This is a bold claim, but I think I love this as much as Practical Magic?? I don't know, maybe I've just read too many disappointing witchy romances billed as being 'perfect for fans of Practical Magic' or 'Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls' or 'Hocus Pocus but they bang'. Reader, they were NOT, but THIS had the exact vibes I was looking for when I read those descriptions!

It's funny, sweet and sexy. But also, crucially, it's spikey, and the magic is central to the plot and features strongly throughout. Not naming any names (you know who you are!) but the magic has been more of an afterthought in similar books, with scant references throughout and then you get to about 80% and suddenly it's all 'oh no we need a Big Dramatic Magical Moment, oops'!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5

This witchy tale was just what I needed to dive into spooky season! It did take a few days for me to get into the story, but honestly, this is the status quo for me when reading fantasy. The witches of Beldam House were each so colorful and unique, even Beldam House was a character in and of itself. I loved the romance that sparked between Essie and Josh and the adventures they went on throughout the span of the story. If traveling back in time and getting captured by a witchfinder intrigues you, pick this one up!

Hex Appeal was published on October 1, 2022.

Thank you to Kate Johnson, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a bit on the fence about this one! I enjoyed it, loved all the witchy aspects, and the characters were so charming and well rounded. However it felt a little patchy at times and I got a little lost sometimes trying to follow the confusing history of it all. Overall it was a sweet read and definitely nice to start off the autumn season!

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter/Harper Collins, and Kate Johnson for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Hex Appeal Essie Winterscale, a witch living in a home with other witches and an ever-changing landscape. Things are going well for her, minus the whole not being able to have a boyfriend because she freezes thing. Things overall are good, that is until Josh, the new landlord moves in near by and finds out that they haven't paid rent in centuries and is resistant to their charms.

This book was decent but it was a bit confusing because it was written in 3rd person and has a ton of details.

This was such a fun, entertaining book! The slow burn love story between Essie and Josh is great but the witchy elements of the story are what really keep you invested. Essie lives in Bedlam House with her fellow witches, as they have done for hundreds of years. Once Josh inherits the house he sets out to start collecting rent from his "tenants" but that just sets all the magic chaos in motion. The side characters of witches were all so unique and interesting to get to know. They really added to the storyline and action. I'm so glad that I picked this one up at the beginning of Fall. It really set the mood for the season. I am hopeful that Kate Johnson will write more about the village of Good Winter and all of the characters living there!

Thanks to Kate Johnson, Harper Collins UK, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Hex Appeal was a really fun witchy read to kickoff Spooky Month. While I had a good time reading it, I found myself missing something and I just can’t quite put my finger on it.

I think Essie and Josh had great chemistry and their banter was cute. The case of characters were fun and eccentric.

Overall a good read if you want a fun, spooky read without being scary!

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Essie Winterscale is a witch who, thanks to a charm on her house, has been actually forgotten by one boyfriend. And she um, froze… another one?? Oof. She has definitely had some trouble in the dating department! Then along comes Josh Henderson, who somehow seems immune to the house’s spell. Not only does he remember Essie, he accepts her for who she is, witchy ways and all. But can their new relationship stand up to the pressure when they get flung into another century? Or when Essie must use her powers to bind a witch hunter?

Essie is just the most heartwarming character. She just seems so lovable but her mom is super MIA, she has all the trouble in the dating department, and she is insecure about her powers. I just loved watching her become more confident and finding Josh who just accepted everything about her! Josh is also overcoming some issues of his own, and he and Essie just fit together so well. They are both so encouraging and supportive of each other! And… THE SUPPORTING CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK, Y’ALL! Siena! Avery! Blessing! Maude! Loved them all! Such a fun read for SPOOKY SZN! I laughed so many times and just loved this quirky rom com!!

This was a fun and very quirky book. I laughed a lot and throughly enjoyed it especially the characters. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Small town and witchy vibes, Hex Appeal sounded cozy and adorable. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me and I was bored a lot

Read if you like: Enemies to lovers, LGBTQ representation (non binary), cozy witchy vibes

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 is still a bit salty about having been burned at the stake in 1635, 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.

In comes a gorgeous new guy from America. Josh inherits the estate in England and he is shocked to find out that one of his tenants hasn't paid the rent since the 1700's. When he looks for the house, it doesn't seem to exist. Essie Winterscale and the other witches that live with her in the magical house are willing to help. Essie gets involved with him to keep him from looking too closely at their home, a long-buried secret seems to put him under her spell.

I enjoyed this one. It was funny, sweet, and heart warming. I was laughing out loud. The main characters as well as the supporting cast was developed very well. I love the storyline of everyone working together against a magical enemy. This is the perfect cozy witchy book for Fall. I highly recommend it!

Big thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and Harper Collins for the gifted e-book!

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC to review.
This book will be published on Oct 1,2022

On paper, this book should be perfect for me. Witchy fall vibes, a cute romance, and humor... but honestly, it didn't live up to the cover for me.

I thought the main character was... boring? I didn't understand her motivation for anything she did in this book. The romance was... okay. Our love interest had little to no personality other than being confused about everything all the time.

Where this book went right was the side characters. Blessing, Avery, Lilith, and Josh's sister were the best parts for me. They're all unique and funny with clear and distinct voices.

People who love books like Payback is a Witch, Ex Hex, and other witchy romances might love this more than I did if you can look past a little bit of a wonky plot and overall vanilla main characters. The world is colorful and beautiful, and I loved the setting.

Overall, my feelings on this book are very in the middle. For the right reader, this will be a forsure fall favorite. I'm just sad it wasn't me.

Set in Good Winter a small village in the depths of Essex, Essie Winterscale lives among other witches each with a unique gift in Bedlam House. Enter Josh, an absolutely gorgeous and also pretty clueless new addition to the village who just so happens to be their new landlord.

The world that this book is in has so much potential and it was absolutely fantastical! Something that I would definitely love to see on screen! The characters of Essie and Josh also had the potential to be quite loveable and were to a certain extent.

However I unfortunately didn't connect with this book as much as I was hoping, I felt a little lost for large chunks of it and I felt like maybe too many things seemed to be happening at once. However the love story aspect was pretty cute for the most part. Having said this I can definitely see how other people adore this book, but unfortunately this time it wasn't really for me. That's not to say I don't think other people won't enjoy this book as it's clear that they do.

2.5 stars…

Essie Winterscale is a witch living in a magical house in Good Winter, Essex. She lives with several other witches each who have their own skills. The home can only be found by those that need it and it’s forgotten by all others that visit (as it’s protected by magic). A home that happens to be owned by Josh who inherits it from his late father. Josh finds out that tenants haven’t paid rent in over 300 years and is eager to locate the house to collect the rent.

This one was very different than I expected. The first half of the story we are introduced to all the witches, including Essie, who each have their own talents. We’re also introduced to the mysterious house that alters its appearance and structure according to the witches moods. I did enjoy that part, but after that it was all down hill for me.

At this point in the story we meet Josh the new landlord. He was very withdrawn and strange so I found it difficult to connect with him. A evil spirit ends up being unleashed and Essie and Josh have to work together to banish it. At that point the story line gets extremely hectic. Their romance gets overshadow by all the crazy drama going on. It goes in so many different directions and gets very confusing and difficult to follow. I had to keep re-reading certain parts just to understand what was really happening. I did finish it, but it was a struggle. This one just wasn’t fit me. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This witchy story is about Josh, a seemingly normal guy, and a witch Essie. Josh moves to Good Winter because he inherited his fathers properties and is having trouble finding one of the houses. On this wild journey you meet a diverse bunch of people, even a monster.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters all brought something different to the story and every chapter left you wanting more. There were lots of twists and turns, and the way the story unfolds - I was never bored!

