Hexes & Vexes

by Nova Blake

Old wounds are hard to close; especially when someone pries them open.

Small towns are full of gossip, and Mia is pretty sure that no one in her hometown of Okato has ever stopped talking about her. Cast off by her best friend, blamed for a local tragedy – Mia had no choice but to run away.

Now, ten years later, she’s being dragged back.

Something’s wrong with her big sister, Camilla, and her younger sister, Poppy, is panicking. At first, Mia just wants to check in and get out of town again as soon as possible. But when strange occurrences start to pile up, she realizes that there is something more than her perpetual bad luck at play; and the traces of magic she finds in her childhood home suggests that whatever is going on with Camilla could be caused by hexes, too.

Mia is determined to find out what’s going on. If she can stop getting distracted by the hunky painter renovating her childhood bedroom, that is.

Screw running away again.

It's time to bury the past once and for all.

Genres: Fantasy

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2020

About the author

Nova Blake is a paranormal romance author based in New Zealand. She has an abundance of animals and children and it's a wonder how she gets anything done!

She enjoys coffee (and lots of it), devouring good books, and sleep (though she never gets enough).

Reviews

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I should've read this in one sitting but this just couldn't get into me. First of all I read this because I got curious by the 'contemporary witchy fiction' thingy because I never read one (expect the ones I read weren't contemporary) and I don't think I can do so again. For some reason, this book was good if I wasn't the reader. Not for me.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much I devoured it in a single sitting! I blame the prose. It's so smooth and easy to read that the whole thing just slips gently down... why can't more books have this lovely finish?! I liked that it's a very gentle story too, with an estranged sister coming back to her siblings, and to the woman who was once her best friend, and healing her relationships with them. Magic helps her to do it, but it's mostly the willingness to try that's the key here.

There's also a magpie called Rufus. He's awesome, and I've never said that about a magpie before.

[Barbara Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenage girl begs her older sister, Mia, to come home to rescue their third sister, Camilla, from a hex. When Mia arrives after ten years away, she has to confront the fallout from an old tragedy: her best male friend in high school died and the town blames her for his death. Another old friend, Georgia, is embittered and still angry with Mia.

This was an engaging and uplifting story about the complexities of friendships and family ties and the necessity of both letting go and taking responsibility for one’s actions. The new romance was superfluous to the main plot; the real action was between the four women: Mia, her sisters, and Georgia.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After many years, Mia returns to her hometown. Her baby sister Poppy is desperate that something is wrong with her big sister Camille

Long buried hate and pain between Mia and former bff Georgia has left both damaged and bitter

Can the anger and pain of the past be cleansed and new beginnings be found for them all?

Magic and friendships gone sideways

[Anna Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and uplifting story about revisiting the wounds of the past, dealing with family and making peace. I love the cast of characters, particularly the three central sisters, and I loved the evocative descriptions of small town New Zealand. A very enjoyable novella about the magic of letting go.

[Elizabeth Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

While nominally a romance, the focus was more on the relationship between the sisters, which I rather enjoyed. However, the author seemed confused about the differences between Australian and European magpies.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

This was a good read. A little cheesy for me. This is not my usual genre but I like this author. It is a well written story just not my jam.

[Nikssi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book to read on a rainy Saturday. It is nicely light and charming.

[Madeleine Booth-Smits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely fun story. Great sassy characters. Loved the conflicts and reunions. Look forward to reading more from this author.

[Jamie Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, touching magical story. Loved the relationship between the sisters, it all felt very real <3

[Sam Schenk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet release

Wonderfully satisfying romance and sweet resolution of past trauma set in a small New Zealand town. Enjoyable bite size read.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

warm and fuzzy

A well written and warm and fuzzy witchy tale. Comfort reading, just the way it should be. I hope she writes more Mia stories.

[Psyckers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic little witchy book where the characters are well rounded. There is enough content in this book for a fully fledged novel or even a series. So hopefully we'll get further adventures of Mia and friends soon.