I really liked the idea of this book "woman discovers she's a witch, meets other witches, falls in love with a pirate". Though the start of this book felt a bit too long and I was really confused by the monster, I enjoyed things once the story picked up and Lady Tiffany found her footing as a woman and a witch.

Needless to say I had a difficult time getting this book started (I started this book on October 1 and finished on December 3) If you decide to read it, push through the first quarter of the book as quickly as possible and you'll enjoy the rest!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Hex and Hexability by Kate Johnson in exchange for my true thoughts.

Bridgerton with a touch of witchcraft. In this Regency-era novel, Lady Tiffany is out in society with no real desire to wed but may have to to keep a big secret about herself. When her mysteriously Great Aunt Esme shows up, she learns her secret talent isn’t just a coincidence or illusion…she’s actually a witch. Plenty of adventures unfold since the revelation - from the Duke pining after her heart, to a gigantic sea creature too close for comfort.
I saw a lot of parallel moments to the Bridgerton novel “The Duke and I” but recognized Tiffany more as a character similar to Eloise. Fun magical themed romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I think I had too high of hopes based off the description that I read- I think it had read “Bridgerton meets Witchy” so I thought that sounded fun. However, most of the book read really slow and it took a long time for it to get somewhere. Then when it did get somewhere, it wasn’t all that exciting. I was a little bummed!

It’s pretty hard to resist a book billed as Bridgerton meets The Ex Hex. If I had to make my own comparison, I would label this as Bridgerton or Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater meets Practical Magic. But serious, a spicy romantasy Regency romcom? I needed that immediately. Plus, I’ve really loved the first two books in this series and the way each story feels both standalone yet part of a series. You don’t need to have read the first two books in order to understand this one, although you might not be as emotionally attached to some of the side characters as you would be if you had read the other books.

I haven’t read Sense and Sensibility, but looking at the plot summary, this book was heavily influenced by that one. Even so, I found this story really enjoyable in a way I haven’t felt very often with retellings of Jane Austen works. While she retained many of the bones of the original story, the author makes this Regency story feel like it’s unique and modern. In fact, the humor, the writing, and the story itself all lend an updated (and understandable) feel to the story, to the point where I’d get to a part that highly emphasizes the Regency setting.

This is definitely a rom-com, but with a fantasy element, somewhat reminiscent of Half a Soul, where magic users operate beneath a veneer of polite society. Tiffany lives with her brother, who seems largely oblivious to her presence, and his wife, Elinor, who has taken on the role of mentoring Tiffany and preparing her to debut in society so they can get her married to a suitable man. However, strange things seem to happen often around Tiffany—paintings come to life. It complicates her entry into society, especially when she’s trying to stay under the radar, and doesn’t understand what is happening.

Everything becomes clear shortly after she travels to the home of her great aunt Esme, who lives with a housemate or three, both the two-legged and four-legged kind, and learns that she is … a witch. I think the best part of this is Tiffany's ability to understand animals.

I loved how quickly things changed at her great aunt Esme’s house—while they still maintained a thin veneer of respectability as unmarried women living on their own, offering Tiffany a chance to live in a positive, welcoming, and empowering environment, while incorporating some fun magic. This was irresistible to me, but I found myself empathizing with Tiffany’s experiences and how they really challenged her in the best possible ways.

Santiago was a really fun character, and a diverse one at that, adding to the more modern feel of the story. As a golden-skinned Latino man, he stands out amongst the populace, and he’s further othered by the presence of his tattoos and a scar on his face, leading people to view him as a pirate. Yet I had him and Tiffany pegged right from the start, and I wasn’t surprised to discover that not everything is what it seems, although I was surprised at how that plot twist played out.

As a reader of both spicy and non-spicy romances, I have to say that the descriptions of Santiago practically swooning with heart-eyes when getting to touch Tiffany’s bare hand, and these simple situations were actually really hot. It speaks to Johnson’s talent, because I can’t imagine that making that sound hot yet she managed to.

