Fast paced fun witchy book perfect for the fall season. There's a little spice, magic, time travel and some fun twists and turns alo g the way to keep the reader fully engaged. I was able to binge in one day. Recommended for anyone looking for a fun witchy read for the fall!

This was a witchy romance about Essie- a witch who has sworn off men, and Josh- a lawyer from the US who inherits an old farm house in her small English town. I wanted so badly to love this book, but it came off more of a “meh” for me.

What I liked:
-The witchy house concept. A house that changes in response to the residents needs and moods? Great idea.
-The romance. Josh and Essie were adorable. Their chemistry was fantastic.
-The setting. I love a small town and I love it even more when it is described wonderfully.
-Gave me the spooky, fall vibes I was after.
-The cover is beautiful.
-There is a gender fluid witch (side character) that changes appearance based on if they feel more feminine or masculine or a combo. They were delightful.

What I didn’t love:
-The Witchy house changed so often that I couldn’t picture it, and I was always lost while reading scenes that took place in it (many, many scenes). It was too much. I felt disconnected.
-Too much happened. This book could have been a less confusing series. The ideas were great. Cramming them into 1 book and cutting out info to make it fit- did not work. It didn’t flow and felt choppy to me.
-Somehow, even with so much happening, it felt repetitive. I don’t even know how.

I have read lots of reviews for this book, because I feel bad writing a less than stellar one. It seems 50/50. People either love it or feel meh about it like I did. I guess every book can’t be my favourite.

I would describe Hex Appeal as a cute rom-com with a witchy, magical vibe. Essie is our witchy main character and she lives in a magical, protection-spelled house in Good Winter, England. Josh is the American, from Seattle, that just arrived and is now the landlord of several properties---including Essie's. It's a cute, easy read with enemies to lovers, witty banter, lots of growth for our characters, and magic.

This book sounded like it was going to be the perfect spooky season read. But I just could not get into this one. The writing was in this weird 3rd person style that was hard to keep up with. I really didn't know what this book was trying to accomplish. I really didn't feel a connection between any of the characters.

Actual rating 3,75 star

This book was provided to me as an ARC by netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. The Hex appeal by Kate Johnson was not what I expected. I thought that it would be a romcom with a sprinkle of magic. Instead it was heavily focused on worldbuilding and plot. The worldbuilding was very easy to get into and so was the plot. It was definitely a page turner. On the other hand I didn’t feel like I got to see much of the main couple together and their relationship was a bit rushed for me. It felt like everything happened in a couple of days but you didn’t really much of them together. At the same time I liked the characters individually. Overall the book was good and it's for those who want romantic books but with heavy plot and worldbuilding.

Josh has just left his American life and moved to England to an old estate he had recently inherited. It turns out the estate is a money pit, but luckily there’s an income involved - Josh has tenants! And some of them owe him, uhm, 300 years worth of rent.

And that’s how Josh met Essie.

Essie, her fellow witches and their house are protected by a perception spell so people forget them (a convenient trick if you don’t want to pay rent btw) but somehow Josh remembers…

Essie had this alternative, quirky, long hair and dungarees thing going on, sort of “I’m not like other girls” but not exactly, and it worked great on her. Josh was a good guy and that was his main trait; definitely not an alpha male which on one hand was refreshing but on the other… I need my book boyfriends a little more defined and maybe a teeny tiny bit alpha- ish? 🫣

Essie and Josh were an adorable couple but I would have loved to spend more time with them getting to know and love each other. Maybe the fact, that the story is written in third person makes it more difficult to feel what they feel?

My favorite character was Essie’s house that changed with the witches’ moods, “provided what they needed” and basically had its own personality. Other witches were a nice touch and even though the magical world was chaotic it had its charm and it was a perfect match for Essie’s temperament.

All in all it was a pleasant, warm and cozy read with likable characters. If you’re looking for a low angst witchy story, this is your book!

<b>3,5 round up to 4 </b> because I needed a feel good book and this one delivered so I’m in a generous mood 😁

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: October 1, 2022

I bounced between 3 or 4 stars so I decided to go down the middle with 3.5 stars. This book is the perfect witchy read for the Fall season. Since the temps are dropping here in the mountains, this book satisfied that fall itch I was having.

The writing is easy to follow for the most part but I did take some adjusting to settle into the rhythm of the book. I was sucked in to the point that I forgot that I was reading. However, at around the halfway point, no romance has really happened and there wasn't much plot line to go off of. This led to my lower rating.

I loved the witty banter but there really wasn't much romance. Josh more wanted to figure out who Essie was. Overall, this was a fun witchy read to get you read for spooky season.

I really loved this sweet, spooky Halloween read! A perfect rom com as we move into autumn. Full of witches, wit and wonder, I loved how developed the characters were and the detail that went into the house and the other features within it. Personally, I could have done without the time travelling element, but it did tie in well to the overall plot.

The perfect witchy rom com to get you in the mood for fall!
The characters were well written, it had the most hilarious moments and it had a little steam.
I'm hoping Kate Johnson carries on the stories of the other characters as I'd be first in line to read!
4.5 stars

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Hex Appeal
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Kate Johnson
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy Romcom
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 13th October 2022
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.5/5

‘You shut up about destiny,’ Essie hissed back. ‘This isn’t a romance novel.’
‘What’s wrong with romance novels?’ Avery demanded.
‘Nothing, they’re just not very… realistic.’ ‘
Dear, you are a witch.’

Well, I had lots of fun with this one. Hex Appeal was the exact potion I needed to stop a reading slump. It was witty, witchy, sweary and sweet. With a storyline that had echoes of history (particularly seventeenth century Essex) yet makes me hope for similar future books.

The characters were impeccable and had an incredibly enjoyable dynamic. To be honest, this book has everything from time travel, teasing the devil, some slight spice, and a bucket load of ice courtesy of our main character, Essie, the winter witch.

I wish there was more information about how the magic actually worked. I’d genuinely love to read more about this world Kate Johnson has created. I’m so glad I’ve read this refreshingly funny and magical book, finishing this book this morning was a truly perfect way to start the day.

🧚🏻‍♀️

This is just a magical story of love and loss and belief and happiness and just so much. Essie thinks she is doomed and Josh thinks he is unworthy. Neither one is further from the truth but they can only find it out if they trust each other and themselves. The secondary characters are just as fun as the main couple and I think I am going to re read this every spooky season.

This was the PERFECT little rom com to continue with my halloween-y mood. I loved this book so much, and it was so easy to fall in love with all of the characters. I could easily see spin off books where each of the witches Essie lives with finds their own person to have a HEA with. My only complaint with this was the occasional phrase that seemed inauthentic or oddly placed (more commonly for things the American character said, but that's just my opinion). I believe anyone looking for a steamy fun romance novel with a HEA that may just fit into the Holiday season would ADORE this book! Highly recommend!

Overall, an okay witchy read. The beginning was slow so I really had to push myself to keep reading. Unfortunately, that also left me a bit disconnected with the story. I found myself skimming the majority of it.

As a self proclaimed witch romantic comedy enthusiast, I can say for sure that this book is amazing! I will this book to be a best seller and i will promise 3 times that I’ll recommend it to everyone I meet (that means i have to do it)!

Kate Johnson is fantastic at world building and if I could write a spell and drop my own blood on it for her to write a sequel to this book I would. The chemistry between the main characters was electric and i also enjoyed the side characters.

I don’t normally enjoy the 3rd person point of view but this book was written so well it didn’t bother me at all! I still felt as though I could connect to the characters.

Read this if you enjoy:
- witchy romantic comedies (such as paybacks a witch or go hex yourself)
- strong female leads who don’t realize how powerful they are
- quirky side characters that make you laugh
- cozy autumn vibes

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for giving me an ARC for an honest review.

I really liked the setting and characters in this story. I felt like the story took on a little too much and the plot wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. It definitely moved a little slow for me in the beginning. Essie Winterscale is a witch living in a home that can’t be found often and those who do find their way forget about it and her. A house that happens to be owned by Josh, who is eager to find it and figure out who is living there to ensure they are paying rent as it doesn’t seem rent has been paid in about 400 years. The magic was unique and interesting. All together this wasn’t a bad story…I just felt it could have been a better story.

I really wanted to like this. I love books with witches as main characters-but the plot fell flat and was just confusing at times. The characters were ok, but I felt like they broke character a lot and did things I would never see them do (based on the mid development from the beginning).

This was the first of the spooky fall reads for me! Essie lives in a mysterious and ever changing house with several other witches. The house is bewitched so that visitors don’t remember it but it inconveniently doesn’t work on their new landlord who is coming to collect centuries of back rent. Add in some ghosts, time travel, a winter ceremony, and a family secret and you have the rest of this story!

This was a pretty enjoyable read that I found nice and cozy for fall. I did find the plot to be a bit scattered and wish that things had been simplified slightly. The side characters were really the star of the show in this book for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review!

To be honest, I did have a high expectations from this book. It gave me fall spooky vibes and I was fully ready to dive in and feel like I was being transported to fall (we don't really see seasonal changes where I live). It might be that my expectations were too high, but I was a little bit disappointed. I found it a little difficult to invest in the characters and it was just missing that emotional pull that I like to see in books. It did give me fall vibes for sure, but just wasn't what I was hoping for.

It was hard to connect with the characters and the story flow wasn't appealing. I'm sad over this because i was so excited for this book :(

“Hex Appeal,” by Kate Johnson is a lively, sometimes funny, always witchy ride. Pay attention witch fans reading this: “Hex Appeal” will likely appeal to you.

The story has two main characters, Essie, whose been around way longer than she looks, and Josh, an American lawyer who’s just inherited some tumbledown property in Essex County, England, from his super-rich estranged father. Both characters are well realized and readers will root for them as a couple.

There’s more than one house in this story, and a heck of a lot of witches with gnarly powers like the ability to summon winter, knit the future and make magical
food and potions. Then there’s Beldame House, a place that flickers in and out of visibility and is a constantly changing, living thing.

Oh, and there’s time travel, and a fascinating connection to and battles with Matthew Hopkins, the real-life witch finder general in 17th century Essex County and its environs. Hopkins is a contemptible figure who has messed with the wrong witches in this story.

There’s an intriguing cast of characters in this tale, especially Avery, a witch who explores the concept of being non-binary in a way I’ve never seen before—thought provoking. Siena, Josh’s sister who is about to become a mother, does so on one crazy night, and I’d like to know her better. Perhaps a sequel?

One part chick lit (which I love), one part witch tale, and always fun, this story held my interest and entertained me. It’s a great pick for those of us who love “Practical Magic.”

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for review.