Member Reviews

I have enjoyed previous works of this author, and this book is no exception. Harry thought she was doing the right thing when fate pointed her friend and her very own love as fated mates but didn’t stay to find out what was really happening. After moving away for thirteen years, Harry needs the help of the Fates Haven community and the Alpha. Returning home after leaving abruptly brings up all the old hurts and the lingering feelings. The characters are funny and caring. I love the sense of community. The romance is sweet, loving and spicy. I loved this story and hope to hear from this cast of characters again. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Didn't know what to expect, but this ended up being such a cozy, whimsical read! The romance was sweet, the magic was fun, and the pacing made it super bingeable. Definitely a great pick for a weekend escape.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this, it was a very fun and easy read!! My only issue with it was how I felt like there was too much going on outside of the romance and I went into this thinking it would be the main plot. I would reread this though given how fun I had with my first shape-shifter story!

Was this review helpful?

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was a fun paranormal romance!

The chemistry between Harlow and Jax was great. I’m a sucker for second chance romances and couples falling back into love.

I loved the found family of it all. The town was really cute and I liked both Jax’s and Harry’s friends. Harry’s relationship with Grace was also really special.

Read if you like:
- Paranormal Romance
- Second Chance Romance
- Fated Mates
- Found Family
- Shifter x Witch

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

Was this review helpful?

3.5⭐

I don't hate witches per se, but I don't like them either. However, I love shifters and fated mates. The book itself is okay-ish, I think, but not a WOW. I just hate that they had to lose each other for 13 years cuz of this stupid reason.

⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

SKIP CHAPTER: 16, 22

⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

I have no idea what this is about, but it has a dragon on the cover, and I'm a sucker for dragons. Let's not forget to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request 💖

Was this review helpful?

This was a nice continuation of the world April Asher had built through her previous witchy romances. I liked that it was a unique take on unrequited love. Or rather lost love. The plot building was really great in this book with a fantastic slow burn build up of spice. You really by the end are rooting for all of the characters. The twist that is revealed is one that I truly did not see coming. I loved this take on a witchy romances and can’t wait to keep reading whatever Asher puts out.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars- a feel good romance! Definitely a light and quick read that you can finish in between readings of series or if you just want to sit down with a book for a weekend.

Was this review helpful?

A Simple Twist of Fate is a cute and cozy rom-com with a bit of raunch. It’s a quick paced, easy read about a second chance romance set in an idyllic magical Stars Hallow-esque town but with a paranormal twist as our main characters are a witch and a cougar shifter with other magical side characters.

I enjoyed her other series Supernatural Singles and the vibes of this book feel very similar to that series. If you enjoyed that series, I think you’ll enjoy this series. Similar to that series, the side characters are likely being set up as additional couples for more books in this series. I’m excited to read them all!

Thank you to April Asher, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and to NetGalley for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I love the main idea behind this book: our main characters - Jaxon Atwood and Harlow "Harry" Pierce were once high-school-sweethearts, until a 'Fated Mates' ceremony reveals Jax's fated mate to be not Harry, but her best friend. Upon completion of the ceremony, Harry leaves town rather than to have to face the man she loves and her best friend together as a couple. Thanks to an anti-tracking spell, and a spell that prevents her Aunt from being able to reveal anything about Fate's Haven to her, Harry spends 13 years in blissful ignorance to the happenings of her former hometown. Until she's forced to return, to beg her former flame's mother for help with her 16-year-old ward, Grace. Grace is a shifter of unknown origin, who is having trouble keeping her flames to herself. A return to Fates Haven, the shifter community outside of Denver, may not be what Harry wants, but could it be what she needs?

The execution of this idea was a little bumpy. First of all, the opening chapter of the book seems to reveal to us that Harry had been hit with a hex, causing the natural progression of things needed to necessitate her move back to Fates Haven. However, the idea of this hex is never mentioned again, which is a shame because it could have been used as a really interesting plot device to reveal who hexed her and their reasoning behind it.

The book introduces us to a lot of side characters who I assume are probably going to paired off in later books in a series, especially after the ending. This book is so full of side characters and subplots that it feels like we miss a lot of substance for our main characters - their emotional growth, or the build up to a relationship between them.

The town is well crafted and seems like an idyllic mountain getaway town. The residents are straight out of Halloweentown pre-Kalabar; they are close knit, a family in and of themselves. They seem to welcome Harry back with open arms, despite the fact that she dropped them like a hot rock and then ignored them for 13 years.

