This is what joy feels like – Charlotte Stein’s How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is so funny and steamy and adorably cute – a hilarious slow burn paranormal romantic comedy. It’s tongue in cheek, and celebrates all the silliness of everything mystical and magical. I loved it!

Cassie Camberwell, is back in town cleaning out her late grandmother’s house, after years away, and has yet to realise she is a witch. She’s had a bunch of jobs, but is suffering from low self-esteem and is a bit rudderless, which stems in part from what happened to her in high school.

Seth Brubaker is a big dorky himbo – and also a werewolf, who comes with baggage and some hilarious limitations. These two were besties as kids, until they weren’t and everything went to hell at the end of high school – with Seth apparently part of some horrendous bullying of Cassie. He’s a bit lost too, just making do with life and work. They seem quite young for their ages, as essentially both have been emotionally stuck since high school.

With Cassie back in town, they first meet again when he comes over to visit her late grandmother. Then he tries to break in, then she finds him in the basement and … Cassie finds out he is a werewolf. Their interactions are adorably awkward and filled with banter. There’s reference to the bullying – it’s not something Cassie can easily get past. They go on to have ridiculous adventures, as Seth explains about being a witch to Cassie, and then things start to happen around them.

There’s a playfulness between Seth and Cassie as they navigate her witchiness and also meet the villains. There’s so much to enjoy, with recipes and spells and a cute new familiar, and (especially) horniness and falling in love all over again. There’s time in the mysterious forest, and flying and halfway houses, and demons and even a sentient microwave. With all these shenanigans, Cassie and Seth are paring back the distrust and hurt and revealing all that they were to each other. It’s just adorable!

Seth isn’t like other werewolves who change around the full moon, he transforms into a wolf when he gets aroused. He’s constantly horny for Cassie, but as she learns to be a witch, it seems it’s only her magical recipes that can keep him in human form. This makes for plenty of jokes and set ups where Cassie learns what spells and potions can manage his ‘condition’. They vocalise every filthy fantasy and intention they’ve ever had and it’s intense, and awkward, and playful, and completely delicious.

In other words, both main characters are preoccupied with sex, and even though this is a slow burn, they talk about it all the time. Their connection is warm and tender though, possibly because they are so vulnerable. Cassie has remnant trauma from high school about her self worth, so she is intoxicated that Seth is genuinely into her. They are clumsy around each other and this is part of their mutual appeal. Think paranormal screwball sex comedy and you are getting the vibe…

The plot also centres around finding out what really happened in high school, why Seth is a werewolf, and Cassie learning to embrace her power. They are seeing if they can find the baddies, save themselves and fall in love. Spoiler alert – yes they can!

There’s a touch of darkness in the plot with the bullying, but it’s good to remember that not everything is as it appears. There’s are themes around redemption and shame – fat shaming initially, then shame around desire. The resolution shows us how it’s just fine to be yourself – in whatever shape that is.

The only thing that might detract from your reading experience is if you take it all seriously. This is a celebration of dorkiness, and nerdiness, and childhood friendship, and witchy things and how ridiculously campy a great romance can be.

I love how Stein created intense and serious emotional connection between Cassie and Seth, while putting them in such absurd and hilarious magical situations. It’s just delightful! It’s a DIK from me.