The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling Series: The Ex Hex #1
Published by HarperCollins on September 28, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Holidays, Fiction / Occult & Supernatural, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Paranormal / Witches, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Book of the Month
New York Times Bestseller
Erin Sterling casts a delightful spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.
“A delightful and witty take on witchy mayhem.” — Popsugar
Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.
That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.
Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.
My Review
So I have read through some of the reviews and well I guess I didn’t love it as much as some. People were comparing this book to Hocus Pocus and Sabrina The Teenage Witch and I am sad to say that I did not get any of those vibes. Please do not get me wrong the book was fine and I enjoyed reading it but it was in no way a memorable read for me.
The story begins when one of the main characters Vivienne Jones decides to curse her ex-boyfriend for breaking her heart. She was always told by her aunt not to mix magic and vodka but well she did. Vivi had no intent of harming her ex she just wanted to make his life a bit more interesting and to feel a bit better herself. We then jump forward to nine years later when Rhys her ex comes back into town on a mission to recharge the town ley lines and make an appearance at the Fall Fair. Rhys comes from a long line of Witches who founded the little town that Vivi lives and works in. He is a good-looking guy who has a small habit of not always taking things seriously. When he arrives in town he is suddenly struck with some pretty bad luck or so he thinks.
It isn’t long before Vivi and Rhys run into each other and not in the best of ways. The meeting is not exactly welcoming on Vivi’s end but then why would it be after what she had learned nine years before about Rhys. With that being said what they both soon come to realize is that their attraction for each other is still there. Will they act on it or will all the trouble from the curse not allow it? Will they be able to rekindle that relationship between the ley lines, the talking cat, the angry ghosts, the plastic skulls attacking, or the ending that Vivi fears most?
If you are looking for an atmospheric fall-inspired Halloween book then this book could be for you. There are witches and curses along with a talking cat and a couple of angry ghosts. The story takes place in a cute cozy town, a local university, and a store run by witches. As I have said before this was a good story just not one that will stay with me. Yes, I recommend it because it gave me all the fall feels and that is what I was hoping for at the time of picking up this book.