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

The Kiss Curse was a fun return to Graves Glen. This story follows Rhys’ brother Wells, and Vivi’s cousin Gwyn. Wells is not satisfied at the pub, so he travels to Graves Glen to fill in for Rhys. Gwyn is in charge of the magic shop while Vivi is on her honeymoon with Rhys.
Of course Gwyn is not happy about having Esquire around, but she begins having trouble with her magic. Who is stealing her magic?
And we can’t forget Sir Purrcival who also gets into some mischief. He also learns a few more words.

I absolutely loved this story. Erin’s (aka Rachel’s) writing is so pleasant to read. The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse are great books to start off the fall season.

I received an eARC copy of The Kiss Curse for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Erin Sterling for a wonderful read.

This book had lots going for it: I loved the "baby witches," I love the atmosphere and the setting. I just wish the romance itself had more oomph to it. It's a serviceable enemies to lovers story, but it doesn't dig deeply into tension and longing and emotion the way it could.

where do i begin…unfortunately i didn’t LOVE this book! it was fun, fall, witchy and absolutely got me ready for the Halloween season but i never found myself fully invested!! i found the relationship between Gwynn and Wells forced, like they had to be together for the sake of having a second book and while they’re enemies to lovers banter was fun at points it just never felt natural. the author really knows how to paint a scene and made me feel like i was in Glen Raven and i am ready to pack my bags and go right now but outside of that it fell flat. i wasn’t a huge fan of the Ex Hex & i really wanted this book to come in with a swing but i just don’t think these books are for me! official ruling: skip it!

i am SO thankful i had the opportunity to read this ARC and if you like predictable romances in the PERFECTTTTTTT setting then this might just be for you! thank you so much to Erin Sterling, NetGalley and Avon Books for this advance copy!!

Pros:

This book continues on much like book one with fast-paced wit, lovable character and a few mysteries that have to be figured out. It does an excellent job of developing characters we loved from book one while also giving us a glimpse of the characters who have already gotten their happy ending.

I really appreciate that while the book does focus on powerful women handling major things it does not have them hating men. In fact, other than a few cases of miscommunication and issues we see the main couple working together as equals even when they aren’t close. There is no men/women are better, just everyone doing their part.


Cons:

While it is good that the author focuses in very intently on the main characters I still am wanting to know more about the history they looked up on the town, about the side characters and how the witching world connects and interacts outside of Graves Glen and the Penhallow family.

I wish there had been some promise of a book for Bowen. I’m going to old out hope and keep an eye on this but for now there are a lot of things I want to know but don’t.

This sequel to the ex hex was just as good!! It was so adorable and got me so excited for fall and Halloween. The small town that centers around Halloween is perfect to get you ready for fall! I loved Gwyns character! She is a sassy strong red head who stands up for herself. When Wells opens a shop right across the street from Gwyns you can feel the tension and chemistry. If you love a binge worthy enemies to lovers romance with a small town witchy vibe then this book is definitely for you!!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this continuation of the story of Graves Glen so much and sure hope we get a third book that wraps up the Simon saga and brings more Bowen into our lives, I already need more! Getting more glimpses into Vivi and Rhys' life and of course watching Gwyn and Wells come into their own just felt like coming home to a warm hug. I love these characters so much and Graves Glen would be my home for sure if it existed. A perfect fall read!