Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was a super cute funny story. That I will definitely be rereading around halloween.

I have not read book one and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything, but will definitely be picking up book one.

This book has such a cute witchy vibe for the upcoming fall season. Poppy, the fmc, is adorably chaotic and incredibly likeable. It's a fast paced cozy read I would definitely recommend to all lovers of witch vibe romances.

Unfortunately I did not finish this. The story had shining moments for sure but ultimately I found it chaotic and not well put together.

The fat-phobic rhetoric around Alex was surprising and incredibly off putting. Honestly shocked it made it thru editing.

I recieved a free e-arc through NetGalley and this is my personal opinion about the book.

Surprisingly, fun read! The blurb gives this book little justice and gives little context to the actual plot which is chaotic fun. It's a dual pov between the FMC and the MMC. Poppy is funny and a joy to read and the MMC is a misunderstood "playboy." This is a very loosely adaptation of Rapunzel. The plot itself is very funny. The dialogue is great with the side characters. The romance is a little to instalove for me but despite that trope it was a delight to read and read in one day. It was a fun surprise to see what happens and be sucked into the chaos!

A magical romance between a witch and a magician unfolds with lots of action and a few mysteries along the way. Alex and Poppy’s relationship gets off to a rocky start with a cursed amulet being the main priority but it brings them together in their joint efforts to fix everything. They’re an interesting pair - a man of many one night stands and a woman haunted by never feeling good enough for her partners. It makes the sweetest kind of romance when Alex falls hard and fast and the sparks fly between these two. I liked the quirky coven side characters as well and would have loved to see more of Ivy in this book but all the same it was a cute, easy-to-read love story with lots of magic!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This book is so charming and so much fun - I was already charmed 20% in and I had no idea what was to come! So much action and adventure - honestly one of the most fun witch stories I’ve read.

There were things I liked about this book (Iris mostly).

Unfortunately, there were things I didn’t love. Poppy for one. She wasn’t a character I could click with, I found her jealousy of her cousin to be rather off putting, her seduction of Axel when he was in shock questionable at best, Poppy’s dating history sounded a little cliched and improbable. So everyone screwed her over and she was never even partially at fault? I felt she didn’t take enough responsibility for her own life and then just blamed everything on circumstances instead of actually taking the reins. She was constantly whining about her life but honestly, she never had anything that bad happen to her?

Axel didn’t really interest me and was used more as a plot device than a full fledged character. Besides his looks (which he was not so interestingly very self conscious about) and his disastrous diet, he really had nothing else, he didn’t seem like a fully drawn character. And their nonexistent chemistry was also a bit of an issue for me. We can read that Poppy fancies Axel though while also not liking him but I don’t think we really feel it. I wasn’t convinced. Then their instalove (instalust?) relationship progressed into the physical but it bored me really. Plus their first argument (was there even an argument) felt forced and the second was ridiculous, just unnecessary drama. I was no fan of Alex but I wanted to shake Poppy to get her to snap out of it because it was super obvious what was going on.

The magic in this story also fell short, I feel it wasn’t explained in a convincing or captivating way. I was tempted to ‘DNF’ this book but kept convincing myself to finish it since it is rather short. It still took me a relatively long time to read (kept putting it down).

So all in all, I was rather disappointed with this book and though I had really wanted to like it, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. However, I am glad that I kept reading because I did like the epilogue, I that it was fun and it was actually a great way to end the book. 2/5 stars.

Hex and the City is a cute witchy romance. I thought it was pretty quick read but I enjoyed the storyline. It’s about a young witch falling in love and discovering her powers, while trying to stop the chaos around her. It was more of a cozy romance read than fast paced, so it was a little slow at certain parts of the book.

