I've been loving the influx of 'witchy' romances atm, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me. I struggled to connect with the characters in any way, and didn't like the insta romance style arc the author put in. I ended up DNF'ing at around 30%.

Perfect for spooky season! Sometimes you need a light and easy read and this fits the bill. Super cute read with relatable chapters that draw you in and keep your attention.

4 stars because it did keep me entertained, but I definitely would have liked a bit more from it! It was fast paced, excellent writing. I don't know if this will make sense, but I wish the story itself wasn't so fast paced. Like, it moved to fast to really flesh out the story and the characters. I like a fast moving story, but I like it to be more like the writing itself pulls you in and moves you along, rather than the events and characters moving fast through the book.

Anyway, I did like it! I love me a witch, and a romance. It is a bit like Encanto, in that the house gives you what you need, and there's a few people living in it haha.

Josh is kind of a doormat though. 5/10 for him.

A perfect spooky season read! Some really comical moments in this one, and a wonderful cast of characters. I loved seeing Josh and Essie's lives weave together, although sometimes found the third person format hard to relate to.

Hex Appeal was an adorable, very witchy read that is absolutely perfect for the autumnal season and change in weather. The book totally had the right vibe for Halloween, pumpkins, and spiced cider. There was a scary monster to face and vanquish, a quirky, spooky house that reshapes itself depending on its occupants’ moods, fecund Venus fly-traps in a magical conservatory, enchanted glass parrots, jousting cats and dogs, even magical broomsticks. Through it all, Essie’s coven/found family held firm and supported each other in life and against all threats.

Essie and her friends live together in Beldam House, a magical mansion in a small English village that has the reputation of always having snow for Christmas, no matter what else is happening in the greater area weather wise. It’s no wonder they always have snow because unlike her fellow witches, Essie has only one magical talent, and that is the ability to freeze anything to ice (pretty handy in keeping champagne chilled, but otherwise not particularly useful as far as she’s concerned). She uses this talent every year to bring on winter, but her talent has a deeper purpose, to freeze an ancient, malevolent witch finder who killed many of their kind in the 1600’s, and keep him quiescent for another year.

When sweet, rather clueless, hapless American hero Josh, inherits a local house, shows up in the village, and starts looking for Beldam House to collect on back rent that he discovers he’s owed, the witches start to get ominous, strange portents that all seem to be tied into his appearance. Even after he locates Beldam House, and meets (and is attracted to) Essie, he keeps forgetting it exists thanks to an old “ignore” spell however the effect of the spell doesn’t seem to be working as strongly on him as it does on the other villagers leading him to get more entangled in the witches’ affairs and especially in the matter of banishing the monster that threatens all of them.

Hex Appeal effectively straddled that fine line between romance and paranormal fiction. Essie and Josh were sweet and adorable together, but there was plenty of other paranormal action going on. The plot was a bit scattered, but I really didn’t care as I loved the book’s vibe so much. I don’t know if there will be more stories to come for the Beldam House inhabitants, but I really hope so as I wasn’t ready to leave this world. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This is an interesting book that has magic and much mystery in the sense of the characters backgrounds. I did like those main characters and enjoy their romance for the most part. The only issue I would have had with the book is that I did feel like the back-and-forth through time sometimes could be confusing. All in all though it was quite an interesting book and perfect for spooky season.

This book is a cute little rom com featuring magic, witches and romance. I enjoyed getting to read about Essie and Josh and all the side characters, but I needed more romance and I needed this to be a duology instead of one book. I feel that a lot of the aspects/fleshing out of the characters and the romance were rushed trying to fit it all into this one book. Hence why I think this should have been more than one book.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would read it again when I want to read a witchy romance for spooky season. And although I enjoyed this book, I wish there had been more meat to the characters and the romance especially.

Perfect book for spooky szn! This book was lovely and the characters were amazing. The story was engaging and I finished it in a day!!

Essie is a witch who lives in Bedlam house with a coven of other witches (each with their own talent and ability) and meets Josh who recently inherited a house, or a few houses(!) in the local village. What is unusual about Josh is that he remembers the house and Essie - when he shouldn't due to an illusion charm placed over the house and it's inhabitants. Drama ensues, and evil is lurking around the corner.

It's a wonderful book story and book with excellent characters. I would 100% recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Hex Appeal' by Kate Johnson.

This book was a blessing. 'Hex Appeal' by Kate Johnson was an absolute delight to read in the dubbed spooky month and I'd read it over and over again if I could. The plot was spectacular and I adored the two main characters - Essie and Josh. But I gotta weigh in on Josh in specific. Get me a Josh please. I want a Josh. The romance in this novel felt wonderful to me and I truly did feel a bit fluttery when they were making mad moves.

Overall, this book is perfection and I refuse to take any slander. Perfect amount of witchy and perfect amount of love. Beautiful.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. You know that feeling when a book really just hits the spot? I didn’t even know I was in the mood for a cozy and funny fall read until I got my hands on Hex Appeal but once I got going I was immediately hooked. I absolutely loved the quaint and cozy setting, the romance, and the humor. I actually laughed out loud at multiple points with this book and it just gave me all the warm fuzzies. The eccentric witches of Good Winter made the story so much fun and I loved that Kate interspersed actual history (info on this can be found at the end of the book) with fun witch lore.

The book was light and fun overall but didn’t lack depth as it tackled a few heavier topics. I do think the book could have been a bit shorter but overall it was so much fun and I literally could not think of a more perfect book to read in October if you want something with Halloween vibes (that isn’t going to give you nightmares)!

