I really enjoyed this story. Holden has had a hard life. His mother died when he was born and his father ignores him because he is half vampire and half fae. Most of the vampire, fae and witches in the supernatural community despise him. Holden has a job detecting crimes through testing blood and he has Raoul who is his friend with benefits. Holden's quiet life is disrupted when he comes across a crime that cannot be easily solved and it looks like a supernatural serial killer is on the loose.

Enter Valerius who is from one of the most wealthiest and well established witch families. Holden realises working with Val is going to be a challenge. Val is from a distinguished family while Holden is despised. Working with Val becomes even more challenging when Holden develops feelings for Val and then the case develops dark and complex aspects that Holden could not have seen coming and he is going to have to battle through to find the murderer.

This was a very engaging story. It just pulled me in. The world building was good, with the fae, vampires and witches living side by side but under the radar of humans. I liked the fact that the story was set in London, although the story didn't really have a stong sense of place, other than street names. The mystery was good and kept me guessing until the very end and the romance was nice and slow. The best part of the book was the characters. They were all very distinctive and I loved the way Raoul and Val bristled at each other and their silent competitiveness, especially when it came to Holden. Holden was my favourite character and my hero. I also read his twitter feed and I do wish there was a second book. Highly enjoyable.

Copy provided by Nine Star Press via Netgalley.

I though this was a pretty enjoyable book! It was an engrossing story, even if I didn't love all the characters. I liked the pacing, and I thought the romance was well written. I think I would pick up another book by this author!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. The plot was interesting, the world building was fun, and the characters were great. I'm hoping that this won't be a stand alone novel, but will instead become a series because this supernatural world is fantastic and I would love to see more of the characters in other books, perhaps solving other crimes.

Blood is Forever by Asta Idonea is perfectly respectable. It's a decent romance story, and it sets up a perfectly nice paranormal world. I wished we got to explore more of that world though.

The side characters are horribly Meh. Raoul, the MC's best friend, has the personality of a blank piece of paper. The love interest is better, and the chemistry between the MC and love interest was believable and well written.

I wanted more exploration of the social dynamics - the plot touches upon it. At one point, a character refers to Vampires as the 'Unseelie Court'. This is never touched upon again. Exploring vampires as nothing but dark fae would've been fascinating. But like many things in this book, the minimum effort is taken and no more exploration happens.

Worth the price tag for a fun mystery-romance. Not gonna be super memorable though.

Standalone books are great, but every once in a while, I read a book that isn't a part of a series that I really wish was. That's how I felt when I finished Blood is Forever. I loved getting to know Holden and Val and their story came to a satisfying end, but I couldn't help thinking that it would be great to get more from them. *sigh*

Holden was one of those characters that I just wanted to hug. He was treated as an outcast by pretty much everyone. His only true friend was someone who didn't even come into his life honestly. He became a friend because he took the time to really get to know Holden and not judge him because of his parentage.

Val wasn't someone who was easy to like, especially since he treated Holden just as bad as everyone else during their first encounters. He was arrogant and rude, but not everyone or everything is exactly what they seem at first glance. There was a lot more to Val than he let others see and it didn't take long for Holden to become even more enamored with him.

There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns in Blood is Forever and at times the situation that Holden and Val found themselves in seemed hopeless. Love has a way of turning things around though, even when betrayal comes from some unexpected sources.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a great book , I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone.

Holden was wonderful! I was hoping for a little more connection between the main characters, but I still found their relationship enjoyable. The pacing was consistent throughout, albeit a tad slow at times.

