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.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed coming back to this town and family. This is the second generation of the Stay a Spell series (which if you haven’t read, you totally should because they are great books!)
Celine is a witch whose parents, well whose father and his wolf, are especially protective of his little girl. Celine meets Ronan, a werewolf whose wolf has been silent since his teenage years. He is a cage fighter and is the rough edges to Celine’s softness.
This book gave me all the feels! The love between these two could be felt in the words. The tragedy that Ronan went through was heartbreaking. I loved the mental health representation weaving throughout this book. It is a good reminder that sometimes we need someone to talk to so we can see through our own mental blocks. I absolutely can’t wait to see what this new series brings for the other second generation kids!

That was cute! I was in the mood for a fated mates werewolf book, so this was perfect for that.

This book is the definition of a fantasy romance, heavy on the romance. Which is fun, but I would like a bit more worldbuilding, though that is just a personal preference. Maybe it's also because I didn't read the interconnected books before this. Which aren't necessary to read in my opinion, I understood and enjoyed everything just fine.

Normally I do enjoy a slow burn more, but I must admit it is also nice to read about a more healthy couple for once lol.

Small spoiler:
And I always like me a good kidnapping trope🤭 so that was very welcome.

All in all, this was a really good pallette cleanser for in between romantic fantasies!

3.5 mystical stars🌟


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Juliette Cross’s Stay A Spell series was my first read of 2024 and one of my favorite reads of 2024. I loved the depth of the characters while also delivering a light hearted happy story with so much growth and love. When I heard that she was releasing a spin off series, Southern Charm, following the children of the couples from the original series I think I actually screamed.

A Rebel Without Claws is about Celine Cruz, the daughter of Mateo and Evie Cruz from Wolf Gone Wild, a witch with a very large and happy supernatural family. Ronan Reed is a werewolf that can not shift (sounds kind of familiar). When his aunt kicks him out of Texas after a long string of bad choices and illegal werewolf cage fighting, his uncle Shane takes him. Now living in Louisiana where werewolf cage fighting is legal, he plans to make a legitimate team and fight his way up to nationals. He meets Celine while working in his uncle’s garage and realizes she is his fated mate. Unfortunately, there are a few forces working against them and their interests.

From the beginning I felt that this book was not going to be as good as the original Stay A Spell series. For one, I felt that the characters seemed less mature. I do realize that the Stay A Spell characters were written to be older as some of the character creatures are meant to be immortal, and Celine and Ronan were written to be only in their twenties. I know that this is supposed to be the story of the Stay A Spell children, so being younger makes sense, but there seemed to still be a huge disconnect from the way the original characters were written to these new characters. The characters in the original series also seemed to have established careers and lives. I know that part of Ronan’s story was about finding his path and his found family, but I feel like he was almost incomplete and rushed because of it.

What I did love was that this book kept that same overall vibe of love and happiness that the original series had. Yes, they had their issues and hurdles, but the story was happy and generally about their growth as people. It was easy to believe that Celine and Ronan really loved each other, and I really loved seeing all the characters come back from the Stay A Spell series.

Overall, just like the others, this book was written well, and a super quick and easy read. I am rating this a solid 4 out 5 stars. I am very excited for the rest to come out, and my prediction is that the next book will be Samara’s story.

This book is such a fun read with a love at first sight, fated mates trope. Our MMC Ronan is struggling with past trauma that has caused his wolf to become dormant and no longer come to the surface - no longer allowing Ronan to shift, that is until Ronan meets Celine.

Ronan is forced to move from his home in Texas to New Orleans after getting into trouble with illegal cage fighting. After years of Ronan's wolf being dormant, the moment he sets his sights on Celine he can feel his wolf being stirred again. Celine is witch whose father is also the Alfa of the New Orleans pack. Celine also struggles with past trauma and as Ronan and Celine begin to learn more about each other's past they help one another get through their struggles.

Ronan's life long career in cage fighting has made him many enemies that eventually catches up to him. One night after a successful fight Ronan is unable to find Celine until a txt message comes through of a video of Celine being taken by Ronan's rivals. Ronan's only chance of tracking her down and getting her back is his wolf. But will Ronan be able to shift and get his mate back??? Guess you will just have to read and find out!

I love this author and knew I would enjoy this, a spin off series so it would help to read the stay a spell books, this was character driven and I felt the world building was neglected but honestly I just love these types of books, the plot is predictable but Cross is a favourite author and I will read a shopping list and give it five stars, a great feel good cozy read

A Rebel Without Claws is the first book in a new series from Juliette Cross, but just know it is a second generation/spinoff from her Stay a Spell series so obviously reading that series first will help/mean more with characters. This is a paranormal-lite romance in a New Orleans setting (just supernaturals living in the real world), we get werewolf x witch, he’s a cagefighter x she’s a therapist, and bad boy x good girl vibes.

