I overall enjoyed this book and I appreciate that it’s a pretty quick read. I personally did not fully connect with the characters and had a hard time to relate to them. I’m usually all for a love at first sight vibes, but this was just too quick for my taste. I will say, this is a perfect read for around Halloween and spooky activities!

A quick, cute, cosy, easy read - perfect to get into the Halloween spirit! 🎃

We follow Trixie - a witch who has been suppressing her magic for most of her adult life whilst working as a paranormal Uber driver - as she navigates approaching 30 and needing to release her magic before she loses control of it. Our MMC is Dominic, who is a multi-billionaire vampire who owns many businesses, including the one Trixie lives in.

Dominic is selling the building, which will put Trixie in a tight spot. They’re both thrown into an election for ‘The Circle’ which neither of them have any interest in - especially Trixie who has sworn off all things magic! They start as enemies, but over time realise they were meant to be 💕 I can’t say much more without getting into spoiler territory!

Emmy is Trixie’s roommate and was one of my favourite characters in the book! She was a great side character and I’d love to read a book about her.

If you’re after an easy, fairly short, cute, cosy Halloween read then you’ll enjoy this!

Tropes:

- Witch x vampire
- Enemies to lovers
- Billionaire romance
- He falls first and harder
- Closed door romance

"Hate Hex" is a quick fall read that is fun as long as you don't look too closely.. Trixie and Dominic are a fun couple and I liked Trixie's relationship with her roommate. There are, however, a lot of plot holes - things that are not explained in any way yet play an important role in the story. Like what the heck made Dominic's brother the way he is. An okay way to pass a couple of (surface level) hours.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Thank you LaManna Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC to review.

An enemies-to-lovers paranormal rom-com to sink your teeth into!

Trixie Gardens is just an average witch living a inhibited life trying to get by in The Hallows with the looming prospect of losing her home in a few months, and suppressing her magic because of secrets she keeps tucked away in her heart under a lock and key. Until she comes face to face with the mysterious and devilishly handsome vampire responsible for her up and coming homelessness. It's hate at first sight. The perfect concoction that simmers and bubbles her dormant magical power. The catalyst to a series of hate hexes that bring these enemies closer, until they are facing and having to answer to the thinly veiled line between hate and love.

Having read this in October, with the sole purpose to get me in the spooky, Halloween feels, Hate Hex was the perfect quick and easy read. It was entertaining and enjoyable, yet also felt rushed and I was reeling for Dom and Trixie's story as well as The Hallows to be more fleshed out, as I personally felt that it had the potential to be loved even more.

This was a fast-paced, fun read and I adored Trixie and Dom! I flew through this one and enjoyed every minute!

Hate Hex by Gina LaManna follows Trixie who’s a witch suppressing her magic and her landlord Dominic who’s a vampire. This book is a fast paced and simple read. The world building and political part could have been more developed. It was nice that we had both of the MCs POVs and could learn more about them. If you’re looking for a quick and fun romcom about a witch and vampire try this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gina LaManna for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was soo good! I loved the characters, I loved Trixie and Dom's story. I loved the beautiful, magical, plant filled world Gina LaManna created. I would loveee a sequal or maybe a book from Emmy's POV. Perfect spooky season read!

If you want a quick insta-love type book with paranormal aspects to it then this is the book you're looking for!

That being said, personally I found it somewhat hard to follow sometimes, since a lot of the “lore” of the world isn't really explained, so I had to make assumptions. Some phrases got repeated about two lines after they were first said, which was kind of odd sometimes. I don't feel like the main characters had a lot of chemistry together, a lot of the book was them trying to be “enemies” but that didn't really work for long. The whole problem with his brother was confusing to me for most of the book and even after it was explained it felt a little underwhelming.

It's definitely not all like that! There were some funny bits in the book and some aww moments for sure, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Overall, if I don't think too much about it lol, it's fun, light, fast-paced, paranormal romance. If you are looking for a quick read, and I really do mean quick this is less then 300 pages and I am still confused as to why?! this could and should have been longer, so much was happening and it was just all over the place. There were more plot lines than pages in this;
1. Trix not using magic because of an abusive relationship with her late mother which could cause her serious harm or death for a reason that was never explained, something about witches turning 30.
2. Dominics relationship with his brother and all the issues that caused, him selling the building and essentially kicking Trix out, his brother being a vampire drug addict/serial killer that with the help of another elf nominee breaks into her apartment, ties her best friend to a chair and thrashes it followed by kidnapping and almost successful murder of Trix in which she saves herself with some gargoyle spell that was barely explained.
3. Their relationship that went from 0 to a 100, insta-love but also an attempt and enemies to lovers (which lasted for 5 seconds) which was one sided from Trix being immature and repeating but not explaining the same things.
4. The whole election for the seat on the council and Trix being elected against her will in the end while breaking the rule that should get her disqualified. She also doesn't really have a legit reason to not work in this magical council. Like girl you can not tell me you wish to drive a taxi for the rest of your life.
5. Her not using her powers put a target on her back by some group bla bla I don't really remember what because it was mentioned once briefly although it was made out to be a big deal.
I'm sure there are some that I'm missing but this is the gist of it. There were so many plot holes and unexplained things by the end of it you could write a whole book just to explain and wrap this up.

Now that i've thought about it this book was a hot mess. Main characters had no personality, plot was all over the place and magic, spells and potions were never explained. Dominic just throws money at any problem that arises and that hex he put on her where she couldn't do her job and earn money....not cool. There wasn't enough chemistry between them either.