Overall, this was a fun book, but it did feel as though it was a bit on the long side. I’ve also noticed that Johnson’s books have a tendency to be a bit slow at first, and then grab me once I’m further into the story and things really start to get good. I found myself dreading her visits back to her brother and sister-in-law’s house, because the environment felt so stifling. But for the most part, I got exactly what I was expecting from this book: a cute and humorous story, a connection that practically sizzles off the page between Tiffany and Santiago, and the added bonus of having women in a Regency novel claim their power. This was a fun, light, and humorous story with a heartwarming ending, and I strongly recommend it.

Great romance book by a great author. Loved the story and plot line. The cover is beautiful and will definitely read from this author again

My favorite Kate Johnson so far.
Things I loved:
The magic was so fun, especially the main characters. (No spoilers)
Santiago was such a "looks like he could kill you, is a cinnamon roll" love interest which I LOVE
Multiple queer and bipoc characters represented in historical romance!

Things that weren't great:
Some bits of the plot or pacing (or both) made the story a little rushed and confusing at the end.

Okay so I just finished this book and... *shrug*? Like, it's one of those reads where you're not mad at it, but you're not exactly texting your best friend about it either.

Lady Tiffany Worthington (yes, really, you read that right) has been accidentally making weird stuff happen her whole life, and then BAM! Aunt Esme shows up as everyone's freaking out about the Battle of Waterloo and drops the "Hey sweetie, you're actually a witch!" bomb.

So we've got this whole Bridgerton-meets-magic situation going on, with Tiffany discovering there's this whole secret London where apparently sea monsters are just chilling and people are hopping through portals like they're taking the tube. And of course, there's this hot duke with a scar that's giving major pirate vibes (because why not, right?).

The thing is... everything feels kind of rushed to me. Like, they're speed-running through both the plot and all these relationships. Tiffany's family stuff? The witch squad dynamics? It's all pretty surface level and nothing at all is developed in my opinion. Sure, Tiffany and our scarred duke are cute together, but...

It's like when you're scrolling through Netflix and pick something just to have something on in the background - it's fine, it's there, it keeps you somewhat entertained even though sometimes you're tempted to just bail and scroll TikTok instead (which I often did while trying to read this).

Bottom line? It's giving "pumpkin spice latte from the local Nisa vibes - like, it'll do if you're just looking for something quick and fall-ish, but don't expect anything mind-blowing. Not really my thing (I'm more of an espresso person myself), but hey, maybe someone else will think it's their perfect autumn read!

I loved every second of this! I'd already read and loved Kate Johnson's two prior Hex books, but I didn't realise that this, being historical, was going to be linked to them - and what a joy when I worked out it was! Tiffany and Santiago are strong, likeable leads, but the side characters all shine too - the witches' community is part of what makes all these books so lovely and they're spot on here. It's perfectly paced and very romantic, with a great plot alongside the love story. Just perfection!

Oh, this was OODLES of fun. Genuinely, one of my favourite reading experiences of this year. A perfect blend of romance, adventure, and magic. Bridgerton but with pirates, paintings that come to life, and tentacled sea monsters in the Thames.

Lady Theophania Worthington (or Tiffany, for short) isn’t enjoying the season her sister-in-law is thrusting upon her. She doesn’t wish for a husband, and feels incredibly trapped by the rules of society…and when she’s stressed paintings tend to come to life around her. Whoops. Circumstances lead to her life intertwining with a dashing pirate called Santiago, who has no idea of how to behave in the higher society he’s found himself in, and a great Aunt that she’s never heard of (and her magical household) - all of whom band together to try and tackle the pesky sea monster who keeps popping back up.

There’s a lot more to this story, but that’s going to be left for you to discover when you pick up this book - which you should if you’re after something compulsively readable, fun, and just pure escapism.

Tiffany and Santiago are such great characters, and I adored reading their stories, and learning their histories. The way they mutually yearn for each other (while feverishly denying such yearning to themselves, and anyone who raises an eyebrow) was sumptuous. Forget about Tiffany, I was swooning over Santiago just as much.

