Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

I received this book from NetGalley and One More Chapter Publishing in exchange for my free and honest review. Josh has just assumed ownership of his family property in Essex. Unfortunately it turns out the estate is a money pit, with tenants who have contracts to only pay a pittance. But.. one property he can't find.... one with rent that hasn't been paid since the 1700's. The property happens to be the home of Essie, and her coven of witches. Essie's particular power is to bring winter, and well may occasionally freeze other things.

Personally one of my biggest issues with this book is until we got some revelations that happen fairly late in the book, I couldn't connect with Josh. He's prickly and standoffish but obsessed with Essie. After the reveals, well I still don't love him but I was more okay with why he was the way he was. I personally liked Essie way more. She felt more developed to me and we got more time with her actually explaining her hang-ups and issues instead of dancing around them like with Josh.

I loved the little town of Good Winter, and I'd love a more detailed explanation of the game that they played in the pub.

One of my favorite characters is Avery. They are a nonbinary individual that shifts their appearance to however they are feeling on a particular day. They are also the cook of the coven and can dish-up exactly what you need. There is also Blessing, the midwife, Maude who knits the future and Prudence who stuck around after being hung in the 18th century. I'd love to get to know more about the other coven members, potentially in future books.

I really loved the time travel elements and the people who ended up being from/ going to different time periods. The way it was handled was perfect and just the right type of soft magic for my tastes.

This is a cute witchy romance perfect for spooky season. It just released at the beginning of the month and is definitely worth checking out.