This one had all the witchy vibes for a fun fall read: lovely, vivid setting, quirky and likable characters. Parts were slightly drawn out for me, but overall it was a fun read, and I definitely recommend, especially for this time of year!

Happy Halloween!

I was looking for a seasonal book and couldn’t resist this one with the witchy storyline and I’m glad that I was approved this book on NetGalley by Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter.

Essie lives in a hidden and changing house with other witches in the forest of Essex. Josh is their new landlord and new to the area. Josh keeps being drawn to Beldam House and Essie, and a family secret might explain why. As Josh and Essie grow closer, can she keep her own secret, or will she let someone in.

The characters are great, especially Essie and her witchy housemates. Each has a special magical skill that sets them apart, and come from across many centuries, that provides excitement to the story and integral parts to the story. One of the best characters of this book is the house itself, one that changes to its inhabitants moods, it sounds like madness to live in.

This book is full of twists and turns, magic, witchcraft, romance and humour.

This is a funny witchy book, perfect for Halloween.
Essie lives in Beldham House with her coven sisters. The house has a mind of its own, moving rooms and halls around, based on the feelings of the witches who live there.
The house is protected by a spell that will make anyone who comes there forget about the it and where it’s located the further they move away from it.
Josh has moved from the USA to manage family real estate. Unlike everyone else, he actually remembers the house and Essie after he leaves.
Essie’s not sure how it’s possible that he remembers. The answer surprises her and her coven, who have secrets of their own to protect. I recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Kate Johnson is a new to me author and I'm so glad that Netgalley gave me a chance to try her books! Hex Appeal was the perfect antidote to a rainy day.

Hex Appeal follows Essie, a witch that lives in the UK. An American Josh moves into town and the two have a chance meeting. Josh soon falls for Essie and her bewitching ways. Essie and her family of witches must banish an evil spirit. A former witch hunter's spirit has turned malevolent and must be eradicated. The story was slow at times but it was an okay read.

I was ready for a fun Romance and got a poorly planned out witch trial. Something about the writing was just off and did not flow well. All the characters felt unapproachable and had forced development. The plot jumped from one thing to another with minimal connections that also felt forced and just like it was hitting a check box.

I really enjoyed this read.

I saved it up until now so that I could enjoy it at the edge of the spooky season ending as a fun romp out of October and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this world.

The characters felt real. not sure I liked their names much but thats personal preference.

A really cool aspect was the houses ability to change depending on the season/what those who lived there needed. It reminded me a bit of Encanto with more witches and romance, which was a really fun thing to explore and experience.

The romance part of the book, was as expected, cute, could be a bit more yearning and maybe I'd have prefer to see it first person as opposed to third so I'm docking one star for that and the wanting more focus on the romance personally.

I'd absolutely love to see this book get made into a movie? it's just so feel-good and we need more Halloween movies!

Overall, really enjoyed it. The writing was witty and the whole story spilled from the pages into my mind so vividly.

Thank you to NetGalley, and One More Chapter / Harper Collins UK for this ARC, you made my little spooky heart soar.

Hex Appeal was a cute, easy, witchy read, perfect for romance lovers in spooky season.

Essie has lived in Good Winter all her life, and everyone in the village knows there’s something unusual about the women who live in Beldam House, but that they’ll always find them when they need them. Josh is running away from everything about his old life, and being left several old houses in the village after his father passed away is the perfect excuse to move continents and start anew.
When Josh goes looking for one of the houses to claim a truly astounding amount of back rent, and accidentally finds himself in the middle of the ever-changing house and remembers Essie despite the spells which have previously caused others to forget her, witchy hijinks ensue.

I liked the main characters although I found them slightly over exaggerated at times, and the humour was similar for me - sometimes it was really funny and other times it felt like it was trying too hard. The first half of the book was a fairly standard small town plot, however towards the end it got more dramatic in a way which didn’t necessarily match the vibe of the book up until that point.

Overall, I did enjoy Hex Appeal and I would recommend it for people who enjoy books in the genre. It just felt a little mismatched and overdone in some parts for me personally.

This is a fun and quirky witchy romance book 🔮

Josh moved to England from America to live in a house that he recently inherited and he discovers one of his tenants hasn't paid the rent for hundreds of years. Essie is a winter witch who lives in a magical Beldam house. She encounters her new handsome landlord and she finds that the house magic isn't working on Josh somehow.

It started with an overload of information but it was a good fun way, which made me want to know more about what is going on. There are so many to discover! I didn't have any seconds being bored while reading this book😊

It has a rural England atmosphere and also a historical element that I love a lot💕The relationship between Essie and Josh is cute and the setting is top-notch!!

I don't want to reveal too much as there are so many enjoyable backgrounds and events to unwrap in here.

