April Asher

In April Hunt's Not the Witch You Wed, a fake relationship between a magicless witch and a wolf shifter turns to more in the start of a bewitching new paranormal rom-com series...

Not the Witch You Wed

April Hunt

🦇 Not the Witch You Wed Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD If you could shift into any animal, what would you choose?

🦇 Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne―the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time. Will they find a solution, or realize there's nothing fake about their feelings after all? 

💜 I had the strange fortune of reading the SECOND book in this series as an ARC last year, and I absolutely loved the balanced hilarity, wit, and sexiness April Asher infused her writing with. It was nothing short of magical. After reading book two and three of the Supernatural Singles series, I finally had time to go back to book one. It's sexy, fun, entertaining, and full of playful banter; everything I need in my witchlit. This paranormal romance is the perfect binge read, seeping with longing, angst, snark, and humor. If you love a second-chance romance with fake dating thrown in to bring a couple closer together, this is the book for you. The mutual agitation (NOT 'enemies to lovers,' but 'annoyed to lovers') gives it the kick of tension it needs. As an added bonus, wolf-shifter Lincoln is all kinds of yum with the perfect dash of sweet; an unforgettable book boyfriend. Edie, Violet's grandmother, is also a hoot; I need her story, pretty please!

💙 I know it shouldn't effect my opinion of Not the Witch You Wed, but I feel like the second book is better--only proving that Asher's writing has grown over time. While the prose is similar, there's a certain level of magic missing from this first book, though there are hints of it in the prose. This book is definitely going to be hit or miss for a few people, between the world-building, witchy language, and (my favorite 🙄) miscommunication trope. Still, I absolutely adore this series and will definitely continue recommending it!

🦇 Recommended to fans of Jessica Clare, Erin Sterling, and Sarah Hawley.

❝ Violet Maxwell was the one who got away. And he wasn’t just the bastard that let it happen. He was the idiot who hadn’t run after her. ❞

❝ “Thanks to their strong, visceral reactions, love and hate are often mistaken for one another.” ❞

❝ “My grandmother always says sugarcoating things makes them easier to swallow, but it doesn’t change their base ingredients.” ❞

❝ He was falling head over heels for this woman … or maybe he’d never gotten back up after last time. ❞

Jazelle H

🦇 Not the Witch You Wed Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD If you could shift into any animal, what would you choose?
 
🦇 Magic-less witch Violet Maxwell wants nothing to do with alpha wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne―the man who broke her fragile, teenage heart. But when the two of them are forced by arcane Supernatural Laws to find mates, Violet and Lincoln agree to fake-date their way to a fake-mating in order to conjure themselves some time. Will they find a solution, or realize there's nothing fake about their feelings after all? 

💜 I had the strange fortune of reading the SECOND book in this series as an ARC last year, and I absolutely loved the balanced hilarity, wit, and sexiness April Asher infused her writing with. It was nothing short of magical. After reading book two and three of the Supernatural Singles series, I finally had time to go back to book one. It's sexy, fun, entertaining, and full of playful banter; everything I need in my witchlit. This paranormal romance is the perfect binge read, seeping with longing, angst, snark, and humor. If you love a second-chance romance with fake dating thrown in to bring a couple closer together, this is the book for you. The mutual agitation (NOT 'enemies to lovers,' but 'annoyed to lovers') gives it the kick of tension it needs. As an added bonus, wolf-shifter Lincoln is all kinds of yum with the perfect dash of sweet; an unforgettable book boyfriend. Edie, Violet's grandmother, is also a hoot; I need her story, pretty please!

💙 I know it shouldn't effect my opinion of Not the Witch You Wed, but I feel like the second book is better--only proving that Asher's writing has grown over time. While the prose is similar, there's a certain level of magic missing from this first book, though there are hints of it in the prose. This book is definitely going to be hit or miss for a few people, between the world-building, witchy language, and (my favorite 🙄) miscommunication trope. Still, I absolutely adore this series and will definitely continue recommending it!

