I can't promise you earth-shattering literature, but I can promise that Erin Sterling's books are always super fun fall rom-com reads. I really enjoyed The Ex Hex last year and this years Kiss Curse was no different. They're entertaining, a little cheesy and a little spicy but they're the perfect palate cleanser after a heavy book and such a fun seasonal read. I enjoyed that we got glimpses of Vivi and Rhys' relationship and the baby witches were a great addition to this sequel. I'm excited to see what's next - hopefully a book about Bowen!

3.5/5
The Kiss Curse starts off great building its characters, however I felt that by the end I was presented with an afterthought of a story and an awkwardly paced ending. I also missed the halloween witchy fall atmosphere that was present in the first book. Despite this, I still think The Kiss Curse is a good romance book that deserves a read this fall.

THE EX HEX & THE KISS CURSE

Wow wow wow! A sequel that does the book justice can be hard to come by, but we ADORED these stories. Let’s dive into it…
#TheExHex tells the story of a heartbroken, half-hearted attempt at a curse gone terribly wrong. A 19 year old Vivi is hopelessly in love with her boyfriend Rhys Penhallow when she finds out he’s betrothed to someone else! After dumping him and mourning the loss, Vivi and her cousin Gwyn jokingly “curse” Rhys. But when he returns to their town 10 years later with magic suddenly going awry, Vivi and Rhys become unlikely companions to figure out what’s going on and return the magic to normal. While there’s nothing too surprising, it was overall a cute Halloween themed rom-com: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
#TheKissCurse follows Gwyn, which we loved - a hilarious character who deserves her time in the spotlight! Gwyn is in charge of making sure things go well over the Halloween festivities while her mother Elaine and cousin Vivi are out of town. But when Rhys’ older, snobby brother comes into town, she finds herself battling him and his arrogant ways and … her attraction to him? An enemies to lovers anyone can appreciate with the perfect amount of seasonal fun: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫.

WHAT WE LOVED
+ two different character takes
+ spice and humor
+ all the spooky fall vibes!

READ IF YOU ENJOYED
+ the love hypothesis
+ book lovers
+ spanish love deception

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this arc for our honest review.

𝘙𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘸𝘺𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘹 𝘏𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘎𝘸𝘺𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 🔥

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴. 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘳 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘢𝘨?

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘺, 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴-𝘵𝘰-𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘊𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯! 🎃 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, @𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊!

I posted this review to my Bookstagram account on 9/26/22 and to Goodreads, Bookbub, and Amazon on 9/27/22.

4.5/5

Trigger Warnings: Sexual content, Cursing, Violence, Kidnapping, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, Torture

After reading The Ex Hex last year on my honeymoon and really enjoying it, I knew I had to read this book too!

I loved going back to Graves Glen (especially in the fall). The characters are so fun, quirky and I love the magical aspects. It was fun to see Vivi and Gwyn's friendship and to learn more about the Penhallow brothers. Gwyn has such a fun store called Something Wicked and her talking cat makes an appearance in this book too.

What I loved:
-Gwyn and Wells' relationship and chemistry
-the mystery and thriller-ish aspect
-the enemies to lovers
-the small town feeling

If you like Gilmore Girls, Some High School/Private School drama years later and witchy/spell books, you'd love this book!

🪄Book Review🪄
*
Summary: Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*
My thoughts: thank you @avonbooks @netgalley @erinsterlingbooks for the advanced copy of the kiss curse which came out September 20th! This was the second in the ex hex series which I read and loved last fall! But this one I think I may have enjoyed even more! I actually thought Gwen and Wells were wonderful together and found myself rooting for them to end up together! Gwen was such an interesting and unique character, also I’m just obsessed with her talking cat 🥰 a really fun witchy romance perfect for spooky season! 👻
*
#thekisscurse #erinsterling #theexhex #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookish #bibliophile #booknerd #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookreader #readersofinstagram #readersofig #readmorebooks #bookobsessed #bookworm #bookwormsunite #romancebooks #romancereader #romancereadersofinstagram #romancebookstagram

I loved this one. I read the first one in this series last year and liked it enough to continue. I personally liked this one a lot more.

We follow Gywn as she and her cousin Vivi running their shop as their busy holiday season (October) starts. Gwyn is a confident, sassy, badass witch who hasn't been very lucky in love lately. Then a thorn in her side shows back up in town in the form of Wells, Rhys's older brother.

They strike up a rivalry (or rather, continue it) as Wells opens up a similar magical shop in town. Their paths keep crossing and there's definitely some chemistry there, whether they want to admit it or not.

