A hilarious mixture of family lore, true love and witches of course! This plot is fun with twists and turns to keep you guessing, but also peppered with family shenanigans and a bit of romance. The characters are wildly creative with unique personalities and witty banter to keep you giggling. The dual narration really helps bring the perspectives of both the male and female characters truly to life. If you are looking for a lighthearted fun read or listen, then this is the book you are looking for especially if you like a paranormal perspective of learning to accept everyone for who they really are and not who you perceive them to be! I really, really hope that the author turns this into a series as these characters would be a blast to follow as they develop their witchcraft and other characters find their true happiness as well! A great happily ever after story of opposites attract, enemies to lovers although friends to lovers would be more appropriate (you'll have to listen to the book to find out why I think that!!!) and a bit of close proximity trope sprinkled in for good measure! It is overall a sweet romance, but there is a touch of spice but not too much for those who prefer it to remain behind closed doors typically. I'd say it is a good touch of spice!

This was such a cozy, funny, heartwarming story. I loved the Merriweather family. There was so much love and humor in this little family. I was looking for a fun witchy read for the podcast I co-host and this was perfect. The narrators did a wonderful job voicing the characters and while third-person stories aren't usually my favorite, having this be a dual narration, made me really enjoyed this one. It's a good combination of all of the witchy favorites I grew up with and there was an unexpected bout of nostalgia for some of my favorite shows and movies. Great rom-com. Wonderful writing. Definitely a 4.5-5 star read for me. It's a little steamy but definitely not spicy.

DNF. This book was really hard to read. It could have been an interesting story. I got to 11% and turned it off. There was so much unnecessary cursing that it was very off-putting. You can get a lot across when building characters without cursing. There are so many amazing adjectives out there to use. Would not recommend.

Delia Merriweather comes from a family of witches, but they can’t perform magic because they’ve been hexed and she doesn’t even believe in magic anyways. Max Halifax is the new neighbour next door, sullen sexy at times grumpy he’s been assigned to keep an eye on the Merriweather women. But then he discovers that Delia has somehow accidently broken the curse and of course craziness (and love?) ensues.

I wanted to love this book, it had promise to be the perfect kick off to the fall season and perhaps being a teacher and it also being back to school it was not the right time for me.

I loved the accents of the voice actors, as a Canadian the southern American twang is a delight and I liked that it was easy to tell the characters apart. Perhaps the accent was a distraction though as I would say for the first 50% of the book I had no idea what was going on.

The second half of the book had much more action and the spice I was hoping for.
In conclusion this audio book is well produced, had a cute theme and storyline, romance, action and it was just perhaps not right for me at this time. If you love romantic stories of starring magic living among us humans you are likely to enjoy this book. If you’re just looking for a cute fall hallmarkesque story you might still like it or like me find it a bit hard to follow the finer details.

Delia grew up believing she was a witch…but she had no powers. In fact, the neighbors all made fun of the Merriweather family and their claim to witchy fame.

Instead, Delia is a bit of a mess, jumping from one failed career to the next while taking care of the older women in her family.

But when her beloved neighbor dies, his nephew, Max, shows up to settle his affairs. Max, who keeps to himself and makes snarky comments about the podunk town he’s stuck in. Max, who is a witch, a witch from the family line who hexed Delia’s family and stole their magic.

Max is supposed to keep an eye on Delia and her family, to make sure she doesn’t break the hex before her 30th birthday, but the two are…magically drawn to one another.

While there are some fun elements - my favorite being the imp Nicky - overall it fell short for me.

Someone please remind me that I need to stop reading books with magical realism romance plots. I just can’t do it. I always think I’m going to love them but they usually end up bothering me.

Where I am willing to fully buy into a fantasy series where world building is the bread and butter, I don’t like cute books with convenient magic that, honestly, doesn’t seem necessary.

I’m a broken record recently. There’s for sure an audience for this one, but it’s not me.