Honestly, this is just pure romantic entertainment - if the description sounds like something you’d enjoy, I highly recommend you pick it up.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

As always, thank you for the early access. Apologies for the late review. This is a cute historical with a magic blend. Love that the MMC supports the FMC as her confidence and powers grow. I was a little bummed that it's not a sense and sensibility retelling but love the play on it for the title.

dnf at 23%

while i really wanted to enjoy this book, i must say it didnt catch my attention. i tried reading it but i didnt want to pick it back up. i do like the idea here, i like the witchy part, and i see the chemistry, so i do not even know what exactly made me dnf this. i wish i could explain. i think it might just be the writing style? there is also the possibility that if i read this at another time, it would have suited me more.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review!

🧙‍♀️ Hex and Hexability by Kate Johnson 🧙‍♀️

Do you like a Halloween read? This might tick the box! This sort of Bridgerton/Buffy mash up definitely gave me a lot to think about.

Tiffany is a young lady doing the rounds in society on the marriage mart. She’s also a witch, but she doesn’t know it. All goes awry when she meets Santiago, an intriguing chap who’s gatecrashing her high society events. An arrangement is made whereby Tiffany guides Santiago through the proper carry on a gentleman should engage in, in exchange for his silence about her ability to bring drawings to life.

This is a fun read, and one in which its best to turn off any logical thinking. The magic system is nebulous and not really explored. How Tiffany doesn’t get arrested nor branded a witch with her public shenanigans was also beyond me.

But - there is so much fun here. Santiago is a scream, Tiffany’s great aunt Esme and her little group of witchy pals are enchanting and there are high society balls a-plenty. There’s a lot to like! It’s definitely an easy read and would easily pass a few diverting hours. I would definitely read more in this universe.

Thanks to @harpercollinsire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read any of Kate Johnson’s books? This is my second of hers and I’m a fan 🍂

The book had a wonderful premise and some of the characters (namely Santiago and Billy) were so wonderful, however, Tiffany was not great and the plot didn’t develop properly.

The love story fell flat and the plot was all over the place which made it hard to read but I think people looking for a paranormal book with a mix of historical romance would enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this historical witchy romance that is perfect for this time of year. I loved reading Tiffany and Santiago finding their perfect person – their unconventionality bringing them closer together. I also thought the use of the regency setting worked well for the this story as Tiffany discovers she is a witch and is working to fit into that era. It was intriguing and mysterious with a good love story at its core.

What a fun, delightful read. Tiffany and Santiago's romance just leapt off the page. I think my absolute favorite part was the found family, from the women that Tiffany found through Aunt Esme all the way to little Billy. I wanted all of the happy endings for all of them. The twist at the end was unexpected and the ending ended up being the perfect.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

As a fan of both Kate's first two books in the series and historical romance, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp. The cast of secondary characters is, as always, fantastic, and I loved the surprise cameos. Santiago is absolutely swoony, and I enjoyed that he genuinely loved being a pirate! Tiffany did annoy me for a big part of the book, as she was the one creating all the miscommunication, but it was still such an entertaining read. I hope we get more witchy stories set in this world!

If there is a chill in the air, I need a witchy romance in my hands immediately. And this was a fun read! I loved the Regency era setting of this one, and feel it added a fun historical element to the witchcraft. The romance was fun, but the ending felt a bit rushed! I wish we'd taken just a chapter or so longer to stride towards the finish to flesh things out further. A fun fall read!

This third book in one of my fav witchy paranormal romcom series took a fun twist to 1815 England where Lady Tiffany, is pushed into finding a husband, learns she's a witch who can make her drawings come to life, rescues and falls in love with a pirate who turns out to be a Duke, battles a sea monster, travels back in time and tries to save her imprisoned mother who abandoned her when she was a child! Whew, there's a lot going on in this story but it was tons of fun and I'm excited to see where this series goes next! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

I love this series so much, and just ate up this regency take. Regency witches, pirates and a “beasty with squirmers” IYKYK