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Until Dawn: A Paranormal College Romance Novella

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Nadiya Popov is a quiet girl who yearns for a moment where she can just be herself. Being the daughter of a prominent businessman, she has learned to smile and nod, only speak when spoken to and be observant of her surroundings. Things lurk in the dark when you don’t pay attention, and unfortunately, she knows that better than anyone.

Ciro Murdock is used to the shadows. The dark of night is the only place he can truly be free. Vampirism wouldn’t be his first choice, but it’s a lot better than being a human. He enjoys the benefits using his gifts to rid the world of humans who abuse those around them. Until the day that his target leads him right to his sweet little melody.



111 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2025

9 people are currently reading
129 people want to read

About the author

Ophelia Reign

6 books62 followers

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5 stars
34 (53%)
4 stars
19 (29%)
3 stars
5 (7%)
2 stars
3 (4%)
1 star
3 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Grace Btrs.
377 reviews273 followers
July 28, 2025
Let’s get a couple of things straight.
This is a gorey, smutty, vampire, one-full-day novella. And yes, it delivers exactly that.

The world-building? Subtle but essential to the plot. It’s not heavy-handed, but it shapes the decisions the characters make. Because that’s what this is about: 24 hours where things shift, choices are made, futures are changed.

Does it feel fast? Yeah. Because it’s not here to hold your hand or drag you through everyone’s trauma backstory. It gives you just enough of what’s important for those choices to make sense. It’s the pique, not the full journey.

Not for everyone. You need to enjoy the tropes. You need to know what you’re signing up for. But if you do? If you do?
The bonus scenes? Unhinged. Gorey. Kinky. And I loved them.

🖤 The physical copy has two bonus scenes.
🖤 The ebook has one.
🩸 And yes, there are content warnings (for good reason) ~ especially for the bonus scenes.
🩸 Coming August 30th!
🦇 Order via KDP or Ophelia’s site

--
Pre-read:
Well that's one way to make me read a book:
Author's note:
- There will be a lot of creative liberty with this story so please note this is not based on anything besides my delusions.
- This story follows them for one day only, where all their decisions are made spontaneously and without much thought.
Profile Image for Cydney.
500 reviews40 followers
August 28, 2025
One thing about Ophelia Reign? She's going to give you a MMC who's so down bad, operating fully from the shadows, trying his hardest to serve and protect from a distance until he's able to make his intentions known. Ciro was no different, and dare I say he's my favorite of her MMCs I've read so far! The way he was ready to literally unalive people for a woman he'd only spoken to a handful of times really worked for me, idc. Nadiya is quite anxious and insecure, but I found her to be interesting and was always rooting for her to get her licks back on the people who'd done her wrong.

I do think there are some areas that needed to be tightened up, but I received this copy months ago, and it has since undergone more editing and tweaking.

This is a short novella so I won't keep going on and on, but I had fun! I feel like you can't go wrong with a super gory, super instalove-y, I-made-eye-contact-with-you-so-now-we-go-together vampire book.

4 ⭐️s
2 🌶️
🚨 Pub Date: 08/30/25
Profile Image for Dee | myliteraryera.
200 reviews30 followers
July 30, 2025
This is a book I didn’t know I needed! Woww
What drew me in? That beautiful cover art and those tropes. Also the fact that Ophelia marketed it as Bonnie Bennett gets her Enzo? Yes please!!

This was such a fun and super fast read! Everything you’d want in PNR romance with a tinge of that gothic atmospheric writing. I devoured it, and so happy to have come across it. I think I’m still reeling after finishing UYS, and this was the perfect ‘cleanser’ I was looking for. It has those dark elements, but is so funny at the same time! Also those extra chapters, holy heckk [don’t want to say too much] they were a perfect way to finish off the story imo ❤️‍🔥

It definitely scratched my itch- I loved it! 😌
If you’re looking for:
🩸 A short read
🩸Vamps/Humans/Witches
🩸Witty banter
🩸Fated Mates
🩸Found Family
🩸Forbidden
🩸Spicyyy
🩸Toucher her + byebye

[ ✩ 4.5 ]
[ 🌶️ 5 ]

Thank you for the gifted copy Ophelia! 🖤
Releasing 30th August!

