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!

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

What's your favorite Halloween decor? 💀🎃👻 After reading The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling, I wanted to go buy all things pumpkins, skulls and books!

📝 Gwen loves living in Graves Glen and running her witchcraft shop. She's even started to train college-aged witches in developing their craft. But, right before Halloween, Rhy's RUDE and STRAIGHT-LACED older brother, Wells, AKA Esquire, opens his own magical shop across the street. Gwen can't deny their connection but something is siphoning away her magic. Can she figure it out before all her magic runs out?

What I 🤍:
🐈 Talking Car, Sir Purrcivial
😠 Enemies to Lovers
💋Magical "Love" Dust
🎃 All the Halloween Vibes
🧙‍♀️ Witches and Spells
🌈 Bisexual Rep

This was a cute romance, that's perfect for spooky season! Be prepared to LAUGH 😂 when reading the magical "love" dust explosion scene in Well's shop. It's now one of my favorite rom-com moments of all time! Sir Purrcival stole the show. I mean, who doesn't want a talking cat!? And, when he ends up loving Wells, it's enough to make any cat lover swoon. 🥹

I did feel like the plot was a bit slow. It wasn't until 1/3 of the way through when you really get any sort of problem. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed, and I wish there was a bit more.

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Passion: 🔥🔥🔥 (One Open Door)
Read If ➡️: You need a cute, rom-com during Halloween Season.
Read 📅: Halloween Time

I really appreciated how all the characters The Ex Hex are in this one. I WOULD recommend reading that one FIRST before reading this book. That way, you will have background into the setting, characters and history of Graves Glen.

Thank you Avon Booksvonbooks and NetGalley Reviewersy for an ARC of this book! The Kiss Curse is available now! It's also an add-on option on Book of the Month!

A fantastic follow up to The Ex Hex and perfectly witchy read!

I really enjoyed the setting of the first book in this series, so I was excited to jump into another story in Graves Glen and was not disappointed. Gwyn and Wells are my new favorite Jones and Penhallows. Gwyn loves to push the envelope and doesn't like to adhere to authority, while Wells is all about tradition and following the rules. I was immediately pulled into this story. The opposites attract chemistry between these characters was so immensely entertaining. I am a fan and cannot wait to see what's next from this author.

An ok follow up to the first, but definitely not a great read or a book that can stand on its own. You have to have read book 1 to appreciate this one in any way and even then it isn't a great read.

2/5 stars

LOVE LOVE LOVED this one! I was so excited to get to read this after reading book 1. It was a great continuation, and I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and the steam. I highly recommend it, if you loved The Ex Hex!

R E V I E W 💖

“I asked for the most boring thing they had and turns out that was your usual.” 😂
**adore enemies to lovers**

I was not a huge fan of the Ex Hex but was really in the mood for some witchy romance so I had to pick this one up! Let me tell you, this was SO MUCH BETTER than the first.

This gave me all the witchy vibes I’ve been looking for this season. Erin Sterling really did a good job making this one feel atmospheric. Completely binge worthy and light hearted romance with comical dialog. Also, isn’t a book so much more enjoyable when you love the MC!? Witty and adorable, love Gwen.

Ty Avon publishing and netgalley for the ARC!

4⭐️

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks @avon @harperaudio for the gifted copies!!

Guess who forgot to post their reviews a literal month later? It’s meeeeee.

The Kiss Curse:
Better than the Ex Hex. Wells and Gwyn AAF. The audio was phenomenal. (The truck scene will live rent free in my mind forever. For. Ever.) A magical and witchy read to definitely get you through spooky season. The “great misunderstanding” is definitely big as hell and had some big ramifications. I swooned, I gasped, I cheered, I live. You don’t really need to read the first book, but, if you don’t, you’ll get spoilers.. so… do it.

I was so invested in hearing about Gwyn’s story from the first book, The Ex Hex. Sterling did not disappoint. Gwyn is a wonderfully strong character. I enjoy her mentoring of the “Baby Witches.” The romance is reminiscent of “Love on the Brain” in that there is a rivalry there and a past misremembered. I love Sir Pursival, the talking cat. He is a lovely layer of humor that felt like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the TGIF version. Read if you want a book about magic, where love is a between a pseudo grump and a upbeat lady

I absolutely fell in love with this book! Definitely would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Spooky Season🔮.

Vibes I was getting:
-Sabrina the teenage witch
-lots of T Swift references
-All the fall vibes
-Hallmark meets fantasy


I will say I have never really been super into witchy/wizard books but I will definitely be reading The Ex Hex after reading this.


I will be posting my review on my Instagram account within the next week!

I so loved Dani and Wells. This was a great sequel, a wonderful story where Dani and Wells think they were glitter spell bombed with a kiss curse because that would be the only reason they would ever kiss it's not like there is no underlying sexual tension between them. (that was sarcasm) A rivalry between their stores leads them to a frenemy situation with lots of sexual tension. Old friends show up just as Dani starts to lose her powers and it's up to Wells and Dani baby witches to figure out what is going on. A very fun read especially in the fall season.

The Jones witches are back! All is well in Graves Glen after the disaster that Gwyn and Vivi saved the town from certain doom, her shop Something Wicked is doing well and she is happily mentoring a new little group of young witches - what could go wrong? Just as her cousin Vivi leaves on her honeymoon, Gwyn notices her powers starting to fade and as if that isn't bad enough another Penhallow has waltzed back into town setting up shop across the road from her but Gwyn won't let him slide into Graves Glen that easily. When a mysterious witch from their past decides to return to town at the same time Gwyn will have to put her disdain for Wells aside and align with the Penhallows once again in order to protect the town she loves and those who live there. I was so excited to see a sequel to Sterling's hit "The Ex Hex" hitting shelves just in time for Halloween. With another visit to the spooky version of Stars Hollow I am now fully ready for the season. Also, with there still being another single Penhallow brother in Graves Glen, does this mean we get another next year? (Fingers crossed!)

Thank you to Avon, NetGalley and LibroFM for the ARC/ALC in exchange for an honest review

The second book in the series but it can be read entirely as a standalone

CW: kidnapping, family tensions

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f paranormal romance
-bi rep
-family rivalry
-a talking cat

I really enjoyed listening to this one. It was a low angst fun read perfect for the spooky season.

Steam: 3

I absolutely loved this addition to Erin's Ex Hex series! I waited to read this during October so I could really tap into the plot and descriptions of what the town is like during Halloween. I loved Gwyn and Wells, I thought there chemistry was great. I'll be curious to see if Erin does one more sequel with the last Penhallow brother. Thank you NetGalley!

This one was a bit of a let down! The first in this series was good/fun, but this one felt like the exact same story with different names and such. Kind of boring, nothing new!