I read the description.
A book by Karina Hale with vampires, noir-mystery, Black Dahlia-based, Jekyll/Hyde elements, smut.
I was sold!
We follow Victor and Lena, a private investigator and a singer, as they follow leads in an attempt to find the killer of Elizabeth Short, or as the newspaper baptized her, the Black Dahlia.

The third book I'm reading that's written by her, and I'm ready for more!
Her characters, her descriptions, from scenery, to action sequence, to smut!

Thank you, Karina! Thank you!
I will be reading every book she has written so far and everything she will write from now on!

Yes, Mrs Halle's books are amazing, but.. My dudes.. check the trigger warnings first.

I’m convinced Karina Halle cannot write a bad book. Every single one I’ve read by her has been an A+, and this one was no exception. She did an incredible job hooking the reader right from the start—I read it in one sitting!

The old noir detective vibes were such a fun twist and totally different from anything I’ve read before. I loved the darker, grittier atmosphere, with that underground crime feel pulsing through the story. If you’re into thrillers and murder mysteries, and want a dash of romance with a paranormal twist, this book is absolutely for you.

While I’m usually not a fan of insta-love or insta-lust, Karina made the connection between the characters feel believable and genuine. That’s no easy feat.

Overall, this book was so good—easily one of my favorite reads from her. It had everything I didn’t know I needed but definitely wanted. Karina Halle is officially and forever an insta-buy author for me.

DNF at 50% felt like to book was finished at this point. They got together. They’re aware of what they are. Wasn’t interested in the murder mystery.

This was an interesting twist on the Black Dahlia true crime case.

In this story we find out who the killer is but it is anti-climactic and a little disappointing how quickly the revelation is thrown aside in favour of the vampire side of the story.

For a lot of the romance part of the story I kept shouting the phrase 'SHOW DON'T TELL' at the author because the 'bond' didn't feel believable.

I would have liked to have seen the characters explore more of 40's LA and interacted with more gangsters.

2.5⭐️ rounded up to 3⭐️

Sadly DNFing at 77%😔

1.5⭐️ I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me. In the beginning I was interested by the premise and thought it was entertaining. The writing was pretty good for a romance and the characters had potential to be a good couple. I can see the inspiration from other vampire stories (specifically The Vampire Diaries) reflected in the world itself. By 50%, I was overstimulated and we strayed so far from the original plot I was ready to be done.

To start off, using Elizabeth's real name in the book really rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't know that this was the victim's real name going into the book, I just thought it was inspired by the case. If I would've known this, I wouldn't have reached for this book at all. This is my fault in not doing my research before reading and won't be reflected in the overall rating of this book. And yes, I understand movies and shows do the same thing all the time, it's still distasteful to me. Changing Elizabeth's name definitely could've been done and it still could've been marketed as a 'Black Dahlia inspired'.

This whole book could've been wayyyy shorter. I thought I was almost done and then saw I was only 45% in. Between the gangs, vampire bloodlines, investigating murders, etc., there was just way too much plot for a dark romance and the romance itself got lost in all this. The romance was very surface level and the enjoyable part of it was the smut. The characters were both just flat to me. Callahan having a wife previously was pointless; He talks about it once and it shows no impact on his character. All the names between the vampires and gang members got a bit confusing because none of them really have a definitive personality or look, they just ended up blending together.

One thing that really annoyed me was how unrealistic it is. Your telling me you can just murder people in the middle of a bar and walk into work the next day? Lena can just walk into an ongoing murder investigation and they just let her see everything? Right... The magic system (specifically with the vampire transitioning) was unclear and never really explained. There was lots of missing words in sentences that took me out of the story. I understand that the SA and accidental incest was mentioned in the trigger warnings but both instances were just so unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

Honestly, this book wasn't horrible, it just wasn't for me. I can totally see how people would like this book, I just felt there was no structure and I was done by the middle. If this book was marketed more as a 'vampire romantasy' rather than a 'dark romance' it would be more accurate. Thank you to Netgalley and Metal Blonde Books for allowing me to read this book!

atmosphere ✔️
spice ✔️
vampires ✔️

really cool story here and another karina halle book i loved. Might not be my favorite of hers but I loved the mystery, the characters and the action packed ending. I also loved seeing some of my favorites make their appearance in this book

So unfortunately this was not for me. The first 35% of the book I was HOOKED - the premise of the book was so interesting but then it felt flat and it just got confusing, the whole beast/human separate story line and the merging of the two just wasn’t for me and I really struggled to read the rest of the book.

I really, really wanted to love this book. And there were parts of it that were intriguing, but I just didn't "vibe" with it. It wasn't poor writing or anything, truly just wasn't my personal favorite. 2.5/5 stars for me

ARC Book Review: Nocturne by Karina Halle

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Nocturne by Karina Halle is a spicy vampire dark romance murder mystery that's perfect for readers new to darker themes or those looking to dip their toes into vampire romances.

Before diving in, it's worth noting that this is a dark romance—so readers should check the content and trigger warnings beforehand.

