Kicking myself for not reading this sooner! It was so good. Love an enemies to lovers but not lacking any of the drama or mystery. Rune has won my heart and rooting for her to free the witches! BRB while I got grab the second book in the series.

Thank you for this ARC!

This book suffers from a severely agitating case of telling instead of showing, and through the POVs of two idiot protagonists no less. Truly the only less believable plot than a man who has sworn to hunt down witches and take them down with no mercy willingly falling for the witch who he so obviously knows is the person freeing said witches, is said "intelligent and cunning" witch willingly falling for the dude actively trying to kill her at every waking moment.

The plot twists were predictable from ten thousand miles away, because of the aforementioned telling not showing where the author's info dumps about completely irrelevant information were all poorly disguised foreshadowing that was not subtle in the slightest.

The back and forth switching of the MCs POVs throughout the book made every sequence of events seem to drag in the most sluggish way, as if we needed to know the exact thoughts of Rune or Gideon every beat of the way even though it was just a constant back and forth of "he/she wants to kill me but at least they're hot!"

And of course, the enemies to lovers plot was incredibly forced to the point of driving out any other possibility for the FMC's happiness, even though throughout the book she is regarded as a highly desirable aristocrat who throws large parties and has new potential suitors every week. FMC (whose pale skin and light hair are constantly mentioned) also proudly owns servants in her estate, which also got a raised eyebrow from me.

Yeah, I hated this. 1.5 stars for Alex alone. The rest I could have done without.

This was amazing. It was everything I wanted and more. I loved The Last Namsara so I was very excited when I first learned Kristen Ciccarelli was coming out with a new duology. It did not disappoint. Highly recommend! This series is a new favorite staff recommends and hand-sell for me.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is an engaging fantasy with lush storytelling and clever, compelling characters. Ciccarelli expertly blends a unique magic system, fragile romance, and a fast-paced plot, which kept me hooked until the very end. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an immersive escape into a vividly crafted world.

This was a really enjoyable read! I loved the characters and the story so much. The tension between the FMC and MMC was great. I really enjoyed the magic system as well!

Let me start by saying this story is amazing. I love the characters, I love the world building. Rune has such depth. The slow burn between time and Gideon is stressful in a great way. My issue is that every once in a while a modern word is thrown in with the old time atmosphere. It pulls me out of the setting. Also for some reason I have a hard time imagining what the characters look like. I can’t imagine Gideon in particular. This has never happened to me. He lives a life of someone older but for some reason I think of him as very young. I can’t put my finger on it.

3.5 stars
🇨🇦 Author

Okay so I really wasn't into this for the first half but the last bit I was absolutely on the edge of my seat!! This sort of started feeling like it was the second in a series, like it just bam started and I had no clue what was going on. It took me a while to really get into,. But the ENDING gahhhhh so good and I need the next book now.

Book received for review.

This isn't my usual type of book, simply because of the centrality of the romance between the main, POV characters. And yes, it was a bit melodramatic and overwrought for my taste.

BUT--

I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what would befall Rune and Gideon, and I just kept reading until that DEVASTATING climax wrenched me out of a reading trance and made me pause to allow the suspense to resonate.

I've already ordered the sequel so I can find out (no spoilers!) what happens after the innocent and the guilty are revealed as who they truly are.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

It’s been a while since I read this one, but the feeling of it hasn’t left me. There’s this undercurrent of tension running through the whole story that I still think about—and I loved that constant push and pull.

The romance had this delicious, aching quality to it. Forbidden in the best way, like they both knew how dangerous it was but couldn’t seem to help themselves. Even thinking back on it now, there’s a weight to their connection that lingers—it wasn’t just attraction, it was this slow, smoldering build that made every glance feel like it carried the weight of a thousand words.

And the pacing of the story matched that energy so well. It never really gave you time to settle, and I loved that. Just when you thought you could breathe, it threw another twist, another sharp turn that pulled you right back into the tension of it all. The world felt vivid too, without needing to drown you in details—it just worked, seamlessly.

Even now, when I think about this book, I still get that spark of excitement. Like it left an imprint, the kind you don’t forget easily.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️

Absolute perfection. Can’t believe I have waited this long to read this book.

