Hex and Candy

Hex and Candy is the first book in the Strange Bedfellows series and the twenty-sixth book in the Dreamspun Beyond series. This is the first book that I’ve read by Ashlyn Kane. The book was well written, and I liked the plot. The characters and sub characters were interesting, but the editing could have been better, although it wasn’t too distracting. I liked that this was a book about Cole, a candy maker curse breaker who takes on a client, Leo, who believes he’s been cursed by his vampire ex-boyfriend, Roland. The curse doesn’t allow him to flirt, exchange numbers, or dance with anybody that he’s attracted to. Leo was referred to Cole by a friend.

I was sometimes confused by the main character Cole Alpin. Cole comes from a long line of witches, but while he was growing up he didn’t present a magical ability, so they thought he was a muggle—yes, they did start to call humans that after the Harry Potter books came out.

Up until that point, they were called mundane—so they had him learn a muggle job, and he choose candy making but not chocolate because he has a really bad hazelnut allergy. However, Cole did finally get his magical ability which is curse breaking. So now he has a candy shop where he makes some holistic magical candies in addition to regular candies and on the side he breaks curses. Coles’ grandmother is clairvoyant, and he’s asked her before if he will ever find somebody to love, but she will never tell him yes or no. His cousin Kate also has a way with tarot cards and reads his cards whenever he has a question about what he should do. Now the part that confuses me is how Cole keeps having thoughts about not be able to do something or say something because it is too sexy which is the same problem that Leo has because of his curse. Which keeps making me think that he’s the one that’s cursed which is wrong. If he’s trying not to say or do these things because it would be unprofessional to hit on his client, then it wasn’t explained well enough cause I found it confusing.

I did like how true love’s kiss could break the curse.

I liked Leo Ericson. His first introduction into the paranormal world is when he takes home a one-night stand that turns out to be a vampire. After their relationship dissolves in what Leo thought was amicable terms, he finds that he’s been cursed. And he’s pretty sure it was by his ex-boyfriend. After nearly a year of living with the curse, he’s ready to be done with it and is recommended by a friend to Cole Alpin.

I liked that there were some twist and turns that I wasn’t expecting and that we still got a happily ever after ending.
Overall, a good book and a good addition to the Dreamspun beyond series.

I can’t wait for the next book in the Strange Bedfellows series to come out.

REVIEW BY Annie @ Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter: https://bit.ly/2MIedlI

Ashlyn Kane’s 'Hex and Candy' marks my first five heart review given largely for wordplay. Everything about this novel’s presentation is unique, sharp and witty. It’s also as sweet as its candy store hero, exactly the kind of novel for a light pick-me-up.

Cole Alpin is a late-blooming witch, who is mildly embarrassed by his “inactive” magic powers. He merely breaks curses, but can’t create them, like his much loving, powerful, hex-wielding clairvoyant family. He supports himself as the town confectioner, creating treats with a little magic love added in. But that isn’t real power, is it?

Overcoming his doubts, Cole takes on a case, a spell that left “mundane” (non-magic) Leo unable to flirt. And anyone who tries to flirt with Leo, becomes tongue-tied. Their inability to speak easily explained. Leo is gorgeous, a nurse whose appearance allows him to score easily at clubs.

That’s where he met the vampire he unwittingly invited to snack on his neck. Leo frequently chooses the wrong kind of guy, someone who might finally agree their break-up was inevitable, but whose wounded pride seeks revenge after Leo moves on. Unfortunately, vampires know where to order vengeance spells.

Cole, a man who wears t-shirts with prank sayings, and seems all-too-earnest, would never have considered Leo approachable. But, forced to stay together in order to loosen the spell’s web… Too bad Leo’s hex specifically interferes with their growing attraction. And then there’s another problem. Cole’s clairvoyant family has implied he will remain single.

'Hex and Candy' is a delightful look at power. If just a little bit often gives us muggles a sense of grandeur, imagine the power to yield spells. It can grant the delusion of control.

But what is the source of power? Family and friendship, responsibility to others and self? Is it love, which binds and cuts simultaneously? Because 'Hex and Candy' is set in a magical world, once removed from reality, its messages are subtly rendered.

Ashlyn Kane also turns a variety of writing rules up-side-down. For example, she doesn’t introduce characters. Readers deduce who they are by how they interact. But it works perfectly. My repeated disjointedness paralleled Leo’s shock as he learns more and more nougats of the paranormal world. I could picture Leo portrayed as Cary Grant, his stunned face registering shock, double-take after double-take, as he discovers secret upon secret.

Kane’s humor is front and center, sometimes overtaking her plot for prominence. I consider myself a harsh humor critic, and the wordplay was rarely laugh-aloud. Instead I wore a sly grin, as her witty shrewdness forced me to look at the world through a different lens. It was caramel for the mind, sentences I read and re-read to suck in their deliciousness!

And yet readers are also kept on our toes, knowing broken spells can often take a toll on victim and breaker, alike. Plus, there’s a prideful vampire and a very skilled spellmaker on the loose. Can these two hapless men survive, much less thrive together?

I don’t want to reveal more, but can promise surprises and succulent endings to 'Hex and Candy', a delightfully creative novel. Kudos Ms. Kane. I can’t wait to see what you bring us next in this delightful start to your Strange Bedfellows series.

Leo comes into Cole's candy shop with a strange special request. He has been cursed and wants Cole, supposedly the best curse breaker around, to break the curse. It isn't as easy as it seems. The curse is an old complicated one and Cole has to figure out how to break it. They think it was put on him by an ex-boyfriend a vampire.
I love both of these men. Leo is hot and sexy and I felt sorry for him being cursed and finding out that there are things in the world he thought were all fiction.
Cole is sweet,(pun intended) He loves his candy shop, and some of the candy has magic in them. He slips them to customers to help small things like nerves, stress, stomach aches etc. I could use a lemon fizzy.
This book is chock full of awesome characters, there is Roman the vampire, Nate with a secret, A florist and coffee shop owner and these are just a few of the characters with other sides. I hope they all get stories soon!

The story line is exciting, twists and turns galore and exciting al the way to the very end. I wanted more!