My Bookish Mewsings: Wolf Gone Wild & Don't Hex and Drive by Juliette Cross

"Would you like another beer?" ~ Opening of Wolf Gone Wild

Wolf Gone Wild (Stay a Spell, #1) by Juliette Cross (2020)

Romance/Fantasy; 376 pgs

Source: Purchased

I first heard about this book from another book blogger. Just about any book involving witches and magic is sure to be a draw for me. I enjoy a good supernatural romance, and Juliette Cross is an author I have enjoyed before. Wolf Gone Wild is a bit different from Cross's other novels, this one being more of a romantic comedy. It has a strong romance element like her other novels with a bit of a mystery tied into it. 

Mateo Cruz knows he has been hexed. He has not been able to shift into his wolf form for three months now. The voice of his wolf is his constant companion in his head, posing a danger to himself and others with the wolf's violent and carnal thoughts.  Mateo's only hope is Evie Savoie, a local witch and hex breaker. With her family's strict no wolf policy, Evie is not too sure she should help Mateo out--but his desperation tugs at her heartstrings. 

Evie is such a fun heroine. A comic book geek who has a thing for Wolverine and Star Wars. She has a kind heart and spirit. Mateo is a sweetheart, an artist, and struggles greatly to control the wolf trapped inside him. Although the reader knows instantly they belong together, it takes our two main characters a while to come to the same conclusion. And no wonder given Mateo's reservations about commitment and Evie's own past experiences in love. 

The hex turns out to be more complicated than Evie or her sisters (also witches) anticipated, which causes them to try to dig deeper into its origins. I would not have minded if the mystery of the hex had been woven in a bit earlier in the novel to help build the suspense leading to the big reveal, but there definitely was plenty of tension as all the pieces fell into place towards the end. 

I enjoyed Wolf Gone Wild. It was entertaining and fun--and broke me out of my reading slump. I am definitely interested in learning more about the world the author has created in her new series. 

I was thinking about purple pansies when it happened. ~ Opening of Hex and Drive

Don't Hex and Drive (Stay a Spell, #2) by Juliette Cross (2020)

Romance/Fantasy; 

Source: NetGalley for an honest review.

After reading Wolf Gone Wild, I excitedly dove into Don't Hex and Drive to find out which Savoie sister I would learn more about next. I really liked Evie from the first book, but I adored her introverted sister Isadora Savoie in this second book. It might have been because I could relate to her love of animals and being an introvert myself. 

In Don't Hex and Drive, Isadora is literally run into by the ever charming Devraj Kumar, vampire warrior and former Bollywood star. Isadora is not going to fall head over heels for Dev no matter how hard he tries to win her over. Or that's the plan, anyway. The last thing she wants to do is get involved with the irresistible vampire who is only there to help his friend look into the sudden disappearance of women from local clubs. She is willing, however, to step up and help with the investigation. Her gifts as a Conduit prove quite valuable. 

I can see why Isadora jumps to the conclusions she does about Dev right away--I mean, he does run in circles with some pretty high profile people and is famous himself. While she didn't recognize him right away, her sisters did. Underneath it all though, Dev is longing for something more than all of that. He misses having a place to call home. He's really rather down to earth and wants to prove to Isadora that there is more to him than what she believes. He certainly won me over. And I loved Isadora and Dev together. 

My minor concern regarding the first book in the series did not exist in this second one. The romance is centerstage, but the  mystery of the women who have disappeared is a consistent and strong plot line throughout the novel. I found Don't Hex and Drive to be a combination of sexy and suspenseful--and just a whole lot of fun. I also enjoyed spending more time with the Savoie sisters and cannot wait to find out who will be the focus of the next book in the series.

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