*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling #BrainfluffNETGALLEYbookreview #TheExHexbookreview

I was browsing through Netgalley again, now I’m starting to feel just a little bit stronger – and came across this offering. It looked like a packet of fun, so I requested an arc and was delighted to be approved.

BLURB: 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: For those of you who may be interested, Erin Sterling also writes YA witchy adventures under the pen name of Rachel Hawkins. I hadn’t come across any of her work before – but was quickly drawn into this entertaining paranormal romance by the very funny drunken scene at the beginning. A word of warning though – there is a fair amount of swearing and steamy sex scenes in this one. So if you’re looking for a paranormal adventure with a bit of romance thrown in as a side order – this won’t be for you. The romance features heavily throughout, and although there is a real mystery to solve, the narrative engine of the story really is the relationship between Vivienne and Rhys.

Despite it not being exactly what I’d expected, I was charmed by the second-chance romance. Partly because I’m a sucker for that dynamic, anyway – and partly because I found both main characters to be genuinely likeable. And that’s high praise from me. I’m not generally a huge fan of lantern-jawed heroes. But Rhys fully acknowledges that he’d thoroughly messed up, has a lovely sense of humour and is really in love with Vivi. The fact there is plenty of humour throughout and while the couple have to work through their issues, it doesn’t get too angsty or miserable was a huge plus. I also enjoyed Vivi’s hilarious cousin, Gwyn – who has no time at all for Rhys. And the talking cat…

All in all, the pages pretty much turned themselves as the story progresses onto a wholly satisfactory ending. I’d be happy to read more books set in this quirky community. While I obtained an arc of The Ex Hex from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10