#GIVEAWAY Review-Not your Ex's Hexes Interview with author April Asher

I am so psyched to be sharing my review and interview with author April Asher about her latest fantasy romance, Not Your Ex's Hexes plus as a treat for my readers St. Martin's Press is sponsoring a #Giveaway. Deets to follow.
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Not Your Ex's Hexes

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ISBN-13: 978-1250808011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 02-07-2023
Length: 352pp
Supernatural Singles #2
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex's Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps.

For her entire life, Rose Maxwell trained to become the next Prima on the Supernatural Council. Now that she’s stepped down, it’s time for this witch to focus on herself. And not think about her impulsive one-night stand with Damian Adams, a half-Demon Veterinarian who she can’t get out of her head. Neither of them is looking for a relationship. But when Rose is sentenced to community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary it becomes impossible for them to ignore their sparking attraction. A friends-with-benefits, no feelings, no strings arrangement works perfectly for them both.

After a sequence of dead-end jobs, it’s not until Rose tangos with two snarly demons that she thinks she’s finally found her path. However, this puts Damian back on the periphery of a world he thought he left behind. He doesn’t approve of Rose becoming a Hunter, but if there's one thing he's learned about the stubborn witch, it was telling her not to do something was one sure-fire way to make sure she did.

Working―and sleeping―together awakens feelings Damian never knew he had...and shouldn't have. Because thanks to his ex's hex, if he falls in love, he'll not only lose his heart―but his humanity.

My Review:

Not Your Ex’s Hexes
Supernatural Singles #2
April Asher

Asher’s, Not Your Ex’s Hexes, second in her Supernatural Singles series is a HOOT, a unique supernatural rom-com that features a sexy, stiletto wearing witch and a half demon vet that gets along with his animals better than his peers and contains all types of supernatural characters that will satisfy all fans of the genre. This talented author gifts readers with a strong storyline, a narrative that’s a bit naughty and a bit nice and will have readers totally engrossed from page one until the end. Her stars Rose and Damien are absolutely delightful, Rose, the loveable witch without a cause is an open book, good-hearted and true and readers will have no problem knowing what she’s thinking at any and all times while Damien the broody, grumpy, demon vet is a conundrum and readers will need the jaws of life to open him up. The other characters most introduced in book one continue to be an important part of the story and each and every one important in the telling of the tale. The novel is sweet with a bit of heat there’s a hint of where the third triplet’s story is going and even though there’s some backstory this series would be better read in order.

 

Once Rose Maxwell had her future planned, she spent her whole life training to be the next Prima witch, that all changed when a new Prima was discovered, a new Prima who just happened to be one of her two womb mates, her once thought non-magical sister Violet. Trying desperately to find a new direction and not knowing what she’s really good at Rose finds herself floundering at one dead end job after another. Then after one fateful night and a botched attempt to save two abused horses she finds herself arrested by the supernatural council and sentenced to community service at an animal rescue run by a grumpy half human, half demon vet. The very de-man she had her one and only unforgettable six-month ago one-night-stand with. What’s a witch to do?

Damian Adams once known as the scourge in supernatural bounty hunter circles left that life far behind in part due to being hexed by his ex, so that if he ever fell in love it would cost him his soul. But that was years ago in his wayward youth when he was still trying to gain the approval of his demon father. Now he lives a quiet life as a vet and just wants to run his animal rescue and doesn’t want the complication that Rose Maxwell will surely cause. After all she’s starred in his (se)x-rated dreams ever since their ill-fated night. He’s debating whether to ship her off or strip her naked and if his demon had his way that would be option 2, thank you very much!

 

My Interview with April Asher:

 

April hi! Welcome to The Reading Frenzy. I loved your new book Not Your Ex’s Hexes.
Tell us a bit about it please.
Thank you so much for having me!!

After training all her life to become the next Prima (Witch Leader), Rose, the middle witchy Maxwell triplet steps aside and lets her sister claim the title. She has no regrets except for the fact that she has no idea what her ‘thing’ is. She has no hobbies. She shifts from job to job to try and find her ‘thing’. One night, she convinces her sisters and friend to ‘liberate’ a pair of malnourished horses from a field and it turns out that the horses had already been saved from mistreatment.

