Wolf Gone Wild
Soulful werewolf artist meets nerdy hex-breaker in this cozy, slow-burn paranormal romance filled with humor and devotion.
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What Is This Book About?
Mateo Cruz has never had a problem controlling his wolf—until now. For the past three months, something has blocked him from shifting, leaving him trapped in his human form with his inner wolf, Alpha, running his mouth 24/7. And by running his mouth, I mean nonstop feral monologue about dominance, mating, and murder. Mateo is convinced a hex is to blame, and if he doesn’t fix it soon, he’s going to lose what little control he has left.
Enter Evie Savoie. Powerful witch, hex-breaker, and unapologetic nerd. As a rule, witches avoid werewolves—something about them being unpredictable, territorial, and prone to bloodlust. But Mateo is desperate, and Evie has never met a hex she couldn’t break. The moment they meet everything changes for Mateo. Because somehow, just being near her is enough to silence Alpha’s chaos.
Now, Evie and Mateo have to figure out who cursed him and why, all while dealing with the fact that their attraction is growing fast. Mateo knows Evie is his, and once his wolf is free, he has every intention of claiming her. But Evie? She’s not so easily convinced. She’s been burned before, and falling for a werewolf with a dominance problem isn’t exactly in her life plan.
Too bad fate—and Alpha—have other ideas.
“I crushed my mouth to hers, angling so I could go deep, needing to taste, to devour, to show her what she meant to me. Because, holy fuck, she meant so much to me. How did this happen? How did it go from a brief, casual friendship to me not being able to function without her near me?” - Mateo
Quick Facts
Title and Author: “Wolf Gone Wild” by Juliette Cross
HEA: Yes
Tropes: Fated Mates, Alpha Male, Forced Proximity, Friends to Lovers
POV: FMC, MMC and Alpha
Trigger Warnings: None
Books in Series: 6 as of 2/20/25
Overall Story: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★★
World Building: ★★★ — The world building was simple, but also enjoyable.
Pacing: ★★★★
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
“His voice, God, it was so fucking deep and rough I could feel it scrape against my exposed skin, brushing so hard I wobbled at the intensity. He was too much — too hot, too hard, too rough. Too hypnotic in the way he stood there.” - Evie
My Take (Minor Spoilers)
If there’s such a thing as a cozy paranormal romance, Wolf Gone Wild is it. This book is like a hot drink on a chilly night, but with werewolves, witches, and a whole lot of sexual tension amidst a New Orleans backdrop.
Mateo’s inner wolf was probably my favorite character. Alpha—yes, that’s his actual name—has no chill. At all. The running monologue in Mateo’s head is unhinged in the best way, constantly urging him to fight, dominate, or claim his mate. It’s hilarious and I was a little in love with him. For instance, when Evie took Mateo to the comic book store and admitted how much she loved the Marvel character Wolverine, Alpha’s immediate response was:
“I want to find that Wolverine and challenge him to one-on-one combat. That man-animal thinks he can win over our Evie? He has no idea who he’s dealing with.”
I don’t know what it was about Alpha, but the way he took everything so literally while also claiming Evie with absolute single-minded dominance cracked me up.
Poor Mateo, though, he’s been dealing with Alpha’s nonstop yammering for three months because he can’t shift into his werewolf form. Something’s blocking him, and he’s convinced it’s a hex. That’s where Evie comes in.
Evie is a powerful witch and a comic book artist who drops actual deep-cut nerd references (thank you, Juliette Cross). As a fellow nerd myself, I connected to the way Marvel and Star Wars inform the way she views the world. The Deadpool references? Gold. Her deep belief that Kylo Ren and Rey should have become Reylo? YES. 100% agree.
I also liked that she is in her late 30s. Unlike younger FMCs who are often wide-eyed and or swept away by an intensely attractive MMC, Evie wasn’t about to throw herself at some werewolf just because he’s hot. She’s got her own life, her own insecurities (thanks to an ex who crushed her confidence), and a very healthy dose of skepticism when Mateo waltzes into her life.
But Mateo (and Alpha) are absolutely gone for her from the start. He eats, sleeps, and breathes Evie. He wants her, wants to protect her, wants to make her his—but in a way that never feels possessive or toxic. He’s a great cook, thoughtful, openly communicates, and he helps Evie find confidence in art again. He loves her in a way that feels both like a fantasy and something that could exist in the real world if one was very, very lucky.
As a couple, Mateo and Evie are adorable together. They’re actually kind of perfect, which usually would annoy me but didn’t for some reason in this story. They are completely unproblematic. No frustrating miscommunication, no unnecessary drama. Just a healthy relationship betwixt two adults with a mix of possessive werewolf and magical cursebreaking.
The romance is a slow burn. Mateo and Evie have an instant connection, but because Mateo is in a dangerous state with Alpha constantly trying to take over, he doesn’t act on his feelings for a while. When Alpha finally gets Evie to submit it’s hot, then when Mateo’s personality takes back over the same scene is suddenly achingly tender.
Beyond the romance, the world-building was simple but well done. I enjoyed Juliette Cross’s take on paranormal creatures—werewolves, vampires, witches, and grims. Some of their traits stick to traditional lore, but there are also fresh twists that make it all feel unique. The balance between romance and plot was detailed enough to be immersive without being an info dump. If anything, I wish she had leaned a little bit more into the paranormal. Aside from a dream Evie has, we never actually get to see Mateo shift, which felt like a missed opportunity. I kept waiting for a moment where Alpha—fully in his wolf form—would have to be tender with Evie, and I wish we’d gotten at least one scene like that.
The pacing was a tad slow in places and then the conflict at the end wrapped up really fast. But neither took away from how much I enjoyed the book. This was a fun read and I liked it enough to buy a paperback version to put on my trophy shelf. (That’s what I call my bookshelf.)
I would categorize this story as a palate cleanser. It’s the kind of feel-good romance that you read after totally wrecking your brain with a dark romance or an epic romantasy. It’s warm, light, and satisfying, like a literary reset button before diving back into angst and heartbreak.
“I’m gonna give you what I promised in your bedroom that night. Make you come on my tongue… Then I’m gonna need to fuck you from behind, baby. The first time, I need you submissive. Do you understand?” - Alpha
Thanks for another TBR. Picture 1 🤌🏻🫶🏻