Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross

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With a little bit of a break before digging into more of my planned reads for July, I decided to pick up Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross. I did receive an ARC (advanced reader's copy) since I am a member of her Patreon. This is the first book in her new Beauville series! I was able to use this to cover the prompt summer 2022 release for Summer of Swoon. This also worked perfectly for my prompt for July's roll for the Yahtzee Challenge, Ones!

Betty is auditioning for her community theater's production of Barefoot in the Park. She wins the lead role, however will be costarring with Bennett. She has had a grudge against him since she was young and he glitter bombed her during a production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Top that off with the opening of his new grocery store causing her to be late that morning for work, when they meet again there's some tension. As Bennett and Betty work together, their attraction grows quickly outside of their roles as actors and they quickly can't stay away from each other. As Bennett deals with the opening of his new business and unwanted interjections by his father, Betty is perfect for keeping him grounded and giving him some stress-free times. When they both start to develop deep feelings for each other, Betty gets nervous that it's too quick and easy.

Oh my gosh. Juliette does it again. This was so much fun and I'm so happy to read her first independently published contemporary. The sexual tension between Bennett and Betty was so visceral and as hot as a wildfire ;). Being a big fan of Juliette, watching all the live shows I can with her and following her podcast Smart Women Read Romance (with her niece Jessen), I can see a lot of inspiration from her own life. It felt reading a story that was about people that could be Juliette's neighbors or something similar. The setting just felt so grounded and real and I loved it. It's always that extra little realism that helps me really sit in the story and can picture myself living in the same area (although I have a pretty active imagination).

Honestly, there isn't much I would change or want more of from this story. I thought it was quick paced but felt natural. Sometimes two people just click and you know you're meant to be together. I also loved that there was representation of anxiety issues on Bennett's end. I loved seeing that it was something he had under control for the most part, but certain events could trigger that. While he was embarassed, I loved that he really pushed himself to be upfront and honest with Betty as much as he could. I just loved the way that they both worked through their respective issues and didn't gloss over any flaws. It just felt so good to see them work through things and reach their HEA. Also pairing their love story along with the play was such a fun addition.

Another great book from Juliette and another great start to the series. There are so many side characters I'd love to see get their HEAs, the biggest being Betty's friends/co-workers Lily and Finn as well as Bennett's brother Hale. Every time Juliette announces a new book I get excited and this is just a continuation of that trend. Juliette is one of my favorite authors, and let's be honest, one of my favorite people. I couldn't be more happy that I found her books and the podcast! If you haven't tried Juliette Cross, please check her out.

Have you read Bright Like Wildfire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Bright Like Wildfire, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 308 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

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The 2nd book I picked up for my binge of May 24th new releases was Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross. This is the fourth book in her amazing Stay a Spell series. I was able to use this for the prompts Willow (witchy character) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. work rivals for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and enemies to lovers romance for Summer of Swoon.

Livvy and Gareth are tasked both work together and compete with a third person to work on a PR campaign for a good cause. After the campaign is over, one will be awarded a cash prize. As Livvy and Gareth work together, their attraction and chemistry starts to explode. Livvy is cautious, but Gareth even more so. His idea that's chosen for the campaign is about awareness for orphaned supernatural kids that get put into the human foster care system. He himself was in the foster system and has pretty big trust issues. As they get closer, Gareth finds it hard to believe that Livvy is on board and willing to be with him. Being a grim, only other grims know what kind of powers they have, and Gareth is one of the most powerful, a Grimlock. When Livvy gets targeted by a predator, Gareth finds it hard to contain his inner monster.

Wow, wow, wow. Once again Juliette Cross blows me away. One thing I love about this series is while they all feel in the same world and similar, there's also a vibe difference between the books so far. I really enjoyed learning about Grims as a whole, but also more specifically what Gareth's powers are. We also get quite a few hints about Henry and Clara (which will be the pairing for the last book). I loved getting back to the Savoie sisters and learning more about Livvy since she isn't a big side character in the previous books. It was cool to learn more about her and her style of magic as well.

