This month, I reviewed Come Nightfall, the first book in the popular Nightfall series by Lexi J. Kingston.

I’ve never reviewed a vampire romance. After reading this book I can only wonder, “What took me so long?”

Lexi Kingston is featured this month in our Q&A.

She independently published Come Nightfall  while still in college.

There are currently four books in the Nightfall series and her contemporary romance series,  13 Days of December, also has four books.

The main character, Aspen Troy, is a strong young woman. She’s trying to keep her dysfunctional family together after they left their home with little more than the clothes on their backs. Now they are living in a decrepit house abandoned for generations by their family. It’s rumored to be haunted and somehow linked to the mysterious Draven family whose ancestor Ambrose went mad and died there because of a family curse.

Aspen’s mother is a shell of her former self. Her father drinks and becomes volatile. Her brother Dallas has retreated inward. Aspen misses her home and the person she was before. Despite her father’s assurances that living in Ichorye is only temporary, Aspen isn’t so sure. Family secrets seldom just go away.

At night, a menacing figure visits her in her dreams. He reeks of death and decay. He wants something from her, but what? She begins seeing him in an old mirror, but her family seems oblivious to his existence. After finding a necklace in her dream, she wakes up with it around her neck.

The necklace almost gets her killed, but she’s saved by the mysterious Miles Draven, who happens to be a vampire. Cheating death has its consequences, and Aspen is forced to make a life-altering choice to preserve the balance between life and death.

Is Ambrose Draven the figure haunting her dreams? Is she the “Chosen One”  who can end the Draven family curse? As Aspen and Miles work to protect their families, it becomes difficult to fight their mutual attraction.

No spoilers here, you’ll have to read the book to see what happens.

Kingston takes a unique approach to the vampire romance genre. There are no rivals for Aspen’s affection, and Miles does not use his powers to try to seduce Aspen. She gives her female protagonist more control and greater choice of her destiny.

I was drawn to her descriptions of vampires. Traditional vampires are haughty and reclusive. Members of the Draven clan fit that characterization, but they are also a loving family who care deeply for each other. Some, like Miles, are still fighting to retain pieces of their humanity. Physically, vampires tend to be strong and well-built with pale skin. Most have dark hair and golden eyes. Their senses are heightened and animal-like. Kingston allows her characters to enjoy the smell and taste of food, to rejoice in the beauty of flowers, the variations of shades of color, and the feel of the wind rushing against their skin.

There is a certain moral ambiguity in Kingston’s series that sets it apart from other series in the genre. No one is inherently good or all bad. Some vampires try to co-exist with humans by balancing life and death. Other vampires view humans as inferiors meant to be subjugated or destroyed. Rival vampire clans fight each other just as rival groups of humans do.

Books by Lexi J. Kingston:

Nightfall Series:                                                          13 Days of December Series:                              

Come Nightfall (Book One)                                       Remember December (Book One)

In The Moonlight (Book Two)                                   Endure May (Book Two)

Until Daybreak (Book Three)                                    Trusting November (Book Three)

After Sunrise (Book Four)                                          Forever June (Book Four)

To find out more about Lexi J. Kingston and her work, visit her website, www.lkingstonbooks.com where you can also purchase books, including signed copies, and merchandise.

Lexi’s books are also available on amazon.com, and she is now on our Author Page complete with links to purchase her books from Amazon.

Follow Lexi on:

Instagram: @L.Kingston.books

Twitter/X: @LKingston_books

Facebook: fb.me/l.kingston.books