what do you mean a book written by a jewish atheist author has an evil manipulative demon named "Philistina"? but alas when that name showed up it's too late to dnf.

aside from that, the book was mid at best. i didn't find the romance to be... evoking any feelings in me. the Merriweathers women were amusing, so did Amy and Nikki. but there's nothing special about the plot.

This is a fabulous fall cozy read. A delightfully fun read with ups and downs, familial tensions, a mystery to solve and of course, some romance.

Another book that surprised me! And in a good way!
I love Charmed, the original Hocus Pocus, and Practical Magic. This book has the best parts of all of the above!
Witches, romance, humor, and scary beings, culminate in Halloween's grand finale!
The author successfully balanced the cozy mystery genre, without resorting to corny dialogue or predictable events. I enjoyed the writing, these characters, and the pacing of this book. And the book is just the right length.
I would love to see these characters in a series, tackling more scary beings!
Overall, I would give this book 4.25 Stars!
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC for early review.
Get this wonderful read for your October/Halloween reading list!

Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom
Narrator: Laura Knight Keating; Zion Jang
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: Closed-door
Pub date: 9/3

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for my advanced copy and to Hachette Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

This cozy rom-com blends magic, love, and a whole lot of chaos in the best way possible. The story centers on Delia Merriweather, who doesn’t believe in magic despite her family’s firm belief that they’re witches cursed to have no powers. Delia’s family thinks she’s the "blue witch," a chosen one destined to restore their magic. But Delia’s not buying it—until she accidentally breaks the family’s hex, and all magical mayhem breaks loose.

Enter Max Halifax, the brooding and oh-so-irritable neighbor who’s been keeping tabs on the Merriweather family to make sure they don’t regain their powers. Max is convinced they’re a harmless bunch, but as he gets closer to Delia, he realizes that maybe this quirky family is more powerful than he thought. Especially since his heart seems to race whenever Delia’s around.

I loved this witchy read! It’s full of delightful moments, from the Merriweather women’s hilarious antics to the sweet and slow-building romance between Delia and Max. The small-town setting and magical elements add a charming, cozy vibe, making this book perfect for fall reading. I loved all the side characters, including Max’s brother and Delia’s quirky family. The audiobook narrators did a fantastic job bringing all the characters to life, making my listening experience delightful.

This is a great choice if you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted read that’s perfect for spooky season! It’s one of those books you can devour in one sitting, and you’ll be left wanting more of this magical world and its lovable characters.

Read if you like:
*cozy witchy vibes
*slow burn
*grumpy/sunshine
*small town
*dual POV

This cozy and comical love story was the perfect read for a fall day. Delia Merriweather is quirky, keeps getting hexed, and is really sick of it. She may not believe her and her family are witches who have been cursed, however, it gets pretty difficult to pretend otherwise once she breaks her family's curse on accident and uncontrollable powers emerge for her and her family. Little do they know, her family's line was cursed for a reason they are still being watched closely by the witch society. Max knows he may have to re-hex Delia and her line, however, his feeling for her complicate everything.

4.5 Bewitched ✨'s

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a sweet and cozy rom-com perfect for fall! The story follows Delia and her quirky family who believe they are witches cursed to have no magic. Unbeknownst to them all, they are indeed witches and only have one more week to break the hex before they are without magic forever. Sent to keep an eye on the group and make sure they don't succeed, Max, their temporary neighbor is sure the chaotic family has no way of breaking the curse. However, as he gets close to Delia, and the two spend her birthday together, Max, is in for a rude awakening when the family comes into their powers and are ready to test it out.

This was such a fun and cozy read! The magic and small town made the story so sweet and charming, I loved how the family interacted and felt very close-knit. Max and Delia were so sweet together, the way Max was sure of Delia and her capabilities was just adorable. The man was completely smitten! The wholesome characters and family were completely entertaining, the family antics were so chaotic and fun. While I do think the pacing and logistics could use some work, if you don't go into the story expecting anything serious, I think the plot and romance will shine. I read this in one sitting and I can't wait for more in this crazy and exciting magical world!

