I devoured this book in Two days! It had everything! It was funny, it was hot, it pulled on your heart strings, it has twists and even betrayal. I was so invested in Poppy and Alex and was especially grateful for the final chapter. Feeling like I was completely a part of this story, i loved the mix between both perspectives and giving this book two main characters with a full backstory each, it is up there as one of my top reads this year! Side note: I also loved the small mention of my hometown in here too ‘Tilbury’.

Really enjoyed this book! Thank you for letting me read this. This is a fun and lighthearted read which made me laugh out loud

I love a witchy romance and Hex and the City delivered! It was so much fun! Great characters, a wonderful plot, and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Please note: this review will be posted to Instagram prior to release date, most likely the week of August 28th. When posted, I will update this review with the link.

Thank you HarperCollins UK for a review copy of this book!

Poppy is a witch with magical hair who is just trying to get through life without causing too much chaos. But when magician Axl Storm makes an appearance in Hubble Bubble, the magic shop she works at in Covent Garden, and buys an accidentally cursed pendant, the chaos ramps up. Axl (or Alex when he’s not on stage) and Poppy must work together to resolve all the problems the chaos is causing, and to find the root of issue and put an end to it for good.

This was a very engaging and enchanting read. Poppy was your typical quirky girl who just can’t seem to get anything right, and I really think writing her that way worked well for the story. I think sometimes that characterization can almost feel overdone or unnecessary to the plot, but I think Kate did an excellent job making the characteristics that go with that characterization feel necessary to moving the plot along. Also, I think what helped balance out the “quirky girl” vibe was the more realistic and deeper aspects of Poppy as a character. We see her insecurities around those quirky aspects of herself, and the general chaos that follows her, which I found super relatable and endearing. Also, her insecurities about being the girl guys only want to date for a short time to essentially say they “tried out the weird girl”. I felt that a lot and it really hit home to me, because I’ve always been “weird” and it led to me feeling really out of place and insecure in the dating world. Alex was also a pretty endearing character, who also had layers to him. On the surface he’s an attractive player who is pretty cocky and sure of himself, but as the story progresses you learn a lot about his past and his own insecurities, and seeing that side of him really helped make him more than your stereotypical hero. Also, they did have chemistry FOR SURE. It wasn’t the most explosive chemistry I’ve read recently, but it was there, and the spicy scenes were GOOD.

On top of the relationship though, I liked that the story had a plot. There was an “adventure” we get to follow along with, and while the relationship is a big focus of the story, it’s working in tandem with the plot. And there were a lot of things I didn’t necessarily see coming until it was right in your face which was really exciting as well. It’s hard sometimes to get a good romance story that also has these plot points and twists that surprise you.

Overall, I thought this was pretty dang good and gave it 4 stars.

SO much fun! Magic, mayhem and a Viking physique, what’s not to love? Hex in the city will have you cackling in your armchair.

Poppy causes chaos wherever she goes. She doesn't mean to; it just sort of happens. Her latest mishap? Accidentally (drunkenly) cursing a pendant when she sees her ex with another woman... and then her coworker selling the pendant to Alex, aka Axl, the illusionist. And when she tries to get the pendant back, she has a front-row seat to the disaster it causes. Poppy and Alex team up to try to get the pendant back and destroy it before it can cause any more chaos... but of course, things are never that simple.

Hex and the City is a fast-paced adventure with a nice little love story at the center. Both characters seem a bit straightforward at the beginning and really grow into themselves by the end--they're both much more complex and complicated than they seem, and both of their arcs are satisfying (as is their joint arc).

This was another fun read from Kate Johnson, and I'm excited to read more!

Hex and the City
By Kate Johnson.
Pub Date: 03 Sep 2023
HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter
Romance
Spice 🌶🌶
Rating: 4/5

Hex and the City is quirky, humorous, and full of charm. It offers readers a unique take on love and adventure. It is a perfect blend of classic and contemporary storytelling, sure to appeal to book lovers looking for a fun and original take on the beloved genre of romance.

