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!

This is the second book after The Ex Hex. I really enjoyed The Ex Hex, but I liked this one even more! I absolutely loved this book from the first page. This was such a fun read. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this book helped prove why. The banter between Gwyn and Wells was so good! I loved reading the progression of their relationship and them working together to restore Gwyn’s magic. It gave me all the feels! All the magic and mystery makes it a perfect spooky season read.

Read this in two days and enjoyed every minute of it! I read the first book in this series last year and enjoyed it, and loved this story even more!

Gwyn and Wells were the perfect grumpy-sunshine couple and I was living for their enemies to lovers relationship! Seeing Wells transform from an ultra serious, rule follower, to a slightly more spontaneous, but much more vulnerable person was so sweet. And Gwyn is just as lovable as she was in book 1. I am so glad that she got her own book!

And Sir Purrcival is back! And the Baby Witches are introduced!

Was there some miscommunication? Yes. Did the third act conflict come out of nowhere and resolve too quickly? Kinda.

But I had such a good time reading this I don't care! I don't know if Bowen will get his own book, but if there is one I would definitely read it!

This was the perfect book to kick off spooky season.

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling is the follow up to The Ex-Hex, which released last year.

Readers follow Gwyn Jones (cousin to Vivi) and Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow (brother to Rhys) as they compete as opposing shop owners in Graves Glen. Despite their differences, they come together to investigate the new coven and Gwen’s missing magic.

I really liked Gwen’s character; she is fun, sharp, and resilient. Wells is serious, stern, and grumpy. At surface level, they appear to be opposites, but they share a lot of the same values. I thought they made a great match.

This book has minimal angst, despite the enemies to lover’s trope, which made it a light and easy read. It wasn’t overly emotional or deep, and it was just what I needed after finishing ACOTAR.

Read if you like:
• Enemies to reluctant allies to lovers
• Opposites attract
• Contemporary, paranormal romance
• A talking cat
• Lots of witchy puns
• Gilmore Girls vibes

As much as I enjoyed Vivi and Rhys's story, I loved Gwyn and Wells. Their story has put me in such a book hangover since I finished it, nothing coming close.

Gwyn is determined not to like Wells because he didn't go to Vivi and Rhys's wedding but the attraction between them makes this very difficult.

Another big plus to this story is the Baby Witches - Sam, Cait, and Parker - who are students at the college but want someone to practice magic with. Gwyn agrees to help them and I loved the way they work their way into her world. They're such a cute and heartwarming addition to the book.

Half of THE KISS CURSE centers around the shop-battle between Gwyn and Wells when he opens up a magic store right across the street from hers. The second half follows what happens when Gwyn starts having issues with her magic. Each storyline kept my attention and I loved how they blended together.

This is such a quick, fun read. It's definitely an enemies-to-lovers book that gives all the feels and is perfect if you're looking for a quick Halloween romance with a little bit of spook to it. I was sad to see it end and is probably one of the few books I'll re-read simply because of how much I loved Gwyn and Wells.

The Kiss Curse, like it's predecessor, was a very fun and light read of a romance book with light fantasy! Its pace is very smooth and MCs chemistry is very delicious. Like The Ex Hex, prepare to be surrounded by our modern witches and their shenanigans! Honestly, this book is perfect for your fall and Halloween read!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ARC!

The Ex Hex was a great read during last year's spooky season so I was excited when I received this advanced copy. I loved Gwyn and Wells' romance, and I thought the overall plot was much better than the first book. This isn't a book for you if you're looking for a lot of depth - it's exactly what you would expect from a spooky romance (witches, talking cats, cheesy puns, etc.). Overall, I was delightfully surprised by The Kiss Curse and would definitely consider picking up any other Graves Glen stories in the future.

The Kiss Curse comes out September 20!

The Kiss Curse is a fun, mildly steamy, witchy romance in a fun college town. The plot was very lack luster for me, and didn’t feel like it truly got to the heart of the book until almost 75% of the way through?

