A captivating blend of steamy romance and supernatural intrigue that will basically turn the page for you. Ronan Reed, the rebellious werewolf, and Celine Cruz, a compassionate Aura witch, find themselves drawn to each other despite their worlds being at odds. Their forbidden romance sizzles with tension as they struggle against family expectations, danger from lurking enemies, and their undeniable chemistry.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I am a bona fide Juliette Cross fan. I love the way her mind works, the flow of her sentences, the robust characters, her story development … but I did not love A Rebel Without Claws. I just liked it. It was okay. Just fine. Here’s my issue: there wasn’t anything at stake for Ronan and Celine. Not really, and that made it just good. This tells the story of the next generation of badass characters from her Stay A Spell series that were so awesome and so different, so like being one the children of these amazing characters who fought for a new trajectory of supernaturals in NOLA, this next generation story sort of pales in comparison. 3.5 stars

Oh this was so much fun. I wasnt a huge fan of the insta-love .. i understand its "fated mates", but i kind of wish that part was dragged out a little bit, i wanted more yearning from the mmc. regardless, i LOVED how he was with our fmc, the "touch her and die" vibes, the possessiveness.. it was *chefs kiss*. i loved her family as well, although i dont think her father lived up to the protectiveness expectations. i wish it had been longer, and a little more in depth with a few things, but overall, i had such a fun time.

I actually read this book without having read any of the previous ones it had spun off from but I loved it! I found it to be a lot of fun with a unique setting. Ronan and Celine had quite the story and the romance was spicy, loving and swoon worthy!

I adored the therapy rep, especially balanced with a bad boy! "A Rebel Without Claws" is a dual-POV romance with two supernatural leads. The world-building is easy to follow: witches, shifters, and beyond in a semi-public setting. The New Orleans location was another great element of the setting. Ronan and Celine both have great growth and provide a fantastic complement to each other. The extended family is also very well done. I would love to see this continue in a series. Maybe with the Cruz siblings??

The climax and ending felt a bit abrupt but were not out of place with the fast pace of the story. One element that didn't resonate with me, but that I think could be a lot of fun for some readers was the focus on the music playing in the background of many scenes. It was a good way to add more depth to the setting!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A Rebel Without Claws by Juliette Cross is a paranormal romantasy that centers on Ronan and Celine. Ronan is a bad boy werewolf who leaves his hometown of Texas after some legal troubles, who then goes to live in Louisiana with his uncle for a fresh start. Ronan has big plans of making his dreams of being a cage fighting champion a reality, when he encounters the beautiful distraction known as Celine Cruz. Celine Cruz is an aura witch who has various supernatural beings mixed into her family line such as Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, etc.

Initially Celine Cruz seems hesitant if not fearful of Ronan, but after some very brief interactions she quickly becomes attracted to him as well. Both characters felt pretty average to me, with neither of them being fully fleshed out in my opinion. The romance definitely felt very instalove/lust, with it seeming like she falls for him after what I'm sure is meant to be the best finger bang of her life. Ronans character comes off as very pushy and possessive in certain scenes, which I personally do not like despite the "fated mates" trope. It was very hard for me to see their connection as genuine, with Celine seeming to just give in to his whims despite her own hesitations. Despite this book having fantasy elements presenting as supernatural beings, nothing really felt fantastical about this. The main characters are people in their mid 20's who feel and act more like teenagers doing everyday things.

The plot falls flat with nothing of huge significance happening, but the author gives us one major fight for the sake of adding conflict into the story. The story wrapped up too quickly and predictably for me. I think a more interesting plot and adding context might have saved this one for me, but unfortunately I'm giving this one 2 stars as it is not my type of romance. Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for a review!

I loved Juliette Cross's Stay a Spell series - so when I found out she was writing a Next Generation series I jumped at the chance to read it. I loved this book so much! I loved reading the Stay a Spell series because it had amazing family Dynamics, fun characters, and the perfect amount of spice, A Rebel Without Claws is the perfect condition for the next-gen of the family. I adored following Celine and Ronan's dynamics as well as seeing all of the characters I've loved from past books. I love Cross's books because they have the perfect amount of romance as well as a dash of danger that makes them the perfect read to snuggle up with and forget about the world.


