Title: Death to Valentine’s Day
Author(s) Name(s): Catherine Cowles
Published in: January, 2026
Why You Might Like This Book: Read this book if you enjoy
- tense romance,
- suspenseful romance,
- queer romance, and
- a short thriller story.
Who Should Avoid This Book: Avoid this book if you are triggered by or dislike
- steamy narratives, or
- murder, or
- break-ups.
Maia St. James and her friends work for a nature preserve organization. Even though she doesn’t make much money, she enjoys the job, but on the personal front, she has had a very bad year. It’s been almost a year since her relationship with her boyrfriend of over a decade, Jackson West had ended, when she walked into him making out with her cousin. The late realization that she never really felt true love for her ex-boyfriend and it was more to do with familiarity and comfort than love is not helping either. She has been just sulking all week, eating her comfort food and feeling down that she spent or rather wasted a decade of her life with him.
It’s also the Valentine’s day time of the year. Her best friends Erik and Violet compel her to join them for a party at a big house on top of a mountain, and she sees that they have a point – she’s hardly had any fun all year. Initially, she protests but they tell her that this is a “Death to Valentine’s Day” party, and only those who hate Valentine’s day are allowed. Erik and Violet are the real besties – she was there for them when they went through difficult times, and now, they are here with her. They force her to dress up and look quite sexy and hot for this party. When they land there, they realize that the place looks like it’s owned by someone wealthy, and there are plenty of people their age there, all dressed up and looking good.
A couple of others at the party are Jackson, Maia’s ex, who shows up with a different girlfriend, and his brother Decker West. Decker is a footballer, and Maia’s known both these brothers from her childhood days. Decker has always been a grumpy person. What she doesn’t know, though is that he loved Maia from the time when they were in school. Decker also hates Jackson a lot because the latter was never a good brother or even a good person. There are also many others, like the rich donor, Frederick, whom Maia doesn’t like at all but he owns the place, and their sweet, caring friend Henry, Decker’s best friend Booker.
In some ways, Catherine Cowles’ “Death to Valentine’s Day” reminds us of the highly popular contemporary romance author Ai Hazelwood’s books because the male lead is just perfect in so many ways! The male elads these romance authors create tick all the boxes in the traditional “good boyfriend” checklist, like having a good career, being ambitious, looking handsome, someone who wants to marry the only girl he has ever loved, who is the female lead, and all that, who also ticks the feminist checklist, too, like being truly caring, truly affectionate, not someone who is just there for sex and intimacy but someone the girl can count on to be there for her during the good and the bad days. Basically, the modern-day prince charming who is well aware of feminism and gender inequality, men who understand consent and romance. As though this is not enough, the author make the plot much more fun by using a few other romance elements like unexpected second chanes, forced proximity, and friends-turned-lovers idea. And Cowles knows how to build up sexual tension! Queer friendship and queer love fit nicely, too.
Of course, love this good happens only in fiction! Like Erik says, “That is the stuff movies are made of.” Yes, it can go from romantic to cheesy. Cliched. The thriller part of it definitely adds an interesting layer, but that part of the plot is not explored well enough. Hey, it’s a novella, not a whole book, so maybe if it was a novel, we could have enjoyed equal doses of romance and mystery. It was a fun read, here and there, even for romantics, it can feel overly cheesy, but it is a feel-good, warm, and not to mention steamy story! Cowles’ Death to Valentine’s Day is a slow-burn romance mixed with suspense, with tension rising on both fronts. I’d give it a 3.5-star rating.
