When October rolls around, I like to read something spooky to put me in the mood. It doesn't have to be scary, but just something witchy and autumnal to make me feel festive. The past few years it's been The Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman* and I love them so much! However, this year, there was a new book I had been hearing rumblings about and lucky me, it was one of the Book of the Month choices. *The last installment of Practical Magic came out yesterday, that review will come as soon as I finish reading.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (also known sometimes as Rachel Hawkins) was published on September 28th and has already made a splash as a wonderful, witchy romance novel perfect for October.
I received my BOTM box in the first week of October and since it's only October 12th as a I write this, I read the book pretty quickly...and loved every second of it!
Publisher's Summary
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 Thoughts
This book gets five stars from me, no questions asked. I loved the writing, the characters, the story, the magic and the romance. It was epic in so many ways and it was ultra steamy. Aside from Fifty Shades of Grey and the After series, I don't read a ton of steamy, x-rated romance so it was a nice change of pace.
Vivi is a witch who doesn't really give into her powers even though she works at a witch college. She accidentally cursed her ex-lover Rhys, who just so happens to be part of the founding family of her town. When he comes back, the curse takes hold of the town and the two have to team up together, while keeping their lingering feelings at bay, to bring peace and magic back to Penhallow.
The chemistry Vivi and Rhys has is unmatched. I was rooting for them the entire time and it was making my heart warm when they bickered and threw insults. I loved seeing their relationship develop as the pages went on, and see Vivi's relationship with magic come to a better place.
"The Ex Hex" wasn't a spooky book but it takes place during the Halloween season, deals with curses, ghosts, magic and spells so what better time to dive into it?
As much as I loved this book, I did almost feel like I was missing something at times. I felt like I was reading the 2nd installment in a series because there seemed to be so much missing; why did Vivi live with her aunt and cousin? What was the deal with her not wanting to be a witch? There were hints of these answers but it left a lot to the imagination.
It also could be that my mind was playing tricks on me because there is a series I read when I was a teenager called Hex Hall. That author is also named Rachel Hawkins but I'm unsure if it's the same woman. I digress...
The ending of the book made me a little nervous because it wasn't ending the way I wanted, but in the end, things were wrapped up nicely.
This is a very easy book to read; the writing is great but not overly complicated, the story is simple, romance is fire, family dynamics are fun and if you love witches, you'll love "The Ex Hex".
xoxo
B
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