Reviews Posted: March 29, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

I’m not going to lie the start of this book was a rough start for me. It felt as if the author was trying too hard to be quirky and different. But as everything started to settle in, so did the characters, and things started to feel more smooth.

While I wasn’t a fan of either character at the start, but the end of the book, I had defiantly been charmed by them. I thought that over the course of the book, they developed great chemistry. The spice was great, and defiantly more of it than I expected.

The author tried adding a decent amount of plot into the book, and while I was interested in there was so much left hanging. There were things that the author picked up and just never addressed again. Honestly, I have a lot of questions.

Overall a fun romance read with great witchy vibes. But the amount of plot put in was not utilized well and got distracting at times.

4.75 ⭐️

This book has everything! "What the Hex" is a witchy, grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, fake dating rom-com with a bit of mystery. I was a little nervous going into this one that I just wouldn’t like it as much as book one, but I actually enjoyed it a little bit more!

Penny and Willem are opposites who clash at first, but once he opens up they’re really cute together. I loved both of these characters and their relationship was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.

The magical elements in this book were also so fun to read about and the cozy, lighthearted vibe was absolutely delightful. I hope there will be more books in this series coming up!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What the Hex by Jessica Clare

Published: April 4, 2023
Berkley
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 330
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Jessica Clare is a New York Times bestselling author who writes under three pen names. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance. As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. Finally, as Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales.

“I don’t want better. I want you.”

Penny is vibrant and colorful. She is like the sun, desperately waiting to be a familiar. Willem is surely and slightly arrogant and not very popular among people. When an unconventional deal brings these two together, the results are electric.

I love Penny so much. She was such a fantastic character. I love how bright and cheerful she was, how bold and unassuming. She is such a loyal person, perfectly balancing Willem’s brooding.

I liked Will a lot, too. He had a rough start to life and his craft. And after a mentor took advantage of and manipulated him, he because untrusting and did his best to isolate himself.

I love that Jessica gives her characters real issues to overcome, and through the character's journeys, they learn that whatever their issue is, they are seen and heard. It’s a powerful moment, and I love how beautifully it’s played out.

This was such a fun read. This series is perfect; it’s steamy, funny, and filled with a unique storyline that keeps you engaged. I’m glad I read the first book to get all the groundwork details for this world. The books can be read as a standalone or in any order, but I liked knowing who was getting into this book.

I am ready for the next book!

I really enjoyed the first book in the Hex series last year, Go Hex Yourself, so I was excited to jump into the sequel, What the Hex. The second book in a romance series usually doesn’t do it for me. I think it's a "me" problem and I'm so stuck on the first characters that I have a hard time switching to new characters.

Penny has been on the known list for years and has not been assigned anywhere near a witch. Willem Sauer is a wizard who is forbidden to meet for another ten years. When Penny is offered the chance to know Willem's books, she jumps at the chance, even though it could cost them both if they find out.

I loved Penny in Go Hex Yourself. He was enthusiastic and charming, and although he begins this book as such, his personality was felt throughout. Sometimes he was a doormat and sometimes he took what he wanted. Seemed irrelevant. He also makes CRAZY decisions that were difficult. I mean who jumps to say he's trying to have someone's baby like that could use so many other options. Literally anything else would have worked. Willem's personality was a typical grumpy person, but although I liked him, I never loved his character. Penny and Willem's relationship was sweet. The progression of their relationship was abrupt, but the sexual chemistry between them was well done. This is definitely an Open Door romance, even more so than the first book, so be prepared for some steamy scenes.

Usually we have one main romantic trope, but this story uses the big three, which I thought about a lot. Not only is it a friends versus enemies story like book 1, but it also has fake dates and angst/sunshine. It was a bit much for me.

Overall, it's still a fun, fast-paced rom-com, but the transition from Penny and William hating each other to loving each other was a bit abrupt. I never really felt invested in their "love story" which took away from the story for me. I read the second book in the series, but it wasn't my favorite.

In Jessica Claire's follow-up to "Go Hex Yourself", we find would be familiar Penny waiting patiently in the wings to finally have a witch to train under. After the society of familiars president makes a comment about her being a lifer as a familiar, she knows something needs to change quick. So when a less-than-legal opportunity arises, Penny goes against the order and rules she loves and agrees to work with the "retired" Willem Sauer. What starts off begrudgingly as a fake dating charade quickly becomes something real. Too bad Willems past is catching up with him and his old master would rather him dead than happy.

I loved Penny in "Go Hex Yourself" and was really excited to see her star in her own romance. Willem is the perfect rain cloud character and watching him go from greys and practised perfection to head over heels for the sunshine girl was absolutely adorable. There were a few moments I felt the character's thoughts were repetitive or the relationship took leaps, but overall I loved this fun witchy romance.

