Blood and Bells Arc Review

ARC Review: Blood and Bells by C.J. Holmes & Michael Ashwood

Released today — September 15, 2026!

I had the privilege of reading Blood and Bells as an ARC, and I have to say, this was such a cozy, fun, and chaotic Christmas read!

The story takes place in Willow Creek, a town where humans and supernatural beings live side by side. We have vampires, a cupid who happens to be the mayor, elves, a ghoul, magical portals, and plenty of other fun characters thrown into the mix. Needless to say, Christmas in Willow Creek is anything but ordinary!

Our main character, Holly Frost, is a human Christmas event planner who is under a LOT of pressure. Willow Creek is known for its incredible Christmas gala, and Holly feels like she has some big shoes to fill following in her mom's footsteps.

Then, just when she needs everything to go perfectly, the town's Christmas tree goes missing.

“We’re one carol away from a catastrophe, and it’s going to take more than a Christmas miracle to fix this one.”

Because apparently, planning a Christmas gala wasn't stressful enough. 

Rogue elves are causing trouble, Christmas is quickly turning into chaos, and Holly finds herself teaming up with Nick Draven, a vampire, to figure out what happened and hopefully save Christmas.

And yes… there are snowball fights with rogue elves.

“You see that Frost? Classic rogue elf behavior. Aggression, lack of self-control, and an unhealthy attachment to destruction.” 

“Rogue elves though? It’s like fighting children. Nasty, stupid, sharp-toothed children. They smell”

Holly & Nick

I really enjoyed these two! They slowly start getting to know each other, their feelings begin to change, and of course, all of that comes with really fun banter along the way. Their back-and-forth was one of my favorite parts of the book. They definitely had me smiling more than once.

“But all I've managed to do is make a mess of everything. And now a literal vampire wants to help, which is either fate being kind or fate being bored.”

I liked Holly because even when everything is falling apart around her, she keeps trying to hold everything together. She’s dealing with the pressure of living up to her mom’s legacy while suddenly finding herself in the middle of supernatural christmas chaos. 

And Nick…

“I am the Last Breath of the Night. Mortals cower in my presence. I do not sulk.”

This vampire is afraid of cars and drives the most unexpected car for a vampire. I am sorry, but that was absolutely hilarious to me.  A vampire driving around in such a mundane car just made me love Nick even more.

“What kind of cars do vampires drive? A hearse seems too on the nose. A stagecoach of some kind? Or, I know, some deathly sleek sports car?” 

-Holly Frost

There are so many little things about Nick that made him such an entertaining character, and I really enjoyed getting to know him throughout the story.

“I do brooding. Smirking. Ominous lurking in shadowed doorways. But apparently, Holly Frost has single-handedly started to dismantle my carefully cultivated persona, and it remains unclear how I feel about that.”

Crinkshaw

“He’s the five hundred year old ghoul who happens to be the coven’s steward. He’s also an exceptional cook.”

I absolutely loved Crinkshaw. 

He's a ghoul who is basically full of doom and gloom… while also absolutely loving Christmas.

And I mean loving Christmas. 

You might expect the mansion that they live in to be dark and depressing, but it's completely decked out for the holidays. I loved that contrast. He may have a very undead personality, but when it comes to Christmas, he's all in.

I also loved that they have their own version of Christmas-Bloodmas.

His kitchen is his safe space, and he has kitchen rules:

Be Kind.

Ask before borrowing spices.

Label your blood bags and your biscotti.

Basically, that's his version of a “Live, Laugh, Love” sign. 

And then there's his baking…He makes these amazing “bloody” gingerbread men cookies, and honestly, I need a chapter dedicated entirely to his recipes. Seriously.

I also absolutely loved his quick responses. 

“I won’t be lectured on taste by someone who believes solid black represents the height of fashion.”

Ronan

Then there's Ronan, who is also part of the coven. He's a Celtic warrior who carries around his favorite axe, Sally.

“I’m not sure why we’re even bothering to sneak around. Battle is the way to solve this. Whoever’s behind this will have to face Sally.” 

Ronan has this big teddy-bear personality, but don't let that fool you.

When those rogue elves show up, Ronan is ready for battle! 

I really enjoyed watching him fight because he can go from calm and friendly to absolutely fierce when it's time to protect everyone.

“I came for battle, and you talk to me of spruce?” 

Marcy

And we can't forget Marcy, Holly's best friend.

Marcy knows Holly well, and when Holly has problems, especially when those problems involve Nick, she seems to know exactly what Holly needs.

Sometimes that means advice.

Sometimes it means a cup of cocoa.

Honestly, both sound like pretty good solutions to me. 

“I’m just saying, if Nick Draven asked me to volunteer, I'd consider it. Those cheekbones? That jawline? He could ask me to alphabetize his blood fridge and I'd probably swoon.”

-Marcy

When Christmas Goes Off the Rails

One of my favorite things about Blood and Bells was the balance between the Christmas coziness and all the supernatural chaos.

And speaking of gingerbread…

There is a completely separate gingerbread situation later in the book. At one point, they end up fighting an army of gingerbread men.

Yes. An army.

At this point, I just had to laugh because this book really said, Let's take Christmas chaos and turn it all the way up. 

I won't say anything more because it's one of those moments that's much more fun to discover for yourself, but let's just say Willow Creek has some very unconventional Christmas problems.

And yes, hot cocoa is absolutely a must while reading this one.

“The best purpose I've found in life is to savor it. Like warm cocoa with the people you love. If you find better, send me a postcard.”

-Nick Draven

I'm not going to spoil who is behind all the Christmas chaos, but I will say this: the mastermind will be revealed!

So, if you're trying to figure out who's responsible for all the holiday madness, you'll have to read the book to find out.

“This is less The Fairytale of New York and more Deck the Halls with casualties.”

And honestly, that quote tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the kind of Christmas we're dealing with in Willow Creek. 

Blood and Bells was such a cozy and entertaining Christmas read! I loved the mix of paranormal romance, mystery, humor, quirky characters, and just the right amount of holiday mayhem. It had that warm, festive feeling that made it such a fun book to settle into for the season.

And the best part?

This is only Book One!

After finishing this story, I’m definitely curious to see what’s next for Willow Creek and its residents. There are plenty of questions I’m hoping to see answered, and I’m already looking forward to discovering where Book Two takes us.

If you’re looking for a cozy paranormal romance to add a little supernatural fun to your holiday TBR, definitely check out this book!

Blood and Bells is available now, released September 15, 2026, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kindle. 

My ASL version of Blood and Bells review will be coming soon.