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!

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Gwyn Jones is loving her life when a new coven enters a town and her power begins to fade. She needs to work with Llewellyn to find out what happening even though they are rivals. A most anticipated squeal to ex hex.

Llewelleyn open a shop opposite so of course Gywn frustrated. Magical on going get them to work together. Can they deny thier attraction to each other.

The characters had a little more to them than Viv and Rhys, probably because they didn't have the same history. And seeing Wells loosen up and relax as the story progressed made him appear more human.

A wonderful romance with some drama and darkness. This will be added to my Halloween re-read shelf for next year, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys witchy romances with familial conflict and opposites attract storylines.

#TheKissCurse #NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #goodreads #romance #headline #sci fantasy

The Kiss Curse - Erin Sterling

This is book two of the Ex Hex series, written under Rachel Hawkins’ pen name of Erin Sterling. In this story we follow Gwyn, the powerful and independent witch who helped break the spell in the first novel, working with her cousin Vivienne. Another Welsh witchy brother pops up in this one and fairly quickly catches Gwyn’s eye.

I was surprised by this direction as Gwyn was in a relationship with a woman in the first novel, and that felt quite natural. I have to say, I was disappointed that the implicit reference was that she was actual bisexual (I don’t believe that was brought up in the first book, although I an happy to be proven wrong). I really like Gwyn as a character, she’s bright and clever and loves her friends and family fiercely.
Wells as her counterpart is a good foil for her bright colours and hot temper - tasked by his father with visiting Graves Glen to check in on the situation. I like him as a character too - he’s quite stiff and awkward but he has a nice character arc where he does loosen up a bit.
By far the best character is still Sir Purrcival, the cat who is now able to talk due to an unfortunate spell side effect. He’s funny and cheeky and provides some light relief.

It’s difficult not to compare the two, and I loved The Ex Hex. I really liked The Kiss Curse, but the story didn’t seem quite as compelling, although there is a nice twist in the middle.
I also think the chemistry between the leads in this one wasn’t quite as obvious as in the first - Gwyn and Wells spend a lot of time thinking about how much they like each other without showing us why they like each other, really - it’s all quite sudden. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re looking for a fairly spicy, spooky romance and you liked The Ex Hex, this is definitely for you! I did really like it and I’m looking forward to the next one - who knows who the main characters will be this time?! I’m tempted to start a campaign for Sir Purrcival to get his own book…

If you were hoping for an update on Rhys and Vivienne, by the way, they’re bundled out of the picture fairly early on although you do get to hear what’s happened in the interim via Gwyn’s thoughts.

For fans of Practical Magic, The Ex Hex and anyone who likes a not very spooky Samhain adjacent romance. Thanks as always to Netgalley and to Headline Eternal for the DRC. This is now available to buy so no excuse not to curl up under a blanket beside a roaring fire and your own Sir Purrcival!

The Kiss Curse is the second book in the series and it’s a nice easy read. It’s got plenty of witchy goodness and a decent cast of characters. Recommended if you’re into witchy romance.

Just under a year ago I read the first book based in Graves Glen by Erin Sterling, The Ex Hex. And today I returned to visit with Viv’s fun cousin Gwynn, a playful and fun witch who loves running her store and designing beautiful tarot card sets, and Rhys’s less fun, more stick-in-the-mud brother Wells.

This book was an enjoyable ride with a bit of blood sacrifice thrown in just to be safe. The perfect Halloween read (so I was a little bit early).

I really liked the fact that the past Wells and Gwynn shared was in no way romantic, but the attraction was clear from the moment they re-met.

The fact that not only is Wells’ father against them from the start but an old-school alum is also out to get Gwynn adds to the excitement and definitely piles on more drama.

The story was well-written, the characters had a little more to them (I felt) than Viv and Rhys, probably because they didn’t have the same history. And seeing Wells loosen up and become more relaxed as the story continued helped him to appear more human (with a witchy side of course).

A great romance that had some drama and darkness (albeit not too dark, I will stress). This will go on the Halloween re-read shelf for next year and I would recommend if witchy romances with familial conflict and opposites attract storylines are your thing, that you pick it up too.

Always Practice Safe Hex!

Welcome back to Graves Glen, where Gwyn Jones is living her best life. Her family have formed a powerful coven, protecting the town and keeping it alive, she's a well respected witch and her shop something wicked is an undisputed success. There's only one problem - Llewellyn 'wells' Penhallow.

Wells returned to Graves Glen searching for the roots his family had in the town before they were torn from the ground, and maybe find his own life out of the shadow of his bitter father. He didn't expect to arrive home to find Gwyn and a hen party in his living room.

And as the dates on the calendar draw closer to Halloween, Gwyn finds herself unable to enjoy her favourite time of the year and instead stuck in a fierce rivalry with Wells and the shop he opened right across from hers. But while they're focused on their petty arguments, trouble is brewing.

Between unexplained occurrences, strange new witches appearing in town, a bit of magical impotence and one spellbinding kiss, Gwyn and Wells find themselves closer than they'd ever wanted to be, and they'll have to stick together if they want to find out what is happening to their home, and to them.

"Look, we've already dealt with an entire cursed town, a talking cat, and now an exploding ghost, and we've handled all of it. What could possibly happen that would be worse than any of that?"

Sterling, the author of the bewitchingly fabulous The Ex Hex, has managed to wave her magic wand again to create another spellbinding story. Taking us back to the familiar streets and residents of Graves Glen, but with an entirely new set of chaotic occurrences. Getting to see Vivi and the cast of TEX again was like getting to hear from old friends and it was beautifully done. This book is set after The Ex Hex, but you can definitely read it as a standalone as it's based on a different person in Sterlings universe, but I would definitely recommend checking it out anyway!

Gwyn was, in the best way, the very definition of a hot mess and I adored her from the moment we met, seeing her as a teenager attending the Penhallow magic academy and causing total mayhem.

Now, if you follow my reviews you'll know I adore an enemies-to-lovers story, especially with the classic misunderstood bad boy - and when they're as charming and bewitching as Wells it is safe to say I was swooning. When we meet him, he's just an entitled brat born into status, but there's something under the bravado and bluster and I feel like we get to find out about it at the same time he does, as he explores who he really is when he looks inwards. His personality, and his relationships with those around him all progress in such a natural way throughout that I felt connected through every single page.

I loved the playful sweetness and affection that grows between our dynamic main duo - but let's just say when they turn up the heat, it is hotter than hell.

And of course, while all this flirting and self-reflection is happening - around them unknown threats are closing in, and Sterling masterfully creates an air of otherworld tension that slowly creeps in and makes you consider leaving the big light on for the night.

Sterling gives us a story with fierce, bold and empowered women all while letting us indulge in some sickly sweet romance at the same time - it's a win-win. Spooky, steamy and spellbinding -Sterling is definitely a must-read of this Halloween!



⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Gwyn Jones is loving life. She has her family, her magic, her talking cat... the only thing missing is love, something she's only recently started missing. But when Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow comes back to town, love is the last thing on her mind. Never mind that he looks like a god, and is an insanely good magic user, but he knows how to get on Gwyn's last nerve, and opening up a rival magic store across the street has definitely done just that. When their rivalry leads to a 'magically induced' and very hot kiss, they are determined to stay far away from each other, but fate has other things in mind., Something is going on with the magic in Graves Glen, and Gwyn and Wells will have to work together if they are going to work out who is trying to cause trouble and save the town they both love.

The Kiss Curse is the perfect, cozy rom-com for the spooky season. Gwyn was such a fun POV to read the story from. She absolutely rocks, her magic helps run the town and she's quirky as heck, all of which ensured I fell a little in love with her by the end of the book. Her inner thoughts, as well as spoken ones had me laughing out loud so many times and, as someone who is the Queen of grudge holding, she absolutely does not hold back when it comes to her interactions with Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow... Esquire. But there's also a softness to her. She longs for the kind of relationship her cousin has, something she never envisioned herself having, but between her family, baby witches she looks over and infuriating, but gorgeous neighbour... fate has other ideas.

This may be a short and fun read, it took me under 3 hours, but Sterling doesn't hold back when it comes to our side characters. We have her cousin, Vivi and her husband, both of which were the main characters in the first book in the series, Sam, Cait & Parker the three witches she takes under her wing and of course Wells, neighbour, tyrant and heartthrob. But, the absolute best side character, IMO, was Sir Purrcuvil, Gwyn's talking cat who had me absolutely howling in parts. Every single one of these characters is well built, so you can't help but love them all, but they also all help propel Gwyn's characters progression throughout the story. Through them we see Gwyn grow up, become more at home with herself and start letting new people into her life and heart.

Lets be honest... We're all here for the romance right? And I loved it, I really, really did, but I also I really enjoyed the mystery, magic and general atmosphere of this book. We have a new coven of Witches moving into town, as well as Gwyn's magic slowly diminishing, something our pair think must be linked, but there is something darker at play behind Gwyn's magic failure, something neither Gwyn of Wells saw coming. Graves Glen is the king of quaint American town I would die to live in, and I loved how the witches who reside there take full advantage of the tourists by selling 'potions', putting on Halloween parades, all the while practising true witchery right under their noses. I'd gone into this book having not read the first in the series, but it's incredibly easy to get into and you absolutely don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one.

NOW. Now we can talk about the romance. It was peak enemies to lovers, idiots in love and filled with plenty of steamy moments. Gwyn and Wells might well claim to hate each other, but it's another, slightly racier emotion that's actually sparking between them. Their denial, determination to bring each other down and distrust for each other made for some hilarious moments, but my favourite scenes where when they had come to a kind of impasse, when they decided that they had to work together because it was in those moments they started to truly understand one another, their past actions, and when they truly started to care for one another.

Basically this is the perfect rom-come to read in the lead up to Halloween. It's by no mean spooky, but has the perfect witchy vibe for the holiday. Filled with characters you will adore, a steamy and hilarious romance and set in a town I would move to in a heartbeat. I will definitely be picking up the first book in the series, and can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next.

💋The Kiss Curse💋

By Erin Stirling

Synopsis:

Magic doesn't always play by the rules.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She's formed a powerful new coven with her family; she's running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she's mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there's only one problem - Llewellyn 'Wells' Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen for two reasons: to re-establish his family's connection to the town and to make a new life for himself away from his father. But when he opens a magic shop of his own just across the street from Gwyn's, he quickly learns that going up against her won't be as easy as he thought . . . especially after an accidental magic-inspired - and very hot - kiss.

While Gwyn and Wells are fully committed to their witchy rivalry, they soon find themselves thrown together once again to deal with the sudden appearance of a mysterious new coven and Gwyn's growing concern that something - or someone - is messing with her magic . . .

💋💋💋💋💋

We’re back in Graves Glen a year later and this time we’re following Vivi’s cousin Gwyn. Gwyn was one of my favourite characters from The Ex Hex so I was pleased that this book focuses on her.

This was a fun, low stakes romance with a bit of steam. The mystery surrounding Gwyn’s magic is pretty low key and fairly easily resolved.

I really liked the sub-plot with Gwyn mentoring her “baby witches”. It was really fun and endearing.

The stand-out star of this book once again is Gwyn’s talking cat. If you put aside the fact that he is called Sir Purrcival, he’s basically amazing.

Overall, a quick, easy read which is perfect for the run up to Halloween.

Thanks to @netgalley and @headlinebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fantastic read, I can’t wait for future books after this, the perfect balance of paranormal, romance and mystery, add a little humour and you have perfection, thoroughly entertaining, very addictive and I read this in one sitting

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was so excited to have the opportunity to dive back in to the world of Graves Glen after adoring last years The Ex Hex.

In The Kiss Curse we follow Gwyn, cousin to Vivi and fellow witch, upon the arrival of Rhys's older, grumpier brother, Wells all the way from Wales. After he opens a shop to rival Something Wicked, what follows is a story of magic and romance and all the enemies to lovers vibes you could ask for.

A gorgeously cosy autumnal read.

Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for the chance to read The Kiss Curse.

I absolutely loved this, I’m really excited about seeing where this series goes.
It’s the perfect blend of humour, romance and witchery. The whole thing is just so entertaining and really enjoyable to read. There’s some great characters and I love the interactions. My favourite is Sir Purrcival, and I really loved the baby witches.
Will be recommending to everyone!

📚BOOK...REVIEW📚

The Kiss Curse @erinsterlingbooks

Out now on Kindle
Paperback due out in Feb 2023

Thank you to @netgalley @headlineeternal for approving me a copy of this book.

Firstly I must say that this really isn't a genre I would normally have read. Although I love romance, I'm not really into sci-fi so this took me out of my comfort zone. But we are approaching October 🎃and Halloween is coming up so I thought why not give it a go? I'm glad I did.

This is a fun and easy read and doesn't take itself too seriously which I liked. Sometimes that's the type of book you need.

So this book is about Gwyn, A Witch living in Graves Glen. She runs a successful store called "Something Wicked" and has a talking cat. She is also mentoring some younger witches and all is going well as Halloween approaches.

Llewellyn "Wells" Penhallow comes to Graves Glen to try and reignite his family's connection as they founded this small town. He does this in the form of opening his own shop.right across the road from Gwyn's. Of course she is not best pleased with this development.

They suddenly find themselves competing against one another and when a passionate kiss happens they decide it's best to avoid one another because it must have been a one off surely? That is until a mysterious coven of witches come to town and they must work together to get Gwyn's magic back as it is fading. Can they make it work?

