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Path to Ashes : A vampire romance with fangs, feelings, and a few corpses.
Scarlet Montgomery followed her estranged husband to NYC, believing the worst she might uncover was an affair. Instead, the confrontation with his mistress left Scarlet with blood on her hands and a two-thousand-year-old vampire she can't seem to shake off.
Dragged into an underworld of immortal power struggles, Scarlet is hunted by one vampire’s wrath as another tempts her toward a dangerous connection. If vampires could just stop dropping dead at her feet, she might have time to decide whether survival is worth the cost of her soul.
In a city where every secret drips with blood, Scarlet must navigate betrayal, desire, and monsters both human and otherwise. As passion mingles with danger, she’ll be forced to decide who to trust, and who to destroy, before the doors she’s opened consume her and tear down the fragile veil between their worlds.
The path to ashes begins with blood.
Dragged into an underworld of immortal power struggles, Scarlet is hunted by one vampire’s wrath as another tempts her toward a dangerous connection. If vampires could just stop dropping dead at her feet, she might have time to decide whether survival is worth the cost of her soul.
In a city where every secret drips with blood, Scarlet must navigate betrayal, desire, and monsters both human and otherwise. As passion mingles with danger, she’ll be forced to decide who to trust, and who to destroy, before the doors she’s opened consume her and tear down the fragile veil between their worlds.
The path to ashes begins with blood.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2025
About the author
R. A. Moritz
2 books8 followersRhita Moritz is a paranormal romance author from Staunton, Virginia, where Appalachian folklore and local legends heavily influence her work.
A Virginia native, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 and later transitioned to the Army National Guard in 2020 to return home, where she continues to serve. Moritz holds a Master of Science in Marketing from the College of William and Mary. When she isn’t writing, she practices photography and Brazilian jiu-jitsu which inspires the grit, physicality, and realism in her stories.
Her love of the supernatural began early, shaped by growing up in a haunted house and a lifelong fascination with the thin line between the ordinary and the unknown.
A Virginia native, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 and later transitioned to the Army National Guard in 2020 to return home, where she continues to serve. Moritz holds a Master of Science in Marketing from the College of William and Mary. When she isn’t writing, she practices photography and Brazilian jiu-jitsu which inspires the grit, physicality, and realism in her stories.
Her love of the supernatural began early, shaped by growing up in a haunted house and a lifelong fascination with the thin line between the ordinary and the unknown.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 18, 2026
Every word of this book played in my head like a movie. I had the privilege of meeting the author at a book signing at B&N which was such a fun surprise! Her book was already on my TBR which was just so cool.
This book gave Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes, old school gothic vampire movies, all the gore of van helsing and interview with a vampire. All the things my sci-fi loving dad raised me on.
Loved it!
This book gave Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes, old school gothic vampire movies, all the gore of van helsing and interview with a vampire. All the things my sci-fi loving dad raised me on.
Loved it!
January 13, 2026
Scarlet Montgomery follows her husband to New York, convinced he’s having an affair but what she uncovers is far darker than infidelity. Vampires are real… and in a moment of shock and survival, Scarlet kills her husband’s vampire mistress, leaving her with blood on her hands and a life forever changed.
Enter Sorin, a two thousand year old vampire who is as dangerous as he is magnetic. Drawn to him despite everything, Scarlet soon learns that her husband is addicted to vampire blood and will do anything to get his next fix. Her desperation to save him pulls her deeper into a secret vampire experiment one she’s a part of without ever consenting or fully understanding the consequences.
This story has an intriguing premise with morally gray choices, dark themes, and a slow descent into a shadowy supernatural world. While the concept was compelling and the stakes were high, the execution felt uneven at times, and I wanted more depth in both the emotional fallout and the vampire mythology.
Overall, Path to Ashes is a solid read for fans of darker vampire stories with obsession, secrecy, and temptation but it didn’t fully sink its teeth into me. (Get it?) 🤣✨
3.5 🌟
Thank you RA MORITZ for this complimentary read!
Enter Sorin, a two thousand year old vampire who is as dangerous as he is magnetic. Drawn to him despite everything, Scarlet soon learns that her husband is addicted to vampire blood and will do anything to get his next fix. Her desperation to save him pulls her deeper into a secret vampire experiment one she’s a part of without ever consenting or fully understanding the consequences.
This story has an intriguing premise with morally gray choices, dark themes, and a slow descent into a shadowy supernatural world. While the concept was compelling and the stakes were high, the execution felt uneven at times, and I wanted more depth in both the emotional fallout and the vampire mythology.
Overall, Path to Ashes is a solid read for fans of darker vampire stories with obsession, secrecy, and temptation but it didn’t fully sink its teeth into me. (Get it?) 🤣✨
3.5 🌟
Thank you RA MORITZ for this complimentary read!
