A Curse of Blood

Monsters Among Us: Hartford Cove #1

by L.L. Frost

Once upon a time, there was a girl who walked into the woods, and everything changed.

When Rowe Branning sets off with her faithful wolfhound, Tris, on a quest to visit a grandmother she hasn't seen in fifteen years, it's supposed to be all milk and cookies, with soft hugs and a place to crash until she can sort her life out. But her arrival in to Hartford Cove doesn't come with the warm welcome she hoped for. The town holds dark memories for Rowe of a night in the woods and death, and the way the sheriff looks at her makes her feel like prey even as she's drawn to him.

Then ghosts from her past return in the flesh, making Rowe question everything she thought she remembered about that night in the woods all those years ago, when she watched her mother and her best friend be brutally mauled by a monster out of nightmares.

Nothing in Hartford Cove is as it seems. It hides secrets, not just to her past but to the true meaning of why the town even exists. Is there any hope of Rowe finding safety in this small town? Especially when she has secrets of her own? Because everywhere Rowe looks, she still sees monsters, and she's beginning to think they're not just her imagination anymore.

Magic encircles the town, howls fill the woods, and a curse lives in Rowe's blood that everyone wants. But who is friend and who is foe in the feud between the wolves and the huntsmen?

A Red Hiding Hood Retelling that features a spunky heroine with questionable sanity, a scary—but sexy—sheriff, a gentle mayor, and a wolfdog whose more than just his bark.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Why Choose, Romance, Paranormal, Witches

483 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2022

About the author

Pacific Northwest author L.L. Frost writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with snarky characters and descriptive world-building. Whether she's writing a fast burn romance about witches, wolf shifters, and vampires, or teasing a slow burn romance while hunting demonic monsters, her passion is for character driven novels.

Growing up in a rainforest gave L.L. Frost plenty of time to daydream while spending cozy days under a blanket with her cats by her side. Sipping tea or chugging coffee, you can find her with a book or laptop in hand, imagining new worlds.

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Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this series yet, or more like I'm not sure how I feel about the characters.

The FMC has lived a very sheltered life and therefore in a lot of ways is very childish. The relationship between her and her Mates is a bit hard to grasp at times because, with one of them, it comes across more like a father taking care of a child (no daddy kink), for instance, someone needs to cook for her, remind her to take her medication while also bringing her lemonade to take it with, she needs babysitters, get carries around like a toddler, and then she's also taking magical lessons like a grade-schooler and climbing things like a monkey. It's super awkward when she's having sex with the same person who's playing the "daddy" role (again no actual daddy kink involved).

She's also very entertaining, the dynamic between her and her wolfdog/human BFF is laughable in all the best ways. Even the back-and-forth fighting she has with one of her mates cracks me up and I enjoyed reading it. But I also had to try and ignore how much the relationship reminded me of a single father and his unruly teenage daughter (even though the FMC is in her 20s) when in fact thier already sleeping together.

The story is interesting and the characters are fun, if I could overlook the FMC's incent, naive, playful, childlike, mindset this would be the kind of PRN RH I love to read.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on read #2:
Downgraded to 3-stars from 4-stars. I found the book a drag up until around 80% when the FMC was self-reflective of the lack of deep emotional relationship development with the main alpha MMC and that everything so far was full of insta-lust. She sure gave up her virginity quite quickly with no real buildup. I found her relationship with her BFF to be very confusing as well - it kept flirting the line between platonic and more.

The last 20% was more 4-star quality to me and kept my attention to continue with the next release.

Original review:
The book ended on a brutal cliffhanger, but I really enjoyed all the humor and characters and can't wait for the release of the next full book.

Romance: 24-year-old witch FMC with...
1. 25-year-old alpha wolf shifter MMC
2. ~24-year-old werewolf MMC
3. (probably) cursed wolfdog shifter MMC

[Daisy Delfin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author: L. L. Frost
Title: A Curse of Blood
Series: Monsters Among Us: Hartford Grove, #1

BASIC FACTS:
Pages: 712
dnf at: 75%
My rating: ⭐️⭐️
Genre: Why Choose
Themes: orphan, found family, fated mates, virgin, three hot wolves
Protagonist Ages: 24 and older
Pacing: medium burn
Plot Rating: there is a plot, but you get sidetracked all the time

This books wasn’t right for me. I didn’t like the FMC. The guys were in a posturing match, which was annoying.

I really didn’t like the characters and their behaviour. That’s all I can say.


