Spring Harvest

by Rektok Ross

Coachella meets "The Vampire Diaries" in this absolutely addictive supernatural thriller where friends at a rural music festival must survive a vampire siege.

Beautiful, confident, and freshly single Alix Summerlin and her friends are ready for the ultimate party weekend at the Garlic Groove Music Festival in remote little farm town Allium Valley. Her biggest worries are what designer outfits to wear each night and managing the post-breakup tension with her sweet-but-brooding ex, Logan. But when festival-goers start vanishing, and Kade—a mysterious, handsome stranger—warns Alix to flee town, she begins to suspect something sinister is at work.

As the festival descends into chaos, Alix discovers the town’s dark secret. Bloodthirsty vampires, emboldened by a garlic-less spring harvest, have taken over. With almost everyone dead or captured, it’s up to Alix, along with Logan and Kade, to save Allium Valley. But Kade is also keeping secrets. Can Alix really trust him? The stakes have never been higher as Alix finds herself in a deadly game of survival with the world’s fate on the line.

Bestselling, award-winning author Rektok Ross returns with this action-packed, gripping new thriller.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Thriller, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Summer Reads

328 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2024

About the author

Liani Kotcher (writing as Rektok Ross) is a trial attorney turned award-winning and bestselling author, screenwriter, and producer. An avid reader since childhood, Liani writes exactly the kind of books she loves to escape into herself: exciting thrillers with strong female leads, swoonworthy love interests, and life-changing moments. She graduated from the University of Florida School of Journalism and obtained her juris doctorate at the University of Miami School of Law. Originally from South Florida, she currently splits her time between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas with her husband, step kids, and her dogs. She is the recipient of several awards, including the American Fiction Awards, IAN Book of the Year Awards, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, the Chanticleer Dante Rossetti Book Awards, and Women Writing the West. Her debut young adult thriller Ski Weekend was named a “best book” of the year by Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, BookRiot, Yahoo!Life, Brit + Co., BookTrib, J-14, and more and is currently in development for a major motion picture. You can find her online just about anywhere at @RektokRoss, as well as on her website, www.RektokRoss.com, where she blogs about books and writing.

You can find her online just about anywhere at @RektokRoss, as well as on her website, www.RektokRoss.com, where she blogs about books and writing.

Facebook: @RektokRoss
Instagram: @RektokRoss
TikTok: @RektokRoss
BookBub: @RektokRoss
Twitter: @RektokRoss
Readers Group: www.facebook.com/groups/thebooknookbyrektokross/

Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/ae3f56732419/email-newsletter

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

buddy read with my girl Krysta❤

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★

this book follows a group of friends attending a music festival who have to survive a vampire attack. the main group consists of Alix, Logan, Zoe, Jenny and Chad with later additions of two other guys named Kade and Frog. Alix is the main pov and she’s the abrasive type, so i can’t say i liked her necessarily but she did have some character growth.. Zoe and Logan were my favorites though and i love vampires in general so any time they were on the page was entertaining for sure.

“Grief is the price we pay for love. The greater the love, the greater the pain,”

there’s some mysteries behind Frog and Kade’s characters specifically (i guessed it pretty fast though lol). i wish there was more time spent at the actual music festival cause that’s a fun setting but the story is more focused on the actual survival of everyone in the town. the romances weren’t my favorite but i didn’t hate it either.. i kinda feel mixed on this one but more positive than negative on the enjoyment scale. the amount of unanswered questions i had by the end did throw me off but i honestly just need someone to make this into a movie cause it would be great for that!

- thanks to my love Cara for buddy reading this one with me! looking forward to our next one🌻🧡

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say hello to the night
Lost in the shadows
Say hello to the night
Lost in the loneliness - Lost In The Shadows (The Lost Boys), - Lou Gramm

This book wasn't kidding when it said it was "Coachella meets "The Vampire Diaries" but I also got "The Lost Boys" vibes as well. Seriously, I completely enjoyed sinking my teeth into this book. Rektok Ross wowed me with Summer Rental and I was excited to read Spring Harvest. I found it to be gripping, addictive, thrilling and hard to put down. In short, this book was bloody good!

Alix Summerlin and her friends are ready for a weekend of fun, partying, music, and fashion! It's a chance to hang out with friends, kick back, dance and leave their troubles behind. Sure, they had been warned by Kade, a handsome local to leave town, but they choose to ignore the warnings of the mysterious brooding local guy. Have they never watched a horror film????? When a local warns you to leave, get out of there, go, immediately, save yourself, do not pass go, do not look back, just get out!!!!! Oops! They didn't listen. How fitting for a group of vampires to prey on those attending the Garlic Groove Music Festival! How lucky for the vampires (not so lucky for the concert goers) that the garlic is sparse this year in Allium Valley.

