Quick take
Sometimes magic is as simple as an unexpected kiss as two rival shop owners soon find out in this bewitching rom-com.
Good to know
Light read
Millennial
Enemies to Lovers
Witchy
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.
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Get an early look from the first pages of The Kiss Curse.
The Kiss Curse
PROLOGUE
Thirteen Years Ago, Penhaven College . . .
Given that the spell had been “Turn this leaf into something else,” and Gwynnevere Jones had indeed turned that leaf into something else, it seemed extremely unfair that everyone was now screaming at her.
Okay, so it was less that they were screaming at her, more they were just screaming in general, and yes, all right, maybe the leaf now resembled some kind of small dinosaur with very pointy teeth currently clamped around the toe of her professor’s pointy boot, but had the spell been specific?
It had not!
Had everyone else made completely boring shit like a pen or a slightly bigger leaf?
Yes!
Was Gwyn’s the only spell that had this deeply cool locomotion effect, and therefore they should all be thanking her and telling her what a badass witch she was instead of saying things like “Make it stop!” and “What the fuck?”
Honestly, Gwyn thought so!
This, she thought as she once again tried to gather enough power to turn her bitey creature back into an oak leaf, is why I didn’t even want to come here.
Penhaven College in Graves Glen, Georgia, taught both regular students and witches, the witchcraft classes secretive and hidden from everyone else who just thought the kids who went to those weirder buildings on campus were pursuing esoteric degrees in Folklore or something. Advanced Hedge Making, maybe.
Gwyn had grown up in Graves Glen, but it had never occurred to her she’d actually be sent to Penhaven. Her mom was cooler than that, she’d thought, way less traditional than most witches—or moms for that matter—and Gwyn had assumed she’d end up at some normie school, drinking beer in red Solo cups and practicing magic on her own.
Why I love it
Greer Macallister
Author, The Arctic Fury
A breezy new read for Spooky Season from the author of The Ex Hex? Yes, please! Erin Sterling delivers another bewitching romance set in the delightful fictional hamlet of Graves Glen, Georgia—a kind of southern Salem where tourists gobble up magic-themed kitsch and real witches keep their powers on the down low. Readers of The Ex Hex will enjoy the deeper dive into the town’s rearranged power structure (and updates on Ex’s love story), but first-time Sterling readers won’t miss a beat.
Gwyn Jones runs a beloved local shop, Something Wicked, selling magic-adjacent trinkets to the general public and unofficially mentors a handful of young witches from the local witch college, Penhaven. Then brooding, bearded Wells Penhallow—who Gwyn not-so-fondly remembers from their own days at Penhaven—sweeps into town and sets up a competing shop across the street. Sparks (and glitter) fly, family rivalries clash, and long-held grudges give way to flirtation and more. It’s a bit like You’ve Got Mail, if Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were sexy witches who consummate their attraction in the bed of a pickup truck.
Reading The Kiss Curse will definitely have you in a magical mood. The sinister plots and sizzling chemistry make for an alchemical combination that once again produces gold.
Member ratings (9,092)
Jennifer B.
Missouri City, TX
Such a cute follow up to The Ex Hex! Just the right balance of romance and mystery. Really hoping the characters of Graves Glen continue to have more adventures in the future. ???????? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jenny M.
Lockport, LA
Omg please make another to this series of novels. I can’t get enough & to say the least, I’m sad that there are no pages to be read. Like, if this was a series of movies I would watch them over & over
Joya M.
College Station, TX
Enemies-to-lovers running rival witchy shops! How could I not love it? I enjoyed this even more than The Ex Hex and didn’t want this to end! Wells and Gwyn are such a fun pair. Hope there’s a book 3!
Amanda G.
Saint Louis, MO
Such a fun, lighthearted witchy follow up to The Ex Hex. I loved Gwyn & Wells’ chemistry and their rivals-to-lovers dynamic. Plus, the town of Graves Glen & the Baby Witches really added to the story.
Sheri H.
Tampa, FL
Just as fun as the first book. Loved the look into more of the Vivi and Gywnn family as well as learning more about Gywnn's personality. The romance between Gwynn and Wells was both sweet and racy! ❤