I have mixed feelings regarding this book. I loved the first book in the series, so I had high expectations for this book. And yet, I felt disappointed after finishing this book.

The Kiss Curse was not the same as the first book. I felt like it tried so hard to fit everyone's expectations. I found myself puzzled that the main female character is paired with a male character. I knew Gwyn was bisexual, but I found her more with females than with males. And I was shocked that she was going to be paired with Wells. I don’t find them as a couple. And there was no attraction or chemistry with them as well. It was a no for me.

My review was published in the September 2022 issue of Booklist.

"As Gwyn and Wells’ relationship sizzles, Sir Purrcival, Gwyn’s talking cat, steals the show with wry wit"

"This glittery romance featuring the cousin and brother of Vivi and Rhys from The Ex Hex (2021) is truly a delight."

The Kiss Curse was a great witchy romance to get me in the mood for spooky season! In this spiritual sequel to The Ex Hex, Gwyn and Wells are competing for best witch-adjacent store in the weeks leading up to Halloween. They can't stand each other, but also can't deny the chemistry that is crackling between them.

If you're looking for a feel-good, light-hearted witchy romance I think you'll love this book! The plot wasn't as cohesive as The Ex Hex was for me, but it had great banter and I loved Gwyn and Wells together.

I enjoyed this first book in the series, but I loved this one even more! Gwyn and Wells really stole my heart! I loved that they initially didn’t even like each other, especially Gwyn, but that slowly they got to know each other and fall in love. The mystery of why Gwyn was losing her magic was interesting, although the payoff at the end felt lacking and a bit anticlimactic. Other than that I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to Avon Books for the advanced reading copy of The Kiss Curse, receipt of which does not impact my review.

"And when her eyes briefly met his, her cheeks dimpling with a go F yourself smile, Wells realized he had never been more attracted to any woman more in his life."

The Kiss Curse follows two witches as they compete in business, fight their mutual attraction, and try to figure out who is attempting to sabotage one of them in the second book of the Ex Hex series. Gwyn Jones and Wells Penhallow were such great characters, and Sir Purrcival and Gwyn's witches in training (aka her Baby Witches) made the book even better! I read The Ex Hex last year and enjoyed it, but liked The Kiss Curse even more! It had everything I needed in a witchy romance - an independent, bold female lead, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, great side characters, magic, and mystery.

I really enjoyed The Ex Hex and was excited to see a follow-up featuring Vivi's cousin, Gwyn! Gwyn and Wells had undeniable chemistry and a spark and made for a fun, cozy enemies-to-lovers read for fall and spooky season. The Baby Witches were hilarious as well as Gwyn's talking cat Sir Purrcival. I also really enjoyed seeing Vivi and Rhys on the pages again. This was a fun start to my fall and spooky season reads!

This book truly felt like cuddling under a cozy blanket, drinking a warm cider and smelling the crisp cool air.

It's the epidemy of fall.

Erin Sterling, you've officially helped me get in the fall spirit! The Ex Hex and this sequel are the perfect romance novels to hit you with all the warm fuzzy that are Autumn. There's cider, witchy-hijinks, warlocks, magic, crystals, tarot cards and everything that you could want from an adorably cozy small town Halloween festival. It gives all the Hallmark romance swoon with a dash of whimsy of Halloween Town.

Erin Sterling's witchy world she created is my favorite place to escape to. I love how cozy I felt reading about Gwen and Vivi's adventure's in Graves Glen. Her writing is witty and fun. There are endless amounts of times I caught myself laughing out loud while reading. The way her romance novels make me feel are what I am constantly searching for in books.

The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse are more than just romances between stunningly beautiful witches and handsome sorcerers. It has a added flare of cozy mystery surround Graves Glen. The magic surrounding the town is extremely powerful and you never know who is going to show up to abuse it for evil. This book continued the story behind the Penhallow families connection to Graves Glen's magic and what other witches & creatures surround the town.

These books are for my reading buddies who are scared of horror but want to get into the spooky season mood. Erin Sterling's writing immediately pulls you into all the fall vibes without the things that go bump in the night.

Romance, fantasy and mystery...oh my!

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyager and Erin Sterling for the advanced reader copy of this novel and shout out to Libro.fm for always being my go to source to listen to audiobooks.

I loved reading alongside Shannon McManus's narration and highly suggest checking out any form of this book. It's an absolute delight!

The Kiss Curse is a super cute, fun Halloween read. I think it’s a great book to kick off fall and put you in the Halloween spirit. I picture Stars Hallow but with magic. The characters are fun and I love the talking cat!
However, while I know this book isn’t realistic, it’s still a bit far fetched. There were a few parts I had a hard time getting in to. But overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone looking for a light, funny, cute Halloween read!

I absolutely loved this book! The Ex Hex was such a fun spooky season book last fall, and when The Kiss Curse came out, I knew I had to read it, I loved being transported back to Graves Glen and following Gwyn and her hilarious antics. The Baby Witches cracked me up and of course Sir Purrcival was the star of the show as he was in the Ex Hex! The chemistry and banter between Wells and Gwyn was SO good!! I'll be adding the physical copy to my library soon!!

✨ The Kiss Curse ✨

A delightful spooky season romcom! Gwyn and Wells weave a fun and flirty enemies to lovers tale, with a side of witchy endeavors. I loved their story, their chemistry and their Baby Witches.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
✨ Spooky Season, Halloweentown vibes
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Small town charm meets Welsh magic
✨ A talking cat named Sir Purrcival

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for this ARC! The Kiss Curse is on shelves September 20th!