Now, this is probably Juliette's steamiest book (objectively). There was a lot of chemistry between Gareth and Livvy and they certainly caught fire. However, for me this type is steam isn't as titlating. Gareth likes to tie up his partner and be more dominating. For me, that's not a kink I enjoy in real life, so it doesn't titilate really while reading. It made sense for Gareth and I loved how open Livvy was, it's just not my style. It was really well done though. All that means is Gareth is not my book-boyfriend of the series. Even though that's not my jam, I still really enjoyed this book and all the hints leading to the final two books were a lot of fun. I also loved that we got see Isadora and Devraj got engaged as well as Evie and Mateo eloping and being pregnant (and giving birth) to their triplets!

Another great entry to the series and Juliette's backlist! I cannot wait for what Juliette writes next, both in this series and in general. She's one of my favorite authors and if you haven't read her before, definitely give her a try! Stay a Spell is a great place to start!

Have you read Always Practice Safe Hex?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Always Practice Safe Hex, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 379 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross

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With a little bit of free time to mood read, I knew I had to pick up Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross. This is a new release and I actually read it as an ARC (advanced reader's copy). I received the ARC because I am apart of Juliette's patreon and this was the first time I've ever read an ARC! This is the 2nd book in the SmartyPants Romance series Green Valley Heroes. If you haven't heard of SmartyPants Romance, it's a publishing company created by Penny Reid. After her Knitting in the City and Winston Brothers series got so massive, she created a Penny Reid Universe. Via SmartyPants Romance not only does it publish Penny's books, but other authors' works set in the same settings as her series. Green Valley Heroes takes place in Green Valley, the same city the Winston Brothers reside in. Back to Parks and Provocation though. I was able to apply this to the prompts New Release for Love Has Sprung and Bad Blood (enemies to lovers) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. I was also able to use this for my April roll for the Yahtzee challenge which was the small straight.

Lola is back in her small town of Green Valley after getting laid off from her corporate marketing job in New Orleans. When she does something silly, Jed, her high school nemesis and now fireman is there to rescue her. As they reconnect and realize that the mutual crushes that went awry in high school are still there, maybe even stronger, Lola still plans on finding the perfect marketing job. Jed hopes to make her fall in love with him before she has to leave.

Oh my gosh, this was just the same kind of feeling I get from Juliette's Stay a Spell series and I absolutely loved it! I'm so happy for her that she was able to join SmartyPants Romance and this is her first published contemporary romance! I loved Jed, he was just so freaking swoony. I usually enjoy firefighter and everyday-hero heroes like him, but I absolutely loved Jed. We also got some good representation for Dyslexia. I'm also a huge sucker for mutual pining and we get that in spades here. While I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers, this didn't quite push it that much for me. The reason why they kind of became enemies in high school was the mutual pining/crushes and misunderstandings due to teenage hormones.

I mean this is just pretty much a gush fest for me because I love Juliette both as an author and a person. Parks and Provocation was such a great expansion to Green Valley and I really hope that Juliette is able to write more both with SmartyPants and in this specific series as well. There were quite a few side characters I want books for and they seem a little teased. If I were to pick something that was a little bit of a detraction, I think it would be the third act conflict. It was a little predictable, but it wasn't bothersome to me. I think the grovel that Lola did was pretty special. Also, I should say be prepared to be teased by the sexual tension. It is top freaking notch!

I love Juliette and can't wait to read whatever she has next as well as what I have left on her backlist. She's one of my favorite authors and I know she has a few more releases planned for this year. If you haven't read Juliette Cross yet, please do so! Please, please, please!

Have you read Parks and Provocation?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Parks and Provocation, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 343 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Walking In A Witchy Wonderland by Juliette Cross

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I've been saving Walking in a Witchy Wonderland for my Christmas Eve read. This is listed as book 3.5 in the Stay a Spell series by Juliette Cross and is an anthology with 5 short stories! I am going to do five mini summaries for each story and follow with my thoughts as a whole! I was able to use this for the Winter's Kiss full length novel prompt. I also used this for the Banging Through the Snow prompt book that blends holidays.

Bewitch You a Merry Christmas

The first short story takes place shortly after Wolf Gone Wild (if I remember correctly). We see Alpha/Mateo wanting to spend some alone time with Evie but with family parties and holiday plans, she's always busy. Then Evie helps out a man that's been hexed by his witchy neighbor and Mateo accompanies her. Quick thoughts: Quick, sweet, sexy and I always love me some Evie and Mateo/Alpha.

