Hex the Halls

by Madeleine Eliot

It’s three days until Christmas, and Sage has only one thing keeping her from the cozy comfort of home and family at the holidays.

Unfortunately, that one thing is Dr. Alec Ashcroft, the cold and condescending postdoc in the magical portomancy department, who also happens to stand in the way of Sage’s degree.

But when portal magic goes awry, Sage finds herself trapped with her arch-nemesis and learns that Alec is far less frigid than she’d believed.

Hex the Halls is a cozy, academic rivals to lovers paranormal romance with Christmas vibes and spicy heat.

Genres: Holiday, Christmas, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Novella, Romance

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2024

About the author

Madeleine Eliot loves to read and write spicy romantasy with all of the best tropes. Dubbed the “Queen of Cozy” by her readers, Madeleine enjoys writing romantasy that is all vibes and spice, with a dash of adventure and world-building. She is always working on her next book, which is probably another spicy romantasy. Follow her adventures and latest works at instagram.com/madeleineeliotwrites

Reviews

[Jenna🦇 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️

my first ever christmas themed read and this was literally so cute! perfect amount of spice too. loved it!

[The Love Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute snowed in romance between Sage and her grumpy graduate advisor, Alec! Sage has viewed Alec as the bane of her existence throughout her PhD journey, but a few nights together in a cabin shows Sage just how much Alec has wanted her all these years.

I liked the cozy paranormal vibes combined with the Christmas cheer. It was fun watching these two banter and cozy up to each other once Alec’s vulnerable side was revealed.

TROPES: novella; Christmas; paranormal; soft rivals to lovers; forced proximity (snowed in)

[Kelsey McCullar · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Madeleine remains an immediate read for me.

Love love love this cozy spicy Christmas story! The perfect sprinkling of word building, spice, and heartwarming moments were neatly packed into this pretty little package. Definitely recommend reading with a hot cocoa in hand, sitting by the Christmas tree. ❤️

[Linda at LinkWithLinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cozy and magical novella with Ali Hazelwood vibes.

Do you like hot cocoa? Hallmark holiday movies? Witches? How about a smart and sullen man with a soft side? If so, this novella is for you!

Grab your cozy socks and your mug of cocoa and jump through this portal right now!

[briethebookishluxen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hex the Halls by @madeleineeliotwrites is a cosy and witchy romance between two academic rivals!!! 🎄✨

Blurb: It’s three days until Christmas, and Sage has only one thing keeping her from the cozy comfort of home and family at the holidays.

Unfortunately, that one thing is Dr. Alec Ashcroft, the cold and condescending postdoc in the magical portomancy department, who also happens to stand in the way of Sage’s degree.

But when portal magic goes awry, Sage finds herself trapped with her arch-nemesis and learns that Alec is far less frigid than she’d believed.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely adored this novella! Sage is amazing and I love her sunny vibes. Alec is a handsome grumpy sunshine that I would do anything for. Combine a heartwarming yet sexy enemies-to-lovers plot and a magical cabin during the holidays?!?! I am instantly sold!!! 🥵

This is the perfect holiday novella to cosy up near a raging fire and drink hot cocoa with. Thank you to Madeleine Eliot for writing yet another wonderful and festive story! 😊

#hexthehalls #madeleineliot #review #bookrecommendation #bookobsessed #instabook #booklovers #instabooks #fiction #readingtime #currentlyreading #readmorebooks #author #amreading #novel #ilovebooks #booksofig #romance #bookishlove #authorsofinstagram #readersofig #igbooks #writersofinstagram #literature #bookaesthetic #love #booklife

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

GASP! If Ali Hazelwood had a witchy Christmas baby, this book would be the result. This was such a cute and cozy Christmas read! So, let's break it down. After Sage learned that Alec, her postdoc rival at the Academy, caused an issue with her latest project, a portal mishap caused them to get stuck in a cabin days away from Christmas. Alec has always been cold and stand-offish, but with a fire to keep them warm, Sage finds there might be more to him than she originally thought.
I can't recommend this enough for a quick, cute, spicy, Christmas read!

