Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of Hate Hex

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Spice: 🌶️🌶️ closed door

If you enjoyed the Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, but you wanted less spice than this is for you!

Has all the witchy vibes and is a feel good paranormal romance set in a magical universe within New York City.

Trixie is a struggling 27-year-old taxi driver in New York City and has a rent controlled apartment and is having to deal with greedy landowners trying to take it over. Yes, a lot of the plot was silly and outlandish but that’s what this was supposed to be and I think it did a good job. I rated it 3.5 stars though because it was a little too instalovey for my liking and I didn’t really care for Dom character who is our MMC. I would definitely read another book in this universe!

3.5 Stars (rounded up)
One Liner: A light timepass read

Trixie Gardens is a taxi driver in the paranormal section of NY. She is twenty-nine and struggling with her finances. She is also determined not to use her magic, which could cause trouble soon.
Dominic Kent is a multi-billionaire vampire who owns many businesses, including the building Trixie lives in. Their interactions are heated, and Trixie decides to hate-hex him for making her life hard. Soon, there’s more than hate between them as the two cannot seem to avoid each other.
However, they have a lot more to deal with as Dominic’s brother, Sebastian, returns, determined to create a mess. Can Tix and Dom fight Sebastian and have their happy ever after?
The story comes in the first-person POVs for Trixie and Dominic.

My Thoughts:
I wanted a light and easy read and got it. This is a quick paranormal romance with some fun banter. It’s pretty much insta-love but works since the book is short and has a steady pace. There are enemies-to-lovers and fated-mates tropes as well.
The dual POVs give us both backstories and make it easy to understand the characters. Dom’s first-person POV is quite good. There were times I liked it more in the first half.
The FMC has a strong reason to suppress her magic. However, we don’t get the reason until the halfway point. By then I was starting to grow weary of her. Maybe the reveal could have come 5-10% earlier and used for further character development afterward.
Though there is no world-building, it is easy to get into the plot without wondering about what’s and why’s. However, if you are new to this genre, you may need more than what’s provided. Turns out, the book is set in the same world as an established series (Magic & Mixology Mystery) with eight existing books. I got to know only when I read the author’s note.
I quite like the descriptions of the apartments, though. Emmy’s lab sounds like a fun and explosive place to be. The friendship between the FMC and Emmy is also sweet and cute.
Grandma Betty, though in a minor role, is charming and delightful. I wish she had more space, though given the book’s length I can’t ask for much. While Vix is almost uni-dimensional, Belinda (a pixie) is a fun character to meet.
Apart from the Sebastian track, there’s another subplot about the Circle and nominations for the wildcard seat. Though this acts as a catalyst for the plot to move, it could have been better woven into the plot. I wouldn’t mind reading a few pages extra to know more about this.
There is a third-act breakup of sorts which made me groan. However, the way it was used in the climax surprised me. Such a cool idea!

To summarize, Hate Hex is a lighthearted and quick romance (pretty clean too!) with interesting themes like forgiveness, healing, acceptance, etc. Since I wanted a fluffy romance and got one, I cannot complain (hence rounding the rating up to 4 stars).
Thank you, NetGalley, LaManna Books, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Trixie Gardens is a witch who minds her own business, but the moment she meets the vampire upstairs, her life starts to unravel. Dominic Kent is the most irritating man (ahem, vampire) she has ever met... and even worse... he's kicking her out of her apartment!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hate Hex was an enjoyably entertaining, paranormal romance read! Trixie and Dominic hate each other at first sight... or so they try to convince themselves! A few "hate hexes" later, and suddenly the two enemies find themselves on the same side of a magical nomination... and the bedroom!

Trixie is a powerful witch who has been suppressing her magic, but she has her reasons for doing so. Dominic is a centuries old vampire who is more worried about his bloodthirsty brother than the magical happenings around The Hollow... that is, until he meets Trixie Gardens...

I enjoyed the plot and the characters in this book immensely. Trixie was a deeply wounded witch who protected herself by turning her back on her magic. Dominic was a strong vampire who has never been more vulnerable since he found Trixie. But together they find a connection, and a love that neither knew existed, now they have to find a way for a witch and a vampire to live together in peace... even when the world around them does their best to tear them apart...

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a nice easy to read romance! If you just want something fun not too serious and a quick read I’m sure you will enjoy! I was able to get the arc from Netgally which is why I came around this book.

I wasn’t really surprised with anything in the book, and it just felt like the same story I’ve read in other books. I did enjoy the dual POV and of course the funny comments from Trixie from time to time. I would’ve loved to explore the magical world some more.

