This book had all the elements for a great read for me: magic, mythology and a hate-to-love romance . While I enjoyed reading the novel and will continue with the series, there were some issues . I felt confused a few times with all of the different clans and who was who. As well, sometimes I got irritated with Taran as she felt she couldn’t do anything magical but once she got out of her way she was fine. Her lack of confidence was a bit off putting when matched with her stubbornness and her refusal of help . All in all though it was a good read and illl pick up book 2

Interesting characters. Intriguing plot. Dynamic prose. My attention was held the entire time. I enjoyed my time reading this one. I’d suggest this story to everyone who likes a more contemporary stuff.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Taran Grim is a witch. A Hexen to be exact, she's also a professor of occult studies at University, who better to teach you than a witch, right? Strange dreams have been plaguing her, nightmares really, a recurring one, where she watches her father die, again, and again, and again. When these dreams line up with a vision and a strange man who shows up in her office for a meeting asking about the staff of Woden, she can no longer ignore the signs. She must travel to Bryden, England, and there's only one person alive who can help her, Collens Donovan, a member of the shape-shifting Geri clan. The problem being, that the Donovan family have secrets of their own and Taran's magic isn't as advanced as it ought to be by this stage. If she can't somehow work out how to get up to speed real quick, and manage to strike a truce with Collens, then there will be no way that she can prevent Deireanhexe from happening, which will be pretty bad for her, considering it means the end of the Hexen race.

I'll admit, that cover caught my eye pretty quick when I came across it available for request on Netgalley. It has such a beautiful hand drawn quality to it that just cannot be rivaled, and it fit with the story so well!! I'm also a sucker for Urban Fantasy, so it was a no-brainer for me to request this.

Taran Grim is a university professor that teaches occult studies at a University, and she's a witch, from a loooooong line of witches that go back all the way to Woden, or, Odin as some people know him. She keeps having these nightmares, reliving the murder of her father over and over again, not thinking much of it. And when she spaces out for four hours while having some form of vision, she realises that something isn't quite right. After some pushing from her Grandmother, she eventually goes to see her in person and learn what the hell is going on. It is now that she learns about Deireanhexe, a prophecy that has foretold the end of the Hexen race. Her Grandmother tasks her with the knowledge that she is meant to stop it, all the while, reminding her that she is so far behind where she should be with her magical skills. I must say I really enjoyed the character of the Grandmother, or Moroi, as Taran refers to her.

Taran was a likable character who has bad luck with men, and feel for her. I found her to be incredibly relatable and just overall enjoyed her. One thing that did annoy me about her though, was her ability to jump to conclusions and come across as a total bitch to Collens, who, while no angel himself, she needs in order to complete the whole saving the Hexen race thing. Collens was a great character who had a lot of depth, and plays the playboy arsehole to perfection. I really enjoyed getting to crack through his layers along with Taran and learn what made this guy tick. I enjoyed the character of Sara as well, Collens' sister, though we only got to see her for a small portion of the story, I'm hoping that she makes a bigger appearance in the second installment. These two characters and the way they interact made me want to pull my hair out at times, but I do enjoy a haters to lovers approach, I will say now, this has a very very slow burn romance seed that is beginning to bloom, but I'm looking forward to finding out more about it.

I loved the way the Kowallis blended mythology with her urban fantasy world. It just flowed incredibly well and made so much sense. Nothing felt forced at all. At the beginning of the book there is a glossary which to be honest I didn't really want to have to scroll back to the beginning and jolt myself out of the story line, so I know that I was pronouncing 98% of the words incorrectly in my head, which did bug me a little, maybe having in text pronunciation would have worked a bit better here?

The story itself was well thought out and executed, it flowed well and kept me engaged. It didn't give me those good book butterflies, but it was still an enjoying read, I knew that one particular character would show up at an imperative point in the story, however, I was not expecting those that were with them and I really wasn't expecting that twist, so well done on that account.

All in all, this was an enjoyable urban fantasy read with a storyline that will travel over the span of the series I believe as nothing was really solved in this installment. The ending left me hanging and I'm looking forward to diving into the next one to see what happens.

*Will be posted 4/22/20 @ 9 am GMT.

First I want to say that J. Kowallis has established a world that is amazing. The amount of research that she has done in Hexen's Cross is astonishing and it really shows. Even when she went through the history of Hexens I didn't get bored, like I usually do. This is because I really enjoyed the world, but there was one thing I didn't really enjoy.

Honestly, I just couldn't like Taran. I understand that Taran is supposed to be a complicated character with flaws but this didn't come off how Kowallis wanted it to. This is my personal opinion but Taran came off to me as rude, selfish, and childish, and one of the worse things is Taran mentioned it several times that she knew she was acting this way. Also, her relationship with Colls didn't have any depth to it for me, it wasn't until the end that I actually started to be fine with it.

