Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

This is a second in a series after The Ex Hex. This follows the story of Wells and Gwyn and I was so excited to read it because Gwyn is my favorite and Wells is my second favorite brother after Bowen of course(Sorry Rhys). Wells returns to Graves Glen to open a witchy shop that directly competes with Gwyn's shop, Something Wicked. What starts as a feud among business rivals turns into partnership to figure out why an old college friend has returned. Weird things start happening around town again and when Gwyn's magic starts to dwindle they have to find the source to protect the town's magic.

This is the perfect cozy rom com for a crisp autumn night curled up by the fire. The descriptions transport you to cozy cabins, welcoming shops and creepy manors on the mountain. Gwyn maintains her quirky cheeky ways while Wells is his typical stern grumpy self. Their relationship growth and the growth of the brother's relationships is written so well and just warms the heart. And who can forget the beloved talking, treat loving feline, Sir Percival. I cannot wait for the next one and will definitely be rereading this series every autumn.

Pretty much the same book as the Ex Hex. But the Ex Hex was cute so go off I guess. A cute enough story for Halloween time but not a must read especially if you've already read the Ex Hex

3.5 - I enjoyed this one more than I did the first, but still didn't love this book. Does it need more plot, or more romance? I can't quite put my finger on it. Gwyn is such a fun character and her little rivalry with Wells is adorable. Throw in the withlings and it's a fun cast of characters that makes a quick, cute read and absolutely perfect for October.

I loved this just as much as the ex hex, or maybe just a tiny bit more. I'm obsessed with the characters and I hope to see them again in Erin's future works.

A cute and charming book that hade laughing out loud. I really enjoyed this delightful witchy themed romance.

🐈‍⬛ A R C • R E V I E W 🐈‍⬛
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Title: The Kiss Curse
Author: Erin Sterling
Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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HOLY AMAZING! This book was incredible. I loved it so much, even more than the first!! I’m late on this review - but I just had a baby, cut me some slack - am I right? Anyways, GET THIS BOOK!
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Let me start off with saying this book seriously has it all, romance and steam, comedy, a mystery, some thrill and the absolute most perfect holloween town vibe that will easily get you in the mood for spooky season!
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Gwyn is such an incredible character! I literally want to be her. She is so witty and such a smartass that you can’t help but fall in love with her. Wells is absolutely swoon worthy and I found myself drooling over him throughout the book. The banter between the two is downright hilarious and had me laughing out loud at multiple parts. I need that kind of banter in my life in order to enjoy a romcom. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope.
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The mystery in this one kept my eyes glued to the screen and honestly, the ending was a bit twisty and pretty thrilling that I had some anxiety about what was going to happen. It was all executed so perfectly. I was hooked from start to finish. It really was a really cute and gripping read.
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If you love a good romcom with more than just a romantic element and are looking for something to get you into the halloween mood - check out this one. The Kiss Curse is book two in The Ex Hex series but this could be read as a standalone as it focuses on different characters.
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All of the stars for this one, its characters and the town of Graves Glen - this book is amazing! Huge thank you to @netgalley, @erinsterling and @avonandharpervoyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
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#netgalleyreview #electronicadvancedreadingcopyreview #fivestarread #fivestarreview #perfectspookyseasonread #romcom #mystery #gravesglen #joneswitches #thepenhallows #esquire #somthingwicked #darkmagic #perfectbanter #enemiestolovers #spookyseason #thekisscurse #erinsterling #rachelhawkins

THE KISS CURSE is a fun, flirty, hilarious witchy romantic comedy that you need in your life at the moment. Readers find themselves back in the town of Graves Glen where Sterling's first book, THE EX HEX took place. There are many cameos from the beloved Rhys and Vivi, who are now married happily. When Rhys's older brother, Wells, comes to town at the behest of his father, he gets tangled up with beautiful Gwyn Jones, cousin of Vivi and one of the co-owners of the family shop, Something Wicked. A little enemies to lovers romance is helped along with a magic love spell. This book is so much fun, and is a quick read.

Cute little story, especially right before Halloween. A cute rom-com with just the right amount of spooky and magical elements. I adored the character Gwyn, and I am so glad she got her chance to shine in book two. The perfect mix of romance and adventure.

Gwyn Jones is happy running her shop and helping her mom and cousin run the town after defeating the Penhallows for the power to run Graves Glen's lay lines. Her cousin is married to a Penhallow and they happily live together in Graves Glen until her cousin-in-law's brother, Wells shows up. On a promise to his dad to ensure that everything is running smoothly in Graves Glen, Wells leaves his pub in Wales and returns to Graves Glen. There he sets up a rival magic store to the Jones family's and right across the road to add salt to the wound. After Gwyn goes to confront Wells, they realize that they are attracted to each other. In addition to all of this, one of Gwyn's old classmates returns to town and wrecks havoc. At the same time, Gwyn starts losing her power and after initially blaming Morgan, her gang of mentee witches realize that it's actually Wells' fault. Unknowingly, Wells' father planted a ring on him that would make Gwyn and her family lose her power but mainly affected her as she was the one spending the most time with Wells. Wells finds a way to make it right but while he is working on that Gwyn gets kidnapped by Morgan and her gang who try to wrest power away from her family for nefarious reasons. Gwyn realizes she still has her power and fights them off essentially saving the town and she ends up in a relationship with Wells. Overall, it was an enjoyable dark read perfect to get in the right spirit for Halloween.

