REVIEW: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

In The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, History teacher Vivienne Jones loves her little home in Graves Glen, Georgia. She lives just a few minutes away from her aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn–who is also her best friend–and who was her partner in crime the night nine years ago when Vivi put a curse on her ex-boyfriend. But Rhys totally deserved it. As a witch, she should have known better than to mix vodka and magic, but it wasn’t like she used a real spell. Or so Vivi thought. Because when Rhys returns to town, all kinds of weird things start to happen. Inanimate objects become, well, animated, Gwyn’s beloved cat Sir Purrcival begins to talk, and the magic that flows through town feels…wrong.

‘Her body definitely remembered how much it had liked his, which was deeply unfair and, quite frankly, treasonous of it.’

Rhys Penhallow was not exactly happy to be the member of his family chosen to go from their home in Wales to Graves Glen and make an appearance at the local festival and recharge the ley lines. The town is tied to his memories of the summer he spent with Vivienne. And the not-so-stellar way things ended between them. Thinking he’d gotten over the lovely witch, Rhys is surprised to find that the minute he spots her again, the same feelings come rushing back. Okay…so maybe not the *first* time they meet again, considering he was moments from sudden death. But definitely the second time. As the odd occurrences keep happening and Rhys finds out Vivienne “accidentally” put a hex on him, he knows they’ll have to band together to find a way to reverse it. All without falling in love this time around.

“I am mad about you, Vivienne Jones. Again. Or maybe I should say still, because I’m gonna be real honest with you here, cariad. I don’t think it ever went away.”

The Ex Hex was a feel-good paranormal that charmed me through and through with its small-town setting, focus on family, and smoldering second chance romance.

‘Graves Glen was a good place. A happy place. And she was going to save it.’

I think I had a smile on my face almost the entire time I was reading The Ex Hex. Erin Sterling (aka: Rachel Hawkins) had such a fun storyline that was filled with lots of laughter and quirkiness that just tickled me to pieces. I’m a sucker for a reunion romance anyway, but the way Sterling built the story up about Vivienne and Rhys–showing the night nine years prior when Vivi and her cousin Gwyn did the curse, then skipping forward to present day–it set things up perfectly. We really saw her heartbreak over the way things ended with Rhys. (And that it’s a bad idea to mix vodka and witchcraft! lol) So when Rhys went back to Graves Glen, it made sense how both he and Vivi struggled to ignore their chemistry and keep things platonic.

Aside from the many laughs and entertaining shenanigans Vivienne, Gwyn, and Rhys found themselves in, what caught my attention–and my heart–was how the story centered around Vivi learning to trust her instincts, with some help from her beloved family. It was so touching how they banded together and encouraged each other. Vivi’s strong connection to them showed how different Rhys’s family was back in Wales. He came from a line of witches as well but the relationship with his father was very cold. It was heartening to see Rhys fit in nicely with Vivi’s crew and show his more emotional side instead of the rakish, charmer who kept things on the surface. I just loved reading from his POV, to see the real guy beneath that persona. *sigh*

QOTD: The small town this was set in went all out for Halloween: decorations, festivals, tons of food and entertainment. Do you do any of these for Halloween or for Autumn?

Book Info:

Publication: Published September 28th, 2021 | Avon | Ex Hex #1

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.