I enjoyed this book so much! The cozy autumn vibes were there from the start. I really appreciated the representation in this book as well. And the romance!!! Sweet AND spicy! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy. This is one I’ll reread every year in the fall for the coziest fall and Halloween and witchy vibes (and a sprinkle of Christmas!). Curl up with a tea and enjoy yourself!

SUPER cute little spooky vibe book. LOVED the characters so much, the banter was hilarious and I really enjoyed how real the relationship felt.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nadia El-Fassi, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

I really enjoyed this book. I think this is going to be the perfect book to read in the fall season. The weather and scenery that was described as well as the spiced drinks that they enjoyed. I adored the fact that it’s about a witch and a curator falling in love. It was very sweet. The bisexual representation in this book was also great. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!

I highly recommend it!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC,

This is MY practical magic of today.
Best Hex Ever was like a warm magical hug, it was cozy, cute, spicy and had me giggling. Literally felt like a movie was unfolding in my mind while reading this! We follow Dina a kitchen witch and Scott a museum curator and they keep running into each-other. And it turns out they’re both going to the same wedding Dina is the maid of honor and Scott is the best man! They’re both insanely attracted to each-other but Dina is scared because she is hexed. Anyone who she romantically gets involved with ends up hurt….

This book is filled with black cats, cottages, a wedding during Halloween season, henna magic, and old magical houses. I love that everyone from Dina’s mom, her friends who are both horror authors, and her cat kept pushing Dina towards Scott. This book is so magical and I felt like I could actually smell the apple crisp and cinnamon buns Dina makes while reading this. This is the perfect book for the fall and Halloween season.

Tropes:
Forced proximity
Baking magic
Spicy
Kitchen witch
Museum curator

Cozy, spicy, witchy romance alert!- Best Hex Ever

So personally, I’ve been in a reading slump lately, and I think because of that I haven’t been posting as much. That being said, this book QUICKLY ripped from that.

🐈‍⬛ Witchy romance
🐈‍⬛ Strong female friendships
🐈‍⬛ Dad bod hero (which was honestly refreshing)
🐈‍⬛Romance that doesn’t end with children

BLURB:As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café, serving magic-infused treats. However, only a few select friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the moment they develop feelings for you.

Scott Mason has returned from global travels thrilled to embark on his new role as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London two years ago to recover from a devastating breakup, Scott realizes how much he has missed out on. With his best friend’s wedding approaching, Scott is determined to be the best best man ever. Little does he expect to be enchanted by the maid of honor, who is not only the owner of his new favorite café but also a witch!

During a weekend in the countryside filled with peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always chosen to cut her losses, but this time feels different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex before it’s too late?

🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

This romance was literally everything I was looking for. It was cute and whimsical without being boring, and I love that this couple quickly came together, and we got to see them actually being a couple. In addition, it was refreshing to see a romance couple be madly in love, without wanting to have children. This book was wonderfully written, with gorgeous family history, diverse topics, and truly, I can’t recommend this enough.

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Release: Oct 1, 2024

This gave me all the “Simply Irresistible” and “Practical Magic” vibes; Simply Irresistible for the food magic and Practical Magic for that love hex!

Best Hex Ever is a fun, flirty, and spicy read! I loved the moments with her best friends, as well as the moments Dina had with her parents. It has the perfect balance of everything, even with the dash of angst near the end.

If a fast-paced romance is your thing, this is the book for you!

Honestly, this one just didn't stick out to me. I really don't have any memory of it while coming back to write this review.

I'll give this one 3.5 stars. This book was cute and cozy, and I loved the characters. I found the plot to be an adorable premise and I loved the little side romances. There was just something off with the spice as you get into the story. Maybe it read a little forced?

This book had great potential, but I feel like it fell a little short. I didn't enjoy the writing style very much, and the plot was extremely predictable. I read a lot of romance, and I'm used to a usual formula being used. Unfortunately, this one didn't add anything unique or exciting to the formula. The relationship between the characters was insta-lust/insta-love, and very unrealistic. Love at first sight, but not in a way I could really beleive.

The magic was fun, and I think the descriptions of the setting and magic use was my favorite part. I didn't fall in love with the characters or feel any connection or chemistry between them, but the idea of a kitchen witch baking food that can guarantee you a job if eaten before an interview was super fun!

I think this story had a lot going for it, but just didn't execute it as well as I would have liked.

First off, the title of this book alone had me NEEDING to read it! I loved the cozy kitchen witch vibes which made it a perfect read for spooky season. However I did feel like there was no real relationship building - it was just lust and physical connection which made it entirely unbelievable as good relationships require that "getting to know you" stuff.

There were things about this book I liked, and things I had trouble with. I really like the cozy setting Nadia El-Fassi created within this book. The cafe seems like a dream to be able to visit, and the way she wrote Dina's magic to fit into a modern world was fantastic. The secondary characters, from Dina's family to her best friends, really helped build that cozy feeling. The relationship Dina had with her parents was really heartwarming.

However, the pacing of this book felt a little fast. Dina and Scott fell into bed almost immediately with each other. I felt like there was very little time for their relationship to develop. There was a lot of telling the reader they were in love, but not a lot of showing. This made it difficult to connect to them as a couple and really be sold on them. Even the plot of the book seemed to focus on the two of them having sex, rather than solving Dina being hexed. I expected more tension between them and the issue of Dina's hex but all of it got solve pretty quickly and almost out of nowhere.

While maybe this book was not 100% for me, I do think Best Hex Ever shows promise and I look forward to what Nadia El-Fassi writes next!

