I found Hex Appeal to be a cute fall romance, with plenty of witchy-ness and magic. The witches who live at Beldam House are an eclectic group and seem like they'd be fun to hang out with. They all have their own magical abilities and the house itself is full of wonder and surprises.

Essie and Josh's romance is a bit slow, since she's hiding who she truly is from him. I liked them together, but just didn't feel much chemistry between them. I'm glad they became friends first and then gradually more as he learned about her heritage, I just didn't quite connect with them.

The pacing is a bit all over the place. The first quarter was introducing things and not quick enough for me, then the third quarter had a climax that left you wondering what would fill the final part. This could have been a smoother read, but I still had a good time reading it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the copy

Essie Winterscale lives in a small town in Essex. No one quite knows where she lives because of course, her house is spelled against visitors remembering it. Enter Josh Henderson, the man who inherited half the village and discovers Essie and her roommates haven't paid rent in centuries. Let the games begin.

Anything witchy automatically has my attention, but this one started off a little too slow and slightly wonky for me. but once the plot took off it was sweet, fun, and quite chaotic but can you expect from a magical home that has a mind of its own?

3 1/2 stars. Perfect for the spooky season and fans of Encanto and Practical Magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

3.5/5 stars

Essie Winterscale is a witch living at the Beldam House, a large magical home in a small town in Essex. She lives among her intriguing roommates, some living and some not. Her life is suddenly turned upside down when Josh Henderson arrives, their new landlord who recently inherited the land their home is built on. Josh, along with his pregnant stepsister Siena, alter the course of the witches lives forever as their arrival unleashes an evil that has been long buried for decades. Essie and Josh must join forces to defeat this evil to protect the world and the ones they love most. As their romantic connection grows, secrets kept hidden for years surface threatening everything that Essie and Josh hold dear.

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This was a magical quirky romance perfect for the sooky season! 👻 I adored all the characters in this one, they warmed my heart, this book was packed with so much: romance, magic, time travel, family drama, you name it! The magical element to this one was captivating and held my interest throughout. There was a lot of detail so it was easy to picture this cozy spooky little town and the magical Beldam house. There were a lot of things going on in this book and they all seemed to fly at you at once to the point where at times I did find myself getting a little confused. The transitions form chapter to chapter were also a little choppy and rough keeping the story from flowing smoothly, however, I really loved the concept of this story and the humor and romance slapped a big silly grin on my face from beginning to end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review, this title is now available to purchase!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the preview of this book! Hex Appeal is a cute, fun read with a lot of witchcraft and a little romance. We follow Essie, a witch who lives in Essex and is desperate for a sense of somewhat normalcy. Enter Josh, an American who inherited the house next door and who knows nothing of Essex... or witches. This book was fun, very heavy on the witchcraft, and a perfect read for October.

***3.5-3.75 Stars***

Overall,
This was a fun quirky witchy romcom. I enjoyed it and had a good time with it. It did take me a bit longer to get through because there are some tropes that I personally don't enjoy as much as others. This did not affect my start rating, but it just had me reading at a bit of a slower pace. What I enjoyed about this was the "Encanto" style house that has a mind of its own and seems to change depending on the mood. The side characters (especially Avery) and the overall vibe of a cute little English town. Essie and Josh are cute and the romance is sweet.

The one thing that did affect my rating was pop culture references. I feel like its fine if there is one or two. However, I think the fastest way to age your book is have them often and all the time. It also really takes me out of the book and away from the story.

Cover,
Its ok, It honestly doesn't look like much effort was put into it. I think the title was what intrigued me about the book more than the cover.

Recommendation,
I would recommend this to anyone who is jonesing for a fun witchy romcom, (especially during spooky season, I would say add this to your list.

***I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, in exchange for my free and honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early #HexAppeal #NetGalley ***

This was a fun, seasonal romp that gave me all the Halloween feels! Loved the setting and characters. The overall writing could use some streamlining but a good, quick read!

This one was a little slow for me. Took me awhile to get into it, but it picks up as the book goes on. I love the idea of this story. Essie is a witch who lives in Essex in a house that disappears called Beldam House. Josh is an American who inherits the Beldam House. It definitely set it up for a cute story and romance. However, the romance really just fell flat. It didn't feel like it had enough development. It might have also been that the characters didn't feel full development themselves, so it left the romance wanting. Definitely a cute plot though!

Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Hex Appeal was a cute October read. Took me a few days to get through it as the action picks up more in the second half of the book. I thought the story was original for a witchcraft book and I liked both the main and secondary characters.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson is a cute and witchy rom com. Essie lives in a multi generational house full of witches where she meets Josh. Can they avoid a love spell? Hex Appeal is a quick and light halloween read.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed but didn’t love this book. I felt that it was lacking some charm, or ironically, that certain magic. Essie and Josh both had a lot of potential but their characters just fell a little flat for me. Josh’s relationship with Siena is a perfect example - I didn’t see them growing closer at all as they moved in together. They didn’t know each other until 10 years before and hadn’t spent much time together, but we didn’t see any moments or conversations between them that would explain them growing closer. The book felt very plot-driven, which is obviously important, but the characterization suffered for it.

I really liked the magical world-building - I loved Beldam House and all of its inhabitants, whether witch, flora, fauna, or magical.

I am choosing not to submit this review to outside sites because my personal preference is to only do so if I am giving a book 4 or 5 stars.

I loved Hex Appeal - I really enjoyed reading about Essie's personal journey, along with the general plot with the other witches. All of the side characters were written really well - and the house was so vividly written that I could picture it in my head despite the constantly changing nature of it.

I thought this would be a cute romance with a little witchy vibe and it would be perfect for the season. Unfortunately, it was bogged down with overly descriptive passages and very little action. It got to a point where I found myself not wanting to pick the book up so I had to give up. I tried a few times but just couldn't get into it. This just wasn't for me but I can see how others may enjoy it.

Sometimes it's clear in just a couple of pages that a book just isn't for you. Hex Appeal's writing was not appealing to me. It felt juvenile and just wrong. I couldn't read another page.

This little witchy romance mystery was everything I wanted for my weekend escape. The Beldam House and witches that live there are so unique, interesting, and FUN! I loved the quirky, mysterious backstories of all the characters and their diverse gifts. I wanted to learn ALL about them and was totally invested in their stories right from the start. Every scene had me smiling, and every few pages had me literally laughing out loud. Plus, Josh’s character is so damn likable; I couldn’t help but root for the budding romance between him and Essie. It’s a feel-good read with a nod to history and a lovely blend of witch lore old and new. If this grew into a series, I’d happily keep reading!

Big thanks to #NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a delightful read. The story was warm and cozy, and the characters were funny and adorable. I would have appreciated a little more angst and mystery. Perfect for fans of Hocus Pocus!

This book just wasn’t for me. I was looking for a fun, whitchy rom-com, but injustice couldn’t get into this one. The beginning of this book had a lot going on with a lot of different character to try to keep straight. This book just didn’t hold my attention like I was hoping it would. I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Hex Appeal started off strong but like a hex may sometimes go, quickly lost momentum.

Josh, Good Winter’s new landlord, has a mystery up his sleeve: why has the Bedlam House not paid rent for centuries upon centuries. Needing the money to fix up his own cottage, he sets out to discover the occupants of the house and get down to business.

Essie Winterscale is a witch living with a few others in her coven at Bedlam House, Wanting to just live a normal life, she’s tried dating and becoming who she thought she was meant to be. And what she wasn’t meant to be? Discovered and remembered by Josh.

The Hex Appeal had a strong premise and a quirky cast of characters. I wanted to love this story but easily got distracted reading and couldn’t connect to the story/plot line. It was far too drug out and with much of the action happening in the middle, I found little need to continue on.

Thank you One More Chapter and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own,

This book was so charming and just the right amount of spooky without being scary. Essie lives in a house that people forget. In fact, people forget Essie too. One day, Josh moves to town and seems to forget her a little bit less than expected.

I so appreciated that the conflict was a literal devil rather than some sort of dumb misunderstanding. I also enjoyed the way the witches were both modern yet seemingly ancient at the same time. I hope we get to see matches for the other witches in future books!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for sharing an digital ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

It has been quite a while since I have settled down with a good rom-com, and fortunately for me Hex Appeal did not disappoint.

The story itself was well executed, whimsical, wonderfully witchy, and vibrantly detailed. It has been awhile since I have found the setting itself be so thoroughly charming as I did Beldam House, with its roaming goats, ever changing rooms, and an atrium filled with monstrous plants and flying glass parrots.

The characters were fleshed out enough to care about them, but also made you wish for a sequel to dive into the histories of some of the home’s other residents next. (Especially Avery, the non-binary manifester of one’s dreams, and occasional medicine maker)

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harpers Collins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars

From the plot I had very high expectations but they were not very satisfied. For the first 20% of the book I loved everything but then it was a continuous flop. The story gradually got lost and what the plot promised vanished in the middle of reading. I initially liked the characters but they slowly became boring. The writing, on the other hand, seemed to me quite good and fluent even if it often failed to capture me in the story. Definitely a perfect read for autumn, full of witches, spells and autumn vibes but it didn't satisfy me and I don't feel like recommending it.