Cute witchy rom com for the perfect time of the year. Loved the writing style and the book cover just invites you into the story.

Where to begin? I love the idea of this book and the first couple chapters are great, Gwen was a little annoying but I thought I’d grow to like her. I didn’t. But oh man when we meet Graham do things take a turn. The most insufferable arrogant cocky, not in a good way, male mc I’ve read about in awhile. It’s hard to even know where to begin. Why did he force her to stay at his place after they think she’s in danger? Is this not a bit unprofessional? He never speaks in full sentences, always “know what I’m doing, got this, ‘m gonna… I hated every moment of him speaking. He is a terrible person, there’s a part where he says he’s done with Gwen’s boundaries, I’m sorry what? He made a copy of her key to her house to “protect her” I’m sorry what??? When Gwen was upset about something and didn’t want to kiss or whatever he says “tell that to your nipples” IM SORRY WHAT??? And don’t get me started on the babe! Babe we hate each other but baby I know what’s best, babe baby babe. It annoyed me. He claimed he always liked her but never tried to you know speak and maybe try to make her like him? Maybe instead of being Mr cool I like art and fuck a lot of girls thinking of you, she might have grown to like him. And he got jealous the police officer was with her after she witnessed a dead body, I’m sure she’s thinking about fucking him? Also he called her bitch and she was like you just called me a bitch, he responds, yeah because you’re being one. How is that sexy talk?
Gwen is no walk in the park either. She hates him she loves him but won’t say, hates him again, but he kissed her forcibly and loves him again. She’s as dumb as ever with each time she’s in danger, yeah go right towards it and take your bestie to a house without telling others when you know you’re in danger. She doesn’t believe in the witchy woo woo as she calls it but sells many things that are for it, in a town that most likely thrives on that. if I had to read oh my Geia or hellfire one more time my eyes were going to get stuck in an eye roll. The clothing descriptions were too much, like I don’t care about your boots, yeah she loves nice things but after one time I didn’t need every outfit in detail. She was sarcastic as ever in th eWorlds way but everyone loved her? I just don’t see it.
Now about the story, the police sucked at their job I mean come on? No check on any one around Gwen I guess? Also why was she privy to so much of this investigation and letting her just walk with them around a crime scene? Also back to the police officer and even the private investigator (before they were together) holding her seemed unprofessional. The author tried for some witty banter and humorous moments but the characters were all so bad I didn’t like any of it. The book needs some editing down, much too long I could skip entire paragraphs and still be on the same topic. The witches and Salem and a murder all sound so exciting, but I was bored half the time reading this, and when you don’t care for the mmc well the sex scenes didn’t do much for me. All together it just wasn’t what I wanted from the book.

I adored this book! It was fun, spooky and most importantly witchy which was definitely the vibes I was going for this fall season. I loved the characters and the settings were explained beautifully, making me wish I was living in Salem during the fall. Truly something to add to the TBR every year for motivation to get into the Halloween spirit!!!

Set in Salem, MA, site of the Salem Witch Trials, this book is the perfect mix of witchy, mystery and romance. The writing is very descriptive, from the settings to the sex.
Gwendolyn had a rough childhood (to say the least) and ends up inheriting her Aunt’s house, car and store in Salem right out of college. She feels a bit lost, in life and doesn’t let anyone ‘see’ her, except for her friend Florence who knew her from when she visited Salem each summer growing up.

Graham is the golden boy of Salem, having grown up there, gone off to Harvard on a football scholarship and returning to run a successful business. He is possessive and remembers Gwen from childhood but I won’t spoil anything here.
There are a series of ritualistic animal killings in town and Gwen’s business is targeted pulling her into the drama. The mystery of who/what/why plays out throughout the book and the side characters really make the story.
Laugh out loud funny, witchy mystery & possessive alpha males make this book a gem you have to read this October.

As a lifelong Massachusetts resident and someone who honeymooned in Salem, this book captures the town perfectly! I love a good magical romance and the banter in this one was top tier!

