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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25 ⭐️ 1.5🌶 CF-friendly
This is a super cute magical contemporary romance. The writing was great with some absolute gems that I wish I could highlight in the audiobook. There were some fabulous lines. The characters were all so loveable, with diverse personalities. Delia and Max are adorable together. The book was a bit slow for my liking, and the romance is slower burn with light spice. The ending was not what I was expecting, it was so much better!
I listened to the audiobook, and the two narrators did an absolutely stand-up job! 5⭐️ to the narrators. They both gave such distinct voices and personalities to the characters, and the personalities, vocal mannerisms, and even vocal tones were cohesive between the two narrators (which is something I rarely come across in books). Absolutely loved that southern bell charming accent for Delia, the voice actors were perfect selections. That consistency of voice for the same character between the two narrators really kept the the story cohesive and the flow between chapter viewpoints so smooth. It was an absolute joy to listen to!
I recommend anyone who is looking for a fun audiobook, great narration, perfectly accented characters, and cute magical realism to give this book a try. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing the audiobook for my honest review.
This is a super cute magical contemporary romance. The writing was great with some absolute gems that I wish I could highlight in the audiobook. There were some fabulous lines. The characters were all so loveable, with diverse personalities. Delia and Max are adorable together. The book was a bit slow for my liking, and the romance is slower burn with light spice. The ending was not what I was expecting, it was so much better!
I listened to the audiobook, and the two narrators did an absolutely stand-up job! 5⭐️ to the narrators. They both gave such distinct voices and personalities to the characters, and the personalities, vocal mannerisms, and even vocal tones were cohesive between the two narrators (which is something I rarely come across in books). Absolutely loved that southern bell charming accent for Delia, the voice actors were perfect selections. That consistency of voice for the same character between the two narrators really kept the the story cohesive and the flow between chapter viewpoints so smooth. It was an absolute joy to listen to!
I recommend anyone who is looking for a fun audiobook, great narration, perfectly accented characters, and cute magical realism to give this book a try. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing the audiobook for my honest review.
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom
Paranormal witch romance.
The Merriweather women identify as witches. What they lack in magic, they make up in belief, support and family protectiveness. Rumor has it that they have been hexed so they can’t access their magic. Delia Merriweather doesn’t believe in magic or the hex. First, the so called magic book recipes have ridiculous ingredients. Second, if witches were real, wouldn’t their status be worthy of some benefits?
When Delia unwittingly breaks the hex the family has been under, everyone is surprised including the family. Max Halifax has been keeping an eye on the Merriweather’s since it was his family’s doing that they live without magic. He’s been ordered to rehex the Merriweather women but that would require a blood sacrifice which isn’t legal anymore. Nor is it fair to anyone and the community is taking notice. Change is coming.
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook for this story. The audiobook is performed by Zion Jang and Laura Knignt Keating who do a marvelous job in alternating chapters. Each is able to perform multiple voices and convey nuanced emotions that keep the reader interested and attentive. The audio version adds a level of delight to the story.
I listened at my preferred rate of 1.5
I loved the lighthearted family vibe of the Merriweather women. Supporting, regardless of losses or wins, loving and happy. They delight in thinking to fake Magic traditional spells. The addition of the imp sifting between animal and human form with such a specific personality is delectable. Yes there are some darker elements here and some steam. In whole, it was entertaining a d recommended for anyone that likes a touch of magic.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Hachette Audio
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a copy of Hot Hex Boyfriend from Netgalley, and I boy I'm glad I did. It was just the fun, witchy, romance I was looking for to kick off the fall season. I'm not normally a big romance fan so I appreciated that this book did not take itself too seriously. The Merriweather and Halifax family members were quirky and the drama was all fun and silliness.
If you are looking for a cozy fantasy romance in a small witchy town for your Fall season... I recommend grabbing this one. It was a little corny at the end, but honestly it went with the vibe. It was like a warm beverage on a brisk day. A fun romp for a girl that usually reads darker fantasy and scifi.