The Characters: Names and descriptions of the persons

Rowe: FMC, was sheltered, lost her mum many years ago. Her father died 4 months ago, has a service dog called Tris, has mental health issues.
Haut: Sheriff of the grove, came to town, after Rowe’s mum died. His father and Owen’s father tried to kill the Werewolf but they died trying. Haut stayed with Grandmother Wendall until she died.
Tris: Rowe’s wolfdog, at the beginning of the book he is cursed and can only two nights in a month back to his human form, but during the book he becomes a wolf shifter.
Owen: Rowe’s childhood friend, he nearly died when he was bitten by a werewolf. But Grandmother Wendall saved him. He is an orphan and was raised by the towns people. He is the Mayor but half the town hate him, because they think he was the reason why Rowe’s mother died.
Bryant: He knew Rowe’s father but he was not friends with him. After the death of Rowe’s father Bryant seemingly helped Rowe to go through her fathers thinks. In truth he took everything from Rowe: he money, the apartment, her freedom. He tried to put her in a mental institution. He is looking for Rowe.
Dr. Lopez:
Abony: Rowe’s childhood friend, one of the brigade, the warrior



Summery: detailed, lot’s of spoiler

Rowe and Tris run away from Bryant, who showed up at the mortuary and he told Rowe that she was in danger. Rowe believed him. She was alone and Bryant was a familiar face, who offered to keep her safe. But Bryant becomes Rowe’s captor, without Rowe realising it. He took away her apartment, held her prisoner, druged her with her meds, took away her money, tried to get rid of Tris. So Rowe ran. She drives to her grandmothers house. But she is not there. But a police officer thinks she is trespassing and takes her to the police station. They are attracted to each other and when Haut takes her home he sleeps with her. And even though Rowe still has her V Card and Haut licks her clean after they did the deed, he doesn’t take care of her but wants much more sex. I didn’t care for this very much.
She tells Haut Tris secret. And she meets Owen, who is now the major but they were childhood friends. All of them try to find the Wandall Journals and teach Rowe magic.
Owen and Rowe get closer and sleep together. Tris is turned into a Wolf Shifter. Dr. Lopez finds out that somebody tempered with Rowe’s med. So they decide to get her off the meds. Before I unfed They wanted to take out Rowe. And also teach her the spells.

[gonzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

everything but the plot

Everything moved fast. Everything but the actual plot. The MFC is naïve and ridiculous. She has no real growth and acts more like she’s 16 not 24. Very little attention is spent on the relationships and it just feels like random spicy scenes are thrown in but don’t help the story along. The ending was underwhelming and felt like just an additional scene added to an already finished story. The cliffhanger was a low cliff.

[~♥*Marianna*♥~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of her mates is an unreasonable asshole alpha who keeps getting jealous and controlling not only with her but physical with her other mates over her! I don’t like that type of unreasonable romantic interest, especially not when the heroine doesn’t nip it in the bud asap. She didn’t manage it in this book and we get a frustrating cliffhanger making the problem even worse!

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embark on Rowe’s story from the beginning with this full length novel that encompasses the first storyline ARC of Rowe’s return home. Rowe is on the run, and believes that getting to her grandmother’s house will make things better for her. Well, at least give her a place to stay for a while and figure things out. What she doesn’t expect is to find that no one is home and the local sheriff treating her like a suspicious person. Rowe is about to find out that her grandmother was hiding some serious secrets and that those secrets...are now hers.
L.L. Frost is bringing a new series to life, and that means new romances, and of course, new drama. Rowe isn’t prepared for all the things that she’s going to be exposed to, but she’s got a steep learning curve ahead of her. This book is going to be packed with twists, surprises, steamy scenes, and so much more. The humor element won’t be for everyone, but if you don’t mind characters being a bit a brat (think moderately bratty on a good day LOL) then I know you’ll enjoy this book.
I’m choosing to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this, the first in a new series and that means even more great new books ahead. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama, action and of course the romance, I loved the steamy scenes and I know there is much more ahead. So looking forward to the rest.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the Monsters Among Us: Hartford Cove series and the main character is Rowe (Wendall) Branning, who months after her father’s death, escapes a bad situation with her faithful wolfhound Tris, and returns to the one place she always felt welcome as a child. It is fifteen long years since she has last been in the small town of Hartford Cove and at her grandmother’s home, since the tragic events that led to her mother’s death. She manages to find the unmarked turning to the small town and finds her way to her gran’s house, but everything is dark and it seems like no one is home. There are no doors open nor anyone answering. Someone saw her enter town and notified the sheriff, who arrives believing she is trying to break in. Sheriff Greyson Haut is the alpha wolf shifter of the town of mainly supernatural beings, who came to this hidden town, this sanctuary, as somewhere safe to live. Her former friend as a child was Owen Hartford, who she thought has died in the attack by a monster of her nightmares, which her mother also died in. Owen is now the mayor of the town and he and the sheriff bump heads all the time. Owen has been blamed since he was a child, for the death of Rowe’s mother, an important part of the town and someone who helps keep the town safe. There are lots of secrets for Rowe to find out about the Wendall side of her family line and the mysterious hallucinations she has thought she suffered from since her mother died.

