Blood & Flowers

Hands Ready to Bleed #1

by Mars Adler

Two scions of warring vampire families must put aside their bad blood to unravel the disturbing mystery of a cursed house.

Elio Kane is desperate to escape his father’s controlling, brutal hold. His plans never included pretty, vicious Valerian D’Arcy, but fate brings them together when their fathers order them to investigate the crumbling, abandoned D’Arcy family home.

Twelve months of undoing various traps and curses have taken their toll on the already tenuous truce between the Kane and D’Arcy families, but Elio just has to hold it together for one more night, where he and Valerian will enter the D’Arcy home to defeat whatever waits inside.

After a decade of mutual animosity, Elio and Valerian are more than hesitant to set aside their differences. But as they navigate the labyrinthine, malevolent halls of a house much different than the D’Arcy family left twenty years ago, they find they have no choice.

The house plunges them into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, toying with their emotions and sense of reality, and revealing deep, festering wounds that plague both families. Anger and lust fly and the lines between them blur as Elio discovers that the man he hates is far more complex than he lets on.

If they survive, will Elio’s relationship with Valerian ever be the same?

Blood & Flowers is a dark, enemies to lovers M/M horror romance novella. It is intended for readers over the age of 18 and includes themes that may be disturbing. The author encourages you to read the content warnings before purchasing. They can be found in the back of the book, as well as on mars’ website. Blood & Flowers is the first in a series and ends in a HFN. This version includes the extra short The God of Bruised Knuckles. This is an expanded and edited version of the original 2023 release.

Winner of the 2023 Queer Indie Awards ‘Best Sophomore Novel’ award.

Genres: Horror, Queer, Fantasy, Vampires, Novella, Transgender, LGBT

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 11, 2025

About the author

mars adler is a queer and trans author in their mid-twenties. they currently reside on the side of a mountain in Colorado with their dog, and unfortunately hold a corporeal form. they write speculative fiction with a focus on things that terrify them (absolutely everything), and morally grey queer characters. when not writing, they can be found painting, making tea, and trying to become part of the forest on hikes.

Reviews

[Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banter? Vampires? A haunted house? Literally what else could I ask for?

[Smutty Sully]

20 Sept – on sale for $1.99 on Amazon!

On sale for $2 through 31 July!

mars adler is one of many queer authors and artists that itch.io fucked over by removing their work. Queer indie artists have lost their income from itch, their books have gotten yanked, books people have purchased have been deleted from the purchaser's dashboard (means you can't download what you bought), all because an Australian anti-porn extremist group (Collective Shout) got MasterCard and Visa to cater to their moral panic.

Now is a great time to support indie authors by buying from them directly and to give your middle finger to censorship.





My tags and CWs may contain spoilers, don't read below this line if you want to avoid that.




Tags: Dark horror romance novella, warring vampire families, trans witch/vampire pairing, trans author, sex pollen, fuck or die, generational trauma, blood drinking induced orgasms, sentient haunted house, enemies-to-enemies-who-fuck-to-...?, HFN

MC Names: Elio & Valerian

[on storygraph (macclown) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fully, completely, wholly DELICIOUS.

'Blood & Flowers' follows Elio and Valerian as they try to solve the mysteries of the D'Arcy ancestral home. For many years their families have been rivals and they aren't exactly on best terms either, but as they face the horrors of the house they discover different sides to each other, and find they're not so different after all.

Full of fear, anger, and a big ol' pile of sex pollen, this novella had me GRIPPED. Beautifully written, sexy as hell, and with a mysterious plot to keep you going. I'm in love!!!

Now I'll openly admit I'm not usually a big fan of vampire stories, but after reading 'First Creation' from mars adler I knew I HAD to grab this, and oh my god it did not disappoint. These two will now live forever in my head. I will think about them all the time. Please read this, I need everyone to read this.

[lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading this at the height of my astarion obsession was the right choice omfg

[Melinda | mello_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires, a sentient angry haunted house, curses, tragic backstories, BANTER. All the best things. I loved this so much. Mars has quickly become a favorite and auto-buy author for me. It was weird, angsty, and sexy, which are my three favorite qualities of a book. Also this deserves an entire extra star for the entire sex pollen/sex marathon in front of ancestral portraits chapter because it *chefs kiss*

[Natalie Sypeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Oh look, Natalie's mood reading again, as if she doesn't have a TBR she was supposed to get through this month. Its not my fault! A friend said the book was free right now so I grabbed it, then I realized it was exactly what I was in the mood for, so I did the only reasonable thing a reader can do in this situation...I read it!

