Poppy is a witch working at a magic store that doesn’t sell any real magical items. That is until Axl, a stage magician, purchases a pendant that Poppy accidentally cursed. Poppy and her coven try to recover the pendant but chaos ensues.


What I loved:
-fun and lighthearted read
-good spooky season book
-side characters
-magician/real magic plot

This was a cute fall read! I wish there had been a bit more focus on developing the romance and plot especially at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advanced reading copy!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for an e-ARC of Hex and the City in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy is a witch with magical, sentient hair. She is distraught when she sees her ex making out with someone else in front of her, so like any stressed witch, she curses an object in her magic shop. The handsome faux-magician Alex stumbles upon this shop and purchases the cursed item. So begins a cute adventure of trying to right wrongs and learning a lot about each other and themselves.

This book almost convinced me that I liked romance. Almost. The first half was fun, with many supernatural antics, entertaining dialogue and kooky characters. I enjoyed the banter between Alex and Poppy, and everything was swell. But then we hit the point in every romance book of both individuals second-guessing their decisions. This leads to them losing trust in each other, and it’s all just a little dumb and unrealistic. Also, when characters decide they are in love after knowing each other for less than a week.

Okay, so romance is not my jam. But the fantastical witchy elements were fantastic. The humour was great, and there was even time travel! The book ended well and succinctly, and many mysteries were solved. There are LGBTQ+ characters, and the spicy scenes are written very well!

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I don’t think anything was wrong with the book; it’s just not my style. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it!

I really enjoyed this book, the plot was engaging and the characters were all intriguing. The only reason this wasn't a 5 star read is that it felt a little like there were too many peaks to the story - by the time we reached the big confrontation towards the end, I almost thought there would be more to come.

This book was not it for me. I didn't feel like I could connect with any of the characters and it felt like it jumped all over the place. Not my cup of tea.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK One More Chapter for the E-arc!
I have to say that I absolutely love the chaos that Poppy brings to the story. She brings extreme Rapunzel vibes including the magic hair which is extremely welcome. There should definitely be more Rapunzel retellings and I think this story did a fantastic job of taking the original story and giving it some fun twists. This was definitely a very light and fun read. The romance was well developed and unbelievably swoon-worthy. I think the banter and the chemistry that comes across on the page feels very natural for the characters and I think they worked really well together.
Overall I think this is the perfect witchy romance for Halloween!

Unfortunately I DNF'd Hex and the City 53% in. I was just not meshing with the storyline or the characters. The writing was good, it's just not for me.

The book was alright, sometimes I felt the plot was moving really fast, sometimes a bit too fat in my opinion. Like they said I love you after a week of knowing each other. I liked the plot twist of Else and Elspeth not being who she said she was.

Even though she was pure chaos, poppy was such a strong, female lead, and I loved reading about her as the protagonist. She was so cared for by everybody she came into contact with, and I really just loved how everybody was looking out for her to help her be her best witch self. While some of the magic of it got a little confusing at times it was still a very enjoyable read.

Hex and the City
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Kate Johnson

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harper Collins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Things you should know about Poppy:

1. She’s a witch

2. She has magical hair like Rapunzel from Tangled

3. She lives with Iris, the head of her coven, in a beautiful, ramshackle house next to Highgate cemetery

4. She works at Hubble Bubble, a magic shop in Covent Garden. Though none of it is real magic as that would be highly irresponsible. Until…

…Poppy accidentally sells gorgeous celebrity magician Axl Storm, all six-foot-four of him, a cursed pendant.

When all hell breaks loose can the guy with fake magic and the girl with real magic fix the chaos they’ve caused? Or will sparks fly both in and out of the cauldron?

My Thoughts: Think Sex in the City mixed with Ghostbusters and a sprinkle of Hocus Pocus. This was an enjoyable reading adventure with magic, chaos, a little mystery, and a little paranormal romance delivered in a a perfect witchy fashion for the spooky season. It does not say it on Goodreads but this is part of a series. The first book was Hex Appeal; this is the second book; and the third book is Hex and Hexability releasing September 6, 2024 (in time for next spooky season). Saying that, these can be read as a standalone, I had no issues keeping up. Hubble Bubble magic shop is the coolest name that I have come across in my witchy reads. Poppy Thistlefoot works at Hubble Bubble, real magic is not sold at this shop, and she accidentally sells a real cursed pendant to Alex (Axl) Storm, an illusionist. This pendant causes all kind of chaos that they have to work together to get the curse reversed to save the town. What could possibly go wrong?

Poppy has a personality bigger than life, she’s a little quirky, has the most magnificent hair I’ve seen described, and has a heart of gold. Axl is every bit of swoon-worthy, he is flirty, charming, was rejected as a boy, and has more groupies than Aerosmith. Poppy has been dumped by previous boyfriends, really like every boyfriend, and then Axl had his own rejection issues as a child. Poppy and Axl are opposites attract and their chemistry really works well together. After the pendant is sold to Axl, he suffers tragedy at his illusion show. As they team up to find the cursed pendant, they are faced with ghoulish ghosts and creatures that they have to defeat, really like ghostbusters. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, definite chemistry, and were so creatively curated. The characters were quirky, likable, and the way their vulnerabilities came across was authentic. The author’s writing style was complex, humorous, magical, swoon-perfect, endearing, and spooky with a fun twist. The book flowed well, was paced where I stayed engaged, and the plot was delivered well.

