The Ex Hex

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones cast a drunken curse on her college ex-boyfriend Rhys Penhallow in a moment of heartbreak. She didn't expect the hex to work, but when Rhys returns to Graves Glen, Georgia, strange occurrences begin plaguing the small town. Rhys, a descendant of the town's founding Welsh witches, arrives to recharge the town's magical ley lines and make an appearance at the fall festival. Instead, he finds himself caught in a spiral of mishaps and malfunction that seems tied to Vivi's long-ago curse. The two must work together to break the hex before it destroys both the town and Rhys's ancestral magic. As Vivi and Rhys race to undo the damage, they navigate their unresolved feelings and the complexities of their magical community. The story combines romance, witchcraft, and small-town dynamics while maintaining stakes that extend beyond the central relationship. The Ex Hex explores themes of accountability and forgiveness through a supernatural lens, while offering commentary on the intersection of tradition and modern life in a magical setting. The novel balances its lighter romantic elements with questions about family legacy and the price of holding onto past hurts.

Readers describe The Ex Hex as a light romantic comedy with witchy elements, comparing it to Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus but with more romance content. Readers appreciated: - Fast-paced, entertaining plot - Chemistry between main characters - Humor throughout dialogue - Small-town Southern setting - Halloween atmosphere - Quick, easy reading experience Common criticisms: - Underdeveloped magic system and worldbuilding - Predictable plot points - Lack of emotional depth - Romance feels rushed - Side characters need more development Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (78,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (5,000+ ratings) BookBub: 4.1/5 (1,900+ ratings) Several reviews note it works better as a rom-com than a fantasy novel. One frequent comment mentions it reads like "a Hallmark movie with magic." Multiple readers said they finished it in one sitting but wanted more complexity in the story and characters.

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🌙 The Ex Hex was Erin Sterling's adult romance debut, though she had previously written young adult novels under the name Rachel Hawkins. ⚡ The book's setting, Graves Glen, Georgia, is a fictional town inspired by real-life southern college towns with historic charm and supernatural folklore. 🔮 Sterling deliberately combined elements of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls to create the cozy, magical atmosphere of the novel. 🎃 The story was specifically written to be a Halloween-season romance, with the climactic scenes taking place during the town's Halloween festival. 📚 The novel spawned a companion book, The Kiss Curse, which focuses on Gwyn's cousin, Wells, and was released in 2022.