If you love romcoms and romcoms around paranormal life right around the start of spooky season - this is the book for you. I thought this was such a fun, cute read. I enjoyed the disklike (hate) to love on Trixie's side (definitely wasn't there on Dom's side) and the playfulness between them. I feel like there were maybe too many side plots going on (political and murderous brother could have been narrowed down to one or the other) but it was definitely the right book to kick off the start of spooky season and I was here for it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a cute book. I really enjoyed it. This was my first by this author and will not be my last. Great writing style! A fun and easy read.

With a witch named Trixie Gardens, I knew this was going to be such a cute, witchy romance. I loved the dynamic between the characters. They had the perfect setup for an instant enemies to lovers vibe, great banter, and funny magical pranks. Their hate quickly turns toward insta-love, but after waiting 300 years, Dom knew they were fated mates. Overall, this was a light hearted, quick, and cozy read. I would recommend it.

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Witch x vampire
✔️Billionaire
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Dual POV

Favorite quote: “Don’t let your past stop you from being happy in the future.”

Thank you @ginnalamanna and @NetGalley for my ARC!

An entertaining, light, and fast paced paranormal rom-com. Likeable characters, humour, and a well plotted story
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.75⭐
This was my first dive into paranormal romance, and I enjoyed it overall, though I struggled to feel the chemistry between the main characters. The world-building was sweet and intriguing, but it felt like some important details were missing. The author spent a lot of time on unnecessary aspects, focusing heavily on Trixi's fear of using her magic. While I understand it's a key part of the story, the main plot twist involving both Trixi's magic and Dom's brother felt a bit overshadowed.

That said, the book had a cute vibe, and I really loved the experience as a whole! ✨

This was the perfect book to read if you are a love of autumn/halloween season.

In one book you’ve got witches, vampires, billionaires and lots of comedy.

Trixie and Dominic are forced to work together and it's got enemies to lovers, insta-love and hate turned into something more.

I love the Halloween book season, almost more than I love the Christmas book season, because I’m obsessed with paranormal romances. They are so cute, and I just eat them up every time. I love the mix of normal romance storylines and magical characters, it’s the perfect combination that guarantees I’ll enjoy the book from start to finish.

Trixie is an adorable character, who is a witch, but yet is so relatable to me, an average 27 year old. Her career, life plans, grief can be relatable to anyone, even if we can’t relate to her being a strong witch who has insane amounts of power. Her and Dom have an interesting relationship from start to finish, it never went the way I expected, but I loved it nonetheless. The result of the hexes were hilarious, but I also loved how they came to the realization that they loved each other!

This enemies to lovers is a funny story with a sparkle of magic. Their insta-love /hate turn into something more when forced to work together with a now common enemy.
It was a perfect light fantasy to binge in one sitting.

This was a fun, quick, paranormal romance read. It was a lot of fun going along the story with Trixie and Dominic in an enemies-to-lovers adjacent storyline. The relationship between the two is very playful and fun! It wakes all of our favorite elements (witches, vampires, billionaires, and comedy) and brings them into one book, perfect to cozy up with just in time for fall!

3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫

She was the fire to my ice, the warm heat to my cold, empty chamber.

Hate Hex is a standalone adult urban fantasy romance following Trixie, a down on her luck witch, and Dominic, a billionaire vampire with family baggage.

Trixie is a witch who hates magic and represses her own skills to live like a human. She spends her days getting by working as a taxi driver living in the only place she has ever called him...until she finds out the billionaire who owns her apartment building is planning to sell the building and thus evict her.

When a series of strange happenstances lead Dominic's attention to be drawn to Trixie (accidental magic use on a cork bottle, dark alleyway, and an invitation to an elite magical event) a connection forms between these two unlikely folks. Trixie claims it to be hatred but as they are drawn into a fight against estranged family and an election neither one wants it becomes clear something else may be brewing...if they give it a chance.

I had fun with this book!

Trixie is a spunky character who knows how to voice herself and stand up. Her tumultuous upbringing has led to a lot of insecurity around magic and I like how it was represented in this book. I will say at times she can get stuck in a rut but I admired the strength of the different side characters who found ways to get to her without her getting immediately on the defensive.

Dominic comes across as a pretty traditional billionaire vampire. He has baggage because he wants to be distanced from his brother and he fears what his brother will do to the people he cares about. I liked the connection he felt to Trixie and the ways he tried to keep himself in her life before he even understood what these emotions meant. Now, he did try to martyr things a couple times but thankfully Trixie does not let him walk all over her.