Profile Image for Jeliza Torres.
344 reviews10 followers
December 31, 2025
(3.5) ***SPOILERS***
“I kissed her neck one last time then bit through her skin, beginning to kill the only person I’d loved in my entire existence. “ Nadiya was lied to and never quite fit in anywhere. Her friend deceived her and told her that every two hundred years, a daughter from her family is meant to be sacrificed and turned into a vampire to prevent a war between vampires and witches. This would come at a cost of losing her good memories, especially the ones she just made with Ciro. She went through with it and one touch helped regain her good memories and live out a long life with her soul tie. They’re definitely meant for each other! That ending was hot asf!
Profile Image for Lyndsey .
48 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2025
Great book, just wish that the end was stretched out more.
The end had a lot of details that I think deserved more time to be explained
Profile Image for Erika.
138 reviews26 followers
June 21, 2025
Oh I DEVOUREDDD this 🤌🏻
Ciro and Nadiya are chefs kiss; together and individually. I loved how the instalust was spun in this story, and an engaging plot line to boot! All in 100 pages? Take my money (I’ll 100% be buying a shelf trophy on release day).

This was my first book by Ophelia and it won’t be my last—the writing was so clean and smooth that I found myself unable to put the book down. I wasn’t taken out of the story at any point and it felt like I was reading a very well-polished author’s work at every turn. Stunning, no notes.

The spice and dialogue were both written in such a natural (and filthy 🙂‍↔️) way that I experienced zero cringe-factor. As a Virgo woman, lemme tell you how big of an achievement this is. I almost always go into a book expecting a few cringe moments because I get second-hand embarrassment like a mfer. Drop of a hat. So to get thru a whole novella without any of that? Iconic.

Thank you for an eARC of this gem. These are entirely my own, genuine thoughts and I loved being here. 🩷
Profile Image for Kaitlin.
108 reviews2 followers
August 3, 2025
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 3.5/5

This was such a fun read! It's been so long since I've read a vampire book and the teasers for this looked so good. Plus it's an Ophelia Reign book so obviously I had to read it lol.
This is such a short read, only 100 pages or so but it was so well paced and didn't feel like the story was missing anything.
Sometimes it can be hard to rate novellas since they are so short and can make it feel things don't make sense and have skipped over details. I think because all of the events happened in one day, it didn't feel rushed and had a good plot so the story flowed smoother.
The spicy scenes were well placed and more than I expected for a short novella, which is great.
I'm a sucker for the 'He falls first trope' so I loved that aspect of the story. I felt connected to the characters easily, even the side characters. Ciro made Nadiya feel safe and wanted and that’s all she ever wanted to feel.
There was even a twist a plot twist!
There are some triggers so check those before reading! (Mental triggers as well as visual) It's a book with vampires, so things are bound to get messy👀
Profile Image for Kayley Henderson.
Author 4 books7 followers
July 31, 2025
Did I have a good time with this novella? Yes. Were there quirks? Also, yes. I feel like a full length novel would have really done this one justice, but it still shined despite the rush. The love felt REALLY fast and rushed, especially given Nadiya's past. Despite the awkward pacing, the storyline was strong. Tension and emotions felt well balanced and the spice wasn't overwhelming.

I hope that there will eventually be more to this!
Profile Image for Joani.
57 reviews4 followers
July 15, 2025
This is an ARC review. I received a copy of this book from the author prior to its publication.
These are my own honest thoughts about the book.

I ate this up! Like could not put it down and read it in only a couple hours!
Until Dawn is immediately one of my top favorite Vampire books! The magic the author wove into this Novella with her words nearly has me begging for more. If you are a Vamp Girlie, you absolutely need this book in your life!

I could not get enough of Ciro and and Nadiya. Ciro is so wrong around all the right edges and we love him for it. His mysterious appearances in the beginning had my begging for more, only for the author to hear my pleas and quickly deliver a full course meal full of Ciro in this action packed Novella, when all I expected a snack and I ate it up!!!

This Novella left me wanting more of the world that was built so perfectly and introduced but I also appreciate and love that the world building was packed with lore and history so perfectly , paired with the plot twists and characters... all into one dark and delicious novella!

Speaking of characters.. the side characters... OMG! Gray is the best friend we all need and deserve in life. I love her and am so glad Nadiya has her in her life!

Profile Image for Jordan Claybourn.
64 reviews1 follower
June 15, 2025
This book was so unbelievably good. A human and a vampire? Vampires with good morals who feast on bad people? Sign me up! Nadiya and Ciro are so amazing and really are beautifully written. They're not stereotypical of a mixed woman or a vampire. They're very much their own characters and their own stories. The fact that they only get a night to be together is so amazing and romantic.

A bit about it: Nadiya is your average college student living with her best friend Grayce. She is heading to class one rainy day when she bumps into the most handsome man named Ciro who is surprisingly a vampire in town to kill bad people. What soon follows is a game of cat and mouse where both are obsessed with each other and things climax at a party where Nadiya takes what's hers. They only have Until Dawn to be together.