I would recommend you read the first series first to get the maximum enjoyment of the books but this could be read as a standalone series.

I’ve forgotten how much I loved this world until I read this book. It feels good to be back!

Ronan and Celine was classic good girl x bad boy example but they complimented each other really well. I loved their connection. They both cherished and respected each other. I loved how caring Ronan was.
But still my favourite character in this whole series Alpha. When he showed up, I whopped! What a scene that was🤣.

Usually when second generation story is told, our favourite characters from first generation looses some of their charm but here, I’m so glad that author did that really well. Evie and Matteo were terrific parents.
I loved all the secondary characters and I want all of their stories (pretty please🙏).
I hope it’s Samara and a certain grumpy warlock’s story next.

Overall I highly recommend this book and the original series. It’s my favourite and comfort books.

-Good girl x bad boy.
-Werewolf x witch.
-Feel good, cute but steamy romance.
-KU, Recommended and standalone.

I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

So much fun to come back to the Savoie family! This definitely feels just like the first generation books, just with the grown-up kids this time around. Ronan's issues with his wolf being buried were a bit predictable but I'm not enough of a connoisseur of paranormal romance to be upset. Not gonna lie, I skimmed over the fight stuff because I didn't care. Loved seeing Alpha make a memorable appearance! Good amount of spice, too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

A Rebel Without Claws is a great light paranormal rom-com filled with a lot of sweet moments for fans of Stay a Spell series. Ronan and Celine were very cute - I liked the good girl vs. bad boy vibes paired with the fated mate trope. The story was easy to get sucked in and moved along at a good pace.

However, this book definitely relied on knowledge of the Stay a Spell series. It kinda glossed over the paranormal world that's already in New Orleans, assuming you've read the previous series. Also, the couple really relied on the insta-love trope which was a bit of a let down as insta-love is not my favorite in books. I love a good fated-mate trope, but I still like the build up in the couple's relationship.

3.5/5

A REBEL WITHOUT CLAWS is the first instalment in Juliette Cross’ contemporary, adult SOUTHERN CHARM erotic, paranormal, romance series , a spin off , set in the author’s STAY A SPELL world. This is twenty-seven year old, MMA fighter/ mechanic/ werewolf Ronan Reed, and aura witch Celine Cruz’s story line.


Told from dual first person perspectives (Ronan and Celine) A REBEL WITHOUT CLAWS follows the building romance and relationship between werewolf Ronan Reed, and aura witch Celine Cruz. Fifteen years earlier, following the death of his mother, Ronan found himself juggling between family members as his temper and grief refused to back down. Having moved to Louisiana, living with his uncle Shane, Ronan forges forward with a new MMA team, fellow shifters and friends who have his back but meeting Celine Cruz pushes Ronan out of his comfort zone, and the fact that Celine is his fated mate, makes the threats against our story line heroine, all the more dangerous. With an over protective father, and two brothers taking aim at the man whom she love, Celine finds herself falling for a wolf who is in a battle for his life.


The world building focuses on grief and loss; fated mates and acceptance; betrayal and obsession. Werewolf cage fighting is an outlet for Ronan as his struggles with his wolf, an outlet that now threatens the woman he loves.


The relationship between Ronan and Celine is one of fated mates: immediate attraction and palpable sexual energy but Celine knows that her family may struggle to accept the man that she loves, a wolf who knows Celine is his heart and soul. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.


We are introduced to Ronan’s uncle Shane; his MMA teammates Zack and Bowie: Celine’s cousins vampire Morgan and Samara; brothers Diego and Joaquin; their parents Evie and Mateo Cruz .The requisite evil has many faces.


A REBEL WITHOUT CLAWS is a story of loss, family acceptance and love. The fast paced,character driven premise is exciting and entertaining; the romance is fated and impassioned; the characters are magical and determined.



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Such a fun, light-hearted romance with shifters and magic! I read it pretty much on one sitting, enjoying the banter and the sizzling tension between the main characters. More of this please!

While I did not read the author’s other series, I did really enjoy this book! Even though this was a spin off, I didn’t really have any trouble following along. I absolutely loved the FMC and MMC. Celine and Ronan were an unlikely pair, but became just perfect to me. I love books with fated mates and this was no exception.

