Welcome to Lit Wicks! This is where we pair an author’s backlist with candles to really immerse yourself in the reading experience. All of the candles featured in these post are from Etsy, which means there is often worldwide shipping and that you’re supporting independent crafters and sellers. The Etsy candle rabbit hole is one I have gone down many times.
Julie James is getting the Lit Wicks treatment for August! Sarah is a huge Julie James fan, so she helped me out with some scent ideas. All of her books are contemporary romances with some having some suspense elements. Enjoy!
If you’re curious about what other authors have received the Lit Wicks treatment, check out our category page. And if you’d like to suggest an author’s backlist for a future Lit Wicks column, please email me!
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FBI/US Attorney series: As the series title suggests, these romances feature FBI agents and U.S. attorneys. These are also a blend of contemporary romance and suspense, but definitely more of the former than the latter. If you’re looking for books with a hefty dose of competence porn, you can’t go wrong with anything by Julie James.
Something About You was the first book I personally read by James and I really enjoyed it!
Candle: Southern Fragrances — Hopeless Romantic 12oz. ($28)
I liked the description of this candle because it blends masculine and feminine scents, such as vanilla, sandalwood, musk, and jasmine.
Candle: Hello You Candles — Red Wine Sangria 8oz. ($18)
The heroine in A Lot Like Love ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ) runs one the most successful wine stores in Chicago. And, if I remember correctly, the book opens up with a scene of her in her store. If it’s not the first scene, it’s pretty early on.
Candle: Scent Pop Candles — The Numbers 8oz. ($16)
Picking a candle for About That Night ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ) was probably the most difficult because I couldn’t find any of the scents I had planned. There are no candles related to dimples. Billionaire candles take me to ones inspired by Tony Stark, and candles having to do with wealth are more for paganism. But since the hero is described as being a Sawyer from Lost lookalike, why not a Lost-inspired candle?
Candle: AJ’s Country Cottage — Mango Peach Salsa 8oz. ($11)
This scent was Sarah’s suggestion! The heroine in Love Irresistibly ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ) works as general counsel for a restaurant company and there’s a scene where she orders chicken tacos with extra pico de gallo. Mango peach salsa is the closest scent I could get to matching that!
Candle: Big Whiff Candle Company — Wedding Flowers 8.5oz ($14)
With a title like It Happened One Wedding ( A | BN | K | AB ), obviously wedding scents would be the inspiration. “Wedding Flowers” includes notes of citrus and rose. I also really like the label.
Single titles: James has a few books that are loosely tied to the FBI/US Attorney series. However, I’m going off of what Goodreads says and while some characters from that series may appear in these books, they aren’t “officially” tagged with the FBI/US Attorney series title.
Just the Sexiest Man Alive features a lawyer heroine trying to coach a Hollywood heartthrob through a new role. There is definitely some tension and antagonism between the two characters, which is something James does really well.
Candle: Golden Arrow Candle Company — Hollywood Nights 7oz. ($15)
What do “Hollywood Nights” smell like, you ask? Gardenia, lavender, and citrus, apparently!
Candle: Crosbee and Crew — Vintage Leather ($22)
The hero and heroine of Practice Makes Perfect are both lawyers. I know this might be silly, but when I think of law, lawyers, and courtrooms, I think of leather. Leather-bound books. Expensive leather chairs and couches in fancy offices. Brown, patent leather shoes and belts.
Candle: Beverly + 3rd — Summer Nights 9oz. ($16.50)
Suddenly One Summer ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) takes place during (you guessed it) the summer! This one is described as being fruit and floral with hints of lily and cantaloupe.
Candle: The Salty Turtle — Florida Sunshine 4oz. ($8.50)
For The Thing About Love ( A | BN | K | AB ), Sarah suggested something having to do with Florida or a breakfast scent with a focus on scrambled eggs. I went with something Florida-inspired, but do you think bacon and eggs would have been better? Or would it have just made you hungry? This candle has hints of a seaside breeze, vanilla, and honey. It also comes in a gazillion different sizes, including wax melts!
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What do you think of the Julie James candle collection? Were there any other scents I should have included? Tell me in the comments and I’m always taking suggestions of what author to do next!
I’m a sucker for bookish candles. What a fun post!
The thing about It Happened One Wedding is that it’s as much about Julie James’s love of Chicago as it is about the character’s romance, so I don’t know that roses and citrus are approppo. Any candles out there that smell of big city and Italian beef?