Hex, Book 1
From the publisher:
It’s one hex of an attraction in this romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Jessica Clare.
When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad in the paper, she’s astonished to find that she’s not applying to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she’s applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. As in, real magic.
The new job has a few perks – great room and board, excellent pay, and she’s apprenticing to a powerful witch. Sure, the witch is a bit eccentric. And sure, there was that issue with the black cat Reggie would prefer to forget about. The biggest problem, however, is warlock Ben Magnus, her employer’s nephew and the most arrogant, insufferable, maddening man to ever cast a spell.
Reggie absolutely hates him. He’s handsome, but he’s also bossy and irritating and orders her around. Ben’s butt might look great in a crystal ball vision, but that’s as far as it goes. But when someone with a vendetta targets the household, she finds herself working with Ben to break a deadly curse. Apparently, when they’re not fighting like cats and dogs, things get downright…bewitching.One of…
Amazon’s Best Romances of April, 2022
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PopSugar’s Romance Novels for When You Need a Little Spice
Culturess’ April Romance to Have on Your Spring TBR“A magical rom-com with both literal and figurative sparks aplenty.”—Popsugar
“In this breezy paranormal rom-com from bestseller Clare (Holly Jolly Cowboy), an intense young woman trying to pay off family debts finds a job with unexpected erotic side benefits.”—Publishers Weekly
https://amzn.to/3IpwFeH
“A lighthearted and fun romp.”—Library Journal
This author was new to me and to be honest, so is this subgenre of paranormal romance. I usually avoid paranormals as I have no interest in fantastical worlds, vampires, zombies, etc. I’ve read enough to know it’s not usually my thing. I read the Lizzy & Diesel Series by Janet Evanovich and mostly enjoyed those until they got stupid. I do like a touch of magical realism now and again, too. I guess I was in some kind of weird reading mood – looking for something a little different – when I received an email from Jessica Clare’s publicist about the second book in this series. It sounded fun so I asked for the first book, even though I was assured they each stand alone. This is the first book; the second book, What the Hex, comes out in April and I can hardly wait!
Reggie is a bit of a mess. She has lost many jobs due to her OCD-like tendencies to organize and clean and generally take over. She’s applied for a job as an assistant at what she thinks is a gaming business similar to Magick the Gathering type of thing. Instead, it’s assistant to an old woman, and she has no idea how old she really is. When she arrives at the house for her interview, the young woman she’s replacing due to maternity leave, brings her in and explains that this job includes room and board; she is expected to be available whenever she is needed. And the pay is $25,000, which doesn’t sound like enough, even with the living arrangements, until it is explained to her that that is the monthly salary. Reggie is floored; with that kind of money she can get herself out of debt and keep paying her gay best friend and roommate the rent, even though she won’t be living there.
Reggie has debt due to her parents, a pair of grifters that think nothing of stealing her identity, opening credit cards in her name, and leaving her with the bills. So she moves in and finds out that the sweet old lady thinks she’s a witch, and everyone around her just goes along with it, including her nephew, Ben. He is gorgeous but a real jerk to her and doesn’t want his aunt hiring her at all. On the other hand, he is completely entranced by her freckles…
Ben and Reggie go from enemies to lovers in this fun romance. He is grumpy to her sunshine, and as she gets more immersed in their world, she eventually realizes that the magic is real. While set in our reality, the boundaries are stretched almost to the breaking point but never goes over the top, at least not for me. There is some heat, a lot of snarky dialogue, some really funny subplots, and of course, the happy ending. This was a one night read for me, fast and breezy and just a whole lot of fun – a thoroughly enjoyable book!
2/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
GO HEX YOURSELF by Jessica Clare. Berkley (April 19, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593337561. 384p.
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