This was honestly really cute! Loved the Kitchen Witch content, it was a fun magical element that I’ve never read before and I did enjoy the romance, but the spicy scenes were a bit cringe with the overuse of “seam” and “folds” because those give me the ick. Would have given this a bit higher rating if not for that aspect.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love a baking book and then it’s cute spooky spiritual magic stuff? Love that. It was a cute read and would for sure recommend to a friend for an easy read

I loved the magical realism of this book. There weren’t any bad characters, I enjoyed them all! This was the most perfect book to read during the Halloween holiday, super cozy. It was just a bit too spicy for me, at some parts I felt it was a little too much and took away from the book. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Best Hex Ever has lots of fun elements. The vibe is autumnal and cozy. There are lots of yummy sounding baked goods, plenty of spellwork, lovely descriptions of the English countryside, and a grumpy cat familiar named Heebie.

Dina, the FMC, is a kitchen witch who owns a bakery in London and weaves gentle spells into her pastries to promote confidence and warm feelings in everyone who eats them. However, in her love life she's had horrible luck, due, she believes to a hex laid on her by her first love that dooms anyone she falls in love with to suffer injuries and possibly even death. When she meets Scott, a new curator at the British Museum, and fate keeps pushing them together, she tries to deny her feelings but can't. Ultimately, though, unless she can break the hex, the relationship (and Scott) will be doomed.

All of the building blocks for a cozy witchy romance are present in this book. Dina and Scott's relationships with their families and friends were also well portrayed. The problem for me was that the romance didn't come together as well as the other elements did. There was too much reliance on insta-lust/love and too much spice coupled with too little romance. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This was such a cute romance! Loved their chemistry and it seemed clumsiness but it was the hex. I need to find a bakery with a kitchen witch I would love to eat food that was imbued with positive energy or healing magic.
Loved their meet cutes and how they kept running into each other. Also the hex turned out to be not entirely what she thought it was though it was harming those she fell for.

Dina is a kitchen witch, making her magical pastries in her own bakery. When Scott walks in one day, there is an instant attraction between the two. Dina notices the attraction but has promised herself that she would never be in a relationship after she had been hexed, causing a string of bad luck for any of her partners. When the two meet again at Dina's best friend's wedding, they can no longer deny the attraction the two have, but can the two work together against the hex determined to tear them apart?

Best Hex Ever was the perfect story for the start of Fall. I am not usually a fan of the instalove trope, but this book was so much fun, and I loved the chemistry between Dina and Scott. I was surprised by how much spice was in this book but was completely for it. Best Hex Ever opened up the possibility of a second book in this series and would be an instant add to my TBR.

Best Hex Ever is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the opportunity to review Best Hex Ever. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this one and there are parts that I do, but overall it’s a miss for me. I loved Dina’s baking and how her magic was infused in it. I also liked how her culture and magic was presented in the book. I appreciated the take on Scott’s job as a curator and what responsibility that is. For me, insta-lust does not work. I like spice but I need emotions and build up prior to physical relationships, and that’s where this one lost me. I know it’s popular and being talked about and I wish it nothing but lots of success.

I really enjoyed reading about Dina's witchcraft. Who doesn't love a magical kitchen? I also liked Dina and Scott's connection. It happened fast, but I felt like it was believable given the magic in the story. I was willing to accept that their connection was another result of the magic and a little cat matchmaking.

I was surprised how much Dina's sexual orientation was a part of the plot. Dina identified as bi and her unwillingness to share that information with her family caused a lot of problems for their relationship. I struggled a bit with her unwillingness to put her relationship with Scott above her fear though I did like how the issue was resolved.

I think if you like a magical romcom and don't mind some instalove this is a great choice. The magic was fun and I liked how Dina's magic could be a blessing and a literal curse.

LOVED LOVED LOVED!

Such a fun cute read that kept me kicking my feet up in happiness. And the perfect amount of smut for a cozy witchy read. I felt like I was a part of the friend group and was there with everyone. I also wish that magical forest was real and I could go there. I would love to just sit on the forest floor and soak it all up.

Go read this book now!

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

So delightfully cozy and charming. I thoroughly enjoyed snuggling up with this book and a tea. Magic, romance, fun characters, and cozy joy all around. Highly recommend!

This fun, entertaining and spicy story is full of adventures, love and magic. The banter is great and well written. Dina is a kitchen witch casting spells on baked goods, coffee and teas to make customers feel good about their days. Scott is a museum curator who happens into her cafe one day. There is instant attraction between the two but both are too shy to say anything about it. But, they keep accidentally meeting up with each other until they realize they have mutual friends and are to be participating in a special event together. The fun and excitement continues from there and the heart of the story begins. <br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed this book 📕 and gave it a 4.5 ⭐️ rating, with a spicy rating of 3.5. The narration was spot on and well preformed by both narrators. I highly recommend this well written novel, I recommend reading it during spooky season for a fun and interesting read.

a baking witch who is cursed so that everyone she loves (romantically) gets hurt meets a British museum curator who just returned to England after running away after finding out his girlfriend cheated on him. When they meet, they both feel something and cannot stop thinking about one another. They meet again on a train while traveling to their respective friends’ weddings…. It turns out it’s the same wedding. now they are forced to be close to one another, all the time. they’re even staying in the same small cottage at the wedding destination. Can they break the curse? will he get hurt before the curse can be broken? will they end up together? also, will the wedding go off without a hitch?