Now, not to give away any spoilers but the ending was great. I loved how it ended that particular story but left so much open for the sequel! There are so many ways this story can go and I can't wait! I will be reading the next book, as soon as I can.

A nice and interesting read. Great characters, and perfect for those moments that ask for magical stories.

If I had to summerize this book I would say only one word: enchanting.
The character Taran has a great plot. You will find a lot of great aspects of this book from magic to a wonderful story telling.
The author is new for me, and already in my favorite list!

This is book 1 in the Hexen's cross series. Dr. Taran Grim, is a witch with undeveloped poser and a professor of occult studies at a university. She is visited by a man who shows her a stone with a graphic identical to the one on her hand. She travels to a small town in England to search for a man who is the other half of a prophesy. This is a good fantasy story and will be popular with teens and older readers. This is the first book I've read by J. Kowallis but it looks like she has several other books published. I'll look into them soon. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hexen's cross by J Kowallis.
The magic calls her.
A prophecy binds her.
The ancestors guide her.

Dr. Taran Grim, a young professor of occult studies, knows the written history of witches better than anyone in her field. And she should. She’s one of them.

After a mysterious stranger arrives at her office inquiring about the mythical staff of Woden, Taran’s curiosity reveals a millennia-old prophesy directly tied to her. The answers wait in Bryden, England and the only person who can help her gain access to the hidden valley is the descendant of Ruhmactir, and a member of the shape-shifting Geri clan: Collens “Coll” Donovan.

But the Donovans have secrets of their own, and Taran’s underdeveloped magic is wreaking strange havoc on her life. If she can’t manage her magic and strike a truce with Coll, they’ll fail to prevent the prophesied event known as Deireanhexe: the end of the hexen race.
A great read with some great characters. Liked the cover too. 4*.

Hexan's Cross is a good book with interesting characters and storyline. The book is well written and I would read more by this author.

A great little read for anyone who has a geeky knowledge of the occult. I really enjoyed this and I would recommend you read it this spooky season.

If you are a fan of magic themed reads, then this is a great place to start. I love all things Witchy, Spooky and Supernatural and found Hexen's Cross a really engaging read that is well written, thoroughly enjoyable and has a set of characters that are really interesting to get to know.

The only thing that stopped it being a 5 star read for me was the use of the glossary to explain some of the magic related terms, it took me away from the story having to flick through and revise what the word meant before I could completely understand what was happening in the book.

Other than that, a really solid piece of literature that is perfect for a cosy Halloween night in!

I did a reread for this book and again I thought it was a beautiful read and magical. I love the character, Taran. It took me a while to even remotely like Coll because of how the author made his character. I can not stand him at times though. I would recommend this book to anyone who has watched charmed and Sabrina the teenage witch because this book gives those vibes. You'll love this book trust me.

OMG! Mythology, witches, power literally everything I love. You know I really fell hard for this book. It was well written and just wow I gush a lot when I like something.

This is a perfect autumn and Halloween book.

I received a free arc copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own.

This book was absolutely fantastic.
The author did so much research and it really shows. I am a sucker for mythology and this book was littered with it.
The characters were easily likeable making this book super easy to read.
I binge read this in a couple days.
Absolutely loved it.

I really liked this book and will look for the sequel! It is about witches, and shape changers and a race of hexen. The introduction of a story involving the hexen was new to me. Good vs bad with well written story line and battles. It has some romance but it is not overdone.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the plot well developed and the characters were all complex. The story flowed smoothly and I could not put the book down.

I liked the story and the investigation into finding the staff of Woden. At times it was difficult to understand the myths that Taran was relating but I think this is a good idea for a series. I liked the story and the investigation into finding the staff of Woden but at times it was difficult to understand the myths that Taran was relating, I still think this is a good idea for a series. What the author needs to work on is dialogue. The dialogue between most characters was stilted and awkward. Taran and Coll are supposed to be in their late 20’s and they talk to each other like mean middle-school kids. Neither of their personalities is likable. I didn’t see the chemistry between them. Their lack of chemistry took away from the storyline quite a bit. Another slightly irritating aspect is that sometimes the author is overly descriptive of objects that are really not vital to the story but just add to word count. Also, I understand that the author felt the need to include a glossary of terms and phrases of magic but I really don’t want to jump to the glossary to understand a word mid-read. It ruins the flow of the story. It’d be better to just explain it while it’s happening. Overall, it’s an interesting story but needs some polish. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was really well-written and unique telling of witches, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and hope to read more from the author in the future.

Wonderfully written, draws the reader in. I can't wait to add the rest of this author's work to my collection! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys supernatural themes, mythology, and modern twists to old tales.