DNF
Holden had enhanced hearing as he was a halfen and widely disliked and looked down upon. Halfens were fae half breeds usually fae and human but in Holden’s case he was half vampire. Halfens were considered the lowest of the low even below shifters in the supernatural community. Being half fae/half vampire made Holden as much of a social outcast as it was possible. Cedeyrn-Holden’s father was an important figure in the community - a leader in every sense of the word. If nothing else Holden learned to have a thick skin -over the years- or at least a semblance of it. Holden hurried as much as he could to the house, he showed the officer guarding the house his ID. The officer raised the invisible strip of tape blocking the doorway. The house had been converted into four small inner city apartments for which young professionals paid top dollar for. Holden went to the third floor, to human eyes, this was the last living area but there was a fifth apartment and Holden saw the shimmer in the wall that indicated a hidden doorway. Holden went in the door as the top was open. Fae and witches hurried back and forth. Some wore full protective suits and other wore protective coverings on their shoes. A variety of items were being put into protective evidence bags than the bags were whisked away. Three witches were casting a spell to search surfaces for any latent fingerprints not belonging to the apartments owner. Holden looked for his superior Owens but she found him first. Holden knew with his background and disadvantages he is lucky to have any form of employment as he went into the apartment’s bedroom. Holden was with the Fellowship InvestigationsTeam. He visited plenty of gory scenes. The precision, the clear intent made this tableau grueling and nauseated Holden. The body was lying on the bed with a look of terror forever in his eyes. The minimal creasing of the sheets showed there was no struggle. Noone had forced him on the bed. There was also no sign of defensive action, which was strange given the gaping hole in his chest. He was a witch and his heart was missing. It was a clean job though. When Owens called Holden to a murder scene it tended to be a blood bath. This ahd a worrisome aura of premeditation about it. Owens had already checked no particular tensions in the nine covens. Aside from the normal intercoven rivalries. Holden didn’t have regular hours he was called when needed. With his genetic heritage most people wanted nothing to do with Holden. He’d only known two exceptions and one was Owens. Blood was a powerful tool in the right hands. It held flashes of life of those whose veins it dwelt in. Holden tasted the blood at this point images came usually thick and fast but nothing this time. He told Owens they were too late, there was no memories at all. He felt there was something odd about this scene. If he could just put his finger on it.
I did not finish this book. I don't read books with M/M or F/F lovers in it just not enjoyable for me to read. This one was quite explicit early on in the book so I just didn’t finish. I would have put a rating if I didn’t have to . I am sure others will truly enjoy this, it just wasn’t for me.

I'm always intrigued by halflings, characters that are two types of creatures. The main character in this one is vamp/fae and while the synopsis sounded promising, I wasn't completely sold by it. My main problem was Holden, the main character. He was supposed to be this guy with a hard shell, because he had a rough childhood but he is extremely easily hurt by something a random stranger at that stage in the story said. Also his immediate attraction and obsession with Val was also strange. Also I liked Raoul a lot more with Holden than Val.

I liked the twist and thought that was cool because it was something I wouldn't have thought would happen.

Nevertheless, even though I had my problems with Holden, I still kind of want to read the next book of this series.

Rating: 2,5 stars

A well paced, enjoyable read. Blood is Forever is my first read by this author and I am glad I did because it won’t be my last. Good character development and an entertaining storyline I will look to read more by this author.

Really good pacing and intrigue.
This is a engaging read. The main guys Holden and Val are helping each other to solve some killings. Things get heated up a bit.
But there isn't much sex. Just not described like a romance novel.
That did not take away anything.
There be a few good twists and turns. That was very cool.
I read this all this and still liked the book. Asta has a good writing style. Fans of paranormal reads will find this a decent read.

I'll admit I'm a sucker for a good paranormal mystery, and this was a great one! The characters were enjoyable and I didn't see the twists and turns coming at all! The ending was a little blase for me, but that's just personal preference. They got their happily ever after, even if it isn't one that appeals to me.

I kind of fell in love with Holden, he was so adorable and cute c: Liked to follow him through investigations and crime scenes wich normally is not my cup of tea, but i liked it now.

actual rating: 3.5

This started out a little bit slow, but by the end I was really enjoying it and there were definitely a lot of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting with regards to the whole murder plot. I was a bit worried for awhile that I had accidentally started reading one of those 'main character falls in love with a rich jerk who we are supposed to pretend isn't a jerk because he's handsome and has money' books that I avoid so vehemently and seem to have flooded the market in the past several years, but again I was surprised by the direction that the romance took and enjoyed it overall. There was some interesting world-building with the only magical creatures in this world being fae, witches, and vampires as well. It's always interesting to see which creatures an author chooses to include in an urban fantasy world and how they interact with each other.

Would’ve been nice to see something from Val’s POV. I felt sorry for Holden dealing with discrimination and ugh his father. I liked the relationship between Holden and Raoul, that was sweet. Murders, mystery, witches, vampires and fae. A good solid read.

I would rate this 3.75 stars.

