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

3.5 stars, actually.

This is the first in a series about a clan of witchy sisters all with their own speciality and their peripheral men (or should I say peripheral werewolves, vampires and grim reapers?)

In alternating POV we get Matteo, the er..blocked werewolf asking for help from Evie, the hex-breaking sister.

Only Matteo’s hex isn’t as simple as it looks. And Matteo’s wolf, Alpha, is getting crazier and more aggressive the longer he’s kept from shifting..until he meets Evie.

Then in the best trope tradition, Evie and Matteo are forced to spend lots of time together.

This is straight up steamy-steamy, dominance-flavored trashy paranormal. Alpha is domineering and crazy alpha in a kind of annoying way (after the first few times he chimes in) and while Matteo is cool, alot of Matteo’s angst over Alpha was performative instead of truly deeply angsty as he fell for Evie in an insta-love kind of way.

The NOLA setting was super fun without being kitschy, and what sets Evie apart, and what might keep me reading this series despite the over-the-top tropes were the fandom aspects of Evie. Matteo woos her with a Star Wars themed date night complete with hans/leia embossed glasses and darth vader sugar cookies. So cute.

Matteo’s musician werewolf cousin is waiting in the wings for another sister and it looks like NOLA’s reigning vampire has the hots for Evie’s sister, so lots more to develop.