Check this out if you like:

*witchy reads
*office rivals
*enemies to lovers

[Clara (bookish_clara) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was such a quick and fun little Christmas novella and as expected I absolutely loved Madeleines writing and the little world she created in this PNR. It had just the right amount of plot, world building, spice and all the cosy Christmas feelings.

[Heather (life_is_booked) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchy. Academia. Christmas. Rivals to Lovers. Forced Proximity. Perfection!!!

I absolutely adored this novella!! Madeleine coming in again with the cozy story vibes!!

Sage and Alec are swoon-worthy!!

🎄❤️🥰

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

magical novella

This was magical, cozy and fun. Perfect for any quick holiday novella reading. Not everyone can succeed at creating a wonderful story in under 100 pages but Madeline definitely did here, I would love to read more about Sage and Alec!

[Cherazed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again I will read whatever she writes

[Kayla Marie Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not one for contemporary romance, but This quick novella was so cozy, and perfect for the holidays! I loved the playful banter, and the grumpyxsunshine trope!

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

bah humbug

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I think about this, except that I don't think I like it.

It's too rushed and I think too much time was spent on his dead parents, and the FMC handles it really poorly. It also really reminded me of The Love Hypothesis in the setup and felt very derivative but also sprinted through those plotpoints at lightning speeds.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little Christmas novella.

It started off with some cute humor and a good plot. Academic rivals who are stuck together in a cabin and can't leave because of the snow storm and no way to get back through the portal. I mean, I love a forced proximity trope.

This started off really cute. Three days they’re stuck together and I liked the vibe they had going together.

But...there's this little thing called insta-love and I just do not...no, scratch that...I hate insta-love. It feels too forced and it gives me the ick. Granted the insta-love came more in the epilogue BUT it’s only a week later from the story.

While Sage and Alec are super adorable together, and I know this was only 100 pages, I would have rather been waiting for them to finally kiss at the end than for Alec to be like "I love you" 🤷🏼‍♀️ Just too much, too soon.

I didn't feel like we got a lot of actual communication between the two for it to be believable that there were feelings after such a short time. I wish we got more depth with this. I totally understand the tension and I was here for it.

Again, if this was a full on novel, I would have loved it! I liked the writing style and I liked the characters. This was my first read of Madeleine Eliot and I've been wanting to read her other books for a while. Based on the style of writing, I definitely will give them a go! I just think this was too fast paced for me with everything that goes down.

If you want a super cheesy and cute Christmas novella, here ya go! I think for me, it just ended too fast with too much "magical" "love" talk. We say “magical” a lot and I wish I found it to be cuter LOL sorry. Still a cute story.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hex the Halls is the latest and greatest creation the lovely @madeleineeliotwrites has bestowed upon the world for our reading pleasure!

It’s three days until Christmas and all Sage wants to do is successfully argue her thesis and get home to her family to celebrate the holidays…but her arch nemesis, the annoyingly hot postdoc of the portomancy department Dr. Alec Ashcroft is standing in her way…things go sideways on the day she’s supposed to leave and they both find themselves falling through a portal and landing in a wintery local neither one of them want to be in, especially with each other…

We’ve got all the good tropes (forced proximity, enemies/rivals-to-lovers, one bed, a shared love for the greatest Halloween movie ever made, etc.). I loved that I could enjoy this wintery, cozy, spicy, realistic (minus the whole magic and falling through portals thing) short story without having to ever deal with snow…or the cold weather. It’s 64 degrees out and ☀️ right now and that’s more than cold enough for me. I’ll let the fictional characters deal with all that snowy crap. 😂🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

This was a really quick, but great read! I was left craving pancakes and the urge to go tour an old, gothic university somewhere.

[Sebastian (bookish_millennial) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️

What a cute, cozy, witchy Christmas novella! I’m usually definitely not into the fluffy romance books but since this one was witches and enemies to lovers, I gave it a try and was not disappointed! I absolutely loved Sage & Alec and their furry familiars. All of them accidentally fall into a portal, trapping them in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. A cabin that is a little meddlesome, which made me giggle. For being a short book, I felt like it was very well paced, and we got enough character connection and back story, not to mention some spice! Give this one a go if you’re looking for a quick, cozy Christmas read with some sugar & spice!