This dual POV story follows Lena and Callahan, who unexpectedly team up to investigate the gruesome murder of Elizabeth Short. The narrative unfolds smoothly as we dive deeper into the mystery from both characters' perspectives, keeping the intrigue high and the pacing engaging.

Karina Halle’s writing style is easy to digest, effortlessly pulling readers through a steady and fast-paced plot. I especially loved the characters—Callahan quickly became a favorite, drawing me in as I discovered more layers to his complex persona. The characters felt believable and relatable, enhancing the depth of the narrative.

The book effectively blends thrilling suspense with steamy romance, punctuated by moments of humor and excitement. One standout moment for me was the pool party scene—😉🔥🌶️

My only minor critique is the ending and epilogue, which for me, like many books, felt a bit slow after the consistently quick pace of the rest of the story. Nonetheless, it didn't significantly detract from my overall enjoyment.

Overall, Nocturne was a thrilling ride filled with vampires, mystery, romance, and just the right amount of spice. I highly recommend it to fans of dark romance or anyone curious about venturing into this genre. It's an engaging read that's easy to devour!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC copy and allowing me the opportunity to review this fantastic read!

4 AB Negative Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5

You belong with me. All of you.”
Heart, body, and soul…

I am convinced that Karina Halle is obsessed with video games. The previous book I read from her had very strong elements of The Last of Us and Nocturne felt like a spinoff of L.A. Noire. So yeah, I think she’s a gamer at heart, and I absolutely love that. I’ve played both of the games and now my dream is that she writes something inspired by Uncharted or American McGee’s Alice, because I would love to see what her brain does with those vibes.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
In 1947, Elizabeth Short was found murdered in the Leimert Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles. She was completely drained of blood. The media dubbed her The Black Dahlia. Since the police seem unwilling or unable to find her killer, her family hires Victor Callahan, a private detective, to uncover what really happened. His pursuit leads him to Lena Reid, a femme fatale club singer who was best friends with Elizabeth and one of the last people to see her alive. She’s also the on-again, off-again girlfriend of a powerful mob enforcer. But Lena has a secret... she’s a vampire. And as Victor digs deeper into the case, he finds himself pulled not only into the dangerous world of Mafia men, but into the shadowy, seductive underworld of vampires...

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
First, I have to commend Karina Halle on the vibes of this book. They were immaculate. I felt like I was watching an old noir detective film. You can picture the sleazy diner, with Victor narrating his own inner monologue. It’s 3 a.m., and the only people in the diner are himself and an old couple drinking stale coffee, while he drowns his sorrows with a cigarette. Karina Halle nailed the noir atmosphere perfectly.

The tone, the mood, the nuance, and the way she intertwined a true crime case with a vampire plotline were absolutely seamless. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who usually leans toward thrillers or murder mysteries and wants to try something a little more paranormal. It blends both genres in a way that feels natural and effortless.

If you love the style of The Vampire Diaries but want something darker, grittier, and rooted in historical fiction, this is for you. It takes that paranormal edge and places it right in the middle of 1940s Los Angeles. The smokiness, the underground crime, the gangsters-rule-the-world vibe.

The romance was surprisingly sweet. Victor and Lena are drawn to each other quickly. There’s an instant connection, and as secrets unfold, their bond deepens, and you can see how these two are meant to be together.

Lena is careful, calculating, and guarded. She has to be as she’s caught up in the LA mafia and in an on-again-off-again situation with one of the mob’s enforcers. But she can handle herself. She’s got superhuman strength thanks to being a vampire, and she knows how to survive. She doesn’t need saving and is a real force to be reckoned with in a gorgeous red dress.

Victor Callahan is exactly what you’d expect from a detective in a noir story. He’s rough around the edges, relentless in his investigation, and won’t stop until he has answers. He’s clever, observant, and catches on to things others miss. He’s tenacious, but grounded, and you just want to follow him through every shady alley and smoky bar to see how his mind works!

I loved how the story was laid out. I loved how everything was woven together. And I adored being in this world. It felt like I was watching a movie but in book form. I couldn’t get enough of it.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Vampire Romance
▶ Historical Dark Mafia Vibes
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Suspense and Mystery
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Strangers to Lovers

and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Cages her with his arms
▷ Degradation and Praise
▷ Stalking
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Mirror/Reflection Sex
▷ "More"
▷ Hand Necklaces
▷ Blood Play

Overall this book was everything I didn’t know I needed. Basically, whatever Karina Halle is doing in her books, it’s working. She’s so good at gothic thrillers. I want more. She is fantastic at building atmosphere, tension, mystery, and emotional weight, and this is 100% the lane she needs to keep driving in.

Thank you to Metal Blonde Books, Netgalley and Karina Halle for the gifted copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own

HOT AF! Karina- what do you watch for inspiration? because DAMN! I could not put this book down! I don't usually give with books set anywhere in the early 1900's.. but a dark romance book in the 1940's... perfection! This book is beautiful & the spice is top tier! I know this one is a stand alone but please write 10 more....

The author did a great job at merging fiction with reality by incorporating the real facts of the Black Dahlia. A great spin on a topic that has been used many times.

