Okay...hear me out. You know the scene in the Notebook where Noah asks Allie to stay with him and they proceed to fight..."Well that's what we do! We fight! You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch, and I tell you when you're being a pain in the ass! Which you are, 99% of the time."

If you mix that sort of tension with Autumn in Salem, Massachusetts add in a witchy whodunit you get Bad Luck Charm. Gwendolyn Goode is a stubborn woman who lives her life within a very strict routine. Enter Graham Graves, her childhood crush, who will push against every single one of her boundaries until she wants more from life than just being fine.

This book is by far my favorite read of 2023. Perfect fall/witchy vibes with a well developed setting and characters that draw you right into the story. Safe to say Gwen and Graham officially live rent free in my head now.

'Enemies' To Lovers
Childhood Crush
He Falls First
Slow Burn

This was very unexpected and I love it so much. I counted it as enemies to lovers but it isn't really. He's definitely been in love with her for a while but she just doesn't notice at all. She's hung up on a comment he made one time that was negative. He cares about her so much and will do anything to protect her. I loved seeing her slowly open up to him and realize that he isn't going to leave her. I would really like a bonus chapter of their proposal from his pov.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Good lord, the banter.

Gwen is a few years into owning and operating an occult shop she's inherited from her favorite person on the planet. She doesn't really believe in any of it but when in Salem. Between balancing the shop, her giant in-need-of-renovations house, and the need to flick the forehead of her hot frenemy until his smirk falls off, the woman is tired. Someone doing animal sacrifices that look a whole lot like witchcraft on her sidewalk are not what she needs at all.

She's known Graham for over a decade. He was kind to her as a child (her 11 to his 15), as a teenager, and markedly unkind to her now that they're both adults. He put his foot in his mouth all the way to the ankle when they were reintroduced two years ago and she hasn't let him forget it for a minute. He's the PI in charge of these sacrificial things and is quietly beside himself that she's involved.

After getting kidnapped, he barely lets her out of his sight and she has absolutely no idea what to do with that but count his abs to pass the time. The thing I didn't love was that twice he kissed her to prove a point. He was kissing her to punish her and I cheered her on every time she kicked him out for it. He seemed baffled and she was willing to never speak to him again over it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Julie Johnson for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, since I haven’t enjoyed many witchy rom-com releases! I found this to have a great balance of funny moments, suspense, and romance, which kept my attention all the way through.

I absolutely loved the way the author weaved the details of this story, but at times there was a lot of inner monologue or detail dumping in the prose. This made me want to skim and skip chunks of the reading to get back to the “action.” I also felt like there were times when the author needed to vary the wording - especially when using words that aren’t common in daily conversation.

Another critique involves the romance between the FMC and MMC. During intimate moments, there were times when the MMC made me feel uncomfortable when speaking to the FMC. It wasn’t what I expected from a man who had (apparently) been pining for this woman for over a year? It made me feel icky and not want to root for him at all.

What really kept me on this one was the suspense! I desperately wanted to uncover the secrets in Gwen’s world. I also wanted there to be some tie in with the psychic and the main climax plot point because otherwise that side plot didn’t make a lot of sense.

I will absolutely want to read book 2, since it has Caden in it (I honestly rooted for him more than Graham since Caden seemed like a genuinely decent guy who wanted the best for Gwen. Justice for Caden!)

This story focuses on Gwendolyn Goode and the happenings that involve her shop in Salem, which she inherited from her aunt. In true Salem fashion, witchy happenings occur which set up the story with a good mystery. Gwen has a fun best friend couple named Flo and Desmond who provide a little background atmosphere. The real focus though is a man named Graham Graves. A man Gwendolyn loathes due to his arrogance and a man she has also known since she was 10 and first found herself smitten with him.

I gave this story four stars, it’s 3.75 rounded up for me. Let me start with what I loved. Gwendolyn is a likable character who runs what I could only describe as my dream shop in Salem, MA. There’s a lot of references to locations in Salem which I loved having been there and it being a nice hit of nostalgia for me (especially Flying Saucer Pizza!). I loved the witchy side story and the mystery aspect. I loved the character development of Gwen grappling with her childhood and coming to terms with what she’s been thru and learning to let those walls she built down. I love Graham most of the time. He’s got a buried deep good heart and I enjoyed their romance overall.

