Book of the Month – My Favourite Book Of October 2022

Book Review – The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Book Description From Goodreads:

“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.”

It was a very hard choice this month with Netgalley Book Review – Snowed In For Christmas by Sarah Morgan coming in a close second. There really was nothing in it – they were both excellent books!

What has been your favourite book this month?

#bookstagram #bookish #instabooks #ilovebooks #readinglist #bookblog #readmore #reads #currentread #booknerdigan #readingaddict #avidreader #newread #readallthebooks #booksta #booksandbooks #readaholic #booksparks #booksarelife #bibliophile #bookwormlife #reader #beautifulbooks #bookphotograph #bibliophile #bookofthemonth #5stars #romance #fantasy #halloween

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Thursday Quotables – The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies, this is where you share a favorite quote, line, or passage from your reading each week!

Each week I chose a Book of the Week to take part in this (and other) book memes. This week my chosen book is The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (click for link to Goodreads):

“Have you brought me out here to murder me?” he called. “Because that probably would solve your problems, but I have to say, I object on both moral and personal grounds.”

The Ex Hex had everything that I could want from a Halloween book including humour. I think that this quote demonstrates the sort of humour that was in the book.

Would you want to read this book based on that quote?

Book Description From Goodreads:

“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.”

#lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #thursdayquotables #quotes #bookquotes #autumnreading #fallreading #popularbooks #theexhex #witches #romance #halloween #fantasy

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “romance”, “witches”, “halloween book” “fantasy”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”, “popular books”

Book Review – The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Book From My TBR Shelf

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 308

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS 📖

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.

💭THOUGHTS💭

I had seen this book around last year, and when I saw that it was written by Rachel Hawkins under a different name I had even higher hopes after enjoying her book, Reckless Girls. I was quite excited when I saw that this book was on offer a couple of weeks ago and knew that I had to get it to make my Halloween complete. 

The writing was light and entertaining, with the odd bit of humour thrown in. I kept wanting to read more and looked forward to picking it up each day. The only downside was the unnecessary swearing in it. At one point I was thinking of giving it 4 stars, but I got so taken in by the story that the unnecessary swearing didn’t seem that much of a big deal any more. 

The chapters were fairly short and had a cute illustration of a cat and a candle over the chapter number. The story had an excellent pace to it and there was always something going on. I was gripped and kept wondering what else was going to happen. I did enjoy the suspense of will the curse be lifted and will they live happily ever after? 

Whilst the majority of the POV was from the main character Vivi, there were little moments when it switched to Rhys. There were just random moments, but you always knew when it was a change of POV. It wasn’t very long, but you got the gist of what was going on with Rhys. I have come to appreciate dual perspectives, I think that it adds something extra to the story. 

The characters were excellent. I loved the main characters’ humour and relationship. I also loved the family relationship that Vivi had with her Aunt and Cousin and I enjoyed reading about Rhys and his family. 

Lastly the settings. I loved the Halloween village, the shop, Vivi’s place of work and the description of (one of) Rhys family home, basically everything! There was enough description to give you a good idea of where you were without overpowering what the characters were up to. 

Overall I loved this book and highly recommend it if you want a Halloween Rom Com.  

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #popularbooks #romance #fantasy #witches #halloween #romcom

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”, “halloween”, “romance”, “witches”, “fantasy”, “popular books”

Friday 56 – The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Welcome to Friday 56! Hosted by Freda’s Voice, you turn to page 56 or 56% in any book or reading device and pick a sentence that grabs you.

My book of the week is The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (click for link to Goodreads)

Book Description From Goodreads:

“Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently…

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene’s new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she’s up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.”

FRIDAY 56 QUOTE

“‘Imminent disaster takes priority over on-the-job testing,’ Irene said. ‘Let’s see what’s going on out there.'”

The quote shows how calm the main character is in a crisis. I love her strength and how she deals with anything that is thrown at her.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #friday56 #bookquote #fantasy #scifi #mystery #autumnreading #fallreading

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “mystery”, “entertaining”, “what book should I read next”, “book quote”, “fantasy”, “sci fi”, “mystery”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”

Thursday Quotables – The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies, this is where you share a favorite quote, line, or passage from your reading each week!

Each week I chose a Book of the Week to take part in this (and other) book memes. This week my chosen book is The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (click for link to Goodreads):

 “‘I and Mr Strongrock are agents of a library which exists between the alternate worlds. Our task is to collect books for the Library from all those worlds, to preserve them.’”

There are so many quotes that I could have chosen, but I didn’t want to spoil it and reveal too much. The quote that I have chosen is a good explanation as to what the main character actually does. It is reiterated and explained a couple of times, which I appreciate as it can get a bit confusing.

Book Description From Goodreads:

“Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently…

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene’s new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she’s up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.”

#lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #thursdayquotables #quotes #bookquotes #autumnreading #fallreading #mystery #scifi #fantasy

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “mystery”, “sci fi”, “fantasy”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”

Saturday Night Reading

Another short night for reading, but I did manage to read something in all three of my current books.