This was a fun, addictive, and entertaining tale of survival. Who will survive? Who can be trusted? Oh baby, this was a fun one. I was a teenager when "The Lost Boys" came out and have probably watched that movie 30+ times and I was a fan of "The Vampire Diaries" so this book hit the sweet spot for me!

This book had just enough danger, tension, angst, and thrills for me. There is some gore, some blood (of course), and horrific moments to tantalize this vampire lover. There is a reveal which I saw coming but who cares, this book was fabulous!

I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the writing, the vivid descriptions, the pacing, and the plot! All were well done and kept me turning the pages in this bloody good page turner! This played out like a movie in my mind.

This is my second book by Rektok Ross and I'm a fan! I look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future!

Gripping, thrilling, fun, entertaining, and horrific!

*It is also fun to see what other vampire shows and/or movies that other reviewers bring up in their reviews.


Thank you to Ic13 Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Bbecca_marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring Harvest by Rektok Ross

Thank you so much to the author and the publisher for the eARC.

Blurb:
Coachella meet The Vampire Diaries in this absolutely addictive supernatural thriller where friends at a rural music festival must survive a vampire siege.

✨ My thoughts:
This was over way too fast! I can’t believe how fast I read this ebook. If you know me, you know I read physical books the fastest while ebooks take me forever but my goodness, this was GOOD. I think I have now entered my vampire book era. I have loved and devoured each book I’ve read by Rektok Ross and dammit did she deliver again! In the season of music festivals, we are given a fun vampire story with a lesson to be learned. Animal cruelty is no joke and I am a firm believer in respecting the animals we eat. I really appreciated this story and our hunk of a man, Kade. But seriously, Rektok, can I be you when I grow up?! You have written another banger, girlfriend! 10/10 recommend! Get ready for the siege because Spring Harvest is out 4/30/24!!

Happy reading 📖🩸🎡

[Amy Fetzer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick read, was hoping for a fun little vampire thriller. Was met with the most insufferable, unlikeable characters. The story was more predictable than I was expecting, and I hated the main character. Not any bit of her was likable, and the characters feel like they were written the way 50+ republicans on Facebook think people in their early 20’s act.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring Harvest by Rektok Ross. Thanks to the author for the gifted copy and sweet swag box ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alix is beautiful, confident, and newly single. She is looking forward to the party weekend with her friends at the Garlic Groove Musical Festival. The festival turns into chaos though and the town’s secret is revealed: bloodthirsty vampires.

Once you start this one, you won’t put it down until the end. It’s fast paced and entertaining, with some very likeable (and unlikeable) characters. There’s a romance in it as subplot and it worked well for me. This would make a great young adult book; I could see myself as an adolescent with a slight obsession with this book. The ending was left open for a series , but not open enough to be frustrating.

“It’s yet another hurdle in this twisted game of life and death that we’ve all been thrust into. And this is a game I’m not about to lose”

Spring Harvest comes out 4/30.

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what would happen if vampires took over Coachella and started taking people out!

It follows our FMC who goes to a small town during spring time for the “Garlic Groove Music Festival.”

Turns out the small town is completely invested with vampires, and when poor weather conditions leads to a garlic-less season, the vampires take over the music festival and turn it into a nightmare!

The story is super bingeable, action packed, and very unique.

It’s also CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED.

It’s now going to become my personal mission to make as many people read this book as I possibly can!

One thing to note: this is a thriller story, not a romance. But there is an angsty romance subplot, which helps make the story even more interesting.

Rektok Ross, if you see this, please write a book two!!! 😭 I need more!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! You NEED to Read This!

Finished this book in a single day and WOW! Dark, thrilling, romance with a BITE (pun intended ) - what more could you ask for?! #Obsessed

This book is basically Coachella meets The Vampire Diaries, and as a HUGE VD fan, I was ALL IN. This story has its all - horror, action, a swoon-worthy MC named Kade (seriously) and an ending that leaves you SCREAMING for more! #BringOnTheSequel

This is my FIRST read by this author, and let me tell you, it definitely won't be my last! Diving into their backlist ASAP!

💫Huge thanks to TLC Books Tours and the author for the gifted copy and amazing swag!

Favorite quotes:

"Some things are worth fighting for. Fight like hell, Alix. Fight and don't ever stop."

"Grief is the price we pay for love. The greater the love, the greater the pain."

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

How this book has such a high rating blows my mind. I should’ve DNF’d this book about 30% in, but I kept hoping it would get better. Spoiler alert: it did not.

[Laura]

soft DNF sadly.