Now THIS is what I call a haunted house story! We had walls of portraits whose eyes followed you, doors that lead to places they shouldn't lead, hallways that went on and on and one, and of course an evil presence, ever watchful. This book had me stressed out, but at the same time, it was so much fun! I love a hunted house born out of trauma and that's exactly what we get with this house. It's very haunting of Bly manor, watched over by the Lady of the Lake. This book is for those who love to watch a character revisit a traumatic childhood, to peak behind the curtain of the rich powerful family to see what secrets fester behind the gilded exterior. Mars's writing is perfect for these haunting and erotic stories. If you want a true enemies to lovers, you'll get it here. Even by the end of the story you're like "so...do you guys like each other now???" The obsession Elio feels for Valerian, that he keeps trying to convince himself is only hate, is addictive to witness. While the whole story is from Elio's POV, I'm glad that the epilogue is from Valerians POV. The smut scenes were well done and well spaced out, so despite being considered an erotic horror, it wasn't too spice heavy, making the story feel well balanced. The story was full of intense emotions and I didn't want to take my eyes away from what was happening, especially during that climatic ending. Eager to see where this story goes. In my opinion these two need to kill their fathers so hopefully that happens in book two lol.

Elio is trans, its not out right mentioned, but you can tell when his anatomy is described during the smut scenes. Him being trans wasn't a big deal, it was treated the same as if he was cis and honestly I enjoyed that aspect. While I read many books where one's transness is a big part of the story, just seeing it as so normal it's not even worth mentioning is a bit refreshing. Transness needs to be viewed as normal as cis-ness (is that a word???) and books like this will help with that!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! When working through your trauma in a haunted house gets emotionally complicated and also sexy

Rivals to ??? and warring vampire sects a la In Fair Verona Where We Lay Our Scene, because a cursed house is trying to kill them but brb while I cry over the brutal backstories. Adler is a pro at entwining gorgeous prose, bloody action and scintillating erotica into a haunted house which genuinely made me feel tense. And bonus sex pollen??? Your brain, Adler. I love it.

Elio and Valerian are peak knives-out ‘don’t Perceive me in anyway but I’m so viciously hungry to be known’ sort of romance. The first step of recovery is being aware of your anger issues, right? And for them, sword parrying every discussion away from real feelings and striking out at each other is just foreplay, anyway.

A taut tale of trauma and healing, of battling through no man’s land to the person who understands you most even if you hate them for it.

[Aura (Sidney Ellwood's protection squad) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SUCH a fun read. It flowed seamlessly. It was gripping. It’s perfect to finish in one sitting. I loved the relationship dynamics between Elio and Valerian, and how their personalities were distinct from each other (which isn’t always the case in novellas since it’s such a short format!). I also enjoyed just being directly thrown into it, made to grapple with years of history between them in an instant. There’s just something about the way Mars writes magic which reminds me of the wonder & awe of staying up late reading r/nosleep stories (there were some beautifully written ones we all know what I’m talking about) that I just adore. I love a sentient house, I love magic, I love vampires. All the right elements were present…Mars, you’ve done it again 🌟

[Mars Adler]

CWs for Blood & Flowers:
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.
.
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- dubcon
- sex pollen (fuck or die)
- generational trauma
- past child abuse including (but not limited to): a) non-con body modifications on a child and b) scientific experimentation on a child (discussions of fertility related to that, pregnancy NOT mentioned)
- matricide
- blood and gore
- ritualistic self-harm
- ritualistic blood drinking
- blood drinking during sex
- knife play (with blood drawn)
- choking
- trans man using ‘cunt, clit’ etc. to describe his genitals

[Revy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read featuring a spooky house and a duo of will-they-or-wont-they dudes.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting haunted house story. Love the prose and the complicated relationship between Elio and Valerian. The horror is relatively mild, though definitely check the author's content warnings.

The romance was shockingly sweet for such an unhinged couple.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so damn good. I mean, it's from Mars Adler so I already knew I was going to love it, BUT I DIDN'T EXPECT TO LOVE IT SO MUCH.

It has vampires, magic, a trans mc, an enemies to enemies that fuck to kind of lovers. What more can you ask? literally perfect

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers (and I’m talking ‘I want to stab you’ enemies) Trans Man-led creepy erotic horror…. What’s not to love? -- For fans of Exodus 20:3 and Lord of Eternal Night

Blood & Flowers by Mars Adler is an Adult Paranormal-Gothic Erotic Horror Novella about two men – one Trans and one cis – from warring vampire families who are dependent on one another and must navigate one of their ancestral homes to rid it of an old curse. You guessed it, Trans Achillean Romeo and Juliet with Vampires, baby!

