I am so thankful to have received this book as a gift to read in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely loved it! Olive is such a great female main character and I loved seeing her growth throughout the story. Bax is the best winged man there is! I would love to stick in this world for as many books as the author releases in it! The vibe is immaculate!!!

April Asher’s Not Your Crush’s Cauldron (Supernatural Singles #3) follows Olive Maxwell—the third Maxwell twin sister and witch—after she moves in with Bax Donovan, her long-time crush and friend, and challenges herself to step outside her comfort zone.

I enjoyed Olive’s story more than Violet’s (#1), obviously because I’m a sucker for friends-to-lovers. With Olive and Bax, Asher writes a sweet, sexy, steamy, and charming transition from friends concealing their feelings to becoming lovers and falling in love. She skillfully develops her conflicted, relatable, and likable characters. I love that her sisters and their friend’s group still feature prominently in the novel since Olive is close to her sisters and they are a tight-knit group. Their personalities are consistent from Book 1. Asher’s colorful, snarky, and natural-sounding dialogue perfectly suits her magical characters, setting, and theme, with funny and entertaining interactions between the sisters and friends that feel authentic. They love to give each other a hard time, but the sisters and their friends have each other’s backs whenever one of them is in need. However, they do tend to interfere and meddle.

A by-the-book, open-hearted, sweet, introverted, and predictable planner, Olive prefers teaching her college students about the supernatural world to actively being part of it like her twin sisters, who’ve come into their own as the Prima-Apparent and a bounty hunter-in-training. Nevertheless, Olive is comfortable using her magic but avoids getting involved in magical shenanigans or politics and likes keeping a low profile. She assigns her students a project encouraging them to get outside their comfort zones. Realizing she never takes any chances outside her own, she decides to do the project too.

Sweet, sensitive, protective, supportive, and strong-willed with piercings and tattoos, Bax is a gifted artist and motorcycle-riding guardian angel. Unfortunately, Bax has a bad habit of breaking the rules, leaving his record covered with black marks. But Bax gets one last opportunity to keep his Guardian wings intact when he’s given a high-profile assignment that’s personal to him—Olive. Bax’s most challenging assignment so far will be keeping Olive safe and out of trouble because his feelings for her and their attraction might cause him to break the one remaining Guardian Angel Code of Conduct Rule he has managed to avoid running afoul of—so far—by falling in love with her. Perhaps he should be more concerned about it, but he isn’t.

I love Olive and Bax’s friendship and flirtation and how they grow closer as she works through her list. Asher develops and transitions Olive and Bax’s relationship from friends to lovers on the verge of more through snarky banter and sweet, sensual, funny, steamy, and intimate interactions and love scenes that reveal and evolve their characters and relationships with each other and the other characters and the novel’s plot. These are my favorite scenes in the novel. It’s a little surprising that Bax and Olive have managed to keep their attraction and feelings for each other under wraps for so long, considering how intense and fiery they are. The tension is palpable every time they’re in the same room together.

The novel focuses on Olive and Bax’s friendship as they settle in as roommates, grow closer, learn more about each other, and take that step from friends to lovers. At the same time, Olive experiences life to the fullest by doing things she’s never thought of trying or might have been too afraid to try. Those shared adventures become a catalyst for increasing shared intimacies between Olive and Bax. They’re a perfect match, balancing each other and encouraging and supporting one another’s dreams.

Although light on action and suspense, Not Your Crush’s Cauldron is a sweet, sexy, funny, steamy, fast-paced, and entertaining paranormal romance about self-discovery, doing what makes you happy, stepping outside your comfort zone, taking risks, friendship, and family. I recommend it for fans of friends-to-lovers, forced proximity/close-quarters, light paranormal/fantasy, and steamy humor-filled romances with curvy heroines and magical heroines and heroes.

St. Martin’s Griffin provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

I loved this book! This was definitely my favorite in the series. Both of the characters were so likable, and their romance built naturally. I have no critique for this. Even the miscommunication between the main characters was worked out perfectly. Great book! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Griffin for the digital ARC copy.

Charming, light-hearted magical rom-com filled with humor, found-family, and sweet and steamy friends to lovers romance.

