Valentine’s Slay by Navessa Allen @navessa.allen @alliepnarrates @alastairhaynesbridge @brilliancepublishing #TheImprobableMeetCuteSecondChances #ValentinesSlay

the setup…
It’s Valentine’s Day and Noah Evans is working the night shift at the Louisiana graveyard when he hears some moaning. He’s a gravedigger and used to finding lovers amongst the gravestones. But when the moans turn to screaming, he realizes it’s not a Valentine’s Day tryst but a woman…buried alive. And it’s coming from the grave of Emma Broadburn, his high school crush who he watched be buried earlier in the day. How in the world???

the heart of the story…
I immediately went into my rational zone, trying to figure how this could happen and believing something mystical might be at play. It was great that those questions got answered (nothing ethereal here) and it was clear that Emma’s doctor husband pulled a fast one. Things heated up between her and Noah a little too quickly for me but I liked their easy relationship. I also enjoyed the mystery part of the story.

the narration…
Allie Pine and Alastair Haynesbridge delivered the duet style narration, one of my favorites as it makes the story more conversational with rapid-fire pacing. Allie brought the Louisiana drawl perfectly and I enjoyed both of their performances.

the bottom line…
Okay, this wins the award for the most original, unique and macabre meet-cute ever! And, it became believable once the story progressed. I liked their easy relationship and the romance/suspense combo, though the speed of the spice didn’t quite work as well. It was a nice finale to a really fun and romantic collection.

Book Info

• Release Date: January 20, 2026
• Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute: Second Chances #6
• Narrators: Allie Piper & Alastair Haynesbridge
• Audio Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes
• Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Listen to a Sample!

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy of the entire collection. All opinions are my own.)