This was definitely an interesting read. I can definitely see the Encanto meets Hocus Pocus reference... I would actually say another Disney movie really fits with this one but it's spoilery so I won't say haha.

This book follows Josh who has inherited a house in England and decides to move there and leave his American life behind him. Once he gets there he finds out he actual owns a bunch of houses in the area with one owing 300 years of back rent. He goes looking for this house but can't seem to find it which is when he meets Essie... of course a lot more happens from there.

This book started out really slow. It didn't really pick up until the 40% mark and I seriously considered DNF-ing it during that first 40%. I did enjoy the book afterwards but felt like there was a lot going on that I was trying to keep track of so I wasn't overly invested in the story. The romance was really more of a side plot in this one which was fine but just something to note.

Overall, it was a cute spooky season read but could've probably cut quite a bit of the beginning out.

I wanted to love this one but sadly it wasn’t for me. I was confused a bit in the beginning and it was sorta choppy the whole way through. I didn’t really love the characters either.

I’ve been on the lookout for some seasonal romcoms to add to my tbr to balance out the thrillers I’m hoping to read this spooky season.

Hex Appeal features Essie Winterscale, a witch living at a spelled house in Essex with some other witches with big personalities. When newcomer Josh arrives from America, Essie is interested but hesitant due to a frosty past with dating (IYKYK). Essie and Josh find themselves drawn together, she decides he is worth taking a risk but secrets and monsters from their past threaten their world as they know it.

If I had to pick a word for this book it would be chaotic. There is just a lot going on that felt like too much to unpack. There are still elements to the story I’m not sure I understand because there were many details that didn’t feel necessary or fully fleshed out. However, I found the characters likeable and Essie and Josh seem well matched. The setting was perfect and it gave strong Halloween vibes.

Hex Appeal is available now and is only 2.99 for the kindle edition if you want to give it a try!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Hex Appeal was witchy, whimsical, and... a romcom kind of? Really hard to categorize this one. I was a little thrown off by the title as the romance wasn't really the focus. I do get the Encanto meets Hocus Pocus vibes (but with an adult romance) that others mention.

It was fun for the most part, and funny at times, just a lot going on. My interest kind of fell off towards the end and I didn't feel connected with any of the characters. Super creative though!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Hex Appeal
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/1/22
Author: Kate Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 318
GR: 3.51

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

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. 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. 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…

My Thoughts: This is the PERFECT opener for Halloween! I personally do not like too many fantasy books but I do love anything to do with witches or magic. The story is narrated in third person, from Essie’s perspective. It would have been a nice addition to have some chapters by Josh, or even the other witches. Essie is the perfect witch, she wants to be a normal person but has this one witchy hang up. The cast of witch characters is fabulous. You have the future witch, the medical witch, the ghost witch, the mother witch, and then Essie who has the magic of freezing. My favorite is the house which is 100% magic and changes depending on the moods of the witches. The characters were developed well, including the supporting characters, with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively developed throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, intriguing, magical, and just brilliant. This book releases today and I highly recommend getting a copy.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson was so much fun. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a cute, funny rom-com with witchy vibes that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

There’s a hilarious array of witty and interesting side characters. I would have loved more time with our resident witched Avery, Maude, Prudence, Blessing, and Lilith. There was a lot going on and as a result I found them a little undeveloped. It felt like they were there purely for comedic value even though their backstories had huge potential.

I loved how Beldam House was constantly changing and adapting to whatever the characters needed. It felt like a nod to Encanto although the description was very rushed and confusing at some points. I would have appreciated more time to digest what was happening in each room and circumstance before being thrown into yet more chaos and antics.

Hex Appeal was a very sweet and funny autumn read with lots of potential but I found it disjointed and overwhelming at times. Great for fans of Charmed, Schitt’s Creek and Hocus Pocus.