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Supernatural Singles #1

Not the Witch You Wed

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A fake relationship between a magic-less witch and a wolf shifter turns to more in the start of a bewitching new paranormal rom-com series.

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.

The joke’s on them. When old feelings make a reappearance―along with Violet’s magic―they both realize there’s nothing fake about their feelings. But there are old secrets and looming threats that could snatch away their happily ever after, again. One thing’s for magic doesn’t make dating and love any easier.

In Not the Witch You Wed , April Asher brings all the hilarity and sweet, sexy moments you love in a romantic-comedy―plus a fun dose of magic―to this spell-binding new series about being sexy, single, and supernatural in New York City.

341 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2022

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About the author

April Asher

11 books506 followers
Also writes under April Hunt.

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5 stars
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,515 reviews
Profile Image for Nilufer Ozmekik.
2,199 reviews40.7k followers
June 4, 2022
OMG! Somebody plays trombone inside my head! I have to admit: this book was crazy, entertaining, wild ride as a production of urban fantasy waltzing with young adult romance. But it was also a little complicated for me to pick up the entire concept at the beginning !

The thing confused my mind : its ultra fast opening with bombardment of extra information summarize the detailed world building. I have reread some pages to make sure who’s who, what sister has more powers ( at least I got that our heroine is the one who has less power, witty, sarcastic, quiet lovable one)

There are so many supernatural entities in this book which deserve their own novels : witches, shapeshifters, werewolves etc. As you can see there is enough material to write more stories and sequels!

So I was a little disappointed with the extra fast, crashing beginning and I thought I would have hard time to catch up all details to understand how the entire system of arcane Supernatural Laws.

But when wolf shifter appears Lincoln Thorne on the pages, my interest also shifted to him. The playful, entertaining, sassy banters between him and Violet who were lovers in the past and now fueling their enemies to lovers attraction as pretending soon to be married lovers: things get more and more interesting! I smiled and lied down on my couch to enjoy the full smart and enjoyable, sparkling romance with powerful paranormal vibes.

After the complicated beginning, the pacing and development were balanced and the mix of humor, passion, fun, drama with supernatural concepts fit so good and promise you to have relaxing , less complicated, intriguing reading time.

This is a great fit for wine- popcorn- Friday night binge reading concept! I highly advise not to skip it especially you’re into entertaining paranormal romance and fantasy genres!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Profile Image for Debra .
2,287 reviews35k followers
February 11, 2022
I had no idea how much I would enjoy this book when I requested it! It was such a delight!!!

Violet Maxwell, a magic-less witch, wants nothing to do with Lincoln Thorne, the Alpha wolf shifter who broke her heart when they were teenagers. Some wounds run painfully deep, especially when you never learn why the one you love dumps you like a hot potato.

Now, the Supernatural laws say they must find mates. Naturally, these two clever people come up with a plan - they will fake date/fake mate to buy some time.

But when old feelings come calling, will they answer the call? What will they do? How they are feeling is not fake, their feelings are very, very real.

I always say with romance books - it is about the journey, and what a journey this book/audio book was! I loved every second of it. I loved their witty, snarky banter. I loved the angst, the sexual tension, and the magic between them.

The cast of supporting characters was fantastic as well. I didn't care for all of them, but they all added to the story and made it even more enjoyable.

This book has all the feels in it. There is angst, longing, mistrust, humor, heartache, romance, and some steam. I felt for both characters and what they were going through individually and together.

This is the first book in a new series, and I am going to be chomping at the bit, to read the next one she writes!!! Fingers crossed that April Asher writes fast!

. This paranormal rom-com was pure magic!

4. 5 stars

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com

#NottheWitchYouWed #NetGalley
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,157 reviews1,516 followers
February 6, 2022
Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is the first book in the new paranormal romance Supernatural Singles series. I’m not totally sure but I believe that the Supernatural Singles series will be like a lot of romance series and the main characters will change with each new book of the series.

Not the Witch You Wed is actually a couple of different romance tropes in one with a fake dating storyline mixed with a second chance relationship. Violet Maxwell once had her heart broken by Lincoln Thorne when they were teenagers. Now to Violet’s dismay the She and Lincoln are being pushed to find their mates so in order to stall for time the two pretend to be dating each other.

Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher was a fun book to read with a lot of laughs in this paranormal rom-com. I really liked the characters and getting to know them and their world with the supernatural laws. I couldn’t help but root for Lincoln to make a change in their world too. The steaminess was undeniable in the second chance for this pair and I would definitely be interested to read another book in this same world.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Profile Image for Madison Warner Fairbanks.
2,236 reviews302 followers
February 6, 2022
Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher
Contemporary paranormal romantic comedy.
Violet is the oldest of the triplets witches of the Maxwell family. She’s called The Dud, by the press because she is apparently without Magic. When the Elder Counsel tells Lincoln he must comply with their rules, he and Violet team up to fake a relationship. Of course, they have history and unpredictable magic and family to muck things up along the journey.

Filled with humor, sass and a flirty werewolf. And charity both in person and financially. 🥰
I loved Vi’s determination in figuring out her magic and even more, the sisters and BFF support. Multiple wins and happy resolutions.

🎧 I listened to a audiobook version after reading an ecopy. The audiobook is narrated by Zora Johnson who performs with a wide range of nuance to the various main characters. Emotions were clear and carries the reader through the frustration, the joy and heartbreak spot on. It did read quite slow for me in dialect. I moved the speed up a couple of times and ended with 1.5 as the best conversational pace.

I received a copy of both an ebook and audiobook from NetGalley, SMP, and Dreamscape Media.
Profile Image for Meags.
2,111 reviews371 followers
August 29, 2022
4.5 Stars

Easily one of my favourite reads of the year, Not the Witch You Wed quickly won me over with its charming characters, delicious romance, snappy banter and perfectly paced plot.

Set in a contemporary AU, where supernatural beings are an acknowledged part of everyday society, the story follows witch-without-powers, Violet Maxwell, as she finds herself in a fake-relationship scenario with her childhood ex, alpha wolf shifter, Lincoln Thorne, when both parties find themselves needing a temporary fix while facing relationship deadlines by the supernatural councils (very) outdated by-laws.

Violet is a very relatable heroine, full of sass and smarts, while Lincoln is damn near the perfect book-boyfriend, assumedly melting the hearts and panties of more readers than just me. Together they make a great pair, sharing a chemistry that’s not so easily found in romance reads these days. Beyond their epic banter and playful dynamic, the sexual tension and emotional build-up bridging their fake-relationship ploy to their "real deal" feelings unfolded to perfection.

Many friends will be aware that I am not usually one to seek out stories with second-chance romance themes, but I couldn’t deny the allure of this overall story. Due to the author’s execution and the naturally occurring plot circumstances (i.e., not forced or over-dramatic), this trope was used so expertly here that my usual niggles were practically non-existent. If anything, this was a prime example of how this trope should be used—with purpose and payoff!

As far as paranormal rom-coms are concerned, this was top tier. Witty, magical and romantic, this story hit a lot of my favourite buttons, especially in terms of the fun world-building and fantastic ensemble cast of characters that surrounded, supported and enhanced Violet and Lincoln’s story. In fact, this story was filled with so many appealing, well-defined characters—encompassing all manner of different supernatural backgrounds—that, with no convincing, I would happily follow this series through all its planned (and perhaps unplanned) sequels.
Profile Image for Sarah.
605 reviews15 followers
October 13, 2021
I wanted to like this book more, but it was too fluffy, even for the brain candy paranormal romance that I was expecting it to be. The characters seemed very one-dimensional and the writing just seemed a bit lazy. It wasn’t so offensive that it landed on the DNF list, but I probably wouldn’t have liked to pay actual money for it.

WARNING: INCOMING RANT ABOUT LAZY DESCRIPTION VIA BOOB SIZES.
Less than a page into the book we’re treated to an unnecessary bra size description: “As Vi turned at the indoor swimming pool, her cell phone vibrated against her left boob. Going against her better judgment, she tugged it from her DD cup and immediately regretted reading Rose’s message.” It’s literally the first physical description we get of our protagonist beyond the fact that she’s wearing three-inch heels.

By the beginning of chapter 3, we get introduced to Vi’s friend Harper by boob size as well: “A tray clanked down on the counter and one-half of Vi’s best friend brigade sighed, the move pushing out her perfect C-cup boobs.” It also may just be a pet peeve of mine, but cup size doesn’t really mean all that much without a band size to go with it. C-cups on a “redhead with curves to make a pinup envious” may not actually be anything particularly striking.
BOOB SIZE RANT COMPLETE.

