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Blood Ties

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It’s been 60 years since the walls went up and New Orleans fell.

In the shadowed heart of Ville de Sang, where the living and the dead share the streets, Elina Girard has always walked between the sun and the moon- until the night she crosses paths with Sebastien Malvani, a vampire prince with a past steeped in the very blood of the city. Everything starts to unravel and Elina has one important question to ask herself- is he worth becoming the villain?

Drawn into a world of ancient rivalries, seductive danger, and power games she doesn’t understand, Elina finds herself at the center of something far larger than she imagined. The role she has to play is shrouded in mystery, a mystery she doesn’t want to solve. And at the heart of it all is a connection that defies logic…and threatens to consume her.

In Ville de Sang, love is lethal. And some ties are written in blood.

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2025

8 people are currently reading
62 people want to read

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Fox Kelly

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5 stars
21 (46%)
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22 (48%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Heather Greer.
79 reviews3 followers
August 24, 2025
This is a dark vampire fantasy romance that captured me. I loved the characters and this story line. It was really hard to put down because I was hooked.
Elina, who is a human that works at a bar captures the attention of a vampire prince, Bash, that instantly falls for her at first sight. Elina was raised by her grandmother, because her parents died when she was young. Little did she know that her grandmother held a secret from her about her and her families past. This secret might just change everything.
Bash is a vampire prince that will one day rule the city. He falls so hard for Elina, even against his own mother/Queens wishes. He would do anything to make her his own. Bash would move heaven and earth and possibly burn the city down to protect her.
Their romance is so inviting, sweet but spicy. They will face many obstacles to challenge them as a couple and face a secret that could change their course. You must read this book to find out.
I honestly cannot wait for the next book!
35 reviews
August 24, 2025
I was lucky enough to get this book as an ARC. It had me hooked from the very beginning and I got consumed by it. Blood Ties has everything I love in a dark fantasy romance. It was intense with raw emotion, and twists I didn’t see coming which is so refreshing.

I appreciate that the characters felt real. I was especially drawn into Elina’s story and then when Bash came into the picture, I mean wow. Their dynamic had me glued to the book. The world building was seamless with so much depth and history woven in without feeling overwhelming.

It’s dark and twisty while still being emotional and the romance is a great mix of tender and spicy.

If you’re into dark romance, vampires, and stories that make you feel all the things this one is for you.
Profile Image for Amber.
30 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2025
This dark fantasy romance completely sank its fangs into me!
I was hooked from the very first chapter.
The world building, character development, and tension were amazing!
The romance was spicy.
This book was such a rollercoaster ride; mentally and emotionally.
It was very dark and twisty, with unexpected plot twists.
Everything was so cleverly written that it made perfect sense in the end. And the character growth gave the story so much depth.

This book had everything I love!
It’s dark, it’s intense, emotional, and it is absolutely amazing!

I highly recommend!
One of my top favorite book of 2025.

Reader discretion advised.
1 review2 followers
July 15, 2025
Wonderfully written. I couldn't put it down! The writer makes you feel like you're in the story and it keeps you on your toes!
Profile Image for Stephanie Welsh.
25 reviews
August 17, 2025
Blood Ties is A vampire book that I didn’t know I needed. Fox Kelly did an absolute amazing job with this one. I absolutely loved the fact that the French and Italian words were listed with descriptions in the front. I also loved that after the Epilogue you can see a picture of the lineage.

I was so captivated with the story of Elina’s life in general. Then you add in Bash as well…. WOW! I honestly cannot say enough good things about Blood Ties. If you love Vampire Romance this is definitely one you should read.

Profile Image for christina jaron.
10 reviews
August 21, 2025
First off just WOW! I definitely need the second book ASAP! The way you made these characters it is just amazing!! I felt like I was living through them while reading this and the love that they have for each other and how it came around full circle, It’s just absolutely amazing. I really can’t wait to see where the second book leads us especially with where it left off at this can go so many ways with all of the amazing characters you have in this book.
Profile Image for Tricia.
4 reviews3 followers
September 24, 2025
I was lucky enough to get this read as an ARC reader and let me tell you, it was a fun ride! I love the world Fox Kelly creates and I am in love with the characters!! It was spicy, dark, burn-the-world-for-her and everything in between.

