Not the Witch You Wed is a delightful story wrapped in magic, love, and topped with a little bit of sensual bedroom time. Violet was a fierce force to be reckoned with, while Lincoln was all handsome man with no apologies for being exactly who he was. Their connection, amplified by magic, was a whirlwind of entertainment. As I regrettably turned the last page, I can only hope to return to the magical world of the Maxwell trio.

The first book in a new supernatural romance series. I loved the banter, the characters and the magic elements. This book was fun. It left me smiling. If you're looking for a fast paced, steamy romance check this one out. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: February 8, 2022
Genre: Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy

Not the Witch You Wed is the first book in the Supernatural Singles series by April Asher. This book is everything I could ask for! Witches, shifters, vampires, guardian angels, a succubus and so much more!

I thought the story was incredible! I laughed several times because it was so funny! The characters were wonderful! I fell in love with Violet and Lincoln and was definitely rooting for them to find there happiness! I loved the dialogue and thought it was so interesting!

I highly recommend this book! If you love witchy romances, you will love this one! I can't wait to see what's coming next in the series!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I just couldn't get into this one. I'm not sure if it was just that I wasn't in the right headspace for this one, or if I just wasn't connecting with the character but it just wasn't for me.

If any of y’all are PNR romance fans, I just finished one that I absolutely LOVED! I listened to the audiobook of Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher, which is brilliantly narrated by Zura Johnson. Part second chance romance, part fake relationship romance, the story follows a woman whose witchy powers manifest after decades of being dormant, just as her former flame returns to town. Between the plethora of supernatural creatures, the magical mayhem occurring at any given moment, and the lingering feelings between the two protagonists, there’s so much going on in the story! And I enjoyed every drama-filled, chaotic moment. 😏

As the eldest Maxwell triplet, Violet was born to be the Prima of the witches. But the birthright shifted to her sister after she didn’t exhibit powers growing up. Believing herself to be magic-less, Violet is shocked when she suddenly develops powers - a surprise that’s just as unexpected as the return of her first love, Lincoln Thorne, whose arrival stirs up lingering feelings. Like Violet, the Alpha wolf shifter is being forced into choosing a mate thanks to an antiquated law. A fake relationship arrangement seems like the perfect solution to their predicament…at least until their spark of attraction reignites, and it becomes obvious that nothing about their connection is fake.

Packed with flirty banter, sexual tension, and plenty of drama that kept me rapt to the story, Not the Witch You Wed is endlessly entertaining and thoroughly engrossing. The narrative is fun, lighthearted, and humorous, with an extended cast of eclectic, supernaturally diverse characters that I was genuinely excited to get to know. But as much as I enjoyed the introduction to individuals that I hope to see again in their own book, it’s the romance between Lincoln and Violet that had me smiling and swooning as they progressed from snarky exes to wary allies to uninhibited lovers. Their chemistry exudes from every page, and I felt compelled to either grab popcorn and enjoy their teasing rapport, or fan my cheeks as they surrendered to the irrepressible desire simmering between them.

After finishing Not the Witch You Wed, my only complaint is that April Asher doesn’t have a backlist of books for me to binge. 😂 This book is everything I love about PNR romances. It’s playful, amusing, steamy, imaginative, and heartfelt. It felt like anything was possible within the book’s supernatural universe, and I just sat back and enjoyed the wild ride. I adored this book and can’t wait to read what the author comes out with next. Fingers crossed for a certain guardian angel’s story next. 😏

Ahh! I finally finished this cute novel: Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher! Thank you to @smpromancw for giving me this #gifted finished copy!



📖The Info📖



The Book: Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher



Synopsis: Swipe Left/Goodreads



Genre:Rom Com



How I felt about it: I loved


Fast-paced?
Yes.

Cute?
Yes.

Witchy?
Yes.

Fun?
Yes.

Second chance love AND fake dating and a bit of an enemies to lovers feel?
Yes! Yes! Yes!

This book has it all. Really! It was the ultimate cute rom com that I needed in the stress of life. It had banter, some sisterly love and friendships that I really loved, and a bit of steam (but not a lot by my standards).

Also that end! So looking forward to the next book in the series, which will hopefully have the mysterious demon Damian?! 👀👀

If you’re looking for cute and easy fun read? With a witch, a wolf shape-shifter alpha, and characters you’d want to see on a light tv show? If you want something that’s not scary but gives you all the supernatural and fun vibes? This one is it!

The title is sort of misleading since Violet and Lincoln aren't even married. Set in a contemporary New York City where magical beings aren't in hiding. Violet, Rose, and Olive are the triplet granddaughters of the Prima Witch. Violet is supposed to inherit the position but hasn't shown any magical aptitude. Wolf shifter Lincoln is being pressured to marry to secure his place in the pack and the leadership roundtable. Funny and sexy.

I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting April Asher's next book in this magical universe! I think it's a perfect read for anyone who grew up on a diet of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Charmed. My one tiny piece of criticism is I wanted a smidge more world-building at the start because I was a little confused about about how the magical world co-existed with the "normal" world, but eventually I was about to work it out well enough and it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the book at all.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a fun book! I truly just enjoyed this book. I loved the characters. Violet and Lincoln and all the rest. I thought it had an odd title. They aren't wed? But otherwise loved it. 4+ stars Would highly recommend.

This is such an adorable romcom! I was expecting more of a witchy vibe from the cover and synopsis, but it definitely read more like a well developed urban fantasy world. Violet and Lincoln had chemistry that bounced off the page, and all the side characters were fleshed out. This is the epitome of a successful modern day romance.

Witches? Check. Sexy Shapeshifters? Check. An Obstacle to Overcome? Check!

This book was a fun ride, where we meet a witch who doesn't have powers....until she does. She is told by the council that she needs to marry, but she really isn't on board. She knows a man who shifts into a wolf that she's been crushing on since childhood. He also needs to find a mate. So what else are they to do? They help each other out and OF COURSE they fall in love along the way.....and she finds the magic that she never had! How cheesy was that line in my review? But I had to do it. I really liked this read. It was engaging and funny and the characters were lovely.

I have read all of April Hunt Romantic Suspense books so I thought I would take a chance on her latest book series Supernatural Singles Not The Witch You Wed.

I am not 100% sold on this series that being said the story is enjoyable, funny and yes readers will laugh out loud.

April Asher bring reader into her Supernatural world where a witch doesn't have powers and werewolf has broken the witches heart. Second chance at romance even if the two want nothing to do with each other. At least that is what Violet Maxwell things.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Not the Witch You Web.

I can tell this book is clever, fun and well written.
It just didn’t fit my personal taste. I have been enjoying romances with a slight magical element to them, but this ended up being a little too much for me. My realist brain wasn’t able to follow everything and it kept me from becoming fully invested. I think if you are a reader of fantasy and contemporary romcoms this would be a great one for you.

Not the Witch You Wed made me like tropes that I’m usually not a fan of. This book focuses around a fake relationship between Lincoln and Violet as well as them overcoming past betrayals. Neither of those tropes are my favorite and this book did take me a little while to finish. However, once I got into it, it did pick up speed and my interest. Both of the main characters, as well as the intriguing cast of minor characters worked for me. I loved the New York setting and that they even went to a state park in my home town (although I question how long the author said it takes to get there from NYC). There was a third act breakup but that doesn’t usually turn me off and it didn’t with this story. The reason this rating is a 3.5 and not a 4 is the book suffers from first book in a paranormal series issues. I was left confused by how the world worked. Paranormals were know but have their own council but there was a bonding agreement for witches, something with Violet being a triplet, and a different bonding agreement for shifters and then issues with the Elders? There was just a lot going on and the explanation of all of it felt a bit disjointed. Maybe if I hadn’t been listening to the Psy-changeling series by Nalini Singh at the same time, I would have been more forgiving. But in comparison, the weakness of how this paranormal world was explained was really clear to me. That said, I understood enough to enjoy the book and want to read the next one. Hopefully, the worldbuilding will be better explained in that book.

I was wholeheartedly not a fan of this book. I did not like the characters, descriptions, plot, or anything about it, I will not post this opinion on Goodreads or elsewhere, and I hope that my not liking this book does not prevent me from receiving future ARCs from this publisher. :)

I feel like there is an underlying theme here about love being magical... Violet gaining her magic just when her heart begins to burn for Lincoln...?

And I loved it! It was a love spell I couldn't put down. It took me to another place and yet was the same kind of second chance romance I enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and adding the supernatural element made it that much better. I enjoyed the humor and banter between the characters and since this is a new series, I look forward to reading the next one.

I picked this book up from NetGalley because I thought it would be fun to try out some new romances, and I liked the title and especially the cover. With no expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romance that mashed up a bunch of romance tropes with witchcraft, shapeshifters, politics and sibling rivalry.

Violet comes from a powerful family of witches, but she’s known as the family “dud”, having never manifested any powers. Even though she’s the eldest and therefore the heir to be the next Prima witch, she’s passed that role on to her sister. Then Lincoln, the head of the local shapeshifter pack and the high school boyfriend Violet never got over, comes back into her life. Lincoln abandoned Violet as a teenager, but a curse by his father prevents him from telling her why.

This book combines the second chance, enemies to lovers, fake dating and the “I can’t tell you” tropes (I’m making up that last one but it’s a thing). A few too many tropes, perhaps, but it’s done in such good humor I enjoyed it anyway. This book never takes itself too seriously, from snarky chapter titles to jokes about “ass ointment” and Violet’s friend referring to Lincoln “Mr. Sex on Legs.”

The book keeps things light even though the characters struggle with issues that are bigger than their relationship. Violet is dealing with her status as a witch, her self-esteem and her relationships with her family. Lincoln is dealing with his abusive upbringing and trying to manage his pack in a way that’s equitable for all shapeshifting species. They are fighting the archaic and misogynist rules of the governing Magic Council.

Lately my favorite romances seem to be the ones where two characters need to deal with their issues and then come together, rather than ones with grand gestures or one character saving the other. Maybe that’s a more modern approach to romance, or maybe it’s just the stage of my life I’m in. In this story, it worked.

In addition to really liking the two main characters, this book makes great use of the sisters and friends to bring the story to life. Well-written, funny and clever dialogue kept me engaged, and Asher did a great job of making the relationships in the book among various characters feel real.

I saw a comment on Goodreads that the magical world of these characters wasn’t very well explained in the beginning, and I think that’s a fair criticism. If you’re looking for detailed world-building this book may not work for you. It wasn’t entirely clear, for example, how much the non-magical humans know about the magical world and how different magical creatures interact with each other (they all just seem to get along). Also, I love a story about shapeshifters but there was never any real shifting in this book (mostly it’s just a lot of wolf-puns and Lincoln consulting his inner wolf).

Still, if you’re looking for a fun romance with well-developed characters and an interesting story, I recommend this one. The characters had great chemistry, and it was fun to read a romance set in a magical world. Most paranormal romances are very dark but I haven’t read one like this (though I know they’re out there). I’ll be looking forward to the next one.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher St. Martin’s Press. Author April Asher also publishes under the name April Hunt. This book was published February 8, 2022.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes. Add a little magic and some witches? You’ve got me sold!

“I cannot wait to get to the office and consult my books.” Same Olive, same

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review an early copy prior to its February 8th release.

This book was cute, funny, and sassy. Our main character, Violet, gives no crap. She is independent, assertive, and protective of her friends and family. It’s nice to see a romance with a strong main character, instead of a swoony love sick one. And one of her sisters Olive, is a huge book nerd so of course I automatically loved her.

The supernatural aspect of the book was great! They had a council and each seat was taken by one of the types of supernaturals, such as witches, demons, angels, shape shifters (werewolves), and vampires. The magic system itself too was awesome and conquers by going off your ability to trust yourself. They also believe in ‘True Mates’ whose souls are connected, which they basically are referring to the Norm’s idea of soul mates. -

Lincoln and Violet were best friends growing up and have always had feelings for one another. In high school they make a plan to get away and then Lincoln doesn’t show so Violet swears to never let him into her world again. When they are forcefully connected, the more time they spend together, the more the feelings begin to come out. It’s a second chance romance. My only issue was that Lincoln called Violet “princess” way too much. Like every sentence too much.

I am excited to see which sister the next book follows and I will anxiously await for my little nerd Olive to fall in love.

Also, where can I get this cake-batter-vodka-martini sherbet?

While this was a perfectly fine book, I had a lot of trouble a) getting involved in the story, and b) feeling the emotions of the characters. It was all very formulaic (which is not a bad thing for some) yet still felt lacking of depth.

One of the things that bothered me is that, as a new-to-me author, I felt that I was missing a lot of backstory. I kept checking to see if there was a previous book that would help me out, and there wasn't. Another point was that the supernatural community is part of the world, but non-magical people were referred to as "normal". Poor choice of words. (To be honest, it felt ableist.)

I did like the development of Violet's magic, and Linc is an excellent alpha shifter. I particularly thought his ideas for restructuring the packs was clever. And I enjoyed Violet's relationship with her sister.

All in all this was a good book, it just wasn't the quality of PNR that I've come to enjoy and expect. Others may disagree.