Graveside Gambler

Riley Cruz, Book 5

De: L. A. McBride

Narrado por: Maria McCann

They made me a thief. I’m about to make them my mark.

A scavenger hunt for the relic my mom hid decades ago should’ve been simple enough. I expected to spend a few weeks chasing clues in my old stomping grounds, followed by a fat payday and an overdue vacation.

Unfortunately, I’m not the only one after that artifact. Between the witch trying to get her hands on it and the vampires determined to use it to open the veil, the stakes have never been higher. Since I can no longer trust the Enclave’s intentions, I’m ready to cut out the middleman.

Luckily, I have my own heist crew, a rooster with underworld contacts, a geriatric coven of witches, and an alpha werewolf who has my back. All I need to do now is steal the prophecy and tap into my power to save the world from a demon invasion.

How hard could that be?

Graveside Gambler is the fifth and final book in the Riley Cruz series about a goat shifter who steals magical artifacts. If you like fun, fast-paced urban fantasy with quirky characters and an opposites attract, slow-burn romance, this is the series for you.

©2025 Lisa McBride (P)2025 Lisa McBride

Riley’s the GOAT!

**ARC READER - All opinions are my own!**

Riley has been working hard to get past her time under Carl’s thumb in the Santa Fe pack. Since then she’s moved to KC, MO, made friends, found family, and built up her circle of trust with amazing people who absolutely have her back. Her relationship with Max Volkov has grown to be one of full-fledged, mated love, and she and her crew are seeking out demon artifacts for the Enclave regularly, expenses paid, and rewards on delivery.

Life’s been pretty good for Riley, especially since settling things with Carl’s pack and putting some solid protection on her crewmate Nash, the only mortal in the bunch. Between overhauling the G.O.A.T. crew’s new headquarters into a thing of beauty as well as her personal living space, things are looking up for the little goat shifter.

Don’t worry that the Enclave has put a deadline on finding what the Demon Prophecy calls “The Vessel” (beware the twist, you could end up running your brain off the road!), so that now Nash and Riley have got to travel all over hell (well, not literally…yet) and creation to try and find it. Their search finally leads them to a remote and uninhabited island off the coast of Norway known for herds of wild goats and not much else. Better hurry things up Riley, Delarose is after the vessel as well. Wait… did Sato just say something about the Elemental Child going missing?!

“Graveside Gambler” is the fifth and final (NOOOOOOOO…) novel in the Riley Cruz spin-off series from the award-winning Kali James series by L. A. McBride. It lives in the same world as Kali James and features a new perspective on characters fans already know and love. It also allows readers to see more of events that may have been only briefly mentioned in the OG series, which is an absolute treat! It then ups the ante (see what I did there?) by continuing past the original series with events that keep the reader both engaged and entertained. The hits keep on coming, and the humor is on point! The settings are rich, the characters dynamic, the action keeps coming, the burn is slow, hot, and steamy, and the book is unputdownable! I highly recommend this book and look forward to Liv's (yes you read right!) upcoming solo series! And if audiobooks are your jam, all five books in the series, including this one, are BEAUTIFULLY narrated by the ever-talented Maria McCann (who GENUINELY outdid herself on this one)!!

I received a free copy of this e-book and audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.

One of my favorite authors and narrators!

*Update after audiobook came out*
I just absolutely love this narrator! She brings all the characters to life and makes this story so much more enjoyable. Especially when Riley is sad and hurting, you can really hear the emotion. This is absolutely one of my favorite narrators! From Riley to the Stitch Witches, she has such an amazing talent! Even Nash's voice is done wonderfully!
Riley is now finally able to search for the final relic that the Enclave has asked for. While traveling all across the world, she has to get her hands on this relic before Zara Bellarose or the vampires set on unleashing demons. But as she starts to get more pieces of the puzzle, she finds out things are a lot more complicated then she ever thought. This is such a short summary but it really encompasses the plot. There is so much going on within just that little synopsis, but it is really hard to explain more without giving away all the secrets!
I absolutely love Riley! She is one of my all time favorite characters. She has been through so much but never lets it get her down. She is always out to help the underdog and won't let anyone intimidate her, even Irina. She also has to learn some difficult truths (and WOW are they crazy!) and deal with those while still trying to stop the vampires. And even after she thinks she knows everything, at the end she is blind-sided yet again. But Riley gets back up and finally finds her calling after meeting Sierra. There was even a big surprise from everyone's favorite, Garth, as well!! How can you not love that chicken?!
This book is a quick read, but does not lack action. There is almost always something going on and it will have you biting your nails wondering what will happen. There is also a lot of emotional moments for Riley as she starts to find out who she was and where her family came from, both adopted and blood family. Everything really comes together for Riley in this book. This book will have you laughing and tearing up. What an ending for Riley!