Death to Valentine's Day

The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances

De: Catherine Cowles

Narrado por: Erin Mallon, Connor Crais

What’s worse than Valentine’s Day after a brutal breakup? Being trapped in a snowstorm with your ex’s brother and maybe a murderer. A witty and chillingly romantic short story by #1 Amazon bestselling author Catherine Cowles.

After her boyfriend’s betrayal, the last thing Maia St. James wants is to celebrate Valentine’s Day. And when her friends force her out for a Death to Valentine’s Day masquerade ball at a mountain lodge, the last thing she expects is to kiss a masked stranger, especially when he ends up being her ex’s older brother. But that’s the least of her problems. When a guest is found murdered, the party becomes a mystery. And Maia must unmask a killer before her second chance at romance is cut short.

Catherine Cowles’s Death to Valentine’s Day is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances, stories for star-crossed lovers and hopeless romantics. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s do it again.

©2026 by The PageSmith LLC. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Loved!

This is my favorite of the series. Loved the mystery in the backdrop. Narrators were on point.

Meet cute with a side of murder mystery!

Death to Valentine’s Day by Catherine Cowles
Narrated in duet by Erin Mallon & Connor Craise
was a fast, addictive listen that packed romance, suspense, and sharp banter into one sitting. Set during a Valentine’s Day masquerade party at a snowed-in mountain lodge, the story blends second-chance romance with a murder mystery. There’s high tension, forced proximity, and great pacing throughout.

The narration truly elevates the experience. Erin Mallon delivers Maia’s emotional journey with warmth and vulnerability, while Connor Craise brings a steady, protective presence that makes the romantic tension crackle. Their performances feel seamless and immersive, perfectly balancing suspense and chemistry.

If you enjoy romantic suspense novellas with strong narration and binge-worthy pacing, this one is absolutely worth a quick afternoon listen.

Great Short Read!

This was an awesome short read! The narrators were phenomenal and the story was fun to dip into. I'd love to hear this as a full story, actually. Just the right amount of spice and mystery, check this out when you want a quick read for travel or your lunch break!

Wow! I need the full story like this!

Clever story idea! Plot twist took me by surprise! I really loved this story, only negative is that it's too short!!! Narration was perfection! Decker & Maia we're perfect! And I looove Booker! He's so funny!

A lot of story for a short book

Death to Valentine’s Day by Catherine Cowles
Narrated by Erin Mallon and Connor Crais

Catherine Cowles is one of my all-time favorite authors, so I was excited for this one, and Catherine delivered a mini Catherine Cowles book. I really enjoyed it, but I felt like it didn’t need the murder part. That’s Catherine’s genre though, so I’m not sure it would be a CC book without it.

Maia was betrayed by her cheating ex, and her friends dragged her to an anti-Valentine’s masquerade party. When she sees her ex with the woman he cheated with, she grabs the closest masked man and starts making out with him. It turns out to be her brother’s best friend, who was always into her.

When Maia discovers a body and the snowstorm closes all the roads, we get a classic Catherine mystery, with misdirection and secrets. I understand that Catherine wanted to represent her style in this little novella, but I feel like I wouldn’t want people to judge her based on this. It was cute and fun, but the murder took away from the romance, which would have stood alone just fine in such a short story.

Erin Mallon and Connor Crais are all-time faves, and I loved their narration. This was the first one with spice in this series. It was a great little story, but it felt like it needed to be a little longer to fully explore both the romance and the mystery.

4.25 Stars, 3 spice