Very cute witchy Halloween read. A shame it will be difficult to get for my patrons (I believe this was only published in the UK). While it doesn't stand out that much from the other witchy reads I read this season, it was fun anyway and thank you to the publisher for the egalley.

Yet another adorable witchy book! I am such a sucker for these types of books, and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. The main character is so cute, and there were some genuinely laughable moments in the book, and I mean that in the best way possible! The setting is so quaint, and I honestly wished I lived there myself. I loved this book, and I definitely recommend for anyone wanting those witchy vibes!

I loved the sound of this book as it was described to be Hocus Pocus mixed with Gilmore Girls. However, I’m not sure this is how I found it to be in this book.

Personally I couldn’t get on with the writing style as there were quite a few characters so it was a lot of speech rather than description.

I found the plot to be quite slow moving and therefore I found myself getting bored at times.

This being said, I loved the concept of the house and the name of it ‘Beldam House’ as well as there being some cute and fun conversations between the characters.

I think this book would be better enjoyed by people who want to read it for predominantly the romance rather than the witchy aspects.

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

Oh, I hope this book was just the start of a whole series, because I adored pretty much everything about this.

Essie Winterscale lives in a hidden house in the woods in the village of Good Winter. There's nothing really remarkable about her and her housemates, except that they're all witches with very particular skills. One housemate has a knack for fertility spells, another one knits the future. And Essie controls the temperature. Her main job every year is to make sure winter starts on time, making Good Winter the only town in England that always has snow at Christmas. But then gorgeous Josh appears, their new landlord who discovers his tenants haven't paid rent since the 1700s. Essie tries to keep him away from her and the house with any means possible, but sometimes love is the strongest form of magic.

This was the perfect blend of quirky fantasy, sweet romance, and thrilling fast-paced adventure. The details in this were just spectacular: horny plants, a fencing dog and cat, glass parrots. Add to that a healthy dash of time travel and evil spirits, Essie and Josh who can't stop flirting with each other, and a whole coven of meddling witches, and you end up with a pretty perfect book.

Loved the spooky elements - perfect fall read. I enjoyed the combo of humor and emotion. Essie will stick with me for awhile.

Josh moves to England for a change of scenery/ job.
He meets Essie who is a witch
Time travel, magic, romance.
Fast read

This took me a while, much to my dismay. I love witchy stuff, I was basically raised on Charmed and Practical Magic. But somehow this book didn't quite hit the spot.

Let's start with the concepts. Bedlam House, the Time Door, Essie's powers - everything was so interesting and I wanted more. But there were just so many different ideas/concepts/backstories and it all become a bit crowded and some parts weren't as fleshed out as they should've been.

The book seemed quite long to me and much was spent on describing surroundings, which was fine and all, but I wish we'd gotten more conversations between the characters.

I think this book would've been better as a two-parter, with even more time spent on the entire nature of the witches' magic. It also would've been better for the book's multiple climaxes.

All of it said, I did enjoy the idea and the characters. It was super funny at times and the romance between Josh and Essie very adorable. It happened fast, which usually is a no-go for me, but in this setting and for them it somehow worked well.

In conclusion the ideas were wonderful, but the execution was just a little lacking the right spark.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing the ARC.

I love a good witchy rom-com during spooky season and this one was no different.

I enjoyed both Essie and Josh as characters, and their shenanigans as they navigated the return of a witch-hating malfeasance hellbent on bringing himself into the 21st century. Meanwhile, they are trying to navigate a new relationship with each other that is marred by some pretty serious personal trauma.

At times, this book was laugh-out-loud funny. I love Johnson's writing style, and the incredible banter she gives to these characters. Their back and forth dialogue was hilarious and I actually wish we had gotten more of it.

Overall, a perfect spooky book for Halloween. Perfect for anyone who loves Practical Magic.

Did not love this one - I just wasn’t hooked by the characters! Made it through the first couple chapters but when I wasn’t hooked I put it down.

This is my new go-to autumn and Halloween read. It gave me current-day "Practical Magic" film vibes. If you're someone who enjoyed the "Bewitched" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" tv shows growing up, then this book is perfect for you! It's a witchy tale for grown-ups! I can't wait to read more books by this author. This is a cozy, comforting read with a fun, upbeat premise. Now I find myself wanting to visit Essie's house in Essex.

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus…

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…

This was a great pre-Halloween read! Both a mystery and a romance, it kept me hooked and i really enjoyed the writing style. I would definitely recommend!

4/5 stars!

I've gotten very into witchy romcoms the last year or so, so I was really looking forward to Hex Appeal and this book absolutely did not disappoint. Essie and Josh were such a fun couple with fantastic banter and such a sweet relationship.

Check out Hex Appeal for a cozy spooky season read, a cute romance and a little magic.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book - witches, an enchanted house, enemies to lovers. It started off okay, but then it got to be overly done. I felt like there kept getting more and more added to the plot and by the end I was struggling to finish.

I did like the Essie and her witchy friends. The house sounded AMAZING, as well, and was a character itself!

The plot of Josh needing to find the Beldam house and collect a bazillion dollars of backpay rent was fine, and then added was something about a curse, and then Josh's sister shows up (who I found really annoying and overbearing), and there was time travel, and Essie's mom, and some sort of frozen spirit of a witch hunter...It was just too much.

I'll definitely read more from this author, but this one was just not my fav.

DNF'd at 57%. The cover and the premise made me SO EXCITED. But boy, was this book boring. The writing fell flat, the character development just wasn't it and it just could not keep my attention. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, but unfortunately was a let down.

Had a great idea, the book just wasn’t for me. I would still recommend for a fun fall wait me read. I loved the idea and the concept behind the book, something just fell flat for me.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson has everything I love in a witchy romance. I loved the setting and especially the characters. Josh was absolutely adorable. He moved to England from America to an old estate that he had recently inherited. Essie and her family of witches live in a house protected by magic that makes others forget about ever seeing their house. The house is owned by Josh and he is there to collect 400 years worth of rent. Of course through out the book Josh and Essie develop a cute romance. Hex Appeal was a pleasant, warm and cozy read with likable characters. The magic was unique and interesting. If you're looking for a cute witchy story, this is your book! Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a cute book throughout the spooky season.

If you are looking for a book that specializes in absurdity and quirky characters, this might be the book for you. Unfortunately, this wasn't what I was looking for in my current read so I didn't really enjoy it. If you are looking for something like The Ex Hex or Payback's a Witch, I would not recommend this book. But if you want something with witches any way you can get them, maybe you will like it.

A cute witchy romance perfect for the fall. This book gave me all the atmosphere I was looking for right now. While I did enjoy the characters, the romance felt rushed and I didn’t get the connection I was hoping for. Overall a good read for around Halloween.