BRIGHT LIKE WILDFIRE by Juliette Cross-dual review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 12, 2022

Bennett has no idea why Betty Mouton hates him.

Other than the time he accidentally hit her boobs with a glitter bomb in their community theater performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he’s been nothing but helpful and accommodating. But that notorious “incident” happened years ago. Time for the gorgeous redhead to get over it and admit to the real chemistry between them, not just the on-stage kind.

Betty is in trouble.

She may have gotten her dream role in a production by her favorite playwright, but there’s a big problem. Her romantic lead is that cocky, annoyingly hot know-it-all Bennett Broussard. And when the fake touching and fake kissing start to feel way too real, Betty realizes one thing. She better act her heart out or finally admit that Bennett has stolen hers.

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Sandy’s REVIEW: BRIGHT LIKE WILDFIRE by Juliette Cross is a contemporary, adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on businessman/grocer Bennett Broussard, and twenty-six year old, high school teacher Betty Mouton.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Betty and Bennett) BRIGHT LIKE WILDFIRE focusing on the enemies to friends to lovers relationship between businessman/grocer Bennett Broussard, and twenty-six year old, high school teacher Betty Mouton. Approximately twelve years earlier Betty Mouton was humiliated by our story line hero, a humiliation she has yet to forgive in the face of teenaged angst and embarrassment. Fast forward to present day, Betty Mouton has returned to her home town to teach high school English but auditioning for the female lead at the local community theatre brings Betty up close and personal with her teenaged nemesis. Enter grocer/businessman Bennett Broussard, and the man with whom Betty will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Betty and Bennett, as our couple work side by side as the leads in the play, and the potential fall-out as painful memories from the past trigger a need for our heroine to run.

From the outside Bennett Broussard appears to have everything from good looks to money, a successful business and a wonderful extended family but looks are deceiving, and Bennett struggles with his own demons including the how and why of Betty’s inability to let go of the past. Betty Mouton has never forgiven Bennett for the ‘glitter bomb’ that drew attention to our heroine’s assets, attention she would have rather ignored as the humiliation was more than she could handle.

The relationship between Betty and Bennett begins acrimoniously as Betty struggles to forgive and forget. With the opening of a new ‘bougie’ grocery store with fancy wines and high end baked goods, Betty battles between head and heart believing Bennett is showing off with old family money. Once Bennett gets past Betty’s wall of ice, our couple begin a romantic relationship that is threatened by jealousy and heart break from the past.The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. Bennett likes to talk dirty in the bedroom, and spanking is often on the night time menu.

We are introduced to Betty’s best friend and fellow teacher Finley ‘Finn’ Fontenot, as well as her mother, and sister Emma; Bennett’s brother Hale, and their parents Peter and Beth Broussard, as well as Officer Griffin Dugas, and several students, locals, and members of the theatre group. Here’s hoping the author has plans for Emma, Hale, and Griffin.

BRIGHT LIKE WILDFIRE is a story of family and relationships, struggle and acceptance, romance and love. The premise is engaging and endearing; the romance is seductive and energetic; the characters are charismatic and dynamic.

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Barb’s Review: Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross is a fun standalone small-town romance, that is set in Beauville, Louisiana.   We meet our heroine, Betty Mouton, who has returned home and is a high school English teacher.  Betty is thrilled to receive a text that she has been selected to be the lead role in the town’s play, Barefoot in the Park; the only problem she doesn’t like the male lead. 

Bennett Broussard, our hero, is not only a popular and well-liked hunk, who also comes from a wealthy family that runs many things in Beauville.  When Betty shows up for practice, Bennett can’t keep his eyes off her, as she is beautiful; but he can’t understand why she hates him?

We learn that 12 years ago, during a high school play, Bennett was involved in a glitter bomb catastrophe, which embarrassed Betty, since all the glitter was all over her and her boobs.  She has not forgotten the incident, and considers him arrogant and conceited, but she forces herself to play her part to perfection, which includes kissing.    Bennett goes out of his way to be nice to Betty, always helpful, but she continues to be sarcastically frank toward him.  Bennett will eventually find out that she still holds a grudge from that incident years ago, and is determined to win her over.

Betty is very independent and strong, and despite her attitude towards him, she slowly begins to fall hard for Bennett; especially since he has been totally sweet, caring and showing his feelings towards her. I really rooted for Bennett to win Betty over. By the last half of the book, the chemistry between them is off the wall sizzling, including their practices, which also becomes steamy.

I did enjoy when Betty was with her students, being a great teacher, and always looking out for the kids in her class.  There was also some humor with her neighbor’s goat (Gilbert) who always found ways to get into her house.  I loved the times when they were practicing their performances, and the secondary characters working with them, not to mention their private sessions that were erotic. I will say that this was the spiciest book by Cross, which was beyond steamy.

Bright Like Wildfire was a wonderful contemporary small-town romance, great couple and excellent secondary characters.  It was fun to watch their practice and theater performances, as Barefoot in the Park was one of my favorite old movies. Bright Like Wildfire was very well written by Juliette Cross.

Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance–brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.

Juliette is a multi-published author, including her Nightwing series with Kensington Publishing and The Vessel Trilogy with Samhain Publishing.

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