Fav quotes:
“Alec had called me brilliant. And gorgeous. And an asset. Something in my mind tilted on its axis, making my heart beat just a bit faster.”

“I told you. You’re gorgeous and brilliant. I’d be a fucking fool to not want you.”

“As long as I get to be with you, we can hex the blasted halls as much as you like.”

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really had high hopes for this book. The premise sounded interesting and fun. I was really excited to get stuck into reading this.

However, I think it just fell a bit short to my expectations. And I honestly think that was because how short this book is did not do it any justice. I didn’t realise this was a Novella when I downloaded it. So much more could have been done with the storyline and the characters, their development, and just the book in general. The shortness makes it feel rushed and the insta-love makes it feel cheap — particularly when they go from loathing each other to being in love by page 20.

The spice level was good, but I felt that it was rushed. Parts of scenes felt missing and it really didn’t help the storyline.

I liked what I read and the actual writing was easy to read, and it was good… the rouble was the pacing, hence why this book needed at least 300 pages. This novella definitely doesn’t do the author, her writing, or the storyline justice by any means.

[Satchel Paige (Southernbellbookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’ll put a spell on you!

This was a super fun read and although short, had a good amount of plot to include some of my favorite tropes: forced proximity, only one bed, rivals to lovers, he falls first and hard.

Alec is the office grinch and Sage is the Cindy-Lou to this story, full of Christmas cheer. An accidental portal mishap leaves these two snowed in together and as Sage finds out why Alec dislikes Christmas and his feelings towards her, she’s quick to let him know he’s not alone. I love how Alec is in her corner about her work and is super swoony with asking permission to touch and do with her.

This is sweet, the right amount of spice for the length, gives you all the cozy vibes our Cozy Queen is known for, with the PNR aspect of witches and wizards (which speaks to my HP and Hocus Pocus heart as well)!! Thanks Madeleine for this surprise release! It was a great fun holiday read that will suck you in and make you want more from these two!

[The.strawberry.bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖Book Review📖

Hex the halls

Omg I loved reading this, it was a quick easy witchy/christmassy read. The spice was so good and I loved the banter and chemistry between Alec and Sage.

I found it really nice to read about Alec opening up and being vulnerable with Sage. Those moments really pulled at my heart strings.

And I liked how Sage was there for Alec and recognised that she judged him before she actually properly knew him.

Overall a really great quick read, I wish it was longer because I didn’t want it to end and hope there will be more in this series.

Tropes

🧙🏻‍♀️Witch x wizard romance
🔮Hocus pocus references
🌶️Spicy
❤️‍🔥Academic rivals to lovers
🌓Grumpy x sunshine
😏Forced proximity
😍He falls first
📖Novella
🌨️Snowed in
🎄Witchy Christmas
🩷Instalove

Content warnings

Pretty sure there are no triggers warnings in this book, but still check for your own piece of mind.

4-4.5⭐️
3🌶️

[Lauren G · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐️ 2/5 🌶

This was the perfect little witchy holiday novella! Honestly, Madeline smashed it again. I adore all of her books, they are like a sweet and spicy hug.

Sage and Alec are academic rivals to lovers who accidentally get sucked into a portal together and transported to a small cabin where they don’t have access to a lot of magic (or cell service) and the blizzard will mean they are stuck there over Christmas. Sage always thought that grumpy Alec hated her, but as they spend more time together, she is realizing that maybe she has been mistaken for far too many years…

I would have read an entire novel with them! A novella means that the story is told rather quick, and while it was, it managed to get a lot of feeling into it still. But I wished it really had been longer!!!

[brook.talks.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little novella is perfect!

It's got everything you could want in a short Christmas novella! And it's super cozy because, well, @madeleineeliotwrites is the absolute Queen of Cozy... that's why!

