This is the sequel to Ex hex and it starts off about a year after the end of the last book and deals with her cousin Gwyn Jones who is left in town as Halloween approaches with Wells Penhallow, the older brother of Rhys who is back in town to stay and open a shop that is the upscale competition for Gwyn’s shop just across the street. Of course they have a moment from the past that Wells doesn’t even remember but Gwyn still resents him about that make them be antagonistic to each other and during this time Gywn is tutoring a set of baby witches from the college to make sure they don’t blow anything up. This antagonism turns into them kissing and while trying to ignore their attraction to each other discover that a new coven has moved into town and Gwyn is starting to lose her powers. This was such a cute story and I really enjoyed coming back to Graves Glen and how the town is dealing with the new power influx from what happened in ex Hex and of course there is something else that is going on not just the new witches which was left open for another story. Just a really fun read and great rom com using my fave trope enemies to lovers but more like dislike to lovers. I really loved the banter between Gwyn and Wells and I just loved the baby witches that Gwyn was working with.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

I loved The Ex Hex last year and I was thrilled to have gotten an ARC of The Kiss Curse. It was witchy, romantic, and so much fun!
I loved Gwyn as a character so much and her banter with the ever proper Wells was so enjoyable to read.
I know a few reviews mentioned being upset that Gwyn’s love interest is a guy and not a girl, but I thought it was nice that it tied into the Penhallow/Jones animosity that was so important in the first book, so Wells as a love interest just made sense to me.. it wasn’t as if the book completely glossed over her relationship with Jane.
I loved the adventure, the magic, and the Baby Witches..
I definitely recommend The Kiss Curse and I think I enjoyed it even more than The Ex Hex! It’s the perfect fall read.

Mischief and magic abound in THE KISS CURSE, Erin Sterling’s follow up to THE EX HEX. In the sequel, we return to the charming world of Graves Glen, where we are pulled back into a tale of spells, love and legacy.

This time, however, the MCs are new — Gwyn Jones and Wells Penhallow give fresh perspectives and storylines to a familiar town setting. Through them, we’re reacquainted with old characters, like former MCs Vivi and Rhys, now happily in love, Bowen and Simon Penhallow, still holding things down in Wales, Graves Glen town mayor Jane, old flame of Gwyn’s, and the ever-entertaining Sir Puurcival, who is still a talking cat but has now gone viral. We’re also introduced to new characters, like Gwyn’s beloved Baby Witches — could a trio of side characters be more fantastic?! — and mysterious former classmate Morgan and her coven, who are very clearly up to no good.

THE KISS CURSE brought the same beloved family dynamics back from THE EX HEX, accompanied by a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance, but it failed to reanimate the thrilling mystery and carefully crafted tension of its predecessor. This plot has nothing on the overall spookiness and high stakes of the first book, which did a perfect job of balancing a steamy love story with a fast-paced race to overcome a major obstacle facing the MCs. Instead, THE KISS CURSE leans more heavily on the budding romance at the heart of it, failing to give readers any sense of real challenge or even producing chilling adversaries until the very end. The climax of the story is bland and rushed through, the bad guys watered down and one-dimensional. Everything is tied up too smoothly and quickly, which doesn’t allow you the chance to get invested in what’s on the line before the problem is neatly solved.

Where THE KISS CURSE is left at hints at — at least — one more book to come, which will very likely focus on a matchup between another Jones family member and the third and final Penhallow sibling. What’s less likely is whether readers will return for another predictable romp in Graves Glen. As for myself, I suspect I’ll be back to give Erin Sterling’s series one more try. For Sir Purrcival, if no one else.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you NetGalley and Avon or Harper Voyager for letting me read this ARC. I loved The Ex Hex, which was the first book, and this one was even better. Gwyn and Wells were both firecrackers loved how their relationship came about. Story was sweet, spicy and also funny. Truly loved it. Totally recommend 10/10 for me.

I really enjoyed this second in Erin Sterling’s Ex Hex series! …better than the first, actually! The book flowed really well, and the two main characters, Gwyn and Wells, were so loveable. Their banter and sexual tension were perfect!

My only con (and subsequent loss of a star) was that the entire climax “battle” took place in about two chapters. I was left feeling a little rushed and unfulfilled from that. But besides that, I enjoyed all the rest!

Big thanks to Harper Collins Publishing for this ARC!

