This was my first book for October and it was a really fun time!! I liked the author's writing style and they did a great job immersing you into the world. I loved Essie as a main character she was confident, funny and kind. I liked the dynamic she had with all the other witches and their chaotic energy 😂

I also really liked Josh as the love interest however wish we were shown more about his backstory rather than just being told the answers. His character definitely could've been more developed. I thought their attraction was believable and the development of their relationship throughout the book was nice to see.

The first part of the book pulled me in straight away however the plot started to unravel in the middle because there was just too much going on at the same time. I didn't really like the addition of Essie's mother and don't think she was needed for the story to progress. Also the ending felt quite rushed and I don't think it had the impact that it could've had if it was more fleshed out.

Overall, I did enjoy it and it was a fun witchy time😊

Read this if you like:
✔️Halloween
✔️A book with witches & spells
✔️A cute romance
✔️A chaotic fun family

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fun witchy romance with plenty of magical vibes, highly recommend to fans of Go Hex Yourself and similar titles.

Thoroughly enjoyed the beginning (and what should've been the end) of this take on the cosy witch romance genre. I did find that at about the 70% mark I felt as though the story had reached its natural end and had difficulty finishing it. Enjoyed the characters and the setting enough that I still pushed through, but it did score lower because of that.

I’m a sucker for witchy-romance! Hex Appeal follows American Josh, our hero, who has just inherited a lovely English manor in the charming town of Good Winter. Unfortunately, it’s a major money pit and his inherited tenants haven’t paid rent in a long, long time. 300 years to be exact.
Our heroine Essie has always wanted to be normal, but with an enchanted house, and a slew of old witch roomies, her life is anything-but. When Josh comes looking for rent and answers, sparks fly and the witchy shenanigans commence! An absolutely charming fall romance!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my review!

Quick Summary:
🇬🇧 England setting
🧙‍♀️ Witchy goodness
🔮 Magic
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to lovers
🧌 Monsters
🏠 Magical house

I really enjoyed this witchy read! I loved the premise and the romance. The story was a bit slow moving for me, and I would have loved to read more about the main characters and their relationship. The plot was interesting, but didn't always flow. Another think I loved were the side characters - hilarious! I recommend this cozy, spooky read.

The plot was ambitious but lacking at the same time… the characters were by far the best part of this novel. Essie and Josh and Siena all had qualities worthy of a reader’s love. I would love to live in the witches’ house.

I love books that have some base in historical facts!
Essie is a witch that feels she has so much power that she hurts people except for one day when she needs to usher in the winter season. She lives in a fantastical house with several other witches.
Josh has inherited a house and estate near to Essie, and being unsatisfied with his job he moves around the world to work on his house.
This story is complex, rich, and informative. I also loved the Outlander reference.

This is my honest review in exchange for an e-arc from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley, Kate Johnson, and One More Chapter.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson is a delightful seasonal read and just in time for Halloween. Essie lives in a house (with back-tax owing for 300+ years) in the small town of Good Winter. New property owner Josh from Seattle moves to Essex to oversee his new properties and recoup some of the missing income.

There is plenty of whimsy in this book, with a house that changes according to the needs of its inhabitants, powerful witches who sometimes can’t control their formidable powers (like the ability to freeze things – ahem), and an enemy-to-lover romance. Much to my delight, there was also a bit of time travel too, which usually adds to my enjoyment; however, in this case took away from the light-heartedness of the story by bringing in the reality of witch trials, and the “serial killer” Matthew Hopkins.

I wanted to read this book because I thought it was a light, rom com with witchy vibes based on the cover and title of this book. It was a little darker than expected and at times I felt disengaged as I never connected with Essie or Josh.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Collins for the ARC. Apologies to all for the lateness of my review 😊. Pub date: October 1.

Review to IG: FoldingThePage to be posted week of October 10.

Essie has her life sorted, at least she feels like she does. She's a witch, but she's doing her best to live as normally as possible and keep up with the times (which isn't difficult considering she's been alive for thousands of years). Enter Josh, the new landlord of Beldam House, where her and her coven have lived rent-free since the 1700s. When he starts to insist on some changes, Essie finds herself at odds with a man who doesn't understand all the magical going-ons, a monsterous prophecy that might be about to ruin her peaceful life, and her growing feelings for the new American landlord.

I was so excited when I read the description of this book! We rarely get light-hearted romcoms where the female is the centuries old magical being and the male is the human thrust into it all. The cover is adorable, as is the concept of Essie and Josh dancing around each other. I enjoyed Siena as well, she was a fun character that mixed in with the rest of the cast and I found her refreshingly multi-faceted.

