Hot Hex Boyfriend - Carly Bloom

The Merriweather’s are the town joke.. They believe they are witches that have lost their powers through a hex and Delia is the bluemoon witch born to break the curse… No one is more surprised when she accidentally does break it and all the family power is unleashed.
Max is there settling his uncle's estate but as a witch himself, he helps the family try and learn to control their powers. Trouble is, he can’t seem to stay away from Delia and the reason they were hexed in the first place, makes Max wonder if the things he is feeling are even real.

I found this book delightfully entertaining. The characters were all expertly written and I loved getting to know them all so much! It was like I found my coven!! It was funny and quirky with so much warmth it was the perfect cozy paranormal romance to start the spooky off with a bang! I loved Nikki!! He was hilarious! If we get a spin off, I need it to be on him!

Excellent book! Excellent narration.

5 stars and 2 thumbs up

(4.5/5 stars)

Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom is a cozy paranormal romance with a lot of heart.

The Merriweather women claim to be descended from a long line of witches, but generations ago were cursed to be unable to access their magic. But there is also a legend of a blue witch that would be born on the blue moon who could eventually break said curse. Delia Merriweather is supposedly that blue witch (she has the birthmark on her butt to prove it), but there's only one more week to break the hex by the prophesied deadline of her thirtieth birthday. Unbeknownst to the Merriweathers, magic really is real and Max has been sent by the governing body of witches to keep an eye on them and stop Delia from breaking the curse.

First things first, I grabbed this book so fast when I saw in the blurb that it would "delight fans of Practical Magic and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches." I've probably re-read Practical Magic the most out of any other book, and I absolutely ADORED The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Whomever they got to illustrate this cover did a bang up job as well.

I'm a big fan of alternating dual-POV romances, and both audiobook narrators--Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang--do a great job! They were both especially good at having distinctive character voices and I never got confused as to who was speaking.

I really enjoyed and totally inhaled this book! There are some pacing issues towards the beginning, but the last half of the book really made up for it for me. I am so in love with so many side characters from this book (especially Nikki)! It was a fun romp with a lot of heart, and I even cried at one point.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a great option to pick up for spoopy season if you're looking for something with cozy witchy vibes and light spice. I really hope this is the start of a series!

Tropes in this book include: slow burn, cozy, small town, southern charm, found family

I absolutely love to read books with magic during fall season, they are so cozy and always hit right.
Cordelia Merriweather's family always say that they are witches without magic, because they were cursed and Delia is a blue witch since she was born on a blue moon day and has a birthmark shaped like a crescent moon and is the only one who can break the curse.
Maximus Halifax is a witch who is grandson of Merriweather's neighbor, his grandfather passed away so he is in town to sell his properties and go back to his town, but also to keep an eye on the blue witch since she can break the curse. Max's great-great grandfather cursed of the Merriweather's bloodline because one of them bewitched him.
I loved the town, their mansions, they had that cozy dark academia vibe. All of the characters were fun, I love both of their families, they were different in their own way. Amy, Luc and Nikki were my favourite side characters, especially Nikki.
Both the main characters were lovable and I liked the slow burn and the reason for their third act of breakup was unexpected, I thought it would be because of the obvious reason.
The last one third of the book was really interesting and I binged it because I had to know everything. The mystery of how the hex was broken was interesting and fun.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This felt lika a perfect fall romance read with a dash of magic in it. The romance was super sweet and I love how sassy the aunts were. If you enjoy urban fantasy, witches, love at first sight, forbidden love and sassy characters then you will absolutly love this book.

This was the sweet witchy rom-com I wasn’t expecting to get when I requested the ARC but I’m so glad to have gotten.
It was a perfect fall read.
The plot was captivating, the characters lovable and quirky, the setting atmospheric and cozy.
I also didn’t expect for this book to get me emotional like that.
If you’re looking for a cute and cozy rom-com story for the witchy season this book is for you. And even if that’s not what you’re looking for, read it anyways. Or go the audiobook way because the narration was magical.

Hot Hex Boyfriend was such a perfect listen to kick off the fall season with. It’s a cozy, witchy romance that reminded me of Gilmore Girls or Practical Magic but with some spice thrown in for fun. Delia has finally accepted that there is no such thing as magic, and she is definitely not a witch—even though her family has always believed that they are, despite being unable to practice magic. But then she accidentally breaks a curse, and her entire world gets flipped upside down—plus she’s caught the eye of her handsome new neighbor, Max. He’s been sent there to keep an eye on Delia and the rest of the Merriweathers, and when they unexpectedly come into their magic when the hex unravels, he has to help them learn to control their powers. Additionally, he’s tasked with restoring the hex on the Merriweathers, taking away their magic again for the good of the entire witch community, but something about his orders isn’t sitting right with him. He also finds himself falling for Delia—but can he trust it, when he knows there’s a very real possibility he’s under a love spell?

The audiobook was so well done. Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang both delivered wonderful performances, bringing the characters to life. Thank you to Forever for sending me over this Hachette audio production.

This one wasn’t for me. I’m reviewing at 92% because I’m not confident I’ll end up finishing this one.

The narration was frustrating. Between the two narrators I kept having to adjust the volume and speed I was listening at to follow along or to not be yelled at. I’ve never experienced such a significant volume and cadence difference between two narrators.

The FMC doesn’t find out she’s a witch until 60% in and at 85% in they're still talking about different types of magic and witches. Everyone truly seems to be clueless as the synopsis describes, but it’s gone on far too long.

The FMC and MMC relationship was irritating - they just hook up and it was enhanced by magic that the FMC and MMC don’t understand/ can’t control.

There are too many characters and none of them were well developed.

I definitely needed more character development and world building.

