This fun, escapist read is set in a magical town in the mountains of north Georgia, where Halloween is the most celebrated holiday and real live witches reside. The founding family of the town lives in England but sends a representative to renew the magic periodically, on Halloween of course. Vivienne (a witch) encountered Rhys (son of the founding family) in her teens when they had a romantic fling. After a bad breakup, Vivienne cursed Rhys, expecting to never see him again.

Years later they again encounter one another and have to work out their differences to save the town. The author, who also writes under the name Rachel Hawkins for a teen audience, has more mature elements in this story than as those she directs to a young adult audience.

Recommended for those who enjoy a light read.

Okay, so yes, Rhys had broken her heart.

The Ex Hex, starts off a new series about witches that live in the Georgia town of Graves Glen. Vivi grew up not really knowing about her witchy powers because of how her mother feared the power but when her parents die, she is sent to live with her aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn and tries to straddle the line between being a “normie” and a witch. When she is nineteen, she has a summer romance with Rhys, who is a Penhallow, the town's founding family. They burn hot for three months but when Rhys says he has to go home to Wales to tell his father to break his betrothal, Vivi freaks out not knowing he was engaged and breaks up with him. Heartbroken, she and her cousin Gwyn conduct, what they think is a fake, curse on Rhys. It takes nine years later and the return of Rhys to find out that their curse was all too real.

Even now, battered and bruised and possibly standing in squirrel shit, he was . . . happy. Glad to see her, brush with vehicular homicide aside.

The timing of the release of this book couldn't be more perfect, the Fall and Halloween vibes is perfect for late September and the light, chik-lit tone brought the spookiness in a fun and delightful way. I've seen some Hocus Pocus talk in the marketing and it has a little bit of that, especially one scene the movie's fans will be able to point to, but it does it with more of an adult theme with some sex scenes. With the lighter tone, we kind of dance into and around the characters, not too much delving deep. I felt like I knew Vivi more but I still didn't think her struggle with fitting in and complicated relationship with magic was explored enough. Rhys was the perfect gentleman with just enough moments of introspection to go along with his sweet and loose personality. We get introduced to his family, his scary father Simon, and two broody older brothers but, just. As Vivi's aunt and cousin live in Graves Glen, we see them more and Vivi's cousin Gwyn has future main character written all over her.

And the last thing she was going to do was fall for Rhys Penhallow all over again.

When Rhys comes back to Graves Glen to help celebrate the town's founding anniversary and strengthen the ley lines, the magic that flows into the town, the curse takes affect and he's suddenly dodging life threatening accidents. He thinks something might be wrong but his father's arrogance can't imagine Vivi being strong enough to be able to curse a Penhallow, so Rhys goes ahead with the ritual of strengthening the ley lines, only to transfer the curse into the ley lines and thus, into the town. Graves Glen is full of witches and civilians alike and now that magic is going haywire in the town because of the curse, they fear discovery. This gives the story the excuse to keep Rhys in town and working with Vivi and the second chance romance and enemies-to-lovers tropes to perform.

“Stay with me here. You’re an adult woman going through a stressful time in her life, and now your hot-as-hell ex is back in town and wants to kiss your face off. I say smoke ’em if you got ’em, babe.”

Vivi and Rhys figure out she cursed him for real by the 25% mark and with so much story left, there were enough times I stopped to think that they weren't paying enough attention to stopping the curse, the focus dwindles as Vivi and Rhys' relationship takes more of the spotlight. With the lighter tone, I didn't mind as much but it does become noticeable, especially in the second half. The town and it's mythology come into play more in the latter second half and I appreciated how it filled the world out and gave us more of a setting that could be continued into the series.

Cariad. He’d called her that, that summer. She could still feel it, growled against her ear, whispered into her skin, murmured between her thighs.

This was a fairly angst free zone, Vivi thinks Rhys thought of their summer romance as more of a fling but Rhys still checked up on her over their nine years apart and calls her the one who got away. As they start their romance back up, Vivi doesn't think they can have a future because Rhys lives in Wales and she loves Graves Glen too much to ever leave and Rhys is scared to tell her he loves her because of this. They were sweet, cute, funny, and steamy at turns but not particularly deep diving. This story did have loads of charm, from the seasonal Halloween vibes, the light tone, Vivi and Gwyn's friendship, Rhys and Vivi's cute romance, and to Sir Purrcival, who when he gets his chance to talk, opts for “treats” to be 95% of his vocabulary. The Ex Hex is the perfect light and sweet romance to start your Halloween season with.