Johnson has a very distinct writing style and I fear that it just isn't for me. From the first page, I struggled with getting truly into the story and had a hard time connecting to it. I was excited for a fun, cozy read, but didn't realize just how magical the plot was going to get. I honestly wish the plot had been scaled back to just Essie and Josh fighting their feelings with mild magical hijinks. I just feel like the book took too hard of a turn mid-way and I quickly realized it wasn't for me.

Hex Appeal was an adorable premise, but it didn't deliver what I hoped. I would love to pick up more of Kate Johnson's work to see if her writing grows on me because I did really enjoy her characters and setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

When Josh Henderson inherits a crumbling British manor, he expects to roll up his sleeves and begin the daunting task of major renovations. What he isn’t prepared for is the village of Good Winter’s resident coven- particularly the flame-haired Essie who has an icy touch and a preference for dunagarees. Perhaps even more surprising, is that unlike the rest of the villagers, Josh can actually remember the witches and their eccentric, shapeshifting home, ‘Beldam House.’ The chemistry between Essie and Josh is undeniable, but will an ancient evil, ancestral trauma and past relationship baggage snuff out their budding romance?

Hex Appeal is a fun and witchy romp that kept me on my toes. The relationship dynamic between Josh and Essie was heartwarming, unique and oh-so-karmic. I especially appreciated that most of their drama came from the external challenges that they faced, rather than petty and immature manipulations. Kate Johnson really nailed the whimsical details, rendering Hex Appeal both charming and memorable. I only have a couple minor quibbles. Namely, I would have enjoyed hearing more about the village and its inhabitants. Additionally, the intimate scenes were slightly awkward at times- let’s amp up the magic, baby.

If you’re looking for a sweet and lighthearted meet-cute this spooky season, give Hex Appeal a try. Talk about the perfect pick-me-up palette cleanser between dark and spine-tingling horror novels. Hex Appeal is a fresh and magical rom com with a quirky sense of humor. Craving something festive and uplifting this Halloween? Here’s your winning ticket.

This was such a roller coaster of a book. At the beginning it wasn’t my taste for the first half it was very cute and fluffy and if you love romance and sweet stories you would love it but I stuck it out and then half way through everything changed. The pace , the storyline, it was a lot better. When they went back through time to face the infamous Matthew Hopkins this was when I though everything moved up a gear. I wish there was more of this storyline where they were back in 1647. I really enjoyed this, and then back to present day it was a better book and there are aspects of this book that could move to book two, as Josh’s abilities could be explained,
It’s a love it or hate it book. I would read more from this author and I feel the darker part was definitely the better part of it.
The main characters didn’t leave me routing for them I preferred the side characters From 50% onwards I would rate higher. But because the beginning was slow going I rated it 3/5.

I really wanted to like this book but it took me so long to get into it. I didn’t ever *want* to pick it up. The slow burn was a little too slow for me and then it all felt a bit rushed toward the ending. I also struggled connecting with the characters with it being written in third person.

I liked all the magical elements and I always enjoy enemies to lovers! But unfortunately this one just fell flat for me.


Published on October 1, 2022!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

The perfect spooky witchy fall read! This was such a joy to read. Love the mystery, the romance, and all of the sarcasm. The characters were well developed and hilariously adorable.

A fun witchy rom-com. Enjoyable, well paced, very fun! A perfect read for autumn and Halloween, with strong family ties and beautiful romance!

Hex Appeal cast a spell on me! I loved and devoured this funny, romantic and suspenseful. Kate Johnson does an excellent job of introducing you to the village of Good Winter with memorable descriptions and compelling yet distinctive supporting characters. Blessing (fertility witch and qualified midwife), Prudence (manifestation Maestra and medicine queen), Maude (knitting sensation and future witnessed) and...Lilith (no description) make this read exciting and fun. The chemistry between our sweet and not-so-shy Essie and Josh will make chemistry blush. Their romantic journey is nothing but sweet, endearing and beautiful. Apart from romance, the element of suspense is well-crafted, with evil going back to approximately a century, slowly lurking and rising. Beldam House is nothing short of unique, weird and magical. The ending made my heart sing!! I sincerely hope that Hex Appeal continues as a series. A 5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Essie is a witch. She longs for a normal life, but instead she has cooling powers lives with her small coven in a magical house with quite literally a mind of its own and a confusion spell that makes anyone who enters forget it upon leaving.