Rockin' Around the Hexmas Tree

The second short story takes place shortly after Don't Hex and Drive. After a white elephant gift exchange with the Savoie sisters, Isadora ends up with a gorgeous ornament. When Devraj and Isadora have higher libidos than normal, they come to find out that the ornament has a love (really lust) spell! Of course it was meant to go to Violet for her to put up on their little tree at her tattoo shop with Nico. Quick thoughts: Even more sexy and Devraj can always get it.

Jingle Bell Jock

The third story is more novella length and really the bulk of the novel with about 100 pages. It takes place during Witches Get Stitches. We've met best friends Charlie and JJ they are part of the Savoie family. JJ is one of the head bartenders at their bar and Charlie is there a few times a week. When they go to a New Year's Eve party, JJ sees Charlie kiss a new boyfriend and suddenly finds it time to confront his feelings. When a few of the sisters talk with both JJ and Charlie separately letting them know that they belong together, JJ and Charlie both have to get past the fear of rejection and possibly losing their best friend. Quick thoughts: So heartwarming and the mutual pining was fantastic. It's Juliette, so there's so great scene and I love morning after shower scenes. Always so intimate and sweet!

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grim

The fourth short story takes place during Witches Get Stitches as well. Later on in that book we see Lavinia having issues with a grim called Gareth. This story is the prelude to their book and part of their first encounters. It's not their first meeting, but I think the 2nd and 3rd. They are competing to win a PR opportunity for a charity. Quick thoughts: I'm even more excited for Always Practice Safe Hex which should be out in June! I loved seeing more of Gareth and can't wait!

Jingle Spells

The final, and sweetest, story is for Nico and Violet from Witches Get Stitches. I can't remember which book, maybe their, but this story is set 2 years later. We get a hint that Evie might be pregnant earlier in one of the other stories and here we see Nico and Violet babysitting for the first time for Evie and Mateo! They had triplets and are about 15-months old. Quick thoughts: Is it too soon to ask for a spin-off for Savoie 2nd generation? But super sweet and with a little bit of steam!

Oh my gosh, I loved getting back to all of our couples from Stay A Spell and seeing some cute stories. I also loved getting to see JJ and Charlie get together and the teaser for Gareth and Livvy. I can't wait to read more from Juliette. She's one of my favorite authors and such a sweet person. I know I've raved about her before, but seriously, check her out. If you mainly read contemporary and aren't really into paranormal or fantasy, this is a great option to try. It's such a great blend with rom-com feels. Plus Juliette knows how to bring the steam. I can't wait to read more!

Have you read Walking in a Witchy Wonderland?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Walking in a Witchy Wonderland, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 292 pages, published in 2021

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

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Witches Get Stitches, the 3rd book in Juliette Cross's Stay a Spell series, is out tomorrow, July 20th. However, my preorder copy shipped early and I received it Monday, July 12th. Of course I couldn't wait and immediately started it that night. And can I just say, I had a hell of a Monday and that just made my day brighten and I kept fondling(?) and looking at it on my desk. This series just looks so freaking gorgeous! I also may or may not have hugged it a few times. I may be a nerd, but books just bring me so much joy. I was hoping to get time to reread the first two books last week to refresh my mind on all the little things, but I'll just have to do it later. Anyways, I was happy to be able to apply this to my Summer of Swoon prompt starts with the letter W and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt karaoke!

This book focuses on the Savoie sister Violet. Her witch classification is diviner. We saw in the previous books her separating a little from the sisters and announced that she is starting a tattoo shop. She ends up partnering with Nico, a werewolf. We previously met him in book 1, as he's Mateo's cousin. In the prologue however we find out Violet and Nico's teased backstory. They are now partners and Violet has firmly placed Nico in the friendzone for various reasons. Nico is just biding his time, recognizing from the beginning that she's his mate. Violet is working on creating tattoos that are spelled to help various supernaturals with different things. Nico's old pack show up in town and things start to get a little more dangerous and twisty, especially when his former best friend Shane shows an interest in Violet.

I took my time reading this book, wanting to soak up every single word. I love Juliette's writing style and she just completely knocks it out of the park with this series. I was laughing at Fred, Violet's elderly rooster, and his preening every time she game him a new bowtie. I was crying when Violet and Nico were forced to dive deep into their emotions. I was smiling with glee multiple times, both from Violet and Nico and the side characters. I loved the glimpses we see of Evie and Mateo and Isadora and Devraj. It was also fun seeing and learning more about Grims, since the bookkeeper/receptionist is a young grim named Sean. I also enjoyed learning more about the different powers/classes of witches. Juliette has done such a fantastic job world building and creating this natural feeling yet vast magic system. It's hard to express how well laid out everything is. I feel like upon my reread I'll find hints laid out in the first couple books and know that there are hints for the remaining in the series.