Rowe has come back too late to see her grandmother again, as she died a year before and it turns out she took Greyson in as a child after his father died about the same time as Rowe’s mother. Owen also had tragedy in his life as a child, with Rowe’s gran being the reason he lived through the attack, but also to being blamed by the town for Rowe’s mother’s death and shunned by many. He was a wolf shifter as well, but the attack changed him! Rowe has been on medicine since her father removed her from the town, but his friend who appeared after his death, has changed that medicine and taken over her life and apartment, making her out as crazy! Since the sheriff has taken her medicine off her until he can find out what it is, she starts seeing frightening things when she goes into town one day, and is left wondering how sane she really is. Sheriff Haut is not exactly the best person to get any information from, even though the two have fallen into bed almost from the get go! Owen doesn’t take that well, but the sheriff uses his alpha powers to subdue Tris and Owen to some degree. At least Owen starts to tell her some things about the town and how it came to be years ago. He also tells her about her parents and how different they were, and why they brought her up in the city rather than in the cove. With her able to now see exactly what people are without freaking out completely, he also tells her about the magic her gran was so critical for. Haut agrees to train her in German, as her gran’s journals are mostly in that language, and in magic, but it is going very slowly!

Rowe gets impatient and wants to help Tris out, but reading out loud from her gran’s journals can have dangerous outcomes when you don’t know exactly what you are doing! She is put onto a strict training regime by Haut after this and must learn more about the town’s history to really understand her own childhood and why her father moved them around so much. Rowe didn’t have a normal childhood once she and her father left Hartford Cove, being home schooled and never allowed to leave their home until just before her father’s death, when Tris came into her life. She now learns of the history of the wolf shifters and the huntsmen and how each group had fought for revenge against each other for hundreds of years, all from one simple event all those years ago. The original Wendall witch and the wolf who helped them and others of their kind survive, brought them to the cove, but it is the magic of the Wendall female line that is the only one that can reinforce the protective wards around the town. With her gran’s death over a year ago, the wards are weakening and Haut may have different reasons for getting in Rowe’s pants than she first expected. There are loads of steamy interludes between Rowe and more than one of the men, in what seems like a why choose scenario, as well as serious questions about sticking around in this weird town. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what is going to happen next. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[AHCuteArt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did you read this book?
I had a craving to read a couple reverse harem romances.

What format did you read this book in?
Read it as an ebook on Kindle.

Is this an educational book or a book for entertainment?
I read this book for pure entertainment purposes.

What genres do you think this book belongs to?
Chick Lit, Fantasy, Humor and Comedy, Paranormal, Romance

What was your favorite part in the book? Spoilers
My favorite part of the story is when the main character is having a breakdown and she says that her toaster is broken. I think that's a fun and clever phrase to say when you're warning people that your hallucinating.

Who would you suggest this book to?
Anyone who likes fantasy romances about shifters and magic.

What is your general opinion/ rating of this book? Spoilers
I really enjoyed this book. I love the main character and how sassy she was. The author does an excellent job at introducing each of love interests, giving them unique roles, and personalities. The intimacy scenes were spicy, just how I like them. I also really liked that the relationship between the main character and Tris is taking its time to develop. I laughed when the main character turned him into a goose. I have mixed feelings about Haut. Sometimes I like him and sometimes I don't. Poor Owen, I feel really bad for him and for what's happening in that shifter town. The world building in this story was excellently done. Overall I really like the pacing of this novel and I plan to read the rest of the series when I have the time.

Are there any cliché scenes or concepts? (If yes, does the author add something unique to them?)
the main character being born from a special bloodline that gives her special abilities she is unaware of. The faded mate trope. One of the love interests being the pack Alpha.