I also pulled this quote, which just dumbfounded me: “Council days drained Linc more than when he traveled for weeks on end, taking off from one airport and landing in another.” I think the author was trying to convey the tedium of continuous travel, but taking off from one airport and landing in another is just the way planes work in general.

I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Chris  C - A Midlife Wife.
1,508 reviews268 followers
October 7, 2021
So much love for this fun story! I want more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thing that called my name the most on this book is was premise that a witch was a Dud. A witch with no powers! I knew we were in for some fun times and I was not wrong.

This book is a second chance romance with a bit of enemies to lovers trope thrown in as well. The thing is I loved Linc! The flame never stopped burning for him and when he found a way to step up to help Violet, he was all over it.

The author created so many fabulous characters. I enjoyed them all. The sisters – a Triple threat. Linc and his best buddy were awesome as well. Plus, the rest of the characters added up to a beautiful blending of personalities and made for a fun, wacky story.

For me, I just loved when the Dud started showing her true colors and the sparks would literally fly. Archer nailed it with a wild and witty romance that heated up the pages as well as the alpha in the house. Grrrr!

Playful and a true delight to read. I could not put it down!!!!! I need more from April Archer and this series!

* copy received for review consideration
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/not-the-witc...
Profile Image for Nicole.
494 reviews138 followers
February 2, 2022
I’ve come to find out I really enjoy the fake dating trope and this one has a magical twist! I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was delightful. I’m not normally into the witchy magical stuff but I figured since this month I’m trying new books, new genres, why not dive right in?

Violet Maxwell is a witch. A witch with no magic! After wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne broke her heart she wrote him off for good. That is until the two of them are reunited by the arcane Supernatural Laws to find significant others.

The crafty pair decides to fake date in order to bide some time. However, when Violet’s magic re-emerges and so do those old familiar feelings. Consequently there are numerous secrets that threaten to tear the newly reconciled couple apart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Alexis.
350 reviews5 followers
September 5, 2021
Sadly, despite the promising premise, this was a one-star read that narrowly missed getting a DNF from me. While the idea and world building is OK, the overall book just hits all the traits that I can’t stand. Immature/Not-Like-Other-Girls protagonist, cliched bad guys, poor execution of romance tropes, being mean parading as “snark,” one-dimensional cast of characters, character descriptions that felt very much “men writing women” and a resolution that seems to be completely out of line with the built world all contributed to this being an unenjoyable read. While I know some of these aspects are loved by other readers (no judgement, all reading is good reading!), but for me, this one just did not do it.
Profile Image for Jacob Proffitt.
2,937 reviews1,549 followers
April 11, 2022
I'm done at about a third in, though I've been flagging for a while already. The problem that I'm having is that the whole thing feels extremely contrived. It was bad enough that Linc is against a hard deadline to be "Bonded" forcing him to be amenable to a fake dating scheme, but then we have the same done to Violet and in largely the same unreasoning way—an ages-old tradition that certain factions are enforcing for no very good reason.

I mean, consider that at the heart of this system, for both of them, is sexual slavery. If they aren't bonded by some deadline, they'll have a mate chosen for them by people who are openly antagonistic to them. And I'm supposed to buy that modern people are willing to submit to this system? I mean, Violet objects to kissing him to wake him from a magical sleep because he'd be unable to consent. So it's not like this isn't something they supposedly care about.

But the thing that's actually killing my immersion is that literally the only reason they are at odds is because there's a magical compulsion to prevent a reveal. So Violet hates him because she thinks it happened a certain way, not realizing that there's a whole lot more depth there and the injustice of him not being able to explain due to a spell forced on him by someone now dead is almost more irritating than that it's yet another contrivance.

I'm not sure how much of my irritation is with the actual characters or with all the contrivance that drives the plot. I'm still going to rate it a single star, though, because it doesn't really matter why I found it so unenjoyable when the fact is that I did.
Profile Image for Sakshi.
255 reviews39 followers
February 23, 2022
What captured me first was the cover of the book. Then the title. And then the genre. Paranormal rom-com! I haven't read one until this book.

What is this book -
A fake relationship between a magic-less witch and a wolf shifter. Violet Maxwell and Lincoln Thorne.
When the Supernatural Laws demand them to find mates, Violet and Lincoln, who apparently have broken Violet's heart once, fake-date to appease the Council. But... their old feelings start to resurface along with Violet's magic. Between the looming threats and silenced secrets, will not-so-magicless Violet and Alpha Thorne find their happiness and HEA the second time??

Finally satisfied they were on the same page, Linc stuck out his hand. “Then we have ourselves a deal. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, Violet Ann Maxwell.”
She took his hand reluctantly. “Or the beginnings of murder in the first degree.”


This book was a treat!!
Tropes involved - Paranormal (fantasy) romance, Rom-com, Fake-dating
Involves - As main characters - a witch and wolf-shifter
Involves - As secondary characters - a virginal succubus, a guardian angel who does not have any permanent ward, triplets who are aaaaaahmazing, a mother who just wants (not) the best for her children, a Gran who is more badass then any alpha out there, a lion-shifter who snores louder than a grizzly bear, and some other shifters.

What I also liked -
✔ The chapters had names. It is not an easy task to do so, trust me.
✔ The banter between the characters.

“I think I would’ve preferred hitting the floor,” she muttered.
Lincoln’s mouth twitched. “Your wish is my command, princess.”
He dropped her onto the cushioned mats someone had laid out beneath the basketball hoop. “Ow! Hey! What was that for?”
“I firmly believe in giving women what they want.”


“Good. 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.”
“Put a leash on it.”


✔ The characters portrayed in contrast to their known characteristics.
Eg. A succubus being a virgin. A witch being magicless. A guardian angel who does not have anyone to guard.
✔ Sparky.

What I didn't like -
✖ The introduction this new from of supernatural society. It took me along time to understand what really was happening.

He smirked. “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.”

Sooooo,
Overall, a light, fun, magical read.
Also, couldn't wait to read Rose and Damien's story. I hope, it is next!
Profile Image for Charity (Booktrovert Reader).
460 reviews54 followers
March 20, 2023

BLOGINSTAGRAMPODCAST

Are you a fantasy lover that wants to try your hands into rom coms? Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is a great option for that. This is a great contemporary rom-com that has an urban fantasy element to it.
I will say, this book can be corny. As an intense fantasy reader myself, some things can have you roll your eyes like you did in the days of reading Twilight. But it was still done in a nice rom-comy way.

Rom-Com Elements:
Fake Dating
Second Chance Romances

Corny Warning:
Phases such as:
“Link’s inner wolf…” or “Telling his inner beast to behave.” has been used multiple, no I mean way too many times in this book.
Corny? Certainly. Still good? HECK YES!
Profile Image for Laurie  (barksbooks).
1,724 reviews672 followers
May 13, 2022
Maybe it’s because this is book one of a new series or maybe it’s because I’m grouchy but this one started out with a confusing info dump of supernatural politics and it nearly lost me. It does not gently lead you into the story but throws everything it has at you as if it were book 10 of a long ongoing series and wanted to wrap up the previous 10 books super quick-like and for me, it was information overload and confusing and much of it seemed totally unnecessary.

Anyhow, here’s the gist of things. This is a supernatural world filled with magic and all sorts of magical creatures and monsters and angels and succubus and were-bears and witches. This book eventually focuses on a witch and the wolfy man who broke her heart when they were teens. There are secrets and spells and misunderstandings and overheard conversations and all sorts of things keeping them from communicating properly. This may not bug you nearly as much as it bugged me. You're probably not as grumpy and that's understandable.

Turns out Violet and Linc (our two wayward lovers-to-be) are both bound by supernatural rules to find life mates RIGHT NOW or ELSE. The else being the fact that these life mates (witch-bonds or whatever they’re called) will be chosen for them and if they don’t find their bond/mate freaking asap (because OF COURSE) they lose their power forevermore. It’s still 2022, right? I’m beginning to wonder. Anyhow, so even though Violet has a tattered heart because of Linc, these two pretend to start dating in order to buy themselves some time. And everything that follows is an absolute non-surprise to everyone who has ever read a romance novel or 20 but some of it is fun and amusing which is why I’m giving it a three. But know it’s also very chaotic and not very comforting due to all of the miscommunication and hurt feelings and general bedlam so please note that my three is a generous one even though I'm a bit crabby about it. It’s more like 2.75 if you want to be precise.

