Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's really hard for me to rate this book as I had high expectations and was sadly disappointed.

For the first half of the book I was bored for the second half the reading picked up pace but still not as I had hoped.
The plot idea is nice but from a certain point on it really lost sense, it's a mix of fantasy elements all together including time travel, magic and monsters.
I would have preferred a simpler story but with events not concentrated only in the last part of the book.

Plus some things are really cringe (the frozen p***s 🤦🏼‍♀️)

Overall it was an ok read.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson was release on October 1st 2022. 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.

Hex Appeal has a lot to it, much more than I expected to be honest. I thought the character work on Essie, Josh, and the whole town was very well done, as was the world and story building surrounding the witchiness of Essie's home and family. I liked the balance of romance, mystery, and danger that is woven through the story, and even when I expected a twist I rarely anticipated all of the pieces before the story revealed them. I thought that magical aspects of this book were my favorite, and would enjoy a book just about how Bedlam house came to be, and how the magical combinations and shifts were started and how they continue- the house and its residents fascinated me and I want more. I think there is room for more to be told here, beyond my personal desire for more history. There is plenty of room for sequels or campion books, despite the very satisfying ending this book provided. I would love to revisit the characters and world that was created here.

Hex Appeal is a solid witchy romance, with solid world and character building.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for sharing an digital ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson revolves around Essie Winterscale, who lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex and their newest landlord named Josh. He finds out that the coven that lives in the house haven't paid rent for over 300 years.

This is a really lighthearted enemies to lovers novel with a cozy and witchy touch. I enjoyed the story and the easy writing, which gets you easily into the book. The characters were likeable from the beginning, but I still had some issues to connect with the characters deeply. It was a nice read for the weekend. Nothing more and nothing less.

Something was missing from this witchy romcom and I can't put my finger on what. I enjoyed the small town vibes and the descriptions of the main house were fun, however, all the characters felt so.. meh. I never bought into the romance between our hero and heroine, the chemistry was nowhere to be read. Because of that, the stakes never felt high. There is a bit of time travel thrown into the story which could've been the most interesting part, but instead it felt entirely like filler.

3.75 ⭐️

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers

This was a great witchy romcom for spooky season! I loved the magical aspects and the banter was great.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so that made me enjoy this book even more.

Some things felt a bit corny/cheesy so that is why I’ve deducted some points but overall, the book did still make me laugh and swoon at times.

There's a line that's crossed between imaginative and confusing in this book, which I wanted to like more than I did. What's supposed to feel zany more often feels incoherent, and as someone who likes intelligible and self-consistent world-building as much as I like richly imagined settings, the writing here didn't cut it. Which might have been bearable if I'd been fonder of the characters. I can see others enjoying this and would suggest it as a readalike for those who are very into this brand of romcom, but it wasn't for me.

I couldn’t have picked a more perfect book to read in time for Halloween. This was everything I wanted and much more!

A witch-world I want to live in! The author's description of Beldam is so vivid, so complete, that I want to hop on a plane and fly there. A fun story with a little of everything, mystery, humour and a bit of romance. A great read on a winter's day.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The opinion here is solely my own.

I loved this book. I was hooked from the start to the finish. I liked the humour, the unique world building, and the plot that had lots of twists and turns. Overall, a very enjoyable paranormal romance. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

A spooky-season romance is what I wanted—and a spooky-season romance is what I got!

The magic system was really well done, it was easy to get into the world. At the beginning I remember being a bit confused, but I think that was more about how open Essie talked about magic, even though people don't really know, or shouldn't know, magic exists...?
But after 10 or 15% I was so immersed that I couldn't put it down.
There was a moment of miscommunication at the beginning (which I'm not a fan of) but it was quickly resolved, so it was actually fine. The relationship between the two main characters is really cute. There was banter and a lot of humour, and I was so there for it!!
Also, I liked the secondary characters—I wouldn't be surprised if we got more books from their point of view.
Definitely recommend!

If you’re looking for a fun, witchy rom-com, this is a good option! It’s not the best option since it feels more plot-heavy than most romantic comedies (it took me longer to read than expected), but if you can sort through everything that happens, it’s good.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for allowing me access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun romantic-fantasy story. It felt a bit like several stories smushed together but I enjoyed it as an easy, fun read.

I love a witchy Halloween romance, and I desperately wanted to love this book! Johnson's writing is quirky and engaging; I loved the setting (the house felt like a character in and of itself!) and Essie's "found family" was the highlight of the story. Unfortunately, I found the plot a little scattered (e.g. witch hunters, time travel, monsters and demons) and I wasn't totally sold on the romance between Josh and Essie. That being said, I really loved Johnson's voice and colorful imagination, and I'd happily try another book written by her!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the arc of this book, in exchange for my review.

This one took a while to get going for me. Slow to start, it picked up in the middle, but never really hit full steam for me.

The characters were developed enough, but the story line felt like it jumped around and was confusing at times.

The history of the town and the evil that needed to be tamed year after year, had a lot of potential, but it never hit full stride. Same with the love story. The characters had chemistry but the romance was just ok in my opinion.

I could definitely see this as a series, and I think it may appeal more to people who like cozy mysteries, fun and quick Halloween reads, or less steamy romance books.

This book was so cute! The spooky weather and the creepy but cute setting. Omg! I loved the romance and all of the characters so much! I like this authors ability to pull me in and her writing style.

I understand and partake in the hype around last year's big success The Ex Hex, and for once I'm excited about the hexy romance follow-up publications that try to emulate the fun I had reading it. Yet Hex Appeal, I believe, is on a whole different level when it comes to setting, magic system, and the patchwork witch coven! The vibes we start out with are absolutely impeccable, the writing (big smack chef's kiss).

And the jokes were magnificent???

So when an ordinary landlord from overseas shows up to shake up this cozy environment and his magically-gifted tenants' lives, things should have advanced to a five-star rating simply due to the love story building up. Unfortunately, the romance pacing fell a bit short - the spiciness too. With one of the emotional conflicts taking place much too soon, the second one far too late in the story's progress, the plot's structure ended up a bit... wonky, crafting-wise.

In the end, that must be due to the author's first time dabbling in this particular subgenre, with potential for improvement. There seem to be some openings for an extension to this story, too. Hex Appeal could be your British answer to this new wave of paranormal romance from the States after all, if you like you your romance light.

Encanto meets Hocus Pocus in this perfect witchy romcom. An absolute must-read if you love Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex and Lana Harper’s Payback’s a Witch!
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 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…

‘Funny, smart and sassy…No one creates such brilliant worlds quite like Kate does’ Julie Caplin
This was such a cute book. I devoured it and it left me wanting a series
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

Hex Appeal by Katie Johnson was very unique and funny. I enjoyed all of the description that was given to us in the book. I could picture each room perfectly and It just made me smile. I love this time of the year and anything having to do with magic. The only thing I didn’t really care for was the relationship between the two main characters. It felt a little forced and thrown together. But besides that, I enjoyed my time while reading through this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, One More chapter for the early arc!

Kate Johnson starts out this blurb with "it's just a bunch of hocus pocus" and I was immediately ready to read this one.

While I do have some good feelings about it, I still felt this book hit more middle of the road for me. I didn't hate it, but didn't love it like I wanted to.

I loved Essie. I think she was a vibrant character, she had some growth in the book, but definitely could see her continuing to grow beyond the pages of the book and that makes me happy to feel like her story is still going. I think she had very interesting powers, and even though she thought her powers were limited we learned with her that she is so much more than what she thought. She was always taking charge, being the strong one, but also vulnerable which I love to see in a character.

Josh I almost hate to not like. He is a little more mysterious as we aren't sure why he lands in Essex and what happened with his past. As we slowly get to that part, he goes through things that are not unique, but not usually discussed in romance books so I did like seeing the representation for that he delivered. I just didn't really connect with his in general characteristics though and didn't' understand how Essie did either. I think I actually enjoyed his sister more than him and she was a minor side character.

The magic system was very interesting as well, I do think there were a lot left unanswered though about it. I think there are potentials for more books so you could always find out more if that is the case.

I found this to be a really disappointing and boring book.
A real shame as it's everything that I usually love, witches and whatnot but this just dragged and it took me ages to finish it as I would find myself doing almost anything other than reading it.