Genre: Supernatural romance

Synopsis: 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.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Graphic sexual acts

There was something about The Ex Hex that I didn’t love, but I decided to pick up the second book in the series because the book was easy and fun, so I saw no harm is trying out book two. The Kiss Curse was also an easy and fun read, and I found I liked it a tad more. But where we get that good cousin relationship in book one, we’re lacking that in book two because everyone just so happens to be away during this story. It was odd to me, but that’s neither here nor there.

I do appreciate the enemies-to-lover trope, and I did like that here, but when I say these books are easy, I mean it. There’s some tension, there’s some drama, but they’re mostly underwhelming. The thing I liked most about the book was the mentor-esque relationship between Gwyn and the diverse group of college students. As a higher education professional, I really love seeing that relationship with a “cool” older human (witch) supporting the development of younger humans (witches).

But I mostly find these books set in Pennhallow to go too big in some spaces, with very little wrap-up, or too small and underdeveloped. In no means did I hate this book. It was fine, but it was just fine. I finished it feeling a little let down.