First up I managed to read a decent amount in my Blog Tour book Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose. I am still very much enjoying it and I only notice how long it is when my wrists start to ache from holding it too long! Whilst I am very behind I should still finish reading and reviewing it with plenty of time to spare.

I then moved on to my buddy read, The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont. Both my sister and I have agreed that whilst it is a good book, neither of us is rushing to pick it back up. I am hoping that it will get better. We are only one third of the way through so there is still hope!

Lastly I read a couple of pages of my library book, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, just so that I didn’t feel guilty at not having read any of it this evening. I feel that even if only a couple of pages are read that is still progress!

Tomorrow is my son’s 4th birthday party so I am expecting another late night and not much reading time. We shall see. It starts at 1pm so…

I hope that you have all had a good Saturday. Tomorrow on the Blog it’s Sunday Post, Sunday Salon and a fun book tag that I came across.

#classicbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #bookaddict #bookshelf #goodreads #reads #bookaholic #reader#bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #instabook #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookaholic #booklove #bestseller #instabooks #bookclub #library

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “popular”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “library book”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “mystery”, “reading slump” “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “popular books”

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros – Circe by Madeline Miller

It’s First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday! Hosted by Socrates Book Reviews this is where you share the first paragraph of one of the books that you are currently reading. Each week I will choose a book of the week (which will be one of the books that I am currently reading) and that book will take part in this book blog meme:

This week my book of the week is Circe by Madeline Miller (click for link to Goodreads) published 10 April 2018.

“When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousand cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities. We spoke to fish and nurtured flowers, coaxed drops from the clouds or salt from the waves. That word, nymph, paced out the length and breadth of our futures. In our language, it means not just goddess, but bride.”

I chose this library book because I wanted to read a mythology retelling and this popular book seemed like a good start.

Book Description From Goodreads:

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.”

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #firstchapterfirstparagraph #bookquote #quote #popularbook #mythology

“book blog”, “don’t miss out”, “entertaining”, “first chapter first paragraph”, “book quotes”, “goodreads”

My Book Of The Week – Circe by Madeline Miller

Welcome to my Book Of The Week post! Each week I will highlight one of the books that I am currently reading and use that book to participate in blog memes such as First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, Thursday Quotables and Friday 56. Feel free to read along with me!

This week I have chosen Circe by Madeline Miller (click for link to Goodreads) published 10 April 2018. It was also Goodreads Choice Winner in 2018.

Book Description From Goodreads:

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.”

I have wanted to read a Mythology Retelling for a while now and I remember seeing this one around a lot, so thought that I would give it a go! It is my current library book.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #bookoftheweek #mythology

“book blog”, “don’t miss out”, “entertaining”, “what books do you recommend”, “what book should I read next”

Saturday Night Reading

I am back from holidaying in Wales! I managed to get a fair amount read whilst I was away which I am pleased about. I even managed to finish one of my Blog Tour books, The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom. An excellent book, with my review being due on 15 August.

I have made a decent start on my other Blog Tour book Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose over my holiday week and am now 1/6 of the way through. I wasn’t going to read any Blog Tour books on holiday, but the size and timescales meant that I had to. I have no regrets!

Back to this evening, in addition to reading Quarter to Midnight, I have read a fair amount of my library book, Circe by Madeline Miller (a long book that is losing my interest, but I will see it through as I have read 79%) and made a start on my buddy read The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont. I have high hopes for The Christie Affair so we shall see how it progresses. We are aiming to read it in 3 weeks with each week meeting (virtually) to discuss what has happened (that’s the idea anyway!).

I hope that you have had a good Saturday. Tomorrow on the Blog it’s Sunday Post and Sunday Salon with maybe an evening post if I have time!

#classicbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #bookaddict #bookshelf #goodreads #reads #bookaholic #reader#bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #instabook #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookaholic #booklove #bestseller #instabooks #bookclub #thriller #romance

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “popular”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “free”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “thriller”, “mystery”, “reading slump”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “popular books”

Monday Night Reading

As with yesterday, it’s not been an overly long evening for reading, however I feel that I have been more productive than yesterday and actually got round to reading all three of my current books; The 13th Assassin by Frank Malley, Retreat To The Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas and Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. I spent around half an hour on each book and whilst this isn’t a huge amount of time, good progress was made.

I am enjoying all three, however if I had to choose a favourite it would be The 13th Assassin. I am now 80% of the way through and can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

I hope that you have had a good Monday. Tomorrow is Top Ten Tuesday and First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday.

#booklover #bookaddict #booklove #booklovers #readersofinstagram #tbr #bookworms #booksofig #alwaysreading #bookrecommendation #bookaesthetic #bookishlife #readstagram #girlswhoread #readersofinsta #bookishpost #bookrec #booksbooksandmorebooks #bookreviewers #bookblogger #booklover #riotgrams #booksbooksbooks #booksonbooks #currentlyreading #retreattothespanishsun #the13thassassin #recklessgirls #summerreads #romance #thriller #library

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “popular”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “romance”, “mystery”, “reading slump” “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “popular books”