When Snow Falls

When Lightning Strikes #1

by B. Nova Kardinalis, Morgan Waddle (editor), Virginia Allyn (Illustrator)

In a realm where Angels, Demons, Selkies, Humans, and Gods exist, tension begins to rise in the city of Soulesity.

THE VULTURE

At seventeen, he was unchallenged– until she returned to the land of the living. As they are forced together by fate, the reputation that took him years to build begins to crumble.

THE GRIM REAPER

After being missing and presumed dead for the last four years, she reappears with a new name. No one knows what happened to her in those years or why she’s back.

***

They call him the Vulture, for if you’re his victim, you’re already dead.

At seventeen, Hyacinth is already the most dangerous teen in Soulesity, surpassing even his mentor, Niko. His life is carefully controlled and predictable, everything falling exactly into place. The only thing left was to wait. Because no matter how ruthless or feared he was, who would really respect a teenager?

Then she came back from the dead.

Datura Celestine Vicary—the senator’s missing daughter—suddenly reappears after four years, enrolling in Hyacinth’s school as if nothing ever happened. Where has she been? He doesn’t care. Why she’s made it her personal mission to annoy him at every opportunity? He could scream.

But no matter how much he wants to wipe that smug smile off her face, he can’t. Somehow, she’s gotten tangled up with the most dangerous clan in the city, the ones tied to Demons. And now, his mentor wants Hyacinth to train her, claiming it will teach him 'empathy' and 'responsibility'.

He’s survived gang wars, assassination attempts, and betrayal. But her? She might be his undoing.

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2025

About the author

That's my darling angel son in that photo, what do you mean he looks like sleep paralysis?

Hello. I'm Nova and Kasper is my baby sweetheart who can do no wrong. A physicist in his past life—gravity is his favourite subject.

Honestly, we’re just vibing.

Reviews

[Teala Lue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story line.
The concept of the book and the world that it takes place in was interesting but I feel like the characters did not fit their roles.
The main characters were constantly whining and complaining about things and yeah, I get that they’re kids but it just didn’t make sense to me when they’re supposed to be feared assassins. How did Reaper get such a name if she supposedly can’t even defend herself?

Maybe I’m just not the target audience. The blurb that got me here sounded intriguing but unfortunately this is not for me.


Thank you for the ARC.
Good luck on your writing journey.

[John Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live for emotionally messy characters and slow-burn tension, and this book delivers both so well. Every scene between Hyacinth and Datura crackles. You’re never quite sure what they’re going to do next, and I loved the unpredictability. This story had me on edge the whole time—in the best possible way.

[Mitchel Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved most was how the story balanced gritty action with real emotional stakes. Yeah, there’s danger and politics and magic, but there’s also grief, loyalty, and that feeling of two people trying not to fall for each other while everything around them falls apart. This series is going to wreck me, and I’m here for it.

[Chantell Bearham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to begin!!! Absolutely loved this story from start to finish!!

Absolutely loved our main man but our main girl?? My lord!! 👌🏼👌🏼

Honestly could t say much more without any spoilers so you WILL have to get when snow falls for yourself and find out what happens! 😝😝

[JEFFREY SHAWN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely sucked me in. The world is wild—demons, gods, angels, and more—and it somehow all works together perfectly. Hyacinth is such a layered, intense character, and Datura? A total force. The tension between them is unreal. I'm already dying for book two.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers vibes with a dangerous twist, this is it. Hyacinth and Datura are both a mess in the best way. Their banter, their secrets, their chemistry—it’s all top tier. I didn’t expect to be this obsessed, but here we are.

[Felix bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story kept surprising me, and the relationship between Hyacinth and Datura had me emotionally invested the whole way through. It’s dark, dramatic, and full of secrets—and the slow build of trust (and maybe something more 👀) made it all the more satisfying. Five stars!

[Ashleigh Acton]

I love the heat and the chemistry between the leads, I love the story

[Adele Robbetze · Rating 5 out of 5]

When snow falls is book one in the when Lightning strikes saga

FMC: Datura / Celestine aka the reaper
MMC: Hyacinth / Cinth - aka the Vulture

As always check your trigger warning before reading.

This is a dark urban fantasy series

Soulesity is a realm where Demons, Angels, humans and other races co-exists in a mafia like structure.

Celestine and Cinth have a love hate relationship, at school nobody knows they are actually assassins for hire.

What I liked in the book:

Great characters with distinct personalities.
There is a lot of plot twist you won't see coming.
Like how the characters develop during the story.
Love the relationship between cinth and his mentor Nico.
There are quite a few emotional pieces in the book.

The book sort of ends in a cliffhanger and there is so much questions that is unanswered, I hope to learn more in the next book.

Overall a great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves mafia elements, paranormal reads and just like a good fantasy story.

[Alec Reinikainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored the book! The characters were amazing, and my favs were Niko, Cinth, and Celestine. ^^ I would've wished a bit more of action outside of character relationships, but otherwise this was a great and a thrilling read.