I liked the Ex Hex a lot, but it’s Gwyn and Wells who have my heart! Book 2 in @erinsterlingbooks’s series about a witchy family in the North Georgia mountains had all of my favorite things and then wrapped them in magic—enemies to lovers, a spitfire heroine, forced proximity, and genuinely delightful repartee.

The Kiss Curse is out September 20th! And while it would be a fun read as a standalone, the context of The Ex Hex gives the reader a direct shorthand with the characters as well as their obstacles. Gwyn is a genuine and fierce witch living in a very Stars Hollow-esque town. While the town currently runs off her family’s magic, it was founded years ago by another family of witches—enter sexy hero Wells Penhallow.

A brief feud, a really hot scene in the back of a pick-up, and a battle of good & evil all play into a HEA that was a long time in the making.

If that does nothing for you, allow me to share the first line that had me laughing out loud:

Given that the spell had been “Turn this leaf into something else,” and Gwynevere Jones had indeed turned that leaf into something else, it seemed extremely unfair that everyone was now screaming at her.

🙈 I love it so much! Thanks to @avonbooks and #netgalley for the advanced copy! @erinsterlingbooks, please tell me Book 3 is a werewolf and a human 🙀😂

🏷 #bookstagram #bookreview #romance #romancebooks #hea #witchybooks #witchyvibes #witchy #witchywoman #paranormalromance #bookstagrammer #halloween #halloweenbooks #fallbooks #fallreads

Who doesn’t love a grumpy/sunshine romance? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like the first book on the series, “The Ex Hex”. But I like this one just a little bit more. This time it was Vivi’s quirky cousin Gwen’s turn to shine. I enjoyed Gwen’s character in the previous book and I couldn’t wait for her to have her own story.

Gwen and Wells had a bumpy start; with him not even remembering their first meeting in college. But they found themselves constantly drawn to one another. So when trouble arrives in town and Gwen’s Magic starts to go wonky it only made sense to pair up with Wells to figure out what was going on. If they happen to get closer while trying to Scooby everything, so be it. Add in some baby witches and the return of Purrcival the talking cat and you got some fun hijinx. I would definitely recommend this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for releasing this arc to me in exchange for an honest review.

@erinsterlingbooks quickly became a 'if they write it, I will read it' author for me with 'The Ex Hex' last
October, it encapsulates everything I want in a book during spooky season. The fact it exists makes my Halloween loving heart so happy but to get a sequel! No words. For the sequel to be even better?! Elated.
The Kiss Curse is an enemies to lovers romance featuring Gwyn Jones and Wells Penhallow, the quirky cousin and stoic brother to the Ex Hex's MCs. We're back in Graves Glen, the quaintest and most adorable little town in Georgia (think Stars Hallow or Middleton from The Good Witch). I feel like the town is almost a character in itself, providing the perfect ambiance and vibe for Halloween, complete with festivals and fun decor.
The magic ()) between Gwynn and Wells was palpable. Fantastic chemistry with banter to rival them all. Though I felt Gwyn and Wells weren't enemies themselves for very long, their families have been generational nemesis since the founding of the town sooooo0o the angst is there throughout the story from other conflicts. The two compliment each other perfectly and Wells is a hero everyone will swoon over.

As with The Ex Talk, so much of this books charm came from secondary characters that completely stole my heart. I had a blast getting into shenanigans alongside this hilarious cast.

I miss this story already and can not wait for it to hit shelves.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy, it was loved.

I loved this book! Dare I say that I loved it more than "The Ex Hex". The FMC in this book was just more so my thing than the FMC in the previous book. The world building was right where I wanted it to be with all the witchy/fall vibes to kick start spooky season. There is a rivals (not really enemies to lovers) kind of romance in here and I liked that as well. Some scenes/dialogues kind of fell flat...it was almost awkward? But maybe that's how they were meant to be? Either way, give this book a go if you want a light read to put you in the mood for spooky season!!

I loved this companion novel to last year’s The Ex Hex”. It takes us back to Graves Glen and all the witchy fun that we had in the original. This time the star of the novel is Gwyn, the cousin of Vivi from the first book. Gwyn is totally quirky and totally fun. She is definitely challenged when she meets staid Wells, who opens a store across from her own, Something Wicked. This book reminds me of a witchy version of Stars Hollow or a town from a Hallmark movie including all the town festivals. A cozy, spooky romp with a bit of mayhem and steamy times thrown in. I will definitely read anything else that Erin Sterling chooses to write in this series.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the eARC.

If you are looking for witchy fun, The Kiss Curse will fit that mood perfectly. This follow up to last year's Ex Hex is a great read. Here, Vivi's cousin Gwyn takes center stage, running her kitschy store, Something Wicked, dealing with three college students she dubs the "baby witches", and trying to fight her attraction to Wells Penhallow, the arrogant older brother of Vivi's husband, Rhys. This was a perfect read for my stressed back-to-school mind- it was fun and kept me interested from beginning to end. I love Erin Sterling/Rachel Hawkins and can't wait to read more!

I adore all kinds of witchy series, especially when they’re fun romances. So it was pretty natural that I loved The Ex Hex last year and was stoked to find out it was going to be the first in a series. All of that to say The Kiss Curse was on of my Most Anticipated releases for Fall 2022.

The Kiss Curse follows firecracker Gwyn, who is Vivi’s cousin. Now that Vivi and Rhys have solved the accidental curse put on Rhys and the Jones women’s magic now runs the town, Vivi and Rhys are off on a long overdue honeymoon. This leave Gwyn to care for the town, the store, and to deal with Rhys’ brother Wells, who has decided to make Graves Glen his new home. When he decides to open a shop up across the street from Something Wicked, a competition between the two begins. As Wells and Gwyn work to outdo each other, they’re attraction to each other becomes harder and harder to ignore, leaving both of them wondering if this relationship could be long term. At the same time Gwyn’s old college friend arrives in town, and Gwyn’s power goes on the frits. Is something or someone trying to take control of the Graves Glen again?

As I mentioned, I really enjoyed The Ex Hex. I thought it was a run light read and while the romance was more of a focus than the actual plot, I still though it had plenty of legs to stand on. The Kiss Curse was purely just a romance story, with little to no plot. All of a sudden I realized I was more than 3/4th of the way through the story, and the actual ‘mystery plot’ had been referenced twice. In total Gwyn mentions her missing powers 3 times by the time we get to 90%, maybe even 95% of the way through the story. It was a total side story. I mean there was zero development there and even when it did appear I was like ‘that’s it? what were they even trying to accomplish?’.

Shocking to no one, Wells and Gwyn to get together but even that just seemed to happen. The buildup and chemistry was low and while I really like both characters, they felt almost thrown together and there romance while cute is one I’ll probably forget fairly quickly. At least with Viv and Rhys, there was tension before they become a couple.

In terms of atmosphere this one fell flat for me as well. I thought the first one did a good job of providing the fall witchy vibes, and was really hoping for that in this book. Unfortunately this one lacks any sort of atmosphere and the Graves Glen fall events that should have been more central to the story, were barely skimmed.

I really wanted to like this book but I’m super disappointed to say the least, especially since I really liked Gwyns character in the first book. I might read a third book, but I’ll have much lower expectations for it if one does come out. If you want something to get you in the mood for spooky season, I’d recommend finding something different.


The Kiss Curse comes out September 20, 2022! Huge thank you to Avon Boosk for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

I really liked The Ex Hex and was excited to get my hands on an ARC of this sequel. I really liked Gwyn in the first book and hoped she would make a good main character - which she did. She's just minding her own business in Graves Glen when Wells Penhallow (brother of Rhys Penhallow from the first book) heads from Wales to Graves Glen and decides to set up a more serious magic shop right across the street from the magic shop that Gwyn and her mother run. Their retail competition heats up and they are wildly attracted to one another and one thing leads to another, as you would expect in a romance. It's interesting that Gwyn is really on her own for much of the story, with her cousin Vivi and her mother both away, so when her magic starts to glitch out for no clear reason, it's up to her and Wells to figure out what's going on. This was a very quick read for me and I liked both Gwyn and Wells individually and as a romantic pairing. I'm hoping that there will be another book in the series with the third Penhallow brother, who is painted as a pretty intriguing recluse.

I enjoyed this one much more than The Ex Hex. Our main female character was so fun and I enjoyed reading about her. The romance was cute as well. Some of the interactions felt forced which did pull me out of the story but it was never so awkward that I didn't want to finish it.

The witchy vibes were immaculate. It was fun and spooky - the perfect read for Halloween time!

The Kiss Curse is not a part two, but we do get a story about a character that we know and love. This book follows Gwyn, who we met in The Ex Hex. Erin Sterling knocked it out of the park. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It will be perfect to revisit for many Halloween seasons to come!

Many thanks to net galley for the advanced digital copy.

In The Kiss Curse, we once again are taken to Graves Glen to catch up with Gwyn Jones, Vivi's cousin. Gwyn loves running her successful shop and also beings to mentor some of the younger witches in town. Vivi and Rhys (from The Ex Hex) are now married and settling into the town. When her mom and Vivi leave town for vacations, Gwyn finds herself with more alone time than she anticipated in the lead up to Halloween but plans to keep herself busy with the shop. The only issue with that plan is the newcomer to town - none other than Rhys's older brother, Llewllyn "Wells" Penhallow. After the events of the first book, he decides to move to Graves Glen to set up shop (literally) and to re-establish his family's connection with the town. When their professional competition leads to a hot and steamy kiss, they agree to stay away from each other. However, Gwyn starts to lose her magic and some mysterious witches come to town causing Gwyn and Wells to start investigating together.

We were introduced to Gwyn in the first book of this series and I just knew her book would be such a fun time! Sir Purrcival has a front and center role (he becomes a viral sensation!) and truly is so funny. The banter and competition between Gwyn and Wells was truly top notch. I often feel like contemporary enemies to lovers tropes are totally unrealistic but this actually felt like a quite natural competition.

Some of the spicy scenes will live rent free in my head for a while - particularly the first one in the back of a pick up truck...my goodness! Also the first scene in which they kiss was so so funny. I could not put this book down once I started reading and ended up reading it in one evening.

The ending was maybe a bit rushed with the two plot lines about Gwyn's magic and the new coven of witches but I do think the romance was much better balanced with those plots than it was in The Ex Hex. This was a solid 5 stars for me, I had such a fun time!

There's one Penhallow brother left, and I am sincerely hoping we get his story next!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for a review. Definitely check this one out when it publishes on September 20th! Perfect Halloween/spooky vibes.

This sequel to The Ex Hex was such a sweet and fun fall read. I had been purposefully putting this one off to wait until fall vibes, but I couldn't wait any longer!

Thank you to Avon, HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this. Gwyn is such a lovable main character and Wells is the broody love interest we all adore. The rivalry was so fun to read and I love that the MMCs are brothers!!!

Just as fun, quirky, and delightful as The Ex Hex. Sterling's writing settles into a comfortable stride on her return to Graves Glen, which allows Gwen and Wells to really soar as characters coming together. Always a sucker for the little magical shop on the corner plot, the "rival occult dealer" set-up was a fantastic platform for a romance. I could read an entire book of shop owner vs. shop owner shenanigans with the baby witches as our Greek Chorus.

As with the Ex Hex, witch craft is given rules and structure, but kept a little hand-wavey and hocus-pocus-y which serves the plot well. This isn't the space for hard magic rules, and I feel the story is better for it. Kiss Curse scratches all of the Practical Magic/Charmed itches while upping the spice from the first book. If Sterling continues scaling like this, I'm going to need a fan and a mister for another venture into Graves Glen!

Fun, soft-spooky adventure perfect for a cozy autumn read beside the jack o'lantern.

This will be a near=perfect Halloween read. You can practically smell the pumpkin spice wafting off this book, and it leans into that. The protagonists have a lovely combo of chemistry and antagonism, and yet find ways to be gentle and loving. Also, they are incredibly sexy together.

In the second book of “The Ex Hex” series, we’re back in Graves Glen and this time it’s Gwynnevere Jones taking on a new Penhallow guy (her cousin Vivienne was able to snag Rhys Penhallow in the last book and now they’re married). This time it’s Llewellyn, also known as Wells, and remembered by Gwyn as the guy with attitude who ruined one of her spells in school many years ago. Wells couldn’t even bother to show up for his brother Rhys and Vivi’s wedding, but now he’s back from Wales to do, um, something, in the ancestral village (Rhys, at least was laying “ley lines” the last time, to keep the village enchanted and protected, although the Jones witches now have control). Wells strolls into town when Rhys and Vivi coincidentally go on their Welsh honeymoon and he proceeds to open up a competing store, Penhallow’s Magical Goods, across from the local witches’ retail shop, Something Wicked. Adding to the teasing rivalry is the arrival of a suspicious former friend and the atmosphere changes. Gwynn’s magic is affected. What the hex?