If you want an easy romance read to get you into the fall/halloween season, this one is a good choice!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️

The Kiss Curse was everything I was hoping it would be! It had all of the fall and witchy vibes I needed. Now all I want to do is pack up all my sweaters, escape to a cabin with a fireplace and drink lots of hot chocolate while I read some books. Erin has such an amazing way of making her readers feel completely immersed in this cozy little town and their people. All of the little details are fun: The Cider Shack restaurant, college courses like “Ritual Candles”, the students Gwyn lovingly refers to as her “Baby Witches”, and Gwyn’s talking cat Sir Purcival. I really loved the relationship that brewed between Gwyn and Wells; the witchy banter had me feeling giddy! Things were set up so that all they had was each other and it was a unique, magical twist on close proximity. However, there’s nothing that gets me more than the guy falling first… and Wells most certainly did. He is as sweet and swoony as they come; I can very clearly remember the moment he called her “my Gywnnevere” 😍 Ever the gentleman, this guy uses SPELLS during sex to make her more comfortable. Between that and the dirty talk, I absolutely loved the sexy scenes of this book. Gwyn is just the kind of fiesty, girl boss heroine I look for and I was very happy to see her take charge in her own story. While the conflict was a little flat, I thought the ending was very true to their personalities. I really hope we will get more of Graves Glen!

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩.5/5
the perfect spooky season rom com!! This book was a fun, cute, funny, witchy rom com that is a must read for Halloween. If you read the first book (The Ex Hex) you will absolutely love this one. I fell in love with Gwyn and Wells and I loved the fall, cozy vibes this book gave. If you haven’t read the first book I highly recommend reading both for some fun spooky/fall reads this year. The perfect book to light a pumpkin candle & read on a fall day!

I loved the first book in the series. So I was super excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. This is a perfect book for Halloween. It has all the witchy vibes plus some spice.

Gwyn Jones, cousin of Viv is living happily in Graves Glen, Georgia. She is running a successful shop Something Wicked. She's helping out with the planning of the town's festivals. She even mentors some baby witches. Everything is swell until she happens upon Llewellyn "Wells" Penwood. He is back in Graves Glen and Gwyn is really wondering why. Then he opens a shop right across the street from hers and sells witchy items. Then the games begin. Enemies.

This was such a fun read. I loved the banter between Gwyn & Wells. Plus the heat. I laughed out loud and swooned many times. This series is my favorite and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Gwyn and Wells. Sigh. I just loved them. I think I liked The Kiss Curse better than the Ex Hex. We are back in Graves Glen, one of my favorite fake witchy towns that I wish I could go visit. There was so much to love about this one.

1) Gwyn's baby witches
2) Sir Purrcival
3) The rivalry between Gwyn and Wells
4) The small mysteries that were interwoven into the story
5) It was just a damn fun book

I definitely think if you are enjoying witchy rom-coms, you want to pick this series up. The Kiss Curse comes out September 20 and is available to pre-order now. Many thanks to Avon for an early gifted copy.

This is a perfect fall book full of spells and witchy fun ! It got me ready doe the spirt of fall. The hames that they played in this little town was so entertaining.

3.5 stars

I feel a bit bad rounding it down to 3 for a rating, because I really do love Gwyn and Wells as characters. But the end felt a bit rushed, anti-climatic, and a smidge too convenient. I know romance is always too convenient, but the resolution to the non-romantic part of it was just like - *poof* - issue gone. It really let down a strong first 3/4 of the book where you were building good feelings about this couple and their dynamic, and it felt that something a bit more sinister and sustained would happen (OK - there was sinister intent, but it all happened too fast!). I did find that this book was missing some of the atmosphere of the first book in this series - though the lead-up to Halloween did play into the story, I just wasn't feeling it in the same way. Overall, still very enjoyable, and I would read another one in this series if it ever came along!

This was incredibly charming. I feel bad saying I went into this with low expectations because I did very much enjoy The Ex Hex which was the perfect witchy fall read. The Kiss Curse puts us right back in Graves Glen, but this time we follow Gwyn, Viv's cousin and Wells, Rhys' brother.

Gwyn is still running her novelty shop, Something Wicked, when Wells Pennhallow comes back to town in order to re-establish his family's connection in the town after the events of The Ex Hex. His version of re-establishing, though, is setting up a rival store to Gwyn's right across the street. This situation is ripe for tension and bickering and all my favorite rivals to lovers trappings. Gwyn and Wells have instant chemistry and it was so fun to watch their rivalry quickly turn into them working together to solve another mystery involving their town.

This was a fun, breezy fall read that instantly put me in the mood for pumpkins and Halloween and hot cider. It's a short book, but I was really impressed by how much Sterling is able to fit in the book and I never felt the pacing to be rushed. I was very much invested in Gwyn and Wells' burgeoning romance as well as a plot involving Gwyn tutoring some baby witches and an ominous threat over the town. There were twits in the book I thought I guessed and that took refreshing turns and I had the best time reading this. I think I liked it better than The Ex Hex!

I highly recommend this delightful, open-door romance especially if you want to get a start on feeling all those fall feelings.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.