I knew this novel was going to have a certain level of flare to it, being a witchy read at a time of year when witchy reads are flying off the shelf.

But it was so cringy...

I hate giving bad reviews but I really didn't care for this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! A perfect spooky cosy romance, to set you up for autumn. I always love a (sort of) enemies to lovers trope and this book did it so well. I also loved the crossover with Hex Appeal, and am hoping for more books in the collection. A fab read with twists and turns to kick off the spooky autumnal season. Thanks to Kate Johnson, One More Chapter and NetGalley for this ARC.

I've read a lot of witchy books, and rarely do they surprise me the way Hex and the City did! What a delightfully spooky (and steamy!) read. Looking forward to more by Kate Johnson.

What do you get when you put a cursed pendant, celebrity, and witch together? This delightful book! If I were to describe it in a few words - chaotic and fun would sum it up. I truly loved this and want to read Johnson's back catalog now!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

When Poppy curses a pendant the last thing she expects is for celebrity Axl Storm to get his hands on it. How was she supposed to know he was going to walk into the magic shop that day? To ensure the least amount of hell breaks loose, Poppy must find him, get the pendant back and undo the curse as soon as possible. Although, when she finds him things have already started to fall apart and the two are forced to work together to try and set it right again.

Hex and the City had a chaotic yet mystical atmosphere with witches, covens, a magic shop, ghosts and the theatre (which I love in any story). It was an adventurous rush, with something always looming around the corner. I loved the quirky main character with her magical hair and the chaos that followed her every move. I wasn’t Axl’s biggest fan at first (he’s got a bit of a reputation), but the relationship between the two was hottt and in the end he won me over. There were a few things in the latter half of the book that felt a little silly to me, but otherwise it was a good read.

Once again, Kate Johnson has written a fun, quirky, magical romcom just in time for the end of summer and the start of the witchy fall season. Poppy is a witch who seemed to spring into being in the decidedly non-magical confines of a completely “normal” family populated with scientists, doctors, lawyers, and her vicar mom. Since Poppy’s main specialty seems to be sowing chaos, she’s always felt out of step with her family. Ten years ago, while at University, she met Iris, the head of a small London coven of witches, and since then she’s at least been able to practice magic, but she still hasn’t discovered what her magical specialty is, other than continuing to sow the aforementioned chaos, always completely by accident as Poppy seemingly hasn’t got a mean bone in her body.

When she accidentally curses a pendant, that is subsequently sold to Alex (stage name Axl Storm), a gorgeous Viking-like hunk in town with his wildly popular magic show, chaos on a larger scale ensues. Poppy and Alex find themselves joining forces, first to find and destroy the pendant, then to contain the cascading magical chain of events that has been set off and unravel the true source of Poppy’s chaotic magic.

Poppy and her amazing magical, sentient hair were so much fun. Her hair was literally a character on its own. Here are just a few quotes:

“Alex stroked her hair which leaned into his hand like a kitten. He wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find it was purring.”
“She wore his t-shirt with a picture of Gandalf on it and her hair was quietly eating Doritos crumbs.”
“Ok. Right. Well, I could ….. my hair could probably tie you up. …….. I could - okay I’m not really good at threatening people,”

Alex was a sweet, earnest, sex puppy kind of hero. He had a difficult adolescence and was bullied so he set about re-inventing himself as a sex god to bury the past. At first he’s completely bemused by Poppy, but he pretty quickly accepts her magical nature and goes along for the ride of his life. This was a fun, lighthearted read. Poppy and Alex had tons of chemistry and I smiled through much of the book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you netgalley for the EARC of Hex and the City. I enjoy reading their story. The book is hilarious and easy to read.

Hex and the City is a fun spicy witchy romance.

