Member Reviews
What a perfect book for Halloween. With Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Hocus Pocus/Gilmore Girls vibes PLUS a sexy swoony romance - this is a must read for romance fans in October. I thought the idea and story was really original - I don't think I have ever read a contemporary romance about witches. I could see how some may be hesitant to read it as it sort of combines two different genres, but give it a chance this time of year!
This was such a fun book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great book to read to kick off the fall/Halloween season. The atmosphere of this book was incredible. Cuddle up in a comfy chair with a nice cup of tea or glass of wine and let this story sweep you into a magical world. I’m not the biggest romance fan but the seasonal vibe added to my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley (@netgalley ), William Morrow and Custom House (@williammorrowbooks
@customhousebooks ), and Rachel Hawkins (@ladyhawkins ) for an early ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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Vivienne (Viv) Jones had her heartbroken 9 years ago by handsome, rake Rhys Penhallow. But Rhys isn’t just any guy from Wales, who is attending the local college for summer, he is a descendent of town founder: Gryffud Penhallow. What else is a nineteen year old witch to do when her heart has been shatter? Curse the jerk, of course! Things seem funny until Rhys shows back up in town nine years later, and Viv realizes that her curse not only worked, but she cursed her whole beloved town! Now Viv must work with her Ex to save him and her town from the fate she dealt them.
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This was such a cute, fun spooky story! It was a perfect way to start the spooky season. It had everything: witches, magic, ghosts! I loved it! I hope @ladyhawkins makes this one a series because I would love to hear more from Viv and Rhys. I also loved the secondary characters: Elaine, Gywn, and Sir Purrcival the cat. This definitely the purrfect October read!
This witchy romance has it all: humor, ghosts, talking cats, gothic mansions and some spice. Super cute and fun spooky season read. This one is going to be popular!
The Ex Hex is an adorable read that offers more of a treat than a trick when it comes to the spooky season. The main character is enduring, and Rhys, the love interest, is equally worth the time spent from his point of view. I enjoyed the little town everything was set in because it felt like it could be anywhere, although it was established as being in Georgia.
I think the biggest drawback is how simple and cookie-cutter the plot can be at times. Each moment is leading towards the two exes coming back together to save the town. But, at the same time, the book does offer enjoyable sexy times towards the middle of it, if that is something a person wants to read. Basically, it is perfect if you want a cute witchy read.
Young and brokenhearted, Vivienne accidentally places a curse on her ex-boyfriend. Nine years later, the curse comes to fruition and causes mayhem in Graves Glen. Viv and Rhys must work together to put the curse in reverse before everything goes even more to shit.
I had a great time reading this! It came out just in time for spooky season.
I just got to say that I was not expecting to love The Ex Hex as much as I started reading this book. It completely threw me off but in a good way. And it's a second chance romance trope that's not predictable or full of dramas as they usually do.
The Ex Hex will bring two former lovers together again after nine years. It was surprising at first, but it will give Vivienne and Rhys a chance to clear the air, especially since Vivienne hexed Rhys. Awkward.
I would think that hexing your ex will be a damper for a second chance, but that does not prevent Rhys from still pursuing Vivienne. He still has strong feelings for her. He can't stop thinking about her.
Vivienne may never expect to have another chance with Rhys. But luck is not in her corner when he comes back into town. She wants to resist his charms, but their chemistry for each other is off the charts. She may need to watch out for her heart.
Second chance romance is always tricky for both parties. It either goes one way or another.
I enjoyed this light witchy rom-com. I really liked the relationship between the cousins. I know several readers who will enjoy both the paranormal and the romance aspects of this story and will definitely recommend it to them!
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
Nine years ago, Vivienne's heart was broken by Rhys, when he revealed that he was betrothed to someone else. Scorned, Vivienne drunkenly puts a curse on Rhys, hoping to never see him again. But fast forward to present day...Rhys returns to Graves Glen cursed, all while the town is under attack from ghosts and other magical creatures. Vivi and Rhys must work together, all while ignoring their scoring chemistry, to stop the curse before it's too late.
