christmas hexRating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Short story


Years ago, Roland was kicked out of his home when his family found out he was a wolf familiar. They feared Roland was dangerous and would harm them, and ever since he has been totally alone and hiding his true nature. When Roland meets his witch, he is immediately drawn to Gus, but he also knows better than the reveal his secret. Gus seems to like Roland, but once he knows the truth, he will be afraid as well. But Roland can’t help but indulge in spending a little time with the man, just for some good memories before he is alone again.

Gus is a private investigator and, after he is nearly killed on his case, Roland comes along to help. It turns out some thieves have stolen a dangerous hex and have no problem killing people to further their goals. Gus and Roland work together to solve the case and attempt to foil the robbers before more lives are lost. Now Roland must decide if he is brave enough to trust Gus with his secret and hope that there can be a future for them together, if they manage to escape with their lives.

A Christmas Hex is a short holiday story set in Jordan L. Hawk’s Hexworld. Unlike the previous books, this one does not involve the Metropolitan Witch Police, but instead Roland is an author and Gus a private investigator. So if you are not familiar with the series, you could pretty easily jump in here as the story’s plot and characters don’t directly connect with the other books in the series. But honestly, the Hexworld books are amazing, so I would definitely encourage you to give them a try, either before or after this story.

I really liked this quick little jaunt into this world of magic and familiars. The story nicely balances the case of the stolen hex with the romance between Gus and Roland. The case is short, as befits the length of the story, but nicely developed for a short story, and it fits nicely within the larger world Hawk has created. The romance doesn’t have quite as much time as I would have liked to develop, as the story takes place in pretty much a day. That said, there is a “fated mate” element to this world that allows these guys to emotionally connect very quickly, so I could roll with the story timeline here. FWIW, although this is a holiday story, that aspect of the book isn’t really the primary focus, and more background to the larger mystery and romance, which worked totally fine for me.

Overall, I thought A Christmas Hex was a fun installment in a series I totally adore. I liked getting a peek outside of the MWP, while still having a story grounded in this world. I liked Gus and Roland and found this story really enjoyable.

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