This was the perfect book for the spooky season. It is a lighter read that can be read in one session, I felt like the first book flowed better and was better executed, however, this was an enjoyable read. The magic world building was superb, I laughed out loud, the characters were likable, and the tension between Poppy and Axl was created in a way to make the reading experience even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend picking up this book, and the first one in the series.

I was really looking forward to this witchy read during spooky season. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The book felt slow and I didn’t connect with the main character. She was so chaotic and the story felt like it flipped around so much that I felt confused. I also did not love the writing. I don’t expect perfect prose from witchy books, but this one felt almost more YA e crept for some of the steamy content.

1/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an eARC of this book.

Quirky, chaotic and a whole heap of fun, Hex in the City was a marvellously magical witchy read - think Hocus Pocus mixed with Tangled but with a touch of adult spice! 👻

There was ghosts and time travel, magical hair and flying broomsticks, cursed jewellery and a meddling mother, basically everything and anything you might need for a lighthearted spooky season read. What a scream! ✨🧹🍃

I loved Hex Appeal by this author and knew I needed to read this one the minute I saw it! This was such a fun and steamy adventure full of magic, mystery and romance!

I love that Poppy's hair was very much like Rapunzel's and I loved how it acted, especially when it came to Alex!

Poppy and Alex were such loveable characters who you couldn't help but root for!

I definitely recommend picking this one up if you love witchy romances like The Ex Hex!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hex and the City was a delightful blend of paranormal romance, quirky humour, and action-packed adventures. I tore through it in two days and since I've been reading at a sloth's pace of late I was really surprised by that.

The story revolves around Poppy, a young witch with possibly maybe sentient hair. She's a little clutzy and clumsy and may or may not have gotten drunk right before the events of this book and cursed a necklace she planned to give to her ex. A pendant that may or may not have accidentally been sold to a customer at her day job in a magic oddities shop.

The male lead, Axl (Alex), is a stage illusionist who initially comes across as a bit of a plonker, no offence. He's a vainglorious showman who's ridiculously good looking and he knows it. He's also a player who sleeps with all his groupies and fellow performers. In the beginning, this made me worried for this book. He was so unappealing to me that I didn't know how I would get on. But as the story unfolds, we discover the layers of his character and the reasons behind his conceited persona.

The plot was a lot of fun. A madcap romp through London and even through time.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, funny, sexy and just all-around fun. Very different than anything else I’ve read recently and the fact it was set in London and the writing and dialogue was very British was just an extra treat.

I gave Hex and the City a solid 4 stars. It's a perfect addition to your Autumn TBR when you're in the mood for something a little bit zany yet still substantial. Highly recommended for those seeking a humourous and entertaining read.


4 stars ★★★★

ARC received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

If you are looking for a silly witch romance I think you will enjoy this.
Good things about this:
- our main character Poppy is chaotic and so easy to love.
- sentient hair
- the tension between the MCs was great

Not so great things:
-the writing was clunky at times
- the pacing was odd.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect book for spooky season. I really enjoyed this book. It was such a fun read and had me laughing and smiling so much!

3.5 upped to 4
I had fun and enjoyed the story. It's well plotted, there's humour and I liked the characters.
Perfect if you want to relax and have fun
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

It’s becoming tradition for me to read Kate Johnson in October because they are such fun, witchy reads.

Poppy is new to magic, and when she accidentally curses a pendant and sells it to a celebrity magician, Axl Storm, havoc ensues. I flew through this wild adventure, enjoying the antics and vulnerabilities shown both by Poppy and Axl. You could easily feel their chemistry and while this was a fast moving book, considering the magic, it was easy to believe and root for.

Overall, Hex and the City was entertaining, charming and full of chaos around every corner. I enjoy Johnson’s ability to write cute, easy to follow worlds with a lot of drama and humour.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I was blown away by how much I loved it!

perfect level of smut for me, adored all the cute moments. Plus it was so funny.

10/10 book.

thank you netgalley and co for this arc! Was so excited to read this in spooky season because it supposedly has all cemeteries witches and romance. Sadly it didn't feel like it was given much thought but it being done? The main character was kind of annoying, childish and to me unlikable. It was an easy read because i love witches and hexes but the name set me up i expected more! 2.5 stars.

Such a fun witchy tale - perfect for those who love a light romantasy!

This book follows the story of Poppy, a witchy Rapunzel with sentient hair and Alex, a Norse god of a man, who performs sexy Viking shows. The characters are fun and interesting with a little crazy mixed in there!

The story has some great twists and turns and delves deeper into the witch society, it still leaves plenty of mystery for any future additions to this series but gives you plenty of new snippets. This book does not have to be read in succession to Hex Appeal, however, if you have read it there are some fun nods to the first book.

Overall, this is another great addition to Kate Johnson's witchy romance novels and I look forward to any future books set in this world.

I received an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.