Hex and the City is full of chaos, magic, and adventure. This book made me laugh out loud and cry. I really enjoyed Poppy and Axl Storm's adventure and their character development. It was a quick read that had me wanting more of the characters after I finished! The steaminess was great and the two had magically chemistry from their first interaction. I loved the appearance of characters from Hex Appeal! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you Kate Johnson, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this magical eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is the perfect book to read if you like Cosy Romance, cosy fantasy and everything a bit witchy. Also perfect for fans of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Meet Poppy, clumsy, chaotic, with hair that do pretty much what it wants - quite literally, it once threw scissors across the room. Her love life is a series of pain, disappointment and evenings getting drunk trying to forget about it.
And her powers? We don’t talk about her powers. Trust me, that’s better.
One evening, after getting very drunk because of her ex, Poppy ends up cursing a pendant. And it shouldn’t be a problem, if Alex Raine - also known as Axl Storm, the sexy Nordic illusionist - didn’t buy it the morning after.
Poppy goes after him and the pendant, to stop the chaos of her cursed pendant, while trying not to fall for this man, who as adorable as he is, has a womaniser reputation to his name.

I loooved this book. I somehow feel like I read it at the perfect time, after an heavy read and before what feels like a complicated one. Hex in the city is fresh, well written and dynamic. The characters are super lovable (give me a clumsy, optimistic, adorable main character and I will immediately get attached). The relationship is top tier, with a quick start -no slow burn on this one- a great development and a climax I found really well balanced in the story.

If you are looking for something quick to read, fun and extremely cosy, you should definitely check this one out !

I was really intrigued by this premise, sounded like a cozy witchy romance.We’re tossed right into the story, it feels a little jarring, like I needed a little bit more context and world building. I suppose that might be because it’s the second in the series, but more information about the world would have allowed for more immersion.

We’re introduced to the characters and start out feeling pretty indifferent to them. However as the story progresses I start to actively dislike them. Alex is not a nice guy, stringing along the women who work with him - vomit. I’m struggling to connect with Poppy and her chaotic life seems a little too ‘not like other girls’ - seriously…mismatched shoes? But there are some interesting points - Alex’s confidence issues (quite novel), Poppy’s sentient hair (super cute) - were little tidbits that created some interest. But you didn’t get enough of these things. As far as side characters, her group of friends/landlady’s friends seem intriguing, but we’re not given enough detail to really understand the dynamics or their backstories. Also Poppy started to feel a bit mean by the end, her personality felt so inconsistent.

Really the biggest stumbling block in the book was the plot. It was completely chaotic. Very much trying to fit 10lbs into a 5lb bag. There were so many things going on, but nothing was delved into enough before we were on to the next ‘startling event’. And when we finally get to the root of all the problems - it’s 100% out of nowhere. No foreshadowing, world building was so weak I didn’t even know this was possible, it felt incredibly crowbarred into the story.

Overall this story had so much potential, but we just weren’t given the information to really fall in love with the characters and understand their actions. And the plot is complete chaos (not in a fun way).
Read and reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.

I loved this 2nd book in the series!!! I will probably reread both around Halloween because I love spooky romance stories in October! Thank you for the copy to provide my opinion! It was everything I hoped it would be!

I devoured this book in Two days! It had everything! It was funny, it was hot, it pulled on your heart strings, it has twists and even betrayal. I was so invested in Poppy and Alex and was especially grateful for the final chapter. Feeling like I was completely a part of this story, i loved the mix between both perspectives and giving this book two main characters with a full backstory each, it is up there as one of my top reads this year! Side note: I also loved the small mention of my hometown in here too ‘Tilbury’.

Really enjoyed this book! Thank you for letting me read this. This is a fun and lighthearted read which made me laugh out loud

I love a witchy romance and Hex and the City delivered! It was so much fun! Great characters, a wonderful plot, and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Please note: this review will be posted to Instagram prior to release date, most likely the week of August 28th. When posted, I will update this review with the link.

Thank you HarperCollins UK for a review copy of this book!

