This is a cozy, witchy romance with a touch of magic and more than a dash of spice! Dina's kitchen witchery and Scott's fall-for-her-fast charm made for a fun, heartwarming read, though it's best if you're into insta-love as a trope. Perfect for fans of quick, lighthearted reads with some sweet and spicy moments -- and a bonus cheer for the lovely female friendships.

This was an adorable paranormal romance that wove together wonderful friendships, family, and even a wedding with the perfect amount of spicy goodness.

Dina is a witch who owns a coffee shop/bakery. She’s got a great, supportive group of friends who encourage her to break through a hex that’s been placed on her. While she eagerly helps others find love or comfort, she herself can’t find the same without cursing whoever she is with. One failed relationship has cursed her love life, literally. When Scott, a local museum employee, stumbles into her shop, and subsequently her life, she knows she’s in trouble.

Scott, on the other hand, is smitten. These two do a great dance around one another until they are (shocker) stuck in a cabin together, forced to handle their attraction during a getaway wedding weekend. Loved everything about this story and the world that this author has built for the characters! What a refreshing and surprising story with, yes, an HEA.

I love witches that add their magic to their jobs! Especially a book like this where she's a kitchen witch. It seems to be a new trend (or at least I'm just noticing it more) in witchy books and I'm here for it. The autumn vibes were great, and have the book a cozy vibe but with some spice too. I appreciated the female friendships in the story as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun! I loved the characters and the magic in the story. The spice was spicing and was very well done. I loved the chemistry in this book and our nerdy Scott! I fell in love with Dina and Scott and want more books like this one.

4.5/5 stars ⋆˙⟡

This was so wonderful! I love witches, baking, and the overall cozy feel of this book. Dual POV can be hit or miss for me, but it adds depth to this story in a way that I loved (the yearning!!!!). Each character has a very clear voice and it was easy to tell which POV we were in just from that.

My one note is that I think this would have been just as good without the spice. At times our two mc's feelings came off solely as lust and not genuine interest/love but I don't think it greatly impacts their story.

Mini Playlist:
Birds of a Feather - Billie Eilish
Season of the Witch - Donovan
We fell in love in October - Girl in Red

Was not prepared for the amount of spice in this book. Though, for it being about a cooking witch, I should have been prepared for at least some 'spice'. Not a bad read, though it did feel more 'lust at first sight' than 'love at first sight". I was expecting a little more cutesie.

This for me was just too mushy and insta lovey - I need more banter. BUT if you’re into cozy romances where the characters fall in love immediately and there’s little to no drama then this is a perfect pick for you. It was very very cozy, and I preferred the audio book to sitting down and reading it.

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fun, spicy, witchy read for the season. I love the idea of witches that will infuse their magic into like their regular business like a chef, like in this book. It was a great read!

4.25 stars

If you've read my other reviews you KNOW I love a cozy, witchy autumnal vibe with a pinch of romance. And wow, did Nadia El-Fassi deliver with Nest Hex Ever. LOVED this one.

Thank you to Nadia El-Fassi, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dina Whitlock’s London café, Serendipity is known as a place where good things happen. One day Scott Madison a tall, dark, and handsome curator for the British Museum stops in her cafe for a cup of tea to go. He breaks an evil eye charm off the wall going into the cafe. When he reached the counter, he sees that Dina is wearing a nazar amulet. Dina is attracted to Scott but tells herself no due to the hex. Scott on his way to his office, runs into the director of the British Museum when she tells him the board approved your proposal for a global tour of the Symbols of Protection exhibition, in fact the board loved it. Scott was so happy, he wanted to jump up and down. Scott’s friend Eric is getting married. He’s the best man. Little does he knows that he will see Dina. Dina’s best friend is marring Eric. The wedding part travel to the countryside for a weekend of celebration and witchy rituals, Dina and Scott fight their attraction to each other at every turn in an attempt to keep the focus on their friends in the lead-up to the wedding, but they can’t deny they want to be more than pals. Will Dina try to break the hex?
The author has written a delightful magical story. It has an emphasis on female friendship and Dina’s “connections” with her family. It is a spicy romantic novel. I loved the romantic steam between Scott and Dina.

I have mixed thoughts about this book. On the one hand I liked the idea and it felt like a cozy magical romance. On the other it felt too insta lovey and the pacing was off. Dina and Scott meet once and sparks fly and they can’t stop thinking about each other, which I can get behind. They have good chemistry and plenty of lust between them. But most of their romance happens over the course of a weekend, in close proximity and are basically in love, enough for her to consider breaking the hex that she’s had for years and never tried to before.
Most of the book is spent in this weekendand then the last like quarter is spent over several days or weeks (the timeline after the wedding isn’t as clear). This really effected the pacing for me and confused me on how far they actually were meant to be in their relationship. Lastly, the breaking of the hex was a little anticlimactic for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Del Rey for an eARC in exchange for a review!

This is a cute little book and the author's got talent; I'd try something else by her.

