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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom is a cozy paranormal romance with a lot of heart.
The Merriweather women claim to be descended from a long line of witches, but generations ago were cursed to be unable to access their magic. But there is also a legend of a blue witch that would be born on the blue moon who could eventually break said curse. Delia Merriweather is supposedly that blue witch (she has the birthmark on her butt to prove it), but there's only one more week to break the hex by the prophesied deadline of her thirtieth birthday. Unbeknownst to the Merriweathers, magic really is real and Max has been sent by the governing body of witches to keep an eye on them and stop Delia from breaking the curse.
First things first, I grabbed this book so fast when I saw in the blurb that it would "delight fans of Practical Magic and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches." I've probably re-read Practical Magic the most out of any other book, and I absolutely ADORED The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Whomever they got to illustrate this cover did a bang up job as well.
I'm a big fan of alternating dual-POV romances, and both audiobook narrators--Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang--do a great job! They were both especially good at having distinctive character voices and I never got confused as to who was speaking.
I really enjoyed and totally inhaled this book! There are some pacing issues towards the beginning, but the last half of the book really made up for it for me. I am so in love with so many side characters from this book (especially Nikki)! It was a fun romp with a lot of heart, and I even cried at one point.
Hot Hex Boyfriend is a great option to pick up for spoopy season if you're looking for something with cozy witchy vibes and light spice. I really hope this is the start of a series!
Tropes in this book include: slow burn, cozy, small town, southern charm, found family
I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the complimentary review copy. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, or Twitter.
The Merriweather women claim to be descended from a long line of witches, but generations ago were cursed to be unable to access their magic. But there is also a legend of a blue witch that would be born on the blue moon who could eventually break said curse. Delia Merriweather is supposedly that blue witch (she has the birthmark on her butt to prove it), but there's only one more week to break the hex by the prophesied deadline of her thirtieth birthday. Unbeknownst to the Merriweathers, magic really is real and Max has been sent by the governing body of witches to keep an eye on them and stop Delia from breaking the curse.
First things first, I grabbed this book so fast when I saw in the blurb that it would "delight fans of Practical Magic and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches." I've probably re-read Practical Magic the most out of any other book, and I absolutely ADORED The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Whomever they got to illustrate this cover did a bang up job as well.
I'm a big fan of alternating dual-POV romances, and both audiobook narrators--Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang--do a great job! They were both especially good at having distinctive character voices and I never got confused as to who was speaking.
I really enjoyed and totally inhaled this book! There are some pacing issues towards the beginning, but the last half of the book really made up for it for me. I am so in love with so many side characters from this book (especially Nikki)! It was a fun romp with a lot of heart, and I even cried at one point.
Hot Hex Boyfriend is a great option to pick up for spoopy season if you're looking for something with cozy witchy vibes and light spice. I really hope this is the start of a series!
Tropes in this book include: slow burn, cozy, small town, southern charm, found family
I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the complimentary review copy. All opinions contained herein are my own.
If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, or Twitter.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5/5 stars
This was a fun listen and is a great book to launch us into spooky season. This book would be great for fans of cozy fantasy-adjacent romance, for my fellow pumpkin spice lovers and people who enjoy books like The Ex Hex or Irregular Society of Witches. While the romance is pretty front and center, this book also has a really lovely cozy message about embracing your kooky family and finding community.
I thought the magical world building elements were interesting and unique, though I wish they were explained a little more. Throughout the story, Max (the MMC) casually drops jargon related to their world (like the differents types of witches or the ideas of "strays") but it is done in a way that sort of assumes the reader has some understanding of how magic functions in this reality. Delia and her family are fun, and I definitely cracked a few grins while listening as her family went through their various antics related to "witchcraft". The romance is sweet, though feels a bit stilted at times, especially in the beginning.
There are some continuity errors that niggled at my attention. For example, the night of Delia's birthday her mom says she can't stay late cause she is leaving for Austin in the morning. But then the next day, she stops by as Delia is getting ready to go to Max's house for dinner, saying oh she's about to leave for Austin. The story is also supposed to take place in a small town in Texas and while I feel like some of that small town feel is captured nicely, other parts feel a bit stereotyped and overly emphasized to make it feel "Texan". Finally, the pacing is a bit slow - based on the synposis I expected to see Delia break the family curse and most of the resulting action to be of the fallout, but that doesn't happen until halfway through the book, making the up/downs of the action a bit stilted. This book probably could have been a 33% shorter with less unnecessary stuff in the beginning.
Minor note on the audiobook, (which is how I read): the two narrators are both great, however the woman narrator tends to be much louder than the man narrator, which makes for difficult listening. The male narrator also tends to drop his voice at the end of sentences, which made it hard to hear certain things, especially if trying to listen in a car.
Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced audiobook recording.
This was a fun listen and is a great book to launch us into spooky season. This book would be great for fans of cozy fantasy-adjacent romance, for my fellow pumpkin spice lovers and people who enjoy books like The Ex Hex or Irregular Society of Witches. While the romance is pretty front and center, this book also has a really lovely cozy message about embracing your kooky family and finding community.
I thought the magical world building elements were interesting and unique, though I wish they were explained a little more. Throughout the story, Max (the MMC) casually drops jargon related to their world (like the differents types of witches or the ideas of "strays") but it is done in a way that sort of assumes the reader has some understanding of how magic functions in this reality. Delia and her family are fun, and I definitely cracked a few grins while listening as her family went through their various antics related to "witchcraft". The romance is sweet, though feels a bit stilted at times, especially in the beginning.
There are some continuity errors that niggled at my attention. For example, the night of Delia's birthday her mom says she can't stay late cause she is leaving for Austin in the morning. But then the next day, she stops by as Delia is getting ready to go to Max's house for dinner, saying oh she's about to leave for Austin. The story is also supposed to take place in a small town in Texas and while I feel like some of that small town feel is captured nicely, other parts feel a bit stereotyped and overly emphasized to make it feel "Texan". Finally, the pacing is a bit slow - based on the synposis I expected to see Delia break the family curse and most of the resulting action to be of the fallout, but that doesn't happen until halfway through the book, making the up/downs of the action a bit stilted. This book probably could have been a 33% shorter with less unnecessary stuff in the beginning.
Minor note on the audiobook, (which is how I read): the two narrators are both great, however the woman narrator tends to be much louder than the man narrator, which makes for difficult listening. The male narrator also tends to drop his voice at the end of sentences, which made it hard to hear certain things, especially if trying to listen in a car.
Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced audiobook recording.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was cheesy, but cute and cozy and pretty much what I want in a witchy romance.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes