Lovers of Hocus Pocus unite for this charming book!

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 of whom 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 (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).

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…

I truly enjoyed the utterly perfect English wit and banter within this story! It was easily devoured in a matter of days for me, which is a feat in the busyness of the week I just had. Despite the fast-paced story and giggles that happened on a few pages, I couldn’t help but find Hex Appeal lacking in some ways. Maybe it was frustration from the way Josh, who really just hung on for dear life most of the book, behaved that made him a weak character or how the story’s flow was action-filled, but more chaotic than anything. I truly hope that Kate Johnson does take readers back on a journey to Bedlam House in Good Winter so we can reunite with some of my favorite characters, like Siena and Blessing!

This read hasn’t been my favorite Fall Recommendation this year, but it definitely was an enjoyable one that has me excited for Spooky Season!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for your generosity and for giving me a copy of this amazing eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.⭐️ ( 3.5 Stars)
It was a great book, but there were some things that need improvement! I could see this easily becoming a series with the loveable cast of characters in Good Winter, Essex!

Maturity Rating:
Adult
Trigger Warning:
Sexual Content, Language, Assault, Occult Themes

ASIN B09YN9YJ94

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3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute story, but for some reason, I struggled to really get into it. I didn't care for the author’s writing style, and, at least at the beginning, I found it chaotic and hard to follow.

I enjoyed learning about Essie, but mostly I liked learning about the witches in her Coven. Oh, and also the house too! Again though, sometimes I felt the story chaotic and hard to follow.

The romance wasn’t quite there for me either. This was a book I struggled to get through. I just didn’t care about the main characters enough.

Thank you NetGalley for for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute witchy romance! When Josh inherits a property and realizes rent hasn’t been paid in almost 300 years he sets out to find out why, and stumbles upon a coven of extremely eclectic witches.

This book was so funny! I laughed out loud a couple of times while reading! It was also just a very cozy book. I enjoyed that there was a solid plot outside of just the romance. Perfect read for the season!

Picture a world where witches are a thing, and a few of them live in the depths of Essex in a house with a mind of its own. Their life and rituals are undisturbed until a chain of events brings a new landlord to their door, and that sets off another chain of events that means upheaval and mayhem. Oh, and quite a lot of extreme weather.

This is so much fun. A fast-moving plot, sharp humour, and a gloriously diverse cast of characters all combine to create something compulsively readable. Essie is so sure of herself in every aspect of her life save one, and her connection with Josh is instant; I really enjoyed seeing it develop from both their points of view. The book falls into the 'couldn't put it down' category for me, and I highly recommend it.

It was a very funny and interesting book, at the beginning it was hard for me to get hooked, I felt that things were going very slowly, regarding the plot, and at the same time something was happening very quickly with the relationship of the protagonists, but removing that, it was cute and entertaining read, the more you advance the more you improve, all that about time travel, magic, "the monster" was very interesting, I liked the characters a lot, as it is a romcom, I could not miss the comedy in the secondary characters, they made me very beautiful to read, it also has a little bit of "mystery", recommended as for reading on Halloween🧙🏻‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for giving me an ARC.

I liked but did not love this tale of witchy love. I really enjoyed the initial part of the book - the description of Beldam House and Josh's initial visit there was quite funny, and I love the inclusion of a comfortable non-binary character. The book lost me a bit, however, as it proceeded. I had trouble following the backstories of all of the characters (I still don't fully understand the story of Essie's mother and how the painting fit in). While I liked the idea of a male fleeing a female ex versus the much more common vice versa. What was unclear to me was whether the ex was still in pursuit - Josh's fear of her seems to be somewhat extreme at the start and then devolves into just (understandable) discomfort towards the end. I also didn't love the author's choice to exacerbate Josh's trauma as a plot point.

The demon aspect was also a bit confusing, especially the crossing of time periods. I couldn't figure out why Essie wasn't just told the entire story from the beginning.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars. A lot of potential but it seems like Ms. Johnson tried to weave in a little too much. Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a complimentary ARC via NetGalley. The opinions herein are entirely my own.

I liked this one! This was the first spooky season/witchy book I picked up this year and it had me pleasantly surprised. Halfway through after a main conflict was resolved I was left wondering what else could happen and boy did Kate Johnson deliver. The twists and turns shocked even me, and I read it in one sitting.

The romance, the witches, the time travel, and the love all had me hooked.

Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollinsUk, One More Chapter for this fun witchy read in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re a fan of Hocus Pocus, witches and Halloween but also romance you’ll love this one.

Out 10/1

This books is so fun, omg, these witches are just too much, the animals are just nuts, I have laughed so much about it, definitely a really good read for fall October , will definitely recommend

I read an ARC of Hex appeal from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter. Thank you for this opportunity!

This is a cozy, romantic spooky read for those that want a book that keeps with the Halloween, and Autumn season, but isn't filled with gore and scares, which at this point was what I was looking for. As much as I love my horror, sometimes I just want the aesthetics, and just lets me relax in its atmosphere without its demands on my nerves or gag reflex.

This story follows a witch who lives in a house that is truly interesting and wonderful in all the best sort of witchy, magically influenced sort of ways. And her love interest who inherited a rundown house in the village she lives in and is running from America in order to make a new start for himself. As the story unfolds, they find themselves drawn together by fate, and pulled apart first by misunderstanding, and then by magic and a past that is hundreds of years old.

