Not the Witch You Wed is a contemporary supernatural romance about a witch who isn’t magical and an alpha out of control of his fate as they both try to avoid the machinations of the supernatural elders over their lives. Together, they have to convincingly fake a courtship to avoid being forcibly tied to undesirable partners for life.
Violet Maxwell should be a lot of things- for one, as the first-born Maxwell triplet, she should be a powerful witch, but she doesn’t have enough magic to fill a thimble. She should, at least according to the elders, also be married, to protect others from her unwieldy magic. Despite the argument that Violet doesn’t have any magic, the council is not appeased, and tells Violet she’s going to have to witch-bond within a few short months. Lincoln Thorne is in a similar bind, being forced to find a mate or relinquish his position as alpha. Lincoln and Violet have a history, and while he might be looking for a second chance, she’s determined to have nothing to do with him. They both aspire to fool everyone into thinking they’re in love until they can get out of their predicaments, but old feelings and secrets might get in the way of this neat arrangement.
I loved a lot of the characters, in particular Violet’s grandmother and Lincoln’s best friend. I think the main characters are strong, and the story is very sexy, but this book has some considerable hiccups. There is a supporting character who is a succubus but continually reminds everyone that she is a virgin, which seems needlessly heteronormative when it comes to sex. Violet has a few friends who are shoved in, and they kind of clutter things up in a way we don’t need. I have two other big things, which is that the pacing of the book is a bit uneven, and that the beginning of the book reads as a bit of an exposition dump. I was at first under the assumption that I was reading the second book in a series, because there was so much that I needed to know, but I got it as the story went along. I did love a lot about this book: the world-building is good once you get past the first few chapters, Violet and Lincoln are charming and compelling, and I liked the ending. I am definitely interested in picking up the next one, as I assume all three of the Maxwell sisters will get their happily ever after.
Not the Witch You Wed is available wherever books are sold, or at your local library. This reviewer was provided with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Chamber of Spoilers 