Hexed and Hitched

Mystic Hollow #1

by Stephanie Damore

Sometimes, the most magical love stories are the ones that have been right in front of you all along. There are worse things in life than being in love with your best friend—like being his fake fiancee.Until then, I felt like I had a handle on things. Sure, I was a hot mess when it came to magic—but my wedding planning business was thriving, and I got to secretly admire Troy every day at work. (Who was winning? Me, that's who.)But when an unexpected curse sends Troy scrambling for a fake fiancée, the line between reality and fantasy blurs. Soon, sparks are flying in every magical direction. (Is it getting hot in here? No, just me? Cool.)Will our charade lead to the happily ever after I've secretly craved, or will it shatter the very foundation of my carefully curated world? Guess I'm about to find out. Wish me luck.Hexed and Hitched is a witchy romantic comedy full of magic, friendship, and laughter. It's the first book in a series of stand alone romances set in the enchanted town of Mystic Hollow.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Audiobook, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Magic, Ebooks

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2023

About the author

I'm a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and humor, too. I love all things girlie with a dollop of danger, have a strong affinity for the color pink (especially in diamonds and champagne), and, not to brag, but chocolate and I are in a pretty serious relationship.

My books are fun and flirty, and feature smart and sassy sleuths. If you love books with a dash of spice and twist of whodunit, you're going to love my work!

Reviews

[Gabrielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I thought I was getting: fake engagement, friends to lovers.
What I got: him trying to get married to his exes instead of her?!?
And then literally a few pages at very end of them finally confessing their true feelings? Omfg I haven't been this irritated reading a book in a really long while and I only kept reading because I was waiting for them to finally come clean and then seriously it was entire book of this mess.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and fun little paranormal romance that can easily be finished in a day.

The story follows Avery, a witch who can read emotions, and Troy, a shifter. They’ve been best friends since they were young, secretly crushing on each other the whole time. When Troy’s ex-girlfriend puts a hex on him after their breakup, he ends up faking an engagement with Avery. From there, the story takes a lighthearted turn, filled with funny moments.

It was a light, easy, cute read. A few things I didn’t quite enjoy were the nickname “Butterfly”, the male narrator’s voice, and the back-and-forth on who Troy was going to marry (if you read it, you’ll know what I mean).

Overall, it was an okay read. Nothing spectacular, but a decent pick if you’re in the mood for a fast, magical romcom with the following:

🔮 Best friends to lovers
🍂 Fake engagement
🔮 Mutual pining
🍂 Paranormal romance
🔮 Small town vibes
🍂 Magic & spells
🔮 Shifter x witch
🍂 Dual POV

[Steph Spone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. I knew the twist, but not all of it. Fun read.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avery and Troy have been in love with each other since they were kids but Troy has always felt he was never good enough for Avery so he has been taking a potion to mask his true feelings when he’s around her all these years. Thus she feels they’re just best friends and he will never have the same feelings she has for him. When his latest girlfriend decides to hex him after he breaks up with her, he puts Avery on the spot by announcing that she is his fiancé and she goes along with it. Things get hilarious funny as the hex takes over and Troy gets what he so richly deserves, even though Avery tries to help him out! In the end it’s her grandmother who comes to his aid though she should have made him suffer a while longer!

Avery’s profession is a wedding planner and she is totally heartbroken when Troy decides to break the hex he is under by marrying but not marrying Avery!
He decides on a former girlfriend and has Avery plan the wedding! On the day of the wedding you won’t believe all the things that happen that day!! It’s a day
everyone will remember for the rest of their lives!!

I loved this story and the unexpected twists at the end that left everyone experiencing a happy ever after! This was a fun read that I enjoyed but even being a guy I wanted to throttle Troy for not being truthful with Avery and sharing his real feelings with her! If he only had done so, so much heartache and pain could have been eliminated in Avery’s life and in
others as well!

I recommend this book but guys let this be a lesson and a blueprint for you on how NOT to go about telling a girl how you feel about her! Just flat out TELL HER!! Find out and do both of you a big favor early!

I recommend this book as one I believe you’ll enjoy and that you’ll also recommend to your friends to read as well!

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - quit at 44%
Wow, just annoying. I should have quit sooner than I did, but I hoped Troy could somehow redeem himself. I guess in this author’s light paranormal world (other than him shifting to a hawk, or the witch who curses him, by the 44%, there really wasn’t much paranormal experiences in the book -other than mentions of witches, spells, hexes/curses, but I guess shifters don’t have fated mates in this, cause Troy swears he’s in love with Avery since they were kids, but he does the stupidest stuff, that are actually horrible towards Avery. He’s sleeping around (basic man-whore) with all these women, that everyone assumes he’s a playboy who won’t settle down, while his internal dialogue is that he loves only Avery. So how can he sleep around but only love her? She knows he’s sleeping around too! He totally deserves the hex to be impotent! I hoped he’d come around, but when he told her he’d never marry her so she could find love, because he didn’t want to saddle her with himself (he thinks he’s not worthy of her), I absolutely hated him, there was no coming back from that, I couldn’t read any more about him. Yea, according to Troy’s thoughts, she could find someone so much better than himself, I totally agree. Luckily this was free on Amazon, but I am deleting this from my library.

