Best Hex Ever is the perfect read to enjoy during these early autumnal days, preferably while relaxing with a good cup of tea – or hot chocolate. There is magic, romance, spice, and mouthwatering baked goods.

Even though I am not a fan of insta love, I think that the immediate chemistry between the two protagonists, Dina and Scott, works very well here. A quick first meeting in her coffee shop and, then, a few more casual meetings until they are forced into proximity while attending the same wedding and sharing a cottage. And, of course, it didn’t help that their friends enjoyed match-making them.

The story is well-written and it develops very well. With a hex cursing one of the love interests into getting hurt as long as they are together, you know that things won’t go smoothly, but every good love story has its bumps. The love story is also a journey of self-discovery for the two protagonists, especially for Dina, who is convinced that she will never find love.

The main focus of the story may be the magic and the romance, but I also really enjoyed the friendship between Dina and her two best friends, Immy and Rosemary, how close and loyal they are and always there for each other.

Best Hex Ever is a fun, sexy, and intriguing read and, if this is enough to convince you to read it, there is also a stubborn and yet adorable talking cat!

4.5⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley & Penguin Publishing, for approving this ARC.

I absolutely love a cosy, witchy, autumnal book, and this gave me exactly that with a good dash of spice!

Dina is a witch & baker who has her own bakery and every bake/drink she adds just a little magical boost to brighten someone's day or give them that little bit of luck they might need.

Scott is a museum curator who moved back to London following a break up who believes in different cultures and their traditions and wants the museum he now has a job at to give back the items to where they came from or at least rotate the exhibition worldwide to different museums.

After a couple of meet cutes, they realise they are actually the maid of honour and the best man at a mutual best friends wedding.

The sexual chemistry is off the charts, but with Dina having a years old hex on her love life (where anyone who falls in love with her will get hurt), she needs to try and stay away but would some fun over the wedding weekend really hurt.

As Dina & Scott feel this pull and fall deeper, Dina is desperate to break the hex on her.

I devoured this book it was so good, everything you need in a cosy, witchy, spicy, rom com.

Witchy romcom with diversity!!!

Dina is a bisexual kitchen (hedge) witch. Her café is a success but she is lacking in the romance department. A nasty break-up with an ex has left her hexed! Travelling home for one of her bestie's wedding and she keeps bumping into the same hot professor guy. Fate and hexes can be a fickle combination!

Scott is a bit thwarted in the love area too. Cheated on by his nasty ex, he's finding it hard to trust anyone. But when he and Dina realise they are in the same wedding party, they try to ignore the little zaps of chemistry. But meddling friends, a sentient house and some magical sparks are conspiring to give these two a HEA!

A Practical Magic-esque vibe with spice! I loved getting to know Dina and Scott and learning what makes them tick. I loved the little twist over the hex! There were great little snapshots of life at home with the parents and pets. There was great diversity in characters and situations and I was happy that for Dina and Scott their HEA did not have to be the cookie cutter dream!

I loved seeing all the cultural mixes working together, showing that you can be more than one "label" and that we are all more than our constituent parts. Scott and his mums had a great relationship and I felt so sorry for Dina in that she thought she had to hide part of herself.

Non toxic female friendships, men open to their feelings, and people accepting that not all relationships look, end or continue in the same ways.

Perfectly formed little nugget of happiness.

This novel is a bewitching romance that blends sweet and spicy, like all the best autumnal treats. It’s a cosy and comforting read. I recommend keeping a hot drink and some treats at hand while reading. The main character is a baker using her magic in the kitchen, so there are many delicious descriptions.

I loved the book’s first half, which was witchy and cosy. I liked Dina, her magical café, her relationship with her friends, and how Scott was introduced into her life. I am still not sure about the second half. It felt like the spice overtook all the other flavours. Also, the conflicts were resolved too easily.

Still, it was a quick and enjoyable read, perfect for the autumn.

PURE MAGIC - so fun & frothy in the best way!! And delivers on the sexy side of romance too. Could not recommend more!

absolutely love this author's writing style and she had me hooked from the first few pages. The characters are likable and I really found myself getting attached to them. This is the perfect cosy, witchy, cottage core story for this time of year. It ticks all the boxes; romance, magic, self-acceptance, a cosy witchy coffee shop and baking that I wished would come through the pages so I could have a snack, and a wonderful story.

*chefs kiss* incredible!
A perfect witchy romance read. I literally have no critiques!
I cannot wait to attend a talk by this author in October! <3

- edit after talk
Nadia is so lovely! Cannot recommend this book enough and so excited for the sequel whenever it comes out!

When I think of autumn now I know this book will come to mind. It’s the perfect balance of romance, coziness , magic and just a pinch of drama.

The story was well written and the characters were so complex for such a cozy book. I loved the depth and the background. Despite finding some of the plot predictable, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment.

A perfect autumnal read with equal parts cosy, wholesome and spicy! I’m such a sucker for a sentient house and absolutely LOVED the chemistry between the FMC and MMC. Such a treat, can’t recommend this one enough!