How intense are the intimacy scenes?
The intimacy scenes are vividly detailed. MF, Voyeurism, light BDSM.

At what “burn” level is the romance?
The burn level is Hot.

Love interests, how many of them are there and what gender? Spoilers
There are 3 love interests, all of them males, and shifters.
Tris- The main character’s best friend is a human that was cursed into the shape of a dog.
Haut- Is the sheriff of this small town and is also the Alpha.
Owen (Rowe)- Was the main character’s childhood best friend, that she thought was dead, and as mayor of this small town.

Any trigger warnings?
Racial and Religious: Racism, Racial Profiling, Talk of Superior Race, Microaggressions, Prejudice, Genocide
Mental Health: Trivializing Mental Illness, Romanticized Mental Illness, PTSD, Emotional Abuse, Controlling Parents, Panic Attacks, Trauma, Nightmares about Traumatic Event
Sexual Content: Explicit Sex Scene, Masturbation, Violent Sex
Violence and Death: Death, Death of a Loved One, Infant Death, Murder, Decapitation, Extreme Violence, Gore, Mutilation of Corpses, Cutting of Limbs, Threatening child, Violence against Children, Escalating Violence, Described Blood, Graphic Violence
Other: Bullying, Miscarriage, Profanity

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been eyeing these books ever since the first installment of A Curse of Blood was released. I even have the first installment on my kindle. I just wanted to finish the Unlucky Succubus series first. But well, like a true mood reader finishing series always takes me AGES so I've never gotten to this series either. Until I was notified by BookSprout that the first two books were available via there. I might have gotten myself in trouble with the deadline, but I needed to have both books!

This book was everything I had hoped it would be and even a lot more. The beginning of the book felt a little chaotic. There was a lot going on, there were a lot of characters introduced and our heroine was clearly not in a great place, but I did like how that introduced all main characters and the world to us. I might have not understood what was going on, but I did understand the kind of atmosphere waiting for me in the rest of the book.

The heroine of this book is the true star though. She has been raised away from the world, protected by her father. Combined with the hallucinations (No, gift) I can imagine this is the kind of personality someone will develop. Her filter wasn't functioning very well. She also had some issues with impulse control and yet she also was endearing and innocent in a unique way. And that made her sometimes funny even though she wasn't even trying to be funny.

I also really liked the guys, but I feel like there is still some work to do when it comes to the emotional bonding. I can't wait to get to know those guys better though! Und luckily the tension between these characters was absolutely amazing! Just like the tension from the plot. There were so many mysteries, so many reveals. So much happened that I can't completely understand yet and so many characters did things that don't completely make sense yet.

I can't wait to dive into the next one and I ordered myself both paperback copies too! I need these on the shelves!

[Jennifer G · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Rowe's life fell apart and she was desperate, there was only one place she could think to go. Home. Or more specifically, to her grandmother's house. She hasn't been there in 15 years but no other place compares. She wants the sense of peace and the comfort found in her memories. So with her best friend, her dog Tris, she made a midnight escape for Grandma's. What she didn't expect was to find her Grandmother's house empty and to find herself accused of trespassing by the hot Sheriff. She didn't expect to find her childhood best friend the Mayor. She didn't expect to see monsters. And she didn't expect to be told she was the only surviving heir to the Wendall witches and responsible for the town's shields. All she had wanted was a big, warm hug and some pie.

I read Rowe's stories monthly as serials. This is the full-length book of the first 8 serials for those who prefer the main course over appetizers. However, you prefer your stories, I can't recommend this one enough. It's a mystery and a romance all wrapped up in a comedy. There are escapades, sexcapades, drama, and absurdity. There are best-ever friends, childhood friends, and whatever Hawt is. There's suspense and danger. And throughout it all, there is Rowe. Rowe is RIDICULOUS in the best possible way. This girl is everything. Her random tangents, her bizarre reactions, her runaway imagination. I adore her. As much as the town needs her, the guys need her even more. Haut needs her to add some fun into his world. Owen needs his heart repaired. And Tris needs to be a 2 legged, furless, featherless bestie full-time.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Curse . . .

Rowe Branning and her wolfhound, Tris, head out to visit her grandmother after a 15-year absence. Her grandmother's house is empty. She is not welcomed by the town, and the Sheriff seems to be glaring at her with suspicion. (Memories of her past here make the reader wonder why she ever came back.) And there are secrets in the town that will affect her, as well as her own secrets, further complicating things. Monsters had made her run from here, and now she thinks she sees more monsters. Could they be real and not just a crazy imagination or hallucination? Will she discover the town is a sanctuary for the paranormals through the help of the Wendall witches who keep the wards reinforced around Hartford Cove? With her grandmother gone, that job will now pass to Rowe, but she doesn’t know where to begin. She needs to find her grandma’s journals which hopefully would explain much.