An interconnected book in the Supernatural Singles series, Not Your Crushes Cauldron is a delightfully faced-paced fun read that will have you swooning over Olive and Bax's story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Griffin for the eARC! Though I didn't particularly love the first two Supernatural Singles novels, I did enjoy Not Your Crush's Cauldron quite a bit better than the other books! Tropes include forbidden love and forced proximity—two fun ones, especially in supernatural/paranormal romance. Both Olive and Bax were terrific. I got wrapped up in the love narrative of this witchy romantic comedy.
Unfortunately, I don't think Asher's writing style is for me. There are several clunky or confusing sentences that would make it difficult for me to comprehend. Additionally, this universe has a lot of over-the-top jargon that just seems forced and pulls the reader out of the story.

This was my first from April Asher and it won’t be my last! It was cute and quirky, steamy and just a feel good story.

I really enjoyed seeing Bax and Olive navigate their relationship from friends and roommates to lovers. Their chemistry is obvious right from the start with playful banter and just so much heart.

Definitely looking forward to reading more in this series!

I adored Not Your Crush's Cauldron. We have Professor Olive Maxwell and Guardian Angel Baxter Donovan who couldn't be more opposite. Olive prefers to teach about the supernatural world while Bax is in the thick of it protecting other supernaturals. Things get complicated when Bax offers to let Olive move in with him, and then he's assigned to protect her. I loved the dynamic between these two. The chemistry and attraction was palpable. It's sweet, swoony, spicy, and funny. The bond between the sisters is perfection. I haven't read the first two and I feel like I missed out on some of the set up of Olive and Bax. I definitely loved this one, but I'll also be going back to the others in the series.

This was pretty cute - I love a friends to lovers book! I also love the world that this book is set in - the mingling of supernaturals with norms is super fun and allows for some pretty funny scenarios. The only drawback on this one was that the pacing was all over the place a little in the middle. I also feel like it wasn't the most organic friends to lovers.

4 stars!

I have loved every entry in April Asher's Supernatural Singles series, and "Not Your Crush's Cauldron" is no different. I adore the Maxwell sisters! April Asher does a sensational job infusing laugh-out-loud humor and super sexy spice into the witchy happenings here. This book focuses on Olive, a supernatural teacher and the youngest Maxwell sister, and Baxter Donovan, her longtime crush who just so happens to be tasked with being her guardian angel. Olive doesn't love taking part in witchy goings on like her sisters do. She'd prefer to stay in as opposed to going out. As an assignment for her students, Olive has challenged them to make a list of things they can do that will push them outside their comfort zones... and she decides to take part in the assignment, too! This leads to a lot of interesting, awkward, wacky situations, especially when her crush-turned-new-roommate Bax decides to get involved and join her on her quest to finish her list. Oh, and did I mention, Bax *also* has a thing for Olive? The tension and the pining are wonderful in this book. Olive is a terrific main character. I enjoyed watching her break out of her typically low-risk comfort zone to discover new, exciting things that might have passed her by otherwise. And Bax... what's not to love about Baxter Donovan? Bax is sOoOoOoO swoony.. and I loved every single second of it! It's fun watching Olive drive Bax up the wall with her list. He is more outgoing while she is more reserved, so they complement each other well as opposites. And the steam between the two is *chef's kiss.* I will say, I did find this book to be a little more slowly paced than the last two books in the series. I think the nature of checking things off of Olive's list got a little repetitive despite her entries being significantly different. Still, I sure do love April Asher's work, and I hope we get a novel about Harper next! Finally, Zura Johnson... what can I say, she is the PERFECT audiobook narrator for this series. I have enjoyed her voiceover work in each and every installment of these books! She puts such a fabulous twang, a wonderful pop, a spectacular pizzazz into each character. Terrific work by her on this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, April Asher, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Okay I love this series - it’s witchy - so of course I do.

Anyways - I love Olive - she’s nerdy and kind, but people take advantage of her kindness and are really just jerks. I loved that she worked hard to get out of her comfort zone. I know it’s something I should work on as well. I don’t even know where I would start though?

Bax - this simp of a friend - has been crushing on and pining for our curvy little professor for a super long time. And then we throw in some forced proximity when they become roommates….🔥🔥🔥

Our angel is also an artist - we love that.

They were adorable, but there’s so missteps along the way - and some secrets.

But I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to get Harper’s story next. I’m sure it’s going to be a doozy!

April Asher's supernatural characters always bring a smile to my face. They have the perfect amount of chaos to seriousness. Olive fit this character perfectly. I instantly loved her and rooted for her, even when Bax seemed like too much risk.

This is perfect for those fantasy fans who want a bit more romantic comedy in their lives!

