Watching the emotions float across her face was like watching a slideshow of anything and everything that made a person feel good. And the sound of her voice—off-key or on—had the effect of a siren, pulling him in…
Hot Hex Boyfriend is a fun, quirky, small-town romance with a magical twist.
As a child, Delia Merriweather believed with all her heart that she was a witch. Because all Merriweather women were witches. There was just one problem: they had no magic. As an adult, Delia no longer believes magic even exists. However, when she accidentally breaks a hex and restores her family’s powers, she’s forced to accept a new reality: she is a witch. And maybe that’s why the crushingly handsome guy next door has been looking at her like he’s expecting her to fly off on a broomstick, cackling into the night.
Just when Max thinks he’s done keeping an eye on the bumbling Merriweather women, now he must help his neighbors learn to control their magic before they out witches everywhere. But Delia can’t decide if Max is helping or hexing, and Max can’t tell whether his growing feelings for Delia are real, or if he’s come under the spell of the most powerful—and clueless—witch he’s ever known. And the last thing Max needs is to fall for the one witch who could rule the entire witching world by controlling the hearts of men.
Fall is right around the corner, which means bring on the witchy romances. This is my first Carly Bloom book, but it won’t be my last (especially when I found out she writes Cowboy romances). There is a lot to like about this book. The thing that made me fall head over broomstick in love with this story was Delia’s family. Delia’s mom, grandma, and aunties are just so wonderfully quirky. They bring so much laughter, warmth, and joy to this story. They all have larger-than-life personalities that leap from the pages of this book. All the Merriweather women, with the exception of Delia and her mom, believe that they are real witches who have lost their magic because of a hex. They act like true stereotypical crazy witches. They are selling potions and other “magical” items to the local community. They just embrace that witchy lifestyle with so much gusto. You really can’t help but love them. And when they finally get their magic back, the craziness explodes. It was great!!
Another wonderful thing about this book was all that small-town charm. I can tell that Carly has written Texas romances because she just nailed that Texan community vibe. Everybody knows everybody, and I loved the little petty competitions that seemed to spark up in this town. The magical system that Carly created is fun and really interesting. I found myself easily understanding what was what, and I loved learning more about this magical world Carly had created. The overall story was great. I loved hanging out with Delia, who is a wonderful character. She is incredibly likable, and I couldn’t wait to see what kind of witch she was going to become. Delia is incredibly close with her family, and even though she thinks they are a bit bonkers for believing that they are witches, she still loves them. But she is lonely and feels like she is in a rut. It was great watching as she bloomed in her new career venture and also as a witch. Max was that typical rule-following, broody hero. He thinks that the rules are in place for a reason and that they should not be broken. His character is the one that goes through the most internal growth. He’s always seen things through this black-and-white lens. But of course, the more time he spends with Delia and her family, the more he realizes that maybe the system that he has believed in for so long is wrong.
I adore a good grumpy sunshine romance, and when you throw in a magical twist, it makes that trope even better. I liked Delia and Max, even though they didn’t get off to the smoothest start; once they started to spend more time together, that chemistry between them came to life. The time frame that this book is set in is pretty short, which means that things between these two move along pretty fast. But there really isn’t this insta-lust feel to their relationship. Things move fast, but it felt believable. There were so many great moments between these two that were flirty, fun, and just put a smile on my face. They were a great couple.
Hot Hex Boyfriend is a quirky, flirty, laugh-out-loud magical rom-com I could not put down.
Thank you, Forever Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