Check this one out if you love:
• enemies (or arch-nemesis) to lovers
• academia setting
• witchy vibes (with hocus pocus references!!)
• short and sweet christmas romance
• a cat named binx

Definitely read this with a mug of hot cocoa and some cozy socks on! It's the perfect Christmas read! 🎄

[amanda kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always really impressed when a writer drops you into a new world with minimal exposition but zero confusion. This was 100 pages of Christmas academic rivals to lovers fluff, with plenty of Christmas magic, actual magic, and romance magic. It’s set in a contemporary world, so easy to follow there, but the magical Academy, how magic via leylines worked, the familiars, etc. was refreshing and fun. At 100 we’re not getting into complex plot or world-building, but Sage realizing Alec may not be the nemesis she thought he was was very sweet. The socks 🥹 Read for a light Christmas-y pick me up!

[ReadWithKate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short novella about two academic magic rivals who get stranded together during Christmas.
Sage is a clever witch and I really enjoyed her relationship with Alec, who's not as cold as people think.
He also helps her through her academic studies, especially since their being sabotaged.
I loved that both of their familiars are named after Hocus Pocus characters!
This is a very sweet Christmas novella and the perfect read for the Holidays!

Tw: sabotage, sexual content.

[Kalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute little Christmas story. Snowed in forced proximity. Christmas. Magic.
Starts a bit magical academic rivalry. Then turns into a wonderfully cozy read. A bit of spice. Big time butterflies. I felt warm from my head to my toes. The chemistry they have! And the way he talks to her, marvelous!
I had a fantastic time reading this. Perfect for this time of year or when you are looking for a short romantic cozy read. I would highly recommend.

[Ashlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t ready to let go of the holiday season, just yet, so I decided to read Madeline’s warm and cosy, witchy Christmas romance. I have to say, I actually wish this was a whole book. Sitting at about 90 pages, I would have loved to keep reading this story! I loved the premise and I adored the characters. I’m always happy to read these kind of stories. And rivals to lovers is also one of my favorite tropes!

[A. Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ☆'s

This book reminded me why Madeleine Eliot is rapidly becoming an autobuy author for me. It was cozy, spicy, well told perfection. I loved this book so much, and honestly, I would read an entire full-length book full of Sage and Alec. Ok, I want a full-length book of them in this world. It was fun, and I was a little sad it went by so fast.

I loved this read, 10/10 recommend. If I didn't already have a physical copy I would be running out to grab one.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I will read anything Madeleine writes, honest to god.

This was cosy, fun, exciting! I loved every minute of it. I loved the way the romance came to life in such little pages, for being such a short read it didn't feel rushed or even pushed together at all.

We meet Sage and Dr. Ashcroft just a few days before Christmas, rivals out to get each other, or so it seems. The pair end up falling through a portal and get stranded in a cabin the middle of nowhere, with no magic, no way to get home and no way to contact anyone due to the snow storms! You can work out what happens next...

This was super fun, and I loved every minute of it. I can't wait to see the rest in the series, I could have read 300 pages of these guys, I loved them!

What to expect:
• witch & wizard
• rivals to lovers
• forced proximity
• cosy cute christmas read

[Joanna Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a quick, cozy, and spicy read this Christmas, I highly recommend checking this one out.✨️

Grab a cozy blanket, slip on your favorite socks, and sip on some hot chocolate and immerse yourself in the cozy vibes.

Madeleine, you never fail to amaze me! Your writing just gets better and better with every book. 🫶🏽

[Kelsey Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like witches, Christmas, and a little spice this is the book for you.
They’re academic rivals in a magic university. They accidentally fall through a portal and end up stuck in his parents abandoned magical cabin over Christmas.

They end up learning a lot about each other including his crush on her for the past 3.5 years.

And it’s just stinken cute.

[Kayce B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick, witchy, cozy holiday read about rivals-to-lovers who are forced to spend the three days before Christmas stuck in a cabin during a blizzard after accidentally falling through a portal.

It’s cute and low angst with some mild spice. A nice little holiday novella.