Fans of cozy supernatural romance (with a dash of spice for good measure!) will enjoy A Simple Twist of Fate, it just lacked a deeper connection for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an eARC for me to provide an honest review about. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

A second chance cozy paranormal romance where Harlow “Harry” Pierce returns to her home town in order to help find clues to the mystery of her best friends daughters new magical abilities. She gets more than she bargained for as she reunited with her ex, gains new magical abilities and works to help the town of Fates Haven fix its magic.

Interested in reading the next books to see the other couples HEA.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the E-Arc!

Was this review helpful?

I personally love a rom-com as well as a fantasy, both genres thrown together? Easily a good read for me. I really enjoyed the relationship between the FMC and the MMC, it felt realistic (well as realistic as a fantasy romance can be), and true to both characters. I hadn''t read April Asher before but I cannot wait to read more of her books. It was such a fun read and cannot wait to have our readers enjoy it!

Thank you so much for the eARC!

Was this review helpful?

First, thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. Second chance romances can be tricky but this one was a total delight. The town is so fun and full of great characters. Would absolutely read another book in this setting.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a fun and quick read. This book has all the fluff of a Hallmark movie mixed with all of the paranormal elements and atmosphere of Hocus Pocus. Witches and shifters, fated mates, magic is on the fritz, and a great second-chance romance round out this whimsical story. I loved all of the magical elements as they truly immersed me into the story. While I would have liked a bit more depth to the story and characters, it was overall a really enjoyable read. I’m hoping we will be getting more books from this fun new world!

Thank you so much to April, St. Martin Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I'm DNFing at 26%. I just couldn't take the useless bantering anymore. There wasn't much of a plot to keep me fully engaged, and I could care less about the characters. The premise sounded good, but the execution is just done poorly, including the pacing of the story, which just feels off. I could have also done without the corny titles of the chapters, it just kind of felt worse as I went along. I can see how some may like this kind of story, but I need something with a little more substance.

Was this review helpful?

This book was “just ok”. It jumps in the trope of “fated mates” but without any of the tension and spice that the genre promises. Also, there’s too much detail on past and not enough focus on the present. Felt like the pacing was a bit uneven, as some parts seemed to happen too slow and others too fast. Overall not a bad read but not what I was expecting when reading the blurb.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Was this review helpful?

I am so sad. I have loved this authors paranormal romances. However, this book felt rushed. The magical system was unclear. Neither if the MC’s was particularly memorable and there was no spark between them.

Was this review helpful?

I had no expectations going into this one, but it was truly a lot of fun. A quick, magic-filled read, with just the right amount of spice. Looking forward to more! Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Witch Harlow “Harry” Pierce attended her first Fates Festival Finding Ceremony at the age of 18, and learned that her high school sweetheart was fated mates with her best friend. She moved out of their small town, weaving a spell so that no one could find her, and restarted her dreams in the big city. Thirteen years later, she's returning with a teenager in tow. Her goddaughter is half-shifter and needs serious help.

Why I started this book: Asher is really great at premises. Her stories have a great hook.

Why I finished it: This is my second Asher novel and I have found that her build up is better than the follow through but your mileage may vary. It's a decent story, with fun supporting characters.

Was this review helpful?

A Simple Twist of Fate had all the tropes, plus an adorable cover! Harlow “Harry” Pierce thought her first Fates Haven Finding Ceremony would lead her to her cougar shifter boyfriend Jaxon Atwood, except it pairs him with her best friend, so heartbroken, she runs. Thirteen yers later, she returns home with her half-shifter goddaughter looking for answers from the Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack, but when that turns out to be her ex, there seems to be a simple twist of fate. I really enjoyed Harry and Jax. I wanted more moments of them getting to know each other on a more vulnerable level as the adults they are now; I felt the story leaned a touch heavy on their past. But I also am always in for fated mates, so I was mostly able to look past it. I felt like Harry was really well developed and interesting, and I enjoyed seeing her find her place back in her home. This is a great magical small town, and I loved the community and the friendships. Harry really finds her roots again and I loved the connections and the community festival. It has big Gilmore Girls vibes, and it’s a great second chance, paranormal rom com. It’s cute and an easy, feel-good read!

Was this review helpful?