If you are looking for a cozy fantasy romance in a small witchy town for your Fall season... I recommend grabbing this one. It was a little corny at the end, but honestly it went with the vibe. It was like a warm beverage on a brisk day. A fun romp for a girl that usually reads darker fantasy and scifi.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
A super cute and a fast read if you're looking for a witchy rom-com about a woman discovering she is, in fact, a witch – just like her family of well-meaning but slightly eccentric aunts always insisted.
I liked Delia as a main character. She was realistic when it came to her denial of magic, and seeing her come to terms with her powers created some good dramatic irony. Max was a gem, very much the overly-logical type who was reluctant to share his heart, but eventually he fell HARD. Love to see it. There's a wide cast of characters to love here, so if you love big ol' ensemble casts, this is a good one.
The world-building was underdeveloped IMO. Without spoilers, I never really understood much behind how the magic government worked, and the reveals at the end felt incredibly rushed. Most notably, we never get to see how the new information impacted the witch world at large. Sort of felt like the epilogue should have taken place at least a year into the future so we could see some of the changesMax's parents were able to advocate for. (Speaking of his parents, the way they changed their perspective/outlook so quickly was welcome, but unrealistic. I think an extra 5-10 pages of, like, consequences to everything that happened would have helped this story out a lot.
Along those world-building lines, it's worth mentioning: this is a witchy, paranormal/fantasy romance. Not only do witches exist, but there's a whole magic system at play. This is very much not our world – so why is Taylor Swift mentioned?? I realize this is a personal pet peeve (after all, I have an entire StoryGraph tag dedicated to when she shows up in books because at this point, it's absolutely ridiculous how often it happens), but seriously it instantly and completely took me out of the story. I'd naively thought that a fantasy romance couldn't possibly make it onto that list, but alas. I'll just keep begging authors to stop including real-life celebs in their books. Please. 😭
So, overall, a good, easy read that's perfect for fall.
🌶🌶
I liked Delia as a main character. She was realistic when it came to her denial of magic, and seeing her come to terms with her powers created some good dramatic irony. Max was a gem, very much the overly-logical type who was reluctant to share his heart, but eventually he fell HARD. Love to see it. There's a wide cast of characters to love here, so if you love big ol' ensemble casts, this is a good one.
The world-building was underdeveloped IMO. Without spoilers, I never really understood much behind how the magic government worked, and the reveals at the end felt incredibly rushed. Most notably, we never get to see how the new information impacted the witch world at large. Sort of felt like the epilogue should have taken place at least a year into the future so we could see some of the changes
Along those world-building lines, it's worth mentioning: this is a witchy, paranormal/fantasy romance. Not only do witches exist, but there's a whole magic system at play. This is very much not our world – so why is Taylor Swift mentioned?? I realize this is a personal pet peeve (after all, I have an entire StoryGraph tag dedicated to when she shows up in books because at this point, it's absolutely ridiculous how often it happens), but seriously it instantly and completely took me out of the story. I'd naively thought that a fantasy romance couldn't possibly make it onto that list, but alas. I'll just keep begging authors to stop including real-life celebs in their books. Please. 😭
So, overall, a good, easy read that's perfect for fall.
🌶🌶
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom,
Narrated by Laura Knight Keating & Zion Jang
Magic, spice and everything nice
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Spice: 🌶️
Hot Hex Boyfriend follows the Merriweather clan of witches. Well, they don't have magic, and nobody really believes they're witches, but surely Delia will break the hex that makes that so, right? Not if Max, a logically inclined witch sent here to prevent just that, has anything to say about it. But Max quickly gets drawn into Delia's southern charm, broad smiles and joyfulness. And both of them will soon discover that they're facing much more than an ancient Hex...
I really just plain adored this book. It reads away very quickly while keeping a good pace. The plot was cozy, warm, just surprising enough to stave off predictability, and all in all just a joy of an october-themed witchy book. Bloom's portrayal of Delia's and Max's families was quirky and enjoyable, and the different forms of love portrayed radiate off the page. Bloom excels in a large cast of lovable side characters to compliment the main characters.
Delia & Max's romance is slow-burn, natural and incredibly heart-warming and sweet. While it does get a little bit spicy, tenderness and adoration are the main themes here, which for me was a nice change of pace from the intense books I usually read.
