The Blue Rose

Fatal Florals #1

by K. Cardella, Casey Jones (editor), Shay Severson (illustrator)

Aster
What happens when your next victim awakens something in you that you never thought you had.... A heart. Do you ignore the urge to kill for a love you're not even sure of? Do you risk losing the first person who ever made you feel anything, just to take her life? When I first met her, I never planned on falling for her, let alone break all my rules for her. After all she was meant to be my little lamb

Serena
After my mom passed away five years ago, I became a shell of myself. Closing myself off to everyone and losing myself in my work. If it wasn't for my art, where I could escape and create, I don't think I'd be as okay as I am now. I was content with my life. It wasn't until he walked in that everything changed. He awoke something inside me that can never be put back to sleep.

This is a dark serial killer romance. It does end on a cliffhanger, and book 2 will have a HEA. For all the content warnings you can find them on my website, all my socials, and in the book itself. This is a work of fiction.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Ebooks, Romance, M F Romance

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[Linz_loves_books (Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERFECTION!
Is there a better word for what I read? Do you like dark romance? Do you like spicy and unhinged? Then I have the book for you but please check your TWs.

This book follows Serena, who is a plus-sized FMC, who happens to be a very closed off individual with a fascination of famous serial killers. Years after the death of her mother she escapes in her artwork and her job. In comes Aster, the son of two famous serial killers, who just happens to be one himself. However, he is smarter than his parents putting rules into place to make sure he never gets caught. But what happens when he sets his eyes on Serena and for her he will break every one of them?

Things to Expect
🩸Serial Unaliver MMC
🩸Plus-Sized FMC
🩸Spicy
🩸Twisted Romance
🩸Plot Twists
🩸Knife Play
🩸Fast-Paced

This book was everything! These characters, this spice….chef’s kiss! Aster can come tell me what to do any-day of the week. The plot is plotting, the twists are twisting, and the spice…ohhhh is it spicing! I absolutely recommend this book!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Stuff deffo could be improved on but like I ate it up

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this dark romance! The plot twist at the end I didn’t see coming. I will definitely have to read the second book to see how everything ends.

[Carrie Marie Gaylor 📚🐝💋 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review:
Oh. Em. Gee. This is seriously one of the best fall reads! Aster & Serena are the perfectly imperfect duo. The characters are described perfectly & make you feel all the feels! Also, I want a bar that has books! Where can I find one of those?! This book is very 🌶️ spicy. Whew! And um… chapter 24, WHAT?! Hellooooo plot twist!! I ended this book kicking my feet & screaming NO!! I didn’t want it to end! I am so grateful that I was entrusted to read this beautifully written masterpiece. Thank you Katelynn for sharing with me!

“The night at the haunted house when I saw a darkness hiding behind those blue eyes of hers, was when I knew she’d be mine forever.” — Aster

[Nour Hane · Rating 1 out of 5]

بطل أستر قاتل متسلسل وفي رائيكم يقتل ناس شريرة لا طبعا يقتل نسوان ممتلئة وبعد ما يقتلهم يرسم فوق جثتهم و يطعنهم في قلبهم و يحرق اصابيع أيدينهم عشان تبقى جثة مجهولة الهوية و يحط وردة زرقاء فوق الجثة
الحين كاتبه متوقعه مننا نحب الهايشة هذا؟؟ واذ لا قدر الله و حبيناه على ايش بضبط؟؟ لأنو مافيه شي يصلح وماعنده دافع للقتل او عقدة مثلا يبرر فيها قتله يقتل عشان يقتل وخلاص
نسيت قول اهله كانو قاتلين متسلسلين فهو ناتجهم يعني سايكو في جينات

نرجع للحمارة ثانيه بطلة سيرينا بهيمة بروماكس مهووسة ف قاتل متسلسل يقتل بنات شبهه (هي ممتلئة)
قتلت صديقتهاا لما كان عمرها 18 سنة و نسيت وصارت تتخيلها و تتكلم معها وهي مش موجودة مجنونة يعني
المهم كتاب كل شابتر سموت نزفت عيني احداث مش مبنية على قاعدة صح مجرد تركيب وخلاص ابطال مستفزين طرطقولي عرق في راسي عاملين دراما و حوارات من عدم مدري أصلا ليش كملت قرائته فضولي راح يودني في داهية.


P. S:
لي حاط خمس نجوم للرواية.. هذاو مشاريع قاتلة متسلسلين قيد الإنشاء 🌚يعني مستحيل واحد الله كرمه بعقل يحب كتاب زبالة هذا
حتى سموت كان كرينج و علاقة ابطال شهوة و عبث في عبث على اساس علاقة مقدرة ومن ذاك كلام وهنن مجرمين لازم يموتو في اسرع وقت لا ظمير ولا شكل يقرفون.