The perfect cozy fall read. It was the best book to start the new season. I loved the characters and the fun story telling. It felt like a romance mystery, where you're trying to figure out how the hex came to be, and if people will ever find out the truth about their past. There's romance, there's magic and it was such an easy and fun read.

As I always say, nothing but love and respect for authors! You’re all amazing!

I wanted to LOVE this novel, but I struggled through it. It had everything that should’ve made it a spooky season hit—sweet, bumbling witches, snarky, hilarious familiars, black cats, magic, and romance. But for some reason, it didn’t hook me as much as I’d hoped. I liked it well enough, but I expected to be obsessed and just… Wasn’t.

That said, I think I’m the exception, not the rule. I have a feeling that Hot Hex Boyfriend will be a huge spooky season hit and that most people will totally love it. 🔮🐈‍⬛✨🧹💘

This gave me 90's prime-time TV vibes with a little spice, perfect to start your fall reads with.

This cozy, small-town, witchy, rom-com was a perfect listen as we follow Cordelia "Delia" Merriweather and her family. She has grown up being told that they are witches cursed to have no magic, thinking her grandmother and aunts to be a bit off of their rockers, she goes along with their witchy traditions to appease them but believes none of their claims.

Delia's neighbor passes away and his nephew Max comes to settle his estate. Max, being sent to keep an eye on the Merriweather family, fully aware of the hex placed on them, hires her mother to be his listing agent who in turn, hires Delia, a housekeeper turned "inferior" designer, to do the staging to get the house ready for sale.

The family dynamic in the Merriweather household reminded me a lot of my own family, The way we come together and cook, we call our drinks concoctions and our dishes always have a splash of magic (our secret ingredients) that keep your feet under the table!

I again, really enjoyed this book. I received an ALC from Netgalley and ate it up in one sitting. I hope this is not the last we hear of Max and Delia.

This is my honest opinion given uncoerced.

Delia Merriweather comes from a powerful line of witches. But, they don’t have any powers because of a longstanding hex. Delia accidentally breaks the hex, but the witches don’t know how to control their powers. In comes Max Halifax, who is in town after his uncle dies, but he’s also there to spy on the Merriweathers. Max comes from a line of witches and finds out his great great grandfather placed a hex on the Merriweathers. He’s there to make sure they don’t find out about their powers and rule the witching community, but Delia is distracting. Will he be her hot hex boyfriend?

This was a cute cozy fall read! It had Sabrina the teenage witch and Practical Magic vibes. Characters were entertaining and loved the narrators of this audiobook! Thank you Net Galley, Forever publishing, and Carly Bloom for the ARC! Pub date 9/3/24

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this ARC. If you like romances and cosy witchy stories, please read this book. It hits the sweet spot. I listened to it at the tail end of August and it's got me into a autumn frame of mind.

Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom is a witchy romance perfect for fall! This book with definitely get you in the mood for sweaters, crunching leaves, and crisp autumn days.

Cordelia (Delia) Merriweather is a seemingly ordinary almost 30-year old with an extraordinary family around her. While they don't have magic, the Merriweather women have always insisted they are witches who were hexed, and thus had their magic taken from them. When the hex is mysteriously broken, the magic returns...and love blossoms!

Overall, this is such a fun romcom, and Bloom's writing is really smart and funny. The chemistry between Max and Deliah is really lovely (and spicy!).

However, I would say to potential readers that is starts a bit slow. There is a bit of backstory that needs to build at the beginning. That being said, once the charming cast of characters is established, it really takes off! It is worth a read, but do not give up on the slow start.

This book is perfect for readers of The Ex Hex, Big Little Spells, and The Dead Romantics.

This was a sweet story! An audio book is great for listening while I drive or have a break at work, and this was easy to listen to in small chunks. I enjoyed the dual narrators, when the book changes chapters it alternates between a male and female voice for the chapter. I listen to almost all audiobooks and podcasts at 1.25x speed and this was no different. Their voices sound best a bit sped up, at a traditional speed it drags a bit for how I read/listen to books.
Overall a very fun listen and would listen to works by this author or narrated by this duo again!