This is a very cosy book. Dina is a kitchen witch and the food descriptions are fabulous. Scott is a dreamy book reading hunk who is like an enlightened Indiana Jones. Dina's friendships are solid, the settings of the book are to die for whether they are a bake shop, a country home, or a museum. This is pure wish fulfillment with a bit of spice too.

The hex misunderstanding, while a time-honored trope, was not one I was interested in. There was so very little conflict that I ended up skimming because I wasn't quite in the frame of mind to just sink into the book. Romances are tricky for me to get through because I know how they will all end, and if the book isn't stellar from beginning to ending I'll get bored. But as I said, I'd try more by this author.

I enjoyed the book's writing style and the fact-based quality of the witchcraft elements. Scott and Dina had a lot of spark, but I personally dislike insta-love, so I missed the tension that developed between them. I thought it was cool that Dina was a kitchen witch who also owned a café and used her magic in her baked goods. The magical elements in this book were enjoyable to me as well. It was easy to read and really nice.

Thank you to Random House Publishing- Ballentine | Dell, NetGalley, and the author for an e-arc..

Dina Whitlock is a kitchen witch who owns her own bakery and imbues her pastries and drinks with spells to help others, but can’t help herself when it comes to love. Scott Mason is a museum curator who is weary of love due to his past.

I loved the writing of this book and the factual nature of witchcraft elements. The relationship between Dina and her parents, friends, house, and her familiar Heebie was loving, playful, and just all around delightful.

I highly recommend this read for a cozy but spicy fall read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

What a way to start the Halloween season!

This book was the equivalent of a gorgeous cup of hot chocolate: comforting like a warm hug and completely melting right down to the bone.

I loved Dina. I loved Scott. I loved Heebie and all of the supporting characters.

What I fell in love with, though, was the cozy world El-Fassi created. It was so good. A perfect autumn evening. Everything in this felt like it was written exactly for me (I know it wasn't, but whatever). From the rowing to the magic to the baking to Dina's bisexuality to the sex scenes to literally everything, it was everything I wanted from Practical Magic and then some.

I am SO looking forward to book 2...next year.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing- Ballentine | Dell, NetGalley, and the author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
🩷💜💙 Bi rep
🪄 Magical Food
🧙‍♀️Kitchen Witches
🌶️ Cozy with Spice

2️⃣ POV
📍 London, England

Dina is a kitchen witch who runs her own cafe in London which serves pastries with a little magic baked in. Only her family and very close friends know about her abilities and no one knows that she’s been hexed. If she falls in love with someone, that person will have bad luck and possibly get hurt. Scott is a curator at the British Museum happy to be home after traveling the world. His best friend is getting married and he’s the best man who realizes at the wedding weekend that the woman he met at a cafe and can’t get out of his head is Dina, the maid of honor. Dina is falling for Scott too but needs to find a way to break the hex to prevent Scott from being in danger.

This was a fun read, I loved all of the foodie talk and wish I had a secret magical cafe to visit! Dina and Scott’s chemistry was great but I am not a fan of instalove, just a personal preference, so I missed having some tension build between the two. The spice was nice though! This book touched on some deeper themes, especially about how one views themselves, which I really appreciated and added to the character growth. I recommend this one for a cozy but spicy fall romance.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one.
Although I was excited to read it and was ready for a cozy romance I couldn't get behind the insta-lust. It never works for me because they are getting to know the other person for a specific reason. I also found the writing to be a style that I don't enjoy and for both of those reasons I couldn't get into the book. The cover is adorable though!

This book was perfectly fine. It was super cute and an easy read. It's a good witchy romance book but something just felt like it was missing for me. I just can't put my finger on what it is though.

I liked the idea of Dina being a kitchen witch and it translating to her being a cafe owner and her putting her magic into her baked goods. I also did enjoy the magic aspects in this book.

3.5 stars rounded up

Getting ready for winter but not quite ready to let go of the pumpkins? No worries I am still behind on reviews so I'll still keep this witchy reading streak going even if it snows on my pumpkins...
Looking for that one last (or maybe not?
) cozy,
witchy fall read? Best Hex Ever is a sweet and spicy delight, perfect with a pastry and spiced tea. Dina Whitlock, a kitchen witch with a cursed love life, runs a magical London café. When Scott Mason, a globetrotting curator, stumbles into her life, sparks fly-but the hex threatening their romance forces Dina to take a leap of faith.
This enchanting debut blends humor, heartfelt moments, and witchy whimsy. Dina and Scott's slow-burn romance is irresistible, with sizzling chemistry and endearing charm. The side characters, from Dina's loving parents to her quirky friends, are so vivid they feel real.
With its spellbinding mix of magic, romance, and autumn vibes, Best Hex Ever is the ultimate feel-good read for the season. Heartwarming, funny, and unputdownable!

A delicious fantasy rom-com with cozy, lived in magical worldbuilding and a great, charming cast of characters. The protagonists are real and flawed and you root for them, even as you sometimes cringe at their choices. Funny and sweet and the perfect autumn read.