“How did I ever give you up?” he murmured.

I included this book in a 3 release feature:

3 fun, witchy reads releasing this September:⁠

The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher⁠
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling⁠
Witch Please by Ann Aguirre ⁠
⁠
I always want to love witchy reads and there were also comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Hocus Pocus being thrown around on some of these pitches so I was full of anticipation. Unfortunately, I didn't LOVE any of them. I am recommending The Ex Hex if you're looking for cute/funny and Orphan Witch if you're looking for a read to pull at your heartstrings. Witch Please is not making my recommendation list. It was awkward and the male main character is cringe-y. ⁠
⁠
I've got several other witchy reads on my Sept/Oct TBR that I have high hopes for. What witchy reads are on your TBR?

A perfect mix of the exciting plot, cozy small-town cozy atmosphere, Halloween, and a sweet yet steamy romance! I was enamored with the way Sterling used the senses to create a place that felt fully realized from haunted houses to cute coffee shops. The romance felt earned yet still full of tension throughout. Also as a southerner, I loved reading a fall forward book set in the south where the weather was as temperamental as southerners are used to

This is one of my favorite witchy romances this year!! Vivienne Jones & Rhys Penhallow have a history that was sealed 9 years ago with a bad breakup after an epic summer fling and maybe there was some light alcohol induced cursing?!?! Seriously this premise is beyond awesome and made for a real page turner.

Vivi was a strong, fun, smart witch with a solid family and work life. Rhys is from a famous witch family and has to return to the small town of Graves Glen on witchy family business… These two are basically enemies who share excellent banter, going toe to toe with one another on several different occasions. I found myself laughing quite a bit and smiling more than not as I read this story so if you love a romcom this book is for sure for you!

Everything felt original, and unique from the premise to the setting and situations. The side characters added a lot to the overall story even if they had hardly any page space.

Please everyone go read this book so we can talk about it together!

I do not like horror or scary stuff when it comes to my Halloween. I am a Disney Channel Original Movie kind of gal so I have a hard time finding festive books that aren’t too cheesy. I really enjoyed The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (aka Rachel Hawkins) because it just let me live in a world where bad things weren’t happening. It’s fun, easy, and a little bit sexy. Perfect for the spooky months!

Synopsis:

“Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, 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. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Cozy Vibes—This book is PEEK cozy Halloween vibes. I don’t like horror or scary stuff when it comes to my Halloween so this was right up my alley. The setting was charming and basically Halloweentown. The characters were fun and lighthearted. All around a cozy, sexy read.

The Escapism—I think this book came at the right time for me and I could really escape into a world where a pandemic, wildfires, flooding, and all other terrible things didn’t exist. I know it’s important to read about the hard things, but sometimes we also need to just relax into a world where the biggest problem is a witch on the loose.

The Banter—Rhys and Vivi were fun characters with sexual tension (but not too tense) and you knew where it was going all along. I appreciated this in my mental state.

What Didn’t Work:

What I have to say about “not working” doesn’t mean it’s bad. I’m just pointing out what I think some people might have a problem with, but I didn’t mind this light read.

I will say this book is on the fluffier side when it comes to romance. It’s not Hallmark level cheesey, but it doesn’t ask much from it’s readers. I don’t think this is a problem because sometimes we need those stories! This book is perfectly festive, witchy, and cozy.

Content Warnings:

Literally for the first time ever…nothing.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: .05/5 Overall Rating: 3.9/5

Wow! I don't know where to begin with how amazing this story is! I have read original works by the author under her pen name Rachel Hawkins and absolutely love how she slowly builds up a romantic tension between her main characters. This makes the relationship feel more realistic and has you invested in their interactions throughout the series. This definitely carried into her adult debut the Ex Hex. The relationship wasn't only relatable, but also appeased my favorite trope of enemies to lovers. For anyone else who is a fan of this trope, I would highly recommend this one! Especially with fall right around the corner.

Thanks again to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion on this book.