There is a LOT of sexy time in this book. They’re always going at it and there’s nothing wrong with that but I didn’t find any of it sexy which is super sad for me. For some reason, I did not feel the chemistry between these two despite the wolfy eyes and the purple sparks. Maybe I’ve finally died inside. The last thing I came here to bitch about was the corny lines. There's a bunch of ‘em but this one hit me the hardest ↓

“You did the hanky with Mr.Wolf’s panky.”

I actually did a double-take on that one and had to stop to write that gem down.

I swear to you that I did not make that up to be a jerk.

Sooooo, will I read the next one? You betcha. It’s about a demon vet. How could I not? I’m hoping now that book one is out of the way and some of the kinks of setting up this world have been worked out that the next one will find its footing quicker than this one did.

As always, this review reflects my personal reading experience. Yours may differ. Don’t blame me if it does!
Profile Image for Madita.
522 reviews18.9k followers
November 1, 2022
2.5 stars

I don't know how I feel about this book.
The beginning was interesting and I really liked how Violet's story started. Her backstory with her magic was interesting and I was excited to see how it was going to develop throughout this book.
Then the was the man. Lincoln. Wow I do not like him.

The way everyone called him Alpha all the time made me laugh out loud. I know he actually is the alpha but it was still mentioned too often for me. Calm down. Not every sentence has to include the word Alpha.

Now here is my biggest issue with the story and this will include spoilers so be ready...
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The biggest plot in this book is obviously the fake dating because they both have not found their mates (or do not want to) and want to prolong their time as people without mates. There was also a large focus on how old traditions need to be changed in the werewolf community I guess and one of those is the fighting as well as the mates.
I was happy to see how Lincoln fought against some of these old traditions but I think everything was kind of broken with the fact that in the end Lincoln and Violet were surprise surprise: true mates..

One that completely ruined the story for me because I thought it would be really cool to see a story about 2 ppl that aren't true mates and then the tension could have been that the true mate shows up but they decide to fight against the traditions and stay together. Yeah that did not happen.

Instead they tried to explain the fact that they never knew that they were mates because of "age". HUH?
Even after, they were together for weeks before they realised that they were mates and they always explained how the bonds are so strong and SO RARE AND THAT THEY RARELY EXISTS but then they don't realise? That was a weak explanation in my opinion.

Especially with the fact that a large focus of this story was how Violet's magic suddenly started to appear when she's already older.
Profile Image for Bree.
114 reviews
September 27, 2022
second chance romance??? enemies to lovers??? a possessive alpha who pines over the heroine for over a decade??? i ate this up!!!
Profile Image for Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee.
626 reviews159 followers
January 25, 2022
Thank you @smpromance for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!

This was such a pleasure to read. I don't read too many paranormal romcoms, but this was just what I needed. So fun, and entertaining! I flew through this one, and stayed up late into the night to finish, or should I say into the early morning.🤣

A second chance romance/enemies to lovers trope. Violet Maxwell is a magicless witch. Lincoln Thorne is a wolf shifter that broke her heart when they were teenagers and she wants nothing to do with him. But supernatural laws force them to find mates, so they decide to fake the relationship. They are in for a surprise when old feelings emerge, but there are secrets that threaten to tear them apart! Will they get their happy ever after? Such a great book to escape into. Funny, sexy, and plenty of secondary characters to enjoy as well!
Profile Image for MissBecka Gee.
1,492 reviews596 followers
February 5, 2022
This was really fun.
The characters were sassy and well written.
Not too much spice, but enough to be interesting.
The only thing that I didn't care for was the heavy use of the word witch in place of regular words.
It was used so much in the first couple chapters I almost set this aside.
It simmered down a bit after that, but still overused.
Overall pretty good.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Dreamscape Media for my DRC.
Profile Image for Angie Cox.
338 reviews1,286 followers
March 21, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ A new-adult paranormal urban romance

Took a hot second to get into, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it


Summary:

Violet is a magic-less witch and due to an outdated law is forced to fake-date the wolf shifter ex that broke her heart while she finds a loophole. Lincoln, is being pressured to find a mate and agrees to this scheme to buy some time of his own. However, when old feelings make a reappearance, along with Violet’s magic, they realize there is nothing fake about the spark between them.


