The Ex Hex (Book 1 of Graves Glen) by Erin Sterling, audiobook, 7h 23m
Synopsis from Audible: Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two. That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.
BOOK REVIEW: This was the perfect way to wrap up spooky season. There's a little bit of everything for everyone. While I wanted to read this one, I opted to listen to it instead. I went in blind (as always) and really did love this book. One of my favorite things about the narrator is that she didn't try to replicate Rhys's accent. Rhys is from Wales and while sometimes the dialogue sounded weird because there wasn't an accent, I would much rather that than have a horrible accent done just because. I truly appreciated that. This was an easy listen. I was able to keep up with the story while doing chores, driving, etc. I will say that there are some scenes that I was listening to in the car that I had to make sure the volume was turned down because they got a little spicy...if you catch my drift. Trust me...no one in line at the pharmacy drive through wants to hear those scenes!
I do give this a 5 star rating. Do I think it lived up to all the online hype that I was seeing on IG and TT...no...I also didn't know that it was a series. Did I add book 2 to my TBR? Yes. When will I get to it? Who knows! That thing is constantly growing! Will I listen to it? Probably. I did enjoy the narrator. She gave just enough whimsy when needed while allowing each of the characters to shine. I could hear the confidence in Vivi, the snarky in her cousin Gwyn, the sultry in Rhys, the arrogance in Simon, and so on.
5/5 Stars
2024 Reading Challenge: 51/50 complete
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