Blood Moon is an erotic fantasy novella by Jillian Graves, a part of the Strange World created by the author, and can be read as a stand-alone. Hazel is a strong, fierce witch working to the bone to keep her bar open now that a new club, Black Door, has opened across the street from her. Vlad is a vampire trying to create the perfect refuge for the strange, just like what he had many decades ago; sadly, Black Door isn’t what he intended and he has unknowingly stepped on Hazel’s toes. But jumping into bed with a stranger is all well and good when you need to relieve the major stress of impending ruin—until you find out whose bed you’ve just shared.
I really liked how quickly we got into the Hazel and Vlad situation, and I loved everything about the two of them, both together and separately. The banter between them both had me chuckling. Hazel is such an easy character to fall in love with, and I can’t blame Vlad for falling for her so quickly either. She’s protective, funny, spunky, stubborn, and full of strength because Hazel isn’t the type of person to go down without a fight, especially for something she loves so much. It came as no surprise why her back was up so much about Vlad to begin with; the Witchhazel isn’t just her baby; it’s her home and a refuge for so many other strange that she was willing to fight tooth and nail to keep it running.
I feel like Vlad has been looking for somewhat of a family for a very long time without realising it, and I think opening the club was meant to be that for him, but Black Door as it was made isn’t what he intended, but he quickly finds both what he wants and what he desires in one lucky night. Vlad is protective, quick-witted, and full of longing, and into a bathroom, he walks to find an end to that. I loved his smart-ass comebacks and how fiercely he’s willing to protect what he wants.
The spice gets a paragraph all of its own because, thank you, Jillian Graves. Hazel had fantasies she had never been brave enough to voice, and thanks to a little vampire telepathy, she didn’t need to voice very much because Vlad was more than willing to give into all of her dirty little fantasies, as well as a few of his own. The mirror and office scene were brilliantly written. Even though these were spicy, the author still added humour to the mix, which I really enjoyed. The tension and thrill are something this author excels at; there was another moment, less smutty, that I really enjoyed the tension in as well, and that was the spell scene towards the end.
I have a love-hate relationship with novellas; to me, a lot of the time they feel a little bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, I loved how quickly things moved with Vlad and Hazel, almost like they really couldn’t help but be drawn together, but the rivalry was non-existent and completely one-sided, so this was hardly a lovers-to-rivals-to-lovers trope. The pace of everything going on outside of the smut was so quick that I was thankful for the smut because it actually slowed the novella down enough and allowed me to settle into it. There was only one other thing that irked me: the added description of hair colour and tattoos. I think the hair and tattoo description was too frequent; the one description, in the beginning, would have sufficed. Finally, it took me a moment to work out what kind of tense this was written in because it felt like the first, but it also felt like the character was talking to the reader, so I was slightly confused, to begin with, but that could just be me readjusting to reading again.
I enjoyed Blood Moon a lot, but not enough to give it that final star. I thought, coming into this book, it would be a lovers-to-rivals-to-lovers vibe, but it was one-sided and barely lasted long enough to call it a rivalry. I did laugh a lot and cringe a little, but the spice was absolutely delicious, and Vlad is perfection. The little bit of banter and how hard and fast he fell had me falling in love with him and his immortal… I also really loved how he made Hazel truly realise just how beautiful and sexy she is in both her soft and feral moments. Therefore, I am rating Blood Moon Four out of Five Stars.
I would recommend Blood Moon if you love all things smutty, fantasy, and fun. This little spicy novella was exactly what I needed to get back into reading again. Hazel is strong-willed, feisty, and independent. Vlad is protective but secretly a cinnamon roll with a very dirty mouth. Together, they are a perfect match, and I am so happy we as readers get a little peek into their future in the epilogue. This was my first time reading Jillian Graves, and I cannot wait to dive more into the Strange world she has created.
Favourite Quotes
“but with one look from this intruding vamp, every one of my cells is alive and dancing.”
page 12
““Since you begged, my little witch.””
page 15
““You’ll make me?” “You like the things I make you do, Hazel.””
page 62
“I want the little witch just as much now when she is soft and yielding as I do when she is feral with need.”
page 67-68
“All I can manage to whisper out, the only god I can think to say is, “Vlad.””
page 78
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Finer Details
Title: Blood Moon
Author: Jillian Graves
Pages: 106
Publisher: Jillian Graves
Publication: 2022
Language: English
Rating: 4/5