[Kate Ziedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC reader…. And I’m obsessed!! He’s a serial deleter…. She’s plus sized, gorgeous and spicy! He doesn’t know how to love, and she worms her way in against all odds. There are so many twists and turns that kept me glued to this book that kept me reading way past my bed time! This is a dark romance, touch her and die, horror vibes book. And it is smutty…. And I’m 100% here for it and can NOT wait for book 2. The only reason I gave this 4⭐️ instead of 5 is because the inner monologue and reintegrating was a bit repetitive at times, but honestly, it was not a huge deal and I love love love this book so much! I read the whole thing in less then 24 hours because I could not put it down! Everytime I decided I would “go to bed after this chapter”, something happened and I had to read one more chapter.
Plus, this book is perfect to read for spooky season! And not just because he’s a serial deleter….. there are other reasons it’s a perfect Halloween read 😏😜😋

[Selina Nagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well damn. slap me and call me sally! I'm obsessed with this book! I could not put it down the plot and the twist, my jaw dropped a couple of times. I kicked my feet, I laughed, I even had a tear in my eye!

Serial Killer
Curvy FMC
Blo0d play
Kn!fe Play
Breath Play
Halloween
Grief and Loss
CLIFHANGER!


Second read and still love this book!!

[Stephanie Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great psychological thriller with dark romance! Packed with secrets. Aster and Serena were destined to be together but in the most unethical and unhinged way.
Great writing, great flow and plot with lots of twists and turns. Can’t wait for book 2!

[Mandi White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Disturbing, VERY dark romance! The MMC is definitely morally black, but what a wild ride! I saw one of the plot twists coming, but then my jaw dropped for the rest of the twists and turns! If you’re into H.D. Carlton books, you would LOVE this!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, this is now on my top 3 favorite books, if I could give this more than 5 stars I would.
This book follows aster who is the son of 2 serial killers and grows up to also being a serial killer, he only targets plus size girlys and has certain rules to not get caught, one day he meets Serena who is a plus size girly and aster’s next victim and she’s also a painter who loves anything horror and is obsessed with the local serial killer *cough cough*.
Loved seeing Serena embrace her dark side, and how aster didn’t say anything after that plot twist we got, aster was struggling with breaking his rules for Serena it took him a while to understand but it was awesome seeing that process, we were living it with him.
This book is filled with mystery and has some plot twists as well as some spice 😏 I certainly cannot wait for book 2 to come out and continue this journey, it does end on a cliffhanger.

[Linette Cevallos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about a DARK romance! This did not disappoint. I ate this book up, and I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, and it makes me question my sanity. Although what I loved most is that the FMC was a big girl. I used to be a big girl, and it's nice being represented. Not every body looks like Barbie, and every body is unique and deserves love, so I loved that. I also loved how real it was in the MMC pov because he was exactly what I've seen serial killers in documentaries, making it that much more scary it felt so real. This book isn't for everyone. Please read the trigger warnings. But! If you like banter, morally Grey, zade meadows but more fucked up this book is for you. This book is spicy and is amazingly written. I read this an arc and this is my unbiased opinion. The author captivated me from chapter 1 in this book I can't wait to read more.

[Ally D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

A dark, twisted romance that hooks you from the start. Aster is a serial killer torn between his deadly urges and an unexpected obsession with Serena—a woman drowning in grief and searching for meaning. Their connection is dangerous, intense, and addictive.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s full of dark themes, steamy moments, and a cliffhanger that’ll leave you desperate for book two.

If you love morally grey men, possessive obsession, and taboo romance with emotional depth, this one’s for you.

[Cesaleigh Cupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know why serial killer romance works but it does.
This is my new favorite and I’ve read some others.
The spicy scenes are a lot to take in so read with caution to your mental health.
If you aren’t the type that can detach maybe skip this read. If you aren’t Squamish you’ll be fine.
The twists in this book just kept coming and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Aster and Serena.

[Mrs Moa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twisted serial killer romance

💙 dark romance.
🖤 serial killer romance.
💙 curvy girl
🖤 intended victim to lover
💙 touch her and die
🖤 banter
💙 nick names
🖤 plot twists
💙 slight paranormal element
🖤 horror
💙 cliff hanger

Please check your trigger warnings

[Azzure S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy ✔️
Unhinged ✔️✔️
Absolutely amazing ✔️✔️✔️
Please give this book a read, but make sure to check your triggers warnings.

[Brittiany Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It had everything you would want and more! Complete with twists and turns and that ending! Can't wait for the next one!

[christina.reads88 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting the ending. I’m excited to see where the story goes in the second book.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would say this book was garbage but at least garbage has substance.