Let me start off by saying witches and romance are my 2 favorite things ever! If you loved Halloweentown movies growing up then you would love this more adult version that is a romance. We are in Graves Glen, a quaint small town that always has a big festival around Samhain. Vivienne and Rhys Penhallow met over 9 years ago and had a passionate summer fling that ended abruptly and with disastrous hex she thought was a joke. Up until he walks back into her life now and finds out once he steps foot in the town's limits he is cursed. They must work together to fix the hex and see if they still have that chemistry.

Vivi, cousin Gweyn, and Aunt Elaine are a hilarious family that truly loves each other and you can feel a part of that family. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! The most PERFECT fall, spooky season read!! This is a hilarious book with Halloween witchy vibes and all my favorite parts of romcoms. Oh I ADORED THIS!!! I read it in one sitting and want to force everyone I know to read it. My favorite line “‘ah yes. The old ‘father will the job you’re sending me to do involve a magic sex cave?’ talk. Truly, I was remiss not to have it.” I LAUGHED SO HARD. Go preorder this book RIGHT NOW. 😂

Second chance romance is becoming one of my favorite tropes. The Ex Hex is a story of magic gone awry and making our own fate. It's full of charming chemistry, like magnets being drawn together. Full of spells, The Ex Hex delivers this mix of being forced to work with our ex and confronting our past. How so often our past relationships end up also exposing pieces of ourselves, fears, insecurities, and doubts. In big and small ways, The Ex Hex is about exploring and making amends with the past.

This was so cute! I was down for the witchy vibes heading into September/October. This was introduced as a town in North Georgia, which is where I live, so that was so fun to read about! I loved imagining there was some small witch town a few minutes north of me.

I liked this story, it did feel very Hocus Pocus to me, which I love, so that was a plus. I felt like the characters had SO much potential, but they didn't really round out for me. I loved Gwyn, she seemed so fun and out there and I wanted to see more of her. Aunt Elaine, I kept picturing as the aunt from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I wish the ending wasn't rushed. We found out about the curse from the ghost and then all of a sudden we are at the cemetery and then we are at the ley lines. It all moved too quickly for me.

This is a fun read for October though!

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is a light and fun paranormal romantic comedy featuring witches Vivienne Jones and Rhys Penhallow. Nine years ago, Rhys left 19 year-old Vivi to go back to Wales. With a broken heart and encouragement from her cousin Gwyn, Vivi mixes vodka, baths, candles, and magic to curse Rhys. She thinks that he will only have a bad hair day or two. But when Rhys returns to Graves Glen, Georgia to recharge the town’s ley lines, things go wrong. Did the curse work after all?

Vivi and Rhys are likeable characters with great chemistry, but part of the time, they seem to be more interested in rekindling their romance than fixing what has gone wrong in the town. That makes them seem realistic, but somewhat irresponsible at times. The supporting characters provided conflict or support and had an appropriate amount of depth.

The story moved along at a decent pace with some suspense, but not quite as much as I expected. As fall approaches, I wanted to read a story with a Halloween theme and this one fit the bill. Witches, curses, ley lines, a witch college, ghosts, romance, biting toys, and a talking cat make for an enjoyable tale. There are some other important themes that run through the book including family, lies of omission, humor, feeling stable and safe, trust, attraction, and love.

Overall, this was a humorous and entertaining read. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars for the pure enjoyment and fun that I had reading this book.

William Morrow and Custom House – Avon and Erin Sterling provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for September 28, 2021.

I absolutely loved The Ex Hex. This Halloweentown/Hocus Pocus-like read follows Vivienne, a small town witch who, after suffering from a bad break-up when she’s 19, accidentally curses her ex-boyfriend, and when Rhys Penhallow shows back up in town nine years later, they’re forced to not only figure out this curse but also their feelings. It’s adorable and funny and just all around fun, filled with magic, an angry ghost, and a talking cat. It has the sizzling banter and chemistry as Vivi and Rhys re-acquaint themselves as they figure out how to break this curse. I loved the quirky antics and Vivi’s cousin and aunt—they added so much to the development of the characters and the magic and I just wanted more of Gwyn’s story! Her relationship with Vivi was so sweet and funny and I just loved how defensive she was of her cousin. The magic in this too felt well fleshed out while not being overdone or undershown like some other witchy romances. This was a perfect balance of witchy paranormal elements and romance for this small town, second chance read. I loved Rhys’s sexy arrogance and his relationships to his brothers, and I loved Vivi’s determination and her own personal journey with her powers. This felt like Charmed meets Halloweeentown with some spice throughout. It just has such strong family tones and emphasis, and Vivi and her family are just so smart and creative. Rhys too is sexy, supportive, and sweet, and the romance aspects were adorable and steamy. It is such a perfect fall read!