The Ex Hex was a wild and fun ride. I enjoyed both Vivi and Rhys' characters. I loved Vivi's job in history and academia. They had amazing chemistry in this second chance romance. While I am not a huge fan of witches and magical stories, this one kept my attention with its romance and comedy. The magical tones were not super over the top, which helped the believability factor. I listened to it on audio and the book flew by quickly. This is the perfect read for spooky season.
In the end, I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. There’s a great premise- I mean, who wouldn’t want to hex their ex after they forgot to mention they were betrothed?- but I struggled to really sink in to the story. I liked the seasonal feel to it though. It felt like there was a lot of build up and relatedly little pay off.
4.5* this book is an absolutely wonderful combination of witchcraft and romance. It’s very hocus pocus meets Harry Potter, which are two of my favorite things so it’s not surprise that I loved this. This book did a really great job balancing romance and plot in a way that had me excited to turn the page. It’s also got its steamy bits too if that’s your cup of tea.
This was such a fun, whimsical, read! I loved the atmosphere, the way this world unfolded to reveal the magic underneath, and the way the magic was modernized for today made it easy to understand. The chemistry between Rhys and Vivienne was very steamy and fun to witness. This was the perfect book to start of the fall season! ✨
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Nine years ago, after a horrible breakup, Vivienne Jones broke her aunt's most important rule, “Never mix vodka and magic.” She ended up casting a curse on her ex that she thought wouldn’t actually work, she used an Orchard Hayride scented candle after all! Might just give him a bad hair day but what’s the harm? That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly with just as good hair, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong.
You know those books that make you feel comfortable with growing up? I was not expecting this but The Ex Hex is one of those books for me. We get to see Vivienne and Rhys develop over a nine year span and see how they have slowly settled into the world. I loved that Vivienne was a professor at the local college and how Rhys was running his own business but still had no clue what he was really doing. It’s funny how in a book with a steamy adult romance and magic, what I really liked was the little things like getting to see how Vivienne styled her office.
As for the romance itself I thought it was very well done and there’s no annoying miscommunication that seems to pop up in the middle of contemporary romance. I think the best part though, is that Rhys has his own pov which I feel is rare in romance but very welcome!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Marrow and Custom House for an arc!
Loved this spooky romance! It’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Jumanji with a little bit of a Gilmore Girls vibe. It was fun, it was flirty, it was everything I wanted when I picked up a seasonal romance.
4.5 rounded up to 5!
I really enjoyed this one! It's a great spooky, fall, Halloween read without being scary at all. I love witches and ghosts so this was absolutely right up my alley!
I've seen this referred to as "Hocus Pocus, but they f*" and yes, this one is steamy! I loved Vivi and Rhys together! I hope there is more and this becomes a series!
I found the premise of this book to be incredibly delightful. A little Hocus Pocus, a little Practical Magic, a little Halloweentown -- a perfect fall read. But the whole thing is so woefully underplotted that it doesn't hold up to any real scrutiny. Vivi's reluctance to practice magic is underexplored, Rhys' poor relationship with his father isn't developed out, the cat can suddenly talk and no one goes "huh, how did that happen?", and when confronted with the town's pending demise, the two... take their time figuring out how to break the hex? Get a good night's sleep and then a cup of tea the next day? There's absolutely no sense of urgency to solve what seems to me to be a rather urgent problem and the whole middle suffers for it.
With a few changes, this book would have worked really well; in particular, if Sterling had leaned into the hex breaking being a wacky romp, I think it would have been a really excellent, vaguely absurdist, cozy fall magic mystery. Scooby Doo vibes or something. I think my favorite part was the talking cat, who reminded me of Snaps from Strange Love and correctly evaluated Rhys as a dickbag.
Also, I recognize that this is kind of a ridiculous thing to be frustrated by, but can we move on from Harry Potter references? It is not the only book about magic that has ever been written, and the author is a trash human being!! We know this!! Make another reference!!
Anyways, even though this was ultimately disappointing, it looks to be a series and obviously I am invested. I'll pick up the next one.
The catchphrase of The Ex Hex is definitely "never mix vodka and magic". Halloween is by far my favorite holiday and I love watching witchy movies and tv shows, so I was excited to read a witchy romance novel.