It's a fun read and I'm glad I gave this a try as I did enjoy it. I believe this is a sequel to the The Ex Hex but I didn't know that when I requested it and this can certainly be read as a one off. I had no problems following the story and would recommend to anyone wanting a fun and magical read.

#thekisscurse #netgalley #headlineeternal #magic #romance #scifi #kindleread #booksaremyescape #booksread #Bookstagram #newrelease #funread #greatread #goodcover #newauthortome

You just can't go wrong with enemies to lovers, and especially not in Erin Sterling's hands! Two magic families, already at odds, find themselves on opposing sides of the street when Wells opens a new "serious" magic shop looking right at Gwyn's Something Wicked. But when these two rivals meet in a fiery kiss, anything can happen...
A delightful return to Graves Glen as we see the Penhallow elder trying to destroy the town from within. Gwyn and Wells had some remarkable chemistry, and the way they had to work together to defend their town from danger was beautiful.
I'd read anything Erin Sterling (or Rachel Hawkins) puts in front of me, and I hope we get to return to Gravel Glen for that last brother's romantic journey!

The Kiss Curse! We are back in Graves Glen, Halloween capital of the world, Gwyn Jones is running the magic shop and it’s all ticking along nicely. Across the pond in deepest darkest Wales Llewelyn Penhallow has only had one customer in his failing family pub for the last month so with some surprising encourage plenty from his scheming father Wells hot foots it to Graves Glen to set up shop across from Gwyn and sparks begin to fly.
This was just as much fun as The Kiss Curse I enjoyed it a lot, there’s a talking cat, some meddling kids, the frenemie to end all frenemies, a scheming Papa and some fabulous waistcoats.

Another fantastic read from Erin Stirling.

The story was absolutely perfect, I loved the Mc, the relationship development was perfect.
One of my favourite reads of the year.

Okay, I love, love, LOVED this! I really enjoyed The Ex Hex when I read it last year but stepping back into Graves Glen with Gwyn and Wells, well I knew I would like it but I was unprepared for how much I loved it! I listened to this on audio from netgalley and I was listening in every spare moment I had. I flew through it!

The story follows both Gwyn and Wells in this dual POV enemies to lovers romance. It’s set in the mystical town of Graves Glen where Gwyn runs her own shop with all sorts of magical bits and bobs for tourists. Wells heads back to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s ties to the town, setting up shop directly opposite Gwyn reigniting her old disdain for him.

Despite the dual POV, the narrator is the same throughout and I thought they were really versatile and enjoyed their narration. I didn’t want to put this down and will definitely be re-reading it again in the probably not so distant future.

It has romance, chemistry and is chock full of good humoured banter between Gwyn and Wells but also with the other characters - Gwyn’s baby witches. I was completely unsuspecting of where the story ended up going and just when you think you know what’s going to happen there’s a wild coven on the loose!

If you’ve not read either of these books make a start this autumn season and start with The Ex Hex to really enjoy the duo. I really, really hope we’re going to get a third book - there is a third Penhallow brother after all!

This was a wonderful follow up to The Ex Hex. I love how it’s a completely separate story but it still follows the previous. I really now hope there is a third in the series.

I also cannot do a review without mentioning Sir Purrcival. He is the star of the book. This is a cosy and magical story that is perfect for autumn.

I zipped through this book in 3 days. Which given how long it usually takes me to read something, speaks for itself.

This is the second in the series The Ex Hex, which i think i also devoured in a matter of days last year. I rather enjoyed my return visit to Graves Glen and the characters that live there. Graves Glen never fails to give me Halloweentown vibes, I can just imagine being there, browsing Something Wicked carrying my coffee from Coffee cauldron. I'm a 'basic witch' at heart.

It was nice to be back in a familiar place but explore two characters who we met in The Ex Hex. I liked the fun and eccentricity of Gwen in the first book and love that this book focuses on her and brings out all of her character and personality. What's more, we love a rom-com with a rivalry turns romance. Gwen and Wells are just brilliant together. Definitely more of a smutty romance, so if you like your books clean, keep that in mind. There are so many likeable characters in this book, but I grew fond of the Baby Witches. They better be next for their own book, I can just imagine the utter chaos and carnage they would cause.

A lovely little start to some spooky season reads. If you're looking for an elaborate plot or something spooky then this one isn't for you. But if you're looking for a cosy, halloween...sabrina the teenage witch kind of vibe then definitely pick this up.

I couldn't wait to read this book and it didn't disappoint, a perfect follow up. I loved every moment of it and didn't want it to end, but I couldn't put it down either and so read it in one sitting,

Loved Vivi is the ex hex and loved her even more in this. Was a great cosy and little steamy read. And I also missed Sir Purrcival.