I would suggest this book for people who are into books with a moderate amount of spice and looking for a fall book to read that fits within this category. I, personally, am not a huge fan of spice in books and if there is spice, I prefer it to be once the characters actually know each other quite well. I found here that there was a physical attraction first, which then turned into an emotional one. That's not to say anything is bad, it's just not my personal preference.

a very witchy yet spicy urban fantasy romance

rating: 3.5

what i liked: all the kitchen magic was sooo creative and fun, major cozy vibes for sure. i also really liked how dina's moroccan background and magic was present in spellwork. her relationship w her mom was sweet too, esp w her struggle with whether to come out or not (yay bi rep!). even her friends and her mom sharing magical moments was super cute.

what didn't work for me: the romance was super instalusty, which i wasn't expecting. they would go 0 to 100 in their heads about wanting to bang lol sometimes it was a bit much for me. also if my friends roomed me with a random guy i never met for a weekend i would not be chill about it lol.
i would've liked more build up in that respect and a little more exploration with scott; it was cool to hear about his work as a museum curator, but he felt a bit two dimensional when it came to the relationship dynamics with dina.

overall a sweet lighthearted romantasy with lots of magic.

an honest arc review ♡

Tropes:
Slow Burn
Witchy
Strangers to Lovers
Golden Retriever MMC
Black Cat FMC

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It was very cute, and felt a lot like fall. I definitely wasn’t expecting it to turn so spicy. I wasn’t mad about it, just totally didn’t expect that. I kind of felt like the spicy scenes were a little bit much but I also think that’s because I wasn’t expecting it.

It felt a little bit like a cross between a hallmark love story and Harry Potter. This was the first Romantasy book that I’ve read and I enjoyed it.

I felt like the ending was a little flat for me, there was a lot of back and forth between should I tell my mom about the hex or should I not?

Overall it was a good autumn read. Thank you NetGalley and Nadia for letting me read an advanced copy of the book. I’m so greatful !

This was a adorable cozy paranormal romance debut with fun characters and a sweet romance.
Our main character is a witch who runs a cafe where she can infuse her food with magic for her customers. She is suffering from a romance curse that dooms any man she becomes involved with. When she has a "meet cute" with a potential suitor over a paranormal Halloween theme wedding weekend she is determined to break the curse and save her love life. Can she discover how to break the curse before he is in danger? They are perfect for each other except for the curse.

The characters are richly defined. the paranormal aspects fun and the romance done perfectly. A enjoyable read I recommend.

Perfect book to kick off Halloween and spooky season!

I LOVED the magical realism with all the sprinkles of how magic is used and I loved the little twist about the hex.

I only wish it was longer. Left me wanting more story. I would have wanted more sweet romance building to balance out all the spice and insta love. But it was a delightful read perfect for the season!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC for this book. Dina Whitlock is a kitchen witch who owns her owns her own cafe and bakery in London and loves working her magic in the kitchen, making healing teas and delicious baked goods that make people feel good and open to new possibilities. But for Dina, love is not on the table ever since her ex-girlfriend put a hex on her that means anyone she falls in love with will get badly hurt. But one October morning, in comes Scott Mason, a new curator at the British Museum who is passionate about his work and notices Dina right away. The two connect, but neither believes that they will see one another again until they realize that they are both in the wedding party of their two best friends. Over the wedding weekend, things start heating up between Dina and Scott, and Dina will have to decide if Scott is the one person who can help break this hex once and for all.

This book was full of delightful surprises. I love a witchy romance, and this book delivered a lot of sweetness and spice, but what pulled me in most and kept me engaged was Dina's character. I loved her self-confidence and sexiness as well as her vulnerability. Her connection to her matrilineal magic descending from Morocco and her mother felt such a close part of her, and her close and loving friendships with her two best friends were not overshadowed by the romance plot. Dina's character really gave this book so much heart, especially as the other characters loved her so much, and the familial and platonic loves all felt just as important as the love she develops with Scott, especially as she navigates her feelings about her sexuality. I like Scott's character; he grew on me, but there were times when he fell a little flat when the book was in his point of view, but overall I still really liked his story too.

I would definitely recommend this book for a witchy October romance with a lot of fun and a lot of love.

I really loved this book, such a great read - cozy, spicy, witchy.

Scott's such a perfect character and I think it would've been great to get a bit more of his perspective in the last chapters and what he was going through when Dina left. A lot of his accidents are told through Dina finding out.

Also would've loved if we could see Scott trying to uncover his personal history but that's probably for another book.

Looking forward to more from Nadia!

This book was incredible. It was warm and fuzzy and had such good vibes all the way through. It was so whimsical and had the perfect amount of relatability while also feeling fantastical. Nadia did a great job of making the characters feel real and like person while also allowing us to step away from real life into a world of magic. Will definitely recommend this book to anyone who will listen!

I love a good witchy vibe for a fall read and those aspects were done well, but this book was far too raunchy for my tastes. Good LGBTQ+ representation, well done magical realism, but the constant focus on physical lust and sexual content definitely made the romance and love story feel less genuine.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.