I love love love this book. It has mystery romance and a grumpy/sunshine trope. It hits all my book weaknesses and I could not put it down once I started it. It was hilarious and serious at the same time. Seriously it's a must read

Wow! Very different. Cute. Enemy-to-lover romance. A little mystery and a whole lot of spices ❤️ We missed Ms. Johnson's story... 🙏

This book was just the right amount of spook, love the enemies to lovers and perfect read to get you in the mood for fall and the spookiest time of the year.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book review because this book was truly mesmerising, hilarious, captivating, intriguing, tense, romantic, sweet, spooky, sexy and honestly just phenomenal.

Firstly, I want to thank the publisher, Johnson Ink, Inc, Netgalley and Julie Johnson for an early ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had everything I could possibly ever need in a book, plus more. Enemies to lovers, witches, spells and fortune tellers, forced proximity, hilarious one liners to open chapters, one bed, a sexy MMC, a hilariously witty FMC and so much more. I could be here all day describing my love for this entire book. It took me longer than expected to get through due to a slump with a previous read, but you KNOW a book is good when you expect it’ll be a five star read when you’re only 30% in.

The characters were tremendous. Funny, witty Gwendolyn Goode. My god I was laughing out loud most of the time at some of the things she came out with. She’s incredibly sarcastic and strong and had some amazing character growth and development with learning to trust people intimately again. It was so heart-warming to see.

Graham?! Fuck. Genuinely just step on me because I’d thank you for it.
This man was literally igniting something in me that I didn’t know was there. He’s to the point, he’s grumpy, he’s ignorant, he charming and handsome and just an excellent candidate for everyone’s book boyfriend, let’s be honest. He was SO SWEET at times to Gwen I wanted to cry he had such a way with words. But there was also times where he was FILTHY and I was obviously not opposed to such behaviour hehe

Gwen’s best friend Flo and her partner Desmond were also a great pair. Gwen and Flo being referred to as Thelma and Louise after a certain scene had me cackling.

The plot was juicy. It was delectable, tense and creepy. But also romantic, charming and sweet. The idea behind this with the mini sub-plots sprinkled in just made this book fantastic. This was definitely a plot AND character developed book. Everything moved at a great pace and I didn’t feel it rushed nor slow. According to Goodreads this is 500 pages and it felt the perfect length, to me.
I ate this up and I’m so thankful I did. I’m in awe at what Julie has written here because I NEED IMOGEN AND CADEN’S STORY NOW!!!!!!!

OH MY GODDESS, I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!! It's nearly midnight and I see no sleep in my future because I just binge read the crap out of this book and I'm wired in ways only a great book can accomplish. I read fast because I couldn't stop, but I'm sad it's over. THE BANTER! THE TENSION! THE MYSTERY! THE ... GRAHAM. Sweet baby Jesus, the Graham. I don't know that I can clearly articulate better words right now (2 seconds after having finished the book) but just go read it. It's wonderful.

Thank you netgalley for an eArc of what will sure to be a top read of the year.

Going into September, I was in the food for a fall/spooky read and this one didn’t disappoint. Great for the upcoming Halloween season.

From Goodreads
As owner of an occult shop in downtown Salem, Massachusetts she’s accustomed to all things odd and otherworldly. But when a bloody animal sacrifice is left as a warning outside her place of business, the police seem to think Gwen might be the target of some truly evil-doers. Suddenly, her sunny existence is riddled with danger in the form of crazed pagans, rogue employees, and nefarious henchmen. And there’s only one man who can protect her until the storm passes...

This was the perfect read for fall — it was cute, spooky, spicy and witchy. I loved the morally gray hero while not being a total fantasy book. The characters were funny and the banter was great. The plot twist was indeed a twist! Some of the mystery and trauma felt a little forced, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my review.

- witchy romance perfect for spooky season!!
- murder mystery vibes
- enemies to lovers, kinda
- first person pov (which I normally dislike but I did not mind!!)