Tropes:
🩸witty vampire
🩸aftercare
🩸age gap
🩸she makes the first move
🩸obsession
🩸fated mates
🩸found family
Profile Image for BarbieTheeReader🎀🫦.
355 reviews19 followers
August 15, 2025
4.25 stars

“The smile was full and inviting. Time started to feel slower, my mind falling into a sense of ease instead of panic.”
“Say the words and I’ll do it for you.”

Thanks to the author for an E-ARC! This author will continue to always write vampires (okay any MMC actually, gotta include Giuseppe from To Be Saved) that yearn, have tunnel vision, protect, provide, and are down bad for their woman! This is such a quick fast paced novella, and I highly recommend it! This story is entertaining, action packed, with twists & turns, takes place in one day, bloody, spicy, and extremely hot! The world building is easy to understand and the descriptive writing to set the scene surrounding Nadiya’s timidness and Ciro’s dominance made the story mesh well with their characters. They complimented each other perfectly and I was invested from start to finish! Gosh this story is so intensely hot & Nadiya shy self truly had me SHOCKED in the bonus chapter… Get it girl!!
Profile Image for Nina.
121 reviews3 followers
September 9, 2025
A fast paced novella that’ll have you on the ropes—but in a good way.

Sincerely, thank you for the opportunity to ARC Read!

Until Dawn was a paranormal romance novella that follows the characters Nadiya and Ciro.

Nadiya was definitely a relatable character. A girl trying to gain her footing in life; grappling with anxiety, wanting more for herself, and more affects her decisions in life. She evolves in such a manner that feels so natural and complex.

Ciro was definitely an interesting character. A vampire with elements to his character that felt he was eluding even us readers. Creature of the shadow, and hunter of the night, he definitely lurked Nadiya’s presence and made sure she was well protected—and his.

The plot was fast paced in its development, but didn’t feel rushed. I was thoroughly enjoying the ebbs and flows of this story, and I can’t help but want more!
Profile Image for Dynisha Smith.
142 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2025
This was too short. Period. I needed more Nadiya and more Ciro and honestly I would take more Gray and Malcolm too. The feeling that I got from this one was that first vampire book feeling that I got from the House of Night series or Vampire academy. Kind of like the hope that while you may feel misunderstood right now there is some hot eternal out there that is a perfect match for you (SWOONING HARD).

So anyways if you have been missing that feeling or you just love vampires you need all 101 pages of this book. Nadiya is the personification of a Black woman who maybe doesn't fit the mainstream mold, but has so many great qualities and emotionally overcomes a lot in a short time. Ciro is Anthony Ramos sorry cannot convince me otherwise. Sweet and hot and forward and like he aint wasting NONE of his eternity. 10/10 recommend!
Profile Image for Bee.
260 reviews28 followers
July 20, 2025
An instalove vampire novella.
Nadiya is meek and mild. She hates confrontation and would rather spend her time alone or with her one friend Grey. I am always worried that people won’t like me, so I totally understood her standoffishness. Ciro is very confident, but he is a vampire so that tracks. I loved that he didn’t act like he was all knowing because of how long he has been alive and was surprised about his new feelings for Nadiya.
This story was short but sweet, setting up for more to be explained and elaborated on. We have the basis of a backstory with opportunity to grow. I like it and would be interested in reading the rest of the series. Who doesn’t love a vampire story?!
Profile Image for Marissa.
10 reviews2 followers
June 17, 2025
Thank you to Ophelia for the ARC!

I love this book. It was quick, it was suspenseful, and it was HOT.

Nadiya was extremely relatable as an FMC, and Ciro was definitely the vampire I dreamed of capturing me when I was like 19 and getting ready to watch the final Breaking Dawn in theaters.

The playlist at the beginning was also amazing and I’ll prob just listen to it in my free time LOL.