This was not for me, I wasn’t vibing with the characters, and it made it super difficult to get into. I may try again later, but for now, I had to put it away.

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy though!! I really appreciate it!

[Sarah {The Clever Reader} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a wild ride! A music festival turned vampire feeding ground.

When Alix rolls into the small town in Oregon for a music festival with her friends she has no idea what is going to happen next. The first night of the festival someone is killed, right there in the crowd, and things start to get weird. Not only is this garlic farming little town hosting a music festival, but apparently, it’s got a long line of vampires in its mist.

Alix lost her mom when she was a teenager and there is nothing, she won’t do to protect her friends. She won’t be losing another person she loves again! She never thought her father’s training as a hunter would come in handy but she’s stepping up her game now. When Alix gets separated from her friends, she finds herself training with the mysterious local boy, Kade, but she’s starts to question what secrets he may be keeping from her and when she sets off to rescue her friends, and possibly the rest of the town, things start to get real intense!

I’ve read Rektok’s other books and this one does not disappoint! It was so fun to have the thriller vibes Rektok does so well mixed with the new horrors that come with the addition of these very intense vampires. I think the comp of vampire diaries meets Coachella is the perfect description! I was on my toes the entire time and definitely recommend it to both thriller and horror lovers!

[Seren Song ✨]

Blurb sounds like the vamp 69 scare zone at Halloween Horror Nights and I’m here for it ❤️

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a cheesy 80’s slasher flick. Same feeling. Same vibes. I am honestly shocked at how well the author translated that feeling into a book. If you’re into slashers where you’re yelling at the idiot main characters for going towards danger, this book is for you.

It had some of the cheesiest, cringiest dialogue ever, but I think that’s on purpose. Chad is an absolute chad. I wanted him to be the first dead from the second we met him.

Very predictable. Very unlikable characters (again I think on purpose?)

I was fully planning to rate this 4 stars because it did fulfill its intention of being a cheesy slasher, but at the end of the book I knocked this down to 3 stars because there were so many loose ends left.

See my StoryGraph for more reviews behind a spoiler wall.

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coachella meets The Vampire Diaries. I found the beginning fast paced, but definitely dragged a bit in the middle for me. I also found the main character so unlikable that I had a hard time rooting for any sort of success. The action was still thrilling though.

[Georgia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does anyone enjoy a bully, pick-me, prom queen redemption story? Was we meant to root for this insufferable Fmc. The book was very YA and not very good at all. Absolutely everything was predictable and the whole book just fell flat.

[Stephanie Sabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was ridiculous but entertaining and I had so much fun reading it. I’ve read three books by this author and i will continue reading future books.

[Nicole Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun ride that went places I was not expecting!

[Courtney (pawsitivelybookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Spring Harvest is marketed as Coachella meets The Vampire Diaries so obviously I was hooked right away. I think this is the perfect book for fans of The Lost Boys as well!

This book revolves around a group of friends traveling to Garlic Groove, a music and food festival in the garlic capital in Allium Valley, Oregon. Except they are currently experiencing a draught and it is the first time in decades that there is no garlic harvest.

Spring Harvest was fast paced from the beginning and didn’t stop. Starting right away with an ominous warning from a gas station attendant 👀

Alix, our main character, sure was something. She was so unlikeable and seemed to barely care about anyone but herself. I had a feeling we were going to see a lot of character development with her and I’m glad we did.

I didn’t expect a romance aspect in this book and I definitely didn’t expect to tear up. I enjoyed the open ending even if I don’t think there will be a sequel.

Bonus, loved Frog! He made my The Lost Boys loving heart happy.

I also really enjoyed the type of vampires in this book. I thought the whole concept was really unique. Overall, I just found this book very entertaining. It also dealt with social issues such as the meat industry in an interesting way.

[Kim Coughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and think I set a personal record for how quickly I tore through it! It was a fun, vampire horror flick in book form. Such a fun read that I could NOT put down!!!!!

[Naush Huss · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Thespellboundshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read the other 2 books by Rektok Ross and enjoyed them. This one fell flat for me. Really flat. For me, this read like a first or second draft. It wasn't cohesive. I couldn't sympathize with really any of the characters (especially not our FMC). I also was able to figure 2 of the major plot points almost immediately. And then the ending was like being on a roller coaster and then it gently coasts down. There was no heart pounding ending. I'm so bummed. (Not trying to be harsh just trying to be honest.)

