The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

 

When Vivi finds out Rhys knew his father was arranging a marriage for him with another witch, she breaks up with him. She's completely heartbroken, so her cousin suggests they curse Rhys. It's just a joke, right? "I mean...We were just goofing around. None of that was real curse magic. That candle came from Bath & Body Works, I think." Turns out, the curse is very real because 9 years later when Rhys comes back to town, everything that can go wrong does, including unleashing dark magic on the entire town. Together, Vivi and Rhys have to find a way to lift the curse before he dies and any more toy skulls come to life.

The Ex Hex is a hate to love romance, my favorite kind. It's also a second chance romance which really isn't my thing, but it works when the ex couple can't stand each other before getting back together. And one that takes place in October? When everything is decorated for Halloween? Check, check, check. Listen. This book is a little smutty, but most romance novels are, so be aware of that.

One of my favorite things about The Secret Circle series is that they discuss the uses for different herbs and crystals. They talk about the meaning of each colored candle. I wish they had done that in this book instead of keeping everything very surface-level, like making things float and conjuring up whatever they want. Also, cursing people is against the rules, so it's kind of strange that two witches would even jokingly do that. You aren't supposed to harm others (and no, that isn't something that was just made up for The Craft). But we all do stupid things when we're heartbroken and I can see how this mistake could be made.

That being said, there are a lot of good things about this book, too. The characters were really likable, which is nice because I've read romance novels where the main couple is awful and it makes it hard to get through the book. There's a conversation between Rhys and his father where Rhys corrects his use of the word "warlock" and tells him men are witches, too. (This is true, "warlocks" are not a thing.) The ending felt a little rushed, but I still enjoyed the book. Enough to order a copy of it, even (I originally read a library copy on my Kindle). To be honest though, I think the main reason I decided I want to own this book is because it does take place in October and there's a lot of Halloween fun in it. It really put me in a festive mood.