Not the witch you wed

This delightful start to the Supernatural Singles series will win the hearts of romance fans and appeal to sf and fantasy readers. Asher has created a fascinating world, where supernatural people of all types--angels and demons, shapeshifters and vampires, succubi and witches--are out and proud. Politics is the problem. An old-school council of elders harshly rules the supernatural population, determining who marries whom. Factions are divided between giving power to the people and their packs or keeping the elders' traditional authoritarian regime. At the top are the Pack Alpha and the Prima, a powerful witch. Violet was the presumed heir, but when her magic didn't manifest, Rose stepped up. Now Rose and the Alpha of Europe are celebrating their Witch Bond announcement. It is a three-day destination extravaganza during which Violet runs into Lincoln, the high-school sweetheart who dumped her and who is now the Alpha of the North American Pack. Because they're approaching their thirty-third birthdays unmarried, they will be forced to marry however the council decrees, so they embark on a fake courtship. Readers will revel in Asher's clever paranormal rom-com.

Things get hexy in Asher's Supernatural Singles series launch, a delightful paranormal rom-com. Violet Maxwell is happy to stay out of the spotlight in the supernatural world, as, though she's a triplet granddaughter to a powerful Prima Witch, she has no magical abilities that she knows of. Wolf shifter Lincoln Thorne, the Alpha of the North American Pack, wants to leave his past behind and create a better future for all shifters. Both Violet and Lincoln oppose the arcane, oppressive laws of the Supernatural Community--especially given that they're each bound by these laws to find a mate. The pair have a painful history, but to get around the antiquated ritual they agree to put aside their baggage and fake a relationship, hoping to buy enough time to find a loophole in the laws and bring about reform. Of course, feelings and attraction--both physical and magical--get in the way. All of this makes for a hilarious, sexy, and refreshingly modern take on the paranormal romance trope of fated mates that throws tradition in the trash. Asher artfully navigates themes of choice vs. destiny and power vs. oppression while weaving a steamy, heartfelt love story. Readers will devour this. Agent: Sarah E. Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Feb.)