I chose this book for book club and that's a big, embarrassing yikes for me.

I hated everything about this book. Serena and Aster are absolutely insufferable, there's no plot, and the 'twists' are so poorly introduced and foreshadowed all I could do was roll my eyes. I'll list all the reasons this book is worse than garbage for you:

First of all, the thing that I think pissed me off the most: Serena has been dreaming about Aster's kills. How? NO IDEA. It's not plausible and all they chalk it up to is "we were meant to be together." She has no knowledge of him being the Morbid Monet, they have no prior relationship, there is absolutely no believable reason she would be dreaming about his kills. How they make that connection? Serena shows him her collection of dark, private paintings, and he's like, "Hey I killed her!" It's just glossed over too; they never question it. Probably because between the two of them they share half a brain cell, tops.

Second of all, Serena is actually a killer. It's set up early on that her best friend Jessica is just a figment of her imagination. Turns out, she killed her in a fit of rage and forgot all about it. Oh, and she also killed her mom. Mercy killing, but still. Cardella easily could've had Serena dream about THOSE murders, since they're supposed to be repressed memories, but nope, she'll dream about some other killer's murders instead. It's also super poorly explained how Serena gets away with Jessica being imaginary. They go out, and people just pretend Jessica is there or that Serena is crazy, but hey, she's still hot! (Even if she can't see it because she's fat! That alone is a whole other rant.) Serena literally texts her, but oh it's from two apps on her own phone so she was texting herself this whole time without noticing! And let's not forget all the magical ubers Jessica is able to order while they're out bar hopping! It would have been so much more compelling if Serena had a mental illness; honestly, in the beginning I read Serena as bipolar or schizophrenic, but that wasn't the case. Probably for the best, there's absolutely no way Cardella would be able to handle mental health with respect, especially if the way she handles true crime is any indication.

Third, there isn't an actual plot to be found here. The whole book just revolves around Serena being angsty about Aster, and Aster lusting after either Serena or a new kill. As a couple, they are so wholly ridiculous. I don't think they ever actually have a real conversation aside from "I want to fuck you" and "you're mine." Aster actually ghosts Serena a minimum of two times and girlie just keeps going back. I thought there would be more about Aster's parents, or maybe some kind of internal struggle when Serena found out about him being a literal serial killer who originally targeted her but nope.

Fourth, the ending is the stupidest single thing I've read in a long time. Aster has a little sister that comes out of nowhere with a convenient little note from their mom about her birth, how she was secreted away, and the very obvious tidbit that she is ALSO a serial killer! It's poor set up for the second book, the plot of which I deduced to be about Aster and Serena trying to outsmart Aster's Mom, who has "put a hit out" on Serena, summoning "all the serial killers to the area," according to Aster's sister. Look, I know the statistics of serial killers but there's no underground clan of them all just hanging around trading information and waiting to be summoned. That's not how that works, even in fiction.

Fifth, the writing was abysmal. Not just the storytelling, but the actual mechanics. I've never seen a comma used wrong so many times in my life, and I'm a firm believer you can never have too many commas. Cardella will insert one in the middle, of a sentence (like that) which is so wrong it hurts. There's also run on and incomplete sentences. I can give a little grace to indie pubbed books when it comes to edits because I know firsthand that's a task, but it's so very clear that Cardella didn't even try to edit this book, herself or with help. There are indie authors out there who take their time to write AND edit their books, but this reads like Cardella just slapped a keyboard and uploaded the file to Amazon as fast as possible.

Needless to say, I will not be continuing this series.

[Heather Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg, talk about awesome! This story is about a female named Serena that is an artist trying to navigate her life after her mother died, dealing with the rocky relationship her and her dad have and the dating world, while having low self confidence about her body. She goes out one evening and meets a dreamy guy named Aster. Little does she know that Aster is a serial killer that stalks his victims by body type. You guessed it, Serena is just that person. Aster has a crazy history, since his parents were serial killers and he was groomed to carry on the family legacy. But this story takes a twist and these two end up falling in love while trying to hide secrets and then learning that they were meant for each other. Serena finds out that she has been in denial of killing her mother and her classmate and totally blocking it all out. When all this truth comes out, the two realize they are more alike than they thought. Towards the end you get another twist, after the couple does their first kill together. They find out that Aster has a long lost sister that plans to break up this new found love and kill Serena to get her out of the picture, but Aster vows that will not happen! This story is an amazing written dark romance that you will love!

