In October I was looking for a few “spooky” reads when I kept hearing about The Ex Hex. Just that title alone made me want to give the book a go. So of course, I sat down and read this one and actually finished it on Halloween. It took a little while, but today I want to tell you about The Ex Hex and what I thought. Keep on reading to find out more!
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.
Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.
That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.
Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.
Review
When I saw the cover for The Ex Hex all I could think of was Bewitched. That’s a show I watched growing up with my grandmother and I have to say it got me curious. I’m loving all of these illustrated covers and October was the perfect month to read a book like this.
Nine years ago Rhys broke Vivi’s heart and she decided to curse him when drinking vodka. Apparently magic and vodka don’t mix, because when Rhys shows up to recharge the ley lines in town the curse definitely hits full force. As you can read in the summary wind up toys turn mean, Vivi’s cousin’s cat can now talk (even if he mostly only asks for treats), and Rhys’ magic is wonky. Not a great way to keep a town going and when you add a ghost appearing things get out of hand.
The Ex Hex is a book filled with magic and romance. The cave that increased sexual desire was an interesting one, haha. I loved the chemistry between Rhys and Vivi. There may have been some miscommunication and they both know they didn’t really know each other all that long. That being said their attraction for each other jumps off the page. I liked watching them work together and get to know each other again. This was a shorter book and I think their romance would’ve been even better if we got just a bit more story.
Vivi hasn’t really embraced her magical side, because she was raised in a way that didn’t teach her much. There was a lot of town history and steps needed to fix the curse. If I’m honest I think this part of the book stayed a bit flat for me. I really needed more of the magic and maybe Vivi even exploring a bit more.
That being said I did like the small town vibes and the side characters. The Ex Hex had me laughing out loud and I was reading the last page before I knew it. If you’re looking for a spicy and magical read I would recommend The Ex Hex.
All in all, The Ex Hex was a cute read, but it just missed a few elements for me. I did hear that the author is going to write more books in this world, so I will be keeping an eye out for that! Have you read The Ex Hex? If you have, let me know what you thought in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