Dnf’ed at 77%

The book started really promising with the vibes it was giving, very old Hollywood film in a dark bar vibes which I thought I liked but I just couldn’t connect to the characters at all, the romance was quite fast and not built up enough for me personally. I held on as I wanted to see valtu if I’m honest as I’ve read his duology and I LOVE him sm but I just didn’t find this book interesting, it was quite dragged out for me. The reveals were good but it just didn’t keep me interested.

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

This is the perfect road trip book. Or, it is the book to binge while doing a full house clean. Need to listen to a book while you go on a full-day hike? Look no further!

This book has just enough intrigue and steady pacing to make the time pass by quickly. Unfortunately, it didn't have enough for me to feel the need to pick it back up again once I put it down. The pacing was steady, almost detrimentally so. The big story twists and surprises felt diluted and treated with the same emphasis as the early world-building and character development.

All that said, Karina Halle does a fantastic job with the time and setting of the book. I felt the same way with Grave Matter - she sets the tone expertly. You feel the essence of the time and place, but yet you aren't hit over the head with it. Slang common to the times is used, but it is sporadic and as a reminder of where we are but it isn't used to a point of annoyance and eye rolls. The dark noir tone is layered throughout, and again, to a perfect balance where you don't even recognize it happening.

Thank you to Metal Blonde Books and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVED that we get a bit of everything in this book! Murder mystery, vampires, hidden identity, romance. It was a great read and I'm grateful I got an ARC for this book. Karina Halle did an amazing job!

A dark vampire stalker romance that will seek it’s teeth into you. A book drenched with blood and desire, obsession and murder and a twisted love story that will destroy you. A true crime and film-noir inspired dark romance with a vampiric twist that has some dark and questionable content as one would assume. Reader, proceed with caution.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞 (𝐀 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞) 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞

I absolutely loved the premise and idea for this story. We have a mix of dark romance, fantasy, la noir, unsolved murder mystery?! Sign me up. The vibes were top notch and I was very surprised with how the story unfolded. Lena Reid has lost her best friend Elizabeth Short (the black dahlia). Lena wants answers and closure on a case that is being swept under the rug. PI Victor Callahan is trying to uncover the mystery behind the murder of Elizabeth while trying to handle his lengthy unaccounted for blackouts. Together they team up and investigate, however, darkness lurks behind every corner and even within themselves. Lena and Victor although having great physical chemistry, I felt their conversations quite stilted and bland at times. It didn’t seem like they had much in common. I really enjoyed the storyline but it did start to feel very chaotic towards the end, there was so many components at play and it was utter chaos but in an exciting way - I was feral reading the ending to find out what happened. I did think the author had an awful lot of things to juggle with this book, putting together a very real murder case with a vampire world. I still had a great time reading it and it got my little twilight/unsolved murder cases heart beating again!
3.5 stars!

Vampires set in the 1940s? Absolutely.

Ngl the pacing of this was off at times. It felt really slow at the beginning and then suddenly really fast and I thought maybe I’d missed a few bits at times.

I liked the relationships between all the side characters, thought what was well written. The relationship between FMC and MMC developed well.

The accidental incest felt unnecessary tbh.

Overall an enjoyable read with a different setting for vampires which was a nice change.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Metal Blonde Books for this eARC!

As someone who is a big fan of L.A. Noire (shoutout to the author for recommending the soundtrack at the beginning) I knew right away this book was going to ensnare my interest. The time period of L.A. in the 1940s has always fascinated me and I couldn’t wait to read this.

One of the most noticeable things about this book is how easily the author paints such immersive, beautiful settings with her detail and wording. I could picture every single thing she described in my head perfectly. It made my reading experience all the more enjoyable, especially since it’s a historical piece. It was like 1940s L.A. was coming to life in my head while reading! I would recommend the book for this aspect alone.

Th mix of real historical elements with fiction was done in a way that wasn’t too overwhelming and fit the overall story very well. Putting a different spin on the Black Dahlia and other infamous names of the time period was very unique! It didn’t feel exploitative like most pieces regarding Elizabeth Short tend to be. I don’t know much about the mob scene of this time period, but I do like how the likeness of the real mobsters and their roles in society were interspersed through the book.

The overall mystery of the book starts with the death of the Black Dahlia and spirals into lots of different, but interesting plot points. I will say that the appeal of the Black Dahlia murder does kind of wear off as the tone shifts more heavily into the supernatural aspects of the book, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not too jarring of a tone shift because there is still a relative mystery woven throughout of who is committing the ritualistic murders, but at one point, it does pivot from murder mystery to just vampires.

The last half of the book was good. Not as exciting as the beginning, but enough so that it kept me through till the end. Like I mentioned, the plot fully shifted into a vampire centered story toward the last 60%. It had lots of action in it and without giving away spoilers, wrapped up the overall storyline neatly. The tidbit in the end about them meeting charles manson was a fun way to wrap up the book.

Overall, as far as historical vampire romances go, this one is definitely great! It’s unique it in its storytelling and the author does a fantastic job of setting the scene for it.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself hooked from the start and engaged all the way through. Trigger warnings don't bother me I like my books dark, the darker the better but I would suggest this may not be for everyone. I really enjoyed it though