Will everyone pick sides in the tense situation that has everyone on edge? With so much happening, be prepared for the twists and turns that will have your head spinning.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have liked other books by this author, but I found Rowe's character to be very flaky. She starts off saying she doesn't want a relationship only to let Haut live and boss her around. She says she doesn't want a mate, only to find out she has two. She doesn't want to stay, only to end up staying. Yada Yada Yada. The girl needs to make up her mind.

She mad one minute for no real reason I can see as valid and peeling clothes off the next. She wants to learn magic to save Tris, but treats the training more like goof-off time than anything. She is self- centered and only really cares about Tris, if anyone. She jumps to conclusions before hearing both sides and holds grudges like nobody's business. She is basically a menace.

It's not a bad book but I just could not get into it because I had a hard time liking Rowe.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dani Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wasn’t sure

I really wasn’t sure about this book and actually added it just in the hopes of finding a new author to follow. Holy schnikes, I’m so glad I did. I was pretty much hooked before the end of the first chapter and after laughing out loud so many times before the middle of the book I knew I had found a series to love. I’m not going to describe any of the book because it is SO much a case of “you had to be there” that anything I say will probably ruin it. I don’t normally go for comedic anything (I have a warped sense of humor so most “romcoms” just tend to annoy me) but I am 1,000% invested with Rowe’s story (and HER warped sense of humor). I will say there are parts of the book that seem a little immature but given Rowes backstory it was understandable and believable. Off to get the second one now (I hope… I honestly didn’t check to see if it’s a completed series). If you’re on the fence about this book please try it, you won’t be sorry

[Danyelle La Pookette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A howling good time 🐺

** Cliffhanger-ish Warning! ** Oh my dogs! I love this book. It's a fantasy, reverse harem romance packed with laugh out loud humor, steamy scenes, suspense, and bacon. So much bacon. And pie! It makes sense that Rowe is motivated by food, since she's Little Red Riding Hood crossed with Rapunzel, transported to a hidden town full of wolf people.

Rowe and Tris are such a good team. A woman and her dog! These two are hilarious and I could read so much more about their hijinks. I have so many questions about each of them that I need the next book asap. Rowe is adorable with her naivete (hello, Rapunzel) and Tris is the bestest boy.

What is really going on with Owen? I feel like he didn't explain nearly enough about his time away from Rowe. I hope to learn more in the future.

I'm so unsure about Sheriff Haut. He's a total alpha-hole. Being familiar with the usual genre characters, he's definitely a D**khead Wolf. He's going to have to redeem himself, if that's possible...

I want to see more of Hartford Cove, the townspeople, and the family magic, but that ending makes me wonder! I will have to stock up on snacks, pie, and bacon and binge read the next books in this fantastic series.

Tons of typos, but nothing too distracting.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious

When you are rooting for the MFC to fall into a ravine…you know the author when wrong somewhere. Rowe is tedious. Absolutely. Positively. Tedious. While I’m sure the author intended to write her with Golden Retriever energy…it’s more like downing 16 Red Bulls and taking a 20 something year old body but giving her the behaviors of a 9 year old.

Rowe is not likable. The reveal of Tris is uneventful. Magic exists and Rowe knows it, yet she thinks she’s having a mental breakdown.

This story is all over the place. I really, really wanted to like it but getting through it was like stuffing my mouth with gobs of peanut butter and expecting it to go down smoothly.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the blurb, I was thinking of this as a contemporary retelling of Red Riding Hood. This is so much more than that. It is the story of an orphan seeking family, of an abused woman finding herself, a sequestered virgin learning to accept her sexuality and loves, a chosen one in training to take up her sword and shield. This is a coming of age tale interwoven with a slow burn BFF love, heavily covered with hot and steamy instalove times two and lots of sparks and fireworks (not yet literal) everywhere. It also ends with a cliffhanger that interrupts yet another emotional blow up that has to investigated by me. Where is Book 2?