This was the 3rd book in the series and I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely more than the 1st one. Olive was so relatable and Bax was so intriguing and I loved them together. Definitely for fans of Piper and Leo. IYKYK

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The youngest Maxwell triplet steps out of her comfort zone and into the light in Not Your Crush’s Cauldron. Staid professor Olive Maxwell would much rather be in a corner reading a book than doing something wild and crazy. Then she assigns her students a project about stepping outside their comfort zones and realizes she hasn’t ever put a toe out of hers. Determined to change that, Olive comes up with her own list…but never expected her new roommate to tag along.

Guardian Angel Bax Donovan has wanted Olive for years but has never mustered up the courage to express it. Then he finds himself with Olive as his latest assignment and he’s soon blasted out of his own comfort zone trying to keep up with the beautiful witch.

Friends-to-lovers is a wonderful trope and April Asher shows why in Olive and Bax’s sprightly romance. The attraction between Bax and Olive has been simmering for years but they just needed that push to act on it. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these two overcome their fears and do things to break out of the rut they’re in. Out of all the Supernatural Singles stories so far this one has the lowest stakes but it’s still engaging. Bax and Olive have an easy chemistry that makes their romance fun and entertaining. They’re both likeable protagonists who need a slight shove to come into their own and I really liked their journeys.

Not Your Crush’s Cauldron is the third book in the Supernatural Singles series and to fully enjoy it you should definitely read at least Not the Witch You Wed (the first book) before diving into this one. Olive’s sisters play strong supporting roles and Vi in particular continues on the path she started in her book. I really liked seeing more of the world Asher has created and though the last Maxwell triplet has now found her happily ever after, I hope that doesn’t spell the end of this series. All in all, Not Your Crush’s Cauldron is a magical romp with a bookish witch, a tattooed angel, and a sweet and spicy romance.

I enjoyed the first two books in the Supernatural Singles series, written by April Asher. I was very excited to read Not Your Crush's Cauldron. In this book, we follow the youngest witch-sister, Olive Maxwell. Olive is a quiet and introverted one. Instead of socializing, Olive prefers to spend time with a book or do work research. But when she decides to get out of her comfort zone and take risks, the GAA (Guardian Angel Agency) assigns her a guardian angel, who happens to be her friend and the new roommate, Bax Donovan.

Not Your Crush's Cauldron has some of my favorite tropes: friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a tattooed hero. And I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the first two. I didn't feel like there was a lot of relationship growth between Olive and Bax. I did like revisiting other characters from previous books, Olive's sisters, and the whole group of supernatural friends. I recommend Not Your Crush's Cauldron to paranormal romance and romantasy readers.

If you’re finding life stressful these days and you’re looking for a low angst, low stakes, funny, sexy, paranormal romance, look no further than April Asher’s Not Your Crush’s Cauldron. It’s the third book in the author’s Supernatural Singles series and the first one I've read. (The author also writes romantic suspense under the pen name April Hunt). Each book in this rom-com paranormal series can be read as a standalone though, of course, as the third entry, there are already two established couples from the first two books to play secondary roles here.

Bax Donovan is the least angelic guardian angel to work for Guardian Affairs. He’s a disappointment to his father Mikael, one of the Archangel’s Warriors of Peace, who had hoped Bax would follow more in his footsteps. Bax is a bad boy angel if there ever was one – a tattooed and pierced biker who happens to hate flying and heights. But there is one thing he is good at, and that’s being a loyal friend. When Olive Maxwell, a membee of his friendship circle is in need of a place to stay, Bax immediately offers up his spare room. He’s had a crush on her for ages but figures he can still keep it hidden even while she lives with him.

Olive is a witch and a college teacher of Supernatural Studies at NYU and is grateful for Bax’s offer of a place to stay. She’s not immune to Bax’s attractive, physical presence (including the nipple piercings faintly visible through his tight t-shirts) though she does a good job of pretending otherwise. When, in the course of one of her classes, she challenges her students to push outside of their comfort zones to learn more about themselves, she realizes that she should put her money where her mouth is and do the same thing. She creates a bucket list of tasks, including joining the circus (not really, but she does find aerial trapeze classes as a good substitute), doing something spontaneous, something socially frightening, etc. And naturally, this list puts her on Guardian Angel alert and Bax, to his consternation, suddenly finds himself assigned as a guardian angel for Olive.