🦇 Recommended to fans of Jessica Clare, Erin Sterling, and Sarah Hawley.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 
🧹 First of a Trilogy
🐺 Witch/Wolf Shifter
🧹 Strong Sisters (Triplets)
🐺 Second Chance Romance
🧹 Annoyance to Lovers
🐺 Dual POV
🧹 Fake Dating
🐺 Curvy Heroine

💬 Quotes 
❝ Violet Maxwell was the one who got away. And he wasn’t just the bastard that let it happen. He was the idiot who hadn’t run after her. ❞
❝ “Thanks to their strong, visceral reactions, love and hate are often mistaken for one another.” ❞
❝ “My grandmother always says sugarcoating things makes them easier to swallow, but it doesn’t change their base ingredients.” ❞
❝ He was falling head over heels for this woman … or maybe he’d never gotten back up after last time. ❞

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Dust Jackets

The Wrong Dust Jackets had a lot of fun with Not the Witch You Wed. 

 Spice Rating 
Dani - 2
Liz - 2 
Wiggles - 2.5 

 Romance Rating 
Dani - 4
Liz - 4
Wiggles - 4

 Overall Rating 
Dani - 3.5
Liz - 4
Wiggles - 4 

For more, listen to our first episode at https://wrongdustjackets.com/episodes

This is the kind of book my teen self would’ve loved and my adult self just…🙄🙄🙄. The good: a fast-paced, engaging plot & decent characterization, with intriguing backstories that made me want to know more. I even enjoyed some of the second-chance romance aspects, which was a plus! Everything else…was…so basic I can’t even. Don’t even get me started on the writing, bc the way my soul literally tried to crawl out of my body every time we came at an nonsensical idiom or incorrect use of Goddess…🫠. And that’s before we get to all the “lady bits”. Despite this, I still might be tempted to read the next book…if I ever need to rigorously shut down some thinking parts of my brain. A barely decent candy read, but nothing more.  

Sharanya Sharma

Fun and sexy read! Slow burn and fake dating! 🌶️🌶️/5

Lydia Enge

This was a really cute read. The language used at times reminded me of a mom trying to keep up with her teen’s vernacular. It made me cringe a little. 

Katie Buchanan

Jennifer Eggleston 

Cute and Funny … an otherworldly rom com

I look forward to next book in the Supernatural Singles series. If you are a fan of Shelly Laurenston’s books then try April Asher. Vi and Lincoln have amazing chemistry … it’s tropey heaven with a bit of steam.

Nicole Dykeman

It’s definitely everything it promises - a fun, quirky, contemporary fantasy romance featuring magical fake dating. I just didn’t feel myself connecting with the characters the way I would have liked to. Violent and Lincoln made sense, but I didn’t feel the chemistry in a way that made me eager to turn the next page and swoon at the flirty one-liners. If I had, I might have been more willing to look past things like the one-dimensional secondary characters, the strange and unexplained magic laws that push the plot forward, and the convenient ending. The best cute moments were at the community center with the kids. All I want now is a book about Bax.

sydney

** spoiler alert **
           This book is so cute. I wasn't sure about it at first but it just took a bit to get used to all the supernatural lingo. I love that a big reason why they didn't work out when they were younger was that they needed to become their own people. Seeing Violet come into her own with her powers was so much fun. 

I'm very excited to get the other books which I assume will be about her sisters.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Becky

I liked this blend of contemporary romance and paranormal. It was almost like an urban fantasy with the world these characters inhabited with the supernatural being out in the open and acknowledged. It was an accepted part of society but obviously they were different. But instead of going the usual route of paranormals and urban fantasy books our MC wasn’t some badass with some mystery of the week happening. Instead we have a low drama romance to enjoy where there was second chance romance and a fake dating plot occurring. 

The book wasn’t perfect. Sometimes I wanted a little more explanation or for the supernatural stuff to be included a little more flawlessly but as an opening book it interested me in the world and I’m excited for Roses book. I enjoyed it and it’s the first book I’ve managed to finish in a while and in only 2 days. 

Kelly Pickert

Oh my gosh this book was absolutely everything I needed and more!!!! I definitely had high hopes when I first started and it exceeded those with every page!!! I definitely want more of Violet and Lincoln and to see what their future holds!!

Emma

Cute and fun supernatural romcom. Great banter of a little cheesy at times, good plot to keep things interesting, and a boss ass witch 

Megan BV

This was a fun and quick read. Sometimes you just need a witch and wolf shifter romance in your life. Lincoln’s protectiveness is super sweet and Violet is an awesome witch learning how powerful she is. 