I really enjoyed this book! It's set in Salem, which is perfect for the witchy setting. The writing flowed really well.
There was a good balance of romance and plot! I'm definitely going to continue reading this series!

This book in 3 words: Witchy. Fun. Compelling. 

We'll keep this short and sweet... if you like a witchy book, get this on your list. The writing is solid, the characters are chef's kiss, and I lived for the banter. This one is easy to get wrapped up in. 

If you need a little more... Read this if:
- you dream of spooky season vibes
- banter is your jam
- you love a Salem setting
- he falls first
 - a MMC who is just a tad toxic but a whole lot of hot is up your alley 
- you like a funny FMC 
- you like a little spice

Thank you to Julie Johnson, NetGalley, and Johnson Ink, Inc for the e-arc of Bad Luck Charm! This was my first book by Julie Johnson and I loved it so much, a perfect book to get me in the mood for fall and spooky season.

Gwendolyn Goode moves back to Salem after her aunt passes to take over the occult shop her aunt owned and ran. That is where Gwen spends most of her days, surrounded by crystals, coffee, and old tomes. Sometimes hanging out with her best friend, Flo, and ALWAYS avoiding Graham Graves. Everything is going fine until a sacrifice shows up in her alleyway, and PI Graham and Salem police bring Gwen in for questioning/needing to make sure she's safe.
Gwen wouldn't have minded Graham being at every turn when she was younger and had the biggest crush on him, but after she overheard him talking down about "people who believe in the occult," she knows she's better off without him. Graham didn't get that memo, and is very insistent that there are sparks between them and will do whatever he can to keep her safe.

This book has the perfect witchy vibes to start off the season, including mysterious cult sacrifices, occult loving FMC, and even an oracle parrot named Hecate. My only critic for this book was the overuse of the endearment "babe" or "baby." I love a good alpha MMC who calls the FMC babe before they're even together, but this just felt a bit too much. I did love that Graham was a "he fell harder" MMC, even though technically Gwen "fell first" when she was ten.
Julie did a wonderful job with setting each scene, I felt like I was right there in Salem with everyone else. I also thought there was good character development by Gwen; she went through some tough stuff and by the end she was able to work through some of her trauma. There was also decent spice and witty/steamy banter between Gwen and Graham, that it kept me hooked!

4.5/5 stars
3/5 spice

Firecracker!!!! I loved this witchy book!!! There were moments when Gwen made me want to shake her but I love this slow burn. Julie uses actual locations in Salem which made me smile so hard. Btw I love ledger as well!! The storyline was good. I didn’t give it 5 stars because it was such a slow burn, I mean sloooooowww. Can’t wait for the next one!

I ATE though this book. Like devoured it in two hours. This is such a fun Halloween read and I love the setting in Massachusetts. You can tell the author actually knows the area which is something I don’t see a lot in books set there. Gods Graham is swoon worthy, like kicking your feet while reading. I loved this book, it’s a great way to head into fall!

This is one of my favorite reads of the years so far (& it will be a tough one to top)! I loved the development of the characters. The romance didn’t feel thrown together. Gwen has my whole heart, she is witty and a total bad ass! I spent the entirety of the book falling more in love with the story, I never wanted it to end! It checks every box, the banter between the characters, the romance, the plot, story telling everything was perfection.

I loved this book! Great start to my fall reads. It had me literally laughing out loud. This was such a fun rom com, mixed with witchy vibes and mysteryz and the banter between Gewn and Graham? 😍😍


Cozy autumn vibes
Mystery
Banter

This book was a page-turner from the very beginning. I was a bit intimidated going into this book because of the page count but once I started reading it, it was really engaging and fast-paced. This book was a mixture of romantic comedy and mystery with a bit of fantasy. This book follows Gwen and Graham as they try to solve a witchy mystery to clear their names from the crimes they were framed for. This book has hilarious banter as well as suspenseful plot twists with a sprinkle of enemies to lovers/ hate to love. If you are looking for an October/Halloween spooky mystery romance you will defiantly enjoy reading this book. I decided to give this book 5 stars.