Taylor Corrien here! Chief Story Stylist and your guide through The Curvy Fashionista Book Club.
We wrapped up our September Book of the Month, Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan, and saying that book took us on an emotional rollercoaster would be putting it lightly.
Now, we’re halfway through our October Book of the Month, I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker by Jessica Cage, and honestly? This paranormal fantasy romance was exactly the kind of spooky-season switch-up we needed.
Our plus size FMC, Jericha Brown, is already one of our favorites this year, and our MMC, Raymond Statton, is absolutely giving last month’s leading man a run for his money.
Jericha Brown is a BOSS.
She has a no-nonsense attitude, the love of her adoptive mother, a secret magical gift, and a life she built for herself without waiting around for a man to fill some imaginary “void.”
She beat the odds, runs her own security firm, handles her business, and dates whoever she sees fit.
As she should.
This magical workplace romance has been exactly what we needed to cuddle up with as the nights get colder. And judging by our latest TCF Book Club conversation, the first half gave us plenty to unpack.
So yes, spoilers are ahead.
If you haven’t caught up yet, consider this your warning.
The Overview
Jericha spent much of her childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home before finally finding a permanent home as a teenager.
Then, in college, she met a wealthy best friend who she believed would be part of her life for the long haul.
Nope.
Despite having access, money, and opportunity, Jericha’s best friend steals her business plan and opens a security company first.
And unfortunately, that isn’t Jericha’s last encounter with betrayal.
Years later, she has finally built the security firm she dreamed of, only for her lead agent to quit without warning and take half of her team with him.
Enter Raymond Statton.
He has just purchased a security company in the area and happens to be the only person available to partner with Jericha quickly enough to keep her business from falling apart.
There is just one tiny problem.
Minutes before their first formal meeting, Jericha “accidentally” trips him in the grocery store after he buys the last bag of her favorite donuts.
Sure, girl.
Luckily, Raymond doesn’t hold it against her.
And based on the way he is looking at her?
We think him liking what he sees has a little something to do with that.
Is Betrayal Forgivable?
Early in the story, Jericha walks us through the rise and fall of her friendship with her college best friend.
Entitlement. Jealousy. Boundary crossing.
None of it made for a healthy friendship.
Her former best friend not only stole Jericha’s business idea, but also used her influence to damage Jericha’s reputation in their shared industry, making it even harder for Jericha to build genuine connections in an already male-dominated field.
That led our Book Club into a bigger conversation:
What do you do with a friendship when one person seems committed to crossing your boundaries?
There’s something deeply unsettling about watching someone you love imitate, take from, or undermine the things that make you you.
Online, people often use terms like “destiny swapping” to describe that kind of experience from a spiritual perspective.
Whether or not you use that language, the behavior itself gave us plenty to discuss.
At some point, a friendship stops being mutual when one person is constantly taking, competing, or violating trust.
Jericha’s former best friend had money, access, and opportunity, yet that still didn’t stop her from coveting what Jericha had built.
Our group kept coming back to one thing: love and friendship cannot thrive without respect.
Luckily, Jericha eventually lets the friendship go, but not before giving it one more chance.
And the same behavior comes right back.
Which gave us another reminder:
Maybe we shouldn’t only stop “spinning the block” on toxic romantic relationships.
Sometimes that applies to friendships too.
Childhood Trauma in Adulthood
As the story unfolds, we learn that Jericha prefers being the dominant partner in her intimate relationships.
She likes control.
And listen, we’re not knocking it.
The book also hints at painful experiences in her past, which opened the door to a larger conversation in Book Club about how trauma from childhood or young adulthood can shape the ways we move through life later.
Romantically.
Platonically.
Socially.
Professionally.
Jericha builds a career around protecting people. She is physically strong, highly capable, and used to being the one who handles everything.
She also struggles with delegating work to her very capable staff and constantly takes on more than she needs to, even when help is offered.
And in her intimate relationships?
She stays in the driver’s seat.
Always.
As readers, it is easy to see how a childhood shaped by instability could influence Jericha’s need for control and self-protection.
Raymond notices it too.
She has become a fierce protector, not only of herself, but of everyone around her.
Our Book Club conversation around this was one of the more thoughtful ones.
Past experiences can shape us in complicated ways. Sometimes the habits that once helped us survive can eventually become exhausting to carry.
