Book Club Night Kit
The Lion & The Deathless Dark
Carissa Broadbent
Cozy night
A bounty hunter on the run strikes a bargain with a vampire in Carissa Broadbent's lush Crowns of Nyaxia world, giving your club a swoony, high-stakes romantasy that is easy to sink into on a slow evening.
Come curl up in the dark with us
Bring your softest sweater and your biggest feelings for a cozy night with The Lion and The Deathless Dark. Warm stew, dark chocolate, and gentle conversation by candlelight.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: a warm, romance-loving club that reads with a blanket and a candle nearby
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.Settle in and tell us: where did you do most of your reading of this one, and what made that your comfort spot?
- 2.What was the first moment in the story that made you feel cozy and pulled in, like you did not want to put the book down?
Digging in
- 1.The whole book turns on a bargain between two wary people. When have you felt the quiet comfort of finally being able to trust someone you were not sure about?
- 2.Broadbent's Nyaxia world is dark yet strangely inviting. Which corner of that world would you most want to curl up in, and why did it feel like a place you could rest?
- 3.This is a story about someone carrying the weight of a past mistake. What moment made you feel most tender toward a character who was trying to make things right?
- 4.Longing and slow-building closeness run through the book. Which scene warmed you most, and did it remind you of a connection in your own life?
Going deep
- 1.Without giving anything away, when did you feel the story shift from survival to something softer and more hopeful, and how did that change land in your chest?
- 2.By the final pages, what did this book leave you feeling comforted or moved about, and what small thing will you carry with you from it?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Slow-simmered red wine braised short rib stew
Deep, dark, and warming to match the blood-and-shadow mood of Nyaxia, but served as pure comfort food from a shared pot.
Crusty torn bread with garlic butter and honey
A rustic, hunter-on-the-road staple that feels homey and lets everyone tear off a piece and settle in.
Dark chocolate and cherry skillet brownies
Rich, indulgent, and blood-red at the center, a gentle nod to vampires while staying warm-from-the-oven cozy.
To sip
Spiced blackberry and clove mulled cider (no alcohol)
Warm, deep-purple, and nonalcoholic so everyone can wrap their hands around a mug.
Mulled red wine with orange and star anise
A dark, fragrant pour that echoes the shadowed elegance of the vampire courts.
Vanilla and honey hot toddy
A soothing, golden nightcap for a low-pressure evening of trading feelings by candlelight.
Run of show
7:00
Warm welcome
Greet everyone with a mug of mulled cider and let them claim a cozy seat with a blanket.
7:20
Comfort food graze
Serve the short rib stew and torn bread so people can eat and ease into the night.
7:45
Warm-up questions
Open with the two gentle warm-ups to get everyone talking without pressure.
8:10
Heart of the story
Move through the theme and deep questions, following the feelings wherever they lead.
8:45
Brownies and trivia
Bring out the skillet brownies and play a low-key round of spoiler-safe trivia.
9:10
Scorecards and hot toddies
Fill in scorecards, share final thoughts, and wind down with a warm nightcap.
Host tips
- Keep the lighting low with candles or string lights so people feel safe to be honest and reflective.
- There are no wrong answers tonight; if a question feels heavy, invite a pass and keep the mood gentle.
- Have blankets and refills ready so no one has to get up, and let conversation meander at its own pace.
Playlist
Hushed, candlelit, and romantic with a velvety dark undertow, soft enough to talk over
- 01 Cardigan - Taylor Swift
- 02 To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra
- 03 Bloodstream - Stateless
- 04 Night Owl - Galimatias
- 05 Promise - Ben Howard
- 06 Landfill - Daughter
- 07 River - Bishop Briggs
- 08 Holocene - Bon Iver
Trivia
- 1.This book is the fifth entry in which fantasy series? (Crowns of Nyaxia.)
- 2.Who is the author of The Lion and The Deathless Dark? (Carissa Broadbent.)
- 3.What supernatural beings are central to the Nyaxia world? (Vampires.)
- 4.What is the profession of the main character who makes the fateful deal? (A bounty hunter.)
- 5.The Crowns of Nyaxia series is best described as which popular blended genre? (Romantasy (romantic fantasy).)
- 6.Nyaxia, which the series is named for, refers to what kind of figure in the world? (A goddess (of night and the vampire courts).)
- 7.The earlier duology in this same world followed a heroine named Oraya; what larger book family does that duology belong to? (Crowns of Nyaxia.)
- 8.What sets the plot in motion for the bounty hunter at the start of the book? (Committing a crime, which leads to a deal with a vampire.)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“A bargain struck in shadow, kept by candlelight.”
The Lion & The Deathless Dark
Carissa Broadbent
bookclubnight.com
“Even the deathless dark can feel like home.”
The Lion & The Deathless Dark
Carissa Broadbent
bookclubnight.com
“Stay a while; the night is soft here.”
The Lion & The Deathless Dark
Carissa Broadbent
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Coziness☆☆☆☆☆
Swoon factor☆☆☆☆☆
Comfort of the world☆☆☆☆☆
How much it moved me☆☆☆☆☆
Would reread by the fire☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book made me feel: ______________________
The moment that warmed my heart most: ______________________
The character I would most want to share a mug with: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.