Also, the steam is on point and Nico is another great hero of the series. It's hard to choose between them, but I think I'm a little more drawn to Devraj. Growing up I was always a vampire girl. 100% vampires, werewolves are stupid, etc, etc. In college by best friend Billy really pushed me to read more werewolf stories, mainly starting with Patricia Briggs. After those I kind of fell into a shifter wormhole and have really come to appreciate shifters (especially bear shifters). I still love vampires a lot, but as I've learned more about myself and my kind of love language, shifters just hit me a lot more in the feels. For most shifter lore touch is a big part of how they react to their loved ones, both romantically and  platonically. I think I've mentioned this before, but my love language is foremost touch. When Violet registers all the little touches that Nico does, on her hands, arms, lower back, etc, it made me swoon so much. I just love how it was Violet from the moment they met and Nico was going to take his time bringing her to the "dark side" until a real threat showed up. I also loved that when Violet decided to move to a romantic relationship, she was all in. There wasn't really any back and forth, she was in it to win it. 

I can't recommend Juliette Cross enough and even if you don't enjoy paranormal romance, I think this series is a great one to try. They have more of a rom-com feel and aren't quite as dark and gritty as most paranormals these days. I also love her other series and need to get through the rest of her backlist as soon as I can. Hopefully by the end of the year! She also announced that there's going to be a holiday anthology out in October called Walking in a Witchy Wonderland. I can't wait for the holiday feel good on top everything else she has in her books. And I'm sure I'll be blown away by the cover. I saw on instagram that there will be a print copy option again since she loves the cover. I'll say it again, read Juliette Cross. She also just launched Hearts Adrift on Amazon's Kindle Vella and it's inspired by the reality show Below Deck (which my boss Patti got me hooked on). Also, if you enjoy romance books and/or podcasts check out the one she holds with her niece Jessen, Smart Women Read Romance. It's my favorite romance podcast and every Wednesday morning love starting my day with them both! Jessen also has a great YouTube channel!

Since it technically isn't out yet...

Will you read Witches Get Stitches?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Witches Get Stitches, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 2 days, paperback, 378 pages, published in 2021

Soulfire by Juliette Cross

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The last book I read for FaRoFeb was Soulfire by Juliette Cross. This is book one in her Nightwing trilogy, which also segues into her Vale of Stars series. As I've mentioned numerous times, Juliette is one-half of the excellent Aunt-Niece duo that hosts the Smart Women Read Romance Podcast. I actually had Juliette on my tbr (her Vampire Blood series) before I started listening to the podcast, but actually didn't start reading her until she started releasing her newer Stay a Spell series (which I absolutely love).

Anyways, I wanted for my last book to be something fun and special and to end on a good note. I went for Soulfire since it's a shorter book and I knew I could read it before bed in one sitting. However, when I started reading I realized I had the original copy. She actually re-released these in 2018 after revising, updating and adding a few scenes. I immediately restarted the newer version. 

This was such a great novella and a great introduction in her world with Morgans. Morgans are like dragon-human hybrids. They have wings and are otherwise humanoid in form. These are more of a fated mate trope so the romance was pretty insta-love. Being that our hero Lucius is a Morgan, it didn't bother me. When reading more fantasy or paranormal romances, the insta-love doesn't bother me as much (though there are some that aren't done well). Jessen (named after her co-podcaster niece) is at a club for a friends band and runs into her brother and kind-of fiancé and a brawl breaks out. Lucius saves her and they immediately feel a connection. I loved that they didn't just jump straight to kissing or more intimate acts. They almost became friends and had some fun but also deep conversations.

I just wish that it was longer. It is a novella and I knew that going in, but it's rare that I feel like I don't need more at the end. I am definitely intrigued and really hope that his brother Lorian is a hero in the next books. I haven't looked yet because I don't want to spoil too much. I'm super excited to continue and these are going to be perfect to read between books, especially during the week when I don't want to start something lengthy. I'm super excited to finally get into Juliette's backlist and will definitely be adding these in to my current reading rotation. 

Have you read Soulfire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Soulfire, Juliette Cross, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 172 pages, published 2018