Lauren Sullivan

Much like the cover suggests, this is a hilariously funny second-chance fake-dating paranormal rom-com. If that sounds like trope soup, well, it is, but it’s also extremely tasty.

“Congratulations, Wolfman. You’re officially fake-dating the Not-So-Magicless Maxwell.”

Violet and Lincoln grew up together. They’d been childhood enemies, then friends, then high school sweethearts… until the day they planned to escape his toxic dad, and Lincoln didn’t show. Fourteen years later, he’s now the Alpha of the North American Pack and she’s, well, still the Magicless Maxwell. As the eldest of a set of triplets, Violet should have amazing powers in preparation for assuming the role of Prima, the head witch, from her grandma. Except she’s a dud with absolutely no magic whatsoever. Her next youngest sister stepped up, instead becoming the heir apparent while Violet avoided as much hobnobbing as possible. But with her sister’s betrothal to a European alpha with political aspirations, Violet’s stuck mingling with the paranormal ruling class, including Lincoln. The attraction’s still there but the trust sure isn’t. When they both get ultimatums about their marital status, however, a fake relationship sounds the answer to both their problems. After all, they’re both over each other, right?

“We have this special thing between us, sweetheart. It’s called mutual agitation. If I wasn’t pissing you off, we wouldn’t be us.”

From his first scene, though, it’s clear that Lincoln’s never gotten over Violet. He knows he hurt her badly though for plot reasons he can’t explain what happened. In the intervening years, he’s dedicated himself to modernizing the shifter power structure. Lincoln inherited the position from his father, and unlike him, he’s working to dismantle the traditional power structure (council of Elders, alpha inheritance) into a, I kid you not, “shiftocracy,” which basically means that the packs will elect their own leaders. On the complete other end of the spectrum, Violet works as a bartender at a paranormal bar and also volunteers at an after-school program for kids. So, yes, both of them are just unrealistically good people, but whatever, it works. What also really works is their chemistry and their banter. Violet’s sarcastic and not afraid to tell Lincoln exactly what she thinks of him. Rather than turning him off, her honesty is downright refreshing, considering that most people don’t feel comfortable directly contradicting someone so powerful. He doesn’t see Violet as any less, however, magic or no, nor does he think that she needs him to fight her battles for her; he knows she’s perfectly capable of doing that on her own. But no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, Violet can’t bring herself to trust Lincoln and risk breaking her heart again.

“Then keep your spine straight, your chin high, and don’t let that mouth of yours run away.”
“It doesn’t run. Sometimes it . . . skips.”
Edie cocked a silver eyebrow.
“Saunters?” Vi corrected. “Okay. On occasion, it may speed-walk, but I can’t always control it. It has a mind of its own.”

Luckily that angst is leavened with plenty of humor. From the chapter titles to quirky things like Violet naming her newly awakened magic “Sparky,” there’s a lot of humorous touches throughout the book. The secondary characters are fun as well, including Violet’s sisters Rose and Olive, but especially Grandma Evie. It’s obvious from the first chapter or so what’s going to happen in the book, but watching Grandma Evie gently (or not so gently) nudge Violet along down that path, combined with humor, made the journey a lot of fun.

Some of the plot bits don’t work so well for me. I particularly didn’t like the curse that kept Lincoln from telling Vi why he didn’t show up (or the anticlimactic way that problem is solved). I also didn’t like that Violet didn’t stand up to her mother more. Her mom treats her as a disappointment and is frankly a terrible human being, as far as I can tell. I mean, she’s so awful that when Violet tells her she’s dating Lincoln, her mother chastises her for joking and trying to steal attention away from her soon-to-be-married sister. Sure, the rest of her family has her back, so I guess she needed some reason to doubt herself? Whatever the reason, I really didn’t like it.

Overall, though, this was a quick and light read, full of humor, chemistry, and tropes! Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a fun paranormal romcom.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Content notes: (view spoiler)[violence, child abuse (in the past), bullying, toxic family, misogyny (hide spoiler)]

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

If you’re looking for a crazy entertaining paranormal fake-relationship second-chance rom-com with witches and shifters, look no further than Not the Witch You Wed, the start to a brand new series by April Hunt writing as April Asher!

"Violet Maxwell was the one who got away. And he wasn’t just the bastard that let it happen. He was the idiot who hadn’t run after her."

As a teenager, Violet Maxwell had her heart completely broken by Lincoln Thorne. When she encounters him again as an adult, she wants to stay far away from him. Unfortunately, they’re both being forced to find their mates ASAP, and because neither has been able to find theirs, they decide to fake-date/pretend to soon be married for a while to get everyone off their backs.

"There was no way this wouldn’t end in a disaster worthy of an apocalypse movie. It was Lincoln. Bane of her childhood existence. Teenage heartbreaker. Mr. Moody, Broody, and Way Too Drool-Worthy."

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is such a hilarious rom-com! I read this back in October, and I still remember the amount of fun I had while reading this.

HILARIOUS BANTER
I think I speak for a majority of romance readers that banter is like the spice that seasons the food, and the author brought a whole can of it into this story. The back-and-forth between Violet and Lincoln kept my heart racing and my eyes glued to the pages without being able to stop. Add to that the tension that these two had and it makes for a brilliant romance.

“I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Violet Ann Maxwell.”
“Or the beginnings of murder in the first degree.”

FAMILY & FRIENDSHIP DYNAMICS
Olive, Rose, and Violet—also known as the Magical Triads (Charmed, anyone?)—are triplets who couldn’t have been more different from each other. The love they possess for one another, though, is truly astronomical. I adored how supportive they are towards each other and seeing the bond between them be so strong in the pages had me wishing I had siblings of my own. Despite Violet being a witch without magic, her sisters were never mean towards her. Sure, there were some differences, but the bond that they had never let it go far.

“You bought the man a gift? For taking you to dinner? His gift is the honor of your presence and your time.”

There’s also the wonderful grandma, who’s the Prima Witch sitting in the Supernatural Council to help maintain control of the supernatural world. Edie Maxwell was a hoot! I loved her snark and her strength to always stand her ground. I also loved her wisdom that she’d impart to Violet to help guider her through everything she was dealing with.

And now come the friendships! Both Lincoln and Violet had their own sets of friends who were amazing, funny, and so incredibly supportive. Violet has a virgin succubus as a friend who also has a Guardian angel with Jason Momoa-like hair, and I’m here for them to get their book (fingers crossed they’re endgame)! I loved the dynamics of their trio, and I’m hoping we get to see more of it in the coming books!

WORLD
This supernatural and magical world has so much to unpack. Despite this book being a stand-a-lone and having a HEA, I’m sure the author will have her hands full with so much she could include in the rest of the series. There are so many supernatural creatures that I hope we get to learn more of!

I loved how fast-paced the author maintained this story. It could have fallen into the slow spectrum, but it just flew right by! The amount of things happening in this book will keep you magically entertained. I do think the beginning was incredibly fast and would have loved just a bit more time to understand the whole power structure going on, but thankfully, as the story progressed, it’s easier to put into place.

ROMANCE
I know I touched on the banter earlier, but the core of the romance was just as sweet and endearing. I kind of liked that Violet was very hesitant towards Lincoln; the guy did obliterate her teenage heart. But it just made seeing them reconnect and slowly begin that trust again all the sweeter. The passion and spark between them never left; it just escalated even more! I was so happy to see Lincoln earn his way back into Violet’s trust. He was just the sweetest towards her!

"She’d never been magicless to him. Even when she hadn’t been in possession of her Magic."

Overall, Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is a magical, sweet, hilarious supernatural rom-com that is perfect to read during this month of love and friendship.

READ IF YOU LIKE:
- Fake-relationship / pretend to soon get married
- Second chance
- Witches and shapeshifters
- Werewolves
- Sister bond
- Soulmates
- Fantastic friendships
- Virgin succubus
- Sassy grandmas
- Sarcastic heroine
- Hilarious chapter titles
- Guardian angels with Jason Momoa-inspired hair

A light PNR rom-com you won’t want to miss! It’s filled with shifters, witches, hexes, sisterhood, friendships, tension, swoony romance!

Not the Witch You Wed

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