{"id":32081,"date":"2026-03-20T12:18:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=32081"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:18:21","slug":"review-cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-by-jenny-elder-moke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/20\/review-cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-by-jenny-elder-moke\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-32081\" data-postid=\"32081\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-32081 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_269e227 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_7k42227 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_2imu228 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"982\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=640%2C982&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-32082\" title=\"cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies\" alt=\"cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?w=978&amp;ssl=1 978w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=196%2C300&amp;ssl=1 196w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=668%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 668w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=768%2C1178&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=400%2C613&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_tqnh228 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. She has no time for petty things like romance, friendships, or emotional commitments. Love is for people who believe in reality TV dating and holding hands in public. She&#8217;s too busy dominating the publishing world by single-handedly saving her company from financial ruin with the book deal of the century.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Business magnate Warren Ellingham has guaranteed Juliette exclusive rights to his explosive memoir that promises to expose the secrets of his ultra-exclusive country club, Pacific Pines. But when Warren drops dead of an apparent heart attack and the memoir is stolen, Juliette suspects that someone was willing to resort to murder to keep their secrets from being exposed.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Enlisting the help of Charlie Hawkins, a doctor with a heart of gold and abs of steel, Juliette dives into the glamorous and messy world of Pacific Pines Country Club. As the investigation heats up, so does the tension between Juliette and Charlie. But Juliette can&#8217;t afford any distractions because the bodies keep dropping, and Juliette is tee-d up to take the blame. If she doesn&#8217;t uncover Warren&#8217;s killer soon, the thing that was supposed to secure her future might just be the thing that ends it.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_030t228 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_p3ur228  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-25881 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png?resize=296%2C72\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jan 20, 2026<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Macmillan<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Minotaur<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $11.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><em>Cozy mystery with a slice of spice!<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This wasn\u2019t my first attempt at reading a mystery, and it won\u2019t be my last, especially one by Moke. This is her second book, venturing into adult fiction. Her first book is also tied to this one, and the character from She Doesn\u2019t Have A Clue does make a big appearance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I wasn\u2019t sure what I was getting into at first, and this appeared like a straight mystery with a main character, Juliette, who had a vicious bite and a tendency to grate on a person. Then I realized I related to Juliette far too much, by twenty-five percent in, I was invested. Not just with Juliette solving the murder of her billionaire memoir writer and his missing manuscript, but also for Juliette to make a love connection.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amid crashing funerals, taking illegal photos of autopsy reports, breaking into restaurant offices, and finding dead bodies everywhere she goes, Juliette gains a partner in crime named Charlie. He\u2019s a doctor, a surgeon, and from Australia. Add in the bonus that he has the body of a Greek god, and basically, he\u2019s perfect. Except Charlie can\u2019t seem to say no to anyone, including his evil ex-girlfriend and pompous jerk of a co-worker. I found myself wanting Charlie to say no to everyone else and yes to Juliette. She deserves a happily ever after and to have all her dreams come true.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For me, this one got better as the story progressed. I hit 50% and could not put it down. Juliette is a heroine I would have labeled unlikable in the past, but as I became more familiar with her story, her motivations, and ultimately her goals, I was able to relate with her at a core level. She is the badass boss, the take-charge woman who relies only on herself. It\u2019s lonely at the top, but this way she can never be disappointed. Juliette is a realistic woman on the page, and oftentimes that mirror looking back at us can make a reader want to turn away, but I found myself embracing her.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you enjoy mysteries and romance, this is a perfect mix that doesn\u2019t make you work too hard. You don\u2019t need to read anything else prior to enjoying this one. Just curl up on the couch and let yourself get dragged on an adventure.