Vivi and Rhys go out of town for their honeymoon, and some strange things start happening in their town with some strange visitors. Rather than investigate it alone, Wells and Gywn team up. Gywn also has the help of her "baby" witches that she took under her wing to help them learn their craft. Meanwhile, things heat up between Gywn and Wells.

I loved the banter between Gywn and Wells and how they slowly lean on each other. And maybe first impressions aren't always what they seem. I really loved this one, and I'll read more if this series continues.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you want a fun and fast-paced book to kick off spooky season, this is the one to check out.

I loved Wells and Gwyn’s relationship so much. Their hate to love dynamic was a lot of fun to read, and the progression of their relationship felt natural all while being a lot of fun to watch. Wells is a swoony new book boyfriend to fall in love with, and Gwyn was chaotic and I absolutely adored her. The only thing I wanted was Wells’s realization of why he recognizes Gwyn. I felt like that would have been a really sweet scene to read.

The small town dynamic is still going strong with this book, and strengthened by the addition of a new trio of witch babies: Sam, Cait, and Parker. Whether it was through their heckling of Wells and Gwyn or their chaotic spell-casting, they brought so much life to each of their scenes. I also really enjoyed seeing the dynamic Rhys and Vivi brought in their roles as supporting characters. I love their relationship being in the forefront of The Ex Hex, but I almost found them more entertaining in this book.

Now for the most important question: When do we get Bowen’s book?

Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥 (open door romance)

I enjoyed The Ex Hex but The Kiss Curse is even better! This book was funnier, with more laugh-out-loud moments and the banter was amazing. Erin cranked up the heat with this book with the angst and I was here for it! There was some level of predictability, but at the same time there were still enough unexpected elements that kept me guessing throughout the entire book. Sir Purrcival is the cutest and is like a talking hybrid of my two cats--begging for treats and insulting silly humans. And Gwyn taking on a mentor role with the baby witches was adorable. Overall, this book was so fun and perfect for spooky season!

This story starts out after the events of The Ex Hex so if you haven’t read it stop what you are doing and go pick it up! You won’t regret it.

Now the town of Graves Glen is running on the magic of Gwyn and Vivi’s ancestors magic and all is right in the world. Well, almost. Gwyn is being “left alone” for the first time in her life while Vivi heads out on her honeymoon and Gwyn is not too excited. But to make sure she keeps busy, Vivi recruits her to mentor/tutor a group of “baby witches” who are just college students who just need a little extra guidance with their powers. After her family leaves Gwyn focuses on the witches and getting her shop ready for the town’s festivities. But there is one problem. Someone has moved in across the street and opened a store that is pretty much just like her’s but a smidge more upscale magical. Gwyn finds out that it is none other than Wells Penhallow, Rhys’ brother, whom she does not care for one bit! After a little bickering back and forth leads to one steamy kiss Gywn and Wells life gets a little crazy. Not only is Wells back, but the new magic running the town is attracting more witches and something is happening to Gywn’s magic. With the help of the baby witches and Wells, Gywn sets out investigate!

The Kiss Curse is the companion novel to The Ex Hex. I couldn’t wait for Gywn’s book! I’ve loved her character in the first installment of this series. We don’t learn a whole lot about the Penhallow brothers but we are learning more as each of them are becoming the hero’s in this series. If I could sum this up into a genre to recommend I would call these books “steamy cozy mysteries”. If you love cozies but want a little more heat PICK THIS SERIES UP! You won’t be disappointed. These are perfect fall reads!

Stars: 3.5

The Kiss Curse delivered exactly what I expected (and what I wanted right now). For meeting expectations, I give this 5 stars. But for overall WOW factor, 3.5 it is. I'm now all ready for Spooky Season, but to be fair, I'm always ready for that.

Not exactly a sequel, it's more like a follow-up in the Graves Glen universe. This time the story focuses on Gwyn Jones, the red haired rebellious witch, and Wells Penhallow, the eldest of the Penhallows who runs the family pub in Wales.

The plot is predictable, the dialogue is cheesy at times but I found the characters likeable and I love the charm of Graves Glen. If Sterling writes more books in this universe I will absolutely read them.

I fell in love with Gwyn and her spunky personality while reading The Ex Hex, and I loved getting to know more about her. This was one of my most anticipated reads for September, and it didn’t disappoint. Another amazing spooky season read with great banter, delicious tension, and incredible spice. I really enjoyed this one! *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So happy to talk about this gem. I recently reviewed The Ex Hex and OMG does The Kiss Curse deliver my friends.