Elina, who is human, meets Bash, who’s not human, and they have a whirlwind courtship. Bash is actually a vampire prince with all the spicy perks! 😈

These two face obstacles in this star-crossed romance that gives of Romeo and Juliet vibes but with a HEA! I cannot wait to read the next book!! Definitely recommend!!
Profile Image for Kate Scott .
43 reviews
October 16, 2025
I want to thank Fox Kelly for allowing me to be one of the arc readers! This book was truly amazing and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
As always check your triggers warners: dark romance, murder, torture, blood..
5⭐️ 4🌶️
This book had me hooked from the beginning it was like a modern day twilight type of setting but vampires and humans vs vampires.
The FMC Elina works in a bar that opens at Sun down due to the town ran by vampires, when one vampire lands eyes on her and only her MMC Bash he will do anything in his power to keep her safe even when he is just a shadow in her world. When their worlds collide and get turns upside down. Secrets come out that were never meant to be revealed and a war dividing colonies.

Now that the book is out - updated review ✨
Elina- lives with her grandmother after her parents, both lose their lives, where they currently live in a world taken over by vampires. She is a tour guide by day and works at a bloodthirsty bar by night. One night, a tall, dark and handsome man comes in named Bash - and it’s instantly drawn to her just from a glance. When her grandmother does not approve of this newfound love the secret secrets will come out… What happens when they try to mash together and when someone tries to take her away.. He will burn down the entire city to keep her safe…

The raw emotions and twist of this book believe you wanting more!

✨ Dual pov
✨ Human x vampire
✨ Protective MMC
✨ Some 🩸 play
✨ Found Family
Profile Image for Megan.
66 reviews1 follower
October 14, 2025
This book got me hooked so fast, I was intrigued learning about Elina's life living in a closed community of vampires and humans but then came Bash and I was on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed the characters, the world building and history this book offered and the whole thing was so well written and easy to follow. I've even added some Italian words to my vocabulary, I love calling people principessa! I can't wait to read the next one!
Profile Image for Fallon Owens.
28 reviews3 followers
September 12, 2025
I was absolutely hooked with this book and obsessed with this world!! 🖤🙌🏻 If you love a good dark vampire fantasy romance; then this screams….PERFECTION!! I was hooked from the very beginning and I was addicted with Elina and Bash’s relationship! Bash falls for Elina with just laying eyes on her and he knows he has to have her! Bash is an elite vampire prince that will one rule the city. Elina is hesitant at first due to being a human and living in a city ran and controlled by vampires. Elina has always been raised by her grandmother; who has kept secrets from her. This secret could change everything. Bash would do anything to make Elina his. Elina and Bash face many obstacles, twists, and turns. The twists in this book; will keep you turning page after page and will leave you begging for more! The raw emotion between Elina and Bash will have you swooning, sweating, and hooked! Bash is dark; but the way he takes care of Elina will have you adding him to your book boyfriend list!! There’s just the right amount of spice and it will leave you blushing! You feel every emotion in this book and I love it! Fox Kelly wrote the picture perfect vampire world! I am already anxiously awaiting Book 2!!! THIS IS A MUST READ if you are a vampire lover!!! 🖤🌶️🧛‍♂️
Profile Image for Danni Drummond.
278 reviews39 followers
October 7, 2025
Blood Ties
Book 1 of The City of Blood Duology
By Fox Kelly

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶


🖤 Paranormal Romance
🌕🩸 Play
🖤 Hand Necklaces
🌕 Vampires x Humans
🖤 Enemies to Lovers
🌕 Protective MMC
🖤 Unique Political System
🌕 He kneels for her only
🖤 "Good girl"
🌕  Found Family

Welcome to Ville de Sang, The City of Blood where Elina (FMC) lives with her Grand-mere (grandma), humans stuck in a city taken over by Vampires some 60 years ago, where she works not only as a tour guide giving the history lessons to tourists on site seeing tours while being stuck unable to leave herself, but as a bartender at the Velvet Tomb where she gets to serve vamps and humans looking first hand thrills.

So what happens when a tall, dark and handsome vamp comes in and falls in love literally from looking at her once?
What happens if she ends up falling for him even though his family is the family that has been the reason for not only trapping them in the city but also the loss of her parents?
And just what secrets will be uncovered? Will they be enough to start a war, or earn the humans freedom like she so desperately craves?

And this is only the first half of this juicy duology 🥺 I need the second half like yesterday!

What an amazing read!

Blood Ties releases October 14th 😘🖤
Profile Image for Romance Gremlin.
26 reviews
October 6, 2025
2.5 stars out of 5 (DNF @ 27%)

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this story!

Blood Ties follows a 28-year-old FMC caught up in a world where vampires have taken over New Orleans — which is such a fun and intriguing setup. The story moves quickly right from the start, and I can absolutely see the appeal for readers who enjoy fast-paced, dramatic romance with that classic paranormal flair.

For me personally, the writing style leaned a little more on the dramatic and soap opera side, and the romance developed a bit too quickly for my taste. I’m not usually a fan of instalove, so that trope just didn’t quite click for me.

That said, I really do see the potential here! The world-building concept is solid, and I think readers who enjoy intense, whirlwind vampire romances with plenty of tension and fast pacing will have a great time with this one — it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Profile Image for Jess.
47 reviews2 followers
September 14, 2025
Blood Ties by Fox Kelly is a dual POV between Elina, a human stuck in a vampire world, and Bash, the heir to the vampire throne. There's nothing Elina hates more than vampires. They took away her family, her freedom, her choice, but Bash has her second guessing everything.

Bash is the epitome of he falls first, touch her and die. Elena is his whole world, the sun, the moon, and all the stars in between, and that's before she even agrees to go out with him. But when his tesoro is taken, he'll burn the world to the ground to find her.

This story was cute with Bash's devotion to Elina. He knows her so intrinsically in such a short amount of time, almost like he was just waiting for her to come into his life. Although, the breakdowns he has once Elina is taken are a little over the top. It was also pretty predictable where the story was going, but satisfying overall.
Profile Image for Kamiye.
254 reviews8 followers
September 27, 2025
3/3.5

I'm conflicted about this book. The writing is good, so it's easy to read. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but the middle of the book left me with some frustration. It felt too repetitive for me, a back and forth between Elina and Bash about - we shouldn't be together, but we love each other (to make it short). I don't know. I couldn't get in.

BUT, I loved the ending. The plot twist is great, and I was rooting for team Bash (if you read, you know).

Pick it up if you like:
- Vampires (it's a vampire book, so...)
- Romance (open-door)
- Politics (but make it vampire)
- A cool plot twist

Remember to check the trigger warnings; they are at the beginning of the book.

I received an e-ARC from the author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This review is my own, and I'm leaving it voluntarily.
2 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2025
I had the absolute pleasure of being an arc reader for Fox Kelly and her AMAZING book Blood Ties! Where do I even begin?!? I will start by saying that if you love stories about vampires that include just the right amount of spice and also want some fighting and action, this is absolutely your next read! Our main man (vampire) Bash is a dream! He's handsome, protective, strong, and has the "I will burn the world for you" vibe! Elina, our FMC, is extremely relatable even in a suspended state of reality. The pacing of the book was great, and the action-packed chapters towards the end had my heart pounding! This book will take you through all of the emotions in the best way possible! I would HIGHLY recommend Blood Ties to anyone looking for a book that has it all!
Profile Image for Natasha Malagisi.
69 reviews5 followers
August 31, 2025
✨🩸 This book sank its fangs into me and tried draining me dry. It’s dark, it’s bloody, and it’s painfully romantic. Sebastian isn’t just a love interest—he’s a temptation, a sin, and a beautiful ruin you know you shouldn’t want… but crave anyway. He’s also very touch her and 💀. Love that for us.

The twists in this book are unbelievable and it will keep you craving more.

Elina is the strong, unrelenting bada** heroine we all would love to be.

Nicolas… you’ll meet him, you’ll hate him for obvious reasons.

If you love obsession, power plays, and kisses that taste like danger, this is your next addiction. 🖤
Profile Image for Stephanie Rivera.
6 reviews
September 16, 2025
First off I loved this book! It was the first fantasy book ive read since Twilight lol
The only reason I didn't give a 5 star was because there was a lot of Latin, Italian and French terms i had to keep referring to the glossary to translate. That made it hard for me to start.
But once I got the most used/basic terms memorized it was much easier.