Content Rating: R only because of 1 or 2 open door scenes and some innuendo. Otherwise it really is pretty clean!

Synopsis:
Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about being hanged in the 1700s, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future.
All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).
Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell…

This is a perfect spooky read for Halloween season! If you’re in the mood for romance, humor, and a great story that will definitely get you in the holiday spirit then search no further! I really enjoyed this one!

🔮 I went into this read with excitement for the witchy season and it definitely delivered in that regard! Essie and her housemates are a hoot and I the house they live in sounded so crazy and whimsical.

🔮 My main issue is that if it wasn’t spooky season, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much (and I love witchy reads year round). It wasn’t bad, but there were many things just… lacking.

🔮 The romance was sweet in a quirky way, but was underdeveloped. I was much more invested in the side characters than I was with Essie and Josh. It felt as if this could have been 3 books. There was so much crammed into one story, but one book just couldn’t do it justice.

🔮 Would recommend if you would enjoy a fun, witchy romance this time of year!

Josh is new to town in a small village in Essex after recently inheriting a property from his late father. He quickly discovers he's actually the landlord of a few properties and while looking for the mysterious Bedlam House, he meets Essie. Essie and her housemates are witches, but thanks to spells put on the house, people don't remember visiting the home... until Josh comes along and suddenly Josh and Essie's lives become intertwined and turned a bit upside down.
Really a fun lighthearted fall read. Would give this 3.5 stars if I could. Thanks to HarperCollins UK, NetGalley and Kate Johnson for this ARC.

This book was not for me. It was too long and the plot didn’t start until around 40%. It was really oddly paced with so much going on but also with nothing going on. Did not enjoy

This book was marketed as similar to The Ex Hex and while it was, it was far more fantasy-esque. There were many times where I felt there was a little too much witchcraft history while also not explaining important aspects (like how long the witches had lived in the house or how they knew each other). It was a fine and interesting plot but I struggled to enjoy it.

A fun and interesting witchy romance perfect for autumn! There was moments of comedy and also some themes/moments that were darker than I anticipated, but really appreciated as they gave the story and each of the witches history so much more depth.

I really liked the relationship between Essie and Josh, and the way it developed throughout the story. The initial flirting was brilliant to read and I appreciated getting to witness them overcome whatever was thrown at them.. I also really appreciated the family dynamic between all of the witches at Beldam House, and the way each of their distinctive characteristics shone through.

This is the epitome of a feel good book with little angst, and absolutely perfect for the current season!

(Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review).

I wanted to enjoy this one a lot more but it was very boring for me. It took me quite a long time to get into it as well which was part of the problem. I will try more books from this author in the future though.

DNF @ 56%. The beginning of this book is pretty slow to start. Essie is a witch living in Beldam House with other witches, and Josh is an American who has inherited property in Good Winter from his father. Josh finds a 300 year old document that shows that a house on the property he now owns was supposed to be paying rent for the length of time his family had owned it, and he sets out to find Beldam House to collect back rent and begin collecting rent. He stumbles upon the house and is led inside by Essie, and finds that the house is more chaotic and fantastical than he ever could have imagined. When Essie realizes that Josh is not the window repair man she hired, she quickly shoos him out. Because of the spell on the house, Josh immediately forgets the house and what happened inside.

Later at a bar, he runs into Essie, Avery, and Blessing. Blessing encourages Essie to interact with Josh outside of Beldam House so he remembers who she is and so they might fall in love. Essie and Josh begin talking and Josh can almost remember Essie, much to her shock.

Who the hell finds a 300 year old document and sets out to collect all the money owed? I couldn’t wrap my head around that part of the story, and it completely threw me off. The writing for me was also distracting and I often felt like I was reading the same thing multiple times. For example, when talking to his sister Sienna, Josh says: “‘I have tenants.’ He had tenants.” I get it, he has tenants, but what was the point of repeating it immediately after the character states it?

The witch ball in Agatha/now Josh’s house is also mentioned multiple times. The witch ball is supposed to prevent witches from entering, but when Agatha was alive she didn’t believe that, so Essie freely entered but has since felt repelled by the house. This is unnecessarily mentioned almost word for word at least twice.

All in all, I don’t think this book is for me. I did like the kind of witches that Essie and everyone are, though. Their magic is really cool and fun, and might be enough for someone else to enjoy this book.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson
⭐️⭐️/5
Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review!
It brings me sadness to give the first 2 star review that I can remember. I wanted to love or at least like it. I’m sorry, but the writing was not good. A lot of the dialogue was cringy. The main characters romance didn’t flow well, and I felt the chemistry was forced. The plot was sort of interesting, and I wondered what would happen which made me finish the book. Otherwise, I probably would have DNF’d it.
The plot is about a witch Essie and her coven at their Bedlam House. Josh is new to the area and is the handsome new landlord of the Bedlam House. Josh and Essie have an quick romantic connection. An evil arises that brings up old family secrets. Essie, Josh, his sister Siena and the coven then basically save the world from this evil.
The story doesn’t sound bad writing it out, but it could have been fleshed a lot more. Along with better dialogue too! Oh well, I guess they can’t all be winners!

Being in the thick of spooky season has me in the mood for all things magical and whimsical! In all honesty it did take me a moment to get into but overall I would have to say I did like this book. I was living for the flirty romance between Essie and Josh but I will say I found myself missing something. At times I did find the story a little chaotic but I’d like to believe this was purposeful. I gave this book at 3.5 out of 5 stars as it was a great read! I rounded up to a 4 as I did like the book and it was worth the read!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollinsUk, and One More Chapter for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!