Book Review: The Ex Hex

It’s the season for witchy reads, but as you guys know, I don’t do well with scary. I’d heard The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling was a cute read so during my last Barnes & Nobles trip I added it to my haul.

Dress: J.Crew (here) | Necklace: Baublebar | Book: (here)

I saw some things online describing The Ex Hex as hocus pocus with sex, which seems like an accurate description!

9 years ago, Vivienne or Vivi, had her heart broken by Rhys Penhallow. Her Aunt Elaine has a saying to never mix witchcraft with vodka, but a young heartbroken Vivi and her cousin Gwyn didn’t listen and cursed Rhys. In their defense it was all in good fun and they didn’t use an actual spell. They lit some candles and cursed him with silly things like bad hair and bad sex.

9 years later, Rhys’ father – a powerful witch and current head of the Penhallow family – is sending him back to Graves Glen, Georgia, where Vivi lives. The Penhallows were prominent figures in the founding of the town and the college (where the two met when Rhys was studying abroad from Wales and Vivi now teaches) is named after them. Rhys has to go back to represent the family for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town and to recharge the ley lines to keep the magic flowing in the town.

Rhys hasn’t been effected by the hex…until he arrives back in Graves Glen and everything seems to be going wrong. Flat tires, minor accidents, etc., but then more serious things start happening like Halloween skulls in Aunt Elaine’s shop coming to life and attacking customers and an angry ghost being unleashed.

Now Vivi and Rhys must work together to life the hex that she placed on him all those years ago to save him and the town all whilst navigating their feelings for each other that seem to not have faded in the 9 years they’ve been apart.

This book was fun and magical. I loved the magic in it and the characters were so good. I do think Vivi was unnecessarily harsh with Rhys without letting him really explain the issue (the reason they broke up in the first place), but Rhys was also too flippant about the situation and his feelings for Vivi in the past. It was sweet to see them realize how much they still cared for/loved each other though!

I didn’t realize until after I finished The Ex Hex that a follow up came out this year focusing on Vivi’s cousin, Gwyn, and Rhys’ brother Wells called The Kiss Curse. I will definitely have to check it out!