We are back in Graves Glen but this time we are following the story of Vivi's cousin Gwyn. With the change of power in their small town, Gwyn, her mom, and Vivi have a lot on their plates. Running their store Something Wicked, helping with town activities, and mentoring the Baby Witches, Gwyn is so not ready for the trouble coming to town. And that trouble is Rhys' older brother Wells Penhallow. The dutiful son has come to Graves Glen to ensure his family's magic still has a stake in the town. When he opens up a shop across the street from Something Wicked, he bites off more than he can chew.

Gwyn is my favorite human/witch! She is so funny and true to herself. I really love her mentorship with the young witches. I felt like teaching in a way that she would have liked to be taught really brought something out of Gwyn. The banter and energy between Wells and Gwyn is off the charts! I already knew from their separate personalities in the first book that I was going to like them together. They really clicked.

This book definitely surpassed my expectations. I loved it so much more than the first. Something about the writing and the characters were just so well executed here for me.

Thank you netgalley, Erin Sterling (Rachel Hawkins), and Avon books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

5 witchy stars for book 2 in the series!

While I feel it could be read as a stand-alone, reading book 1 will give you the full experience that is the Galen Graves world. Sir Purrcival makes several appearances and is still one of my favorite characters.

This is a slow-burn (no intimacy until at least 50% but it’s worry the wait!), enemies-to-lovers that will having you laughing and swooning in equal parts. The non-romance plot is actually a plot that pulls in who I think will be the next love interest.

Gwyn resonated with me in so many ways! Her impulsive behavior felt very similar to mine so I could easily see myself in her position. She’s also an independent, speaks-her-mind character that brought a nice balance to the stoic, loyal-to-a fault, and stern personality of Wells.

This is absolutely the perfect romance read set in a quaint Georgia town around fall/Halloween!

The thing I loved the most about book one in this duo (hopefully to be a trilogy) was the relationship between the three women. Sterling opts to have Gwyn stand on her own in this one…which is fine, but I really missed the female friendship aspect. It is fun to watch Gwyn and Wells save the day, again. Come for the witches, stay for the spells.

3.75 out of 5 stars

This is a great book for spooky season! A delightful witchy romance, it was great to be able to return to Graves Glen and spend more time with the characters from The Ex Hex (though this could also function as a standalone book).

I always enjoy reading enemies to lovers romances, and while this wasn't quite that (more misunderstanding to lovers), the banter between Gwyn and Wells was fun, there were plenty of funny moments to truly cement this as a romcom, and I enjoyed the mystery. Things did wrap up more quickly and conveniently than I would have preferred, and there was one moment that was mentioned multiple times but was never resolved, but generally I found the book to be enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Erin Sterling for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First, who doesn't love a spooky season book?! Second, I loved Gwyn. I loved her in The Ex Hex and I am so excited that she got her own book. The "Baby Witches" were in my opinion, one of the best parts of this book. But let's not forget the talking cat, Sir Purrcival. He is hysterical! Honestly, I liked this book better than The Ex Hex.

I think this was maybe a 4.25 or 4.5 for me. There were some scenes and dialogue that I absolutely loved. But overall I didn’t love it as much as I remember loving the first book. Gwyn has so much personality which is phenomenal. I can see how they would fall for each other, and I believe it, but I I need more personal moments between the characters where it’s believable that they fall in love by the end of the book. Usually I’m pretty good at guessing plot twists but did not see the ring being the culprit. Totally knew the new in town witch was up to no good though. Overall felt like it was good, just needed a little polishing.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling in exchange for an honest review.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling is the second book in The Ex Hex Series. The Kiss Curse focuses on Gwyn ( Vivi’s cousin) and Wells (Rhys older brother). Left to hold down the fort in Graves Glen while Vivi, Rhys, and Elaine are away, Gwyn is not sure she is thrilled to be alone. Wells Is tired of being the keeper of the family’s pub in Wales, and decides to go to Graves Glen for a change.
Gwyn and Wells get off to a rough start when he shows up unannounced at his home while Gwyn is throwing a party. Opening a store that sells witchy items across the street from Gwyn’s store is a step too far. When Gwyn’s magic starts to disappear Wells and Gwyn have to work together to get to the bottom of what is going on.
The Kiss Curse is the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season. I enjoyed the banter between Wells and Gwyn. This book is an entertaining light Halloween read that will make you smile .

I absolutely loved the Ex Hex, so when I heard Erin Sterling was writing a second book in the series I knew I had to read it! and if you liked the Ex Hex, the Kiss Curse is even better! its funny, its witty, has you wanting everything Halloween and more. This novel is fun, I could not stop laughing at Gwynevere's ideas , and the situations she gets into. Like I said awesome book, a really good sequel to The Ex Hex . Also you can notice that has a lot of heart same as the book before. Totally loved it

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC