High Stakes: A Burn Me Down Novella

by C.J. Hight

Walk through the fire with the ladies in Burn Me Down as each woman forges her own destiny. Reclaiming the flames for themselves, each story will take you into a world of magic and fortitude. These are the stories brought from the fire. Amongst the oceans and trees of the Pacific coastline, Amelia is the last of her fading coven and their only hope. If she doesn’t find a way to infuse more magic into the coven, the magic won’t survive another generation. When her Grams comes to find her on the beach, she makes a request that changes everything for Amelia. If she can do what is being asked, her coven can see future generations of magic, but if she fails, they will have to disband and leave their magic behind.

Without hesitation, she agrees to try to save her people by uprooting her life. A new place, filled with new people, and her only comforts are the ocean and the library, but with knowledge comes power. Making friends or finding enemies, either way, she needs to uncover the truth before her wedding, or else she is bound to this man for the rest of their lives.

90 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2025

About the author

C.J. is born and bred in the desert of Nevada, where she currently resides in Central Oregon with her husband. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, she has a soft spot for beautiful green mountainous areas and has an eternal love for the Oregon coast. When she isn't writing she can be found reading, listening to music, or working on her tattoo collection. She is an author of dark romance and loves connecting with her readers. Her love of dark humor and swoony characters heavily influences her work. 

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

**ARC review**

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author C.J. Willis for sending me a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
 
This was a short story so I can’t give away too much, but if you love these tropes then this book is for you.

**ARRANGED MARRIAGE
**WITCH X VAMPIRES
**SECRETS UNCOVERED
**FIERCE BOOKWORM FMC
**WHY CHOOSE

Loved this short story❤️

This book will come out on October 23

A huge thanks to C.J. Willis for giving me the privilege to read the book before the book is official.

[Hila Jonker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got chosen to read an ARC copy of this book, and I am so happy I did.

Short, sweet and a little spicy. Like a ripe mango with some Tajin sprinkled over it. I enjoyed the themes of finding your voice and finding your power and the power of honesty.

I did sometimes feel like I missed something, which is why the book didn't get 5 stars from me, but even with that, I really enjoyed this snack of a book.

[Simran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much C.J.Eillis for sending me this ARC.

I loved the little spicy novella and its plot, I wasn't expecting a fantasy when I signed up for it, because dont read fantasy. but the book turned out to be actually interesting and made me read more!

The reason I didnt give it a 5 star was because of thw FMC. I didnt like her vibes much.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very fast read. You meet Amelia and Bennett in this story. I cannot go into much detail because with how short this story is I dont want to give away even a little. So I will say this book involves an arranged marriage, family curse, and drama.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick paranormal novella. It had a bit of spice. There was also curses and arranged marriage. I enjoyed it.

[MB]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this book.

This is not a review. This is a notation that I attempted to read this book and I had to DNF. It is not for me. This is a 91 page book and I DNF at page 35.