When I found out that Erin Sterling was also RACHEL HAWKINS (author of TH WIFE UPSTAIRS and upcoming release, RECKLESS GIRLS I knew I was going to love this one! Not only did she amaze me with last year’s release, but she has written a 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 which is something I am so into at the moment! All these bewitching reads that are releasing have me so excited!

The Ex Hex is a paranormal (witches) romantic comedy that had me not only laughing but also smiling from ear to ear because these two are so darn stubborn. Not only are they trying to get rid of a curse that was cast many years earlier, but they are trying to fight their feelings for one another too. The lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers trope really works well here. I think many readers are going to agree with me! Not only was I smiling when reading this, but I was feeling the anxiety for both Vivi and Rhys as they searched for clues to get rid of the curse before Halloween. I mean I KNEW they would figure it out because this is a romantic comedy after all, and they all have HEA’s but getting to it and seeing the mishaps and everything standing in their way had me sweating. PHEW! When it got to the end, I felt like I could breathe again (but in the best way possible). This book really made me feel all sorts of ways and each and every one of those feelings was GOOD.

If you’re looking for something light, fun, entertaining, and hilarious then you will want to grab a copy of The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. I think this would be the perfect romcom to read right before Halloween as it has all the cool things associated with the holiday within the novel, but it can easily be enjoyed at any time. This is now one of my personal top favorites!

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Paranormal Comedies about Witches
• Halloween
• Romantic Comedies
• Authors like Alina Jacobs, Juliette Cross, and Deanna Chase

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thoroughly entertaining read from start to finish! These are the witches I want to hang out with for sure! Unique plot, snappy banter, just a bit of sex. This would be a great choice for a book club in October since most of the story takes place during the Fall.

The Ex Hex was a perfectly pleasant read - a very cute fall, Halloween Hallmark movie in book form. I loved the idea of the hex and ex-lovers dealing with it together but in the book there isn't a whole lot of them actually dealing with it. That aspect had such a lack of urgency that it felt like it was in the backseat to something else, while at the same time the romance didn't take center stage either, leaving both plot threads feeling incomplete. We are told many times they had super strong chemistry in the past, and that they have it again, but I didn't feel it strongly between them as I read. I was drawn to the book by the marketing of "Hocus Pocus but they fuck", however, though sex is mentioned many times and I appreciate the sex-positive female characters and subtly woven in consent, the scenes that are on page in the book are barely more than fade to black so between that and the chemistry it's not as steamy as that statement implies. I liked Rhys quite a bit more than Vivi (who seemed quite tepid especially in comparison to her best friend and cousin Gwyn) and was definitely intrigued by his father and brothers and their relationships - would have loved to have seen more of them and his father's reaction to the information about their ancestor's history and what Rhys decided to do. There were several humorous bits throughout that I enjoyed as well and I am definitely glad I read this book when I did, as the fall vibes in the charming, witchy town really hit for me, making it a high point for the overall read.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morris and Erin Sterling for the ARC.

A fast-paced, cute, and quirky contemporary witchy romance. Perfect for fans of Jen DeLuca, Olivia Dade, and Thien-Kim Lam.

All the Halloween feels and sex appeal in this witchy romance by Erin Sterling. A fun light romance with good characters and snappy dialogue. I thought it would have been funnier if the hexes literally came true, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but the novel had a great autumn vibe and was a fun read.

This book was so freaking good! I loved the storyline, the characters (main and supporting), and the steamy romantic relationship. The writing was great and flowed really nicely. I loved Vivianne and her relationship with her family, all strong females with badass powers! The main characters had so much chemistry and the steam in this book was just right! I loved the ending and I can’t wait for another book! Can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this one, it’s a perfect fall read!

Thank you NetGalley, Erin Sterling, and William Morrow and Custom House/HarperCollins Publishers for sending me a free ARC copy of The Ex Hex in exchange for an honest review.

Where are all of my Halloweentown fans at?

Second chance romance meets SPOOKY SZN in this witchy tale. It is the perfect read to get you in the mood for fall; I highly recommend pairing it with a pumpkin scented candle and apple cider.