Erin Sterling revisits the magical town of Graves Glen, this time with a new leading woman.

Gwyn is beyond happy for her cousin (and best friend) Vivi after her sweeping romance and marriage to Rhys Penhallow. The only dark cloud above her head is due to Rhys's older brother Wells, a man so concerned about what his father thinks of him that he missed his own brother's wedding. When Wells suddenly appears in Graves Glen and announces that he'll be moving there permanently, Gwyn is less than pleased. When he then announces that he is opening up a witchy shop across the street from Gwyn's, she is downright pissed.

Wells doesn't quite understand Gwyn's animosity towards him, but when faced with a challenge, he approaches it head-on. Just as stubborn as she is, they refuse to admit that there is a sizzling sexual tension between them. When trouble hits Graves Glen in the form of a former classmate, Wells and Gwyn realize they must team up in order to protect the town and their magic.

This bewitching enemies to lovers tale is a real treat for fans of The Ex Hex and Gwyn's spunky personality. I loved getting to know Wells and watch him fall in love with someone completely unlike him (who is also unwilling to let him get away with being broody all the time).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a cute witchy read. I thought it was just as fun as the first in the series. I liked the dynamic between Wells and Gwyn. Their competing stores added a fun element to the story too.

A fast, easy, and fun read that's perfect for October and Halloween.

This was exactly the cozy, witchy fall read I was looking for! I enjoyed this sequel even more than the The Ex Hex - which I thoroughly enjoyed. Gwyn was such an interesting, and my favorite, character from the first novel, so I was excited to see she was the spotlight of this sequel. Gwyn and Wells were exactly the right amount of sass and grumpiness that make a romance novel such fun to read. I will certainly be buying this book in print so I can read it again next fall.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with a kindle ARC of this book.

Yeah, I'm just giving up on this series. I mean, I think this is the last book but just in case the author decides to write another one for the last Penhallow brother, I am done. It just doesn't work for me. I do really like the setting. The town really has some halloweentown vibes and I like how silly it is around magic and witchcraft sometimes. It's a lot of fun. However, all the rest just doesn't really work for me. The characters are really one dimensional, and a bit annoying in this one. There is absolutely no chemistry between our two leads and the romance kind of comes out of nowhere. When will authors learn that people being attracted to each other sexually and no other developement at all doesn't make for a compelling romance? Something that also annoyed me in this book is that we are constantly told Gwyn is alergic to responisibilty and authority, however we never actually see this. She's super responsible and actually always listens to authority figures without issue and even takes on an authoritve role early on in the book without issue. Just like in the first book the author completely forgets about the "hate" part of the "hate to love" romance. She creates conflict between two characters and just completely forgets to resolve the conflict. In this one it was even more annoying because only Gwyn had a previous conflict that Wells isn't aware of this but he still isn't when we finish up this book. Talking about that I absolutely hated the reasons why Gwyn "hates" Wells. It was just really stupid and immature. Another thing that I didn't like that was the same in the first book is that the ending gets too dark and serious in tone compared to the silly, goofy mood that the rest of the book is. That tone shift is just really jarring and doesn't work. So yeah, in conclusion this book hits the exact same beats as the first one and there aren't a lot of differences. If you like the first book, you'll like this one as well. However, if you didn't like the first book, you won't like this one either.

I was super fortunate to receive an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Joneses and Penhallows are back!! If you liked The Ex Hex, I think it’s safe to say you will like this one as well!

Dare I say I liked this one better…? There was a lot to like in this book! I loved learning more about Gywn and Wells and I was so obviously happy to see Sir Purrcival back in action! I love all the witchy vibes and new spells / curses we learn in this book.

It felt like the second half of the book was definitely more fast-paced and had a lot going on but it was a fun ride to the end! A little less spice in this one? But definitely had some!

This has me wondering if maybe the third Penhallow brother has a book for him next? 🤔

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

4.5 stars! This book was so much fun to read, and once i picked it up i didnt want to put it down. I absolutely loved the ex hex and i hoping the kiss curse would be just as amazing, and it was! the author does an amazing job creating two main characters that are unique in their own way and also somewhat opposites to each other. the enemies to lovers vibe of this was very well. i also really loved how rhys and viv were also involved in this book as well.

