title: The Kiss Curseauthor: Erin Sterling
series: Graves Glen #2
published: 20 September 2022
publisher: Avon Books
pages: 306
source: Book of the Month
format: hardcover
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
rating:
| series rating: the blurb
Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.
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.
a few notes
keywords/phrases: witches, curses, family
mood reading: in the mood for witchy vibes, great characters, and funny moments
my review
The Kiss Curse takes place about a year after The Ex Hex, and much has changed since then. It’s now the Jone’s family’s magic that fuels and protects Graves Glen. Vivi has married Rhys and left town for a trip with her new husband, leaving Gwyn to take the wheel.
One of the things I love most about this series is how the women are characterized in terms of romance. They are fully comfortable in themselves and their lives, making the romance a pleasant addition to their lives rather than a necessity. In this book, Gwyn loves her life. She loves her family, she loves her store, and she even loves her new role as mentor to the three “Baby Witches.” So, of course, enter Wells, the brother of her cousin’s husband, against whom she’s holding a grudge. Because he didn’t, in her eyes, bother to show up for the wedding. To make it worse, he opens a high-end witchcraft shop across the street. But all of that pales when a new threat rears its ugly head.
The book is a perfect blend of romance, witchiness, humor, and mystery. An enjoyable read!
About Erin Sterling
Erin Sterling is the pen name of Rachel Hawkins.
She was a high school English teacher before becoming a full-time writer. She lives with her family in Alabama, and is currently at work on the third book in the Hex Hall series. To the best of her knowledge, Rachel is not a witch, though some of her former students may disagree….
| Rating Report | |
|---|---|
| plot | |
| characters | |
| writing | |
| pacing | |
| Overall: | |
reading challenges:
- 2022 Linz the Bookworm Reading Challenge
Leave a Reply