I felt so disappointed with this book. Like I thought the concept was good, like the beginning was good and the complexity of the conflict at the end was good too but the middle was just not it. I was bored halfway.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a witchy romcom to read this fall Hot Hex Boyfriend is a great choice! There are so many books where the heroine discovers she has powers but accidently uncursing her family is a new one for me! I loved how her grandmother and aunts fully believed they were witches even before the curse was broken and were the town eccentrics.

I also found the different witch powers really interesting and liked the different types of witches. The world building here was well done and I'm excited to learn more about the witchy society and see how it changes as a result of the developments in this book.

If you want a witchy romcom that will make you laugh while also having interesting magic and a bit of magical danger this is for you!

omgggg the fall vibes are so great this year and this book was so fall witchy fun! i love the characters and the plot and the writing it was literally amazing

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing the ARC.

This book is a delight, but it also suffers for that too.

The biggest issue this book has is pacing. There were parts that felt like they dragged on for a good while and others that were mentioned and resolved within a few pages. The romance between Max and Delia felt rushed, almost to an insta-love level that I genuinely did not enjoy. At times the levity this book brought was overwrought to the point of cringiness.

Not a terrible book by any stretch, but it is definitely rough and could use some reworking to be something truly great.

What a cute mystery romance that's perfect for the fall season!

Hot Hex Boyfriend follows Delia, a cor witch, and Max, a logos witch. Max's ancestor put a hex on Delia's family making their magic disappear and Max was tasked to prevent the hex from breaking.

I love a good character development and the one in Hot Hex Boyfriend is really good. Max goes from your grumpy romance hating male to super supportive and loving. Carly Bloom does a great job with the grumpy x sunshine trope.

The Merriweather family is so quirky but wholesome. I love the tameness of the book. I also love the small town and the descriptions of each place and character. Carly Bloom does an amazing job of creating different characters with different personalities.

I found some parts of the book a little corny but don't let that deter you. I found this book was a good little palate cleanser from the darker or dirtier books I've read. It's for anyone who doesn't like a lot of spice, likes some mystery, and a little bit of magic.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest review.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a cute, albeit clumsy attempt at witchlit. The prose lacks the pure magic that would have made this story enchanting and enthralling. Instead, it's more tell than show, spelling out every tiny detail as if readers can't perceive what's happening right before them. Even the explanation of how the hex was broken was very obvious. It would have been better to conceal certain details either from the readers or main characters. Perhaps the most awkward issue was the shift in POV between one paragraph and the next, without a chapter or section break. Conceptually, the plot had potential, but the lack of emotion (ironic, considering the FMC is a 'heart' witch) makes it difficult to connect with either character and the emotional dilemmas they face.

🫶🏼What I enjoyed
I was really into this storyline at the start. Delia's aunts are full of shenanigans, while Delia and her mother are the practical ones. Despite a difference of beliefs, they are full of love and southern hospitality. Max and his family are initially stiff traditionalists, and they still hold a grudge against the Merriweathers based on actions committed by their great ancestors. Max finds himself stuck with his late uncle's familiar, Nikki, who also happens to be an imp. Nikki was by far my most favorite character! His one liners with Max were hilarious and what kept me reading. The very end was filled with the action and drama I was hoping for, and provided the closure I needed.

🤷🏻‍♀️What didn't work for me
The middle of the book was slow and read more like cozy fantasy, where there was little actually happening. The premise described in the burb doesn't even happen until about 50% into the book. I guess I was hoping for a little more action considering the hex and families being rivals.

I will likely share my review a week-ish after pub day.

Witchy romcoms are here to stay folks! This one is pretty silly and cute and I had fun.