Josh has just moved to England to a house that he inherited from his father. Unexpectedly, his sister Siena, nine months pregnant, has also showed up to live with him and help fix up the house.

When Essie and Josh meet, they’re immediately smitten, and Essie can’t believe her luck when the confusion spell doesn’t seem to fully work on Josh. Together, they’ll find themselves traveling through time, pursued by horny plants, and fighting a monster. Will they also find love?

This was an incredibly cute Halloween story with a little bit of spice to it. Essie and Josh had me laughing along with their conversations and fully invested in all of the crazy situations they found themselves in. Pick this up to get yourself into the spooky season mood!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the free ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I was really enjoying this book at first. I loved the whimsy of it. I think at times the author did an amazing job of creating this fantastical experience for the reader. There were just a few things that took me out of the experience.

First, I absolutely adored the characters. I thought Essie was just the right amount of confidence and sassiness but still being empathetic and down to earth. I really enjoyed her as a main character. I also liked Josh but felt he was too passive of a character. He's just swept along during all these magical events and it just never felt he had much of his own autonomy. I wish the author put a bit more effort into his character. I also really liked Blessing. I wasn't a fan of her at first, but she really grew on me.

As for the plot, I think it was a bit too chaotic for me. It could have maybe worked if it was taken a bit more seriously. This book had a more upbeat and comedic tone so when the villain and dark family secrets were unveiled, it felt more silly rather than something important which pulled me out of the book a bit.

I also could have done without the weirdness and chaos surrounding Essie's exes. I didn't find that one particular scene funny and honestly made me a bit uncomfortable. Nothing is glaringly bad of the scene but it just wasn't for me.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. The first half really knocked it out of the park. The second half is just where the story kind of lost me. If you're looking for a light-hearted witchy read for fall, then I definitely recommend you pick this up. It definitely put me in the fall and Halloween spirit.

Hex Appeal was an easy read, and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. I had to go with 3 stars though. The book was a slow burn, and then it seemed like all of these things were happening all at once towards the end. The chapters were extremely long, and I found myself not able to stay focused sometimes.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Kate Johnson, HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for an ARC of "Hex Appeal" in exchange for an honest review.

Josh is an American lawyer who breaks up with his ex, quits his job, and moves to Essex when he finds out his rich father has willed his English estate upon his passing. Josh begins to look into the other properties who owed his father rent when he stumbles upon Beldam House, an old property full of witchy inhabitants. One of the witches, Essie, feels a connection to Josh in more ways than one, and together they look to save the world from a monster of the past.

If you are looking for a witchy romance to put you in the mood for Halloween, this will certainly do the trick! It's not the most captivating read as I found the plot on the slow side until the last quarter of the book, It was also a bit tough to understand the progression of events along the storyline. There was quite a bit of chaos, which was confusing at times.

However, I found Josh and Essie's romance to be endearing and multidimensional throughout. Essie's character is brave, adventurous, and quick-thinking while Josh is definitely more timid, easy-going, and set in his ways. Opposites attract though! The characters differ from traditional stereotypes and made this story more refreshing.

If you want a story full of thrills, this might not be the one for you, but give it a shot if you are looking for a spooky romance and cozy October read.

I wanted to really enjoy this fun novel as a witchy romance for October; unfortunately, I didn’t. I felt that much of Josh and Essie’s relationship developed ‘off-screen’ and lacked the real substance to root for them. The pacing felt odd, so while I enjoyed some parts of their house matching their moods magically, or the quips between characters, I felt that the overarching story was confusing and missing a lot of elements. One moment we were with the couple in a bar, the next a full week had passed. While there were elements that I really enjoyed (the magic, the house, some of the world), there was too much. Time travel, unexplained magical stuff and lack of overall relationship development between characters really impacted my feelings toward this book. Overall, while it was fun, I felt it a little lackluster. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this title.

Spooky season is here, and this is a great book to kick it off!

Hex Appeal is told in 3rd person with dual POV of Essie and Josh. Josh is a lawyer from Seattle who inherits a property in England and moves in. Essie is a witch who lives in a house that is protected by spells and charms so people forget it exists (also forgetting she exists) but he remembers her.

It isn’t very spicy but is steamy and sweet with 1-2 chapters of on-page “activities”.

I know I shouldn’t but I actually liked her mom Lilith! Not so much her actions, but she was feisty!!!

I would definitely recommend this one if you like sweet witchy reads! CW/TW - There is the mention of SA in the book, happening to one of the MCs but it isn’t on-page, it happened in the past. Overall, it was a great palette cleanser read for me!