5 stars!!! Who won’t love this marvelous romantic sequel from Erin Sterling (pen name of thriller author Rachel Hawkins) that’s being published just in time for pumpkin spice season? The characters are all adorable, the town is super quaint (both tourists and witchy types live in harmony), and there’s that personal tension that, of course, explodes into something else. This will be published on September 20 — preorder it now (or get ahead of the hundreds of library reservations that will occur when the book comes out)!

Looks like there’s another (very hirsute and maybe downright furry) Penhallow brother left (Bowen). Time for him to return to Graves Glen next Halloween and be a pest to another cute witch — I’ll be eagerly awaiting that story!

Thank you to Avon, HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Gwyn has vivid green eyes and Sir Purrcival, the talking cat, has yellow green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Everything horticultural is pretty much magical, so any irises blooming in the winter would be excused.

I can't believe it is getting closer to fall. I'm excited for the vibes and a witchy book is just what I needed.

I read The Ex Hex last year and loved it. When I got approved of this I was so ready. And it was definitely worth the hype.

We met Gywn in book one and at that point she was in an on and off relationship with Jane, the town mayor. This book is about a year later and with all the changes going on in the town, Gwyn also seems like she's looking for more than a fling or hook up in the relationship department.

Wells is Rhys' older brother who is the "responsible one." He unlike his other two brothers still has a relatively okay relationship with their father. But if we read Ex Hex, we know that Simon Penhallow sucks. Wells decides (after talking to Da) that he will move back to Graves Glen and open his own magic shop.

So Gwyn and Wells become rivals pretty instantly which makes it the perfect set up for enemies to lovers. Add in that they are opposites and Gwen is sunshine and Wells is grumpy, we have all the great tropes.

The chemistry is very hot and watching these two fight their growing attraction was pretty funny. But there was also some questionable magic going on in the town along with Gwyn's powers being on the fritz. Wells and Gwyn work together to help save the town. Sort of like how Rhys and Vivi did in the last book.

If you are ready for fall and love some witchy vibes check this one and The Ex Hex out! This one comes out September 20th!

I am ready for spooky season and all the witchy reads! 👻🎃

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read THE KISS CURSE by Erin Sterling because I absolutely loved the first book in the series (THE EX HEX). I was prepared to fall head over heels in love with another Hallmark-esque romance but this one blew my expectations out of the water!

I already knew going in that I would ~maybe~ like this one more because we had Gwyn front and center. I adored her in the first book and was so excited for her to get her own love story and I was not in the least disappointed. This was the fluffy and adorable romance I was looking for. The immediate chemistry between Wells and Gwyn was so much fun to read about and just having them get under each other’s skin was a true chef’s kiss!

Also, Sir Purrcival is THE moment and absolutely thrived in the spotlight 😻

I was so excited to return to Graves Glen! I loved the adorable Halloween town when I read The Ex Hex. It’s back and just as lovable in The Kiss Curse. The characters I met and loved are back, along with some fun new additions. Gwyn Jones is amazing, and i love her punny fashion sense. I found myself making a list of all the fun fall shirts I now need, if only Something Wicked was a real shop! This book was funny and sweet, but also had some good drama and tension. I love to read seasonally and this is the perfect book to add to your fall TBR and enjoy with a pumpkin spice latte. I highly recommend this sequel, even if you haven’t yet read the first book!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 the ARC.

I’m not normally a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but Gwyn and Wells won me over.

Gwyn’s family magic powers the town. Wells is from another ancient witch family that formerly ran the town. New witches have flocked to the town because of the power shift and spooky things are happening.

Gwyn is determined not be drawn to Wells on a romantic level and Wells feels the same about Gwyn. They are opposites. Gwyn is cool and fun while Wells is stiff and formal. The two join forces to figure out the magical changes in the town and find love along the way. I will say it helps to read the first book in the series before reading this. Go ahead and buy both. I’m giving you permission.

I received an ARC for my honest review.

This was a nice romp through Graves Glen. I enjoyed the escape to fall with a very attractive but grumpy Penhallow brother. I love the baby witches, Sir Purrcival, and the kitsch of Something Wicked. Honestly I just appreciate the humor and escapism this book provided. I’m hoping we get to return again in the future.