As the true nature of the Light is revealed, Zoey discovers Halfer is a demon and much more than money is at stake. Per her contract, she must give him the Light or spend an eternity in Hell. What’s a girl to do except fight for her soul…and her heart.
As usual, I had the temerity to reach out and see if the author would answer some questions, and she did! So, here’s my interview:
Q1)Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Lexi! I’ve noticed that your brand is primarily focused on contemporary romance. Why the shift with this series to paranormal romance?
A:The odd thing is it was actually the other way around. When I started writing again—after a long pause—Thieves was the series I wrote. I wrote the first five books in the original series and the first book in Hunter over the course of around eighteen months. I hadn’t been published yet. While I was shopping around the Thieves series,Small Town Sirenwas picked up by a publisher and that started my contemporary career. For a few years, I concentrated on those books, and I finally published this series after my pen name was well established.
Q2)It’s hard to miss that Zoey has a lot of your characteristics (hello, beautiful red hair!). What other qualities do you share with her—and what qualities do you wish you had of hers?
A:I think every author has that one character who is their almost best version of themselves. (And because we’re writers, even those versions are flawed and difficult.) Zoey is definitely mine. I share her stubbornness and her love of shoes. She’s incredibly brave in a way I don’t know I could be. I hope so, but I haven’t been put in the positions she has—and may I never actually have to face down a demon.
Q3)This series seems to take some inspiration from love triangles like King Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot and turn them on their ear. Was that on purpose?
A:I love a good love triangle, but I hate it when one of the three gets left out. Thieves in many ways is my answer toTwilight—a great series but I always wondered why Bella had to choose between Edward and Jacob. So Zoey, Daniel, and Dev might take a different path. It’s a long and winding road for these three, but I promise there’s a happy ending somewhere down the line.
Q4)I found your fictional theory about the existence of vampires fascinating. How did you come up with it?
A:I think every writer in the world has a fictional theory about vampires. We’re fascinated by them, but scientifically there are some problems with their existence. Super predators are rare in nature for the simple reason that if there are too many of them, they devastate the ecosystem. If we’ve learned anything recently it’s that viruses can spread fast. If vampires can simply bite someone and they become a vampire, science and human nature teach us we would all be vamps pretty damn quick—and we would be hungry. So for me the idea of a recessive gene that also makes the vampire incapable of reproduction makes more sense. I also like the idea that almost all vampires are men because I’m putting my heroine up against them all. It’s the ultimate patriarchy.
Q5)There seems to be a theme in this series of darkness and light and how important that balance is. Was that intentional and was it hard to weave the darkness and light through these three characters with such balance?
A:Balance. That is a word that’s used a whole lot in this series. Darkness and light complement each other, and neither would be interesting if it was the only thing that existed. It’s the contrast that makes life interesting. Zoey will discover throughout the series how important balance is—in her ongoingadventures and more importantly in her personal life. Danny and Dev provide very different needs. They balance her out and (over the course of the series) if they give it a chance, they might even do the same for each other.
Again, I really liked this book, and the series as a whole. As I mentioned up top, vampires can be problematic for me because the suspension of disbelief is rough. But Lexi Blake does a great job creating a world, and the rules not only made sense, but they increased the tension, conflict, and stakes of everything. I highly recommend these books! Check out your favorite retailer to grab a copy. You can find it here: Steal the Light
Sapphire Sunset
I had a hard time picking a book for this installment because I just blazed through the entire Sapphire Cove series by Christopher Rice writing as C. Travis Rice, and how do you pick just one? But I decided to start with the first.
If you’ve ever wanted a romance that balances depth with heat,Sapphire Sunsetis your next must-read. Emotional tension, brooding secrets, and slow-burn intensity? Yes, please!
Logan and Connor’s story delivers a perfect storm that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. There’s something magnetic about watching two people try to fightwhat’s clearly inevitable—and even more so when they finally give in.
What I loved most was the sense of bravery in this book. How it takes courage to be honest with yourself, and even more to let someone in. This one quietly knocked the wind out of me in the best way. It’s the kind of book that reminds you love can be brave, complicated, and worth everything.
Here’s the blurb!
For the first timeNew York Timesbestselling author Christopher Rice writes as C. Travis Rice. Under his new pen name, Rice offers tales of passion, intrigue, and steamy romance between men. The first novel,Sapphire Sunset, transports you to a beautiful luxury resort on the sparkling Southern California coast where strong-willed heroes release the shame that blocks their heart's desires.
Logan Murdoch is a fighter, a survivor, and a provider. When he leaves a distinguished career in the Marine Corps to work security at a luxury beachfront resort, he’s got one objective: pay his father’s mounting medical bills. That means Connor Harcourt, the irresistibly handsome scion of the wealthy family that owns Sapphire Cove, is strictly off limits, despite his sassy swagger and beautiful blue eyes. Logan’s life is all about sacrifices; Connor is privilege personified. But temptation is a beast that demands to be fed, and a furtive kiss ignites instant passion, forcing Logan to slam the brakes. Hard.
Haunted by their frustrated attraction, the two men find themselves hurled back together when a headline-making scandal threatens to ruin the resort they both love. This time, there’s no easy escape from the magnetic pull of theirwhite-hot desire. Will saving Sapphire Cove help forge the union they crave, or will it drive them apart once more?
Available nearly everywhere books are sold. I highly recommend it and hope you’ll check it out. You can find it here: Sapphire Sunset
Love on the Byline
I’m a junkie for Hollywood. There, I said it. Look, I’m not an idiot. I know that underneath the glitz and glamor, there can be awful things lurking, but I have a subscription toPeopleeven now, and I read the gossip blogs. It’s from that interest that I picked up this book, but what kept me reading was the characters, the conflict and the emotional core of the story. It’s kind of a classic setup, the rush of ambition with the ache of a second chance, except like they always say, it’s not what an author does, but how they do it—and OMG, does Xio Axelrod know what she’s doing! Blake and Ollie are the kind ofcharacters you root for instantly. They’re driven, vulnerable, and deeply relatable, each at a crossroads in their lives.
Yes, their chemistry is undeniable, but it’s the undercurrent of history between them that makes this story sing. The slow burn here isn’t just romantic—it’s core memory time. Every glance, every shared moment, carries the weight and resonance of what they never thought they’d have again. If you’re someone who knows what it’s like to hold on to a love you thought you’d lost forever, their journey will hit all the right notes.
Love on the Bylineis smart, real and warm, set in a cutthroat industry that’s built on betrayal. If you want a story that lingers, this one absolutely belongs on your nightstand!
Here’s the blurb!
Blake Dillon isn’t exactly living the dream. She longs to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and make a difference in the world as a journalist. Unfortunately, her current job has her paying-off hotel staff for celebrity gossip. Tasked with shadowing a film star for an in-depth profile, Blake sees it as a chance to finally prove her worth. She never expected the interview to reconnect her with her old college crush.
Oliver Benjamin agrees to move to Los Angeles to work as the executive assistant to his best friend, a rising star. He hopes it will give him some direction. However, he soon discovers the only difference between being a frat boy and a Hollywood heartthrob is the amount of free stuff and the level of media attention. Ollie spends most of his time putting out fires, leaving little time for anything else. When Blake is sent to chronicle their lives, he finds himself face-to-face with the one that got away.