Personally, I loved the house the most. It was my favorite character. I wish the story was less about the monster and the past, and more about them discovering the house and its antics, but that's just personal preference. Really, I think the book was very sweet, a few of the contrivances were silly near the beginning, but once the monster came into play, and their pasts revealed, it seemed to play out so much more interesting and didn't feel as forced.

This is definitely a sweet story for anyone looking for a sweet, slightly witchy read with a touch of action and a wonderfully character-filled house.

I’m getting into spooky season so I was so excited to get a chance to read this book.

Josh is moving to England because a long dead family member left him a house. Once Josh gets there he realizes one of his tenants hasn’t paid rent for Hundreds of years.
Essie is trying to live a normal life but there’s one problem… she’s a witch.

This book had so much potential to be so good but I was just wishing it was over. I was feel like some things were over detailed and the important things were not detailed enough like the monster and what it does if it’s released. This book had me so confused with the dialogue. I feel like if you’re going to have an American character, he wouldn’t be using all the British slangs. Sometimes I felt stupid reading this book because I wouldn’t understand what I was reading and I had to go back and read it again.

Over all I liked the concept of the book, it could have been so good but I had to force myself not to DNF

This was a fun, spooky, witchy read set in Essex. I really liked Essie, being the sort of head of Beldam House and discovering the true importance of her role and powers. Josh was adorably sweet and you just wanted to reach in give him a hug at various points. Essie and Josh together were cute, engaging and had some really nice sparky chemistry from the start. There were some fun, quirky supporting characters who helped build the picture of this little world (I hope Blessing and Avery get their own stories) and you had a good villain for our heroes to overcome as well. (3 ⭐️)

'Hex Appeal' just wasn't very appealing to me. Corny pun aside, I just didn't connect with this book at all. I fell asleep a few times while reading this book, and it was always a DNF. I pushed through to finish it, but I didn't enjoy what I read. I couldn't get into this story. I was excited to ready a rom-com about witches just in time for spooky season, but the book wasn't very romantic and didn't have much comedy either.

The focus of the book was more about the magical pull of Beldam House and Essie and the other witches. I got lost in the time jumps and all of the witches backstories. I kept hoping that we would get more romance, but it never came.

I also didn't like the parts where Josh described why he ended things with his ex. That was really problematic, and I think that it should have a trigger warning. There should be a trigger warning for later in the book, as well, for a similar reason. I wasn't expecting that in this book, and I felt uncomfortable when I read it.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for the ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Truly charming! A lovely small town romance with the fun addition of witchcraft and monsters! I loved the world Johnson built and the characters she created within the confines of modern England. Josh and Essie are absolutely delightful as a couple and I desperately want to see Blessing, Avery, and Siena find love!!! There's so much love and joy in this book it was truly wonderful to read.

I love a good spooky season romance and this was just that! Essie was a loveable protagonist and her chemistry with Josh was so good - it felt like a good through space and time kind of romance! Some of the mechanics of the magic didn't come together flawlessly, but the story itself was very engaging and the romance very swoony. Perfect for curling up on a chilly autumn day with your pumpkin spiced drink of choice!

3.5 stars. A cute witchy romance! Essie Winterscale and her coven of roommates live in a very old house in a very old Essex village. Their handsome new American landlord is a bit of a pest, and he becomes embroiled in their lives despite their attempts to keep him excluded. Why isn't the magic working on him? And why are the roommates having premonitions of a monster breaking loose?!

I think calling this a romcom is a bit of a stretch — it has a few funny moments and is lighthearted, but romcom is a generous classification. I also was expecting a bit more animosity between Essie and Josh at the start, based on the synopsis, but it's pretty much insta-love. Which is fine! Just not my preferred dynamic. I really only like romance when it's enemies-to-lovers or at least grumpy/sunshine.

The story held my interest, and the descriptions of Beldam house were fantastic — I think the parrots may be my favorite, or the scene where Bob and Marley were fighting! Overall, a cute story with plenty of witchy vibes and a neat HEA.

Thank you to Kate Johnson, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This girl loves a good witchy romance for the spooky season. This one was filled with unique interesting magic, lots of actions, strong badass women, and a touch history

Essie lives in Good Winter, a small town in Essex. She has always felt out of place as her special power really only comes in handy one day a year. She lives with a group of other witches who all bring something to the table in a magical house. Josh is new to town after inheriting a rundown farm house and tenants who haven't paid rent in a few centuries. when a prophecy is knit into existence Essie is determined to keep far away from Josh, but Josh quickly gets wrapped up in chaos and hijinx that seems to stem from the mid 1600's. Everyone is pulled into a battle with evil, while also just trying to find a way to move forward.

The side characters in this one were truly everything. The magic each of hem wielded was so fun. The magical house was a delight to learn about. I would really love to just read cozy books set in this world. I also love the touch of history and commentary on witches of the past and how women were scorned and murdered in the past .

My problem with this book is that it felt like it was trying to do too much and none of it was done super well. The plot did not flow well and felt too wacky.

This is a great fall rom com read for people into witchy things. I enjoyed the book a lot and am glad to have gotten to read early.

I love all the witchy vibes! This one was so, so good. I love the spooky vibes for the fall. I recommend this one for a book club.

Hex appeal by Kate Johnson. With thanks to Netgalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is perfect to pick up for the upcoming Halloween season. With enough humour juicy family secrets to keep you turning the pages and the romance was a little predictable but not too over the top. Pick this up for a quick fun read.

I liked it as a quick fun read, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the “witchy” genre. But if you are looking for a nice cute romcom for the spooky season, check this out!