Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
Exit Stage Left
by Catherine Russell
Megan O'Day, bound to the centuries-old vampire Geoffrey Drake, must face his past and the advances of his brother Alexander after Geoffrey is taken from her. Book two of Catherine Russell's Stage Chronicles, published by Barking Rain Press.
This book was once published by Barking Rain Press, which announced its closure in 2019. This site is not that publisher and does not sell books. See “Finding the book today” below.
Premise
Megan O’Day is in a settled relationship with Geoffrey Drake, a vampire who has lived for centuries and acts as her guardian. When something from Geoffrey’s past suddenly takes him away, Megan is left on her own, though a supernatural connection the tour blurb calls the Link still ties her to him. Through that bond she relives some of his most painful memories. She discovers that he was once devoted to a woman who looked strikingly like her. Hoping to bring Geoffrey back, Megan turns to his brother Alexander, who is also a vampire. Alexander begins to stir her feelings and tries to seduce her. Megan has to resist him while working out whether Geoffrey can be recovered and what that would cost.
The series takes place in Seattle, around a club called The Stage.
Publication history
Exit Stage Left is the second book in Catherine Russell’s The Stage Chronicles, which follows The Stage. Blog-tour posts from 2018 describe it as a dark fantasy/paranormal romance and give barkingrainpress.org as the book’s site. A Goodreads author-blog tour post names Barking Rain Press as the publisher and says the series was planned as four books. Tour stops ran from September to December 2018, and the book was already on sale during the tour. The year 2018 used here comes from that tour. Desk research did not find an exact release date. A September 2018 tour post linked to ebook retailers, Kobo among them. No ISBN or print edition could be confirmed.
Open Library records an earlier edition of the first book, The Stage, from iUniverse. Barking Rain Press then published it as a 230-page paperback dated September 30, 2015. In 2018 the author said she was working on a third book, Enter Stage Right. Desk research could not confirm whether it was published, or whether Exit Stage Left was reissued after Barking Rain Press closed.
Tour biographies say Russell was born in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up in South Hill, Puyallup.
Reading notes
These observations come from desk research of tour materials and the author’s guest posts. They are not a reading report.
The premise draws on familiar paranormal romance elements: a bond between a mortal and an immortal, a mysterious past that returns, and a love triangle involving two vampire brothers. The idea that Geoffrey once loved a woman who resembled Megan is a common device in vampire fiction, raising questions about whether love is real or merely repeated. Because Megan can relive Geoffrey’s memories, the backstory can come through her experience instead of being told.
In a 2018 guest post, Russell explained that vampires had fascinated her since childhood, when she imagined moving through the night without fear. She described them as flawed, very human beings who deserve love. She also said she was interested in a world where mortals and immortals live side by side. Readers who like romantic vampire fiction more than straight horror may find these interests a useful way into the series. Since this is the second book, it is best read after The Stage.
Finding the book today
Barking Rain Press no longer sells books, and desk research found no current edition from another publisher. Readers can search public library catalogs and WorldCat by title and author. The first book, The Stage, is easier to trace because it has a catalog ISBN (978-1-935460-86-2), and it may lead to the rest of the series.
Finding the book today
Search library catalogs and WorldCat by title and author (Catherine Russell). Barking Rain Press no longer sells books, and no later edition was found during desk research.
Discussion questions
- Megan stays tied to Geoffrey through a connection the story calls the Link, even after he is gone. How does the series use that bond to explore dependence and independence?
- Megan relives Geoffrey's memories. What does experiencing someone else's past from the inside do to a relationship?
- Learning that Geoffrey once loved a woman who looked like her raises questions for Megan. How might that change what she believes about his feelings?
- Alexander is both a possible ally and a temptation. What makes a rival love interest effective in paranormal romance?
- The author has said she sees vampires as flawed, very human beings who deserve love. How does that view differ from vampires as pure monsters?
- What does a nightclub called The Stage, in a real city like Seattle, add to a story about a hidden world?
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Sources
- Blog Tour & Giveaway: Exit Stage Left, The Pen & Muse. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Exit Stage Left by Catherine Russell, Romance Novel Giveaways. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- VBT – Exit Stage Left, Goodreads (author blog). Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Our Town Book Reviews: October 2018, Our Town Book Reviews. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Why I Write About Vampires by Catherine Russell, Long and Short Reviews. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Open Library: The Stage, ISBN 9781935460862, Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Open Library search: The Stage by Catherine Russell, Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.