I received a copy of The Kiss Curse via NetGalley to read and review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars.
While The Kiss Curse can stand by itself I would still recommend reading the Ex Hex first. Wells volunteers to go to Georgia when his father visits him at the tavern and hints that someone needs to keep an eye on things in Graves Glen. Wells goes and sets up shop across from Gwyn’s shop. At first both pretty much hate each other but very quickly other feelings start to bloom.

Then Gwyn starts having trouble with her magic. Since Wells promised to keep an eye on the magic situation he ends up teaming up with Gwyn to figure out what’s happening.

This gave a very similar vibe as The Ex Hex- cozy read, best in fall with some sort of warm drink and a fire. The Kiss Curse is similar to The Ex Hex but also different enough that will keep readers interested.

It’s a year after The Ex Hex, and it’s the Jones family’s magic that now fuels Graves Glen, so the Joneses are now responsible for protecting it. And after playing the classic role of snarky best friend/cousin in the first book, Gwyn Jones is now front and center, with newly married Vivi is relegated to a minor supporting role here.

Gwyn is perfectly happy with her life, being with her family, running her touristy witchcraft shop, and beginning to mentor to a group of three “Baby Witches” who want to learn more than what their school will teach. She’s even ok with her cousin Vivi’s new husband, Rhys, even if she thinks his father Simon is a jerk and thinks his brother Wells is an even bigger jerk for not coming to Vivi and Rhys’s wedding. So Gwyn is unprepared for the day that Wells Penhallow returns to Graves Glen, announces that he’s staying permanently, and then opens up a more upscale witchcraft shop right across the street from hers. And she could deal with all that, even the fact that she’s attracted to this gorgeous jerk-who’s-maybe-not-a-jerk-after-all. But Morgan, a witch with a mysterious past who Gwyn went to school with, has also just returned to Graves Glen. And at the same time all of this is happening, Gwyn begins to lose her magical powers….

The Kiss Curse was written under a pen name by Rachel Hawkins, author of the very good thriller Reckless Girls, and her writing skills again show here. But, as with The Ex Hex, this book is a light, fun read. There is a bit of drama, but it’s relatively brief and resolved quickly (though leaving open room for more books in this series). Instead, this book is all about the funny- provided largely by the “Baby Witches”—and the budding enemies/rivals to lovers romance between Gwyn and Wells, whose bantering and hijinks also provides quite a bit of humor. The chemistry between Gwyn and Wells is again well done. And while there are a couple of sweaty scenes, the book is again more thirsty than steamy. Still, another enjoyable story, and I’ll be on the lookout for the next book in the series. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and this was just what I needed. Gwyn and Wells were adorable! I really hope there will be more to this series.

Speechless at how much I adore this book. Gwyn is everything I strive to be and don’t even get me started on the perfection that is the baby witches. I absolutely love The Ex Hex, but I really enjoyed how much the main character’s relationship was fleshed out.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the digital ARC! I absolutely adored this book. I usually don’t enjoy second books in series, but this one was so good. Gwyn is a bisexual icon and Wells is an uptight witch who falls absolutely head over heels for Gwyn after some initial animosity. I did appreciate that Rhys and Vivi had a small part in this story but that it still felt like Gwyn and Well’s stories. Also, Sir Purrcival is an absolute star and I want my own talking cat that begs for treats and calls people dickbags.

I liked this even more than the first book! These two had great chemistry! I loved the banter, mystery, cozy vibes, and Gwen's admiring "baby witches". It made me happy. This book was fun! It's also pretty spicy at times.
I bought the first book last year and enjoyed it. When I saw this on netgalley I knew I had to request it! It definitely did not disappoint.
If you like books about witches and romance, you don't want to miss this series.
Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

From beginning to end, The Kiss Curse was pure delight. We return to Graves Glen nearly a year after Vivi and Rhys broke the curse in The Ex Hex and the Jones family magic took over the ley lines that fuel the town.

Gwyn and Wells couldn’t have been a more perfect follow-up. Their initial rivalry and sniping throw sparks from moment one. Fun and irreverent Gwyn is left on her own to manage the shop and represent her family in the mortal and witch communities. She picks up a trio of young witches from the college who don’t quite fit the mold, just as she failed to do as a student, and works to train them in magic.

Opposite Gwyn is Wells Penhallow, the dutiful son, the upstanding and somewhat uptight elder brother to Rhys. He moves to Graves Glen to keep an eye on the family legacy, or so he tells his father. Really, he heads back to the one place he can ever remember being happy after years of tending to a dying bit of magic in an empty bar.

