After a quiet week at work, Immortal Enforcer Valerian MacKenzie’s only plan is to spend his weekend night golfing. When his golf cart runs out of gas, he looks to find someone to tell them where he left it only to be surprised when he finds a potential lifemate. Valerian’s joy at finding his lifemate is short lived though when it looks like a serial killer he and the rest of the enforcers have not been able to find has targeted the very lady he is now planning on wooing.   

If Natalie Moncreif has any thoughts on it being weird for someone to only golf at night, she’s keeping it to herself. She has other things to worry about, like getting her and her daughter Mia into a proper living situation instead of living in the clubhouse basement. Natalie’s grand plans don’t involve starting a relationship with anyone, especially after she was burned so badly by Mia’s father, but when Valerian steps up to help her when she’s targeted by a killer, Natalie finds it hard to resist the temptation he presents.

Just in time for Halloween, Lynsay Sands turns up the danger in AFTER THE BITE. The story has very ghostly vibes, from wandering around a golf course at night, listening to the rustling of leaves, to a serial killer on the loose. But it’s not a Sands’ book without her trademark humour and you’ll find plenty of it here. I loved Valerian trying to explain away his sister not knowing the difference between daughter and niece by saying it’s because she’s Scottish and doesn’t understand the accent.

Valerian is a character that has been around in the Argeneau series for a very long time, since A Quick Bite, and it’s great to finally learn more about him and his family. Natalie’s back story is very heartbreaking and you just end up admiring her for everything she’s gone through and her resilience in creating a life for herself, Mia and their dog, Sinbad. Valerian is a great protective hero, but like all the immortals who have tried to win over their mortal mates, he has a few stumbles but there are plenty of fan favourites popping in to help him out. AFTER THE BITE is the perfect Halloween read to curl up on your couch with while sipping on a pumpkin spiced beverage. Full of things that go bump in the night, it’ll have you peaking out the window, looking for your own immortal lifemate.