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a fast read and maybe not in the best way. I really enjoyed the writing and the story--I just wish there was more of it. Everything happens almost too quickly--from the initial attacks and discovery of vampires to the capture of the town to Alix's transformation from spoiled brat to fighter/hero. (Oddly, the one part that didn't go quickly--Alix's convalescence at Kade's house and her training-- felt a little out of place, given how quickly and urgently everything else moved.) There wasn't enough time to set the creepy mood or to give enough of a backstory to the town and its inhabitants, let alone Alix's development.

Alix is--how do I put it nicely? A bitch. Definitely a mean girl and completely unapologetic about it. The other side characters aren't particularly noteworthy--Chad's a douche, Zoe's the sweet best friend, Logan is surprisingly easy to root for (even if not in a romantic way), and Jenny's a little bland--but Kade is just broody and mysterious enough that you stay intrigued by him.

Some of the twists were also fairly predictable, like Kade being a vampire, the lead vampire being his ex, and Jenny screwing over the group, although admittedly I thought Jenny herself might be a vampire.

It says a lot about Ross's writing abilities that despite these problems, I'm still giving the 3.5 stars. A lot of it has to do with the fact that even though Alix is flat-out unlikeable in do many ways, she was still a fairly compelling lead character and the story still kept me hooked. The ending seems open-ended enough for more and I hope that if Ross continues this story, she makes the sequels a little longer.

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spring Harvest is the bloody vampire novel of the season!!

Spring Harvest is marketed as Coachella meets "The Vampire Diaries" and this is such a good description for this story. Alix, our heroine, is attending a music festival with her friends when everything goes horribly wrong. This story tapped into a very realistic fear of mine. Emergencies that happen at larger music festivals are slightly terrifying. The sheer amount of people vs. the ability to get to safety is just such a terrifying concept for me to imagine.

This story is a fast-paced thriller that I could not put down. It starts off with action and Rektok Ross ensures that that same level of action is kept up throughout the whole story. There were plenty of twists and turns and reveals that had me furiously flipping pages to find out more. I genuinely think readers are going to really enjoy this one! The ending did feel a big rushed, but I am absolutely hopeful that this could turn into a series perhaps. I need to know more!!

Check out Spring Harvest and prepare your garlic!

[Rebecca Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of this book a LOT. I loved the plot and I loved the action and it was such a quick and fun read..

But.... I didn’t like the main character most of the time. She just kinda rubbed me the wrong way and she was soooo whiny. We did see some character development over the course of the book, but her maturity level kind of irked me. She did have some killer banter dialogue though that really made me laugh.

Another thing was Kade. He wasn’t necessary and the romance between them was kind of boring... (I never thought I would say that ever in my life.)

Overall, the concept and the plot were really fun and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

[Hailee Schmit · Rating 3 out of 5]

.::3.5 stars::.

Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted eARC. This one was a wild ride and the ending had me on the edge of my seat!

Alix, along with her friends, go to a festival planning on having a good time. Things quickly take a turn for the worst when the town is taken over by vampires. Alix is forced to learn more about survival than she ever expected as she fights for her and her friends' lives. I did enjoy Spring Harvest and found it to be a quick read. Sometimes the dialogue seemed cheesy and parts were unnecessary. Initially, I was not a fan of Alix at all and found her way too superficial, but she redeemed herself by the end of the story. If you like vampires and thrillers, pick this one up! You won't regret it!

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release April 30

I read SUMMER RENTAL in 2023 and was over the top about it. Here again is author Rektok Ross's talent for unexpected, heart-in-throat action scenes, scares, convolutions, and peeling layers from her characters to reveal whom they truly are. Additionally she is noted for using a "natural" event, a disaster, and spinning it to come out with something way more terrifying than the mundane pragmatic terrors. In SUMMER RENTAL it was a Hurricane, here a longstanding Drought, destroying what is normally a productive harvest--with terrifying consequences. Suspension of disbelief is essential to this Paranormal novel and comes easily. The implacability of the Horror and the impossibility of containing it to a small area really ramps up the extent of the Terror.

[CT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun. I loved the premise and the setting. I wish there was a little more vampire backstory. I struggled with the love triangle. One side was nicely fleshed out emotionally while the other felt a little too surface and rushed. The ending was OK, but not great (unless we get a sequel; then I would say it's pretty good).

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up because despite its faults, it's still a really good time.

[May Beasley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Spring Harvest is an incredibly easy read; like watching a fun summer Blockbuster. Is the writing perfect, no. Are the characters super relatable, no. Was I having a good time reading it? Yes. If you are looking for a YA vampire novel, that is fast paced and would be a good beach read. I think this will do nicely.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun, fast-paced thriller! I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen…

The Vampire Diaries x Coachella vibes sucked me in (pun intended)

[Molly Neville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book to begin fall reading. Vampires, suspense, survival, page turning and touching elements on what's right and wrong.