“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎”
“𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎?”
“𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚎”

тнσυgнтѕ:
If you’re like me and prefer your “spooky season reads” in the form of cheesy romances, then this book is for you! I love the small witchy town of Graves Glen. тнє кιѕѕ ¢υяѕє is a cute Halloween romance, that gives me all the hallmark vibes, but went a bit HBO at times. Throw in a smidge of mystery & suspense and I was all about it. When the spunky Gwyn Jones meets the seemingly-uptight Wells Penhallow, they learn fairly quickly that there’s so much more to the other than they believed. I loved the banter between Wells & Gwyn. Their witty remarks brought me a few giggles.

Rҽαԃ ƚԋιʂ ιϝ ყσυ ʅιƙҽ:
🪄 witchy reads
🪄 small town
🪄 enemies to lovers
🪄 opposites attract

Loved, loved, loved this! Wells and Gwyn were perfect together and this was a perfectly written tale. It built up gently to the finale, was believable, and I want to move to Graves Glen!

I would highly recommend reading The Ex Hex first. While this book follows a separate couple, I think you’ll definitely love this one even more reading it second.

With that being said, this was an absolute great sequel book. I L O V E D the banter between Gwyn and Wells, and their loathing for each other was perfect. With Rhys and Vivi (The Ex Hex) playing a large part it this one, I think it really helped to bring everything full circle, no salt ring needed (iykyk).

The perfect October/witchy/Halloween read you’ve been looking for!

After the events of The Ex Hex, the Jones witches have the town’s ley lines under control and everything is seemingly calm in Graves Glen. However, whilst Vivi, Rhys, and Elaine are out of town, drama inevitably ensues when Rhys’ brother Llewellyn (or Wells) Penhallow moves to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town by opening a witchy shop across the street from Gwyn’s. Despite their competition, Wells and Gwyn both become wary when some of Gwyn’s schoolmates unexpectedly return to Graves Glen. Shortly after, Gwyn and Wells are forced to work together when Gwyn’s powers mysteriously begin to fade.

The Kiss Curse is a small-town witchy romcom perfect for fall and Halloween with it featuring the enemies to lovers, grumpy with sunshine, and forced proximity tropes. I would definitely recommend you read The Ex Hex before picking up a copy of The Kiss Curse as many conflicts (and relationships) between the Jones and Penhallow witches from The Ex Hex carry over into The Kiss Curse. Some themes present in The Kiss Curse include revenge, quest for power or status, love and loss, loneliness and isolation, identity, and family. This book is perfect for fans of fantasy romances or “enemies to lovers” romances like The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert, Lore & Lust by Karla Nikole, The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen, My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey, or To Hate Adam Connor by Ella Maise.

Firstly, I have to say that I personally enjoyed Wells and Gwyn’s “enemies to lovers” romance in The Kiss Curse more than Rhys and Vivi’s second chance romance in The Ex Hex. All of the comedic moments Sterling included in The Kiss Curse were stellar, especially Gwyn’s enthusiastic and often mischievous trainees (or “Baby Witches”), Gwyn’s outspoken talking cat, Gwyn’s fondness for witchy puns, and a hilarious incident involving a glittery “love spell”. The sweet and swoonworthy moments were also delightful, especially the meaning behind Wells’ fondness of Gwyn’s pink hair streak. I appreciated that Sterling kept me guessing and I didn’t feel like the ending was predictable. The autumnal vibe of the small-town of Graves Glen is dreamy with all the Halloween and fall festivals in Graves Glen reminding me of beloved fictional small towns like Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) and Halloweentown.

On the downside, I thought that the conflict was wrapped up too quickly in the last couple of chapters and I felt like everything wasn’t fully resolved by the end of the book; although, this does leave the story open for a possible sequel for Rhys and Wells’ brother Bowen. I was also disappointed that Rhys and Vivi (the main characters in The Ex Hex) were absent for most of this book.

The Kiss Curse is a light and fun witchy romance perfect for the fall and Halloween season!

“And if I wanted to call you mine?” she asked, her voice low, and Wells’s grip tightened on her hand.
“I’ll be that until I die.”

Gwyn and Wells. She hasn’t seen him for a couple of years and now that he’s back in town, he opens up a shop right in front of hers. Gwyn is slowly losing her magic and they have to work together to figure out what’s happening.

The perfect read for Halloween and all the fall vibes! A talking cat, an unknown mystery and lots of sexual tension! Wells talks like he’s in a Jane Austen novel and there’s also a hand-flex moment. IYKYK!

🐈‍⬛READ IF YOU LIKE🐈‍⬛:
- dual POV
- hate to love
- witches, magic & mysteries
- snarky banter
- forced proximity
- cozy, small town: Graves Glen
- business rivals/competitions
- Sir Purrcival the talking cat
- You’ve Got Mail
- all the fall/spooky vibes
- LGBTQ rep

cw: death of loved one

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the advanced copy! The Kiss Curse is now available!