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.

happy publication day!
i devoured this book over a couple of sittings who doesn’t love some magic and mayhem, it follows essie and her weird and wonderful family in a fight through the ages.
a fun read with a supernatural storyline

Hex Appeal is the newest book of Kate Johnson. It is said that in thiswitchy romcom Encanto meets Hocus Pocus. I always love romcoms as well as witchy stories, which should make this book a perfect fit for me. But what will I think of Hex Appeal?

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus…
Josh has just inherited a house, and soon finds out he owns half of a village called Good Winter. He is drawn to one of the houses, called Beldam House. A huge, ever-changing house, with tenants who haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! Essie Winterscale is one of these tenants, and she lives with various witches. All she ever wanted was a normal live, but the house and her witchy powers keep calling her. Essie wants to keep Josh way from the house. But soon a family secret puts Josh under her spell. What secrets lie in Beldam House?

This story has a slow pace, and has a just a little action. In stead it is more about getting to know the village and Beldam House, as well as its secrets. Essie and Josh have a slow building romance, but they also like to keep their distance. This makes the character relationships and depth are a bit complicated.

Kate Johnson has a nice writing style, and she knows how to make a romcom with fantasy elements. This book really gave me autumn/winter vibes, which is something I rarely come across. I loved the way the story was build, and all the plot twists that were involved.

Hex Appeal was a bit slow and complicated at some times, however I still enjoyed the story a lot. Therefore I give this wintery witchy romcom a 3,5 star rating.

i LOVED this book!! I’m all about reading about witches around spooky/fall season! It was witty and magical and everything I would ask for in a witchy rom-com.

This was quite a fun read. The writing style is quirky and amusing and very readable, and as whole the book was very sweet. The romance between Essie and Josh was lovely - they had a gentle chemistry and I liked how into each other they both were. The love scenes were well-written and steamier than I expected, and there were some really lovely moments between them.

The external plot worked well for me and it was nice to see the use of English history in the book, including details like no witch burning etc., and that it got across the terrible reality of witch trials. The framing of Matthew Hopkins as a serial killer was interesting to me, and I thought this part of the plot was handled very sensitively. The way it worked into the wider plot was quite clever and there were some exciting sequences in this book.

However, I did think the book as a whole wasn’t exactly boring, but occasionally a bit slow. It took a while to get going, and whilst the romance and the external plot were good separately, I didn’t think they quite worked well together. Still, this is a good book. It was cosy, with some good storytelling and fun ideas, and it’s definitely perfect to curl up with on a dark October evening. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a witchy, spooky read with a gentle romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Violence, references to tortrue, execution by hanging, intimate partner violence (in past), controlling behaviour (in past), rape (in past), cancer (parent, in past), absent parent, death, on-page sex.

I didn't finish it, it just was a little too slow and a little not spicy enough for my tastes, but cute none the less!

A breath of crisp autumn air! Essie and Josh were cute ( I personally like a little more angst and pining, ya know?) But the real star of this book was Beldam House. I was immediately entranced by its chaotic Hocus Pocus witchy energy!

Thank you Harper Collins U.K., One More Chapter and NetGalley for the arc of Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and I can truthfully say that this was the perfect witchy antidote for the spooky season.

This is a totally fun, quick, witty romcom that totally delivers witchy, spooky and romantic vibes. If you love a good witchy romcom, Hocus Pocus and contemporary reads like The Ex Hex, then this will tick the boxes for you.

Key protagonists in the story are Essie Winterscale, a winter witch who is always fabulous at a party, wine is never warm when she’s around and Josh Henderson, an ex lawyer who’s moved to an Essex village to start a new life in the farmhouse he inherited from his father.
Unbeknownst to both, Josh us Essie’s landlord and in need of cash, he’s trying to sort the rent for Essie’s house, that hasn’t been paid for nearly 300 years.

Throw in a bit of a jinxed romance, memory games and a monster from the past coming back to haunt then and end the world, and you have the makings of a fun story, with the odd sub plot for a little diversion.

A totally fun read that will entertain, make you ladies go and go gooey in all the right places. 3.5 stars from me!

