Book: Stained in Blood by Ava Tenney
Reviewed by TheCaffeinatedTBR
Rating: 4/5
Stained in Blood by Ava Tenney (Book 1 of the Stained in Blood series)
Available on September 29, 2026
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Smut: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)
Think Southern Gothic, witchy, voodoo, vampire fated mates (maybe?) kinda vibes. The story kicks off with a heartbreaking loss where Eden loses the two most important people in her life. She then moves to her late grandmother’s house to teach at a local college to start fresh, and crosses paths with Shiloh, a man she has an instant inexplicable connection to (and who happens to be a vampire).
I really wanted to absolutely love this one, but a few elements felt just a little too "easy" for me.
The pacing was great. There are a few flashbacks scattered throughout, but they didn't feel out of place at all. They provided nice context, though I’m sure their full meaning will connect more in book two.
I had a bit of a hard time grasping the FMC's reactions. Eden explicitly states she only believes in facts (she isn't religious or spiritual at all) yet she accepted the whole vampire/witch thing way too quickly imo. Then she rushed on to do her own ritual AND succeeded? Hmm. I also felt like there were quite a few subplots left completely half-explored. For example, her actual teaching job just kind of faded away. Plus, there were a few side characters introduced with this major air of mystery around them, and I'm unclear what their actual purpose is yet. Maybe they’re going to contribute to the storyline in book two?
You all know spice is my absolute favorite part of any book. For a shorter read, the amount of smut was decent. There was a very minor Dom/sub dynamic with a dab of praise/degrading kink, and I really wish it had been explored more. Shiloh was honestly a little too polite for my taste! And you know what, I’ve discovered I am fully okay with tampon popsicles... but drinking straight from a menstrual cup? Yeah, I cringed a little. 😂
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