Poppy is a witch with a chaotic personality who is kind, caring, and very energetic. A gothic-style estate is her home, and she works at a magic shop named Hubble Bubble. She tries to keep her unruly power in check, but it often still gets her into mischief. Alex, is a stage magician known for his Viking act. Despite his intimidating appearance, Alex is actually quite gentle and friendly, and is always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Despite the fact that they have some killer chemistry, Poppy and Alex don't start out as friends. Alex purchases an amulet from the magic shop, but it is accidentally cursed by Poppy, resulting in major drama. Despite this, Alex and Poppy soon find out that they have much in common. Working together, they begin to unearth the true power of the amulet and the power it holds over them.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing this magical book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

Hex and the City is chaotic in the best possible way. From Poppy's sentient, sassy hair to an out of the blue time warp- it's weird and wild and it works. Uniquely witchy, wrapped in a sweet love story.

NetGalley provided the review copy, opinion 100% my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

Two words. Sentient hair. Very weird but I kind of loved it?

I really enjoyed Poppy and Alex's relationship! They're very cute together and although some moments like <spoiler> time travel </spoiler> were unexpected, I still really enjoyed it!

There's a lot of representation here, which I love, from genderfluidity to male eating disorders. They could have been focused on more and expanded, which I think would have benefited the story, as <spoiler> Alex's eating disorder is referred to as being a past issue but he continually struggles with food and calories in the book. I wish this was dealt with more presently rather than one or two mentions. </spoiler>

Although there were some issues, this was a very cute read with some unique elements and fun characters. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.

This was just the most cutest, witchy rom-com I've read! I am so grateful to have received an e-arc. This was really well written, I was hooked from the beginning! Kate definitely uses her magick through her writing. The characters were lovely, I adored Poppy so much. I just wanted to hug her.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the arc of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story, the follow up to Hex Appeal, and found myself laughing and smiling throughout. It is a quick and fun read, with a varied, eccentric and likable cast of characters. This is definitely one for fans of the cosy romance and fantasy genres. With everything from time travel, ghosts (and even a mummy), a cursed amulet, sentient hair a la Rapunzel, a witch learning to control and embrace her chaos, and a hot Viking illusionist who is actually a giant cinnamon roll for the heroine, this story is never dull. Poppy and Alex fall in to one adventure after the other and through this, their relationship grows and the story moves quickly. This is a fun, fast, witchy romcom with heart.

Poppy is a little chaotic and has hair like Rapunzel from Tangled. She just so happens to be a witch and lives with her friend and mentor, Iris who’s the head of their coven. She works at a pretend magic shop, until one day she sells a cursed pendant to gorgeous celebrity magician, Axl. When all hell breaks loose, Axl and Poppy must work together to fix the magic, but will they be able to over all the sparks that are flying between them?

I loved Poppy and everything about her. She was so chaotic in a fun way and so flirty. At times this book was hilarious, and it was so fun to read. I have watched Tangled too many times to count with my daughter, so it was fun to have the Rapunzel twist with this one – and its why I picked it up! I loved how Poppy came into her own over the course of the book. However, I did struggle a little with the pacing. At times I found it rather slow and drawn out. I did still love the book overall though. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Axl and Poppy. I hope that this is the first in a series so I can read more about Poppy and her special brand of chaos!

If you are looking for a laugh out loud funny witchy romance, then check this one out. I completely agree with the publisher that fans of Lana Harper and Erin Sterling will love this one.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley, @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

More links will be added once posted.

What happens when you mix a fake magician, a real witch and a cursed necklace? A witchy good time, that’s what.

Witch and jewelry designer Poppy might have drunkenly created a cursed pendant, but before she can in-curse it, her co-worker sells it to super hot Axl Storm (aka Alex Raine) looking to buy an apology gift for the costar of his wildly popular (fake) magic show after sleeping with her (but not wanting her to be his girlfriend). Soon, things start to go badly awry – broken bones and flooded stages awry – and Poppy and Alex are chasing the cursed pendant around London, trying to head off further disaster.

[b:Hex and the City|78296210] just isn’t that deep, but it’s not trying to be. I mean, Poppy and Alex literally bang themselves back in time, with sex so hot they might have started the Great London Fire. But this romp has a few things that elevate it, particularly, that Alex is totally in awe of Poppy’s power. How many times have we seen FMCs who are clumsy, or scatterbrained, or (with witchy romances) don’t know how to use their magic, while the MMC is the most rich/powerful/admired magician around? Not so here. Alex is an illusionist – and a good one – but Poppy is the one with the real power here, and she knows how to wield it. It’s refreshing.