When I read this description of this book, I was like this is everything I'm looking for. It's a cozy hug from a Moroccan kitchen witch, which would fit great for spooky season. However, some of the execution makes it a little rough to fully enjoy.

Dina is a (Moroccan!!!) witch, who owns a bakery, where she infuses her pastries/drinks with spells to help those who come in. There is a meet cute with her and Scott, a museum curator, where he knocks down an evil eve.

What I will say is that this book is extreme insta-love, and I would suggest that you're in the mood for that. There's a loose plot in terms of finding love and breaking a hex, as well as dealing with love after loss and accepting who you are. This book is really over a short period of time. It ends with a HEA, and no extended epilogue.

What I love:
- Cozy/Kitchen witch
- Moroccan witch!! this was so cool to read about
- Witch x curator
- Bi rep
- Found and foster family
- Heeble, her cat!

What I am currently struggling with:

- extreme insta-lust
- showing vs telling
- relationship develops over a couple days, which doesn't feel authentic


TW: mentions of cheated on (off-screen), mentions of child abandonment/foster families (off-screen)

Overall, I would rate this a 3.5/5, but look forward to see if there are changes prior to final release as this is really something that could be a great book.

Thanks to Ballantine/Del Rey for an ARC.

FIVE STARS OMG!
I am crazy in love with this book and Dina! This was such a cozy read and ever so steamy! I cannot wait for this to come out because it was so perfect and there's a scene with Dina and her mother Nour at the end of the book that made me cry. I'm so happy to exist in a world where Best Hex Ever exists. Such a sweet fantastic read.

Fun, magical, steamy, great fall read. Scott and Dina meet at her coffee shop. He’s a handsome customer, she a cute owner, who is also a witch. Specifically she is a bisexual kitchen witch. Her heart was broken by her first love. And also that ex, cursed Dina. Anyone she loves will be hurt. So obviously Dina takes a pass on the handsome stranger. But when it ends out they are in the same wedding and their friends are pushing them together. Well, it is a romance novel. The writing is great. And navigates having a curator for the British Museum, who acknowledges its problematic history. Honestly, it is the perfect book, for a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day.

Hexed kitchen witch Dina falls for museum curator Scott during a weekend getaway in the English country side for their friends’ wedding.

This was cute and I loved the witchy baking and Dina’s Moroccan heritage. I really liked Dina’s friendship with Immy and Rosemary. The spice was good too but I didn’t like the insta lust. For me it was way too strong and too fast. There wasn’t enough getting to know each other first. For a big chunk of the book it’s only physical attraction and lust.

I do plan to check out Nadia El-Fassi’s next book in this interconnected series though.
Thank you Netgalley and Dell for this eARC

Thank you netgalley for letting me read and review this book. This follows Dina the kitchen witch who quite literally has a cursed love life. Living in London and running her cafe/bakery she unexpectedly meets Scott who ends up intertwined in her life. For the first time in years she really wishes she wasn’t cursed so they could attempt to be together.

I thought this book was a cozy fall read, but didn’t love it. I enjoyed it although found parts incredibly slow or fast that made the pacing feel off. I really enjoyed Scott and Dina as characters but their insta love and rushed relationship was hard to follow.

I really enjoyed following the kitchen magic and the rich heritage of magic passed down through her family. The book gave off a cozy vibe as I read through it and would be wonderful to read in the fall. I wished that there had been more involvement of Scott’s work around his symbols and protection exhibit in figuring out Dina’s curse.

Overall really enjoyable and would recommend.

Cozy and cute romance. I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I would have liked - at points it almost felt like I was reading a screen play. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

This book was fuzzy socks by the fire on a chilly fall night. It was the smell of an apple crisp baking in an oven. It was an oversized cardigan worn while enjoying chamomile tea. It was just so cozy and will be perfect for spooky season. I totally adored the magical elements of this book and it was so unique and cute. While the setting of the cafe was innocent enough, the spice was not. Honestly, the spice took me a bit by surprise. I did feel that at a certain point the book became all about spice and the resolution at the end of the book felt a little rushed, which is why I docked a star. Speaking of stars, Heebie was the star of the show! Overall, a quick cutesy fantasy romance that feels like a warm hug.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dina is a kitchen witch ho was a troubled love life because of a hex that hurts anyone who falls in love with her. She finds herself drawn to Scott, a curator at the British Museum. As they strengthen their connection, the hex grows stronger. Can Dina break the hex before Scott gets hurt?

this book was super easy to read and follow along with which made it super bingeable, It had that heartwarming, cozy feeling intertwined with witchy goodness. Baking magic is such a fun play on a magic system and I haven't read anything like it before. The main characters were strong independently but also better together. Scott's professional background in cultural symbols of luck and Dina's magic really blended well together. They had chemistry right from the start and while there is definite spice in this book, it was so well done and well balanced with the story and the romantic build up!

This was a strong debut paranormal romance story that had a unique magic system and intertwined some really interesting elements of heritage. This will be a perfect bingeable story to read during spooky season.

Dina tiene una cafetería, utiliza su magia para darles un toque especial y tiene una maldición en la que a la persona que ame, resultará herida.
Scott trabaja es un curador y trabaja en el museo Británico

Dina se ganó la maldición, pero no era justo que otros pagaran por sus errores, aunque cuando se reveló de que iba tuvo sentido que sus parejas fueran quienes sufrieran.

Fueron muchas escenas sexuales y me aburrieron, ojalá hubiera más cosas mágicas.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.