I wanted to like this book SO BAD but it just didn't work for me. It was a bit all over the place and to be honest, I only finished it because it was an ARC :/

Allllll the witchy vibes!! I love a witchy book, and this one was absolutely perfect. I expected it to be a fun and enjoyable read, after reading The Ex Hex, and I was very pleased that I was right.

The characters are very well written, and providing you can suspend disbelief about the witch elements, you can absolutely relate to them. The plot was gripping, and I actually found that some scenes in the book were more graphic than I expected, but this only added to my enjoyment. The writing flowed perfectly, and it is easy to follow.

I really enjoyed this, and would definitely read more by Kate Johnson.

It’s that time for all things fall and witchy! This book will help you get in the mood. But honestly I think it would make a better movie than book. I get where’s it’s going but I wanted more. The climax didn’t build enough and delivery (yeah, , that’s what she ( i ) said) for me. I love the setting but the time travel part and how it affected the “now” just didn’t flow and then felt like a puzzle with missing piece at the end to bring it together better. Still worth a cozy get in by mood read.
Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for that ARC!

This book is a witchy rom com perfect for October reading. It has Hocus Pocus vibes with goofy witches and a house that has a mind of its own. The book focuses a LOT on the hi-jinx of the house, which seem to go haywire after a miscommunication trope with the two love interests. You’ll enjoy this book if you liked The Ex Hex and Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. Thank you to net galley for the ARC of this book!

In Hex Appeal, a book described as “Hocus Pocus meets Encanto”, Josh (an American) travels to Good Winter, Essex where he will be the caretaker of a house left to him after his grandparents passed away. It is there where he meets our other main character, Essie, who is a witch. She’s living in the house that he owns and no one has paid rent in centuries. Essie is a winter witch who has the ability to freeze things and people in place, but it’s also her job to welcome winter in every year. Oh, did I forget to mention the house has an enchantment on it that whenever someone leaves it they forget they were even there? So, when Josh doesn’t forget Essie or Bedlam house after he leaves and Essie becomes overwhelmed with premonitions of impending disaster, she has to figure out what is going on and uncover the secrets that have been hidden from her all her life.

The story is narrated in the third person, from Essie’s perspective. It would have been fun to have other chapters be from Josh’s perspective or perhaps even some of the other witches. The cast of characters--the house included! The Bedlam House has its own personality for sure!-- is fabulous and outrageous in the best way. There is great character development here even in the supporting characters. Lots of banter, a little bit of spice and every Autumnal, Halloween, witchy note is hit!

The author’s writing style is intelligent, more than I often see in cozy witch books. I binged it in one sitting and I think a lot of people will love this book!

Hex appeal by Kate Johnson is a warm and wonderful Witchy vibes romance with a zany and silly family situated at its heart. Interactions between characters are believable and their journey through the narrative is oddly relatable. I adored Josh as a Love interest and wish I could have gotten a few more scenes of him before the story we are in. This book will be an excellent read for fans of books such as the Ex Hex by Stirling.

I loved the characters and the magical elements to this book. However, the story itself felt a little all over the place. Things didn’t necessarily go in an order my brain could comprehend and even after it appeared issues had been solved new more complicated things kept getting in the way. Ultimately it ended on a highly satisfying note, but it was quite the rollercoaster to get there.

I love witches! The quirky characters here were so fun, the setting was awesome, those are the things I really loved. On the flip side, I feel like this book tried to do a little do much and was kind of chaotic. That didn't stop me from still having fun with that though. I did like the character development over the course of the story and overall think this is a fabulous Fall book. I would recommend to anyone looking for a good seasonal read.

This was my first book for October and it was a really fun time!! I liked the author's writing style and they did a great job immersing you into the world. I loved Essie as a main character she was confident, funny and kind. I liked the dynamic she had with all the other witches and their chaotic energy 😂

I also really liked Josh as the love interest however wish we were shown more about his backstory rather than just being told the answers. His character definitely could've been more developed. I thought their attraction was believable and the development of their relationship throughout the book was nice to see.

The first part of the book pulled me in straight away however the plot started to unravel in the middle because there was just too much going on at the same time. I didn't really like the addition of Essie's mother and don't think she was needed for the story to progress. Also the ending felt quite rushed and I don't think it had the impact that it could've had if it was more fleshed out.

Overall, I did enjoy it and it was a fun witchy time😊

Read this if you like:
✔️Halloween
✔️A book with witches & spells
✔️A cute romance
✔️A chaotic fun family

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fun witchy romance with plenty of magical vibes, highly recommend to fans of Go Hex Yourself and similar titles.

Thoroughly enjoyed the beginning (and what should've been the end) of this take on the cosy witch romance genre. I did find that at about the 70% mark I felt as though the story had reached its natural end and had difficulty finishing it. Enjoyed the characters and the setting enough that I still pushed through, but it did score lower because of that.

I’m a sucker for witchy-romance! Hex Appeal follows American Josh, our hero, who has just inherited a lovely English manor in the charming town of Good Winter. Unfortunately, it’s a major money pit and his inherited tenants haven’t paid rent in a long, long time. 300 years to be exact.
Our heroine Essie has always wanted to be normal, but with an enchanted house, and a slew of old witch roomies, her life is anything-but. When Josh comes looking for rent and answers, sparks fly and the witchy shenanigans commence! An absolutely charming fall romance!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my review!

Quick Summary:
🇬🇧 England setting
🧙‍♀️ Witchy goodness
🔮 Magic
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to lovers
🧌 Monsters
🏠 Magical house

I really enjoyed this witchy read! I loved the premise and the romance. The story was a bit slow moving for me, and I would have loved to read more about the main characters and their relationship. The plot was interesting, but didn't always flow. Another think I loved were the side characters - hilarious! I recommend this cozy, spooky read.

The plot was ambitious but lacking at the same time… the characters were by far the best part of this novel. Essie and Josh and Siena all had qualities worthy of a reader’s love. I would love to live in the witches’ house.

I love books that have some base in historical facts!
Essie is a witch that feels she has so much power that she hurts people except for one day when she needs to usher in the winter season. She lives in a fantastical house with several other witches.
Josh has inherited a house and estate near to Essie, and being unsatisfied with his job he moves around the world to work on his house.
This story is complex, rich, and informative. I also loved the Outlander reference.

This is my honest review in exchange for an e-arc from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley, Kate Johnson, and One More Chapter.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson is a delightful seasonal read and just in time for Halloween. Essie lives in a house (with back-tax owing for 300+ years) in the small town of Good Winter. New property owner Josh from Seattle moves to Essex to oversee his new properties and recoup some of the missing income.

There is plenty of whimsy in this book, with a house that changes according to the needs of its inhabitants, powerful witches who sometimes can’t control their formidable powers (like the ability to freeze things – ahem), and an enemy-to-lover romance. Much to my delight, there was also a bit of time travel too, which usually adds to my enjoyment; however, in this case took away from the light-heartedness of the story by bringing in the reality of witch trials, and the “serial killer” Matthew Hopkins.

I wanted to read this book because I thought it was a light, rom com with witchy vibes based on the cover and title of this book. It was a little darker than expected and at times I felt disengaged as I never connected with Essie or Josh.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Collins for the ARC. Apologies to all for the lateness of my review 😊. Pub date: October 1.

Review to IG: FoldingThePage to be posted week of October 10.

Essie has her life sorted, at least she feels like she does. She's a witch, but she's doing her best to live as normally as possible and keep up with the times (which isn't difficult considering she's been alive for thousands of years). Enter Josh, the new landlord of Beldam House, where her and her coven have lived rent-free since the 1700s. When he starts to insist on some changes, Essie finds herself at odds with a man who doesn't understand all the magical going-ons, a monsterous prophecy that might be about to ruin her peaceful life, and her growing feelings for the new American landlord.

I was so excited when I read the description of this book! We rarely get light-hearted romcoms where the female is the centuries old magical being and the male is the human thrust into it all. The cover is adorable, as is the concept of Essie and Josh dancing around each other. I enjoyed Siena as well, she was a fun character that mixed in with the rest of the cast and I found her refreshingly multi-faceted.

Johnson has a very distinct writing style and I fear that it just isn't for me. From the first page, I struggled with getting truly into the story and had a hard time connecting to it. I was excited for a fun, cozy read, but didn't realize just how magical the plot was going to get. I honestly wish the plot had been scaled back to just Essie and Josh fighting their feelings with mild magical hijinks. I just feel like the book took too hard of a turn mid-way and I quickly realized it wasn't for me.

Hex Appeal was an adorable premise, but it didn't deliver what I hoped. I would love to pick up more of Kate Johnson's work to see if her writing grows on me because I did really enjoy her characters and setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

When Josh Henderson inherits a crumbling British manor, he expects to roll up his sleeves and begin the daunting task of major renovations. What he isn’t prepared for is the village of Good Winter’s resident coven- particularly the flame-haired Essie who has an icy touch and a preference for dunagarees. Perhaps even more surprising, is that unlike the rest of the villagers, Josh can actually remember the witches and their eccentric, shapeshifting home, ‘Beldam House.’ The chemistry between Essie and Josh is undeniable, but will an ancient evil, ancestral trauma and past relationship baggage snuff out their budding romance?

Hex Appeal is a fun and witchy romp that kept me on my toes. The relationship dynamic between Josh and Essie was heartwarming, unique and oh-so-karmic. I especially appreciated that most of their drama came from the external challenges that they faced, rather than petty and immature manipulations. Kate Johnson really nailed the whimsical details, rendering Hex Appeal both charming and memorable. I only have a couple minor quibbles. Namely, I would have enjoyed hearing more about the village and its inhabitants. Additionally, the intimate scenes were slightly awkward at times- let’s amp up the magic, baby.

If you’re looking for a sweet and lighthearted meet-cute this spooky season, give Hex Appeal a try. Talk about the perfect pick-me-up palette cleanser between dark and spine-tingling horror novels. Hex Appeal is a fresh and magical rom com with a quirky sense of humor. Craving something festive and uplifting this Halloween? Here’s your winning ticket.

This was such a roller coaster of a book. At the beginning it wasn’t my taste for the first half it was very cute and fluffy and if you love romance and sweet stories you would love it but I stuck it out and then half way through everything changed. The pace , the storyline, it was a lot better. When they went back through time to face the infamous Matthew Hopkins this was when I though everything moved up a gear. I wish there was more of this storyline where they were back in 1647. I really enjoyed this, and then back to present day it was a better book and there are aspects of this book that could move to book two, as Josh’s abilities could be explained,
It’s a love it or hate it book. I would read more from this author and I feel the darker part was definitely the better part of it.
The main characters didn’t leave me routing for them I preferred the side characters From 50% onwards I would rate higher. But because the beginning was slow going I rated it 3/5.

I really wanted to like this book but it took me so long to get into it. I didn’t ever *want* to pick it up. The slow burn was a little too slow for me and then it all felt a bit rushed toward the ending. I also struggled connecting with the characters with it being written in third person.

I liked all the magical elements and I always enjoy enemies to lovers! But unfortunately this one just fell flat for me.


Published on October 1, 2022!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

The perfect spooky witchy fall read! This was such a joy to read. Love the mystery, the romance, and all of the sarcasm. The characters were well developed and hilariously adorable.