At my age (62), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic first book in a very promising paranormal series by an author that makes you want more! Hexed and Hitched gets you from the beginning and you just can't put it down until the end. With a bit of humor, some magic and romance all rolled into one and you have a winning book! In this one, Avery and Troy are best friends who run a wedding planning business together. When one of their client brides gets kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, Troy a falcon shifter finds the bride and brings her back for the wedding. Then one of Troy’s exes curses him and the only way to break the curse is to get married, Avery, who is secretly in love with Troy, volunteers. She doesn't want to see him marry someone else. He balks at the idea no realizing that Avery is in love with him and he wouldn't be putting her in a no win situation by tying her down to him. This book had me laughing a lot and I couldn't put it down until the great ending. I can't wait for more! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Javon50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avery Fitzpatrick and her best friend, Troy Hawthorne are finalizing a wedding when the bride disappears. Soon they discover that the bride’s ex, who has never gotten over losing her has attempted to kidnap her. Fortunately for the bride, Troy, a falcon shifter helps to subdue the kidnapper and gets the wedding back on track. Working hard to keep her wedding planning business afloat, she enjoys working with Troy, but she is not sure how he feels about working with her. When one of Troy’s exes curses him and the only way to break the curse is for him to get married, Avery, who is secretly in love with Troy, volunteers but he tells her absolutely not. He reminds her that it is his problem, and not something she needs to worry about. Not sure if she can watch Troy marry someone else, she still promises to help him in any way she can, even if her heart will break watching him marry another woman. This is my honest, voluntary review of an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hexed and Hitched by Stephanie Damore is the first book in a brand-new Mystic Hollow paranormal romance series.

This author is one of my favorites and I absolutely LOVED this book. It was so hard to put down once I picked it up.

Avery and Troy our main characters are besties that run a wedding planner business. When one of the bride clients go missing (kidnapped actually by her Ex boyfriend), Troy finds her and takes her back to the wedding.

This book was so funny and sweet, and I loved the tropes, fake dating, friends to lovers.

Troy is cursed by an ex and the only way to break the curse is to get married. Avery "agrees", oh what a hardship since she is in love with him, tee hee.

I loved the romance and the supernatural characters. Highly recommend this book and cannot wait for more!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a combo paranormal/chick lit. Interesting characters.

Amazon synopsis:
There are worse things in life than being in love with your best friend—like being his fake fiancee.

Until then, I felt like I had a handle on things. Sure, I was a hot mess when it came to magic—but my wedding planning business was thriving, and I got to secretly admire Troy every day at work. (Who was winning? Me, that's who.)

But when an unexpected curse sends Troy scrambling for a fake fiancée, the line between reality and fantasy blurs. Soon, sparks are flying in every magical direction. (Is it getting hot in here? No, just me? Cool.)

Will our charade lead to the happily ever after I've secretly craved, or will it shatter the very foundation of my carefully curated world? Guess I'm about to find out. Wish me luck.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

Avery, a witch, who can feel emotions, is the perfect wedding planner. An empath who knows that her clients clearly love each other. Her best friend, Troy, is a falcon shifter works with her in her business. Each are secretly in love with the other but are afraid of rejection.

When Troy's latest girlfriend, Tessa, refuses to take their breakup seriously, she hexes him. But Troy uses Avery to help calm her temper by claiming that they just got engaged. When Avery's boyfriend, Ryan, comes home from a business trip sooner than planned, Tessa watches him greet her with a kiss. Now Tessa wants revenge for Troy's lies and puts a curse on Troy. The only way to remove it is for him to get married before the next full moon.

An adorable story!!

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avery Fitzpatrick is a wedding planner who works with her best friend and secret crush Troy.
Troy is Avery's handyman, carpenter, and all around helper who is also ex-military with PTSD who has been in love with Avery for as long as he can remember, but doesn't think he's good enough for her so has never told her how he feels.

With a series of hiccups from a crazy ex-girlfriend, and a relationship that Avery is in, it is improbable that these two will get together.

