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.

Characters and plot was all over the place. I didn't fall in love with any of it due to not being able to follow the story. I had really high hopes of this being a Halloween rom com and it fell completely flat for me.

I was very intrigued when I first read the synopsis for this book, however I could not get into the story despite how hard I tried. I'm not sure if it was the writing style because the essence of the plot is something that definitely interested me, but it felt so long and dragged out and at times I wasn't sure where the plot was going. It almost felt convoluted. I really wanted to like this one and would definitely give this author another try, this book just didn't do it for me. I could not get invested and got to a point where I felt like I didn't care what was happening, I just wanted the story to move along.

This book should be made into a movie! Loved it. A book full of witchcraft, love, dangerous time travel and more!
I liked the way Essie especially is presented…
The book had a difficult start but that was necessary to completely understand the story!
Thanks Negalley and publisher

1⭐️ did not finish (stopped at 35%)

The premise of this book sounded fun, and normally I would like a rom com with witchy hijinks, but this was just not good. The main character is incredibly immature, and this book being in third person only made it harder to connect with her. She seemingly kept the love interest at arms length for no reason, and her actions were incredibly stupid. The writing is all over the place and I often felt confused about what the author was trying to say. The jumps between scenes were awkward, and a great deal happens “off screen,” making it hard to root for the main couple. The love interest is boring and regularly thinks about how annoying his little sister is, which I find annoying. And the author mentions he’s from Seattle probably a million times, like we get it, he’s American.

I was hoping this would be similar to The Ex Hex, which I greatly enjoyed last year, but I was disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend this one unfortunately.

A lovely wee witchy book.
Great one for spooky season.
I did find that it dragged in places and I wasn’t very invested in the overall story.
Overall I enjoyed it and would read other works of the authors.

3.5/4 stars

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

If you’re looking for a fall read, look NO further! This witchy rom com was so much fun. It took me a few chapters to get into this one (well more like the first third of the book), but I’m glad I kept reading.

Even though this one was a slow start for me, the actual plot and interesting characters saved it for me. There are some funny moments, witty banter, and you’ll want to keep reading just to see what happened!

What I loved:

🌟If you ever wanted to read a book that has Hocus Pocus vibes, read this one!
🌟I enjoyed the zany characters! It was a lot to keep track of initially, but they added a lot to the story.
🌟I really liked the drama between Essie and Josh and their banter!
🌟I loved the portrayal of witchcraft in this one and the whole spooky little town of Good Winter. I was sad when this one ended!

If you’re looking for a witchy romance or a fun fall read, give this one a read!

📖: Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson
Pub date: 01 Oct 2022

Thank you NetGalley, Kate Johnson and Harper Collins UK- One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this arc!

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, brief mention of gore, mention of past toxic relationship, mention of off-page rape

I’m such a sucker for any and everything related to witches as soon as the season shifts to autumn and straight through until the end of October. So this definitely caught my eye. Recently, witchy paranormal romance has been especially satisfying, so I went into this with very high hopes.

It took me a while to get into this story. Neither main character was immediately engaging to me—Essie was a condescending frost queen, while Josh was so down on his luck and … sad. It was hard to connect with either of them for the first part of the book, and as a very visual reader, I really struggled with following the descriptions of Beldam House. It’s a very adaptable house, and was described in such a confusing way that I had a lot of difficulty even picturing it at all.

However, once I pushed through the first third of the book, I really got into the story. The characters started to show a different side of themselves, and it made them so much more likable and easier to connect with. I enjoyed the connection between them as well as the side characters, who really made the story for me. Siena, Avery, Maude, Prudence, Blessing, and Lilith all contributed so much to the story, and I loved how unique each of them were.

The magic system in the story was fun, and even Beldam House became a part of the magic system. I loved how witchcraft was portrayed in this book, and there were flashes of humor throughout the story. In addition, there was something else more nefarious going on in the seemingly idyllic town of Good Winter that kept my attention hooked. I loved how everything tied together, and by the end, I was sad to let go of the characters.

