“Not the Witch You Wed” by April Asher

Title: Not the Witch You Wed

Author: April Asher
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2022
Genre(s): paranormal romance, fantasy
Part of a Series: Yes .Book 1 of the Supernatural Singles series
Rating: 

Why I read it: Goodreads recommended it and it looked interesting. 

Summary: Violet Maxwell is a member of the most powerful family of witches and should be next in line to inherit her grandmother’s title of Prima. But her own magic is a dud and so she lives a relatively unremarkable life in the magical side of New York City that makes her happy. Her life and happiness though is threatened when the council that governs all magical creatures decide that since she is the first born of a Triad, she still needs to get married in accordance with ancient law even though she has no magic. Enter Violet’s old friend and former boyfriend Lincoln Thorne, the leader of the North American Pack of shapeshifters. He is working to make the pack system more democratic while also facing his own decree to get married. Despite the hurt that still lays between them, Lincoln and Violet agree to date each other to buy themselves time to get around the laws governing them. But will their romance always be fake or will it become very, very real?

Review: I thought I would save this for October and release it as my Halloween review. But then I realize that I get annoyed that all the holiday-themed books get reviewed for that holiday with never time to read them for the holiday. So I’m going to post this now and encourage you to read it for Halloween.

Because I loved this book!

The book grabbed me from the very first chapter as Asher started the action pretty quickly. I was grateful for that as some books can get bogged down by exposition but Asher built her world around the plot and characters, allowing the reader to engage with them faster.

I love that it is set in modern-day New York City but one where magic is prevalent and magical folk mingle with non-magical ones freely. There’s no hiding but there are still rules they have to follow, even if some of those rules are outdated and tyrannical. But it’s these rules that set off the main part of our plot as our leads agree to a fake-dating scenario to buy themselves time to figure out a way around these laws.

Both characters are likeable and readers will find themselves rooting for them. There’s history between them that makes them start out as more enemies than friends so this is a bit of a enemies to lovers story as well. I know I’m a sucker for both that trope and the fake dating trope, which made it perfect for me.

Back to the characters!

Violet is relatable in how she just wants to live a normal life and not have to worry about the parties and formalities her family has to deal with since her grandmother is the Prima and her sister is the Prima-apparent. She has no magical abilities and is more than happy to stay on the peripheral of the magical world. But it’s clear that she’s loyal and loving to the people in her life, especially her sisters and her best friends. When Violet’s magic finally emerges, the reader gets to watch her go on a journey to find and harness the power that’s been inside her the entire time. And it is worth following.

(I am glad that Violet isn’t really the black sheep of her family as the summary or even the first few pages could make it seem. Her sisters Rose and Olive are deeply loyal to her and her grandmother is very loving toward her. It’s just her mother that’s a problem and I can’t see how she is the Prima’s daughter. Something clearly went wrong somewhere).

Lincoln is a great leading man. He’s dedicated to Violet and actually cares about her, not using her. It’s clear he still loves her but there’s a reason why he had to break her heart all those years ago. Because of this, he fails to realize something important and makes some mistakes in his relationship. But he’s a leading man you want to root for and see get the witch at the end of the day. Er, book.

I am excited that this is part of series and I can’t wait to read the next book next year so I can return to this world and learn more about it. Especially as it is centered on Violet’s sister, Rose, who was pretty badass herself in this. I was already fascinated by her and her engagement to Lincoln’s main rival and cheered with how that turned out. So I want to see what comes next for her.

Bottom line: An excellent and “bewitching” read. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself!)

Sex: Yes.

Moonlight Musing

What would you do if you developed magical powers?