THE EX HEX
S**A
FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES A GOOD ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS ROM COM !!! :D
Well, not all exes are that bad inserts snake emoji. I mean, yea, some of them are even willing to go that extra mile to prove their love? At least sounds like something Rhys Penhallow would definitely do!Thank you so much @hachetteindia for sending across this review copy and almost forgetting that you sent me this review copy. Grateful as always! :DThe gorgeous Rhys Penhallow broke Vivienne Jone's heart, one summer, 9 years ago, when they had been dating for 3 months. Vivi, along with her cousin Gywn, decided to treat her heart with vodka and witchcraft, despite several warnings from Aunt Elaine.Vivi being the Vivi she's, goes that extra mile to curse him along with Gywn, and thinks the curses are pretty harmless, probably even petty.That is until, 9 years later, Rhys Penhallow comes back to Graves Glen to recharge the ley lines and appear at the annual fall festival. That's when everything goes haywire and Vivi finally realizes that her curses weren't as harmless as she thought. You gotta read this book if you want to know what happens next.ONE SENTENCE: I LOVE THIS BOOK !!! Totally worth all the time I put in.The book is the perfect combination of romance, hilarious incidents, smooth asf sarcasm, and lots and lots of magic. Rhys Penhallow might be the perfect book boyfriend, but Vivienne won the game when it is about being bossy. Also, I absolutely love books with strong female friendships; Vivienne and Gywn are as perfect as their bond. They might be cousins but the way they get each other and do not miss out on a single detail of each other's lives is another reason why I think this book is absolutely worth it.Also, don't come at me when I say, enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope; especially when the enemies are exes (of course only until it is fictional lmao). I don't intend to give out any spoilers, but the more I got into the book, the more I thought "How on earth were they even exes in the first place". Rhys is perfect as he is (a bit of an idiot, really; probably even dumb), and the way Vivi thinks about him, even after whole 9 years - makes this the kind of book you could be swooning over.I think if you're crazy about the enemies-to-lovers trope, this might end up being your next favorite read. Especially, if you're into the to-die-for, mushy and sweet kinda romance, I don't see why you wouldn't want to pick this up ASAP!!! Also, do I even need to mention all the magical things happening all throughout? Like, how would you even react when a cat starts talking and a ghost haunts a library? XD
F**ď¸
Get on the broom!
The Ex Hex was one of those books that I read with a smile throughout. The author Rachel Hawkins writing as Erin Sterling has worked wonders in creating that perfect small town vibe during Halloweenđđđ. I could imagine the town with all the orangey color adorning the shops. Vivienne was a character one canât help but be in love with, her heart is broken so obviously, she burns some candles, drinks vodka, joins hands with her cousin, and mutters some curses. Nothing was supposed to happen isn't it, it is just crazy fun, but something does happen.Rhys the charming boyfriend is back in town after nine years in line with family dictate to recharge the ley lines, but everything is going haywire, biting toys, a talking cat, falling statue heads, chaos seem to follow him.Rhys is adorable and the cute banter between him and Vivienne brightened up my day. Thereâs a small mystery with old wounds and revenge playing into the curse on Rhysâs family but there are no terrifying events and I'm glad the author retained the lighter vein of the story throughout. The major portions of the story have the leads rekindling their romance and therefore, the curse and its effects on ley lines do not trouble the reader much too. This is one book where I realized that the F-word would cause me to sputter out laughing. That alone proves Rachel Hawkingâs exceptional talent in comedy and I hope she does continue this series coz this is one rom-com that I would be keen to return to.The Ex Hex is an easy to read witchy romance novel brimming with zappy energy that is sure to bring a smile to your face.
S**R
A fun engaging read perfect for a spooky holiday season
I wish I had picked up this book a lot earlier because it gives so much of autumn cozy hot coffee season vibes throughout the narration. Vivienne and Rhys date in their teenage year and have a bad breakup after not more than 3 months. Fast forward 9 years, and they are face to face only to have the worst of things waiting for them. Murderous wind-up toys to a pissed-off ghost, and a talking cat (I mean WHATT?), the list goes on to make both their lives miserable. Vivi and Rhys have to keep their damaged past aside now and work together to save their town- Grave Glen. They should also work something up to break the curse Vivi put on Rhys. Would they be able to do it before itâs too late?âNever mix vodka and witchcraft.â- an amazing starting line to this book! It's is my first time reading a witchy, fun paranormal story, but The Ex Hex was definitely a quick read than I had anticipated it to be. Most of the story is only at the end of the book, so I was turning pages after pages to know how Vivi would break the curse she put on Rhys 9 years ago because of their idiotic breakup. honestly, that was the only reason I kept going with the book until I fell hard for Rhys and his unique handsomeness. Also not to forget how witty and entertaining Vivi with all her actions was.Nothing practical in the book tbh but overall this was definitely a fun engaging read, and I would pick this up again during Halloween, as I feel itâs a perfect book to read during the spooky holiday season for a witchy romance recommendation. Not the best one out there with too many cringe-worthy dialogues, but I donât know, I loved the cozy warm hug feeling that I had throughout the book, and can somebody please take me to Grave Glen this fall?
M**
Not recommended
Light hearted with some bits of humour but overall wouldnât recommend. Characters donât really develop and everything is just very convenient for them.Suspension of disbelief for magic and the set up does not extend to two 29yos acting like they are children for the entire thing.Like trusting someone since they wear jeans (and stuck up witches donât do that apparently so they must be cool) getting tricked by that person; then the trickster just politely saying they are sorry while being really happy to hand everything back over. And no this is not a set up for anything other than, hey this happened haha now we conveniently have a magic object thatâs actually super rare and expensive and exactly what we need with little to no actual work.
S**R
Disappointing
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It had all the right ingredients but it just didn't work, I wasn't invested in anyone's story and almost DNF'd at about 60%. I love fluffy romcoms, but they have to have heart and this one missed the mark.It was just blah, we got very little serious consequence of the curse, I wanted a town in chaos not some easily resolved individual issues. Rhys never seemed to actually be in any real danger, the 'reveal' of the story behind the town was lacklustre, and even the main characters were more concerned with bedding each other than fixing it. Even that was mostly off page so you didn't learn anything more about their relationship.Also, as a Welsh person living in Wales I now know how Scottish and Irish people must feel. Rhys constantly calling her Cariad gave me the ick, its what my Nain called us as kids. It just doesn't work for a man in his 20s.
C**Q
fab
This book is so much fun!I will start by saying I don't read a lot of witchy books but I do read a lot of chick lit fun, light romances and this one hit every expectation I would have. I love a light read and this one is perfect I also adore an enemies to lovers with plenty of banter and bickering!I had so many laugh out loud moments yet it also had a very cosy feeling to the story. I have already planned a re read once I decorate my house for Halloween and am in the festive mood because I feel in will be perfection!The tagline ' Think practical magic in the Gilmore Girls stars hollow' pretty much sums this one up perfectly.
A**R
Practical magic with a bit of Welsh đĽ°
I absolutely loved this book!When Vivienne is heartbroken by Rhys she does the one thing a witch is not meant to do! Mix vodka and magic! But she does; meaning it goes wrong!Fast forward nine years when Rhys shows up and things start to to go wrong, Vivi realises maybe she did more damage than she realised!I loved this book, it was funny and witty and just the cutest. I donât read romance typically but this was amazing. The relationship between Vivi and Rhys was just perfect and the spice đś I want to be called Cariad â¤ď¸Definitely recommend if you want a quick and easy romance with fun characters and a great plot
C**E
Super cute witchy romcom
âYou⌠literally said, âI curse you, Rhys Penhallow,â and now youâre surprised that I, Rhys Penhallow, am cursed?â - The Ex Hex by @erinsterlingbooks â¨This was a 4/5đ read for me and the perfect book for October! Set in the small town Graves Glen, this book had me wanting to pack up and move to a fictional location. Think of of it like a witchy Stars Hollow.The second chance romance between Vivienne and Rhys gave me the happy butterflies (or bats?) I want from a romcom. I really liked that they didnât ignore their past issues, particularly because the past coming back to bite them was a major plot point.Donât get me wrong there was plenty of dancing around their issues but it felt intentional and made room for a lot of funny moments. The banter between Vivienne and Rhys was brilliant too! Side character Gwyn was also full of snappy one liners and Iâd happily read a spin-off with her as the main character. The sense of humour through the whole book was pretty dry too which I loved.The Ex Hex is the perfect book for October for anyone looking for fun level spooky instead of something scary. It made me feel cosy and happy and Iâll reread this one for sure!Read for:⢠Second chance romance đ⢠Witches and magical mayhem â¨â˘ Small town cuteness⢠Sir Purrcival đââŹâ˘ Witty banter⢠A little bit of spice đś
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