A fun novel of repercussions of the curse that a heart broken witch and her cousin make on the guy that left her. There is more to the hex than first seen and the lustful play of the witch and her returned amour foul up searching for a reversal.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't read a lot (or really any) paranormal/fantasy romance. It's just never been my thing. But this year I'm trying to expand my horizons and getting in the Halloween spirit (one of my favorite holidays of the year), so I thought I would give this one a go. And I'm glad I did! It's the perfect October romance, full of small-town Halloween charm, potions and curses, and ghosts, oh my! Very Sabrina the Teenage Witch-esque in the best way possible.

When 19 year-old Vivienne finds out her lover is betrothed to someone else, she and her cousin place a curse on him. Literally, because they're witches. Or not literally, because they think they were just joking around. But nine years later, when Vivienne's ex Whys returns, the curse appears to be in full effect. And it's not just effecting Rhys but the whole town. So Vivienne, her family, and Rhys team up to reverse the curse, which is much more difficult than placing it...

This one is perfect for fans of Sabrina the Teenage Witch or Payback's a Witch, another upcoming paranormal/fantasy romance which has similar vibes but a very different plot!

Thanks to Avon for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This was a fun little read. Good for those looking for a witchy fall read. I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

The Ex Hex was a cute & bubbly read with so many spooky/Halloween vibes. As a fall/Halloween lover, this is something I enjoyed about the book- the writing was very descriptive and gave you all the good Halloween & witchy feels. Also lots of steamy scenes! This makes for a great read on a crisp & cool fall day.
This was a quick read, but the plot seemed a bit all over the place. It took several different directions, and ended pretty simply even though the conclusion of the story was a bit more complex than the rest of the book (the magic & spells used). I felt the ending didn’t line up with the plot & was just a way to get the story to end on several good notes. I would’ve read another 100 pages of this book if there was more of an explanation into Vivi’s experience conjuring her ancestor, even though she is not an experienced witch at all. The end was kind of like, *poof* insert magic here, problem solved & the town is saved!
Overall I personally feel the witch/magic elements could’ve been a bit more thorough and explained as I felt the book scooted over many of those things quite quickly. I understand this is supposed to be a lighthearted romantic comedy read, but I don’t think anyone would be opposed to more spookiness!

Funny and romantic, with just a dash of spice! Made me feel all sorts of happiness at the end. I would love for more books about Rhys' brothers or Gwen.

This is very witchy movie that makes fall the best season rolled into one. With her signature snark, she delivers a tale of retaliation gone wrong. When viví and her cousin Gwyn defy the age old adage no witchcraft and vodka, they don’t realize how wrong it’s gone until many years later when Rhys, the object of said curse returns. Vivi and Rhys had a summer romance that abruptly ended and hearts were broken. Rhys has no idea what he’s walking into when he comes back to town and what ensues is witchy hi jinx. From talking cats to ghosts with revenge the curse must be lifted before the town is a literal ghost town. I loved thw banter, the fun between Rhys and viví and the family aspect between viví and her aunt and cousin. I hope we get more from this small town, there’s plenty of witches and warlocks to go around

This was a fun book. Vivienne is nursing her young broken heart at the loss of a young man she really did not expect to let her down. In a tipsy state she and her cousin "accidentally" curse him - Rhys Penhallow, who is a descendent of the town's founders. Rhys leaves Vivi behind, sadly, but summoned home to Wales. Nine years later he is sent back to town, and from the start his magic falters and odd things begin happening. Vivi and her cousin realize the curse they thought was a joke was a real thing, and together, Rhys and Vivi set out, working together to make things right. The old chemistry between them is back in full force, but they are fighting the forces of nature too, making the story light hearted, steamy and fun. It is reminiscent of Hocus Pocus in a way, with slightly more heat and romance, and, instead of the Sanderson sisters, this is the story of the Penhallow's and their impact on the town over a 300 year period.

Love this fun, irreverent approach to love and witchcraft. The voice is engaging and entertaining. Will highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC! I would give this a solid three stars. It started off strong and faded about 25% of the way. I just felt like it got repetitive and kind of boring after a bit. The romance was mediocre. Saying all this it was still a cute, quick read and had great fall vibes.

Raise your hand if you've ever considered cursing an ex-boyfriend after an especially heart-wrenching breakup. Yes? I think many of us have felt that way, but for Vivi, who didn't grow up a witch, and underestimates her power during a drunken silly moment with her best friend and cousin Gwyn, little does she know nine years later that her Ex Hex may have worked.

Sterling's first romance, is a witchin' good time, the perfect read to kick off spooky season and I was absolutely here for it! The chemistry between Vivienne and Rhys kept me glued to the pages, rooting for their second chance romance. I loved how this was such a quick and easy read, that also packed a lot of punch, I will certainly be recommending it to anyone I can this season!

The small town will have you feeling nostalgic of some of your favorite 90s movies like Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown, full of ALL the fall activities that'll have you grabbing a PSL, putting on a sweater and boots to head to a hayride in the hunt for your own witch to love. Graves Glen is everything you could want from a college town powered by magic, and it's charm made it the perfect setting for this steamy romance full of family ties and history.

4.5 stars from me, I cannot wait to discuss this title with the @loveARCtually club members, a huge thank you to NetGalley + Avon Books for providing me with an early copy to read and review!

A fun and humorous read. Pacing is well done, and everyone loves a spicy Halloween love story! Our main characters are human, and very much are flawed which can make the reading more believe able and more enjoyable.

I loved the premise of The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. A really cute romance, so cute and adorable! I had a good time with this one.

Fun and unexpectedly unique! I love it!
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I know I cannot be the only one that has wanted to put a hex on an ex-boyfriend or whatever the relationship was... There are some people that break our hearts no matter how hard we try to not let them get to us. Sterling dials right into those hurt feelings with a spooky, funny, and sexy story that I just fell for!

This book is one of those stories that you will want to read again and again. It has so many elements that suck us right in - from that love to hate, damn sexy Ex, Rhys, to the crazy relatives, to the fabulous spooky hex that starts all of the wacky issues which rain down upon the town! Sterling nails it in every aspect.

The Ex Hex is the perfect book for the season and beyond. If you are looking for a quirky and fun read that simmers with heat and brings the entertainment all the way through, this is the one to grab! So much love for this one!!

Vivi has her heart broken by Rhys when, after their perfect summer together, he tells her he is betrothed. She and her cousin Gwen break their mother’s cardinal rule (never mix witchcraft and vodka) and place a creative curse on Rhys. They weren’t really working Magic so neither was surprised it didn’t work. Nine years and many social media stalkings later, Rhys is running a successful travel adventure business when his father makes him go back to Penhallow to charge the ley lines maintained by the family. His plan is to get in, make a speech, charge the lines, and get out. But his magic goes wonky the minute he enters Penhallow and only Vivi can help him.

This is the perfect witchy Halloween romance. It is a fun and funny read.

I am thankful for the electronic copy of the book that I received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Aw, this was really fun! I was pitched this book as "Hocus Pocus but it bangs" and... yeah, sold. And that's a pretty accurate summary of the tone. This is definitely a paranormal romance following a group of witches, but it also reads like a rom com with a second chance romance trope. The banter was really cute and while humor is always subjective, it worked for me. Overall, this is a light, easy breezy romance that's just in time for Halloween and I hope we get more in this world!

What a delightful read this was! Almost a decade ago, Rhys Penhallow broke Vivienne Jones' heart. While deep in her break up ritual - she and her cousin decide it might be fun to curse Rhys, because he was horrible to Vivienne. But they're just playing around, right? Nothing would have come from their "curse" - they weren't serious, and the candle wasn't even anything special, so of course it's fine. Fast forward to present day, Rhys, as a descendant from the town's ancestors, has come back for Founder's Day - only weird things start happening around him. Soon, he's teaming up with Vivi, Gwyn and Elaine to try to figure out what is happening, what is going wrong and how to fix it before it's too late. Turns out their harmless fun almost a decade ago, wasn't so harmless.

If you love fluffy romance, small town coziness and anything witchy, The Ex Hex is 100% the book for you. I loved the characters, and their dynamic. The writing was well paced throughout and I even laughed out loud a few times, which was an added bonus. I really enjoyed the well-balanced nature of the romance, it was never too full on and the chemistry was definitely believable. If I had to pick anything I didn't like as much, (and this is being pretty nit picky, and trying to not spoil anything), I wish the full on action of figuring out the curse started a little sooner. Overall, I really enjoyed The Ex Hex and will be recommending it a lot this upcoming spooky season and beyond.

This fun, escapist read is set in a magical town in the mountains of north Georgia, where Halloween is the most celebrated holiday and real live witches reside. The founding family of the town lives in England but sends a representative to renew the magic periodically, on Halloween of course. Vivienne (a witch) encountered Rhys (son of the founding family) in her teens when they had a romantic fling. After a bad breakup, Vivienne cursed Rhys, expecting to never see him again.

Years later they again encounter one another and have to work out their differences to save the town. The author, who also writes under the name Rachel Hawkins for a teen audience, has more mature elements in this story than as those she directs to a young adult audience.

Recommended for those who enjoy a light read.

Okay, so yes, Rhys had broken her heart.

The Ex Hex, starts off a new series about witches that live in the Georgia town of Graves Glen. Vivi grew up not really knowing about her witchy powers because of how her mother feared the power but when her parents die, she is sent to live with her aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn and tries to straddle the line between being a “normie” and a witch. When she is nineteen, she has a summer romance with Rhys, who is a Penhallow, the town's founding family. They burn hot for three months but when Rhys says he has to go home to Wales to tell his father to break his betrothal, Vivi freaks out not knowing he was engaged and breaks up with him. Heartbroken, she and her cousin Gwyn conduct, what they think is a fake, curse on Rhys. It takes nine years later and the return of Rhys to find out that their curse was all too real.

Even now, battered and bruised and possibly standing in squirrel shit, he was . . . happy. Glad to see her, brush with vehicular homicide aside.

The timing of the release of this book couldn't be more perfect, the Fall and Halloween vibes is perfect for late September and the light, chik-lit tone brought the spookiness in a fun and delightful way. I've seen some Hocus Pocus talk in the marketing and it has a little bit of that, especially one scene the movie's fans will be able to point to, but it does it with more of an adult theme with some sex scenes. With the lighter tone, we kind of dance into and around the characters, not too much delving deep. I felt like I knew Vivi more but I still didn't think her struggle with fitting in and complicated relationship with magic was explored enough. Rhys was the perfect gentleman with just enough moments of introspection to go along with his sweet and loose personality. We get introduced to his family, his scary father Simon, and two broody older brothers but, just. As Vivi's aunt and cousin live in Graves Glen, we see them more and Vivi's cousin Gwyn has future main character written all over her.

And the last thing she was going to do was fall for Rhys Penhallow all over again.

When Rhys comes back to Graves Glen to help celebrate the town's founding anniversary and strengthen the ley lines, the magic that flows into the town, the curse takes affect and he's suddenly dodging life threatening accidents. He thinks something might be wrong but his father's arrogance can't imagine Vivi being strong enough to be able to curse a Penhallow, so Rhys goes ahead with the ritual of strengthening the ley lines, only to transfer the curse into the ley lines and thus, into the town. Graves Glen is full of witches and civilians alike and now that magic is going haywire in the town because of the curse, they fear discovery. This gives the story the excuse to keep Rhys in town and working with Vivi and the second chance romance and enemies-to-lovers tropes to perform.

“Stay with me here. You’re an adult woman going through a stressful time in her life, and now your hot-as-hell ex is back in town and wants to kiss your face off. I say smoke ’em if you got ’em, babe.”

Vivi and Rhys figure out she cursed him for real by the 25% mark and with so much story left, there were enough times I stopped to think that they weren't paying enough attention to stopping the curse, the focus dwindles as Vivi and Rhys' relationship takes more of the spotlight. With the lighter tone, I didn't mind as much but it does become noticeable, especially in the second half. The town and it's mythology come into play more in the latter second half and I appreciated how it filled the world out and gave us more of a setting that could be continued into the series.

Cariad. He’d called her that, that summer. She could still feel it, growled against her ear, whispered into her skin, murmured between her thighs.

This was a fairly angst free zone, Vivi thinks Rhys thought of their summer romance as more of a fling but Rhys still checked up on her over their nine years apart and calls her the one who got away. As they start their romance back up, Vivi doesn't think they can have a future because Rhys lives in Wales and she loves Graves Glen too much to ever leave and Rhys is scared to tell her he loves her because of this. They were sweet, cute, funny, and steamy at turns but not particularly deep diving. This story did have loads of charm, from the seasonal Halloween vibes, the light tone, Vivi and Gwyn's friendship, Rhys and Vivi's cute romance, and to Sir Purrcival, who when he gets his chance to talk, opts for “treats” to be 95% of his vocabulary. The Ex Hex is the perfect light and sweet romance to start your Halloween season with.

“How did I ever give you up?” he murmured.

I included this book in a 3 release feature:

3 fun, witchy reads releasing this September:⁠

The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher⁠
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling⁠
Witch Please by Ann Aguirre ⁠
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I always want to love witchy reads and there were also comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Hocus Pocus being thrown around on some of these pitches so I was full of anticipation. Unfortunately, I didn't LOVE any of them. I am recommending The Ex Hex if you're looking for cute/funny and Orphan Witch if you're looking for a read to pull at your heartstrings. Witch Please is not making my recommendation list. It was awkward and the male main character is cringe-y. ⁠
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I've got several other witchy reads on my Sept/Oct TBR that I have high hopes for. What witchy reads are on your TBR?

A perfect mix of the exciting plot, cozy small-town cozy atmosphere, Halloween, and a sweet yet steamy romance! I was enamored with the way Sterling used the senses to create a place that felt fully realized from haunted houses to cute coffee shops. The romance felt earned yet still full of tension throughout. Also as a southerner, I loved reading a fall forward book set in the south where the weather was as temperamental as southerners are used to