Delia and her family are warm, loving, and hexed. She doesn’t believe she’s the Blue Witch they are counting on to break the curse. Max and his family do. This book starts pretty slow and I wasn’t sure if it was for me at the 1/3 mark. Max isn't quite believable in his grumpy reputation and the world-building doesn’t make much sense at first. But then book found it’s rhythm in the second half. I was giggling at the aunts, cringing for Max, and invested in the witchy community. This is not my favorite witchy romance but it’s a welcome addition to the ever-growing canon of magical romance.

It's that time of year when all I want to read are witchy romances and Hot Hex Boyfriend was a great way to start it off.

Delia comes from a hapless family of supposed witches who are absolutely convinced they have magic, but have been cursed and can't use it. Although she's a bit of a hot mess in her professional life, having started and failed numerous small businesses, Delia comes across as practical and loving, herding her unruly grandma and aunts, and viewing their witchy beliefs with a tolerant but skeptical eye. It's clear that she adores her family and would do anything for them.

Max is a logic witch, tasked by the witch leader to keep an eye on Delia until her 30th birthday. What he knows but she doesn't is that she is in fact a witch, and on her birthday, she will lose her own innate magic and no longer be able to break the curse that was in fact placed on her family 200 years prior. Max is a witch who lives by logic and eschews emotion. He's never questioned the rules but temporarily living next door to the Merriweather women while he settles his uncle's estate is exposing him to a whole new way of thinking.

When by sheer accident Delia actually breaks the curse, Max is then caught between his duty to the witching world to re-hex her and his growing attraction to her.

If I had one complaint about the book it's that although both Delia and Max felt an immediate attraction to each other, the first half of the book was a bit slow to get started. However, once Delia broke the curse, it picked up and was a fun race to the finish. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Very cute rom com of witchy shenanigans and a non believer turned witch! Max and Delia couldn’t be more opposite but then fairies and fates throw them together and when a hex is broken unwittingly it’s even more chaos! Sweet and steamy as well!

All I want to do as we get closer to Autumn is curl up with a nice hotncup if tea and a good book and this book delivers on all the witchy, autumnal, cozy vibes. I was enchanted from the very start. The setting was extremely immersive to where I was in love with it as much as inwas in love with Max and Delia's love story. It was a book I didn't want to put down because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next after every page turn. I honestly hope we get this as a series because I am not ready tonlet go of this world. I found myself giggling with the family antics and grinning like a fool with the romance. Such a fun read. I already want to pick it up again. Love a witchy romance and this one delivers.

This book was provided by NetGalley but all opinions and reviews are my own.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This was a wonderful fantasy romance with a great plot and memorable characters. A very enjoyable read.

As the leaves start to turn and the air gets a bit crisper, there's no better time to dive into a cozy, witchy romcom—and this book fits the bill perfectly. An adorable, lighthearted tale, it’s the ideal companion to kick off the spooky season with a blend of magic, romance, and a touch of mystery.

What sets this book apart from others I've read in this witchy romcom realm is that our MFC doesn't actually know that she is a witch. It add a fun spin to the usual narrative.

The story does move a bit slowly, but with the added air of mystery it works well -- just took me a bit of time to get really engaged. One of the strengths of this book is that it doesn’t overwhelm the reader with complicated magical lore. Instead, the author skillfully weaves in the magical elements without lengthy explanations, making it accessible even for those who are new to fantasy or witchy novels. Cozy and enjoyable, it’s an excellent choice for anyone in the mood for a lighthearted fall romance. Whether you’re a seasoned reader of witchy tales or just looking for a charming, magical escape, this book is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

A small town spicy paranormal romance! Delia's family believe they are witches cursed to be unable to use their magic but she's not convinced. Max, however, knows that they are because he actually is a witch and he's been charge with ensuring that Delia can't break the curse before she turns 30. Problem is (and yes, rom com fans know this is coming) he falls for her. How do they reconcile the problem? Well, enjoy this for the Texas vibes and a great black cat as well as for the witch-y love story. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.