Not your ex's hexes

Asher's fun second Supernatural Singles paranormal romance (after Not the Witch You Wed) skillfully juggles humor, heart, and magical hijinks. After mistakenly trying to rescue emaciated horses from what turns out to be an animal sanctuary, witch Rose Maxwell is sentenced to community service at that same sanctuary under the supervision of sexy half-demon veterinarian Damian Adams, with whom Rose once shared a one-night stand. Now the flighty witch and the grumpy demon must play nice for the sake of the animals under their care. Meanwhile, their intense mutual desire--both of their internal monologues are exceptionally horny from the get-go--leads to them cautiously navigating a no strings attached relationship. Damian is determined not to develop feelings, as he lives under a hex that will cost him his soul if he falls in love--but staying detached proves difficult. And when Damian is lured back into his role as a Supernatural bounty hunter, Rose develops a taste for action as well, though she's unprepared for the risk. Asher's setting, which sees Supernaturals of all sorts dwelling alongside humans in the contemporary world, is somewhat hastily built on familiar tropes, but Asher enhances the basic worldbuilding with lively romance and sizzling chemistry. It's funny, fluffy, and fast-paced. Agent: Sarah E. Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Feb.)

Rose Maxwell is floundering. After breaking up with a horrible fiancé and stepping down from her family's magical seat of power to let her slightly-older triplet sister take the lead, Rose mistakenly attempts to rescue some animals that don't actually need rescuing. Half-demon and full-grumpy veterinarian, Damien Adams, was not expecting to have his rescued horses almost stolen by his witchy one-night stand, but now he's the person running a struggling animal sanctuary and monitoring Rose. Forced to volunteer and use some of her event planning and organizational skills to help out the sanctuary as penance for her well-intentioned crimes, Rose jumps into the dirty horse stalls with her work boots on and her fundraising ideas brewing. The chemistry between the sociable Rose and the irritable Damien gains strength as they spend more time working together on the farm and capturing wayward demons for the Supernatural Council. However, Damien's past threatens their future together. VERDICT The charming second entry in the "Supernatural Singles" series (after Not the Witch You Wed) features hilarious and heartwarming characters and undeniable attraction between its leads.--Jenna Harmison