I picked up this story believing that it would be a mystery due the other books that I've read from the author.
It wound up being a women's fiction book that was well written and had a decent bit of humor in it.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, Stephanie Damore, has a fun new series combining romance, magic, and humor. Avery runs a bridal business with her best friend Troy and both long for something more than friendship in their relationship but both think the other is not interested. Also, some hilarious obstacles are in their way. Wonderful characters in a great location that sets up future stories with other residents. Avery’s sister and their grandmother definitely deserve a book of their own. Wonderful scene settings so you can picture that you’re right there and a very magical ending.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Best friends. She loves him and can sense emotions but his has never been of love so she thinks he doesn't feel for her that way.

He loves her. But he thinks he is unworthy of her, she can do so much better than him. She deserves someone better than him. yada yada yada.

While the book started off OK, after a while it got really tiring how both love each other but he decides to marry someone (anyone!) else but her because (see above).

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun start to a new paranormal series! Wedding planners make sure their client’s big event goes perfectly. But, could they be falling for each other? A fun plot, plenty of humor and expert writing make this one a delightful read. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I bypass paranormal romance but this book is by one of my favourite authors. However, I’m glad I did. The twists and turns in the two best friends kept apart by their own assumptions was both funny and a bit sad. Some of the more off the wall characters added to the chuckles. The ending is quite climactic. This looks to be a series and I will definitely pick up a second book

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hexed and Hitched is delightful. Avery, Troy, Gigi and the rest of t he supporting cast grabbed my attention from page one. This well written book is paced perfectly. I love the concept of Avery being a successful wedding planner - but bad at magic. I spent some quality time in Mystic Hollow. It is going to be very hard to wait for the next book!

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book was fun to read, it did have a deeper message. Don’t make assumptions as to what another person is thinking or wants. You will inevitably get it wrong. The lengths to which these two characters went to hide their feelings from each other was often hilarious. I was happy that they figured things out in the end. I enjoyed reading this story!

[Amanda Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that kinda threw me...

Well written and really fun read until the last couple of pages, and then it went off into something saccharine that my 96 year old grandmother would be moony eyed over... lol... it was like, oops, enough pages, bang, we're done, end it quick... I liked the quirky story until the ending hit...

[TheresaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men are crazy

Fun, sweet book with a co-hero that is dumb. I hate it when the women are dumb, but to have the co-hero this stubborn is very irritating! But, he finally owned up to his feeling and will live happily ever after. Good thing too because GiGi was about to rain on his parade!

[Kalynn Yeater · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just wasn’t into this one. I felt like 200 pages of the book was just the two of them going on and on about how the other couldn’t possibly love them. It was just kind of uneventful and boring. Then they get married but nothing is discussed about the curse. Like did it just go away, it was the whole conflict but then not mentioned in the ending. It was just ok.

[Bookz4Hollz1225 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avery and Troy are best friends. They love each other all there lives. When Troy breaks up with an ex she puts a curse on him. Troy and Avery look through all his exes til he finds one to marry. In the end there family help them learn they love each other. Gigi had me laughing so hard.Cute witchy read for October

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will never read another one of her books. I hate tanking a score so low but WTF WAS THIS BS?! It should have been titled “The Consolation Prize.” On principle Avery should never have allowed Troy to continue playing in her face. The ending was really the beginning and the other 98% was a waste of my life. This is a low self esteem type book; what not to accept even if it’s fiction.

[Amy Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Communication is key

The characters could be really enjoyable, but the story is steeped in lies and miscommunication. The story is fairly light on magic for a book called “Hexed and Hitched” and it required a lot of patience to get to the happy ending.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, cute read that took me back to Halloween, fall leaves, and sweater weather.

I enjoyed Avery and Troy’s chemistry and their love grow as the story unfolded. Gigi, was hilarious and an old bat always up to tricks.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is Avery and Troy getting married?

Yes our girl Avery is still wedding planning making dreams come true for some lucky women and their price charmings. Is it going to be Avery's turn to make her dreams come true and who is she marrying ?

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well written, fast paced, humorous story. Also, shows that you should ask questions instead of just assume things. I can't wait to read more from this author. I received this book as a Free copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[Evelyn Goughnour · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book!

Filled with love and magic! Through all the ups and downs of life best friends from childhood, the two main characters of this book are filled with love for each other but neither one tells the other.

[Debi Paglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! The main characters were both so sweet and caring. The settings were well-described. The storyline was compelling, and kept me reading all day to see how it ended. It was easy to read and I Ioved hearing “both sides of the story”. Looking forward to the next one!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fact that the story is told thru Avery who is a wedding planner and her best friend Troy, who is shapeshifter Falcon. The friendship that these two have is good. They are both hiding their feelings from each other. Nice clean story. The Ken scene is unbelievable.

[M.J.Swan · Rating 2 out of 5]

booo on like every level but the ghosty one. This is the reason I don't read friends to lovers that often cause as the heroine pointed out the hero frankly was just a coward. Like literally you are just afraid and you probably don't even deserve her. Grow a pair bro.