Not to be all negative, the book had it's moments where it was funny and cute and I did finish it so it wasn't all bad. Seriously if you want a turn of your brain this whole thing is unbelievable type quick read I would give it a chance.

Gina Lamanna's Hate Hex offers a unique blend of urban fantasy and enemies-to-lovers romance. Set in a supernatural world where taxi drivers navigate the streets alongside vampires, werewolves, and other mythical creatures, the story follows a down-on-her-luck fmc whose rent-controlled apartment is owned by a charming and mysterious vampire.

The tension between the two main characters is obvious. Lamanna does a fantastic job of exploring the relationship between them, making the journey from enemies to lovers both believable and satisfying.

One of the book's strengths is its dual perspectives, allowing readers to experience the story from both the main characters points of view. It was also pretty funny.

However, the book's page length does limit its ability to fully explain the world and its characters. While the supernatural elements are intriguing, some readers may find the descriptions lacking in detail, leaving them feeling a bit lost at times. The pacing can be a bit uneven, with certain plot points feeling rushed or unexplained.

Despite these minor shortcomings, Hate Hex is a enjoyable and entertaining read. It offers a fresh take on the urban fantasy genre, with fun characters and a compelling storyline. Fans of enemies-to-lovers romances and supernatural fiction will likely find this book to be a satisfying addition to their reading list.

Rating: 3/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc <3

3.5/5

A simple, quick, easy to read paranormal rom com. I really liked it and how, even though fast paced, the chemistry and interest between the two main characters was evident since the first interaction.

Trixie, an average witch repressing her magic, really needed someone like Dom, a rich vampire who always goes straight to the point, to help her get out of her cage and actually grow as a person and start being open to the possibilities of change.

This was a cute and fast read, i enjoyed the magical elements throughout the story. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

The hate hex is a cute fast paced fantasy romance between a witch and a vampire. If you’re a seasonal reader, this book would be perfect for halloween. Since I am not into insta lovey books, that kind of took away from my enjoyment but if that’s your thing, you would definitely enjoy it!

A quick and fun read perfect for this time of year! I really enjoyed that this was fast paced but didn’t feel rushed.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a cute, closed-door romance between a witch with suppressed magic and a vampire. I loved the characters and enjoyed the splash of supernatural politics.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great witchy rom-com filled with fantastic chemistry and banter. I really enjoyed the supernatural elements of their also being vampires involved and the whole story was extremely magical.

Book review 📚
Hate Hex by Gina LaManna

If you’re looking for the perfect witchy rom-com just in time for Halloween, then this is it! I thoroughly enjoyed this book with the banter, romance and witches. There wasn’t much more I could have added for this to be perfect. This is a fast-paced paranormal romcom with some magical elements thrown in.

We follow the life of Trixie who is a witch that suppresses her magic and Dominic, the vampire. Their relationship is very love/hate to begin with. For obvious reasons, she’s just trying to get by and he is trying sell her home! Obviously, there is a little more to it than that but I can see why it starts as enemies to lovers.

If you’re looking for a quick, quirky, witchy rom-com with some enemies to lovers, then this book is it.

Hate Hex is paranormal romance at its best. This story is fast paced and easy to read, I read this one in one day. I absolutely love Trixie our FMC. Dom, our MMC is a love to hate type of vampire. This romcom is so fun, I loved it and would recommend if for someone looking for something for spooky season that is a quick and easy read.

Wow, this book was so much fun! It had it all - romance, magic, vampires, action, and sizzle!

Trixie is a witch who has decided not to practice. Bad news for her - if she doesn’t start to vent her powers somehow, she’s going to explode/die/somethingbad. She’s got a very mediocre job as a supernatural Uber driver but luckily has a great roommate to split the utility costs of her apartment that her family owns outright. Things start to veer into bad and weird territory when she has a very off-putting encounter with her building owner in the alley behind said building. It gets worse when she somehow gets nominated for a very prestigious supernatural position. This comes with a whole bunch of campaigning and politics that she is eager to ignore.

Dom, the guy who owns her building, is a vampire and he is also head-over-heels for Trixie. His name gets drawn for the same position and their worlds collide even further. Don’t worry, he does his best to mess things up at every turn, but it was fantastic (fang-tastic?) fun to watch. This paranormal romance had the best banter, silliness, but still pulled off a serious edge. If this is my introduction to this world, I absolutely can’t wait to spend more time in it! While we get happy endings for Dom and Trixie, I’d keep coming back to watch more folks find happiness.

This was such a cute rom-com witchy story between Dom and Trixie. The quirky banter was nice, but I would've loved to see a bit more interaction. While I do enjoy Trixie's relationships between the other characters, I wish there was just a bit more romantic development.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and loved the supernatural elements in the plot. However, I wish there was a bit more background story on Dom's brother and the other side of the underground side of magic. I see the potential of this turning into a series (I would love to see Emmy's story). Thank you, NetGalley, author, and publisher, for giving me an opportunity to read this book!

I love a spooky season book about witches, and this was a cute one! The enemies to lovers vibes was so fun with their hate hex pranks. Normally I’m not a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but there were real stakes to their conflict that made it more believable. I was invested in the election mess and the side plot of Dom and his brother. Altogether a cute read for fall!
Thanks to NetGalley and LaManna Books for this ARC!