The politics? The perfect grumpy MC? The cunning and smart FMC? THE TENSION?? THE BENTER?? OMGG

Heartless Hunter is a thrilling fantasy romance set in a world where witches are hunted. The story follows Rune, a witch hiding in plain sight as a socialite, and Gideon, a witch hunter tasked with capturing her. As their paths cross, deadly attraction and dangerous secrets blur the lines between enemy and lover (which has me foaming at the mouth). With high stakes and simmering tension, this enemies-to-lovers tale explores betrayal, survival, and forbidden magic.

Rune is absolutely brilliant and so resilient, I adore her so much. On the edge of my seat and ready for book 2!

DNF @20%

I just kost interest in this story. The plot is honestly ridiculous and I don't like where it's headed. I also don't like the dual perspective.

If you like witches, witty banter and enemies to lovers this fast paced romantasy is for you! But beware it ends with a cliffhanger!

omg i loved this book so much! the cat and mouse game, the way hey play each other but fall in love and defend one another. it was such an amazing novel! the ending broke my heart, but i feel for these characters, i connected to them and I just want a happy ending in the next novel. please!

Finished Heartless Hunter last night and I am obsessed with this book. Thankfully, I waited until I also had Rebel Witch in hand to start this duology because every raving review I’ve read said that I needed to pick it up immediately after and they were right.

This story follows Rune Winters who is a witch in a time when witches are hunted and feared. Years ago, three evil witch queens were overthrown and a New Republic was started. Since then, witches have been all but narrowly eliminated. Rune has been hiding in plain sight- a wealthy socialite by day and the Crimson Moth at night. Saving witches sent for death and smuggling them to a safer place.

Gideon Sharpe is a witch hunter and brother to Runes best friend, Alex. He has been searching for the Crimson Moth for two years and he’s getting close to catching her. This story has fake dating, suspense, magic and so much more. I was fully engrossed and that ending 🤯 Would definitely recommend if you love fantasy/romantasy.

This book wasn’t bad, it was just a little formulaic for my taste. It hit all the right notes of the standard enemy-to-lovers Romantasy but it was a bit predictable. It had the witty banter, the love triangle, and epic supernatural drama, I think most fans of brooding witchy YA will enjoy. This is a solid read, but a little overrated.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

oh my gosh... I don't know the last time I added a book to my favorites, but I have to say so far most definitely one top books I've read in the past few years.

I DEVOURED this one!! I'm upset I didn't get to this sooner, WOW WOW
a witch story with strong heroine and "villain" character SIGN ME UP!
a true enemies to lovers book without all the nonsense and impracticality you'd see in rom-com books. *don't get me wrong, sometimes I'll enjoy that* but I feel as if this was a piece of art portraying the true enemies to lovers

"she reminded him of the sea: steal-your-breath beautiful on the surface, with the promise of untold depths beneath"
"It had nothing to do with the way he growled her name against his throat. Or the way he worshipped her with every stroke of his hands. or the fact that he thought she was most beautiful when she was a huge mess."

looking forward to the 2nd book *also adding this author to my automatic favorites*

Wow I loved this! Full of intrigue and romance, what a fun ride! I’m so sad it took me so long to read it but the upside is that I can immediately read book 2.

Obsessed is an understatement. This book reminded me of all the reasons why I love ya fantasy! It will now hold a spot on my favorite of all times shelf!

I really enjoyed this book - everything from the quick pace to the complex characters to the magical atmosphere, I felt completely swept up in the story the whole time I was reading it. After reading the second book in the duology, I have an even greater appreciation with the skill Kristen leveraged to set up the story in this first book and it’s impossible to guess the twists and turns is later took in book two. One of my favorite duologies! In addition to this ARC, I bought a beautiful fairyloot edition of this book to have on my shelves for life!

See here for the book’s mood board shared in my monthly reading wrap up; https://www.instagram.com/share/_0XnQycpV

I loved this book. I haven’t enjoyed a love triangle this much since The Vampire Diaries. The witch hunter and the witch being hunted, the cat and mouse, the enemies to lovers back to enemies was so much fun but then you get kicked right in the heart by end. After finishing the last page, I immediately purchased the second book.