I loved the characters and the pace of the story. It held my interest and I didn't want it to end.
I wasn't only sold on the main characters either. I was just as captured by the supporting characters! Over all very glad I tried this book and can't wait for the next in the series!
Profile Image for Nikki O'Brien.
61 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2025
3.75stars
Thanks so much to Fox Kelly and Indie Author Revolution for the ARC of this book.
This book was sexy, dark and bloody! I would definitely recommend checking your triggers but if you are a lover of all things vampires then this one shouldn't be a problem for you.
I enjoyed this books but kinda wanted a little more from it. The relationships were fine and definitely hot but I wanted a little more depth to them. Similarly with the world build, it kinda fell a little short for me and in general I just felt like I needed a little more grit. That said, it was still an enjoyable read and I will defo wanna know what comes next!
Profile Image for Rachel.
22 reviews
September 28, 2025
A dark dystopian vampire fantasy romance that well and truly sunk its teeth into me. This was such a compelling read about the Ville de Sang and relationship between Vampires and Humans within the city walls. But not only that, but between rivalling vampire families.
The book isn’t filled with spice, but there is definitely some spice within the book, the tension between the characters is so good! If you love an MMC who is completely obsessed with the FMC, then this book is for you!
The unexpected plot twist had me gasping!
I really can’t wait to see where this goes next!
Profile Image for Lisa Gainers.
151 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2025
Blood Ties dives you into a world where Vampires rule New Orleans and humans are at their mercy. When the heir to the ruling vampire family Sebastian meets Elina the FMC who happens to be human he finds himself drawn to her. The history of the takeover by the Vampires is brutal and not forgotten. Vampires have created a world where they exist with the humans but all on their terms. Secrets will be revealed along the way and not everything is as it seems. This story was fast paced, full of spice and left you with your mouth open at the end. Absolutely enjoyed this book!
Profile Image for JP Newmon.
31 reviews2 followers
November 4, 2025
The future of New Orleans is in the hands of the vampires who rule the city. This book has rival families, mysterious threats to those in power, and a forbidden love between a vampire and his human obsession. This book hits all the vampire boxes! This is up there with Katee Robert Court of the Vampire Queen and Karina Halle Blood Orange. Really enjoyed this book and a looking forward to the next in the City of Blood series
1 review
August 14, 2025
Absolutely loved this dark romance! The plot is so engaging, keeping me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The characters are beautifully complex, making every twist and turn even more thrilling. Plus, the steamy and spicy moments? Just chef's kiss! If you’re a fan of intense emotions and gripping storytelling, this is a must-read. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Abbey Vale.
31 reviews
August 27, 2025
*ARC review*

oh my goodness where to start. I'm not normally one for vampire romances but holy hell I was sucked into it.
I loved the way it uses hand written notes for a chapter! !
it's spicy in all the right places and leaves you wanting more 🌶️🌶️🌶️
my only con to this is I need to know what happened to a certain character!!
Profile Image for Krista Goldman.
13 reviews3 followers
August 29, 2025
This was a nice read that kept my interest from start to finish. The writing gave off strong True Blood vibes, which I really enjoyed, and the spice level was definitely turned up! While I did predict the twist fairly early on, it didn’t take away too much from the overall experience. If you’re a fan of paranormal romance with a dark and sultry edge, this one is worth picking up.
Profile Image for Tania.
5 reviews
September 3, 2025
I received this as an Arc, it’s a vampire novel and I can tell you it had me hooked from the first chapter, I loved how Bash took care of Elina and the love he has for her, the story of Elina had me sucked in to find out what was going to happen next, grab this book as fast as you can, you won’t regret it
Profile Image for April More.
83 reviews12 followers
September 10, 2025
Oh this book had me hooked. I was invested in this story. I love the characters and the world building. It had me on the edge of my set and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. If you love vampires and romances then this book is for you. The passion and love between our FMC and MMC was hot. The found family made my heart happy. I loved every minute of the story.
Profile Image for Shay Kent.
66 reviews5 followers
October 14, 2025
I devoured this book! I love the writing style, the premise, the characters. AMAZING! The FMC is sassy and the MMC worships her! The twists were great and I am hoping we get a book 2. If you love fantasy, vampires, soul mates, family drama, found family, strong FMCs and MMCs that will burn the world down for her, you NEED to read Blood Ties!
Profile Image for KellyM.reads.
46 reviews2 followers
October 20, 2025
Wow! When I say, if you like vampires and danger... Read this book! I read this and was immersed immediately. The characters, the setting, atmosphere, plot, I enjoyed pretty much everything about this book. I fell in love with Bash almost instantly and found the story very creative, making me emotional at times. The Fmc is amazing 👏 and I just can't wait for book 2!
59 reviews3 followers
November 10, 2025
ARC review of Blood Ties by Fox Kelly.

I am so grateful to have been chosen as an ARC reader for this book. I am sorry for this review being late but I wanted to make sure that I got it done. It was a great read and a wild ride. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to book two.

If you are into the whole vampire scene this book is for you!
Profile Image for Pamela Rodriguez.
58 reviews
August 15, 2025
All the world building was weaved into the story so seamlessly. You found yourself really connecting with these characters. The writing made it easy to follow and had you feeling emotions along with the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

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