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The Kiss Curse Book Review

Erin Sterling's follow-up to The Ex Hex, The Kiss Curse, is just as charming as predecessor. The perfect book for fall, and for those of us who love good witchy stories, curses, and all things magical, this spooky romance belongs on the fall TBR.

Erin Sterling also writes as Rachel Hawkins, the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers. Her work has been sold in more than a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @ladyhawkins. You can find more of my reviews of her work here. 

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. 

This book has the most spectacular fall vibes. I really loved getting to know Graves Glen in The Ex Hex, and I felt like I was stepping right back on familiar territory in The Kiss Curse, even though I read The Ex Hex months ago. While Gwyn's story doesn't take place on the campus of the school, there are plenty of fall vibes around the story to put one in the mood for reading this book with a hot cup of cider. The story is appropriately twisty and just as steamy as one would hope (possibly steamier than Vivi's story). Sterling does a wonderful job with atmosphere in Graves Glen, and it's almost sad to know that there will be no other witchy stories coming out of this little Georgia small town.

I didn't love the romance as much as I'd hoped. Despite all the tropes—warring storefronts! enemies who have to work together!—I just didn't feel like the chemistry was as strong as it could be, nor was the relationship developed enough for me to believe that it was love at the end. While watching Gwyn and Wells get acquainted and reluctantly work together was wonderful, it was the romantic side of the relationship that I couldn't buy into, and is what made me not love The Kiss Curse as much as I enjoyed The Ex Hex. 

However, I will say that Sterling does know how to write an addicting read! I finished this book in more or less one sitting in basically four hours, and I couldn't put the book down. I felt like I was onto the plot twists, and then she was able to switch it up on us twice, very quickly, in a way thad I hadn't expected, despite being very suspicious of some characters. I really did love those plot twists and that story telling, along with the witchy vibes of the book as a whole. It made for a very enjoyable reading experience!

For more from Erin Sterling, find her on Twitter and Instagram @ladyhawkins. You can find more of my reviews of her work here. 

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*

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