“Never mix vodka and witchcraft.”
If you fell in love with the witchy charm, laugh-out-loud humour, and swoony romance in The Ex Hex by Rachel Hawkins, you’re probably searching for more books that capture that same magical spark. Luckily, there are plenty of romance books like The Ex Hex that mix paranormal twists with small-town cosiness, spellbinding love stories, and just the right amount of Halloween vibes. Whether you’re drawn to witchy rom books full of banter, magical romance books with enchanting heroines, or paranormal romance novels that balance spooky fun with heartwarming relationships, this list has you covered. Perfect for fans of Rachel Hawkins, kick off spooky season with these recommendations for your next favourite witchy romance. From cosy fall tales to quirky paranormal romances, here are the best books like The Ex Hex for your TBR pile.
The Ex Hex Summary
Nine years ago, Vivinne Jones nursed her broken heart like any witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths, and a curse on her horrible ex. 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’ll cause too much trouble. That is, until Rhys Penhallow returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should have been just a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. And when one calamity after another strikes Rhys, Vivi realises 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.
Check Out The Best Rachel Hawkins Books In Order
Payback’s A Witch – Lana Harper
First up on our list of books like The Ex Hex is Lana Harper’s Payback’s a Witch. Emmy Harlow is a witch, albeit not a very powerful one. Her self-imposed exile from her hometown of Thistle Grove has a lot to do with a complicated family history and an urge to forge her own path in life. And only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore. But when a spellcasting tournament approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition is strong enough to haul Emmy back.
On her first night back home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov – an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts – who is fresh from a bad breakup… with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to learn that Gareth was seeing Emmy’s best friend, Linden. And now she and Linden both want revenge. Only question is: Is Emmy in? But most concerning of all: Why can’t Emmy stop thinking about the terrifyingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia?
The Burning Pages – Paige Shelton
One of the best cosy mystery books like The Ex Hex is Paige Shelton’s, The Burning Pages. One winter’s night, bookseller Delaney Nichols and her coworker Hamlet are invited to a Burns Night dinner, a traditional Scottish celebration of the poet Robert Burns. She’s perplexed by the invitation, but intrigued. The dinner takes place at the Burns House itself, a tiny cottage well hidden from the world.
There, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hamlet were summoned in an attempt to make amends between Edwin, Delaney’s boss, and one of the other invitees, who suspected Edwin of burning down his own bookshop twenty years ago after a professional disagreement. But, after dinner, there’s another fire. The Burns House is burned to the ground. There’s a body in the ruins. When Hamlet is accused of the crime, Delaney rushes to prove his innocence, only to learn that he might actually have a plausible motive…
Witch Please – Ann Guirre
Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch – daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included far too much family “feedback,” Danica made a pact with her cousin: they’ll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs.
Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy’s bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he has left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime’s worth of terrible luck in love. That is, until he meets Danica. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she’s the one. To her, he’s the firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned, mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?
Small Town, Big Magic – Hazel Beck
As a local indie bookstore owner and youngest-ever Chamber of Commerce president, Emerson Wilde would do anything for her hometown of St. Cyprian, Missouri. She may be descended from a witch who was hanged in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials, but there’s no sorcery in doing your best for the town you love, right?
But as she prepares Main Street for an annual festival, Emerson notices strange things happening. Strange things that culminate in a showdown with her arch-rival, Mayon Skip Simon. It turns out that witches are real. And Emerson is one of them. But she has little time to explore those powers, or her blossoming relationship with her childhood friend, cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North: an ancient evil has awakened, and it’s up to her and her friends to save everything she loves.
The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches – Sangu Mandanna
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mindle and draw attention. Her one outlet is an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, urging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to use their magic.
Mika arrives and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers… and Jamie. The handsome, prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. But as Mika finds her place at Nowhere House, the thought of finally belonging somewhere begins to feel like a genuine possibility.
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Not The Witch You Wed – April Asher
Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thone – the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves over time.
The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance – along with Violet’s magic – they both realise there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after again. Her book similar to The Ex Hex, April Asher brings all the hilarity and sweet, sexy moments you love in a romantic comedy to a spell-binding new series about being sexy, single, and supernatural in New York City.
Go Hex Yourself – 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 favourite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she’s applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch. 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 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. 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, in this similar book to The Ex Hex.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