Vivienne, or Vivi, grew up not knowing much about magic until she went to Graves Glen to live with her aunt and cousin after her parents died. At 19, Vivi finds out that her boyfriend Rhys, is betrothed back in Wales, Vivi breaks up with him and he heads home. With encouragement from her cousin, Gwyn, Vivi mixes vodka and magic to curse Rhys. Neither of them thinks the curse actually worked. But 9 years later Rhys returns to Graves Glen and things go wrong which means that the curse might have actually worked after all.
I enjoyed this spooky and steamy second-chance romance. Vivi and Rhys had great chemistry, and they seemed more intent on their romance than finding out how to end the curse. It felt real because they were leading with their hormones and emotions more than with their brains. For me, I wish that the deep connection Vivi and Rhys had the first time around would have been further developed or elaborated. I struggled with seeing how they went from being apart for 9 years to having lots of intimate moments to being in love?
I loved Vivi's family and hope that Gwyn gets her own book. I'm excited to see where this series takes us next.
Overall this book gave me the perfect fall and spooky vibes. It was a humorous read that left me excited for Halloween.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House for access to this arc.
The start is a lot of fun and proves what Vivienne’s aunt always swears – never mix vodka and witchcraft. In the intervening nine years, neither Rhys nor Vivienne have forgotten those lovely three months they spent together in a haze of love and smoking hot sex before Rhys announced that he had to go home in order to put the kibosh on the betrothal his father was arranging for him. Vivienne, as would be expected, didn’t take this well which led to the cursing.
Unfortunately Vivienne and her cousin Gwyn don’t actually realize what they’d done was a lot more powerful than they expected until the shit hits the fan when cursee Rhys returns to the town his ancestor helped found because of the powerful ley lines which he either realized were there or actually created. I was confused about this as I thought ley lines already “existed” and weren’t things that were created. But I digress.
After Rhys tries to strengthen the ley lines (which apparently need a touch up every now and then which must be done by one of the Penhallow family) things go tits up. Suddenly this town that was founded by a witch and which has a college that (somehow) manages to have both witch and non-witch students and (somehow, mainly) manages to keep the non-witches from knowing about the witchy stuff for most of the years the college has existed (yeah, whatever, I’ll buy into it because you say so) has magic zinging around. Deep magic, strong magic, rank magic that gets real in a damn hurry.
After the initial explosive display of the effects of the rank magic, Rhys manages to help Gwyn and Vivienne cover up evidence of this from the mortal customers in Aunt Elaine’s shop but it’s soon evident (Kinda, maybe. We’re told that it is) that this curse could be a lot more dangerous than anyone expected. Can they undo it and fix the other unintended disastrous results?
The effects of the curse are clearly bigger than Gwyn, Vivienne, Aunt Elaine, and Rhys realize but I wondered why they’d think things wouldn’t be bad all over town? The original curse had fritzed Rhy’s magic in town but the ley line debacle quickly set off things in town for Gwyn, Vivienne and Auntie Elaine. So why wouldn’t other witches be affected? Oh wait, they sort of are but nothing to the extent that Vivi’s family was, apparently, though little is said about this and after a while it doesn’t seem to matter. Nah, Vivi, Rhys, and Gwyn will just get a good night sleep then deal with it in the morning.
The family doesn’t relish the thought of asking anyone else for help. Hello?! They’re in a town with a college of witchcraft with witch professors so why not seek any assistance they can get as things progressively go haywire?? Sorry but Vivi’s family’s “they’re snobs” excuse doesn’t cut it with me. And even when other witches seem to finally notice the problems like the shrieking vengeful ghost in the library, all that the head of the college says is “fix this.” No “can we help?” or “have you got any clues as to how to clean up the shit show you’ve created?” Reason?? Rhys actually has cause not to correct his father’s (who has a well known temper) impression that anything is wrong but with a local source of assistance there, why not make use of it?
The romance worked slightly better for me. Vivienne doesn’t spend every waking moment of the last nine years fixated on how Rhys done her wrong and he realizes that he was a wanker in how he handled letting Vivienne know about what his father was doing. She even abandons him by the side of the road his first night back in town. Vivienne has excelled in her profession (never cheat in her class or turn in a plagiarized paper because, by its screaming, she’ll know). Rhys has started a successful business. Neither is languishing over the other though there are happy and hot memories for both of them.
