us guessing.

[Imani]

Idkkkk coming from the first one…

[Fatimah]

This was an ok read for me! I got book 2 just so I could finish the series.

[Trinity]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶/5

TW - death of a parent (mentioned), blood

Tropes - paranormal, novella, erotica, fated mates

I jumped right into this after reading Curiosity and ate this one up to. Cassius (MMC) is very matter of fact about the situations in this book which I enjoyed. Naturally, it takes Ambrosia (FMC) abit to wrap her head around the existence of paranormal beings and what that means for her but they did defo make a cute pair

Parris Black, the final brother is obvs an asshole but I like his vibe. THE ENDING of this???? I feel edged lmao, I hope we get a third book 🤞🏾

Scale:
⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite
⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪

🫑 - no smut
🌶 - no point
🌶🌶 - mediocre at best
🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot
🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List