This book is wack-a-doodle in the best possible way. It's so much fun and oh so spicy, and I loved every moment of it. This is the second book in the Witchy series that Kate has created. But like most romance series, you can read this book as a stand-alone. This book is so different from Hex Appeal (the first book in the series) that I was utterly blown away by how fresh and unique this book felt. It will take you on a wild, magical ride, and you will find yourself saying, "Wait, did that just happen." Hex and the City is very fast-paced. A lot happens in this book, and I loved how busy it felt. Even though it was busy and wacky, I never felt lost or confused. Kate masterfully ensures that her readers have all the information they need to keep up with what is happening.

Poppy is utterly delightful. I loved and adored the chaos that followed her around. There is never a dull moment when she is on the page. I never knew what she was going to say or do or what would catch on fire, explode, or come back to life when she was around. Poppy's journey is accepting that her chaos is what makes her so damn wonderful and that it's not a curse but a blessing. It was great watching her gain confidence in her magic and love life. I also have to say that her magical hair was the best thing ever, and I want my hair to be magical.

I wasn't sure if I would like Axl, aka Alex's character. My first impression of him wasn't the best. He came off way too arrogant and one-dimensional. But you know what they say: You should never judge a book by its cover. Alex ended up being this big cinnamon roll of a character, and I just adored him to bits. What surprised me most about Alex's character was the layers under that arrogant exterior. He is carrying some emotional baggage, and even though he comes across as this confident entertainer, he has some major insecurities regarding his looks and what people think about him. While he was talking about his past, it was easy to relate to what he had been through, making his character seem more realistic.

The romance in this book is smoking hot. I loved everything about Poppy, and Alex has a couple. They had fabulous nicknames for each other; she calls him manbun, and he calls her Rapunzel. They start off calling each other by these names just to get under each other's skin, but as the story progresses, they become sweet terms of endearment. Fans of insta lust and forced proximity will enjoy the romance in this book. There are many heated, spicy moments between Poppy and Alex, but also quiet, deep moments where they often have heartfelt conversations about their insecurities. It was wonderful watching their romantic relationship bloom.

Hex and the City is a magical romantic romp that is so much fun to read.

Thank you, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter, for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore, mention of bullying, eating disorder, gaslighting

I had read Hex Appeal by this author, a related story in this world. I remember it starting off slow and getting better, so I was curious to see what this one would be like. Turns out, it stayed the same in the best ways, but didn’t start off slow. This one started quick and grabbed my attention from the jump.

Poppy is basically a bisexual chaos demon with sentient Rapunzel hair, but she’s just so endearing it’s hard not to love her right away. And when it starts out, she’s facing the consequences of a drunken night after seeing a recent ex making out with someone else. Who hasn’t had to face consequences after a drunken night? Well, I have, but I’ve never cursed a pendant that released hell all over London. Which is exactly where the story starts.

Axl is a celebrity illusionist, and he happens to be performing in London. He sees Hubble Bubble open and decides to purchase a pendant as a gift. Of course its the cursed pendant, and hijinks ensue as Poppy attempts to get it back. Sparks fly initially between these two, but they quickly shift into an enemies to lovers dynamic.

I especially loved that both Poppy and Axl are dealing with their own internal issues, stemming from rather heavy problems. This is a fun and lighthearted paranormal romance, but it deals with heavier issues. And they work on those issues with the support of the people who care about them, so it paints a relatively realistic picture.

Overall, this is a fun and witty book that made me chuckle more than once. I had a great time reading it and found myself flying through the story. The characters are great, and while you don’t need to read Hex Appeal to follow this story, a few characters do appear in the story. And it was wonderful to see them! I’m definitely hoping that there are more installments in this series, because I’d love to read more.

Poppy is a witch but she isn't an ordinary one, her magic causes chaos and lots of it. This book had a little bit of everything: magic, lust, steam, cute nicknames, magical hair, time travel and secrets. The story was a bit all over the place for us but it was overall a quick read to kick off spooky season

I really enjoyed this authors previous book, “Hex Appeal” so I was excited to dive into this one. I love a good witchy rom-com.