My Thoughts:

If you love books with characters that are in their early 30s, fake dating, second chances, dual pov, and explicit sexual content, you should definitely check out this book.

I actually loved the premise of the story, because hello, fake dating trope is superior! The writing was easy to follow. And while the ending was somewhat predictable, it was enjoyable every step of the way.

I also really liked Violet's character. She’s confident, strong, and stands up for herself and others. Even though she doesn’t have magic (or didn’t up until now) she never let that define her. Violent does not see her own or others' value in power or magical abilities but who the person is. 💕

I loved the tension between Lincoln and Violet! They have a romantic past that ended in heartache, and to Violet, the reasons were unknown so she’s been angry with him ever since. But Lincoln broke off their relationship to protect her from his father, however, he is magically bound to never tell her the truth. So whenever Violet pushes for the truth, Lincoln is forced into silence, forcing Violet to question if he’s a man she can ever trust again. While everything Lincoln did was to protect her. Cue the tension.


The one thing I really didn’t like was that the characters are in their early 30s yet the dialogue is sometimes immature or juvenile. For example:

- Lincoln calling his d*ck, Lincoln Junior.
- Violet calling Lincoln a ‘jerk-turd’
- The grandma says ‘bae’
- Violet refers to her and her friend's boob cup sizes like it’s a characteristic.
- Violet says she’s ‘waking up at the butt crack of dawn’
- All the characters refer to themselves and others as badass repeatedly.

If anything, I felt like I was reading Zodiac Academy with 30-year-olds who still talked like they were 18 years old.


Overall, Not The Witch You Wed was an enjoyable paranormal romance that I would recommend reading for something lighthearted with a little bit of spice. Also, the ending sets up a sequel with the other sister, which I’m dying to read!


Thank you to Griffin Publisher, St. Martin's Press, and LEO PR for sending me a copy for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,783 reviews56 followers
December 14, 2022
This is the second time I’ve read and sadly, the book goes down in stars. First time I gave it five stars. This time I would give it four or maybe even less. I’m also reading it at the same time as I’m reading the second book in the series so I’m gonna make some comparisons to that.

Both first and second books have prior love connections, a klutzy fall off a ladder where the hero catches the heroine, and a casual sport competition. First book is bowling and the second book is pool.

The author tries to make clear that she’s modern and hip and doesn’t want her heroine kissing the hero while he’s out because he cannot give consent. I appreciate that. Then one of the scenes the hero was told that “I don’t like hearing people say ‘fine’ because there’s always something wrong” and he replies with “yeah I don’t like to hear that from my women either”, which was a weird and not hip to modern times response.

I hate his calling her “princess” all the time. It’s a way overused nickname. I decided to stop reading this book at 55% the second time around because I realize it was feeling like a chore and not a delight to go over his book. Sometimes books are great the first time around and then, they just don’t hold up! Some books are meant to be read only one time.

First review 5 stars
Fun supernatural romance.

Two great characters with a good plot line. Love a fake dating relationship, especially when it pushes people together who already are smitten.
Profile Image for Jena.
543 reviews96 followers
February 5, 2022
This is such a enjoyable and unique book. The world building, plot and characters all work together to create a really fun and upbeat atmosphere. There's a ton of good tropes (soulmates, fake dating, childhood friends to enemies to lovers), the love interest is super swoon-worthy (possessive, pining/obsessed with the main characters, protective, etc), and there's representation in the plus size main character. Really, I have no objective complaints. That being said, I didn't really connect with this book. Even though it was a really fun read, for whatever reason it just didn't click with me. Anyways, that's a personal opinion, and considering how strong this was objectively, I'd definitely recommend it to fans of paranormal contemporaries. It's got a ton of widely beloved elements yet is a completely new story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Büşra Tekin.
Author 10 books24 followers
November 21, 2022
Selamlar!

Gelin birlikte aşırı keyifli bir fantastik romantizm kitabının detaylarını birlikte inceleyelim! Bugün konumuz: Not the Witch You Wed! ✨

Öncelikle kitabımızın ana karakterleri Violet ve Lincoln. Violet, bir cadı ailesinden gelse de sihir gücüne sahip değil bu sebeple kendini elinden geldiğinde bu "ait" hissetmedi doğaüstü ortamdan soyutlamaya çalışıyor. 🤝🏻

Lincoln'sa bir kurt adam, hem de alfa 😌 Gençliklerinde yakın olmalarına rağmen bir şekilde yolları ayrıldığı için Lincoln ve Vi'nin arasında ciddi mesafeler girmiş, hatta Vi'nin güven problemlerinin temelinde Lincoln var denilebilir.

Bir noktada yolları tekrar kesişiyor ve ikisi de doğaüstü konseyindeki baskılardan kurtulmak ya da bir süreliğine bu baskıları azaltmak için bir sahte ilişki yürütmeye karar veriyorlar. Hem nefretten aşka, hem sahte ilişki klişeleri olan hem de doğaüstü yaratıkları ele alan bir kitap... Enfes! 💪🏻

Daha fazla detay vermem spoiler olacağı için burada duruyorum ama genel düşüncemden biraz bahsetmek isterim! ⭐

- Kitap üçüncü tekil şahıstan anlatılıyor, çok sık okumadığım için bana başta garip geldi
- Yan karakterlere yer verilmiş ve dolu dolu karakterler gerçekten
- Kitapta boşluğa düşüp de sıkıldığınız bir an olmuyor, olay örgüsü bakımından güçlü
- Yepyeni bir kurgu değil, klişe yanları var ama okurken gerçekten akıp gidiyor ve keyifli bir tat bırakıyor

Benim sanırım tek hatam kitabı reading slump'tayken okumak oldu. Biraz yavaş okuduğum için bir de üçüncü tekil şahıs olayına tam olarak adapte olamadığım için bir yıldız kırdım ama bu yıldız tamamen "benlik" sebeplerle kırıldı diyebilirim 🤷🏻‍♀️

Bu arada yalan yok, kitabı okurken içimden dedim ki "Keşke Türkçe okusaydım." Çünkü kitapta bu yeni sihirli dünyaya özel bazı kalıplar vs var, eğer İngilizce'niz iyi seviyedeyse rahat okuyabilirsiniz ama iyi seviyede değilse zorlanma ihtimaliniz var. Neyse, üzülmeyin efenim... Çünkü bu güzel kitap yakında Türkiye'de basılıyor, çevirmeni de benim 🤭

Çokça sevgiler!

Daha fazlası için --> @beastslibrary
Profile Image for Wendy W..
518 reviews117 followers
January 8, 2022
Not the Witch You Wed by April Asher is a delightful, and playful paranormal romance that warmed my heart and made me laugh out loud. A second chance romance along with some magic and some laughs makes for a wonderful story.

Violet Maxwell is the oldest sister from a set of triplets, and she’s the only one that doesn’t have any magic. She’s content with her role as the magicless witch and doesn’t mind that her two sisters have magic and she doesn’t. When she is told by the witches council that, as the oldest sibling, she must find a mate right away, she balks as she doesn’t know anybody she could spend the rest of her life with.

Lincoln Thorne, a shapeshifting wolf, and the alpha of his pack, must find a mate by his 33rd birthday, only five weeks away. Lincoln (Linc) and Violet have a history. They were friends and dated briefly, until Linc disappeared one day, breaking Violet’s heart. So, when he reappears in her life, she’s not very happy about it. But, they eventually agree to a fake bonding in order to keep the Witche’s council off their back. Their old attraction resurfaces, and sparks fly.

I don’t read many paranormal books, so I’ll admit this was a bit tough for me to get into because of all the different paranormal characters. But, soon enough, I figured them all out and then I was able to enjoy the story, and especially the romance between Violet and Linc. The author is very thorough in her world-building, and the action started almost immediately bringing me into the story right away. I can see this being a long series as there are already so many characters.

The banter and humor between Violet and Linc was so much fun. There are a lot of characters in this book, and I can’t wait to meet more of them again in later books.

I recommend Not the Witch You Wed to anyone who loves a paranormal romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Profile Image for Ivy Deluca.
2,163 reviews278 followers
March 21, 2022
Loved this PNR with just the right amount of heat, heart and humor. Made me happy and I ripped through it like a kitty through a paper bag. Hopefully I’ll remember to come back with a full review later.