Overall, this was a fun and sweet romance that wasn’t afraid to address difficult issues of toxic masculinity, women’s empowerment, and dysfunctional family relationships. However, it also talked about how the power of various forms of love, including romantic, friendship, and both blood and found family can help to overcome challenges and offer strength you didn’t even know you needed. This was a mostly fluffy and quick read that was perfect for spooky season.

I adored this book, it was the perfect autumnal read. A well built world with engaging characters. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

This was too messy and all over the place for me. Too many characters introduced with minimal information before old characters showed back up. The story was disjointed and kind of annoying.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson
I thought this was the perfect book to get me in the mood for fall. It was witty, magical, and a such a cute witchy rom-com. The cast of witchy characters and their magical mishaps made me laugh out loud. I absolutely loved the romance between Essie and Josh. The flirty banter was spot on.
It was a fun read and I recommend.
Many thanks to Kate Johnson, NetGalley, and HarperCollins/ One More Chapter for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Essie is a witch, living with other witches in a house that seems to have a mind of its own. Josh is a lawyer, who has quit a job he hated to come and see what the fuss is about property his estranged Father left him in Essex. When the two meet, sparks fly and launch an adventure 400 years in the making.

This is a cute romance and engaging story. I adored each of the characters and would love to read more in this world!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review.

It's a cute story, but there were times that seemed to drag a little. The first half took a while to get through, but the last 50-75% went really fast. I love all the witchy romance novels during this time of year! This is a great Halloween read if you're looking for some mystical romance with a really good plot.

Josh is an American who finds his way to Essex because of some houses that he has inherited. While looking at the paperwork on the properties, he notices that there is a house that hasn't paid rent in hundreds of years. No one in town seems to know where the house is located until he meets Essie. When Josh finally makes his way to Beldam House, he quickly discovers that things are a little strange - okay, a lot strange! Josh and Essie are quickly tangled up in a century-old battle involving both of their families. Can they break the curse and save the day or are they destined to fail? It's a love story. What do you think? :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Kate Johnson for this ARC.

A cute, witchy romance book that gave me the autumnal cosy vibes. There was a few times in this book that I struggled as I thought it was slow going but an all round enjoyable book.

Essie Winterscale doesn’t know what to make of the handsome American that has moved to her village. Other witches may know where she and her coven live, but the house is protected so that no one can find it unless there is a need, and none can remember where it is, but Josh seems to remember her and some of his time in the house. But Essie can’t let herself fall for the charming American because of her powers that seem to hurt those she loves outside her witchy family.

When Essie finds out that Josh is descended from the witch hunter who killed witches, she knows his heart is pure and he is not like his forebear, but her Mother doesn’t trust him, not at all. But love is greatest power of all and Essie wonders if they can’t make it work…if only they can banish the evil that resides in Good Winter once and for all.

A good read. Well written and a real page turner. Wish this were a series as I would definitely be back for more!

Enjoyable read to bring in the fall and winter. The love story between Essie and Josh is very cute and I definitely rooted for them. The house ever changing depending on the needs and moods of the residents was the best and the all the whimsical magical mishaps and wins put a smile on my face. Also enjoyed the time travel to confront the big bad witch hunter, but did wish that story line started earlier. Only part of the plot did not care for was the sexual assault on Josh from his ex, it didn't add to the story and his character for me. It was so flippant in the book and prefer when trauma is used in a book for it to be given more where this felt like a plot device. Overall still an enjoyable read.

This was… a lot, but I didn’t hate it?
Hex Appeal follows Essie, who lives in the village of Goodwinter with her coven, and Josh who has just moved to the village and it turns out he is her landlord.
There was a lot I felt was quite well done; e.g. the topic of consent, character building and I did enjoy the relationship between Essie and Josh. The book felt quaint and English while being progressive in some of its themes, I just don’t know if there was maybe too much going on that it overwhelms the story. There were a few times when I had to either put the book down and think about what was going on or go back a few pages and reread to see if I’d missed something as everything is happening so quickly. I think if this was edited well it could be really good but I also wouldn’t discourage people from giving it a go as I did find myself unable to stop reading it towards the end.
Review will be posted to Amazon on publication day.