The owner of the animal sanctuary is none other than her recent one-night stand, grumpy demon veterinarian, Damian Adams. She’s sentenced to community service hours as the sanctuary, and eventually they get to know each other and even agree to a friends with benefits arrangement. But Damian has a past as a former supernatural bounty hunter, and as a teen, was hexed by an ex to never fall in love or risk losing his soul. Rose eventually finds her ‘thing’ in supernatural bounty hunting…and Damian. And well, sparks fly and we all know that no strings arrangements never last in a romance book. 

This is book 2 in the series, since the sisters are triplets is there only one more coming or with plenty of other really great costarring characters will you be telling other supernatural stories and keep it going?
I LOVE my secondary characters so much and I would LOVE for them all to get a book. I’m currently only contracted for three books (the sisters), but boy do I have ideas for more so fingers crossed!!!

I absolutely LOVED Rose, she was such an open book, not to say she wasn’t a well-formed character just one who wore her heart on her sleeve.
So are open book characters easier to write then complicated ones?
For me they’re so much easier. With a character whose a bit more closed off (Damian, COUGH, Damian), you obviously want them to change, but you don’t want to do it all at once. Slowly peeling back those layers are key, but it’s fun and sometimes those are the characters that usually surprise me while I’m writing.

Since I brought up complicated/complex characters, how was the grumpy demon vet aka Damien while writing the novel?
Ah, Damian. Broody, grumpy heroes have always been my catnip. I love transforming them from growling, blank-mask faces to those little quirks of the lips and semi-grins. When a broody hero grins, you KNOW they’re melting a bit inside.

This is your first series writing as April Asher, your bio tells us that as April Hunt you write romantic suspense.
a. What made you want to write supernatural/fantasy romance?
Paranormal has always been my first love, but when I fell into publishing years ago, paranormal wasn’t considered ‘in trend’…hence romantic suspense, my second love. But I devour anything spooky and supernatural. Buffy, Charmed, Vampire Diaries…you name it, if it had a character with fangs or fur, it was my jam. Still is to this day.

b. Do you sort of don a different identity when you become an alter ego, or do you change names for another reason.
My romantic suspense is so totally different from the Supernatural Singles series. There’s more…let’s say SPICE, lol. Like, a lot, lol. And while I’m noticing with each Supernatural Single book I write, the spice factor escalates, lol, it’s still a whole lot lighter and fun and the perfect escape. I wanted a different name so people know what they’re getting by reading an Asher book. 

April your bio tell us that you’re a nurse by day and romance author by night.
First and foremost thank you for being a healthcare hero, I don’t think we give enough credit to nurses. They wear so many hats and are often the forgotten thankless superstars.
What led you to becoming an author?
Aw, thank you! I’ve always written stories, but life, family, and work kind of got in the way of it. And then I was pregnant with my first child and placed on bedrest with absolutely nothing to do and I picked it back up. But even then, I only did it for fun, for myself. And then while on bedrest with my second, I started seriously contemplating trying to get published…and then here we are!

April thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Good luck with this book and number 3 and hopefully 4,5,6 😉 which I’ll anxiously wait for.
Do you have any upcoming author events or signings?
On February 7^th, Avery Flynn is joining me at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA for an in-person & virtual release event (sweet treats WILL BE provided, lol). On February 9^th, Love’s Sweet Arrow is hosting The Magic Of Audiobooks, where myself and my narrator for Not the Witch You Wed & Not Your Ex’s Hexes, Zura Johnson, will be chatting with Melonie Johnson. And then on February 11^th, I’ll be in Woodbridge, VA, at the new B&N for a quick stop & shop signing. And there’s more incoming!!! (RSVP in my IG bio links for One More Page & Magic of Audiobooks events!)

About the author:
April Asher, aka April Hunt, was hooked on romantic stories from the time she first snuck a bodice-ripper romance out from her mom's bedside table. She now lives out her own happily-ever-after with her college-sweetheart husband, their two children, and a cat who thinks she's more dog―and human―than feline. By day, April dons dark blue nursing scrubs and drinks way too much caffeine. By night, she still consumes too much caffeine, but she does it with a laptop in hand, and from her favorite side of the couch.

From the far left cushion, April Asher pens laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with a paranormal twist, but when she’s not putting her characters into embarrassing situations with supernatural entities, she also writes high-octane romantic suspense as April Hunt, her thrill-seeking alter ego who has written the Alpha Ops and Alpha Security series.

 

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