I absolutely flew through this book! I absolutely loved the world building aspects in this book, the magical system was super interesting! I also really liked the romance between our two main characters, Delia and Max! My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more of how their relationship progressed, it felt a little instalove at times. I also adored the supporting characters, the Merriweather women and Nikki were absolutely hilarious. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

The narration of this audiobook was excellent. The narrators really bought the story alive and I flew through it! Highly recommend listening to the book if you can!

This cleverly written witchy fall read, heavy on the loss of a family of female witches' magic and slightly less heavy on the romance. This story absolutely had Practical Magic vibes with it's crazy aunties, wildly committed gramma that swore they were witches when nobody else believed, dancing in the kitchen, and even death of the men who were smitten enough to fall in love with the witches. Add in a Texan flare in the FMC and the very right brained, straight laced personality of the MMC and I really enjoyed watching them both unravel and discover themselves, as they also discovered the return of the Merriweather's heart magic. Slightly long for a light, seasonal read in the fall, but thoroughly enjoyed the twists the last half of the book brought to set this story line apart from others of its kind.
Audiobook: The dual POV of the two narrators in this audiobook was very enjoyable. Their voices being so drastically different in dynamics truly added to the story and kept to the characters the author wrote. Each narrator brought a wide range of emotions individually, and the female narrator's Texan accent was cute and endearing, not grating.

So I started this confusing it with another author/series that also uses the word Hex in a lot of titles so it took me a minute to reset my expectations but overall I enjoyed this one. It had a pretty robust plot which I honestly wasn't anticipating. The mmc was kind of a meh character to me so I wasn't as invested in the romantic aspect but I really enjoyed the plot of the story.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is a fun and light witchy romance. There were a lot differences in this story (characters without magic, denial of magic, return of magic, etc.) that made for a unique and entertaining read. Both main characters as well as as their families are important for breaking the major spell and it was fun to see each family grow, learn, and accept their differences throughout the book.

Great read especially as we enter the fall season.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book because a witchy rom com is right up my alley, but the pace was a little too slow for me and the romance was kinda lukewarm as well. I also found my brain drifting while listening because I got bored at some points.

However, if you're looking for a quick, cozy, light book for fall, this is definitely worth the read. The romance wasn't romancing enough for me to recommend it as a true romance, but it's a sweet, charming story about a family of witches living in a small town in Texas.

A delightful, witchy gem just in time for fall and Halloween!

Max and Delia had such chemistry and the banter/dialogue was snappy, humorous, and fun. The side characters—all of Delia's family, her BFF Amy, Max's brother Luc, and Darling Nikki the "cat"—were the perfect secret ingredient to this magical book that weaved the best spell over me.

The dual narration was wonderful even if I'm not an expert on Texas accents. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a witchy rom-com to take you into the fall, spooky season.

This is a very cute romance full of witches. It was a cute story wrapped with an interesting history. Max and Dahlia are an adorable couple full with a like special magic

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This was a really cute book. I listened to the audio version in less than a day. The narrators were amazing and their voices perfectly matched the characters they voiced. Some of it was predictable but it still held my attention.

Delia Merriweather and her family feels they are true witches, but they have no magic. Delia doesn't believe magic even exists- until her power comes to her. This story is full of mystery, love, magic, hexes, and the cutest imp.

I definitely recommend this book. It was the perfect read to kick of spooky season.

A perfect intro to fall! Such a cute witchy romance! I loved the grumpy x sunshine aspect, Nikki is wonderful, and Delia’s family is amazing. The explanation for how the curse was broken at the very end was so fun too. Loved it!

I am now fully in my witchy halloween era, and this was SUCH A DELIGHT to listen to - I finished it in one day and was just absolutely having so much fun. Highly recommend, and I am including it in all my Halloween related tiktoks now!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so fun! Imagine the vibes of Practical Magic but if the Owens had been hexed and had no magic. There’s even midnight margaritas! Thematically, I really loved the aspect of finding family and love throughout the story. I even got a little weepy at the end!

The audiobook narrators did a good job; their accents were fun. The only thing I didn't love about the female narrator was her regular narration (not dialogue). It was too bright and nasally and was always jarring to hear after listening to a chapter with the male narrator.

Hot Hex Boyfriend is the perfect answer for romance readers looking for a strong witchy Halloween vibe that's both quirky and cozy. Delia is trying to live a normal life within her not-so-normal family, a collection of women convinced that they are in fact witches who happen to be powerless from a curse long ago. Delia is rumored to be the one who will break the curse by kissing her true love, but Delia is down-to-earth and thinks of it as nothing more than a charming family quirk. That is, until she kisses Max Halifax on the night of her 30th birthday and accidentally breaks the curse.

One of the most wholesome parts of this novel is that Carly Bloom puts family at the forefront, which helped boost the cozy vibe throughout. There's fierce closeness and connection within the Merriweather family, and this extends to found family as the Merriweathers accept Max into their world. This is a grumpy-meets-sunshine story that felt emotionally mature to me — a refreshing characteristic in a genre that can sometimes lean towards miscommunication and immaturity. There's some spice described on page, and while it isn't particularly graphic, it may be more than you'd want your young teen to read, so parents beware.

The audiobook narrators did an excellent job, each with multiple voices and a wide emotional range. I enjoyed feeling the shift they provided in alternating POV chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Carly Bloom for an advance copy of the book for review. I recommend it!

Thank you @NetGalley and @Hachette Audio for the ARC. I enjoyed this audio so much, the narrators were great. Delia is living in a family of witches with no magic but Delia just thinks they are just batty. A neighbor dies and his handsome nephew comes to take care of his house and shop. Delia takes one look and is smitten but, Max has no interest in Delia. Max has his own mission, make sure Delia never finds out she is a real with. Spicy...