The petty but good-natured rivalry that begins instantly between Gwyn and Wells was fun. I was actually kind of disappointed it ended as early as it did because I could read their banter all day. That’s not to say that the story and their relationship aren’t fully satisfying, or that they suddenly didn’t have playful banter at all. Mostly, I’m just a giant fan of petty warfare.

As Gwyn and Wells’ relationship develops, Gwyn’s magic begins to go on the fritz. As they investigate why her magic is suddenly unreliable, they uncover secrets and danger in unexpected places.

Erin Sterling once described The Ex Hex as Hocus Pocus with Kissing and that same fun feel continues into The Kiss Curse. This book is a must-read for Halloween. (I received an ARC of this book but opinions are my own).

I loved this book so much. The Ex Hex was wonderful but I think the Kiss Curse exceeds its fabulous predecessor. I loved Gwyn, Wells, the baby witches, and all the fall festival spookiness. I read this book in June and couldn’t wish away summer fast enough so it could be Halloween already. Thank the stars that the publishing industry is getting back to witchy books because these make me the happiest. Cannot wait for this to publish so I can get it on my shelf. Highly recommend to one and all, will absolutely be gifting it to lots of folks. Mass market paperback PLEASE!

Sir Purrcival is back and his vocabulary is growing! I am a sucker for an enemy’s to lovers troupe. This storyline didn’t disappoint! If you are looking for an adult version of Halloween town and fall vibes, this is the book for you. Thank you Avon & Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

while i’m disappointed we didn’t see the romance between gwyn and the mayor play out some more, i am happy to say that wells was a good substitute. the romance between him and gwyn was SO fun to read about, even in the dead of the summer.

as always, sterling did a great job of setting up the atmosphere. i read this in my backyard, in the middle of a hot texas summer, and i felt as if it was actually autumn and halloween. graves glen is such a great setting for the witchy romances, it’s charming and cute and everything a witchy hallmark movie would be.

the romance between wells and gwyn was just… so full of chemistry. you could immediately tell there was going to be something there between them. from being rival shop owners to working together to solve a mystery to eventual lovers, it was fun to follow along their journey and see them grow as characters and as a couple.

ALSO THE BABY WITCHES. i loved the small plot point of gwyn (and eventually wells) taking them under their wing and seeing how the baby witches eventually tied into the plot <3

sterling absolutely delivered with this cute and cozy romance with a side of mystery and witchiness. it’s absolutely a book you must pick up if you’re a lover of romance and the halloween season

4.5⭐️/1.5🌶: Another adorable witchy romcom perfect for spooky season! I loved the chaos of Gwen in The Ex Hex, and I was very excited to see her get her own love story in book 2. The baby witches were an excellent addition, and Sir Purrcival as always was a scene stealer. I’ve got my fingers crossed that Bowen gets a story next, because I need more, and there’s definitely some unfinished business to attend to!

I am obsessed. First, I want to move to Graves Glen. The small town witchy vibe is so fun. I loved the first book in this series and this book was the same. Reading this made me want to put on a sweater and bundle up in front of a fire with a pumpkin latte. I loved how we still got interaction with Vivi and Rhys, a lot of sequels based on a different couple give one appearance and go back to focusing on the new couple. Wells and Gwyn are adorable, from Gwyn hating him, to becoming rival shop owners, to their coupling, and then to the mystery weaved through out. I really enjoyed seeing Wells grow. I hope Erin Sterling does more books centered around Graves Glen, it may just be my favorite fictional town. If you loved The Ex Hex, Halloween, cute romances with a hint of spice, or anything witchy; I highly recommend checking this one out!




Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

After reading (and adoring) The Ex Hex, I knew I had to get my hands on The Kiss Curse or I might actually wallow in self pity until the end of my days. That’s because Erin Sterling has a way with words and relationships that just makes my cold, black heart blossom with all the feels! One page from The Kiss Curse was all it took for me to cancel all of my adult responsibilities for the next two days and instead delve back into the world of Graves Glen.

And man, do I love Gwen! I want to be Gwen when I grow up. She is snarky and quirky and sexy and all things millennial witch. I love it! How Erin Sterling weaves the modern world into the witchy world is seamless and perfectly believable.

Can I get a whoop whoop for the Baby Witches found family situation?! Watching Gwen grow through her mentorship of those kids was one of the best parts. She didn’t underestimate them and gave them a safe space to practice their magic. #teacheroftheyear

And well, well, WELLS!! Damn! Is that a wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?! Rhys was great, don’t get me wrong, but ‘Esquire’ Wells was something…dare I say it?…Magical.

I will be thinking about this book for days to come. Am I now planning to be a witch for Halloween? Yes. Am I also Googling magical pet talking spells so I can learn what my French Bulldog is thinking? Also yes. Am I also considering renting a pick up truck for the next date night with my hubby and reading him Chapter 23? Witch, you better believe it!

Such a stellar improvement from the first book! I love that one dearly but this…oh my this one stole my heart. Gwyn and Wells are so feral for each other but refuse to acknowledge it and that creates delicious tension. The curse mystery is intriguing and deftly woven into the romantic plot. The cozy vibes of this witchy small town are perfection. Loved it!

I loved The Ex Hex but I think I may have liked this one a little better. I loved the characters of Gwyn and Wells and who doesn't love the banter in an enemies to lovers rom com.

In the second installment we head back to Graves Glen where Rhys and Vivi are now married and about to head out on their honeymoon. Enter her cousin Gwyn who is still running her shop Something Wicked and also started mentoring some "baby witches" who attend Penhaven College. Rhy's brother Wells has returned to Graves Glen to reconnect his family to the town and decides to open his own "upscale" witchy shop right across from Something Wicked. Gwyn is not happy about this and so begins the rivalry of the two. When some witches return to town under mysterious pretenses, Gwyn and Wells have to work together to make sure the town stays protected. As you can imagine, close quarters often lead from one thing to another.

I loved the banter between Gywn and Wells and I also loved the "baby witches" that called Gwyn Glinda. Gwyn personality and sass are fun and her one liners typically directed at Llewellyn will make you laugh. I love how direct and brave she is throughout the book as well, even when in very dangerous situations. Well's inner dialogue as he falls for Gwyn in sweet and there is some good spice in this one as well, which is ALWAYS a plus!

I did not like this one as much as the first book in the series but it was still a fun read. It was great fun to return to the world and the characters of the first book. Readers who liked the Ex Hex will definitely want to pick this up!

I loved The Ex Hex and this was the perfect follow up! Loved seeing Gwen have her moment. And while this story follow a very similar plot line to The Ex Hex, it was still a sexy, romantic read. will be re-reading this one come spooky season.

Such a satisfying follow-up to 'The Ex-Hex'! Grab them both and you're all set for what to read while on vacation. If you need more incentive to pick up a copy, there's a cat that's been bewitched to talk, and you will wish your cat could talk too!

One of the sub-genres I most enjoy is stories about Witches. You can keep your zombies and vampires; give me a girl on a broom ( or the modern version there of) and I'm in. Erin Sterling's The Kiss Curse is a funny contemporary romance with oodles of dog witchy magic and fun. She's picks up where she left off in the first of the series (The Ex Hex ~ charming) and we get another modern witch falling for a rather old-fashioned warlock on a Halloween forward small town. There's snappy dialogue, steamy scenes and just enough plot to keep this book moving along. Will be on my Witchy Reading List in October on the Satellite Sisters podcast.

This book was a wonderful comfort read - sweet, funny, and a little sexy. I really liked the romantic pairing, but FYI this is only an "enemies to lovers" story in a very loose sense - they are "enemies" for approximately 5 seconds before they develop a playful rivalry/friendship. (I didn't mind that at all, and it worked for the story, but I know some readers want to know these things.)
What I liked the best about this story was the setting and extended cast of characters - it takes place in a witchy tourist and university town, among a tight-knit community of friends and neighbors, and includes locales such as the two rival magic shops (for humans but run by witches, no actual magic being sold) that feel fantastical and down-to-earth at once. The magic shops had Diagon Alley vibes but make it cozy? The cast of characters, including secondary characters such as the talking cat, Sir Purrcival, and the MC's group of younger mentees or "baby witches," was distinctive, well-drawn, and very easy to get attached to. The fantasy and magic aspects of the worldbuilding could have been better developed and explained (such as the magical resolution of the conflict at the end), but as this book is blending several genres, I'm not going to be too critical.
The Kiss Curse is the second book in a series, but I hadn't read the first book and that presented no problems for me here. It's definitely something you could pick up as a standalone. I would recommend it to readers of fantasy, romance, and/or cozies.