Representation: Gay Trans Man MC, Achillean Love Interest

Content Warnings: dubcon, sex pollen, generational trauma, past child abuse, non-con body modifications (mentioned), scientific experimentation (mentioned), discussions of fertility (but not pregnancy), matricide, blood, ritualistic self-harm, blood drinking (including during sex), knife play (including blood drawn), choking, language that some may find uncomfortable i.e trans man referring to his genitals as ‘cunt’ and ‘clit’

I read this story in a single sitting which is a real testament to the gorgeous and decadent writing style. I really didn’t want to put this down and found myself falling into the immersive and deliciously creepy world. This book has the kind of setting where you creep around corners and do double-takes over your shoulder, it’s got an edge to it that I really love.

The Vampiric twist on Romeo and Juliet doesn’t feel contrived or forced, as some retellings of R&J can, but merely uses elements of the core story to boost plot along or bypass clunky world-building that would otherwise eat up the small word count. I think this was a great choice as it feeds off of the reader’s familiarity with other stories in order to build this one.

The Trans Achillean sex was really well written, and felt more intimate than a great number of other Queer sex scenes/ stories that I’ve read. The quickly established enemy dynamic between Elio and Valerian drips with tension so that every touch between them, no matter how inconsequential, feels like fireworks.

I’d highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a sexy and spooky time, a wonderful enemies to lovers fix or a story about a Trans half-witch, half-Vampire and a Queer Vampire.

[Ris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“He wants to press until Valerian gives, and Elio understands why being around him feels like orbiting a black hole; inevitable. We’re made of the same stuff; it’s like coming home.”

The gothic vibes this book brought have me reeling! If you’re looking for a fast paced, unnerving spicy story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further.

The D’Arcy family home has been cursed for the last twenty years. No one has been able to step foot in it due to the oppressive magic that seeps out of every corner into the air. Unfortunately for the D’Arcys, the home they moved to puts them in daily contact with their rivals the Kanes. After years of a tense, bloody rivalry, they make a truce: Elio Kane, a powerful half-vampire half-witch, will assist Valerian D’Arcy, a born vampire, in unraveling the curse on the ancestral home. Elio’s in it for intel; Valerian’s there for his family’s sake. As they complete the final ritual to gain access to the house, they find out the house isn’t just cursed; it’s alive. As it corrals and punishes Elio and Valerian for trespassing, the tension between them comes to a boiling point.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in one entire sitting and could not put it down. I loved the different viewpoints we got from Elio and Valerian’s perspective and specifically how they both thought about obsession. It’s like Mars Adler can pull the deepest darkest thoughts of wanting to be wanted and twist it in a way that makes you ache to read it. The atmosphere of the haunted house itself was incredible too. I could picture every twisted hallway, cursed room, dangerous doorknobs. I can not recommend this book enough!

🩸LGBTQ+ main characters
🩸Vampires & Witches
🩸Haunted house
🩸Sex Pollen (the ao3 folks knowww this one)
🩸Enemies to lovers
🩸Spicy

“Elio doesn’t want to run; not anymore. He wants to pull him closer, to cut his knuckles on Valerian’s sharp teeth, to watch his eyes light up when Elio says something especially mean. He wants to slice him open and see how dark his heart is, to squeeze the un-beating flesh of it between his palms and see if he can find something familiar.”

As always, please read the trigger warnings for this book before picking it up.

[Finding Sky Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things I Loved:
- Queer romance, Trans witch MMC and vampire MMC
- Enemies to enemies fu*king to ..... Lovers
- Amazing gothic atmosphere and haunting descriptions
- Endless secrets and mystery from warring family
- Sex pollen, knife play, so much angst, biting, marking yumminess


Spice: 🌶🌶️🌶️
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Review:
Have I just become an immediately massive huge fan of Mars, yes, yes I have. The way they write is fucking superb, the writing was so immersive and descriptive that it truly made it feels like the pages, the story, the fucking house were all coming alive. The details were so haunting, the atmosphere was captured so well. The characters were written with such care and detail and were so complex and different and they just worked so well together. I loved and looked forward to every single interaction between them and was hanging on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next. I loved how much complex family trauma and history mars was able to include in such a short book and how they were able to work that into the mystery and the fact that none of it ever felt like it lacked any details. I loved the way the story unfolded and all of the details of what happened within the house (INCLUDING THE SEX POLLEN YES, amongst the uh, other very fun things included during the explicit scenes 🔥🩸🔪) big big fan of all of it. I loved the extended holiday section of this and fucking hell these too made me lose it. So much tension between them and I was so ready to yell at them to lose it already. LOVED THE END. LOVED. no notes. I just genuinely loved the whole book start to finish. Great queer gothic vampire horror with enemies to ?lovers? romance with an awesome trans MC a cool as a shit vampire MC, messed up family vampire war, sentient house, so many witty come backs and oh my goodness *darling* it was everything. Highly recommend.

