Population: 8,584 Living
2,163 Undead and/or Undead Adjacent
Welcome to Fates Haven, Colorado, a small magical community nestled at the base of the Rock Mountains. When I say magical, I don’t mean awe-inspiring—although it is that, too. I mean the town actually possess magical abilities—as do its supernatural citizens—and boy does it have a mind of its own and quite the wicked sense of humor.
Known for generations for having the highest FMP—Fated Mates Population—Fates Haven is home to witches, shifters, vampires, and more—including underwear-stealing garden gnomes. And it’s the birthplace of the once-annual Fates Festival, a weeklong event that drew people from all over the world. At the Fates Festival, not only could you gorge yourself on strawberry topped funnel cakes and erections eclairs, but be entertained by a full schedule of immersive, competitive events before taking part in its closing ceremony, The Finding Ceremony, where the resident Fate Witch and the Blue Willow Wisps would guide you to your Fated Match—if they’re in attendance.
There’s only one problem. The last Fates Festival—and Finding Ceremony—was botched thirteen years ago and there’s hasn’t been a match made since. I should know. I suffered the fallout when that damn blue bastard showed my best friend to the man I love instead of me, forcing me to do the only thing any self-respecting witch could do.
I ran to New York City with a vow never to go back.
But it turns out it was a promise I could never keep. Not only is Fates Haven a part of me, but my goddaughter needed help with her ‘mystery shifter’ abilities and the only person we haven’t sought help from was the Rock Mountain Pack, whose Alpha is evidently the ex I left behind.
That teenager better never say I don’t love her.
Returning to Fates Haven, my hometown felt the same except different. The same cobble stone walkways and magically lit lanterns line Fates Boulevard, and of course, a quaint little gazebo that would make any Gilmore Girls fan swoon.
But some once staple business had long since closed, or rebranded like my great aunt’s demon best friend, Marie, who rebranded her bakery and now called it Sugar Tits & Treats, where she has a monthly subscription box that came with a sweet treat and a sex toy.
Then there’s Beast Mode, the local MMA gym across the street that’s run by a demon former-assassin for the Powers That Be, and Once Upon A Tattoo, a tattoo parlor run by one of my old best friends, who evidently didn’t See me coming with her Sight and is none too happy about my return.
Wonky magic, best friend, and ex aside, most of the citizens of Fates Haven are just as welcoming and accepting as always. And wouldn’t you know, my Great Aunt Nora and the town council are trying to revive the Fates Festival despite no longer having a Fate Witch.
That’s how I found myself embroiled in a fierce competition: The Big Bads versus the Fearsome Four.
The Big Bads: Jax—my cougar shifter ex
Gavin—the Fates Haven vampire librarian
Silas—the demon former-assassin turned MMA fighter
Maddox—human co-owner of One Upon A Tattoo.
Fearsome Four: Myself—a plus size witch with a talent for tripping over my own feet
Grace—my goddaughter and ‘mystery shifter’ with fire prolific abilities
Elodie—an angel warrior on a leave of absence
Lenny—the Fortune Telling Tattooist whose ‘sight’ is on the fritz.
We’re talking a Mud Run, A Drop In The Wild, and the ultimate game of Capture The Flag. I really need to keep my mouth on a leash for getting me into situations like this.
A lot is on the line because the losers of the five-event competition need to strap on their dancing shoes and dance backup for the Gargoyle Girls Reunion show during the festival, and this witch does not dance in public.
Oh, and did I mention that the lost Fate Witch isn’t quite so lost any longer? And not only does she have difficulty accepting and adjusting to her new powers, but she’s expected to perform the first Finding Ceremony in thirteen years.
What could go wrong?
It wasn’t like town of Fates Haven has a wicked sense of humor—oh wait.
A witch and a shifter get a second chance at love in this new paranormal romantic comedy from USA Today Bestselling author April Asher.
At the bright-eyed age of eighteen, witch Harlow “Harry” Pierce attended her first Fates Haven Finding Ceremony certain the Blue Willow Wisp would lead her to her Fated match, her cougar shifter boyfriend, Jaxon Atwood. But Fate had other plans, guiding her best friend to him instead. With a broken heart, all her belongings, and a vow to never return, Harry did the only thing a broken-hearted witch could do. Run.
Thirteen years later, she returns to her magical hometown—with her half-human, half-shifter goddaughter in tow—hoping that not only would the town work its magic on the troubled teenager, but that the local Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack could help Grace identify—and control—her fiery abilities.
Jaxon Atwood was a shifter of few words and even less patience… until his mother retired as Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack and left the running of things to him. It’s a headache he didn’t need, and one that brought the witch who’d ripped his heart from his chest knocking on his door.
Ever since the disappearance of the town’s Fate Witch over a decade ago, Fates Haven’s magic has been slowly going haywire. There hasn’t been a Fated Match made in thirteen years, putting the town in serious jeopardy of losing its title of Most Fated Mates Per Population. But now, something is stirring in Fates Haven, Colorado, and it smells like the past, tastes like change, and looks like A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE.
Romance Paranormal [St. Martin's Griffin, On Sale: May 13, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781250357854 / eISBN: 9781250357861]
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.
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