I received an ARC via Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Magic's Curse. The story is interesting and the world the author has created is fascinating. The characters are interesting and well developed, especially Rowe. The author does a great job of showing her naivety without making her seem dumb. There are times she seems younger than she is because of her extremely sheltered upbringing, especially when she's interacting with Owen. I can't decide if I like Haut or not. I hated him at the beginning. His super-alpha personality grates on me, but he can also be very caring. I'll be interested to see how he changes over the series. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy romantic fantasy with supernaturals and fairy tale elements.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PurpleBookFox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 stars
I read the description but must of missed the RH tag. I am not a fan of RH. That being said I was invested in the story by the time I realized it was RH. The story in itself is interesting. The characters flawed and fleshed out. The FMC is very immature but that was because she was basically locked away all her life.
I liked her love interests except for Greyson. He is toxic. I’m sure he has some growth in the next book. Loved Tris. I’m sure things will develop more there. Owen was the peace keeper.
This is a big world if building character driven book. The action is basically none and definitely on the spicy side.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Damn. Good.

Why did it take me so long to start this series! I love everything about this new series from our awkward, slightly chaotic fmc (Rowe), her furry bff Tris (my favorite), the HOT Sheriff (Haut) and her once upon a time first love Owen. I love this strange little magical town she stumbles upon. I love how nothing is as it seems, and we're uncovering so many secrets and mysteries alongside Rowe. I LOVE the red riding hood vibes. Truly. This is a great plot, colorful world, and major character chemistry. What is not to love!

[Sue MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I'm home sick right now and can read this whole series as right from the first page this book has totally consumed me.
I believe I may have found a new favourite author as well.
Her imagination on word play is doing wonders for mine!
Rowe's life has not been an easy one and coming home does not seem to make it any easier but she's turning out to be stronger than even she thought.
The way this story end's has kept me wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carol Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one of The Hartford Cove series, Frost hits it out of the park. My first time being introduced to Frost's books, I'm a fan. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series. Honestly I couldn't put it down. The characters are well developed and realistic. You feel like you know them personally. You'll love this intriguing story of Rowe, Tris and Haut. I hope that you choose to read this book as you won't be disappointed.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

I wasn't sure about this book at the start but I had actual laugh out loud moments. Rowe is a hilarious heroine, it just seems really sad that her dad let her think she had mental health issues. Not a spoiler.

The book lost a star because towards the ending the pace slowed right down and became more about angst and TSTL. The thought of reading book 2 when I can already tell where this is going kind of put some of the fire out.

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The resident's of Hartford Cove are more than they seem. There are plenty of secrets about the town and Rowe's own life. Rowe is a very awkward FMC with a very chaotic life. She also has a tendency to act like a child, too much, and not the adult she should be. I loved her BFF Tris. We find out he is actually a human that a witch has cursed to be the dog he was acting like. Nothing is as it seems. Loved it!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dragonmother12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Start

A very interesting concept and can't wait to read more. After reading the 1st book I understand some of the other reviews but the reviews that were 1 and 2 stars no. Yes he's an asshat sometimes but he has his reasons. Lame reasons but they are his. She will help him grow. As for Owen he was pushed away and wronged and she will fix that. Hopefully they will pull thier heads out-of thier asses and help her become the woman/witch she is meant to be.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this whole book was a trial. It is actually published three different ways under three different titles...plus one version of it is an 8 part serial! I got seriously frustrated.

It was also ok. It is not my style. Everything was very "vague". And the poor Sheriff came across as a complete asshat. I wasn't going to continue the series, but I will read the next one or the next serial ones to figure out if the storyline is going to get moving at all.

[Suzanne McNeill Taviner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

Wow, I loved this book! The flow of the story was perfect, from the crazy first lust of meeting to the remeeting everyone else and learning her place, Rowe has a lot to deal with but reading how much she grows was amazing and that ending! Can't wait to read the next one!

[Glorymar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a cool story witha loose base on red riding hood. I love fairytales and their retelling be it movies or books. This was a great start to the series but these cliff hangers are killing me. I loved the book it kept me interested throughout the whole book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rowe goes to Hartford Cove to visit her grandmother whom she hasn't seen for fifteen years. The town is not welcoming, and she learns that her grandmother had been withholding secrets. This fairytale retelling will keep you glued to the pages, and all caught up in Rowe's thrilling adventures to see how it all comes out in the end.
I am volunteering to leave a review for an ARC of this book.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT a new series that you wont be able to put down if you are a fan of paranormal stories with excellent plots, Dark secrets from the past , strong mating bonds, brilliant characters curses and kindness all with some super humour and suspense galore This one is sooo not to be missed but does end on a cliffhanger.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review