[Mandy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some rules are meant to be broken. But not Aster's rules. If he wants to keep being the most notorious serial killer in Salem, he has to follow the rules. He is doing just fine until he meets Serena, his next victim. A dark haired, heavy set girl. Just like all the others. Except...Serena isn't like the others. He finds himself breaking ALL the rules for her. A dark, dark, SPICY, sexy read that will have your toes curling while you ask yourself WTF?! Secrets, darkness, nightmares and fantasies! Oh... and an ending that leaves you wondering what's coming next.

[Tiffany Hansell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woohoo this one was good and GORY!!!

I absolutely loved the plot of The Blue Rose, the characters were great and well thought out. I enjoyed how the FMC was not a complete push over when it came to the MMC bullshit antics.

&& that twist with mom and the best friend. Had me sitting there questioning EVERYTHING

If you like smut, gore and hilarious serial killers do yourself a favor and add this book to your TBR

[Ashley Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one more than I did, but it just didn’t fully hit for me. I struggled with Serena as the FMC and never really connected with her, and Aster didn’t come across as the dark, scary MMC I was expecting. The storyline itself was somewhat interesting, but the twist that was introduced felt a bit off and pulled me out rather than pulling me in.

I’m giving this a 3 because I can see why some readers enjoyed it, it just wasn’t for me overall.

[Tinaj Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sucked into this book by the very first paragraph and loved every minute! I need a book bar in my life! Serena is an artist with secrets. Aster is an entrepeneur with secrets. Together they are a perfect match. Make sure you clear your schedule before starting this one!

[Davia Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fox & Little Lamb

Whew! This book had me in lockdown from the first chapter.. the plot is so good and every mystery is answered. Leaves on a plot twist cliffhanger. It was an amazing ride.. waiting for book 2

[Kayden Protheroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorites s of 2024 I’m so happy to end my year with this one. I love Serena and Astor. I highly recommend recommend especially if you like Sas and almost borderline obsessed 😂 ❤️

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly no words to express how much I loved this book, the darkness,the twists 😍🙂‍↕️ omg ,it was everything,did not expect that ending and CANNOT wait to read the next book in the series! 💙🖤❤️‍🩹

[Katie Schmaltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. My favorite dark romance is serial killer love stories. And these two have become one of my favorite dark romance couple's. I couldn't put this down for the life of me. If I could I'd give it 6 stars out of 5. I highly recommend it

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a hidden Gem

This book was amazing! I can not believe it’s the authors debut novel! It’s so well written and thought out. So many twists and turns I did not see coming in already seething for book two!

Aster is morally black. So check your trigger warnings! He’s a serial unaliver in the true sense. He’s not offing bad guys or people that deserve it. He’s a true horror novel worthy unaliver. His touch her and die vibes are not vibes and I LOVE him for it. The girl who ends up being the love of his life was supposed to be another one of his victims. He’s sexy, wicked smart, stalky, strong and everything we love about our morally compromised book boyfriends. He doesn’t find his heart until he finds Serena. He goes from this ridged routine based life style into this world of chaos that Serena brings that he has trouble understanding and coming to terms with. She awakened all these newfound emotions, which makes him vulnerable in a way that we never really get to see in our troublesome male characters.


Serena is a sassy, strong-willed, crazy, fun, chaotic character. She has an obsession with serial unalivers and is connected to Aster in ways you would never expect. I can’t say too much about her without giving things away, but she is an awesome character and somebody that’s entirely relatable to.

The way they interconnected with each other is so cool and unique.

If you’re a fan of Trisha Wolfe, then you will definitely be a fan of K Cardella! The whole book was incredibly descriptive and immersing I was captivated from page one! I stumbled onto it through Amazon and I’ll tell you it’s well worth it. It is definitely a hidden gem!

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow!!! This book turned me every way but loose, especially with the all the twists and turns. I read this as an ARC reader and was not disappointed. This is a dark romance book with a curvy FMC and a perfect book for Halloween. The MMC is a serial unaliver. There are trigger warnings so be warned and the smut 🥵 I enjoyed every moment though out and can’t wait for book two!!! They have great chemistry and I love Serena’s sass. This is a beautifully written novel for a new indie author. Do yourself a favor and READ this.

[Thea™ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Dark Serial Unaliver romance.....
What's Unaliver? 😆 'Unalive' means to commit suicide. This is typically used on platforms with algorithms that censor words related to suicide, self-harm, and other severe mental health topics.

My rating: 4.5 stars. 🩸🔪💀🪓🔥⚒️🩶
Almost until the end, this was a solid 5 star read for me. 😍
When Serena takes someone to Aster's 'shed' and the evil sister appears.... then, for me, the story got out of control... flew off the rails! 😕 So much so, that I even wonder whether I want to continue with the second book in this duet?? 🤔
K. Cardella was a new-2-me-author and I'm definitely intrigued! 😆