Rep: bi (MC), gender non-conforming (non-MC)

[b:Hex and the City|78296210] by [a:Kate Johnson|847247]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ See aforementioned comment about time traveling, fire-starting sex
🧙‍♀️ 🧙‍♀️ 🧙‍♀️ 🧙‍♀️ The Coven are sorta lousy at mentoring but they are a hoot
🧚‍♀️This ex is a little more squicky than most
⛵️👻🐴 Funniest appearance of Robert Burns in a romance

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was absolutely stellar. It's laugh-out-loud hilarious (seriously, I found myself needing to repeat several of the one-liners to my husband to explain my yelps of laughter), swoonily romantic, and very entertaining. I liked it even better than the first book in the series - I'll definitely be getting this one in paperback to reread. Poppy and Alex are wonderful.

Huge thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK & One More Chapter for the ARC of this book to read and review!

Oh my gosh, this was possibly one of the best books I've read this year! I absolutely loved every single page of this book, oh and the COVER... Just everything was excellent.

Starting with the characters, Poppy was the main focus of the story and she was a cracking character, she was chaotic but sweet, without either of those things taking away from the fact that she was absolutely badass as well. She was just written so well, she really perfected the story. And Alex was just swoon worthy as well, of course he was! But he also had a bit of substance, he wasn't just a pretty face he actually contributed to the story!

And the other witches were really well integrated into the story, even though they didn't have major parts to play they weren't forgotten about and added into the story when they needed to add "value". It was really nice the way the author still included them.

I absolutely loved the plot as well, it felt like a really good mix between the characters and the story itself. The whole idea of them being witches but still integrated into society was so cool! And the way they all had different powers it was so cool, I loved how much time and thought the author put into the plot.

A particular fave part of mine was Poppy's chaos magic and the way that unfolded (trying not to give too much away!) and the mummy section (again trying not to give too much away). The different parts of the story really fit together nicely, and everything just wrapped up PERFECTLY.

The writing was good, although I did find at the beginning it was a lil hard to keep track of what was going on and who was speaking, but within a few chapters it was all straightened out and picked up and it was really well written!

This entire book was just so entertaining to read, I would love nothing more than to have my memory of this book wiped so I can reread it for the first time. I was literally kicking my feet, blushing, giggling - it made me feel like a school girl with a crush.

I absolutely adored Hex and the City and it was the cutest little read!

This was adorable and fun. It has all the fun zany witchery that I wanted. I adored the premises of the cursed locket and how it throws Poppy and Alex together and a magical adventure with ghosts, and time travels and a lot of romance. I really liked Poppy character. She was sunshine with chaos all around her. I loved that she has a found family of witches, but she also has her amazing parents that helped her be the beautiful person she was.
this was fact paced ea.sy read that had a few twists that I didn't see coming that made for a unique book.

I would highly recommend to those that like witchy romance, adventure and lots of humor

Poppy is a witch. Iris, her landlady and the head of a coven that she always says isn't really a coven, told her that every witch has a speciality and they'd soon discover Poppy's. But ten years later, they still haven't. In the meantime, Poppy works at a magic shop, but they don't put actual magic into the things they sell to civilians, because that would lead to disaster. So when Poppy accidentally sells a cursed pendant to distractingly handsome stage magician, Axl Storm, who knows what could happen.

I loved Hex and the City, and could quite easily have read it in one sitting. Poppy is a delightful heroine, chaotic and charming, with the most incredible hair. The romance plot between Poppy and Alex (aka Axl) ticks all the boxes, and the supernatural storyline keeps things fresh, without making the plot overly complicated. Poppy's family relationship felt very real to me, and I am besotted with Iris. I also loved that we got a few cameos from Hex Appeal without undermining the standalone nature of both books. This was very nearly a five-star read for me, but I would have liked a little more from some of the background characters.

Hex and the City is a standalone book, and can definitely be read and enjoyed on its own, but fans of Hex Appeal won't be disappointed. I certainly wasn't, and I hope that Kate Johnson continues to write books that are as magical as this one.

I enjoyed Hex and the city, it was a lighthearted, funny romcom that had me laughing out loud.
Poppy was the absolute best character, I realtered to her in so many funny ways. This book gives off Sex and the City/ Witches of Eastwick vibe!!
Great plot and world building.
Would recommend this to anyone who loves a good witchy romcom!!

I always enjoy Kate Johnson's books and this one was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me an early read of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this so much!! This book was such a cute story even though I usually read thrillers. But now, i’m turning into a mood reader and witchy books are definitely a great vibe.