So remember how we said that we had just recently been introduced to the witchy romcom subgenre of contemporary romance? Well we're trying another: What the Hex, by Jessica Clare.⁠
⁠
So like, what did we think of this one? Well, do you like sunshine/grump romances? Do you like PNR? Does the idea of entering into an illicit professional relationship that you're covering up with a fake romantic relationship sound like something fun? Then you might want to pick up What the Hex.⁠
⁠
The way witchcraft works in this world is a little bit complicated: spellcasters make offerings to the gods while drawing on the well of magical power in their familiars. Familiars, in addition to acting as the magical batteries for their witches, are also kind of like apprentices: they are learning how to cast magic of their own. Also, witches live basically for-ev-er. So by becoming someone's familiar, you can learn how to cast spells AND get eternal life. You can imagine, then, that the pool of familiars is much larger than the pool of witches looking for familiars. It's a total buyer's market.

Willem is a warlock who was banned from taking familiars about a decade ago. Normally he would just wait out his 20-year sentence, but he's been targeted by his old master and needs to cast spells to protect himself. Enter Penny: the secretary of the Society of Familiars, she's been hoping to be picked up as a familiar ever since she turned 20. (It's better to be frozen into eternal life when you still look young, amirite?) She's 30 now and sees no hope of being chosen by a witch in the near future. So even though she's a rule follower, she agrees to be Willem's secret familiar. And since they have to spend a lot of time together, she comes up with the perfect cover: they're in a SERIOUS dating relationship and she just moved into his place.

This is a fun romcom that keeps the tone light, despite the heavier elements of the plot (Willem's past, Penny's relationship with her neglectful parents, and a touch of wrongful imprisonment). But the highlight of the book is watching Penny's raunchy manic pixie dream girl pull down all of Willem's walls.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I enjoyed the grumpy / sunshine trope and the mix in of the fake dating trope – both being easy favorites for me. I was intrigued by the mystery / situation that brought Penny and Willem together as well. This one was a bit heavy on the steam for me, and it did take away a bit from the plot and storyline so it didn’t feel like a smooth flow for me. Overall, it was a cute, easy read romance and does have an interesting magical realism world. Great pick for those seeking a witchy / paranormal type romance.

There must be something about magical witchcraft and spice level. What the Hex by Jessica Clare is spicy spicy, which truthfully isn't for me. I've read a string of books recently that have been just too steamy for me. However, that's a me problem and my review below isn't about the steamy bits.

NetGalley Synopsis:

Penny Roundtree wants nothing more than to be a familiar to a witch. She’s been a member of the Society of Familiars ever since she was old enough to join the Fam. There’s just a small problem—no one’s hiring. Witches and warlocks are so long-lived that there are far more familiars available than witches to train them. So when an unorthodox arrangement to apprentice under the table to a forbidden warlock presents itself, she takes it.

Willem Sauer is banned from having a familiar due to past transgressions, thereby limiting his magic-casting abilities. Unfortunately for the surly, Prussian warlock, he has no choice but to work with enthusiastic Penny as a familiar. They immediately clash like dried roan horsehair and honeycomb gathered by moonlight (it’s a terrible spell combination, ask anyone).

Casting spells has delightful perks Penny never could have dreamed of, but also greater dangers. Someone is targeting Penny. Willem and Penny must work together to catch their enemy, and if their ploy requires a little kissing on the side, who is to question the rules of magic?

Verdict? I really liked the complexity of the story and learning more about familiars and their function and relation to a witch/ warlock. I also enjoyed Penny's summery and quirky personality and style. Her friends were also likable, but you know who I couldn't stand? Her parents. Oh my goodness! Willem also can't stand them which made me like him even more. Identity is explored in Clare's novel in a way that I found eye opening. Toxic relationships exist beyond the romantic level, although most often that's where focus lies. In this case, witch and familiar relationships can be toxic, all-consuming, one-sided and the book explores what the consequences of that all consuming commitment can be.

I think I need to go back and read Jessica Clare's first book now! Thank you to @BerkleyRomance and @NetGalley for granting me access to the ARC and to @PRHAudio for access to the ALC.

What a splendid book! Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, enemies to lovers, and the spice! Yes, please!

Penny is a sweet, wonderful character that I instantly fell in love with. Especially because she has a pet squirrel that she loves. Willem is a surly warlock in need of a familiar to help him with casting even though he is not supposed to.

I didn't read the first book, so there were parts of this that made me feel a little lost, but that's a me problem. I really loved this. I love how Will and Penny worked together, especially the spice! Overall, this book left me feeling warm and fuzzy!

Out April 4, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

After reading Go Hex Yourself, it seemed fairly obvious that Clare was setting up for a romance brewing between Willem and Penny. And she did not disappoint.

This is quite literally a grumpyxsunshine on steroids. Penny is consistently cheerful, even in the face of adversity and Will is grumpy to a fault. But these two work so well together.

Overall, it was a great follow up to the first book and it's nice to see old friends receive a renewed vigor.

Go hex yourself was one of my fav witchy reads. So when I saw there was another one I was so excited!

I enjoyed this book from start to finish!
The writing was great, the characters, the cover to Omg. I will say I loved the sequel more. Penny won me over from the first book, so do read more about her was great!

This book hit all my fav tropes so I loved that!

Will totally recommend to everyone!