I was all about rating this a full four stars but a couple things held me back. Let me be clear though they did not detract from the story, which I think is really good and a fun autumn romance to read. Graham Graves, while overall he’s an attractive character and I enjoyed his tough exterior, less tough inside, there was a particular scene where he legit gaslit Gwen about her feelings, which were justified, and another where he insinuated using sex as a punishment which some may enjoy but it gave me the ick. Also, Graham, my man, you need to use pronouns when you start sentences. It seemed like a way to make him sound casual but it just sounded a little strange. I also didn’t like the way it ended. I realize there’s another book coming but it ended so abruptly and it didn’t feel right or complete.

Overall, this is a great spooky season romance that was quick to read, fun, a little spicy, and I recommend it!

An absolutely magical romance with the most incredible witchy vibes I've read in a long time.

This books was an absolute journey, and I was so enthralled for the entire ride!

You follow Gwen who inherits an occult shop from her aunt, and is propelled into a chaotic and thrilling murder mystery with seriously sketchy coven vibes. She is closed off from love after a traumatic past growing up in a broken home, and has to work to fight off her feelings for the hot "fixer" Graham Graves who she has had a major crush on for years! Gwen is such a sweet, but badass FMC and Graham is the swooniest MMC who literally had me kicking my feet with his "touch her and die" attitude.

If you pick up one witchy romance/suspense this year please let it be this one. It exceeded all my expectations and brought the best autumn, Salem, witchy, magical setting to immerse yourself in to.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

<b>I came for the cover but I stayed for the words. That's my story when it came to Bad Luck Charm by Julie Johnson. Graham Graves has effectively swept me off my feet from his first appearance on the page and I feel my feet haven't touched ground since that moment. This man is epic, perfect, sensational, otherworldly, panty melting, heart breaking, swoony, over the top alpha and I can go on and on till I run out of adjectives but still those won't be enough to tell you the level of brilliance of Graham Graves. Our dear Gwendolyn Goode had really no option but fall for him but I am proud of her for resisting and challenging and making him go crazy and testing his sanity with her sweet sassy personality! A touch of witchy thrill. A dash of suspense. And whole lot of spice, swoon and charisma. Bad Luck Charm by Julie Johnson has turned out to be a good luck Charm for my die hard romantic heart.</b>

The city of Salem and an occult shop named The Gallows set up the perfect backdrop of the story. Gwen had a content and busy life trying to keep her aunt's legacy afloat until a dead donkey staged in a dark magical pattern appeared in her back alley. And her long time crush and now object of superficial hate, Graham Graves decides to take over her life as he runs the super successful Gravewatch security. He is also claiming her as his woman but she has enough insecurities to push him away. With Halloween approaching and two opposite sides of "witches" colliding..what would Gwen do?

<b>Kristen Ashley is one of my most read and re read author and no one..I mean..no one writes epic alpha heroes like her. (Except Anne Malcom is close there). And you can understand my excitement when I tell you that Graham can compete with any of my top KA heroes. He is so grossly alpha and dominating and so arrogantly confident of his ways that it's impossible to stay out of his magnetic field. I swear he can be infuriating and stubborn and reckless and completely ah0l3 a lot of times. I don’t blame Gwen getting pissed off at his pushing decisions and ways..but like Gwen, my heart also melts to feel his overwhelming protectiveness and possessiveness. May not be your cup of tea, you may have a hard time understanding alpha male but for me, they are the greatest fantasy. A Man who will move heaven and earth to protect his woman and show his soft underbelly only for love..argh why is that so sweet and romantic and addictive and hot at the same time? Gwen is shown as a bit naive and innocent because she loves openly and easily even after not getting it back in her childhood. And her instincts were screaming danger to Graham but he methodically tore down her walls. They had an enemies to lovers thing going on..Well for Graham, they were soulmates but Gwen had to work through her emotional baggage. She is a beautiful soul and Graham just pushed her out of her shell.This book had some hilarious moments those just made me laugh out loud. The Witch and the murder Part added to the texture of the plot. It's not necessarily a paranormal or fantasy for me as the lead characters don't have any supernatural power ( unless you count Graham's bada&& alpha vibe). But the whole setting was intriguing. I loved the secondary characters and I would love to go back to Salem.</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily through Netgalley

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I…. Really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded very appealing. Witchy shop owner x grumpy, no-nonsense cop? Right in my wheelhouse!

Unfortunately, the writing style just isn’t for me. Scenes that should’ve been a few paragraphs lasted PAGES. The character interactions were just painfully odd at times. Heck, even the second chapter had me questioning if I wanted to keep going. The way the author described a man was bordering on fatphobic and made me uncomfortable.

And THEN the interaction between the main characters when they were 10(f) and 15(m) were SO WEIRD. Red flag city.

