Micro-Reviews: Three Recent Books (Rom-Com Edition)

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Romantic comedies are one of my favourite book genres. After a busy day with work or my kids or being out in social settings with lots of people and noise, it’s so nice to be able to come home and relax with a love story. Of course, some are terrible, but sometimes you come across a gem of a book that you can’t help but recommend to everyone. Here are three of my most recently finished romantic comedies.

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The Ex Hex (Ex Hex, #1) by Erin Sterling

Synopsis (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.

My Thoughts

I don’t read a lot of witchy books, so when I saw this book shared multiple times on Instagram, I was intrigued. I love romantic comedy books, especially ones with a Halloween vibe. Ultimately, when I saw this book and the sequel at Costco, I immediately snatched them up.

This book was so good! I loved Rhys and Vivi and their relationship. I felt that they had great chemistry and Rhys was definitely swoon-worthy in his charming, Welsh ways. The whole premise being set up in the beginning had me cackling and I was immediately invested in seeing what would happen with Rhys and Vivi later on in the book.

I loved the small town vibe, kind of like Stars Hollow but with witches. Vivi and her cousin Gwyn are absolutely hilarious. There’s lots of magic and the whole story doesn’t take itself too seriously. Well, okay, maybe Rhys’s dad does take himself a little too seriously. There’s a lot of change happening within the witch world and Rhys’s father is very much stuck in the old ways.

It’s honestly just a fun, witchy, Halloween romance and I am completely here for it. I am also eager to read more about Rhys’s brothers and hope the next books are about them. If you’re looking for a serious romance, this is not the place, but if you’re looking for something fun that will wish you had magic to turn the pages faster, then this is for you.

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Hook, Line, & Sinker (Bellinger Sisters, #1) by Tessa Bailey

Synopsis (from Goodreads): King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?

My Thoughts

I will admit it, I originally picked up this book based on the cute illustrated cover. I am a SUCKER for these covers! This is the second book in this series, so if you read It Happened One Summer, you probably would have met Hannah and Fox already. They have always been friends and now Hannah is staying with Fox while she’s in town working on a movie.

I loved Hannah and Fox together. Hannah was the strong female, not scared to put Fox in his place. Fox always seemed to second guess what he deserved in life and Hannah, his bestie, was having none of it. They had such great chemistry, even just as friends, and once I learned they had feelings for each other, I couldn’t wait for them to hook up! There is so much sexual tension and that mixed with the friends-to-lovers trope had me completely in love with this story.

This was my first Tessa Bailey and it definitely won’t be my last. And even though I know what happens by the end of the first book, I want to go and read it now, even if it’s just to get a little bit more of Fox and Hannah.

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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, #1) by Abbi Waxman

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own…shell.

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all–or mostly all–excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.

1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

My Thoughts

I felt this book in my soul because Nina and I are one and the same person. Nina prefers a quiet life with her books and avoids situations that could trigger her anxiety and Nina, I feel you.

I love that there was romance in this book, but it wasn’t the main focal point of the story. We had Nina coming out of her shell, while still keeping some boundaries, and finding ways to be with people while still being herself. There are big secrets happening in the story that I won’t spoil, but I promise you, you won’t be disappointed if you read this!

One million stars. I absolutely loved this book. I love Nina and Phil and Liz and Tom and Harold …. okay, I won’t take it THAT far, but ugh! This is one of those books I wish I could experience for the first time again. Absolute perfection! 💯

Abbi Waxman, you are magnificent and I am promptly going out and buying all of your books. This is comfort reading at its finest and I’m so happy I finally read this book!

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Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Have you read any rom-coms recently? I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments!