“There,” he said, sitting the empty glass back down with a decisive thump. “Finished. Guess we should go now.”
“Ah, the mountain man returns to his lair,” Rhys said, but he was smiling. They all were, Tamsyn realized, looking at both her and Bowen with real fondness, and once again, she thanked whatever quirk of the universe had landed her here in this place with this family.
“Honestly, the fact that he came over at all is a miracle,” Gwyn said, then tilted her glass of wine at Tamsyn. “Sure you’re not a witch? Because the transformation you’ve done on this one seems pretty magical to me.”
“Nah, I’m just really good in bed,” Tamsyn replied, and everyone except Bowen—who was too busy blushing—laughed.
They said their farewells at the door, the women hugging and kissing cheeks, the Penhallow brothers doing their usual thing of vaguely insulting each other before offering claps on the shoulder and handshakes, and as Tamsyn and Bowen stepped out onto the house’s front porch, the full moon bathed the surrounding woods in pale silvery light.
It was cool, the air soft and smelling like woodsmoke, and Tamsyn paused to take a deep breath, tilting her head back to look at the sky.
Behind her, Bowen wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in and resting his chin on the top of her head.
“If it weren’t for the cars in the driveway, we could be back in 1957,” Tamsyn mused. “This place reminds me of Tywyll in a weird way.”
“It’s the woods,” Bowen said, his voice a low grumble. “And the mountains and the magic in the place.”
“It is magic,” Tamsyn agreed, turning in his arms to face him, her own arms sliding around his neck.
“This,” she told him, giving him a light nip to his lower lip that had him sucking in a quick breath, “is where you’re supposed to say something like”—she lowered her voice to imitate his growl—“‘You’re magic, cariad.’”
Bowen pulled her in closer, their hips flush, and now Tamsyn was the one feeling a little breathless. “You’re better than magic,” he said.
Simple words, nothing flowery or poetic, but they meant more to her than any sonnet or soliloquy, because coming from this man, it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her.
“I love you kind of a lot, Bowen Penhallow,” she said softly, and his teeth glinted in the darkness as he smiled.
“The feeling is mutual, fy negenth i,” he told her. “Now let me take you home and prove it.”
And he did.
Acknowledgments
As always, I am the luckiest witch in the coven to work with such wonderful people on these books, and for this one especially, I am so grateful!
This book is dedicated to my agent, Holly Root, and my editor, Tessa Woodward, both of whom were endlessly patient and kind during a really difficult period for me and who always valued Me the Person over Me the Writer. That shouldn’t be rare in this business, but it is, and I am so thankful for both of them!
Thanks, too, to everyone at Avon who puts so much work into this series, especially Madelyn Blaney, who, like Tessa and Holly, has been such a lovely person to work with even as this book was making me tear my hair out.
Friends and family pulled me through this, and they may be the only people happier than me that I actually managed to cross the finish line!
And most importantly, thank YOU, the readers. I made you wait for this one, and your encouragement and excitement for All Things Graves Glen has meant more than I can ever say. This book truly would not exist without y’all. Love you, witches. XOXO.
About the Author
ERIN STERLING, who also writes as Rachel Hawkins, is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Hex and The Wife Upstairs, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated in more than a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.
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Praise for the Graves Glen Series
“A spooky romantic comedy treat that had me sighing at one page, laughing out loud at the next. The Ex Hex is the perfect book for fall.”
—Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author
“Sterling casts a spell on her readers with this romantic comedy. . . . A cute and laughable holiday read to get you through the harsh winter weather.”
—USA Today on The Ex Hex
“Filled with delightful witchiness and humor, this playful romantic comedy from Sterling explores second chances and self-discovery. . . . Comedic chaos rules the day, with plenty of laughs overlaying just a touch of introspection as the exes realize how much they still mean to each other. The result is a fluffy Halloween treat.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Ex Hex
“Sterling writes a fun, sexy romantic comedy with a compelling plot, fantastic worldbuilding, twists that give the story depth, and engaging primary and secondary characters. The novel wraps up plenty of loose ends, but readers will be eager for sequels.”
—Library Journal on The Ex Hex
“The Kiss Curse is sexy and fun, fast paced and joyful. In Sterling’s supernatural realm, down-to-earth magic is as common as grand feats of wizardry. She peppers in smart, clever world building details, and every sentence is packed with substantive description and imagination. This kiss is definitely worth the curse, a sexy rom-com with just the right amount of sorcery.”
—BookPage (starred review)
“Sterling’s novel is ultimately crisp and sweet, like biting into the perfect caramel apple, and makes for an equally delicious autumn treat that will sweep readers up into a world of whimsical magic. A wickedly funny rom-com about the power of second chances, family, and love.”
—Kirkus Reviews on The Ex Hex
“Erin Sterling delivers another bewitching romance set in the delightful fictional hamlet of Graves Glen, Georgia. . . . Reading The Kiss Curse will definitely have you in a magical mood. The sinister plots and sizzling chemistry make for an alchemical combination that once again produces gold.”
—Book of the Month Club
