Rating: ★ ★ ★☆☆

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Magical Realism

Available On: Amazon

Hex Appeal has all the ingredients for a charming witchy romance: a magical mood-reactive house, a quirky coven, small-town British vibes, and a landlord who unexpectedly remembers the place that’s been hidden from most of the world for centuries. The premise? Delicious. The execution? A bit of a mixed cauldron.

Set in the whimsical village of Good Winter, the story follows Essie Winterscale, a winter witch tasked with ushering in snow each year, and Josh Henderson, a reluctant American landlord who inherits half the village—including the elusive Beldam House. When Josh stumbles across the witches and their shape-shifting home, things get chaotic quickly: prophecies, time travel, ancestral secrets, ghostly visitations, and a touch of impending doom.

There’s plenty to enjoy here. The atmosphere is rich with autumnal, spooky-season energy, and the side characters—from a snarky ghost to time-warped pets—offer a lot of personality. Many readers found the setting enchanting and appreciated the “found family” dynamic at the heart of the coven. The early flirtation between Essie and Josh is sharp and fun, and the magical house itself is a standout, practically a character in its own right.

But the story can feel overstuffed. Themes of witchcraft, family trauma, magical realism, ancestral violence, time travel, and romance all compete for space—and not always gracefully. The pacing is uneven, and the tone veers wildly, making it hard to stay emotionally grounded. Some arcs feel rushed while others drag. While some reviewers loved the chaos, others found it lacked cohesion, with characters underdeveloped and the romance struggling to find its footing.

For me, this was a 3-star read, bordering on 2. I really wanted to love it—the concept is genuinely intriguing—but the execution didn’t live up to its potential. If you’re in the mood for something quirky and seasonally spooky, Hex Appeal may still offer a fun ride, especially if you enjoy books like The Ex Hex or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Just be prepared for a bit of magical mayhem, for better or worse.

It probably didn’t help that I read this in February and there were no Halloween vibes around at the time!

What Went Wrong?

While Hex Appeal bursts with charm, whimsy, and ambition, its biggest downfall is trying to do too much at once—and not always doing it well. What begins as a quirky, magical rom-com gradually morphs into a sprawling fantasy adventure with time travel, ancestral curses, and commentary on historic witch trials. The tonal shifts can be jarring, and for a book positioned as a light romantic comedy, the pacing and emotional rhythm often feel off.

Worse still, the romance between Essie and Josh lacks emotional depth. Their connection starts with promise—flirty, opposites-attract energy—but struggles to develop into a convincing love story. The chemistry just didn’t stick. The back-and-forth dynamic felt rushed and underexplored, especially when the narrative shifted focus to external threats and magical subplots.

The book is also crowded with ideas: a sentient house, a coven of eccentric witches, magical pets, a prophecy, and heavy themes like sexual consent and historical trauma. While each concept is intriguing on its own, together they feel chaotic. Instead of enriching the plot, they often distract from it, leaving some threads underdeveloped or unresolved. 

There were also inconsistencies in tone and characterisation. I really wanted to love the characters, and they certainly had their moments, but they often lacked maturity or emotional nuance. At other times, the writing style was disjointed—swinging between comedic quips and dramatic stakes without much cohesion. While I’m all for balancing out the drama with lighter moments, and infusing deeper, complex, even traumatic scenes with levity to make them more palatable, this just…didn’t quite flow.

Instead of light heartedness relieving the tension, drama and comedy are awkwardly slammed together, leaving neither side working as well as they should have been.

What Genre is Hex Appeal?

Hex Appeal is marketed as a witchy romantic comedy, combining the charm of small-town romance with whimsical magic and a dash of seasonal spookiness. At its heart, it’s meant to be a fun, light-hearted rom-com—think The Ex Hex or Hocus Pocus meets Bridget Jones. The central relationship between Essie, a winter witch, and Josh, her hapless new landlord, delivers banter, flirty tension, and classic opposites-attract vibes.

However, the book leans heavily into fantasy and magical realism, with a sprawling cast of witches, a mood-sensitive house, time travel, and even touches of ancestral trauma and folklore. These layers give the story a lot of texture, but also occasionally overshadow the romantic core.

So while Hex Appeal is intended to be a romantic comedy, readers may find it straddles genres, offering a blend of rom-com, contemporary fantasy, and cozy witch-lit—with varying success depending on what you’re looking for. If you’re expecting a straightforward rom-com, you might find it a bit overstuffed; if you enjoy genre-blending stories with magical chaos and found family vibes, you’ll likely find plenty to enjoy.

What Romance Tropes Are In The Novel?

Trope Count: 😠 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 ⚖️ 👁 🚪 ❄️

While Hex Appeal plays fast and loose with genre conventions, several classic romance tropes are woven into the storyline. Here are the key ones:

Grumpy/Sunshine

Essie, the winter witch with frosty powers and a prickly attitude, fits the “grumpy” archetype perfectly—moody, guarded, and prone to sarcasm. Josh, in contrast, is a warm-hearted (if slightly bewildered) American trying to make sense of a magical village he doesn’t quite understand. Their dynamic plays on the tension between her icy walls and his earnest curiosity.

Found Family

While not exclusive to romance, the found family trope supports the emotional core of the story. Essie’s coven—quirky, loyal, and chaotic—forms a tight-knit community that Josh is slowly pulled into. His gradual acceptance into their magical household softens the romantic arc, highlighting themes of belonging and support.

Opposites Attract

Josh is a logical, non-magical landlord from Seattle; Essie is a magical, emotionally distant winter witch. Their worldviews couldn’t be more different. The clash between the mundane and the magical, tradition and modernity, practicality and enchantment creates a natural friction that fuels their chemistry.

Only One Person Remembers

Due to a magical perception spell, most non-magical people forget about Beldam House and its inhabitants—except for Josh. This exception draws Essie to him and sets up an intriguing “you see the real me” trope, where Josh’s awareness of her world creates an emotional shortcut that pushes their relationship forward.

Forced Proximity

Though not stuck in a cabin together, Essie and Josh are thrown into each other’s lives through circumstance. His role as landlord and her status as resident (and reluctant guide to the magical chaos) keeps them orbiting one another in increasingly close quarters, allowing tension—and feelings—to build. This leads to a (somewhat light) forced proximity trope, though it’s debatable how much is truly ‘forced’ and subconscious/conscious choice.

Magic as Metaphor for Emotional Walls

While not a traditional trope, it’s worth noting that Essie’s magical control over winter clearly mirrors her emotional detachment and reluctance to be vulnerable. This metaphor adds depth to her slow thaw as she begins to let Josh in.

Hex Appeal doesn’t follow a neat romantic arc, but it definitely toys with familiar romance tropes—sometimes subverting them, sometimes leaning in. Whether they work for you will likely depend on how much romance you want from your rom-com.

How Spicy Is Hex Appeal?

Spicy Rating: 🌶️(1/5)

Hex Appeal is low spice—think fade-to-black scenes with flirtation and innuendo, rather than explicit detail. There’s definite sexual tension and a few steamy moments, but they’re more suggestive than graphic.

Readers looking for open-door romance might find it a bit tame, while those who prefer their romantic comedies on the cosier side will likely find the level of spice just right. It’s more about chemistry and connection than physical heat—fitting for a winter witch romance, really.

Final Verdict On Hex Appeal

Ultimately, Hex Appeal is a book with a fabulous premise and flashes of brilliance, but it loses its footing under the weight of its own ambition. A tighter focus—especially on the central romance—might have helped the story reach its full potential.

Hex Appeal has a strong start, with an engaging premise and an eccentric magical setting that promises rom-com delight. However, the pacing becomes inconsistent as the plot shifts gears—what begins as a witchy romantic comedy veers into time-travel fantasy and historical commentary, sometimes sacrificing emotional payoff for spectacle. The tone swings between quirky humour and darker, more dramatic moments, which won’t work for everyone.

Readers who enjoy cosy fantasy with a heavy dose of magical chaos, whimsical worldbuilding, and ensemble casts will likely find plenty to enjoy. But those expecting a tightly structured rom-com or a strong central romance may find the book muddled in its priorities. If you’re here for the romance, you may be disappointed; if you’re here for the vibes, you’ll probably have more fun.

While this didn’t quite land for me, there’s real potential in the world Kate Johnson has built. The coven, the sentient house, and the broader magical lore of Good Winter are rich with possibility. With tighter focus and a more confident sense of tone, I’d be intrigued to return—especially if future books give the romance a bit more breathing room.