✨️

[Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two vampire families are working together despite their feud in order to stop the curse on the D’arcy house. Elio, a witch from the Kane family, and Valerian, the youngest and least liked son of the D’arcy family, have to face their fears and their hatred of each other to enter the house and remove it. And then there is blood drinking and hot vampire sex and freaky flowers and horror and yes! Check full list of CWs before attempting, but I am saying I highly fucking reccommend it.

This book has been sitting in my library for a while and someone pls tell me why, cause I ate up First Creation so hard I really should have known that this would also really get me. Mars adler is soo soooo good at writing these contained yet highly developed novellas… I never felt like I was being just thrown lore and backstory but it still seems very deep and well constructed- you really get an awesome sense of who these characters are and why, and you begin to really feel for them.

No seriously, Valerian D’arcy I would kill for you. Not that he needs me to, but I would do it anyway… HE IS SOOOOOO. Exactly my type of character, I love a man who covers the trauma up with smooth suave humor and flirtation. And Elio I would also like to wrap up in a blanket and tell him he is valuable and perfect. ANYWAY.

BUY THIS BOOK and then go spend a couple hours reading it, so fucking worth it, a thousand out of ten, I wish I could pay mars adler a million dollars a year like I am some sort of rich italian merchant patron.

[Lysander Arden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! Elio and Valerian are perfect together. This is exactly what I hope for in an enemies to lovers story. I love how their relationship progresses from beginning to end. The final scene is perfect and left me wanting more of them.

As far as the plot goes, it takes a while to figure out exactly what is going on. I was confused at a few points in the beginning and at times it was hard to picture the "haunted" house, since it was so bizarre. But I much prefer some mystery and ambiguity over info-dumping. I loved the writing—whether erotic or horrific, all scenes are beautifully written.

If you're looking for enemies to lovers, trans M characters, or beautiful prose, I highly recommend Blood & Flowers.

[Syd Linders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this like Fail-son v Fail-son meetup, sort of a reverse Theseus if that makes sense? Like, we did not send our best and we don't care. I really liked the Haunted House in this as well, reminds me of the Haunting of Hill House by ol' Shirl Jackson, complete with disaster gays. I also love vampires and when vampires drink blood during sex, 10/10. I also love that Elio is heavily implied to be a trans man, but it doesn't seem to be part of the reason his dad hates him so much, (or even part of his like failed vampire-transformation), it just is a thing that one could read into, or not. I loved the little end story, I need more from these two.

how the fuck do you say "Elio"? El-ee-o? Eli-o? I'm going to bed, night

[Alice Lorentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I heard the premise of this book, I knew I wanted to sink my teeth into it immediately (vampire pun intended) and I was right. This book is basically everything you could want from a vampire horror novel. Nuanced and compelling characters, fascinating worldbuilding, and deep, deep emotions, all entangled around one very haunted house. All this combined, along with the artfully written sexual elements, creates one brilliant book you'll never want to stop reading.

[Theo Zukowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read involving a pair of feuding vampiric families and a haunted house. I loved the worldbuilding in this, and the glimpses of a larger universe around the plot. Elio gave a great POV and the depth of Valerian's characterization was wonderful. Also, the sex pollen subplot was amazingly hot.

[Jake Vanguard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elio and Valerian are bratty babies, and need to be protected.
Loved everything about this! The cursed house, family dynamics, family secrets unravelled, and of course the boys' banter (and their bonding)

[Shrike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elio and Valerian are two hot messes trapped in a haunted house with something to prove. I kept wanting to step back and read about the events that led them to this point. Maybe the real situationship was the childhood trauma they found along the way.

[v0id_93 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS.

5 FREAKING STARS THIS WAS SO GOOD.

[synzz]

not for me :')

[clarissa. · Rating 4 out of 5]

a haunted house and sex pollen. what a pair they make.

[U.R. Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a short "a little here and there" type of read.
Instead it consumed me to the point where one page somehow turned into hours and suddenly it was over.

I highly recommend!

[Kienn Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

feuding vampire families, magic, enemies to lovers, also freaky- excellent writing as usual!

[c · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful hot and scary. obsessed.

[Riz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mars never ever dissappoints. I love all their work <3