Poppy is a witch with magical hair who is just trying to get through life without causing too much chaos. But when magician Axl Storm makes an appearance in Hubble Bubble, the magic shop she works at in Covent Garden, and buys an accidentally cursed pendant, the chaos ramps up. Axl (or Alex when he’s not on stage) and Poppy must work together to resolve all the problems the chaos is causing, and to find the root of issue and put an end to it for good.

This was a very engaging and enchanting read. Poppy was your typical quirky girl who just can’t seem to get anything right, and I really think writing her that way worked well for the story. I think sometimes that characterization can almost feel overdone or unnecessary to the plot, but I think Kate did an excellent job making the characteristics that go with that characterization feel necessary to moving the plot along. Also, I think what helped balance out the “quirky girl” vibe was the more realistic and deeper aspects of Poppy as a character. We see her insecurities around those quirky aspects of herself, and the general chaos that follows her, which I found super relatable and endearing. Also, her insecurities about being the girl guys only want to date for a short time to essentially say they “tried out the weird girl”. I felt that a lot and it really hit home to me, because I’ve always been “weird” and it led to me feeling really out of place and insecure in the dating world. Alex was also a pretty endearing character, who also had layers to him. On the surface he’s an attractive player who is pretty cocky and sure of himself, but as the story progresses you learn a lot about his past and his own insecurities, and seeing that side of him really helped make him more than your stereotypical hero. Also, they did have chemistry FOR SURE. It wasn’t the most explosive chemistry I’ve read recently, but it was there, and the spicy scenes were GOOD.

On top of the relationship though, I liked that the story had a plot. There was an “adventure” we get to follow along with, and while the relationship is a big focus of the story, it’s working in tandem with the plot. And there were a lot of things I didn’t necessarily see coming until it was right in your face which was really exciting as well. It’s hard sometimes to get a good romance story that also has these plot points and twists that surprise you.

Overall, I thought this was pretty dang good and gave it 4 stars.

SO much fun! Magic, mayhem and a Viking physique, what’s not to love? Hex in the city will have you cackling in your armchair.

Poppy causes chaos wherever she goes. She doesn't mean to; it just sort of happens. Her latest mishap? Accidentally (drunkenly) cursing a pendant when she sees her ex with another woman... and then her coworker selling the pendant to Alex, aka Axl, the illusionist. And when she tries to get the pendant back, she has a front-row seat to the disaster it causes. Poppy and Alex team up to try to get the pendant back and destroy it before it can cause any more chaos... but of course, things are never that simple.

Hex and the City is a fast-paced adventure with a nice little love story at the center. Both characters seem a bit straightforward at the beginning and really grow into themselves by the end--they're both much more complex and complicated than they seem, and both of their arcs are satisfying (as is their joint arc).

This was another fun read from Kate Johnson, and I'm excited to read more!

Hex and the City
By Kate Johnson.
Pub Date: 03 Sep 2023
HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter
Romance
Spice 🌶🌶
Rating: 4/5

Hex and the City is quirky, humorous, and full of charm. It offers readers a unique take on love and adventure. It is a perfect blend of classic and contemporary storytelling, sure to appeal to book lovers looking for a fun and original take on the beloved genre of romance.

Poppy is a witch with a chaotic personality who is kind, caring, and very energetic. A gothic-style estate is her home, and she works at a magic shop named Hubble Bubble. She tries to keep her unruly power in check, but it often still gets her into mischief. Alex, is a stage magician known for his Viking act. Despite his intimidating appearance, Alex is actually quite gentle and friendly, and is always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Despite the fact that they have some killer chemistry, Poppy and Alex don't start out as friends. Alex purchases an amulet from the magic shop, but it is accidentally cursed by Poppy, resulting in major drama. Despite this, Alex and Poppy soon find out that they have much in common. Working together, they begin to unearth the true power of the amulet and the power it holds over them.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing this magical book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

Hex and the City is chaotic in the best possible way. From Poppy's sentient, sassy hair to an out of the blue time warp- it's weird and wild and it works. Uniquely witchy, wrapped in a sweet love story.

NetGalley provided the review copy, opinion 100% my own.