So I started this confusing it with another author/series that also uses the word Hex in a lot of titles so it took me a minute to reset my expectations but overall I enjoyed this one. It had a pretty robust plot which I honestly wasn't anticipating. The mmc was kind of a meh character to me so I wasn't as invested in the romantic aspect but I really enjoyed the plot of the story.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a perfect cozy fall read.

Delia Merriweather doesn’t buy into the idea of magic, even though her family identifies as witches thanks to a hex. They believe she’s their "blue witch" who’s meant to bring back their lost magic, but the spell they think she should cast is pretty horrifying. When Delia accidentally breaks the hex without any baby-boiling shenanigans and chaos ensues. Her new neighbor, Max Halifax, has to keep an eye on the Merriweather family, and he’s not thrilled about it.

The story moves at a relaxed pace with lots of scene jumps, and there’s really no big drama or danger to worry about. Still, it’s surprisingly well done and keeps you engaged with Delia and Max’s evolving relationship. It’s a delightful ride full of unexpected twists! Perfect for curling up with a warm drink.

Thank you Netgalley and the Auhtor for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! 🧙🏻‍♀️

I am such a sucker for a cozy, witchy book & this one was *chefs kiss*.

I loved the dynamic of Delia & Max’s relationship but i also loved the emphasis on platonic relationships & their importance.

My favorite character by far was Nikki, his one liners were unbeatable.

I found a connection in Delia’s family & felt like I too was apart of it.

This book had a different dynamic than a lot of witchy romances I’ve read, a mystery element to it. It had strong foundations of family, friendship & morals. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I will def be adding this to my must read fall books & would recommend to anyone in search of a fall read!! 🤎

Such a fun autumn rom-com! Loved the small-town, found family aspects. A lighthearted, magical read.

Such a fun fall read!!!
If you love a little witchcraft, romance and mystery in your fall reads, this one is for you!!
Delia is the youngest woman in a family of females that have been unlucky in love for centuries and think they are witches, but are unable to perform even the simplest magic. Max is the eldest son in a long line of witches that is charged with ensuring that Delia and her family do not ever get their magic back from the hex that was placed in them centuries ago. The characters throughout are so incredibly fun and there are definitely echos of practical magic sprinkled throughout. I wasn't expecting the mystery aspect of it, but absolutely loved trying to figure it out while I got to see Delia and Max get close with one another. ✨
I would gladly revisit this world in a heartbeat

Witchy rom coms become my personality in the fall. This was cute, quick and had that dash of magic I needed. Delia was such a ray of sunshine - I love her quirky personality and how badly she wanted to succeed in her career. Max was a perfect MMC with his broody personality. I adored Nikki - he was such a great secondary character. I definitely would return to Texas with these characters!

This had the potential of a great book but it fell flat for me, the entire back story of the world could have been better explained. I wanted more of Delia’s family anitics and anytime they were together it was a fun read however there was more broody man antics and I felt they fell flat. The mother daughter relationship didn’t feel like it should have been so strained, didn’t make sense. It was the first time I read a book from the author, not sure I would pick up another. The thoughts and plot was all over zig zagging.

4.5 ⭐️/5
1.5 🌶️/5

The Hex Boyfriend from Carly Bloom is perfect for ushering in fall with pumpkin spice and everything nice. 🤗 I’d describe this as a paranormal rom com - think Practical Magic mixed with Bewitched.

This book is feel good, with Delia surrounded by her loving but eccentric witchy family and her best friend, Amy. They’re the town outcasts and all things kind of change when Max comes into town.

Max is a serious witch assigned to keep his eye on Delia and her (hexed!) family but their loving nature wears him down to where he can acknowledge feelings. Actual human emotions and feelings!

There’s a black cat familiar, witch politics, silly & sweet moments, humor, and a little spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

A delightful, witchy gem just in time for fall and Halloween!

Max and Delia had such chemistry and the banter/dialogue was snappy, humorous, and fun. The side characters—all of Delia's family, her BFF Amy, Max's brother Luc, and Darling Nikki the "cat"—were the perfect secret ingredient to this magical book that weaved the best spell over me.

The dual narration was wonderful even if I'm not an expert on Texas accents. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a witchy rom-com to take you into the fall, spooky season.

Cozy, charming and full of fall witchy fun. While Delia Merrie rather believers her family is just eccentric, the truth is the grandmother and aunts are right. They are witches, or rather, they were witches until the magic was hexed out of them. And some people don't want that to change. Delightful characters...just loved Nikki, the imp, and Amy, Delia's best friend.

Hi Book Besties!💕🌻
I am so excited to share my review of Hot Hex Boyfriend by the lovely Carly Bloom 😍
A Giant thank you to @ReadForeverPub for the gifted ARC! This is a stand alone novel and it was Fantastic!
Delia’s family claims they’re witches that were hexed out of their magic and they tell everyone and anyone who will listen. Leaving Delia feeling embarrassed and an outsider from the rest of society. However no matter the whispers or looks Delia stands with her family funny traditions and all, she doesn’t believe her family has magic that type of thing doesn’t exist or does it?
This was such a cute little read with all the witchy vibes and heartfelt cutesy moments! I laughed a ton at all the family banter and the guys reaction to catching their parents……… lol. I loved how the story came together in the end with that cute HEA.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a charming tale that's perfect for a cozy fall day. It's not spicy, but rather, it's reminiscent of a Hallmark movie with its heartwarming story. There were some parts that had me smirking at the humor and just when I thought I had it all figured out, the author threw in a couple of twists that caught me off guard. If you're looking for a light, fun read to brighten up a rainy fall day, this is definitely the book for you.

I am sheepishly NOT going to rail about how I hate this new romantasy/paranormal returning or is-it-new romance trend, but I hates it. And I freakin’ love Carly Bloom (even though I’ve also railed about how her contemporary romances never quite lived up to the GREATNESS of Big Bad Cowboy). Except I just did and I’m not sorry because there was Bloom’s wonderful humour and theme of love conquers and is all…and yet, the silliness of the witch stuff was a great big old nope. Here are the blurbish, farfetched deets of the thing:

As a child, Delia Merriweather believed with all her heart that she was a witch. Because all Merriweather women were witches. There was just one problem: they had no magic. As an adult, Delia no longer believes magic even exists. However, when she accidentally breaks a hex and restores her family’s powers, she’s forced to accept a new reality: she is a witch. And maybe that’s why the crushingly handsome guy next door has been looking at her like he’s expecting her to fly off on a broomstick, cackling into the night.

Just when Max thinks he’s done keeping an eye on the bumbling Merriweather women, now he must help his neighbors learn to control their magic before they out witches everywhere. But Delia can’t decide if Max is helping or hexing, and Max can’t tell whether his growing feelings for Delia are real, or if he’s come under the spell of the most powerful—and clueless—witch he’s ever known. And the last thing Max needs is to fall for the one witch who could rule the entire witching world by controlling the hearts of men.

A bitty detail of narrative logic the blurb neglects: Max is in town to sell his Uncle Hartwell’s house. Hartwell was Delia’s and her aspiring witchy aunts’ (who reminded me of the ragged ineptness of A Wrinkle In Time‘s Whatsit, Who, and Which, but way funnier) next door neighbour, who lived with his familiar, cat Nikki, who is a shifting cat-imp” (not quite human, more like Shakespeare’s Ariel). Delia is going to “stage” the house for Max, while Max keeps an eye on her not-acquiring her witchy legacy. It’s convoluted and not terribly interesting, but it does bring our protagonists together.

I enjoyed Bloom’s romance when her witchy world-building came with humour and fun cultural references like my childhood I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched watching, but world-building always comes with soooo much tedious telling (not fun). Delia has a Dolly-Parton-bosoms-sized loving heart and a Texas-drawled sense of humour. I loved her. Max is her straight-man in his “logos”-based character and witchy powers. He’s a typical romance stone-cold-heart hero, no romance, no emotions, though he’ll do love-less sex. But who can resist a curvaceous bombshell whose loyalty to friends, family, and small furry creatures, as well as shifiting imp-cat Nikki (Max’s recently deceased uncle’s familiar)? Max sure can’t. And, in the end, Bloom’s magic witchy portrayals are benign: the greatest magical power lies in giving and accepting love. Aw, you say. I did too, often, but not often enough because the magic details and convoluted witch world left me bored. There was skimming, folks. Skimming and delight, a strange contradictory response to a romance.