Again, I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

If you are looking for a book to get you in the mood for fall, Bad Luck Charm will definitely do the trick!

Gwendolyn Goode lives in Salem, Massachusetts, running a witchy store/ cafe called The Gallows. She isn’t a witch mind you, just a woman making a living. An animal sacrifice occurs in the alley behind her store, bringing Graham Graves back into her life. He is a PI ho is determined to protect Gwen and keep her safe, no matter what. As the animal sacrifice case grows into a larger case involving local covens, Graham and Gwen fight their growing attraction and try to stay safe.

The atmosphere in this book is EVERYTHING. The store and bar names, the descriptions of Halloween decor at the shop, the Samhain partners in the streets during the final big conflict….I’m ready to get out the pumpkins and watch Hocus Pocus now! The setting is so much fun, and the author weaves it into the story beautifully.

Graham is a total alpha male with a heart of gold. He is gruff, he is rough, he kisses like the devil, but he ultimately has a gooey center and this was an alpha male I was here for. The connection between he and Gwen is straight fire, with the sparks jumping off the page. It has notes of enemies to lovers and crazy passion, turning to potential domestic bliss.

I adored Gwen. She loves fashion, she is snarky and sweet in one, and is almost stupidly brave and loyal. Her best friend is also a fantastic addition to the book and was such a fun side character.

Loved the set up for book two, and cannot wait to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Johnson Ink for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately I found the writing of this to be so amateur that I couldn't finish it. The vibes seemed good but just not for me.

I loved this book! The story was a wild ride and our MCs had the best banter. Very wordy in the best way! I loved seeing in the past how Gwen and Graham knew each other. Their first meeting was so sweet! With them being adults, the tension was off the charts and I loved the build up to their relationship. The storyline was fun too, but the ending felt a little rushed. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and thought it was a really good read.

Okay, this book was GOOD. Like GOOD GOOD u know?! I seriously loved Gwen!! Her whole personality and her inner monologues were sooo amazing to read! She has her traumas but she’s also light and witty and funny, and sarcastic and seriously a really good time! Graham was the epitome of alphahole. He was so protective of her, supportive.. even when she was bitchy with him. He basically prevailed. He was also super arrogant and snippy but then 😍. I also loved the whole plot to be honest! It was intriguing, and I certainly didn’t want to believe it in the end. Even tho I kinda was expecting it I still didn’t want to believe it! But in overall I love this book and all that came with it!
We have:
Witches ✅
Occult ✅
Enemies to lovers✅
Found family✅
Betrayal✅
SPICEEEE (it’s a what we’re here for tbh) 🌶️🌶️✅
Laugh out loud moments ✅
Crying moments ✅

I seriously cannot wait for the second book 😭😭 the epilogue really left something to be desired!

This arc was given to me by NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This was so cute! Absolutely adored this and the couple. The flow was good the plot was fun to follow. I am super excited for the next book!

Bad Luck Charm by Julie Johnson is a captivating standalone romantic comedy set in the enchanting world of Salem, Massachusetts. Gwendolyn Goode, the owner of an occult shop, leads a charmed life until she becomes the target of dangerous criminals after a bloody animal sacrifice is left as a warning outside her shop. Seeking protection, she turns to Graham Graves, a private investigator known for his no-nonsense approach. Their interactions sizzle with tension and humor as they navigate a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance amidst the backdrop of witchy vibes and small-town charm.

In this 450+ page novel, Julie Johnson weaves a spell of love, laughter, and suspense, creating an enthralling blend of romance, mystery, and humor. Set in the mystical streets of Salem, the story unfolds with delightful twists and turns, keeping readers on their toes until the very end. With well-developed characters, a touch of magic, and a captivating setting, Bad Luck Charm is a heartwarming and immersive tale that will leave you bewitched from start to finish.

Holy Hellfire!

First. let me say a huge thank you to the author, Julie Johnson, the publisher, Johnson Ink, and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. Everything written below is my honest opinion, and I was not compensated for this review.

Gwendolyn is just trying to live her best life while managing her Aunt's occult shop in Salem, Massachusetts. Things are pretty good until someone makes her a target that could potentially end her life. Insert Graham Graves, the only person she despises yet can help keep her safe.

The banter in this book was chef's kiss! It made the book so easy to read. I even caught myself swooning or smiling at some of the things that were said.

This easily made the top of my list for favorite rom-com, which is hard to do considering that genre isn't typically my favorite, I loved how it was also not completely sunshine and rainbows. There were darker elements to the book that made it eery and feel like Halloween. And thankfully the cheesiness you find in a good majority of rom-coms was missing in this.

10/10! I 100% recommend this book.

Gwendolyn Goode own an occult/coffee shop that she inherited from her late aunt in Salem, Massachusetts. She loves her life, with only one drawback. She’s stuck avoiding Graham Graves who insulted her two years ago when she moved to town for good..

Graham Graves doesn’t approve of witchy woo woo. He’s the serious no nonsense golden boy or town.

But when some pretty sketchy things start happening that point to Gwen being in trouble, Graham becomes determined to make sure she stays safe.

I really liked this book a lot! There were some laugh out loud moments with the banter, some great spice, and I definitely didn’t see that “bad guy reveal” coming!

I would have liked to have toned down Graham’s assholery a bit but a lot of people will probably like that about him!

I've never read a book that is such a dumpster fire like this one.. but in a good way..

This book follows Gwen Goode, a fiery red head with a big personality. She inherits her late aunts occult store and her house in Salem. It also follows Graham Graves who is this big alpha male who runs and owns Gravewatch, a contracted "fixer", and own the town.

Through out the book you read about all of these questionable activates that happen, ranging from a missing psychic teller all the way to blood rituals.

This book has way to many things happening in the book and thus is why I said it was a dumpster fire.. some times I found it hard to follow along with, and the first half was rather boring. However, once things picked up the book was amazing. So many unrealistic things happening. people are falling in love and people are getting stabbed in the back. Both Graham and Gwen admit they have been in love with one another since the first summer she visited.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishing house for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This isn't a typical book that I would choose for myself, but I did enjoy it. This would be a great book to read around Halloween as it will get you in that spooky mood. Wonderful job.

What a fabulous start to what I expect will be a series to auto-add to my TBR! Gwen and Graham sizzle on the pages, but be prepared, it is quite the slow burn. But with the I’ll burn the world down for her vibes, it is definitely worth the wait.

Murder mystery, laugh-out-loud banter, a bit of the supernatural, some mild spice and glorious dirty talk, with a HEA ending…I’d say this RomCom checked all the boxes for me. The fact that the story takes place in Salem with descendants of the original witch trials is the icing on the cake.

The twist and turns were not a surprise, and I knew who the murder was eons early in the storyline – but really, it’s a RomCom – they aren’t usually know for the shock and awe in the romance genre. And just because you can see it a mile away doesn’t mean this wasn’t worth the read.

A great fall read that fans of the Charlie Davidson series will love, I will personally be recommending it to my book club babes for this fall. I can’t wait till book two is released! I’ll be first in line to hit the download button.

Thanks NetGalley and Johnson Ink, Inc. for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

What do you get when you put a red-head firecracker of a woman with an avoidant attachment style in the same room with an arrogant, overprotective, brooding alphahole? A RECIPE FOR A DELIGHTFULLY SEXY HATE TO LOVE SMASH SESH 🌶️❤️‍🔥😮‍💨

LOVED.

GRAHAM GRAVES CAN TAKE ME ANNNNY TIME.

- witchy romance perfect for spooky season 👻
- murder mystery
- quirky old lady side characters
- traumatic back story for FMC (family abuse)
- good girl
- mine
- forced proximity
- 🌶️🌶️.5

I really loved Gwen’s backstory. Her childhood was so sad and it gave her so much depth and helped make sense of her reluctance to trust in anyone or anything.

Highly recommend.

First off, I want to thank NetGalley, Julie Johnson, and Johnson Inc., for the ARC of Bad Luck Charm, to read in exchange for an honest review!

I need to start off by saying that all in all, I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was hooked right from chapter one, and remained intrigued throughout the whole story. I am not typically a mystery/suspenseful type reader but this book gave me that and so much more - and I loved it.

It has been a little bit since I actually laughed out loud while reading, and this one did the trick. I mean the little anecdote at the beginning of each chapter? I think I highlighted all of them on my kindle and just wrote lol. Enemies to lovers, slow burn, small town, spicy, rom-com? Say no more, I was hooked from the first moment I started.

One thing I can really appreciate about this book was that it wasn’t cringy!! I feel like so many (usually romance) books I read get sort of cringy, and the writing just seems so fake that it almost forces a relationship - but I have to say that I would absolutely not change anything about any characters, or how they are portrayed. This is something I can appreciate so much about the authors writing, and it made me love the book that much more.

I never knew I needed to read a witchy book during summer, but seriously if I liked it now, I am going to love it 100x more during spooky season!

This is a book I will most definitely be purchasing on Pub day, and recommending to everyone!
Fantastic read, I am excited for the next one!