A perfect fall rom-com! The romance between the two main characters was heartwarming and heartbreaking with all of the challenges that they face. There was so many unexpected twists and turns throughout the whole thing that I really don't think the description does it justice. This is a must read for any witchy book lover!
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARK!

Fun and full of hocus pocus!

Enjoyed this read, it was an easy read and I really liked the dynamic between the characters. The FMC was super funny and had me laughing out loud!

While this was a fun and easy read it didn’t particularly stand out to me. While I wouldn’t say it’s something I wouldn’t recommend to others, it doesn’t stand out to me almost similar witchy romance reads.

I was drawn to Hex Appeal because the blurb was perfect for spooky season. I think the author did a great job incorporating lots of humor and fun moments. This is a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Sadly, the characters felt flat to me so I struggled to really get into the story. But if you’re looking for a short romcom book about witches then give this one a try.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

this book had so much potential but unfortunately for me it fell short. it was all over the place and it was super hard to determine what the end goal was supposed to be.
however I really liked the writing style so I will be checking out more of Kate Johnson's work.

"You shut up about destiny," Essie hissed back. "This isn't a romance novel.'

"There is a woman flying on a broomstick tree feet from me, he thought. I'm not courageous. I'm insane.'

Essie lives in a the biggest house in town, the house is constantly changing thanks to the coven of witches that live in Beldam House. Essie only ever wanted a normal life but normal was never on the cards for her freezing hands. Though it does come in super handy when wine needs chilling.

Josh arrives in Essex as the new land lord of half the town. He quickly discovers that his tenants haven’t been paying rent or if they have it’s nothing close to what it should have been. There’s one house on the list that’s not paid a dime since the 1700s, Beldam House. Which also seems to not exist.

Essie is determined to keep Josh at a broomstick length away but he’s determined to find what Essie’s hiding. The electric coven and family secrets make it even more complicated. Not to mention the pregnant lady, the knitting future teller, some time travel and the big bad witch hunter and you’ve got a cauldron full of madness.

A fun and sexy fantasy romance, perfect for this time of year. There's a great mix of characters involved.
Very enjoyable and I'd read more by this author.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

Hex Appeal is a book that has the perfect fall/Halloween vibes that I was looking for when I picked up this book. A house that people forget about once they leave, witches, time travel, and more! The descriptions of the air and the settings only added to the Halloween-y, autumn feeling, which is one thing that I think was really well done with this book.

In terms of the weight of this book, I think it had a hard time deciding. In terms of the concept and the title, it was fun and light, with fun debauchery and an overall fun romance book. But every so often, it would get much darker and kind of throw a wrench in those vibes. I didn't necessarily dislike these tone shifts, since it gave the book more dimension in my opinion, but sometimes, it felt like these tone shifts came out of nowhere.

The main thing that stuck out to me that made it hard for me to get into this book, however, was the pacing. I feel like the book itself didn't pick up until around two-thirds of the way through the book, when I finally felt like things were happening. But then, once that part of the book hit, all of a sudden EVERYTHING was happening. A LOT was packed into the last third of the book. And while it was fun, it was a lot at times.

Overall, this was a fun, witchy book with a good concept that I mostly enjoyed reading. I would definitely recommend for people looking for a witchy book this Halloween!

Josh has just inherited a house that's been in his estranged father's house for generations, and is struggling to fix it up when his rich sister decides to move in-- after dropping the news that she is pregnant, and due very soon. Along with the house, he's inherited a few others (none of which make him any money at all) but there's one in particular, Beldam House, that seems to not exist.
Essie lives in Beldam House, which is protected by a powerful forgetfulness spell, so only its inhabitants and people who really need it remember its existence. Essie herself has a similar spell on her. So when Josh remembers who she is, and when he's able to find her house and remember it once he leaves, Essie takes notice.
Together, they must face an ancient evil that's hounded the land for four hundred years-- one tied to both Essie and Josh, though neither knows it.

Hex Appeal is fun, and sweet, and has some great twists and turns. The witches are a lot of fun, and the dynamic between Josh and his sister Siena is great.
At times I found some of the language a little hard to follow (some of the witches are from the past, and their dialogue at times tripped me up a bit).

Trigger warning for a discussion of a past sexual assault one of the characters has faced, and a moment in the book that triggers them as a result.