OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Shannon McManus delivers plenty of tricks and treats while narrating this follow-up to THE EX HEX. The latest story is set in the Halloween tourist town of Graves Glenn, Georgia. Gwyn Jones must face the pretentious Llewellyn Penhallow, her draining magic, mentoring young witches, and, above all else, tourist season. With this change of main characters between books comes a fitting change of narrators. The discerning ear might notice McManus’s only serviceable Welsh accents and character voices that are completely different from those in the previous book. But these minor points won’t prevent listeners from enjoying the hex out of this book. The funny, playful, and sexy mood McManus conveys is mirrored by the audiobook version’s complementary cross-stitch download: “Never mix vodka and witchcraft.” S.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
07/11/2022
Bestseller Sterling returns to small-town Graves Glen, Ga., for this amusing but oddly paced sequel to The Ex Hex. While witch Gwyn Jones’s mother and cousin are away, Gwyn is left alone to manage the family magic store, mentor some younger witches, and somehow ignore how lonely she feels. Following the events of the previous volume, Gwyn’s family’s magic newly powers the town, making her suspicious when Wells Penhallow, the eldest son of their rival coven, returns to Graves Glen. As Wells works to build a life outside of his father’s shadow, he sets up a witchy store of his own across the street from Gwyn’s. The ensuing business rivalry turns abruptly steamy when the pair share a kiss under the influence of a love spell, sparking an unshakable attraction. But they’ve got bigger problems: there’s a strange new coven of witches in town, and Gwyn and Wells must work together to untangle their motives. The story moves at a slow crawl up until the unsatisfyingly quick climax, and the plot progression is often sidelined by flirtatious banter. Still, readers who fell in love with Gwyn in the first installment will be pleased to see her again. It’s not perfect, but it delivers the spooky atmosphere and sexy chemistry series fans expect. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
A spooky romantic comedy treat that had me sighing at one page, laughing out loud at the next. The Ex Hex is the perfect book for fall.” — New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey
“Sterling casts a spell on her readers with this romantic comedy. … As humorous and fantasy filled as the novel is, it also encourages readers to ponder the idea that the world is a very small place. Sterling puts a wonderful spin on two people who once had each other’s backs to two people who need each other to save a city from destruction. A cute and laughable holiday read to get you through the harsh winter weather.” — USA Today on The Ex Hex
“Filled with delightful witchiness and humor, this playful romantic comedy from Sterling explores second chances and self-discovery. … Comedic chaos rules the day, with plenty of laughs overlaying just a touch of introspection as the exes realize how much they still mean to each other. The result is a fluffy Halloween treat.” — Publishers Weekly on The Ex Hex
“Sterling's novel is ultimately crisp and sweet, like biting into the perfect caramel apple, and makes for an equally delicious autumn treat that will sweep readers up into a world of whimsical magic. A wickedly funny rom-com about the power of second chances, family, and love.” — Kirkus Reviews on The Ex Hex
“Cozy and cute and Halloween appropriate, and Rhys is extremely attractive. The Ex Hex was, in short, a blast.” — Jezebel
USA Today on The Ex Hex
Sterling casts a spell on her readers with this romantic comedy. … As humorous and fantasy filled as the novel is, it also encourages readers to ponder the idea that the world is a very small place. Sterling puts a wonderful spin on two people who once had each other’s backs to two people who need each other to save a city from destruction. A cute and laughable holiday read to get you through the harsh winter weather.
Jezebel
Cozy and cute and Halloween appropriate, and Rhys is extremely attractive. The Ex Hex was, in short, a blast.
New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey
A spooky romantic comedy treat that had me sighing at one page, laughing out loud at the next. The Ex Hex is the perfect book for fall.
Library Journal
08/01/2022
In the sequel to The Ex Hex, life in Graves Glen, GA, has settled down since witch Gwyn Jones and her family broke the town's curse, returning power and control of the town to the Jones family line. The Penhallow patriarch, however, is not pleased about losing power to a bunch of small-town witches. He sends his son Wells to keep an eye on the meddlesome witches and re-establish the Penhallow name as one to be reckoned with. Gwyn is not pleased when Wells sets up a supernatural supply shop across the street from her own, nor is she happy about her attraction to the uptight, taciturn witch. Their personal and professional rivalries are shoved aside when a witch from Gwyn's past returns, and Gwyn's own magic begins to fade. The fast-paced plot doubles as a cozy mystery, with Gwyn and Wells's relationship developing—and heating up—when they put aside their differences to investigate the new threat to Graves Glen. VERDICT Featuring an opposites-attract romance, this fun, light read has the perfect blend of humor, chemistry, and mystery to keep readers turning pages long into the night.—Heather Miller Cover
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Shannon McManus delivers plenty of tricks and treats while narrating this follow-up to THE EX HEX. The latest story is set in the Halloween tourist town of Graves Glenn, Georgia. Gwyn Jones must face the pretentious Llewellyn Penhallow, her draining magic, mentoring young witches, and, above all else, tourist season. With this change of main characters between books comes a fitting change of narrators. The discerning ear might notice McManus’s only serviceable Welsh accents and character voices that are completely different from those in the previous book. But these minor points won’t prevent listeners from enjoying the hex out of this book. The funny, playful, and sexy mood McManus conveys is mirrored by the audiobook version’s complementary cross-stitch download: “Never mix vodka and witchcraft.” S.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-06-22
Two witchy rivals unite against a common enemy when a new coven comes to their small Georgia town.
Something that happened 13 years ago at Graves Glen's Penhaven College forged the beginning of Gwynevere Jones and Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow's prickly relationship. Thankfully, Wells moved back to Wales after one semester. He didn't even return to Graves Glen to attend his own brother's wedding to Gwyn's cousin Vivi. Simon Penhallow, the family patriarch, believes the infernal Jones women and their kitschy magic shops are tarnishing the town's deep, magical history, and he decides his favorite son's magical talents would be better served back in the U.S. Gwyn immediately bristles at Wells' surprising return, but that irritation heightens to a full rolling boil when he opens a witchcraft shop right across the street from her own. What seems at first to be the beginning of a rivals-to-lovers romance during the lead-up to Halloween quickly dissipates into a slapdash story involving strange newcomers and a villain who doesn't appear until the book is nearly over. The book never seems to figure out its focus. While Graves Glen feels like a picturesque Southern version of Salem, Massachusetts, the twee Main Street vibe carries the weak romance only so far. The fact that Gywn is holding on to one seemingly innocuous event from her college years as a reason to dislike Wells makes her seem juvenile. Wells is a man who loves to feel useful, which puts him in a rather unhealthy relationship with his cold father, leading him to uproot his life not just once, but twice for the sake of the Penhallow magical lineage.
The magic fades quickly.