The verdict? If you love Bloom and are enjoying the new-ish-but-not-really paranormal romance trend, you’ll love Hot Hex Boyfriend. If, like me, you’d rather have a straight old contemporary, you’ll bide your time till the genre returns to its senses. That being said, Bloom can write humour and heart and that’s way more than I can say for the bleh-romantasy I’ve tried so far (though grateful to my buddy Willa for some good recs). To invoke Miss Austen, Hot Hex Boyfriend is “almost pretty,” Northanger Abbey.

Carly Bloom’s Hot Hex Boyfriend is published by Forever and released on Sept. 3rd. I received an advance e-galley from Forever, via Netgalley. The above is my honest, AI-free opinion.

Hot Hex Boyfriends reads like Halloweentown + Sabrina the Teenage Witch for 30 somethings. There's loving, bumbling aunts, a cat familiar named Nikki, a main character who has no idea she's a witch, and a dark plot by the head witch to take over all of the magic.
Plus there's Max, the cute witch sent by Morgaine - the dark witch- to make sure Delia and her family stays hexed and unaware they are witches. But Delia and Max are of course going to have cozy romantic feelings for each other.

This was a good read to get me in the fall/Halloween mood. It was cozy, cheesy, and a quick and easy read. I would pick this up again to set the fall mood next year, too.

I had a very good time with the cast of characters and central romance in this book. Not a ton of paranormal world building but what was there was interesting and there were enough twists in it to keep me going. I particularly liked the play on chosen one/non-believer that was going on with Delia as the central character--without her the book doesn't work at all. Would love to read a sequel some day with Luc as the hero, he was a delightful side character.

<i>Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.</i>

Hot Hex Boyfriend had so much charm - loveable characters, especially Delia and Max, a little magical mystery centered in a small Texas town, a full supporting cast of quirky friends and family, which I really enjoyed. I thought there were moments between Delia and Max that were so swoony and sweet and I loved seeing Max let down his guard little by little to start believing in love. However, the pacing of this book was honestly baffling - it was so slow to start and then the last 30% was nonstop action and tying things up. I think if you are looking for an easy cozy fall read and you are here more for the witchy vibes than anything else, this will be a hit for you!

This was such a quirky story.
The small town cozy vibes are everything that I needed as we come into spooky/fall season.
Delia and Max were just absolutely perfect and the way he encouraged Delia and her abilities.
I cant wait to go back and re-read this.

This was a cute story that was sorta quirky and fun. A great book to pick up if you want a story that is easy going and light with a bit of romance. I enjoyed it and think others should check it out. The story sort of seems like many others written in the genre so if quirky witches are your thing check this book out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book is charming and delightful and perfect for spooky season. I love a witchy romance, and this one exceeds my expectations to have someone who’s always believes her family is supposed to be magical, but they never had any magic and all of a sudden a hex is broken and they are now witches. I love the idea of the person who supposed to watch them to make sure that they don’t go crazy with their magic is the person that falls in love with her. The characters are delightful and the premise is engaging and entertaining. I highly recommend this book.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a fun, fall read with grumpy-sunshine, some Practical Magic vibes (the movie, not the book), and a lovable group of side characters.
Delia’s family believes they are witches, well everyone except Delia and her mother; Delia lives with a quirky cast of aunts, who reminded me of a family I grew up with and immediately endeared them to me. They’re ridiculous, eccentric, and you can’t help but love them; they made me think of what practical magic would have been if the house had been full of more people. Delia is struggling a bit to find who she is while also juggling the expectations of others; I found her relatable and adored her best friend, I also loved how supportive the family is of everyone. Max is our grumpy/irritable MMC who has been sent to take care of his recently deceased (and former neighbor to the Merriweather women) uncle’e estate. Max is not pleased that he’s also basically been assigned babysitting duty to make sure the very real hex on the Merriweather’s is not broken. Unfortunately for Max, he can’t resist the Merriweather charm and he really just needs to learn to relax haha. The rest of the cast is rounded out with some petty, back stabbing, town witches (the drama is so dumb and so perfectly small town mean girl), a lovable familiar, Max’s uptight family, and a decently solid villain, there were some good twists thrown in, both big and small. I had fun with this read, enjoyed all the quirky, oddness had with the characters and how the drama unfolded.
If you’re looking for a New England fall vibe it’s not in this one as it’s set in Texas (you’re not getting sweaters and warm drinks here! Haha), but don’t pass on this just for that, it’s still full of magic and love. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC! 🧙🪄✨🐈‍⬛
#fallreads #witchyreads #netgalley #romance #romantasy