I also gave a shout out to side characters but Trixie's best friend and grandmother really helped make Trixie a character I was able to enjoy. They drew out her fears and helped her process things while also challenging her about her perceptions, which is key because her instant dislike of Dominic was a teensy bit over dramatic.

This book does have some reference to spice that I would place at a 0.5 spicy pepper out of 5 spicy peppers. While there is an almost instant connection between the characters, the overall romance is a slow burn. The spice itself has some foreplay before it fades to black. There is passionate kissing, biting, and declarations of love but I was surprised how limited the spice was given the connection these two felt. Their romance does take a back slide at one point as they both are dealing with their baggage but it did feel good overall.

"The smell of you, the feel of your lips on mine...I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I'm ravenous for you, Trixie. You have ruined me."

The story had good pace and some interesting twists to keep you along for the ride. I loved the antagonistic play between Trixie and Dominic and the additional plot elements about the election to help keep things going. Dominic's story around his brother felt sort of weaker than Trixie's struggle to accept magic and I wish there was a smoother transition to how it connects to the overarching story. We got banter, some sweet moments in the world, and intimacy that helped draw things together. I did feel the ending was rushed a bit.

Overall, a sweet romance if you love cool urban fantasy worlds where magical creatures live modern lives.

Thank you so much LaManna Books for this arc!

Hate hex is a fun, quick, paranormal, witchy read. The book is just perfect for the upcoming spooky season. I could not put it down. I loved the enemies to lovers romance between Trixie and Dom.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Release date is September 3rd!

Trixie Gardens, is a down-on-her-luck taxi driver in the paranormal section of New York. She is also a witch who has refused to use her powers since she was sixteen, and they have been building up inside of her ever since. Then one night, as she is walking back to her apartment, she runs into a grumpy, devilishly handsome vampire in the alley behind her apartment building and her magic accidentally shoots the cork from a cheap cabernet bottle at his face. Oops! The vampire turns out to be none other than Dominic Kent, the billionaire who owns Trixie’s apartment building and lives in the penthouse above her apartment. When she discovers Dominic is planning to sell the apartment building and evict everyone, she retaliates by getting her roommate/best friend to brew up a hate hex to show him just how miserable it can be to live in a crappy apartment, which is all she will be able to afford if she gets kicked out of her rent-controlled one. He retaliates by hexing her back, and it is game on. When Dominic's brother returns, hellbent on revenge, Dom & Trixie have to join forces to stay alive.

I am a huge fan of this author, and her Magic & Mixology series is my favorite of all of them. This book is in the same universe as those books, even if there weren't any cross-over characters. I loved Trixie & Dominic and Trixie's roommate Emmy, and hope this will be either a spin-off series, or they will be incorporated into future books in that series. This was a fun read that is perfect for anyone who loves fantasy fiction.. I highly recommend it.

Get yourself in the Spooky Season mood!  This is a cute, smexy, cosy paranormal romance.

Trixie is a powerful but reluctant witch.  Decades of suppressing her magic leads to her giving off random blasts of magic when she does cave and use it occasionally.  She has her reasons for hating to use magic and I can understand why she thought she had to basically live like a human.

Dom is perfect as the centuries older, vampiric rich guy.  He's forgotten what it's like to worry about rent, food and a working vehicle.  When he is determined to sell their apartment block, he sets Trixie off on a hex war!

The banter between these two is well crafted and the complete irreverence that Vix has for her employer is awesome!  Emmy is possibly my favourite secondary character.  She is such a great friend to Trixie and always on her side - even when she knows that Trixie is going off on a tangent.

The political mayhem subplot and Dom's squicky brother added some depth.  I really enjoyed this shorter story and I'd be happy to visit this world again.

What a perfect book to kick off fall & spooky season! This was a fun, quick read. I loved the chemistry between Trixie and Dominic. I enjoyed the universe that the author Gina LaManna created. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author!

2.5 stars. Hate Hex follows a witch named Trixie who is trying to suppress her magic. It's getting harder to do this as she nears her thirtieth birthday. Her landlord Dominic is a powerful vampire who she dislikes since he is selling the apartment building and she has to move. Once they start truly interacting with each other after they are both nominated for an elected position, they begin to realize they like each other. Unfortunately, Dominic's murderous brother and otherworldly politics can't stop getting in Trixie and Dominic's way.

Hate Hex had some entertaining parts to it but I did not feel that it was original. I didn't find myself getting invested in the characters or their relationship. I feel the love part was really rushed. Overall, it was still a fun, quick read.

Thank you to LaManna Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.