I’m always down for a book with spooky autumn vibes, especially if you throw in a little romance, and The Kiss Curse fits that description! The Ex Hex is the first book in the series, but these books by Erin Sterling could be read as standalones. I thought The Ex Hex was a cute romcom with a fall atmosphere I could almost taste. The Kiss Curse has that same feeling. The story follows a witch, Gywn Jones, the cousin of Vivi Jones from The Ex Hex, as she is challenged by the return to the town of Wells Penhallow. He is the prim and proper to her quirky and sassy. Wells returns to town and establishes a competing shop right across the street from Gywn’s Something Wicked. This book is a fun and spooky romance sparked by tension that is taut from the beginning and slowly evolves as they are faced with a challenge from a new coven. This book is the perfect start to the spooky fall season with just the right amount of romance and mystery.

After reading The Ex Hex immediately before this one I was so excited at the continuation of the families and the town of Graves Glen. Unfortunately it was just a boring rehash of The Ex Hex with only slightly different characters. The magical element wasn’t as strong in the story and I didn’t feel and actual connection or real feelings between the main characters and I just wanted to go back to The Ex Hex.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the chance to give my honest opinion in exchange for this arc.

Here’s another great spooky season read! I wasn’t a huge fan of The Ex Hex but nevertheless requested the ARC of the sequel. It releases on Tuesday, so I needed to tackle it this weekend. And, let me tell you, I couldn’t put it down! It’s hilarious with the perfect mix of banter, spice, and witchy things. I have so many highlights in my ebook but since it’s an uncorrected proof, I can’t post them. But, I plan to get this in print to sit on my shelf next to The Ex Hex, so maybe I’ll update this post later! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a rom com with a strong sense of “witchy” season!

Rating 4.5/5
Pub date: 9/20/2022

This was a fun follow up to The Ex Hex though it didn't have the same Halloweeny atmosphere (as this is set during early Fall, and not the spooky season). I'm still head over witch hat for Erin Sterling's writing.

If you liked The Ex Hex I think you’ll enjoy this one even more. It follows Gwyn Jones, Vivi’s cousin, from the first book. She is living life working at her witchy shop, Something Wicked, and mentoring three young baby witches from the local college in Graves Glen. Wells Penhallow returns from Wales to get some distance from his powerful father and to keep the family name alive in Graves Glen, GA. Gwyn and Wells have meet before, unfortunately, and now they have rivalry witch shops across the street from each other. They grow closer while working together when they discover a new coven has come to town and suddenly Gwyn starts to lose her magical powers.

I love a good enemies to lovers, especially with characters who are as fun and witty as Gwyn. I thought the chemistry was good with some steamy scenes throughout. The scene in the pickup truck🔥 I also loved the side characters, especially Purrcival, the talking cat 🐈‍⬛ If you are looking for a fun, snarky, witchy book this season I recommend this one.

Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for an eARC for an honest review.

I was not a big fan of the ex hex so I was a bit nervous when starting this book. However, the beginning really sucks you in and I found myself actually enjoying it. I will definitely be purchasing this book once it comes out so that I can annotate it. One thing I really like about Erin Sterling is that her covers never disappoint, they are always so beautiful.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Thank you @avonbooks, @netgalley for the #gifted e-book and @librofm and @harperaudio for the #gifted audiobook!

This was the perfect witchy rom com to get me ready for spooky season 🧙 The Kiss Curse is the second book in The Ex Hex series, and I was so excited to get a copy of this ARC!

I thought Gwyn and Wells enemies-to-lovers relationship was cute, and I was excited for them to finally fall in love. However, the plot was not super in-depth or complex and the conflict in the book seemed fairly juvenile.

However, if you’re looking for something light to get you ready for the Fall season, then look no further.

If you loved The Ex Hex, you’ll love this as well!

The Kiss Curse is such a wonderful follow up story of The Ex Hex and follows Gwyn Jones - Vivi’s cousin. She was fabulous in the first one so reading her story was such a treat. I am a sucker for when you get to see what characters from previous books are up to, so it was so nice to see Vivi after the completion of her story.

Fall is the optimal time of the year to read this book, since like its predecessor, it’s set during this season in a magic fueled college town named Graves Glen. 🍂 Though this was a romance driven story, there was an underlying mystery storyline that had me extremely invested. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! I loved The Ex Hex, so it was unsurprising that I adored this one too! I hope there are more books to come set in Graves Glen in the future! I highly recommend this book, especially during the autumn or whenever you’re craving a witchy read!

Pick this up if you enjoy…

😼+ 🤬A magical talking cat named Sir Purrcival who says curse words
💕 Romance filled with tension & spice 🌶
🔎 A mystery storyline
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ rep with multiple characters
🛍 Magical shops
🍂 A light academia fall setting

Release Date: September 20, 2022

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC!

I've been on a really witchy rom-com kick of late and this book did not disappoint! I loved The Ex Hex so I was super excited to dive back into Graves Glen. This had all the cozy, witchy, Halloweentown vibes that I loved about the first book while still being its own unique story.

While at times it boarder on just a bit too cheesy, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the relationship between Gwen and Wells and seeing both their perspectives as their relationship grew. Overall this was a fun and quick-paced read that I finished in about a day. It's the perfect book to get you in the spooky season read!

“OH THEY’RE CUTE”
(me, for this whole book 😍😍😍)
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If you didn’t like The Ex Hex and are thinking to skip this one, don’t! I absolutely loved it! It’s actually one of my favorite romcoms of the year! 💯🤩
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Gwen and Wells are so funny together. The banter, the insults, the tension, all top notch. I laughed out loud more times than I could count. Add in a dose of witchery and October vibes and it’s a total winner. 💯🔮🧹🐈‍⬛🌙
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Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon Books, Harper Voyager, and the author for an early copy! I give it 5 enthusiastic stars!