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I wasn't the biggest fan of The Ex Hex but the sequel ended up being much better. I thought that the story flowed well, it was engaging, I loved Gwen and Wells as well as their chemistry. I love that these books always take place in the Fall because it makes them that much more exciting to read! I love that we also continue to get cameos of characters from The Ex Hex but that the storyline stayed with Gwen and Wells. This book has all of the ingredients for the ultimate cozy Fall read; a small town, witchy vibes, romance, enemies to lovers trope, a curse, and a lot of witty banter. I highly recommend this book, especially if you read The Ex Hex and wasn't a huge fan of it! This one will pleasantly surprise you.

Welcome back to Graves Glen, witchy friends! In the follow up to Erin Sterling's "The Ex Hex" readers are treated to a story centered around Vivi's cousin Gwyn and Rhys's brother Wells.

It's your classic case of enemies to lovers as Wells decides to up and move to Graves Glen. Gwyn isn't a fan of Wells after he was a no-show at her cousin's wedding and he opened a similar shop to Something Wicked - right across the street!

However, the chemistry between these two crackles and sizzles, and it's not long before they are acting on their attraction towards one another. Which is a good thing they've decided to hook up romantically, because they are going to need to team up to figure out what's up with the new witch in town - and why Gwyn suddenly loses her magic.

Sterling's style flows off of the page effortlessly, making this an easy read that you won't want to put down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has it all! Finally about Gwen and of course a perfect enemies to lovers romance. I loved the magic and the light steamy romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Harper did my free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely adored the Ex Hex and was so excited when I saw another book was coming out with these amazing characters.

Gwyn and Wells were an amazing duo for this book but I loved how many other relationships we got to see in this book. The baby witches were hilarious and I really hope she gives a book about the baby witches finding love too. I enjoyed that we also got to see more magic and more of Graves Glenn too.

Anyway Gwyn and Wells being enemies to allies to lovers was such a good build up in the story that it made me enjoy their banter and interactions even more. I wish we would have gotten a little more drama between the two of them when they were in the enemies stage to make that switch to lovers even more satisfying. Fingers crossed that we get more books in Graves Glenn.

4.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy.

Now listen here, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I’d easily skip over the rest of the holidays in order to have more Halloween goodness. Witch Festival? Sign me up. Pumpkin Carving? Consider me there. Costume party? Do you even have to ask? I’ll be there with a wig and a costume, and probably a semi-willingly husband dressed up to match. Halloween is my jam. So needless to say when this arc showed up on my kindle I literally died just a little bit inside, from pure unadulterated joy of course.

This book picks up roughly a year after the events of The Ex Hex take place. It’s September and Rhys and Vivi are leaving on their honeymoon and Wells, Rhys eldest brother, is headed to Graves Glen. Where there are plenty of shenanigans ready to run amok.

Wells and Gwyn don’t start off on the best of terms considering she is throwing a bachelorette party in the middle of his families historic home. She doesn’t like him for not showing up to his own brothers wedding and he is obviously miffed at her for essentially being herself without apology. Tensions become even higher when she realizes he is opening up a witchy store right across the street from her own. Cue Hatfields and Macoys theme song.

I really loved the continuation of this story. I devoured the first book and I loved returning to such a mesmerizing location with such a fun batch of characters. This book hits a lot of great marks with plenty of banter between all the characters, and I’m a sucker for quality banter. I just didn’t feel like the stakes were as high as they were in the first one. I wasn’t pulled to the edge of my seat in fear or concern about any of the characters. The ending bit felt rushed and I wished we could have taken a little more time to really be with Gywn and Wells as they started to sort through some trauma instead of just speeding off with a quick cut to a week later. I wanted to feel that turmoil down to my toes so the reunion would be that much sweeter. I still clearly loved this book and I can’t wait for its eventual publication success.

I've wanted more from the Graves Glen witches ever since I finished The Ex Hex, and I was so excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of the sequel!

The Ex Hex follows Gwyn Jones (Vivi's cousin) and Wells Penhallow (Rhys' oldest brother) as the embark on a competitive and romantically-charged enemies-to-lovers journey and investigate nefarious goings-on related to Graves Glen's (and Gwyn's) magic. I was excited to get more of Gwyn's story, which meant more of Sir Purrcival being a big mood, and this book did not disappoint in that regard!

My one qualm about this book was that I was expecting a wlw story, since Gwyn is clearly defined as queer in The Ex Hex, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. And it's important to remember that queer women can end up in straight-presenting relationships, and that doesn't erase their queer identity!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the eARC of this book, provided in exchange for a review.