Why I didn't give this 5 stars is I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I also didn't like how Josh's sister behaved, it disturbed me a lot.😅

I highly highly recommend this book! I just want you to jump into the book without knowing too much!😉

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a fun book. ok yes it was silly, but it was crazy fun and made me laugh and it was still enjoyable. Loved the characters Essie and Josh. 4 stars

if you’re looking for a cute, fun, witchy love story Hex Appeal is the book for you. it has a wholesome found family aspect and MCs who are lovely and easy to root for.

Essie is the winter witch of Beldam house. she has ice powers and they have meddled in romantic relationships thus far in her life, leading her to be done with dating. Josh has recently moved from Seattle to Essex to take ownership of the estate his grandmother left him in her will. after a miscommunication that leads to Essie bringing Josh to Beldam house, the two of them start down a path that leads to not only burgeoning love but uncovering family history and making things right.

i love a character forward story. Josh and Essie were very lovable and so were the secondary characters like Sienna and Blessing. i enjoyed the world that was built and how the characters interacted with it.

my biggest issue with the book was how some parts seemed thrown together and others felt over worked. this ended up messing with the timing and some parts were drawn out and others were rushed. regardless, i really enjoyed it.

4.5⭐️ rounded down

thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for the eARC!!

I've been going through a witchy book phase grabbing every paranormal romance I can. I enjoyed many parts of the story, the magical house, the family of witches, and the hijinks they find themselves in. But, I wish the romance had been focused on more as it was a bit insta love and unrealistic. While this story and the characters were cute and the plot whimsical, I struggled to fully connect and engage as I wanted. I found myself getting a bit bored at parts of the plot with some slow pacing, over use of description, and repetition. Overall, I can see others enjoying this book, but it wasn't for me.

To say this book wasn't for me is an understatement. I really was not interested in this story at all. At first I was interested in the relationship between Essie and Josh but it was just a bit predictable and dull. Except for one key element, I could see the drama coming from a mile off and the thing that I did see was more plot based than relationship.

The house was interesting and I would have loved to have found out more about it and spent more time there but the plot took us away too fast. The witchhunting bits, I found a bit hammed up and the bit where they just abandoned the plot for a sex break just irritated me.

It takes a really good romance to pique my interest and this just wasn't it.

I genuinely think this is one of the best books I’ve ever read on NetGalley!

Fast paced, likeable characters, unexpected plot, magic and humour, I would definitely recommend it. I really hope there are more in the works!

This was such a fun read that I really recommend to anyone who loves a good romance with magic at its core!

This was a fast-paced, cozy and heartwarming story with amazing main and unique side characters that you cannot help but love. I need more books with these characters, just saying.

I really liked the writing style and the world building. I do feel like this book would have been a lot more interesting if it was told from 1st person, multiple pop to allow us to get more attached to Essie and Josh however it being in 3rd person wasn't an issue.

I do definitely recommend picking this one up if your a fan of books like The Ex Hex and Payback's a Witch.

If you're searching for a truly witchy spooky season read, this is the book. The vibes are perfect for fall / halloween, and with such an intriguing magic system, the fantasy and worldbuilding are wonderful!!
I think I was personally hopeful for a bit more on the character side, and really wanted to root for Josh and Essie more than I did. The side characters throughout the novel really stole the show for me, and with so much happening in the magic side, the romance fell to the back burner in my mind.
There is A LOT happening throughout the book, and I think if this were to continue as a series that could absolutely help!!
At the end of the day, my desire for a spooky read was met and the story was cute, quick paced, and fun!

Very unique book. Somewhat confusing at times, but I liked the characters and the idea that the house disappeared for certain people. I also liked Josh bonding with Siena.

Let me scream it from the rooftops: I loved this book!!!
Originally I was excited for a Halloween romance but was also rewarded with a killer plot that was way more action and magic packed than I originally anticipated. I adored everything about this book from the atmosphere of this small British town, the aura surrounding Beldam House and the witches that lived there, and of course, the chemistry between Essie and Josh.
I had a smile on my face more time's than not and I would now absolutely love a sequel story following Sienna. Maybe she falls in love with a new witch in town! Please Kate Johnson I'm begging you, give me more from these characters!

This book was a lot more than I was expecting. It got to the action right away and pretty much never stopped until the end. The characters were fun and inventive. All in all a fun Halloween read.

I ABSOLUTELY adored this book!!

Grown up Sabrina the teenage witch is one of my personal catnips for a book and this one didn't disappoint! I enjoyed all the characters, and especially the slight grumpy/sunshine Dynamic with Josh and Essie. This was full of British sarcasm and wit and I have already been telling everyone on instagram to read it and read it now. I listened along with the audiobook via scribe which I would HIGHLY recommend :) Light some candles, grab a hot chocolate and settle down for this perfect halloween read!

(NB: the only reason this gets a 4.5 star and not a 5 is that it has a HP reference and also one of the themes, I couldn't tell if the author was being tongue in cheek about something quite serious)