So the question becomes:
Are you staying in a comfort zone because it still serves you?
Or because letting someone else help feels too risky?
Jericha is beginning to discover that there may be people in her life who are willing to lighten the load.
Whether she lets them?
That is another story.
Now for the Magic
When Jericha and Raymond start working in close quarters, it doesn’t take long for the sparks to start flying.
Jericha does not want to be attracted to Raymond.
Unfortunately for her…
Full beard.
Long locs down to his waist.
Girl, we get it.
Raymond is just as interested, but unlike some of the men Jericha is used to dealing with, he isn’t chasing her around begging for attention.
He plays it cool.
Naturally, that makes things worse.
Once the two finally give in to their attraction, they discover something much bigger than chemistry:
They both have magical gifts.
Jericha is a Green Witch.
She has been able to work with plants and the earth for as long as she can remember. She talks to plants, treats them like pets, manipulates plant life, and can even use her earthy magic to heal wounds.
Until recently, only a few people knew.
Now Raymond does.
Because Raymond has a secret too.
He is a Shadow Walker.
And he isn’t from Earth.
Raymond comes from the underworld and was never supposed to remain on Earth for this long.
When creatures from his world attack him at Jericha’s home, both of them are forced to reveal just how powerful they really are in order to protect each other.
Naturally, I had a question for Book Club.
Could you date a man if you found out he was a Shadow Walker?
And more importantly:
Would you need your own magical powers to continue the relationship?
We were split.
Some of us said absolutely not.
And honestly, considering the chaos Raymond has already brought to Jericha’s doorstep, that is fair.
Others said that if they had their own magical abilities, being with someone who understood that part of their life might actually feel comforting.
Even outside of fantasy, there is something powerful about meeting people who understand your experiences, background, culture, or the parts of you that other people may not immediately understand.
And then there was the third group.
They simply did not care.
Love is love.
Shadow Walker?
Fine.
Underworld?
We’ll pack a bag.
If that is your person, apparently some of us are willing to figure out the supernatural logistics later.
Religion, Spirituality, and the Things We Can’t Explain
Somewhere in our conversation about I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker, we ended up talking about spirituality, religion, and what each of us believes could exist beyond what we understand.
Because of course we did.
I asked the group whether they believed beings like Raymond could exist in some form.
Do we believe there are things in this world that we do not fully understand?
Can people have spiritual gifts?
And does the answer depend on your faith tradition?
Our group brought a wide range of beliefs, interpretations, and spiritual backgrounds to the conversation.
Some of us described certain experiences as intuition, divine gifts, or discernment.
Others used different language altogether.
And not everyone agreed on what kinds of beings could or could not exist.
For some, their religious beliefs leave very little room for certain supernatural ideas.
For others, there is more space for mystery and possibility.
What I appreciated most about the conversation was that nobody needed everyone else to land in the exact same place.
We can have very different relationships with God, a Higher Power, spirituality, or the universe and still respect the fact that those relationships are deeply personal.
Maybe understanding every part of someone else’s belief system isn’t always necessary.
Sometimes respect is enough.
And honestly?
That is exactly the kind of conversation that makes me glad we have TCF Book Club inside the TCFStyle Society.
We can start with a paranormal romance and somehow end up talking about friendship, trauma, religion, boundaries, desire, and whether we would willingly date someone from the underworld.
Where else are we doing this?
What’s Coming Next?
This story has us on the edge of our seats.
Jericha and Raymond are hot.
The danger is escalating.
And the action feels like it is just getting started.
Will they be able to join forces and protect each other?
Will Raymond be able to stay on Earth with Jericha?
Will Jericha finally get some justice when it comes to her former best friend?
And exactly how messy is this underworld situation about to get?
We have a whole lot of questions and only half a book left to answer them.
So, if you have been reading along quietly from the sidelines, this is your chance to come join us.
Bring your thoughts, your theories, your hot takes, and every question you’ve been yelling at the page.
Because at our next meeting, we’re getting into all the magic, spice, action, betrayal, and arrow throwing.
Join us Wednesday, October 28 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET for our next TCF Book Club discussion of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker by Jessica Cage.
Not in the TCFStyle Society yet?
Come join us and get in on the conversation.
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