I'm not sure how to feel about the female narrator, Knight Keating, as her voice is unfortunately a little harsh/grating to my ears. It took me a couple paragraphs to settle back in to her narration each time, which made the whole experience less enjoyable. The switching of POV and narration voice was also rather abrupt, startling me almost every time until I was about 80% into the book. Both narrators fit their characters well, however. Especially Jang (the Male narrator) does a great job at accent work and character delivery.
Thank you to NetGalley, Carly Bloom and Hachette Audio for the review copy. All in all I greatly enjoyed reading Hot Hex Boyfriend, a witchy romance wonderfully heralding in the cozy, comfortable energy of fall. Highly recommend!
Narrated by Laura Knight Keating & Zion Jang
Magic, spice and everything nice
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Spice: 🌶️
Hot Hex Boyfriend follows the Merriweather clan of witches. Well, they don't have magic, and nobody really believes they're witches, but surely Delia will break the hex that makes that so, right? Not if Max, a logically inclined witch sent here to prevent just that, has anything to say about it. But Max quickly gets drawn into Delia's southern charm, broad smiles and joyfulness. And both of them will soon discover that they're facing much more than an ancient Hex...
I really just plain adored this book. It reads away very quickly while keeping a good pace. The plot was cozy, warm, just surprising enough to stave off predictability, and all in all just a joy of an october-themed witchy book. Bloom's portrayal of Delia's and Max's families was quirky and enjoyable, and the different forms of love portrayed radiate off the page. Bloom excels in a large cast of lovable side characters to compliment the main characters.
Delia & Max's romance is slow-burn, natural and incredibly heart-warming and sweet. While it does get a little bit spicy, tenderness and adoration are the main themes here, which for me was a nice change of pace from the intense books I usually read.
I'm not sure how to feel about the female narrator, Knight Keating, as her voice is unfortunately a little harsh/grating to my ears. It took me a couple paragraphs to settle back in to her narration each time, which made the whole experience less enjoyable. The switching of POV and narration voice was also rather abrupt, startling me almost every time until I was about 80% into the book. Both narrators fit their characters well, however. Especially Jang (the Male narrator) does a great job at accent work and character delivery.
Thank you to NetGalley, Carly Bloom and Hachette Audio for the review copy. All in all I greatly enjoyed reading Hot Hex Boyfriend, a witchy romance wonderfully heralding in the cozy, comfortable energy of fall. Highly recommend!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4⭐️s. Available now! Bit of magic and some romance. A whole lot of family drama. I’m not a horror reader so I feel like this was a good way for me to start my spooky season.
Delia is convinced that her family is crazy and they are not a bunch of witches without magic. Until one day, the hex that apparently is on them is broken and they have magic again. All Delia wants is to be a successful home decorator. Especially when the best house to decorate has the very handsome nephew of the previous owner trying to sell it. Max is torn between the chemistry he feels for Delia and a family responsibility. In fact, it’s his family that insistents on making sure the hex is put back on the Merriweather women. Can Delia trust Max to love her and not hex her? Can Max trust Delia’s clueless nature to not control his heart with her uncontrollable magic?
Wonderful narration by both Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang. I really appreciated their flow with as many other characters involved. It never felt muddled with so many character parts communicating back-and-forth.
What are some fun props you use with your review posts? I’m still working on mine.
thank you too @netgalley @carlybloombooks and @hachetteaudio for the advanced listener copy.
Delia is convinced that her family is crazy and they are not a bunch of witches without magic. Until one day, the hex that apparently is on them is broken and they have magic again. All Delia wants is to be a successful home decorator. Especially when the best house to decorate has the very handsome nephew of the previous owner trying to sell it. Max is torn between the chemistry he feels for Delia and a family responsibility. In fact, it’s his family that insistents on making sure the hex is put back on the Merriweather women. Can Delia trust Max to love her and not hex her? Can Max trust Delia’s clueless nature to not control his heart with her uncontrollable magic?
Wonderful narration by both Laura Knight Keating and Zion Jang. I really appreciated their flow with as many other characters involved. It never felt muddled with so many character parts communicating back-and-forth.
What are some fun props you use with your review posts? I’m still working on mine.
thank you too @netgalley @carlybloombooks and @hachetteaudio for the advanced listener copy.