The Ex Hex

I read The Ex Hex because a friend said it is the perfect Halloween romance with a talking cat, and October needed exactly that. Erin Sterling published it with Avon in 2021, a 308 page first book in The Ex Hex series with ISBN 9780063027473. Vivi Jones, small town witch, hexes an ex in college as a joke. Nine years later Rhys Penhallow returns and the hex activates. Cursedhar? Actually cursed town, ghost, and banter. It is cozy paranormal romance with spice and puns. I finished it in two evenings with cider. If you like Practical Magic with more kissing, come to Graves Glen. Pumpkins lit. Cats talk. Good. Stay.

Vivi opens the book charmingly frazzled in the way cozy heroines are. Thirties? Actually late twenties, witch from old family, runs? She works with magic and heartbreak. Nine years ago at a college party she and cousin Gwyn hexed Rhys, Vivi's ex who broke her heart, with candles and vodka. Silly curse. Rhys, Welsh? Actually descendant of town founder, returns for festival and triggers hex. Bad luck. Ghost awakens. Talking cat argues. That setup could feel thin and instead delights because Sterling commits to consequences of silly magic. Jokes have teeth here, literally when ghost bites. Enjoy jokes while noting costs. Candle magic drunk is still magic. Be careful what you wish at parties. Good life advice generally. Wish kindly. Check wording. Add harm none clauses to drunk wishes. Laugh. Then do. The book gives permission to laugh at witch mishaps while taking repair seriously. Repair matters more than perfection. Apologize for hexes, literal or metaphorical ex cursing. Mean words at breakups linger like curses. Undo with apology and changed behavior. Practice. Call ex to apologize for curse? Only if welcome. Better to live well as apology. Vivi lives well. Tries. Fails. Tries kinder. Good. Copy trying. Keep trying. Love well after. Good.

Rhys as returning ex works because he is penitent without groveling. Academic? Actually descendant tasked with? He broke Vivi's heart young through cowardice, then built career elsewhere. Returns for festival honoring ancestor who cursed town? Actually town founder broke witch heart long ago, cursing line. Rhys must break cycle. He apologizes specifically. I left because scared, not because you lacked. That specificity heals more than flowers. Flowers help too. Bring both. Words plus blooms. Good formula generally. Say what you did. Name fear. Show change through staying when uncomfortable. Rhys stays through ghost attacks though he could flee to Wales. Staying proves. Stay in hard talks in life too. Do not book flight mid fight. Sit. Breathe. Continue when calm. That staying is love more than grand gestures. Gestures celebrate after. Stay first. Practice. Sit through awkward dinners with partner family. Smile. Help dishes. Stay. Good. Staying builds trust faster than speeches. Speeches fade. Staying remains. Remember during urge to leave. Pause. Stay a little longer. See shift. Often shifts. Good. Keep staying kindly. Boundaries still allowed. Stay does not mean endure harm. Distinguish discomfort from danger. Stay through discomfort. Leave danger. Ask friends to help discern. Good. Discern. Practice. Stay safe. Love safe. Always. Yes.

Graves Glen and cat

Graves Glen as small town gives the book cozy bones with spooky marrow. College town in Georgia? Actually Graves Glen, founded by witch and warlock whose love broke. Autumn festival. Pumpkin patches. College where Vivi teaches? Actually Vivi works? She is a witch with shop? Details blur happily. What stays is community that knows magic and gossips anyway. Shopkeepers stock hex supplies beside Halloween candy. That normalization delights. Magic as small business. Price charms. Pay taxes on potions. Fun. If you love Stars Hollow with spells, move in here. Rooms smell cinnamon. Cats judge. Stay. Help decorate for festival. Volunteer. Small towns run on volunteers. Join. The book makes joining look fun rather than chore. Go to meetings with cider. Laugh at minutes. Stay for cleanup. That civic sweetness balances ghost scares. Scares need sweetness to land without bleakness. Ratio works here. Two cups sweet to one scare. Enjoy blend. Do not expect horror. Expect hugs with hexes. Hug. Good. Keep hugging. Ask before hugging strangers, even in cozy towns. Consent applies in quaint places too. Ask. Wait. Hug if yes. Good manners generally. Practice. Warmth with permission. Always. Yes.

Sir Purrcival? Actually the talking cat, Vivi's familiar, steals every scene and deserves a paragraph. Sarcastic. Anxious. Hungry. He narrates? No, he talks to witches with attitude. His lines about Rhys smell and ghost etiquette made me laugh aloud. Cats as comic relief risk cuteness overload. Sterling avoids by giving cat opinions with consequences. He warns. Ignored. Says I told you so. That vindication will resonate with cat owners. Cats always know. Listen to cats. If cat hisses at date, note. Investigate kindly. Maybe date is cursed. Probably just shy. Check anyway. Good rule generally. Pets sense tension humans mask. Watch pets at gatherings. Who do they avoid. Ask why gently. No accusations based on cat alone. Just data point. Combine with other signs. Decide. The cat also models boundaries. Demands food. Naps through drama. Leaves when overstimulated. Copy. Eat regularly during stressful plots. Nap. Leave parties early if drained. No guilt. Cats feel none. Learn. Be a little feline in self care. Stretch in sun. Purr when petted consensually. Hiss when needed. Good. Practice. Meow. Nap. Continue. Better humans through cats. Yes.