Cafe owner, and witch, Dina encourages love for her customers with magical teas and pastries but hides from it herself. There's too much risk involved when a hex that hurts those you love hangs over you. And if there was ever anyone to break the rules for, it would be the irresistible, charming museum curator whose presence in her life starts with a bang.

Both have reasons to avoid love, but the pull between them is inevitable, and as coincidence and their best friends' wedding continue to throw them together they may not have a choice.

I enjoyed this story, the take on magic, and the irresistible chemistry between Scott and Dina. I'm not a massive fan of third-person narration, but once I got into the mindset I was off and absorbed!

best hex ever⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• containing…
paranormal romance
cosy fantasy
witchy vibes
forced proximity
witch baker x museum curator
best man x maid of honour
friend matchmakers
spice 🌶️

such a warm and cosy hug of a book, with a lil spice!!

dina, a kitchen witch and scott, a museum curator meet as he was visiting her cafe…and from that moment forward the sparks were flying🥹

despite dina and her love life being hexed, they kept bumping into each other and she could sense there was more than just a coincidences at play🫶🏼

the way their chemistry was written just flew off the pages, and i couldn’t get enough!! i loved that it was a dual POV because i love seeing their romance from both sides🤭

after multiple run ins, and being part of the same wedding weekend, and their friends putting their match making skills to the test…i guess the rest is history🤩

but could they break the hex???💫

the perfect book to kickstart october🎃

each time i was reading this book, i was curled up in bed with a hot chocolate - and for me, that was the perfect paring☕️

thank you for the opportunity to read pre release!!

ADORABLE AND HOT. I really enjoyed this it's the perfect cozy vibes I can imagine reading it with a Hot chocolate or mulled wine in the October to Christmas lead up perfection. I loved the friendships shown. The undeniable chemistry between the two main characters and the FMC struggles which she has to overcome, realistic and well written. This book had me swooning. A cursed witch who will never find love, meets a man who keeps showing up we will learn who hexed her as the book develops and how she may be able to break the hex.

Best Hex Ever is a good book for spooky season, it feels cosy and autumnal while having that sprinkle of witchy magic.

I was expecting to enjoy this more than I did unfortunately, I found the relationship between Dina and Scott to be quite shallow. There was a lot of insta-lust and not enough emotional connection, the magic reveal was glossed over and they never really talked properly.

I enjoyed the magic, the sentient house was entertaining. There are not a lot of rules around the magic system but I liked the kitchen magic in particular, I would've liked to have seen more around that. I just wanted a bit more plot in general actually!

This is a cosy autumnal witchy read - if you like smut, witches and a good pastry then this is for you!

I liked the characters and the friendships the FMC had with her two best friends, but the writing style was not for me and I couldn’t really look past that.

Thank you for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

I loved the magic and witchy vibes in this book - they were immaculate. The story was really well written yet it was slightly predictable - although I still enjoyed it.

This book was the perfect recipe for everything you would hope to find in a cosy witchy romantasy. Where a baker with a dark secret and magical heritage, is entranced with the handsome museum curator that walks into her cafe. Set in modern-day London, this magical story follows Dina and Scott as they transcend on a friends-to-lovers journey at a weekend wedding getaway. This book was filled with forced proximity, spice and delicious pastries- the perfect way to start the autumn season.
P.S. This book is best served with a magical blend of coffee and cinnamon buns.

This was so much fun! A really cute cosy romance with such a fun main character. Excited to see more from this author.

I really loved the concept behind Best Hex Ever — a kitchen witch and a museum curator, cute! Dina’s magic was one of my favourite parts, from the delicious descriptions of pastries and hot chocolates to how her Moroccan heritage influenced her abilities and the magic she learned from her mother. The fantasy elements were certainly well done! I liked the setting of the wedding and the friend group as a whole, especially Dina’s relationship with her friends. Scott was very swoony and his job was fascinating, it made me want to read a book about magical amulets and museum curation!

I’m not a big fan of insta love and would have loved to see the characters have a deeper connection outside of how badly they wanted to sleep together. Since the bulk of the book took place over just a weekend, it didn’t feel like the characters had enough time to get to know each other enough to fall in love as deeply as the reader was told they were. While the hex elements were interesting, and I liked how it forced Dina to confront how she viewed herself and her relationship with her parents, it did feel a bit surface level with how it was resolved. I would’ve loved to see a bit more time spent on it overall.

I think this will definitely find its readers with fans of a quickly, spicy, spooky season rom com!

I've read quite a few witchy books so far this year and this one is right up there as one of the best. I adored Scott and Dina and really enjoyed their whole relationship and how it developed.

The perfect witchy story for the season!

A mix of a cosy spicy read with magic thrown in. I did feel the romance went from zero to sixty after the initial meet cutes and there were a couple of plot points which I felt did not get developed enough. Overall 2.5 🌟