This book is perfect for those who like:
🐺 paranormal romance
🐺 witch x wolf shifter
🐺 good girl x bad boy
🐺 fated mates
🐺 mental health rep
🐺 Dual POV
🐺Found family

A very special thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for and eARC in exchange for my honest review.

If I hadn’t been reading this for the purpose of reviewing, I would have put it down after about 10%.

The writing style wasn’t my cup of tea. The dialogue felt awkward and stilted. The romance happened so fast and the sex scenes were hard to read.

I had high hopes for this book because of the premise and the author but it just wasn’t for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This paranormal romance from Juliette Cross is out today and OMG I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BACK IN THIS WORLD. A Rebel Without Claws picks back up in Cross’s Stay a Spell world, starting a new series off with the witchy daughter of Matteo and Evie (Celine) and a bad boy werewolf new to town, Ronan.

Ronan hasn’t been able to access his wolf since he was 12, when his mom died in a terrible car accident. But that wolf rears his head as soon as Celine Cruz walks into Ronan’s uncle’s garage. Ronan thought he had moved to New Orleans just to fight in the legal wolf fighting cage matches, but now he knows he’s also here for his mate. But Celine is *surrounded* by overprotective family, including her werewolf alpha dad and brothers, and has played it safe with only the straight laced of men since a very bad experience in high school. However the two are insta in love and everyone else be damned, nothing can come between them … right??

Technically this is a stand alone, but I do think it will feel a bit short on world building if you haven’t read the Stay a Spell series (which is excellent so you should just read it). I loved how obsessed with each other these two are and how they talked about any issues that popped up (NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP). I also loved revisiting characters from the Stay a Spell series, since it’s one of my faves. Finally, both Celine and Ronan have *serious* ptsd and I think Cross handled their journeys so wonderfully and YAY to normalizing therapy, especially for manly men. Overall if you love a dates mates, “who hurt you”, paranormal romance, you should absolutely check this one Out

I am so excited to be back in the Stay a Spell universe! A Rebel without Claws is book one in the new Southern cCharm series, which is a spin off of the Stay a Spell series. Here were introduced to two characters who are connected to our original which is/werewolf/vampire crew. Celine and Ronan were an absolutely delightful romantic pairing. Overall very cute, romantic and very charming! I’m so happy to get to see some of the old characters pop up in this story and I absolutely cannot wait for more books in this series.

Thank #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars! I adored the Stay a Spell series, but this book missed the mark for me. It just lacked the character and tension-filled romance that the Stay a Spell series had. I would've liked to have seen more chemistry for all the instalove/instalust. It just felt like too much, too soon. In terms of the plot, it felt like some of the plot points were just skated over without any real DEPTH to them to make me think why I should care.

The heroine, Celine, was kind of a blank character and I could not picture her whatsoever. And Ronan was a great alpha gentleman, but it just wasn't enough to make this a compelling romance. Ronan and Celine also felt very young, more like teenagers than adults in their twenties.

That said, I loved the glimpses of the characters from the original series, and I am still excited to read other stories in this world!

This book is an ideal choice for readers who are passionate about steamy and suspenseful romance stories with a touch of fantasy. It will particularly appeal to those who are drawn to tales of forbidden love, where strong-willed heroines find themselves entangled with alpha males who possess a rough exterior but ultimately reveal a heart of gold. The combination of suspenseful plotlines, passionate romance, and fantastical elements will keep readers eagerly turning the pages, while the complex and dynamic characters will stay with them long after the story concludes.

I loved the Stay A Spell series and was so excited to hear we were getting a second-gen continuation.

Seeing how my favorite characters aged and became parents and then how their kids have aged as well was such a nice feeling. I did prefer the original series, however this was still extremely enjoyable!

One thing I definitely did struggle with though was that the characters felt more immature in ways. In the original series, the characters had jobs, lived separate from their parents (the sisters did live together but they each had their own jobs surrounding the family business that they kept separate), and they were older in terms of supernatural years (the characters may have been in their 80s or older but in supernatural years they were in their 20s-30s). In comparison, the second-gen characters feel like teenagers. They're still living with their parents and figuring their lives out and for their ages (20s) it makes sense but just feels slightly odd compared to the more developed characters of the original series.

Even with that, I'm still so excited to continue reading this series and seeing how all of my favorite characters have changed and how their children find love.