This is romance centered though the worldbuilding is just enough to keep me interested. The Firsts were fun and well done. The enemies to lovers mixed with second chance romance gives a good amount of tension and makes this story sing. Plus I want more from this 'verse and I can't wait to see where Ms. Asher takes it next.

May be the shortest positive review I've done but hey first time for everything. Yeah, I liked it and I happily recommend it.

Note: updated for ARC disclosure.
**Arc provided via netgalley for review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**
Profile Image for Amy.
1,874 reviews1,879 followers
January 19, 2022
After a string of mediocre books I started this on a whim, not sure exactly what to expect. Am I a paranormal romance reader? Nope, but I’ve always wanted to branch out more and this sounded like the perfect place for a newbie like me to start. It totally was, I freaking loved this one. Who knew shifters would work for me?!

I was a little nervous that the whole supernatural aspect would be confusing for me and it wasn’t. I thought the author did a great job explaining the laws/rules while not getting too bogged down in the details to where I was bored. It honestly fascinated me and made me hope that maybe this will be the start of a new series? 🤞🏻There we’re so many interesting and fun side characters that I would love to read more about. The romance was perfection, Lincoln and Violet had A plus chemistry and witty banter wrapped up in a mash up of fake dating/enemies to lovers/second chance romance. Overall this one was just a pure delight, I can’t tell you how happy this one made me, it provided a true escape and left me smiling.
Profile Image for Jamie.
221 reviews23 followers
March 7, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn't for me. I finished it, but I won't be reading the sequel.

This book is about Vi, a member of a trio of witches who happens to have no magic.

I just didn't think this book had much of a plot. There was no character development or world building. It seems like the entire focus was a love story that felt forced. There wasn't a lot of comedy either. All around, not my cup of tea. There is definitely an audience for this book, but I prefer more thought provoking stories.

The audio was average. I liked her female voices, but not the male ones.
Profile Image for Cortney Walton.
479 reviews21 followers
November 4, 2021
Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press for my early copy!

I absolutely loved this one! I fell in love with after a few chapters. The world building was fantastic. I loved the descriptive details.

Vi was just brilliant. She just cracked me up. I loved the dynamics between Vi, her friends, and her sisters.

Vi and Linc were absolutely perfect. I loved how their relationship evolved.

I didn’t want to the book to end. I’m really hoping this will be a series!
Profile Image for Chelsea.
592 reviews89 followers
February 14, 2022
I like that this book is about a fake relationship but the cheesy writing and immature characters ruined it for me.
Profile Image for ♛Vanessa♛ Fangirl Faction.
845 reviews597 followers
September 24, 2022
I enjoyed this book but it wasn't what I expected. Or maybe it was and I am trying to fool myself otherwise.

First of all, I really fell into this book easily with the lovely writing style. It was smooth and inviting and I dove right in and couldn't stop reading. The plot of the story was interesting and spellbinding. (I couldn't resist. =P) The plot certainly felt like and flowed like a typical contemporary romantic comedy which is great because I think that was the point. I think that this is also why I didn't totally mesh with the world-building. The supernatural elements of the story felt very surface-level to me. They were not as developed as I tend to like in my fantasy and paranormal stories. Those parts of the story felt like a skeleton story that needed a little fattening up. Maybe not a bare skeleton but it definitely needed some more meat on those bones if you know what I mean.

The characters were easily likable and I found myself wanting more of them. Each character in the book felt unique and had a distinct personality. I really loved all the secondary characters in this book and I look forward to reading their love stories later in the series.

The love story could have been a little more convincing. I don't know why it didn't totally click for me but the chemistry felt a little forced. Both Violet and Lincoln have a past together and there was all this character depth but the romantic buildup didn't pack the punch I was hoping for. I was definitely rooting for them the entire time but in the back of my mind, I felt that their romance wasn't entirely memorable.

Overall, this was a quick and breezy read that I didn't totally love but enjoyed in the moment. The story may not have been entirely memorable for me but it was very fun. If you love romcoms and paranormal romance then you'll love this mash-up of the two. It never occurred to me to want to read a rom-com with paranormal elements but I am liking the genre thus far.


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