I love SaS series so I was excited to get to this next gen series. While I enjoyed seeing familiar characters again, I just wasn’t wowed by this book sadly. It is very insta love, which I mean I get with them being fated mates and all, but even the acceptance of that just felt so easy and I really didn’t feel a soul-level connection between these 2 (like I did with SaS couples from this author for example). It all just felt easy, zero angst, and surface level…and I needed more.

Basically in this one, Ronan moved from Texas to Louisiana to live with his Uncle Shane (alpha of the Blood Moon pack). Werewolf cage fighting was illegal in Texas, so he’s had some run-ins with the law but in Louisiana it’s legal so he’s ready to grow a team and take his wolf cage fighting to the next level. He meets Celine Cruz one day and instantly recognizes her as his mate, or his wolf does who hasn’t shown himself in 15 years. He’s initially warned away from Celine because of her massively protective, and powerful, family (the SaS families). But nothing can keep these 2 apart. And that’s literally the book, there is some mentions of her being an aura witch and she’s an art therapist for kids, she had some trauma in her past that felt kinda glossed over, and he has repressed grief from his late mother’s death years ago (which also caused his wolf to disappear). But the book is pretty much Celine and Ronan being happy and in love with one another and even her family comes around to it pretty easily. While not an awful book by any means, I just needed something more.

I received an ARC, all thoughts in this review are my own.

CW: abusive relationship (mentioned, in the past), stalking (in the past), abduction

DNF @ 10%

I decided to stop reading this book early on as I was already feeling that I was going to be annoyed by these characters. This is an adult fantasy but both characters feel more like teenagers. I was also struck with how our werewolf is more focused on view than on smell and sound. A wolves strongest sense is not its eye sight. Just walking into the garage would have baraged him with all sorts of smells. Let alone an attractive female. But he didn't notice her until he saw her. Clearly none of this was working for me and I know I was likely to be even more annoyed if I kept reading.

This book was charming! I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting. The pacing was great and I loved the characters. I will note that the writing could have been better; there were a few errors and questionable word choices. Overall, it was a fun read, but expect what you generally would from other fated mates, "alpha" male, werewolf storylines. Personally, I devour those sorts of reads and I would definitely recommend this to patrons that also like those tropes. I would not suggest this to your everyday fantasy reader since it was predictable and the world building fell flat in order to leave room for the romance and character development.

This was a fun, soulmates story very much in the vein of Cross's prior Stay a Spell series.

- Old characters still make appearances.
- The male love interests are the biggest and baddest alphas (even more than era 1).
- The same pop songs are inexplicably still being played 20-23 years from when the first series left off?? Even at live shows???
- It's an easy read with a couple of spicy scenes.

The Third Act Conflict:
One thing I'm less a fan of is the damselification of the FMC. In the Stay a Spell series, all of the first three novels featured really strong FMCs who could save themselves or choose the situations they were put in. Over the latter half of the series, they became much more passive victims to their circumstances and had to be rescued. Unfortunately, it looks like this spin-off series is continuing the trend. Really hoping it's just this one entry, but I guess we'll see.

The Writing:
My only other complaint is that the dialogue is generally good (and the overall caliber of the book definitely rivals trad publishing) but some of the narration could get over-simplified or repetitive. Even just the way that it would say something like 'she'd seen Diego eat a lot before, so she knew he could eat a lot now' but in like 4 different ways in the same page? Like honestly we can infer that just from knowing he's a werewolf and a fit guy and nobody blinks an eye when he orders a ton of food. It didn't need to be stated, let alone spelled out so many times.

Ronan:
I think most of why I liked this story really just came down to the MMC. He had a very cool, nonchalant confidence that was very attractive. And he wasn't at all afraid to be corny or straightforward about what he wants.

I'm in love with this book! A Rebel Without Claws was a great way to start off the next generation!! Ronan and Celine's love story was so beautiful. In this book you get witches, werewolves, found family, fated mates and a really cool werewolf fighting championship. It's like UFC but with werewolves and it was really fun to read about Ronan and his teammates. This book also has anxiety representation that was done very well and a good amount of spice.

 If you are a fan of the Stay A Spell series by Juliette Cross you will love being pulled right back in to the magical world of witches, werewolves, vampires and grim reapers.

Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5