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_wjz3228 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4c0aTMv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4bDIFqD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-jenny-elder-moke\/1147243836?ean=9781250355003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Jenny_Elder_Moke_Cross_Your_Heart_and_Hope_He_Dies?id=AiFYEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. She has no time for petty things like romance, friendships, or emotional commitments. Love is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,119,123,48],"tags":[152,217,223,367,404,405],"class_list":["post-32081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-landra","category-macmillan","category-minotaur-books","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-contemporary-romance","tag-cozy-mystery","tag-mystery","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/20\/review-cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-by-jenny-elder-moke\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. 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Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?fit=978%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg\" title=\"cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies\" alt=\"cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?w=978&amp;ssl=1 978w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=196%2C300&amp;ssl=1 196w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=668%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 668w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=768%2C1178&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies.jpg?resize=400%2C613&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 978px) 100vw, 978px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Juliette Winters is used to taking care of business alone. She has no time for petty things like romance, friendships, or emotional commitments. Love is for people who believe in reality TV dating and holding hands in public. She's too busy dominating the publishing world by single-handedly saving her company from financial ruin with the book deal of the century.<br \/><br \/>Business magnate Warren Ellingham has guaranteed Juliette exclusive rights to his explosive memoir that promises to expose the secrets of his ultra-exclusive country club, Pacific Pines. But when Warren drops dead of an apparent heart attack and the memoir is stolen, Juliette suspects that someone was willing to resort to murder to keep their secrets from being exposed.<br \/><br \/>Enlisting the help of Charlie Hawkins, a doctor with a heart of gold and abs of steel, Juliette dives into the glamorous and messy world of Pacific Pines Country Club. As the investigation heats up, so does the tension between Juliette and Charlie. But Juliette can't afford any distractions because the bodies keep dropping, and Juliette is tee-d up to take the blame. If she doesn't uncover Warren's killer soon, the thing that was supposed to secure her future might just be the thing that ends it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/smitten-recommends-banner-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"72\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jan 20, 2026<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Macmillan<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Minotaur<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $11.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><em>Cozy mystery with a slice of spice!<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This wasn\u2019t my first attempt at reading a mystery, and it won\u2019t be my last, especially one by Moke. This is her second book, venturing into adult fiction. Her first book is also tied to this one, and the character from She Doesn\u2019t Have A Clue does make a big appearance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I wasn\u2019t sure what I was getting into at first, and this appeared like a straight mystery with a main character, Juliette, who had a vicious bite and a tendency to grate on a person. Then I realized I related to Juliette far too much, by twenty-five percent in, I was invested. Not just with Juliette solving the murder of her billionaire memoir writer and his missing manuscript, but also for Juliette to make a love connection.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amid crashing funerals, taking illegal photos of autopsy reports, breaking into restaurant offices, and finding dead bodies everywhere she goes, Juliette gains a partner in crime named Charlie. He\u2019s a doctor, a surgeon, and from Australia. Add in the bonus that he has the body of a Greek god, and basically, he\u2019s perfect. Except Charlie can\u2019t seem to say no to anyone, including his evil ex-girlfriend and pompous jerk of a co-worker. I found myself wanting Charlie to say no to everyone else and yes to Juliette. She deserves a happily ever after and to have all her dreams come true.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For me, this one got better as the story progressed. I hit 50% and could not put it down. Juliette is a heroine I would have labeled unlikable in the past, but as I became more familiar with her story, her motivations, and ultimately her goals, I was able to relate with her at a core level. She is the badass boss, the take-charge woman who relies only on herself. It\u2019s lonely at the top, but this way she can never be disappointed. Juliette is a realistic woman on the page, and oftentimes that mirror looking back at us can make a reader want to turn away, but I found myself embracing her.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, if you enjoy mysteries and romance, this is a perfect mix that doesn\u2019t make you work too hard. You don\u2019t need to read anything else prior to enjoying this one. Just curl up on the couch and let yourself get dragged on an adventure.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4c0aTMv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/4bDIFqD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-jenny-elder-moke\/1147243836?ean=9781250355003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/cross-your-heart-and-hope-he-dies-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Jenny_Elder_Moke_Cross_Your_Heart_and_Hope_He_Dies?id=AiFYEQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32081"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32086,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32081\/revisions\/32086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}