The Kiss Curse is a rare example of a sequel I enjoyed even more than the debut! The main witch in charge, Gwyn Jones, is self-assured, bossy, and generally right about all things. She jumps off the page. The love interest, Wells Penhallow, can’t resist all these qualities either. And it’s just fun to read about a man liking a woman for being a bit ruthless. The magic system is slightly built upon from the ground work laid in book 1, but your not really here for world building. You’ll get nice Georgia fall atmosphere and lots of banter. Thank you Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been reading Erin's books since her debut as a YA author and her writing is always so engaging! While I enjoyed The Ex Hex, I enjoyed The Kiss Curse so much more! I loved seeing Gwyn get her own book, and I'm always here for a sophisticated and uptight gentleman who has his whole life turned upside down by a fierce woman. This was fun, cozy, and hit the spot! I can't wait for more from this series!

• Witchy / Paranormal Romance
• Enemies To Lovers
• Small Town Romance
• Forced Proximity

Small town, witchy romance full of fun banter and all the fall and Halloween vibes. I was so excited to see that Gwyn was getting her own story and was eager to see more of her (and Sir Purrcival too!). Gwyn was strong, sassy and sweet – I loved her as a lead and loved her relationship with her ‘baby witches’ too. Wells was an excellent counterpart to Gwyn – I enjoyed his stubbornness, dryness and growth over the story. I liked the two together – fun banter and I can never resist some enemies to lovers, competition vibes.

This book was even better than the first for me, I liked the addition of the side mystery element and the slight twist. I would have liked a little more added to this bit because it was very interesting, but it did manage to keep the story on track and I will say I’d rather be left wanting more. Definitely one I look forward to picking up a physical copy of and reading again around Halloween. I’m hoping based on how things were wrapping up, we’ll get a third book in this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a fun read! It doesn’t happen often but I have to say, I think the second book outdid the first. It was the perfect light-hearted, little bit of spice romcom that I needed in my life.

Gwynn and Wells are just so adorable together. His uprightness and her quirkiness just fits. I love them!

THIS IS THE PERFECT BOOK FOR FALL! If you loved the Ex-Hex, you are going to ADORE The Kiss Curse. I enjoyed every second reading this book. Gwyn was one of my favorite characters in the Ex-Hex and I was thrilled when it was announced she'll get her own love story... and it did not disappoint at all!

THE KISS CURSE
By Erin Sterling
4/5

Is it fall yet!? I’m ready. After reading THE EX HEX, I was soo excited about THE KISS CURSE and that it follows Gwyn. I went in semi-blind and wasn’t sure who the love interest would be, but was pleased to see Wells show up. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers dynamic between Gwyn and Wells (one of my favorite tropes) and thought that Wells had a bit more to him than expected. I did feel like the ending felt a bit rushed and unresolved, which is why I took off one star. By the time I hit that 85 percent mark in the book, things were just starting to unfold and I wanted at least a few more chapters of the conflict.

In general, I loved the spooky vibes that this witchy novel puts out and it makes me want to immediately visit Graves Glen for Halloween. A really small note, I loved seeing some LGBTQIA2S+ representation in the minor characters as a step in a positive direction.

Read this if you love:
♥️ Magic / witch vibes
♥️ enemies to lovers
♥️ halloweentown or Sabrina
♥️ dual pov

Thank you to @NetGalley and @AvonBooks / @HarperVoyagerUS for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review to be posted on @booklovingtaylor in August.

I really enjoyed The Ex Hex, but I LOVED The Kiss Curse! The small town romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and tension were fantastic.

Gwyn is as opinionated and sassy as she was in the first book, and Wells was NOT ready for her. Just when I thought I had “the big bad” of the book figured out, there was a twist that I didn’t see coming.

I highly recommend this book and will be buying a physical copy for my bookshelf.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Gwyn Jones is part of the original witch legacy that enhances magic within the town of Graves Glen. When Wells Penhallow arrives in town and sets up shop directly across from Gwyn’s own witchy themed store, it’s instantly an all out war full of underhanded schemes and steamy kisses. I was enchanted from the start by the promise of an enemies-to-lovers romance. There were unexpected twists to the book that added mystery to the spicy romance.

Thank you to Avon and Harper books via #NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The follow-up to the Ex-Hex, following Vivi's cousin Gwyn, the Kiss Curse is everything I loved about its predecessor! Although I read the Kiss Curse in the middle of a scorching heatwave, the quirky, spooky, autumnal atmosphere that Sterling constructed instantly transported me to fall in Graves Glen. This was a delightfully fast read that had a nice balance of romance, witchy shenanigans, and the eccentric world building of Glen Graves, the Joneses and the Penhallows.

And if my reader-senses are correct, I *think* the conclusion on the Kiss Curse has set us up for another Ex-Hex story... hopefully with the baby witches!