Anyway - if you’re looking for a quick steamy love story that will leave your hopeless romantic inner vampire obsessed teenager VERY satisfied, this is it!
Profile Image for Mariah.
27 reviews
July 8, 2025
I loved this story it took me a little while to finished I got into a reading slump but Chefs kisses !! It’s the good vampire for me 😩 this book was too quick for my liking I need more of them ! And more of Gray and Malcom ! Ciro is definitely the vampire of my dreams I need him to come stalk me 🥵 and the bathroom scene !?!? Omg it got me ! THE SPICEEEEE !!!! I love the friendship between Gray and Nadiya it was so sister like it filled my heart ! When Nadiya finally gave McKenzie what she was looking for I screamed ! Anyways this was a 4.5 for meeee ! I love it down 🩵🩵
Profile Image for Jasmine simplyjasmineblogs.
142 reviews5 followers
July 31, 2025
It is always an honor to receive an ARC so thank you to Ophelia for allowing the this opportunity. So Until Dawn is gory and sensual and Ciro deserves a full length novel. You’re rooting for Nadiya because there’s something about her that is special and when her and Ciro collide it’s juicy. I love this novella but I want to know more about these characters. I hope she turns this into a standalone because it’s so worth it.
Profile Image for Winnie Quick.
205 reviews3 followers
August 18, 2025
This book is WILD. Ophelia has some really fun delusions for sure. It’s chaotic, it’s bloody, it’s steamy, it has heart and utter disregard for humans. It’s real too; reading the triggers is a must for most people. But I was enthralled from start to finish.

I received a copy of this book directly from the author and this is my honest review. Something told me I was gonna love this book and I did. 4.75 stars. I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops until it’s released on August 30th.
Profile Image for Casey P.
57 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2025
This indie author can write a BANGER of a novella. 😮‍💨 I usually don’t enjoy novellas because they feel too rushed, but this one had me so immersed and had the perfect amount of everything. Nadiya & Ciro are just such lovable characters and this book left you wanting more (book two coming soon I’m hearing 👀). Plus, the bonus chapters had me SWEATING 🥵🌶️ also, if there’s one author that knows what she’s doing with putting mental health rep in her books- ITS OPHELIA. 👏🏼
Profile Image for Jaz.
86 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2025
This book was a verrrryyy SHORT read but it was pretty entertaining and enjoyable. I thought of it as a palette cleanser in a way? Like something to read when you just want to read something short and spicy and not get into a 5-6 books fantasy series. I really liked that eventhough it’s super fast paced it didn’t feel rushed at all.
Profile Image for Shelby.
152 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2025
Omg I ate this upppp. This was short but intense and left me hungry for more. I loved that this all took place in one night and that they only have until dawn to tell their story. I’m a fiend for this 🤌🏼🤌🏼
Profile Image for meaghan.
307 reviews14 followers
July 3, 2025
rating: 4
spice: 3

to say i’m obsessed is an understatement. i know this is a novella but it had sweet moments, funny moments, and the spice was spicing!! this definitely satisfied my vampire romance craving. 🙂‍↕️

- vampires
- blood 👀
- mention of witches
- a fun group scene 👀
Profile Image for Marissa Pekurny.
489 reviews9 followers
July 11, 2025
i am obsessed with ciro, the man had me wrapped around his finger from the moment we met him. nadiya was great as well and i could relate to her with a lot of the feelings she felt throughout the book. i loved how this story played out and i did not expect the twist that happened but was pleasantly surprised by it. absolutely loved this book and am grateful to have received a gifted copy from ophelia! highly recommend!!
Profile Image for Briana Almanza.
34 reviews2 followers
August 5, 2025
this was the cutest book i read in a day. Ciro and Nadiya need another book. Ciro is a brooding morally grey vampire and Nadiya is a shy timid college student. when their worlds meet its game over. this book is literally set in a day and what a wild 24 hours it is. five stars for me!
Profile Image for Ali (bookishalireads).
291 reviews8 followers
August 30, 2025
This was a quick and enjoyable read, filled with delightful moments and some spicy scenes that left me wanting more. I also appreciated the mental health reps. It has some twists to it which i enjoyed. I wish it was longer cause these two were something.

Profile Image for Amber Matatazzo.
50 reviews1 follower
September 16, 2025
I really enjoyed this! Ciro is such a green flag! He made Nadiya feel safe and loved. He would kill anyone that hurt her. It was nice to see Nadiya confidence build through out the story and see her become her true self! Ending was 10/10 and those bonus chapters?! 🥵
Profile Image for Azarra Lucas.
134 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2025
as a boston local, i loved this so much; it was such a fun and quick read. I loved the connection between Nadiya and Ciro and their interactions made them seem like a matchmade in heaven. I especially love their ending and want more!
Profile Image for Emma Birkey.
82 reviews5 followers
July 8, 2025
I just unfortunately really didn’t enjoy the book and the writing style. That is 100% on me though because I loved the premise and I’m sure most people will like it
Profile Image for RogueMarina.
164 reviews11 followers
August 9, 2025
I devoured this book in 1 sitting. I loved the pacing and the quick plot. Both main characters were easy to like. Another amazing story by Ophelia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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