April 16, 2026
The path to ashes begins with blood… and I was hooked from the very first page.
Path to Ashes by R.A. Moritz is dark, addictive, and absolutely impossible to put down. Scarlet Montgomery follows her estranged husband to NYC expecting heartbreak—but what she finds instead is blood on her hands and a two-thousand-year-old vampire who refuses to stay out of her life.
Thrown into a brutal underworld of immortal politics, Scarlet is caught between vengeance and temptation—hunted by one vampire while another pulls her into a dangerously irresistible connection. And just when she thinks things can’t get worse… bodies start dropping.
The tension in this story is unreal—every secret feels sharp enough to cut, every choice carries weight, and the line between survival and losing everything (including your soul) is razor thin. Scarlet is fierce, messy, and so compelling to follow as she navigates betrayal, desire, and monsters lurking in every corner of the city.
If you love dark urban fantasy with morally gray characters, high stakes, and a romance that burns as much as it bites—this one delivers on every level. I need more immediately. 🖤
Path to Ashes by R.A. Moritz is dark, addictive, and absolutely impossible to put down. Scarlet Montgomery follows her estranged husband to NYC expecting heartbreak—but what she finds instead is blood on her hands and a two-thousand-year-old vampire who refuses to stay out of her life.
Thrown into a brutal underworld of immortal politics, Scarlet is caught between vengeance and temptation—hunted by one vampire while another pulls her into a dangerously irresistible connection. And just when she thinks things can’t get worse… bodies start dropping.
The tension in this story is unreal—every secret feels sharp enough to cut, every choice carries weight, and the line between survival and losing everything (including your soul) is razor thin. Scarlet is fierce, messy, and so compelling to follow as she navigates betrayal, desire, and monsters lurking in every corner of the city.
If you love dark urban fantasy with morally gray characters, high stakes, and a romance that burns as much as it bites—this one delivers on every level. I need more immediately. 🖤
June 7, 2026
I've known the author for a few years and was surprised when I found out she published a book, so of course I had to buy it and read it because that's what we do to support people.
I also feel like I owe it to her to be genuine with the review.
I really like Scarlet as a MC. To be fair, in this saturated genre, the MC is usually a Mary Sue with some special thing about her. Scarlet is none of that. She's chosen by random. Right place, right time, definitely not the right person and that quirkiness without being insufferable, makes her a MC you actually want to rally behind.
The setting wasn't on show but wasn't detracting either, the action focused on the character and character interactions, though I could glean more descriptors of the environment if possible.
My only really detracting from this is pacing. Some parts felt very fast and others were slow and that came into play at the ending, it wrapped up a little too neatly, like almost a stand alone and was over quite quickly. It could've been a bit longer and in depth as well as leave a few more lose ends.
Overall, a strong debut release. You know how to novelize better than some of my favorite authors debuts did.
I also feel like I owe it to her to be genuine with the review.
I really like Scarlet as a MC. To be fair, in this saturated genre, the MC is usually a Mary Sue with some special thing about her. Scarlet is none of that. She's chosen by random. Right place, right time, definitely not the right person and that quirkiness without being insufferable, makes her a MC you actually want to rally behind.
The setting wasn't on show but wasn't detracting either, the action focused on the character and character interactions, though I could glean more descriptors of the environment if possible.
My only really detracting from this is pacing. Some parts felt very fast and others were slow and that came into play at the ending, it wrapped up a little too neatly, like almost a stand alone and was over quite quickly. It could've been a bit longer and in depth as well as leave a few more lose ends.
Overall, a strong debut release. You know how to novelize better than some of my favorite authors debuts did.
March 22, 2026
🌶️🌶️🌶️
I. Love. Scarlet. It’s very rare that I like the FMC more than the MMC, don’t get me wrong, I’m down bad for Sorin, but I just loved Scarlett and could relate to her so much. She is fiercely loyal to the ones she loves, even when betrayed in the worst way imaginable.
This book was so fast paced and filled with so much depth. Loved the story and all of the characters and I can’t wait for Road to Redemption!
I. Love. Scarlet. It’s very rare that I like the FMC more than the MMC, don’t get me wrong, I’m down bad for Sorin, but I just loved Scarlett and could relate to her so much. She is fiercely loyal to the ones she loves, even when betrayed in the worst way imaginable.
This book was so fast paced and filled with so much depth. Loved the story and all of the characters and I can’t wait for Road to Redemption!
December 5, 2025
If you’re a romantasy reader, look no further than R.A. Moritz’s debut novel: “A Path to Ashes.” A spicy romance with a dark edge, this book is easy to sink your teeth into. Prepare to be a nocturnal creature yourself, because once you start reading you’ll be hard pressed to stop!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews