a big thank you to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

rating: 3.5 stars

overall, i really enjoyed this book. i loved gwyn, she was so funny and charming and i loved that it was a continuation from the ex hex. i also obviously loved the relationship between wells and gwyn, it was such a gorgeous love hate situation that was really just complete adoration and it was cute to see that unfold.

however in terms of critiques, i really wish the dramatic turning point of the book came a bit earlier and had a bit more of a hit to it. i feel like there was a hell of a lot of build up and then it all resolved too quickly for me. i think that if it started earlier and had some more obstacles for the characters to work through it would’ve felt more intense and satisfying when they succeeded!

but overall i enjoyed it and it was a perfect witchy read for october

So much better than the first book. This one had me howling with laughter. The banter and playfulness was spot on. I loved the relationships and the general vibe was so much more wholesome than the first one was.

The intensity was higher and the steamy scenes were a lot hotter.

One of my favourite books of the year.

This novel focuses on Viv’s cousin, Gwynn and her not so simple relationship with Rhys’ brother, Wells after he returns to Graves Glenn for the first time in years.

I loved how wholesome and cute the setting was, Graves Glenn gives me Stars Hollow kind of vibes and I enjoyed reading of this world again even though Viv and Rhys are barely in the plot. I really enjoyed the “Baby Witches” and I could honestly see this as a Netflix movie…. But I did feel like the plot + the length of the book didn’t align and it was dragged out ever so slightly which is why I’m giving it a middle rating.

Overall, a wonderful read and perfect for this time of year

Great Halloween romp to get in the mood for spooky season!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Ex Hex, and it was really fun to see Rhys and Vivi again! Gwyn and Wells were a really cute, fun pairing and I loved both their quirks.

Gwyn is a girl for anyone quirky and out-spoken and Wells is for anyone who has a crush on Giles from Buffy. An excellent pairing.

Sir Purrcival is back as well, importantly, and he is still hilarious and the most accurate depiction of a cat ever. I love him and when he <spoiler> was missing for a minute, my heart literally stopped. </spoiler>.

This book was more fast paced than the Ex Hex, and I did kind of miss the slow mystery, but I still really enjoyed it! The plot was also a bit more simple, but again, I did still enjoy!

As always, I really enjoy Erin Sterling's style of writing, and this was no exception. If you're looking for another cute, witchy, cozy read, this should definitely be the top of your list. Also, please give Bowen a book so I can return to Graves Glen, thank you.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads.

This was great fun and a perfect autumn read 🎃 I read The Ex Hex last month (fun!)so this month I listened to the audiobook of The Kiss Curse. This was a pitch perfect blend of romance, witchiness and humour. I liked the link to the characters of The Ex Hex and Gwyn was a really likeable main character. Graves Glen really is Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls land) and I’m here for those vibes 🍂 I loved the small twists in the plot and obvs the steam. The author upped the temperature this time🔥 and I’m here for it 😜 OMG, how could I forget Sir Percival 🐈‍⬛ who was absolutely hilarious. Maybe the next book will be all about the cat 🤣 This is crying out to be a trilogy right?!!

Ahhhh I loved this so much. A follow up to The Ex Hex, I enjoyed this one even more. The characters were amazing, and it was great to be swept up in the magical, wholesome world once more.

I received a complimentary copy of The Kiss Curse from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Kiss Curse, the follow up to Erin Sterling's The Ex Hex, returns to Graves Glen and focuses this time on Vivienne's cousin Gwyn and Rhys's brother Wells. In The Kiss Curse the very serious Wells comes to town and instantly finds himself at war with free-spirit Gwyn. But as time progresses they are drawn to each other. Soon they find themselves up against a magical threat and have to work together. The book is a lot of fun, much like its predecessor. You also get to check in on your favourite characters from the previous book. If you enjoyed The Ex Hex you will love The Kiss Curse.

Similar to how I felt about The Ex Hex, it was good but I wanted more Practical Magic than romance, but this is definitely a witchy ROMANCE series. I'm a little bit disappointed that Gwen didn't end up with the mayor as it would have been nice to get a f/f romance rather than a new character and that pairing had been hinted at in book 1.

Gwyn is everything you want in a FMC - she's smart, loyal, and isn't afraid of anything! I loved her in book 1 and my only quibble with this book was I really thought that she's have a female love interest but otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

Llewellyn aka Wells, has never met a rule he didn't love to follow. He knows he's favoured by his father over his brothers, but he's not shy in admitting that their father is a bit...extra! He's gone to Graves Glen to keep an eye on things after his brother's defection to the USA. His brand-new venture just happens to be right across the road from Gwyn's shop. She's not exactly delighted and a fully-fledged retail magic war is on the horizon.

Gwyn and the baby Witches are not taking this interloper at face value - they know he's up to something. When Gwyn's magic starts to backfire he is suspect #1. She remembers him from his abortive time at college and she's annoyed at herself that he still makes an impression! The fact he didn't attend Rhys's wedding to her cousin just gives her more ammunition to hate him.

Magic being syphoned off, magical caves and Father dearest is still up to no good it would seem. Really enjoyed Wells and Gwyn's story and can't wait to see what happens to Bowen!

gifted copy via netgalley and headline books (thank you!!)

if you’ve read the ex hex (which i haven’t yet), you’ll already know of gwyn and wells as the cousin and brother of the original protagonists, vivi and rhys. the kiss curse is a companion novel that, in some ways, acts as a sequel, but you can read it without having read the ex hex.

i found this book to be a really fun, quick read. the banter was on point and i loved the parallels of british and american humour! if you can imagine what a witchy rom-com would be like, this is pretty much it.

the writing wasn’t brilliant, but that’s not what we read witchy romance books for, is it?💀 (also it’s enemies to lovers!!)

gwyn’s “baby witches” added a really nice dynamic for her outside of the romance storyline. plus, bonus, there’s a non-binary witch! (they’re called parker and they’re very funny)

i really enjoyed this, i’ll have to pick up the ex hex soon!!!🔮

Having thoroughly enjoyed the The Ex Hex, I had high hopes for The Kiss Curse and Erin Sterling did not disappoint. Gwyn and Wells were a delight to read and the romance was perfectly sweet. I loved reading more about his relationship with his father and how he navigated the betrayal. Overall a wonderful read that is perfect for spooky season!

I love love loved this! It was so lovely to be back in Graves Glen with Vivi and Gwyn and the Penhallow lads.
This was such a lighthearted and fun read with the perfect witchy vibes for October. I could read infinite numbers about these cute characters.

This netgalley book was my first read for spooky season 2022 - and it was a corker! This is the sequel to last year’s The Ex Hex, but it could easily be read as a stand alone. In this novel Gwyn meets the brother of Rhys (from the first book) and sparks fly (pun intended)! This is a great light hearted enemies to lovers romance which I highly recommend. The only thing I would say is the ending felt a bit rushed. But I’m certainly a big fan and I hope there’s more to come with this series - maybe making one of the ‘baby witches’ a main character next time?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers ahead -

The Kiss Curse is a sequel to The Ex Hex and follows the love story of Gwyn Jones and Llewelyn Penhallow, the cousin and brother of the main characters Vivi Jones and Rhys Penhallow from the Ex Hex.

I LOVED the first half of this book and realised as I was 50% in that nothing had really happened and the main characters were already together…

The biggest flaw of this novel is exactly that… nothing of consequence really happens and when it does it feels a bit random and is often resolved very easily.

For example the biggest plot point throughout the book is that Gwyn’s magic is playing up and she loses it. In the final action scene Gwyn decides she has her magic back and so she does? This basically makes the whole plot a bit lacklustre and lowers all the stakes.

This book has such a good premise a magical Halloween town and I’d love to have seen more magic and plot!

Now onto the good stuff - Erin Sterling really knows how to write good characters! I loved Gwyn and Llewellyn they were great in the Ex Hex and I loved them and their romance on this.

The setting of Graves Glenn is truly magical and the scene where Gwyn and Llewellyn are in the truck overlooking the area is just so great! The language and scenery can really make me picture the area and in returning to this setting in this book it felt like returning to my Autumn Holiday Home!

Overall this was a good, cute read. Worth picking up and enjoyable a solid three stars. I would recommend this to others.

4 stars!

A wholesome, sexy, funny, magical witchy romcom perfect for this time of year.

Gwyn is perfectly happy and enjoying her life in Graves Glen until Wells Penhallow shows up unannounced, wanting to make up for the time he spent away from the town. So much so that Wells decides to open up a magic shop exactly opposite Gwyn's shop. And so a little rivalry begins, filled with tension and magical kisses.

This is a fun story, with great pacing, a lovely romance, and the perfect amount of magic.

These characters jump off the page and it is near impossible to put down.

If you're looking for something that will keep you entertained, happy, and whimsical, this is the one to grab.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Kiss Curse

Thank you to @netgalley and @headlineeternal for approving me for this spooky read🎃

The Kiss Curse is the sequel to The Ex Hex which I read and loved earlier this year.

This is a witchy themed rom com and I loved it! The Kiss Curse is an enemies to lovers story and follows Wells and Gwyn in Graves Glen.

This books gave me all the cosy spooky vibes. It was the perfect curl up with a blanket, feel good read! Graves Glen is painted as such a cutesy wonderful Halloween town.

I find it difficult not to compare this to The Ex Hex and I do think The Ex Hex was better... I wanted more Vivi and Rhys than we got in The Kiss Curse but it was nice to get to know Gwyn and Wells better. Their story was fun, if not a bit obvious, but most rom coms are. The story was a light hearted read but I do wish it was a bit faster. The real 'issue' didn't come to a head until about 85% and was resolved really quickly. There definitely could have been more to this plot point so that was a little bit of a let down.

That said, I did love this and would recommend reading this but don't go in expecting a super fast paced twisty read. I would love if there was a third installment in this series✨🥰

The Ex Hex was one of my favourite reads last year. Absolutely loved it. Recommended it to everyone. Harassed my friend Anna in to picking up a copy. So you can imagine my excitement when this book was announced? Overjoyed.

And this didn’t disappoint! This had all the hilarity, and the chemistry of the first. Wes and Gwyn were hilarious together and it was so funny to see how quickly they crumbled from hating each other to loving each other. Brilliant.

Unlike the first though, I found the plot of this one to be slightly lacking slightly less than the first one. But to be honest, I didn’t go in to this for a high paced, high tension supernatural plot - a lot like the first one. For me this was more a romance with a hint of supernatural plot and drama. But I do wish there was a bit more on the plot front — it happened all very quickly at the end and was resolved in almost an instant, with hardly any explanations, that I think I wished we skipped it all together.

Loved every minute of it! Gwen & Wells stole this show this time round. Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers with a witchy twist.

Although this is the second book in the Ex Hex series, I didn't feel lost or behind. So I think this can be read as a stand alone (but there will be spoilers for the first).

I've been reading some heavy stuff lately and I needed to soften the pain with a sweet romance. The Kiss Curse certainly delivers.

It is Incredibly sweet with some serious stomach knotting moments.

Gwyn is hilarious - a wonderful character who you can't help but smile along with. It's rare for me to really enjoy a character this much.

I absolutely LOVED the positive female relationships in this book. There was minimum rivalry something that I HATE in romance. A healthy friendship with exes, a protective bond with younger Witches and of course the family bonds between Gwyn and Vivi.
Wells is actually very likable from the beginning- considering. And again, although there is sibling friction, it didn't feel toxic, it just felt typical (as typical as you can get with Witches I guess)!

This is a romance that gives you a warm glow when reading. You will laugh out loud and swoon over those steamy scenes as well!
I thoroughly recommend this book to scratch that witchy romance itch!