What the Hex is such a fun, witchy read! Penny just wants to be a familiar and learn to be a witch; Willem needs a familiar but due to former transgressions he’s banned from getting one. So the two form a partnership: they’ll pretend to date but in reality Penny will serve as Willem’s familiar. This is a grump/sunshine, fake dating, enemies to lovers. It took me a little bit to get into if I’m being honest, but then I fell in love with the leads. Penny is all joy and sunshine with a dirty mouth, and Willem is all decorum and ambition and I loved Penny knocking down his walls. The magic and mystery throughout was also so interesting and enthralling. And this was one very steamy read! 🥵 I loved how these characters supported each other, Willem’s protectiveness was so sweet and endearing and I loved Penny’s sharp wit and vivacious energy. It’s fun, it’s funny and sharp, it’s witchy, it’s spicy, it really has a little for everyone and I really would recommend it!

This was a little too much insta-love and Penny was annoying as hell.
This was disappointing. A lot of potential! But the writing fell flat and the characters and world building wasn’t as good as I needed it to be

I love a cute, witchy romance and this didn’t disappoint. I haven’t read the first book, Go Hex Yourself, yet but this is totally fine as a stand alone. Though I can tell the first book must have been about Reggie and Ben, I didn’t ever feel like I was missing any of the story or any context.

At the beginning of the book there were a couple of things that were throwing me off. The magic system was a little convoluted but that’s easier to overlook in a romance book than it is in a fantasy. It was mostly some random moments and cringey wording choices that were trying to overly cutesy-ify Penny that kept pulling me out of the story. It was unnecessary and, while I assume the author is just trying to portray her personality, it felt really forced. Her bubbly, vibrant personality comes across just fine, and more naturally, without the extreme ditzy, cutesy additions. Willem is pretty awful for the first part of the book, too…he seems like a total, irredeemable douche. But about ~35% of the way through when Penny and Will start really talking, everything starts coming together. The cringey word choices become much less frequent and Will shows he actually is redeemable, so the rest of the book is just really fun and I could hardly put it down!

I’ll definitely be going back and reading the first book, I really enjoyed the parts with Reggie and Ben, and looking forward to hopefully a third book in the series.

This was a fun follow-up to Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare! I loved the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Penny and Willem and how Willem slowly start to *defrost* and embraced Penny's vibrant personality. While I enjoyed Penny as a main character, some of her dialogue was hard for me to read, as it seemed strange that a 30-year old woman would speak like that. However, I think this personality spoke a lot to her upbringing.

The mystery aspect of the novel was also a little confusing to follow along and overall, I think I enjoyed the mystery in Ben and Reggie's book better. It was great to see them in this book and watch Reggie and Penny become fast friends. I think if readers enjoyed Go Hex Yourself, they'll definitely enjoy What the Hex as well.

I liked this book much more than the previous, Go Hex Yourself. Willem and Penny have my heart. They were both such entertaining characters and their storyline was engaging as well. Definitely would recommend especially to my fellow witchy romance lovers!

Penny has wanted to be a familiar forever which is a battery of power for a witch or warlock. There are many familiars in line ahead of Penny so she feels like it is a hopeless cause. Willem has been banned from having a familiar because other warlocks hate him and wanted him framed for a crime he didn’t commit. So, can Penny get along with Willem long enough to learn magic and get experience being a secret familiar ahead of all of those I’m front of her?

This was a fun, sexy, witchy romance.

It’s fake dating and grumpy/sunshine. It follows Penny as she becomes the under-the-table familiar for Willem. To cover up what they’re doing they pretend to be in a relationship. Of course, they develop feelings.

It was fun to see the interactions between Penny and Willem progress. See their banter and how they slowly developed trust.

I really enjoyed this one.

Thx to PRH Audio for the ALC.

Thank you to PRHAudio for my complimentary audiobook. Thank you to Berkley for my complimentary eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not so much spells and witchcraft but rather a lot of open door sex scenes
Fast moving quick read
Grumpy sunshine
Enemies to lovers
A bit of mystery
While I did enjoy the story I was disappointed in the lack of actual witchcraft and spells. The world of familiars and the bond they have with their witches was explained, so we get a feel as to what life was like for Penny. But I was hoping for more of the training and how spells are cast, not a play by play of
Penny and Wilhem’s sexual encounters.
The squirrel was cute but he did not have an over the top personality.
Bonus. No third act break up and no miscommunication! For that I will round up to 3.5

I'm loving this paranormal fantasy series sooo much and What the hex was a great follow up after Go hex yourself! In this grumpy/sunshine, forbidden, fake dating romance we get to know aspiring Familiar, Penny and William, a Warlock who has been banned to do magic.

Both characters need one another in order to do the magic they've been longing for. Penny is far down on the list to get picked as a Familiar and William has another ten years of being banned from having a Familiar. When attacks on his house start happening, William takes a chance and agrees to let Penny work for him. In order to hide what they're really up to they make it seem like they've fallen in love.

Full of intrigue, secrets, magic, a cute squirrel sidekick and some seriously steamy scenes, this was a great combination of murder mystery, suspense and romance and I couldn't get enough! Great on audio too narrated by Andrew Eiden and Islay Jacobs, with cameos from Ben and Reggie.

Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC copy and NetGalley and Berkley Books for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!