Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus…

Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about being hanged in the 1700s, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future.

All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).

Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell…

My Opinion

I enjoyed the setting of this book and the way that additional information around the inhabitants of Beldam House was revealed. Parts of the plot were confusing so it was nice that the pacing was slow - allowing the reader to easily follow what was going on. A fun, entertaining read that will appeal to fans of Hocus Pocus.

Rating 4/5

I tried to get into this one for a long time, but really just couldn't. It's not a bad book, just not for me.

I read this quite close together with The Witches of Moonshyne Manor and there were some striking similarities, with each featuring a coven of magical women of varying ages, styles and abilities, including one who is only present in spirit.

Where Hex Appeal stands out is in the blending of historical witchy troubles with modern romantic misunderstandings. Plus the quirky characters are great fun and their individual talents – winter/ice magic; knitting the future; shape/gender shifting and potions; midwifery; time travel; healing – have so much scope and potential for adventure.

I can definitely see the comparisons to Practical Magic or Hocus Pocus, or even Encanto with its whimsically charming sentient house and delightfully dysfunctional family dynamics.

Cute, gripping and excessively easy-to-read, this set-up would make a fantastic fantasy-romance series and I would gladly read more from Beldam house and its residents!

I really enjoyed this book, I enjoyed it right from the start, it was witty and the characters were varied and interesting!.it was really light hearted and I read it really quickly

This was unfortunately extremely disappointing. While some readers may find it cute and quirky, I was just rather bored.

Josh is an American who has just moved to England to an inherited house in the countryside, and owns/rents a good portion of the other homes in the village - they have some long term lease agreements. Essie on the other hand is a witch who's home is protected by a perception spell so people forget about her and her home (where she lives with a number of other witches). She gives off "I'm not like other girls" vibes and I personally am mostly over that troupe. Josh is very much a go with the flow, somewhat soft boy. Going into the novel I expected to like it and have a good time.

I generally love a witchy rom-com, especially with some quirky side characters, but this was just trying to do too much. *slightly spoiler* but we are in the present day and we already travel to the past. There's like multiple mysteries going on, there is the romantic element, and even with all of this like I read above, I was bored. The writing just did not connect well with me, but I think others may like it. I think if it sounds interesting to you, you should give it a try, and if you don't vibe with the writing or story, drop it and move on to the next one.

Thanks to the HarperCollins UK, One More Capter and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC.

Kate Johnson has created a cozy and whimsical autumn rom com to get you in the holiday spirit but it is also so much more than that. You think you’re reading a cute little witchy romance but soon realize you’re swept further into this world with all the wonders the witches have to offer. You feel like you’re inside Beldam House and all its intricacies displayed for you. I highly encourage if you are a fan of The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling or just wanting a good read for spooky season.

This was so much fun! It was so fast, it didn't lull anywhere, which made me read it almost in one go. I really liked the characters and this was such a feel good book, definitely something I needed in my current turbulent life!

Romcom with a magical twist. Entertaining, funny, and sweet. It is giving the humourous witchery of terry pratchett's heroines, adorable family and found family vibes and romance.

This was such a an adorable and fun read. The ridiculous stuff the mc gets caught up in is just hilarious. If you want to laugh out loud and read about charming but ridiculous antics than this is the book for you.

I thought this book sounded so cute and cozy but I found it to be slow.
The writing was confusing it took me a long time to find the rhythm of it and even then I just had a hard time getting into it.
As I said it had promise but I just don’t think I was the right reader for it.

I tried many times to keep reading this, but for some reason I just could not get into it. I don't know why, I thought from the synopsis it would be a breezy read. I like a good romcom like anyone else, but this was not interesting to get me hooked in.I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley UK and One More Chapter for sending me this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s start this review by saying that I love witchy books; if they are contemporary romances, they are even better. I was super excited to read this one as I enjoyed the Hex Ex, which has a similar vibe to Hex Appeal. Initially, I thought this book was a mash-up between The House in the Cerulean Sea (with the house being its own character) and the Hex Ex (with the exes and the romance). So, I felt there was a lot of potential, but I couldn’t connect whatsoever with the story or the characters. So much was happening at the same time, and I still thought the characters were flat. I think it felt like it was a mix of unfortunate events surrounding the main plot and the romance.
Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

This book was definitely a quick easy read! It has the cute cliches, fun romance, and witchy vibes. If you’re looking for something that’s cute, easy and fun this is definitely the book for you. Besides who doesn’t love a witch romance.

Ugh. I thought this would be a quick, fun read. but it is so full of cringe cliches that I had to force myself to finish it. all the jokes felt like someone was showing me a funny meme and then watching me and waiting for my laugh. I wanted to think that is was funny but it just wasn't. The main characters were so flat, they only had like 2 personality traits that were mentioned over and over and over and over that I could not. It also felt very immature and young. Maybe she is new to writing, maybe she will get better with time but she will have to work hard to get me to read another of her books.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson is a fun, entertaining romance for those who love a magical twist and witches - of course!

Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about having been burned at the stake in 1635, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future.

All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit).

Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell…

This book was delightful, witchy fun. Kept me engrossed in the story and wanting more. Loved every part of it. I'm a sucker for a good witchy book and will definitely be adding a physical copy to my home library. Gimme all the witchy rom coms. LOL.

I really loved this fun, pacey witchy romance - I'm so pleased this genre's having its moment in the sun! Hex Appeal has a great main character in Essie and bucketloads of chemistry in its romance. The plot goes a little bit off the wall, but in a very entertaining way. I loved the house full of strange witches so much! This is the kind of book you can read in one sitting and just have a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Ok so this book is not that bad, but for whatever reason I can’t really get into it and for now I will have to DNF it. I will come back around to re read and I’m sure my rating will change as it does seem to be an enjoyable read

This book was so much fun. Exploring an unlikely romance between a human and a witch and their journey through time and back as they try to uncover some weird happenings.

Not everyone approves of this romance, and some hiccups arise along the way as memories are wiped clean and things get muddy.

Very light, very fun, and very STEAMY!