There are three basic rules to being a guardian angel: 1) Don’t tell your protectee that you’re their guardian 2) Don’t get your procectee killed and 3) Don’t fall in love with your protectee. Since Bax can’t tell Olive she’s his new assignment, the only way to keep track of her and keep her safe is to offer to accompany her to her various tasks on her “dare docket”. Olive is glad of his company, and spending a lot of time together lets the mutual (if previously hidden) attraction they have for each other come to the surface, leading to some sexy times. But the more involved they get, the more Bax realizes that if Olive finds out about the assignment, she’ll think his romantic interest in her isn’t real. Will the trust and affection they’ve built come to a crashing end?

This is a fairly straightforward and predictable story but has lots of laughs and banter to carry it through. The secondary characters (Olive’s sibling witches, demon, succubus, animal shifters) are all really interesting (enough that I plan to read the other books in the series) and the friend scenes are quite enjoyable. Bax’s piercings include a genital jacob’s ladder (which, I confess, I did google on an incognito setting to be able to properly visualize the scene and for the purposes of this review!) and Olive is quite a fan. Sex in this story is steamy, lighthearted and fun, helped along by Olive’s friend, Harper, who is a succubus who happens to add some sex-related items to Olive’s list. Bax’s conflict with his father is brought up periodically (especially as his relationship with Olive gets more intense) and he eventually has to make some long-term career choices as a result. As for Olive, she has supportive sisters who are happily partnered up and are pleased to see her with Bax, once she spills the beans about their more intimate relationship.

As far as grading goes, the emotional stakes are never that high and as mentioned, Not Your Crush’s Cauldron is fairly predictable (no big surprises), which is what keeps it in the B range. The third act breakup scene is foreseeable but the happy ending is satisfying and overall, it’s a paranormal romance I’m happy to recommend. I’m hoping the next in the series will feature Harper the succubus, and Adrian, a lion shifter, as they seem to be always at odds, setting up a good enemies-to-lovers trope story.

Oh, Olive and Bax! This was such a cute love story. Two of the least compatible Supernaturals, yet they found their way to each other.

Olive, a by the book, rule follower witch, decides to go outside of her comfort zone and unleash her wild side. When rule breaker, Guardian Angel, Bax Donovan, offers to help her, she unleashes more than she expects.

With tropes such as forced proximity, friends to lovers, and he falls first, this makes for an adorable romcom.

3/5 ⭐️ Good pairing, wish I had read the first two before jumping into this.

Summary
Magical college professor, Olive Maxwell, has just moved in with her long-time crush and friend, Bax Donovan. After assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive decides it's time she participates herself. Bax is a tattooed (and pierced), motorcycle-riding Guardian Angel. He's on thin ice with the guardians, but his next assignment is a challenging one - to protect Olive as she commits to putting herself in new and daring situations. The challenging part? Guardian Angels are not allowed to fall in love with their assignments and Bax is already half-way there.

Thoughts
I went into this knowing nothing. I did not know it was a series. While, it seems like these can be standalone romances, I definitely felt like I was missing something in the first several chapters. I didn't know who any of the characters were or anything about the world, and I think the author assumed you should. It was missing the normal introductions to characters. I needed more backstory, so I guess that was my mistake in not reading the first two.

I did like this story, though it was cheesier than I expected. Bax is tasked with protecting Olive as her Guardian Angel, but she doesn't actually do anything dangerous. She goes tubing, falls into a hot tub, goes to speed-dating, and joins an aerial class. Bax plays it up, like she could have drowned in the hot tub, or been kidnapped by a stranger on speed-dating, but come on, really?

It was sufficiently spicy and I was interested in seeing the romance develop. However, if you aren't a fan of an MMC with male piercings, this is not for you.

This review is posted to Goodreads and Instagram (@_bookish.brittany)

3.5 stars
This was a super cute popcorn rom com. I loved the banter and the sass. This whole series was the perfect combo of cozy, funny and spicy.
Now when are we going to get Harper’s book!

Olive & Bax, eek! They are so cute together and I love how they both came to the same realization at the same time. On a side note, the idea of a magic ink for tattoos that guarantees your tattoo will last forever and never fade is so cool and makes me wish it was a reality. I don't know if there will be further books in this series but if there are, I will read them.

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. By not speaking out you are also not preventing your followers from stalking and harassing people who are participating in the boycott. Your silence speaks volumes. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. You are also currently saying that you support black women in black history month but you have ignored their concerns for months and shown them no support.

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