Welcome to Avalon University: Spicy College Fantasy with Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune

 

Hey Book Babes!

​Welcome back to the coven! If you are craving a series that blends dark fantasy magic with all the gritty drama of college life, you are in the exact right place. This week on the podcast we are sitting down with the absolute powerhouse indie duo Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune. We had the best time chatting about their Avalon University series and it got so spicy and chaotic in the best way possible. I am obsessed.

Watch/Listen on Spotify

​What We Are Obsessing Over This Episode

Jeanette and Alexis just released the second book in their series called Strangers and Sorrows on September 10th. If you haven't read book one yet (Blood and Betrayal) you need to drop everything and grab it. We talk heavily about why this specific flavor of dark romance just hits different.

​Here is a quick breakdown of the episode chaos:

• ​The Perfect Book Boyfriend: We talk a lot about Connor Morningstar. He is proof that a dark fantasy love interest does not always have to be a walking red flag. Sometimes you just need a sweet, emotionally intelligent guy who is fiercely supportive of our girl Summer.

• ​Trust Issues & Trauma: Summer is going through it. We love a protagonist who actually has to work through her past. Seeing her figure out college while dealing with real emotional hurdles makes the spice and the romance feel so much more earned.

• ​Cowriting Magic: It is wild how these two can write such a cohesive, unputdownable story while living an ocean apart. Alexis is over in Scotland and Jeanette is bringing the heat from the US.

​The Potion: The Crimson Rune

You know we love to vibe with the aesthetic of our guests! This week we mixed up The Crimson Rune. It is a dark, mysterious drink inspired by vampires, magic, and the shadows lurking around Avalon University. (Reminder: We just make these recipes to match the theme of each episode so we can vibe with the aesthetic while we record!)

​Ingredients:

• ​2 oz pomegranate juice (for that perfect blood red color)

• ​1.5 oz silver tequila or vodka (omit this if you are making a mocktail)

• ​4 oz ginger beer

• ​A splash of cranberry juice (dropped right at the very end for a bleeding effect)

• ​Black sanding sugar or sea salt (for the rim)

• ​Ice cubes

​Instructions:

Rub a lime wedge along the rim of your glass, then dip it right into the black sugar or salt. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Pour in your pomegranate juice and your spirit of choice. Top the whole thing off with ginger beer, drizzle the cranberry right on top so it bleeds down, and toast!

​Where to Find Jeanette, Alexis & Avalon University

We are all about supporting indie authors in this house. Here is where you can stalk... I mean follow... Jeanette and Alexis online!

​Socials: You can find them causing chaos on Threads and Instagram  

• Jeanette Instagram Threads

• Alexis Instagram Threads

• Their Website

    

• ​Where to Buy the Books: You can grab copies on Amazon. If you want a physical copy and happen to be near Edinburgh, Scotland, check out The Book Lover Bookshop! They also did some signed copies at New Romantics in Orlando so definitely keep an eye out for those physical indie editions. Here is a link to the other retailers as well.

​Make sure you go give them some love and add these books to your endless TBR piles immediately.

​Goodnight Book Babes!

Disclosure: Episodes and blog posts feature a rotating mix of personal purchases, library reads, and gifted review copies (ARCs) discussed by hosts and guests. Moving forward, any specifically highlighted review copies are explicitly disclosed during the audio episode.