I also liked that they pay attention to each other. Vivienne internally confronts beliefs she carried which she now realizes might not be correct when she sees that some of Rhy’s casual quippiness might be to cover deeper feelings and wonders if he’s always been this way and she missed it. Rhys is horrified to learn that Vivienne was more emotionally wounded by what happened nine years ago than he thought. Their current bantering was fun and felt as if they shared equal agency but at times Vivi (who hides her witchness) was a bit bland (compared to her vibrant cousin) and Rhys’s depths were not plumbed.
But what I didn’t like was that Rhys and Vivi’s improving relationship leads them to become fuckbuddies for a week – albeit they claim to still be doing some research on the curse – but mainly fucking like bunnies. It takes an outside character blowing into town with frosty anger at how much time has been wasted for our little fuckrabbits to sheepishly admit that they should have been concentrating on fixing the frickn’ curse. Even when they’re tracking down something important that Vivi’s stupidity lost them, Rhys still can’t help himself from doing a wink-wink-nudge-nudge suggestion that they find a room instead of figuring out how this important item can help.
Separately, some of both parts of this book actually worked for me. The magic stuff at the beginning was fun. The initial worry after the ley lines got borked was concerning. The chemistry of Rhys and Vivi’s past, present, and growing relationship felt hot yet also emotional. Combining the two, however, didn’t go well. It was like someone learning to drive a stick shift car. The magic plot would rev up then stall into the romance, race then stall, jerk forward then stall. Or it could be looked at the other way with the progression of the romance stalling into the magic. I got bewildered about whether the out of control magic was actually anything to be worried about because the characters were frankly blasé about it most of the time. Until something would happen and then it would be discussed a bit only to be ignored again for some hot boinking. Even the promised talking cat with some interesting things to say was a bust because instead of helping them uncover ways to undo the curse (honestly, no witch has a clue how to do this??) mostly all he did was whine for treatstreatstreatstreats.
The consistency and logic of the world that was built was also shaky. I’ve said before that cute cartoon cover romcom books with happy sounding blurbs that wind up delving into deeper subjects and emotions often annoy me but for once, I actually wanted deeper. I needed it here because the balance between the fluffy stuff and the danger of the curse wasn’t equal. Had the curse only caused small plastic Halloween skulls to come to life and chase people across a store or equally silly things, then okay. But that’s not how it was presented or (when they bothered to think about it) Vivi and Rhys viewed it. When fixing the curse was finally front and center of the action, it was too much too late but then solved too easily. I really wanted to enjoy this but the inconsistencies pulled it apart and did it no favors. C
THE EX HEX is a ghoulishly chaotic, comical and charming paranormal novel. Vivi Jones, a pretty witch, is also a history professor at a college in Graves Glen and helps her cousin Gwyn run a witch souvenir store in town. However, she had her heartbroken years ago after a fling with Rhys Penhallow, who is one of the town ancestors. So, Vivi and her cousin Gwyn put a curse on Rhys after one too many vodka shots. Her aunt warned her not to mix Vodka with witchcraft. Gwen and Vivi doubt the spell even worked.
Rhys returns to town all these years later to adjust the town's ley lines. Rhys runs into a caldron full of magical problems when he tries to fix the lines. Oops! Looks like the curse worked.
Tingling sparks fly between Rhys and Vivi. Oh no, their attraction is still off the charts hot! Vivi's ex hex is apparently working, since there is one disaster after another hitting Rhys. The town's annual fall festival is nearing and the town is overrun with killer toys, a vengeful ghost, and a host of other catastrophes. Will Vivi and Rhys discover a way to rescue the town and break the curse before disaster strikes?
THE EX HEX is non-stop action, spellbinding, and lovable! Witches, ghosts, a talking cat, and more, fill the pages of Ms. Sterling's supernatural story. I absolutely love all the quirky, feisty characters! The sizzling attraction between Rhys and Vivi is magically delicious! I speedily read the story to see how they were going to undo the curse on Rhys. It took girl power and then some. This book so compelling that I couldn't put it down! THE EX HEX is addictive, adorable and great witchy fun!
This is a wonderful story by a new author to me and I have not read anything by her other name either. Very cute and I was engaged in the story from the beginning. I cannot wait for another story by this author.