Thank you to Carly Bloom and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

I was so excited about this book because I love this author’s Cowboy romance books.

I wanted to like this book so bad, but the romance just fell flat and was kind of boring.

I enjoyed all the witchy stuff and the Merriweather family and Nikki way more than the romance between Delia and Max.

The narrators were just okay.

If you are looking for a fun witchy vibes story, look no further. Delia and her family are fun and quirky and believed they were witches despite not having any witchy powers. Max moves in next door to sell his recently deceased uncle's home. Max and Delia ends up working together to stage the home and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Both Delia and Max's family added such a fun element to the story.

Laura Knight Keating and Zion Kang did a great job with the characters.

Thank you @readforeverpub @hachette.audio for a copy of this book.

What a sweet, cozy book full of spooky season vibes. Delia and her quirky family are a delight (but my favorite character is their neighbor, a part-time feline)

A bit of Practical Magic with a dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, this is an adorable fall story. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a light, humorous, spooky season read with just a touch of spicy romance.

The narrators were great, especially Laura Knight Keating. Zion Jang was great narrating the male characters but kind of cringey when voicing a female character. That might just be me though.

I would give this 3.5-3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hachette, and author Carly Bloom for providing me with this delightful ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Delia Merriweather grew up in a family of powerless witches, something the fellow citizens of their small town in Texas thought was equal parts weird and embarrassing. Approaching her 30th birthday, Delia is confident that she's not a witch and her grandma and great aunts are just...quirky. When her family's neighbor dies and his nephew Max moves in to settle the estate, Delia feels a pull toward him that certainly can't be anything but hormones, right? Carly Bloom's eccentric characters and delightfully Southern setting set the tone for a perfect autumnal witchy read.

Thank you to Carly Bloom, Hatchette Audio, and NetGalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute witchy book to get you in the mood for fall! Delia's family swears they are witches that were hexed, and Delia doesn't believe a word of it. Little does she know, magic is quite literally all around her. When his uncle dies, Max is tasked with cleaning up his house and keeping an eye on Delia, who has the power to break the long standing hex. At first Max is stand-offish but he quickly comes around and falls for Delia, who does in fact break the curse. This book is a quick fun read, and has a pretty cool magical back story, too. Definitely recommend for lovers of witchy rom coms!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars but upped it to 4 stars

This book was interesting, I do think had I read it I likely would have stopped halfway because things don't happen till much later in the book. It's really just Max clearing out a his late uncles house while also watching over Delia to make sure she doesn't break the Hex placed on her family. It gets better at the end of the book.

I do like the authors writing style, it's easy to follow and I love the different pop culture references and the fact that the MC is 30 years old it feels more relatable.

I rated it 3.5 stars because the audiobook was engaging. The narrators were great at portraying their characters.

I made it about 15% into this book, and it just wasn’t for me! I had a hard time hearing the male reader sometimes, and the story just didn’t keep my attention. I can see how it would appeal to other audiences though! Thank you so much to Netgalley and Carly Bloom for giving me the chance to listen to this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio recording for this book.
First off, the male and female narrators did a great job. The book started a little slow for me. Delia and her family have been the weird little family pretending to be witches in a small town full of actual witches, of which Delia's family know nothing. I was getting a strong gaslighting vibe as everyone was not permitted to talk about witchy things to non-witches, or strays as they are called, even though Delia's is the most openly "witchy" family in town. Max, the MMC, shows up as the rep from the witchy council to make sure that Delia's family doesn't break the centuries-long hex that has been rendering them powerless, which of course she does. The story picks up from there and I was hooked. Nicky the imp was my favorite character (justice for Nicky!) but there were a few close seconds. Mildly predictable, but lots of fun and just in time for spooky season.