“Diabolical. Absolutely fiendish. And when her eyes briefly met his, her cheek dimpling with a Go fuck yourself smile, Wells realized he had never been attracted to any woman more in his life. Well, that was bloody inconvenient.“

The Kiss Curse (From ARC, quotes may have changed in publication copy)

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

Gwyn wouldn’t change a thing about her life. Her family is in control of the town’s magic, she runs a successful witchcraft shop, and she’s even mentoring younger witches in the craft. Well, there is one thing she would change. Wells Penhallow. From the moment he gets to town, he turns her life upside-down. He opens a competing shop, drives her hormones crazy, and to top it all off, her magic starts to go on the fritz. But as much as she wants him gone, he is also her only option to figure out how to restore her magic before she loses it for good.

Like the first book, The Kiss Curse is the ideal October read. It took a lot of the elements from The Ex Hex that I loved but did it in a way that didn’t feel repetitive. I really wish I could visit Graves Glen because the fall vibes are absolutely perfect.

The characters were easily my favorite part of the book. The Baby Witches were fun, and I loved their relationship with Gwyn. Gwyn was headstrong and energetic, which is exactly what I want from a heroine, and I adored Wells. He was an enigma with his old-school academia aesthetic and chaotic mess stern brunch daddy energy. Together, they had amazing chemistry, leading to some hilarious banter and steamier sex scenes than in The Ex Hex.

The plot, however, felt a little forced. Whereas The Ex Hex was driven forward mostly by the magical elements, The Kiss Curse focused equally on Gwyn and Wells’ relationship and the loss of Gwyn’s magic. It resulted in both plots not feeling very developed and like there weren’t a lot of stakes with either. I did like the small twist toward the end, though.

Overall, The Kiss Curse was cute, fast-paced, and the perfect blend of spooky fun and steamy. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be one more book focusing on the last Penhallow Brother because I’m not quite ready to be done with Graves Glen.