What I liked:
1) How the witches had different types of magic, the main character Poppy has magical hair! So fun 😊
2) The premise of this book, I love the idea of a witch accidentally selling a magician a cursed pendant. I’m a big fan of the enemies to lovers troupe
3) this authors sense of humor

What I didn’t like:
1) Poppy’s immaturity made her a hard character to like. The amount of chaos she creates is painful
2) Some of the love scenes were so cheesy it was a big turn off

Overall, I feel that this was a decent fall read and many people will enjoy it. However I didn’t enjoy it as much as this authors previous book.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK/One more chapter and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

This was a quick, cute read to get ready for October and spooky season. A little bit predictable but I enjoyed reading Poppy's story. I don't quite remember if I read Hex Appeal, so with that being said, you don't need to to enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK!

Poppy is a chaos magnet. She is kindness personified but everything just goes a bit...wrong whenever she is around. Oh, and she brings new meaning to having a bad hair day. Her hair would put Gorgons to shame!

Axl (aka Alex) is a stage illusionist and big time playboy. He' s never met a woman he couldn't charm the underwear off of. But a chance meeting with Poppy and his world turns upside down!

Poppy and Alex both have some flaws and quirks to deal with. Poppy has THAT hair and a serious case of never feeling that she just doesn't fit with her family. Poppy is always being left behind in love too - she's always being told she is not enough for the guys and girls she falls for. Alex has reinvented himself so many times I think he struggles to remember just who he is. All that bed hopping is just a cover for some serious self-esteem issues.

Cursed pendants, an almost-coven, time travelling and shape-shifting baddie. I loved meeting Poppy and crew and I'd drop back into this world any time!

Extremely fun urban fantasy involving magic, witches, fun settings, a cast of characters you wouldn’t believe exist. This is just hands down a super fun book that is impossible to put down. I hope there will be more from the author!

I was intrigued by all the different kinds of magical creatures in this book - the author obviously has a very imaginative mind and a great sense of humour. Yes, it’s a little silly in places but it’s also a lot of fun and hugely entertaining to read - I frequently found myself giggling at some of the more absurd antics Poppy gets up to. Despite the lighthearted tone, I liked how both Poppy and Axel are very much three dimensional characters with their unique quirks and insecurities - this made them really interesting characters. This is the perfect book to read when you need to de-stress, relax and have a laugh.

A perfect read transitioning into fall, Hex and the City has everything you could hope for from a witchy romance and more. Full of lovable characters, hijinx, and adventure, Poppy and Alex’s story is a fun and comforting read.

dnf'd at 30%.

i usually love witchy romcoms but i couldn't get into this one. the writing and pacing just felt a little off
and frantic at times, with a bunch of information dumping, which made me feel unsure about what was actually happening.

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

*3.75*


This was such a cute book, following Poppy, a witch with literal magical hair and how she lives with her "coven" in a lovely house in London. It also follows Alex, a celebrity magician struggling to come to terms with who he is and what it's his place in the world. Their path cross and from them... it's magic.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so cute, and it stood out to me in the genre of paranormal romance, I also read it while in London, where this book is set, so it was magical just for this. The city really is a character in the book, and if you're a bit familiar with the city, you're going to have so much fun following the characters in their adventures.

Alex and Poppy work well together, and while I think the last part of this book was quite rushed and messy, I still rooted for them and for their connection. The magic was also very fun so this is a win-win situation.

Thank you HarperCollins UK One More Chapter & Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun read! I am gobbling up all the witchy RomComs I can get my hands on and this one was a great book to add to the collection! Zaney, steamy, and funny, it had me laughing and swooning from start to finish! I especially loved the Rapunzel aspect, as it was such a fun and unique little twist I haven’t seen in any other magical romcoms yet!

I love a chaos FMC and I also love a curse breaking adventure! This was a mash up of Sex and the City, Ghostbuster's, and Hocus Pocus and I was living for the quirky chaos of their adventure!

A fun, witchy read that was perfect for fall. Plenty of romance and good old-fashioned (literally) magic. I loved this book and its fun characters. The story is somewhat predictable with a few fun twists along the way. This is a great story to get into the fall vibes!