Holden is a half-breed in a world where pure bloods rule. Even though his fae father is the Council’s current Minister for Justice, he has cut all ties with Holden. His vampire mother died in childbirth. It would be difficult for him to be more of an outcast than he already is. Holden's only friend is his lover for the last five years, the vampire Raoul. Working as a subcontractor for the Fellowship’s Investigations Team, he is finally given a chance to take the lead in a case following a series of murders thanks to the support of his supervisor, Owens. The Fellowship maintains the treaties for and preserves the cultures of the the three supernatural communities: fae, witch, and vampire. Part of their job is to keep them secret from humans. When Holden is partnered with Valerius Blackwood, head of the Mayfair-Belgravia witches, London’s most powerful and influential coven, his life becomes more complicated than he ever imagined.

This is one of those books where it's difficult to critique it without spoilers. Holden is an interesting character and having Raoul and Owens as supporting characters makes this more engaging. Val is more complicated. It is challenging to make an unlikable character likeable, and the author only partially succeeds, in my opinion. If you like your white and black hats pristine, this morally ambiguous take might not be for you. The plot makes perfect sense in the end and is well told, I was just surprised where it ended up. What didn't quite work is that not once, but twice, the lower than low halfen, as Holden is called, makes the mighty pure blood, prideful, Council members bow to his will. This really doesn't gel with the rest of the book and how Holden is treated. They could have just killed him at the end, or put him in the medieval dungeon. No one would have cared. Where this book really captured me was the world-building with the details about powers, spells, demons, and shifters. I did want to see more about witch, vampire, and fae culture. The plot is good. The characters are good. The love story is good, albeit strange. Yet, this still didn't come together for me as much as I was hoping. If you like to root for the bad guys, give this a try and tell me what you think.

when half-fae, half-vampire holden is brought into an active murder investigation in blood is forever, he's frustrated by the fact that he is unable to help the way he is expected to. these murders, how they are occurring, are stranger than usual.

and his failure pushes him to work harder to solve them. when he is paired with witch royalty, val blackwood, everything breaks open. but not before he finds himself entirely taken with val and too enmeshed in the case to be considered objective anymore.

this case is bigger than them. it's bigger than the council demanding they solve it. and the implications have significant consequences for them both.

i enjoyed the mystery and was willing to go along with the twists and turns this story took. and i can see a future for more stories set in this universe.

**blood is forever will publish on june 3, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/ninestar press in exchange for my honest review.

I am completely torn when it comes to reviewing this story. It is obvious the author put time and effort into crafting it; and, overall, I enjoyed it… but. Something was missing.
Before I try putting my finger on that, I’d like to say the investigation itself was well imagined. There were quite a few twists I didn’t expect. I am not usually much of a mystery fan, but I enjoyed it. I am certain those who appreciate the genre better than I do will like BIS.
Personally, I am a lot more focused on characters when I read a story. Unfortunately, Holden, the protagonist, somehow lacked depth; there was a lot of potential to exploit but I suppose the focus of the story was on the investigation, not him. Pity.
The same can be said about his relationships, notably with Blackwood. I felt no real tension and I still have no idea how they fell in love.
Last but not least, one thing that kept drawing me out of the story was the author’s style. Not that it is bad, objectively speaking, but it felt as that the author had tried hard to use to the most complex words to describe the most insignificant acts and got caught up in phrase construction more than storytelling skills, resulting at times in infodumps and telling more than showing. Again, it’s really too bad because I feel that the author, just like their protagonist, has a lot of potential and ill exploited talent.
I’d still recommend this book, both as a mystery and an LGBT+ story.

The characters really made this story for me, they were so complex and just plain interesting. I loved how the mystery of the case pulled me in and had me questioning everything, I seriously couldn't put it down. I found this to be a very enjoyable read I wouldn't mind seeing more from this world.

*voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

I enjoyed this a lot actually. As I would read, I would have questions and then more questions. It kept me guessing. And I didn’t figure out the big bad/issue with Val being the killer which is good because I hate being right. I did find it strange that after Holden and Val got together, Holden still called him Blackwood in the narrative...even in the epilogue. I think switching to Val said etc would be more meaningful. I would love another story in this world, especially one featuring Raoul. The world needs Raoul.

Authors do need to stop the othering in pnr. It’s awful.

Arc provided by netgalley