Grim and Bear It

Stay a Spell, Book 6

By: Juliette Cross

Narrated by: Johanna Fairview, Aiden Snow

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Not even Death can take her from him.

Clara Savoie is so confused. She is absolutely positive that Henry Blackwater is practically in love with her. But for some strange reason, he won’t even ask her on a single date. Time to take matters into her own hands.

When Clara shows up on his doorstep with an unusual invitation, tempting cupcakes, and naughty innuendo, Henry has no choice but to say yes. Now he’s the newest member of the High Tea Romance Book Club. While Clara learns the haunting secrets of her broody grim, Henry shows her what commitment from a necromancer truly means.

When his father is arrested for murder, Henry is dragged back into the nightmare he’s been avoiding all his life. When he steps back into his father’s world, he isn’t just endangering himself but also the bright, beautiful woman he can no longer live without. But he just might have to.

©2023 Juliette Cross (P)2023 Podium Audio

Best in the Series

Clara and Henry’s story is lower angst, but just as steamy. They are soulmates. Both grow throughout the story and the conflict is not within the relationship. Grim and Bear It is the perfect ending to an outstanding series!

HEA❤️😍🔥🎊

Such a wonderful ending to this series!!! I’d love to read more with all the children grown!!!

Summary should have buried the lead

The first thing the summary says is “not even death could take her from him,” so it was never in doubt that the finale would involve Clara “dying” and Henry using his grim/ necromantic powers to save her.
For that matter, the summary pretty much gives away all the major plot points.

But, the spoilers are okay because this final book is all about service to the fans who’ve worked their way thru the series, and each Savoie sister, patiently waiting for the sunniest Pollyanna of the bunch to get her HEA. 💖This book is all about the glitter and the glow, literally🎊✨🎉. No really, literally. 🪩🪅🎊 Also cupcakes 🧁 , pink friendship bracelets and butterflies.🦋 Be prepared to embrace the squee.

“It’s like Oprah … you get a baby, and you get a baby … “ 👶
Yep, this book is all about bringing the witchy family together, including the extended families of men, babies, fathers and aunts and wrapping a bow around their HEAs 💝. I’m actually not a fan of babies in my romance, but it was fitting for a book with sweet Clara and I found it went down pretty well.
The interactions between the sisters and the joshing between the men was my favorite part.

Story wise, Henry’s arc was extremely well done, especially his relationship with his father
(although I was left wanting a closure scene at the end between father and his sons). The love arc was a Disneyesque Beauty and the Beast with Clara’s forever chipper disposition and unwavering trust in the Goddess, her sisters, or Henry, making for a low angst, high comedy affair.

Teensy-tiny spoiler about the sex:

“Plant the parsnip, enter the castle …”
The several sex scenes were okay for me; I just couldn’t get behind the idea that a virgin could become a sex-god from watching adult vids (because they’re sooo realistic). Yes, I know that’s a bit nitpicky, especially given this is an urban fantasy with grim reapers, demons, werewolves, vampires, and witches … I just figured that go-get-him Clara would take the driver’s seat in bed and so it didn’t ring true when I’m-new-at-this Henry is OMG ah-mazing upon his first go at EVERY kiss and position. Sigh.
I suppose, however, that perpetual optimist Clara would think the best of Henry no matter what.
The lack of realism was easy to forgive in the name of an overall feel-good, series wrap up.

Cute series

I throughly enjoyed the story lines Juliette Cross wrote about the Savoie sisters. Each with their own angsty moments and eventually an hea. But the narration on this series was excellent. I really loved how the narrators kept each voice for each character the same in series. Each sister has a distinct voice and that’s the voice you hear through the series, which I have found is not always the case for series audiobooks. Same for the men in the story. So bravo narrators and to Ms. Cross! I was thoroughly entertained!

Fantastic ending!

This was such a great story and a fantastic ending to the series! I loved Clara and Henry’s story!

these books feel like chatting with an old friend❤️

and I love that you get to hear updates and have scences with the sisters you befriended in the previous books.

A great ending to the series

I loved, loved Clara and Henry’s soulmates long crush romance with a side of murder and past trauma. Their love story was a tease throughout the entire series and it was worth the wait. Their story is filled with all the emotions, the connections and the love and evoked all the feels for me. Expect to laugh, cry, gasp, cheer, grind your teeth, and swoon while reading, especially witnessing Clara and her love help to heal Henry childhood trauma and fear. The story included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. Clara is a witch and an aura. Henry is a powerful necromancer grim but keeps his power locked down. Clara and Henry have been pining after each other from afar. The book starts with Clara finally making her move and their relationship happens quickly from there. The rest of the angst in the book is external including the drama surrounding Henry’s father being arrested for murder. The book has the same main characters from the first five books with some new characters added into the mix. The story includes what you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, paranormal creatures, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, mystical coincidences, evil actors, snark, uber protective men, strong women, love, and laughs. This is the final book in the Stay a Spell series. It is a standalone but do yourself a favor and read them all, you’ll be so glad you did. I am sad to come to the end of this series.

Johanna Fairview and Aiden Snow did a phenomenal job narrating and breathing life into the story and the characters with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly.

Finally!

Finally Clara gets her grim! We knew this coupling was coming several books back and I’m so happy we finally got to see it happen. I loved how Clara waited for Henry to be ready and then practically threw herself at him when she got tired of waiting. Henry might be my new favorite leading man of the series. I enjoyed how all the little loose ends got tied up. BUT… I love this Stay a Spell world Juliette Cross created so much that I hope we get a few more stories in the near future!

The audiobook performances were great as always with Johanna and Aiden at the helm.

So amazing!!

Loved this entire series! I have shared with family and friends! We have all gotten hooked on the Savoie sisters! Thank you Juliette for bringing this story to life and giving the amazing story of Henry & Clara!!! As always excellent narration!!!

Great wrap up

I loved this whole series but really loved Henry and Clara! This series was so good with a great blend of fun, humor, steamy and HEA!!!