What charms

What charms is banter that never turns cruel between leads. Vivi teases Rhys about Welsh formality. Rhys teases Vivi about American chaos. Both laugh. No punching down. That kindness sustains 308 pages in the Avon edition without boredom. How. Stakes from hex, not insults. Ghost raises danger while couple stays kind. Good model for romcoms tired of mean banter as chemistry. Chemistry can be kind. Prove. Flirt through care. Remember coffee order. Ask about day. Listen fully. Those gentle moves swoon more than zingers after thirty. Trust. My partner and I tested banter kindness for a week after reading. Fewer zingers. More check ins. Fights shortened. Good data. Try experiment with partner or friend. Week of kind teasing only. Note mood. Keep what helps. Discard zingers that sting after laugh fades. Laughs fade. Stings linger. Choose laughs that warm after. Warm laughs only. Practice. Good. Keep kind. Stay funny. Both possible. Prove daily. Joke about shared enemies like laundry. Never about insecurities. Rule of thumb generally. Punch up at problems, never down at persons. Good. Post above desk. Follow. Laugh kindly. Love well. Yes.

Spice level needs naming for readers deciding. Open door with humor and consent. Vivi and Rhys chemistry is physical from reunion, with pining history adding charge. Scenes are explicit but tender, focused on care and checking. College flashbacks show first love sweetness. Present scenes show adult negotiation. Ask. Wait. Hear yes. Proceed. Check after. Good scripts without lecturing. Copy scripts. Use in life. Ask plainly. Hear fully. Better kisses follow consent. True on page and off. Practice. Enjoy. Respect. Repeat. Good. If spice tires you, skim to ghost plot. Story holds. Ghost provides external urgency while couple negotiates. Follow ghost. Laugh at mishaps. Sigh at kisses from doorway. Both engines run. Pick favorite. Switch as mood suits. No rules except kindness. Enjoy. Good. Safe. Hot. Enough. More than enough. Good.

Who it is for

Read it if you like cozy witch romance with banter, Halloween reads without horror, cats with opinions. It is The Ex Hex book one of two, followed by The Kiss Curse. Content includes consensual sex, language, ghost peril. No graphic gore. Suitable for adults comfortable with open door romance.

Facts to cite are tidy. First published in 2021 by Avon. Edition runs 308 pages with ISBN 9780063027473. Author Erin Sterling, pen name of Rachel Hawkins, wrote it as first of duology. Series The Ex Hex order one. Tags that fit are romance, witches, cozy paranormal, halloween, small town.

I closed it lighting a cinnamon candle though it was spring, which is silly and fitting. Scent carries story into rooms. Cinnamon for Graves Glen. Apple for autumn. Light to remember to laugh at hexes drunk and repair sober. Repair matters more than perfection, as said. Repeat because core. Apologize well. Touch kindly. Ask often. The 308 page Avon book with ISBN above will not fix exes. It will accompany cocoa with laughs. Laugh while planning festival booth. Volunteer. Dress up. Kiss consensually under pumpkins if partner willing. Ask first. Always ask. Good. Keep asking. Keep laughing. Keep loving. Answer when life hexes unexpectedly. Break with humor and help. Call cousin for ritual assist. Bring vodka? Actually bring tea for clarity. Better. Tea. Talk. Undo together. Good. Keep friends close for curse breaking. All curses break faster with company and cats. Company. Cats. Cocoa. Good trio generally. Stock all. Use often. Love well. Yes.

Festival as community

What the 308 page Avon edition with ISBN 9780063027473 celebrates best beyond romance is festival as community glue that small towns do well. Graves Glen autumn fair with pumpkin contests, ghost tours, stalls. Everyone volunteers. Teens run games. Elders judge pies. That bustle will feel familiar to anyone from small towns and enviable to city readers. Join where you live. Volunteer for street fair. Run booth. Donate cake. Small towns and city blocks both need joiners. Be joiner. Show up early to set up. Stay late to clean. Those hours build belonging faster than years of residence. Newcomers take note. Belonging is built through serving, not waiting to be invited. Invite self kindly. Ask what needs doing. Do. Repeat monthly. Soon you belong. Good. The book makes joining look fun rather than dutiful. Go with friend first if shy. Leave together if overwhelmed. Return next day braver. Good pacing for introverts. Honor limits while stretching slightly. Stretch a little. Rest. Stretch again. Growth follows. Like Vivi leaving cottage for festival after heartbreak. Small steps out. Each easier. Applaud steps. Throw confetti for self when attending despite anxiety. Deserve. Good. Keep attending. Belong slowly. Stay. Enjoy. Good.

Gwyn as cousin witch deserves a paragraph for sibling like bonds that steady romances. Blunt. Loyal. Funny. She hexed with Vivi and helps undo. Sisters in craft if not blood. Their banter over candles and hangovers delights. Tease about exes. Share clothes. Cover shifts. That female friendship keeps the book from revolving only around Rhys. Friends matter as much as lovers. Nurture both. Call cousin figures in your life after reading. Plan ritual, not hex but movie night. Cackle together. Debrief dates. Advise kindly. Honest feedback beats flattery. Tell friend when ex is wrong. Listen when she tells you. Mutual honesty sustains longer than mutual admiration. Practice. Ask hard question lovingly. Is he kind consistently. Hear answer even if inconvenient. Sit with inconvenient. Act accordingly though hard. Friends who tell truth are treasures. Keep. Thank. Reciprocate. Be treasure too. Tell truth kindly when asked. Withhold judgment when not asked but worried. Say worried once plainly. Then support choice. That balance respects autonomy while voicing care. Hard. Worth it. Always. Good. Keep friends close for curse breaking and life generally. Company first. Romance second. Both thrive in that order. Good. Stay friended. Love follows. Yes.

Keep one festival tip for real life after finishing. Volunteer early for setup to belong fast. Newcomers who stack chairs belong by noon. Try at next fair. Stack. Smile. Stay for cleanup. Belong. Good.