I've actually never read or seen the Scarlet Pimpernel, which this is a retelling of but I am obsessed. I loved the story and I love the characters and I need the next one ASAP

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I cannot wait for book 2! This book was SO good. I couldn't put it down and when I did, it was all I could think about.

I have never read a story about witches like this one. I really enjoyed the fresh approach to telling of the magic, the secrets and how a girl knows she's a witch. I don't want to spoil too much, as it's so good, you need to read it for yourself!

I rated this a 5/5 stars and would definitely recommend this to a friend who enjoys witches, a tangled love story and lots of action. I promise, you won't be disappointed with this one!

I haven't read much fantasy in a while now, but I've read a couple (not counting a certain Urban Fantasy author, that I wait every year for the new book). I used to love it but slowly migrated away as some as my tastes changed. Now, for this book;

The best: This book! I loved the imagery and the story and the characters (Rune & Gideon) (well, most of them, see below).
The good: I was immersed in this world and look forward to reading the next book.
The bad: A couple of things here. First - that I have to wait to read the next book. Second - one of the evilish characters and their surprise reveal, okay, I saw this coming in the very beginning of the book, so not a surprise AT ALL. Third - Harrow, what was the purpose of such an annoying character. If she was supposed to be a red herring, again obvious, if not, then I hope there is some reason in the next book for the way this character acted and even then, still very annoying.
The worst: Cliffhanger! I hate cliffhangers, that leave you teetering on the precipice. Did she wrap up part of the story, sort of, but the unknown was too huge and really made me mad. Does it make me want to read the next book? Absolutely! Am I upset about it - you better believe it. And I can tell you if book two ends like book one, I doubt I will read book three (if there is one).

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Just closed the last page of Kristen Ciccarelli's "Heartless Hunter," and I'm already counting the days until the next release in the Crimson Moth duology. This book swept me into a lush, dangerous world where witches hide in plain sight and witch hunters prowl, adding a deliciously intense layer to the cat-and-mouse game between Rune, our vigilante witch, and Gideon, the relentless witch-hunter.

By day, Rune plays the part of a frivolous socialite, but by night, she's the Crimson Moth, rescuing witches from the clutches of hunters. Gideon, with his own haunting backstory, initially seeks to capture her but ends up entangled in a complicated dance of attraction that blurs the lines between captor and lover. Their chemistry? Off the charts! The slow burn and romantic tension had me flipping pages faster than a witch casts spells.

The love triangle added just the right amount of drama without overwhelming the main plot, and the ending? Absolutely gut-wrenching with a cliffhanger that left me desperate for more. Ciccarelli's blend of forbidden romance, morally grey characters, and a heart-pounding plot earns "Heartless Hunter" a glowing 5 stars from me. An absolute must-read for fantasy and romance enthusiasts alike!

I really loved this book! The characters were well written and the world building was so interesting and unique. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance between the two main characters. There were twists I did see coming and some I did not expect exactly! The end had me on an emotional rollercoaster! I can't wait for the next book to see what happens!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was an entertaining romantasy that had me guessing throughout to see where it was headed. I did enjoy the romance but would have liked more action. I was also hoping for more from Rune because I was picturing her to be this sort of tough, action hero type of character and she fell pretty flat for me. Overall this was a good read and I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thrilling! I can't wait for the next book. The characters and the world building was SOLID! The magic system also made sense but I enjoyed it's new approach/style.

THIS WAS SO GOOD.

Incredible.

I've been in a book slump where I feel like everything I've been reading has been three stars, maybe four. But this was a hard five stars to me.

Rune is a wonderful FMC and is so complex and interesting. The tension, plot, and pacing are all perfection. Gideon was a slight surprise as I didn't expect to like him as much as I did, but as the story progressed, so did he.

The stakes were so high while the story was fun, easy to digest, but had unpredictable twists and turns.

Absolutely adored this.

I devoured this book—compelling story, likeable characters, and a promising start to the series. I'll definitely be looking into following this series as it comes out!

So much action. I typically don’t like witchy things, but this had an interesting story like that kept me wanting to know what happens next. It is a romantasy. Looking forward to the second book.

I loved this one! I thought the blood magic was interesting in the way it was used and the difference in powers between old and new blood used.

It’s been a while since I read a good ya fantasy with a love triangle trope and I thought this was well done.

The ending was shocking and leaves you with so many questions. I will definitely be reading the next one!

<strong>wow </strong>

What a wild ride!!!
I loved the love triangle but Gideon is going to turn into a heartless hunter!
This is one full of adventure, secrets, lies, and action!
Witches are hunted and killed. Someone betrayed Rune's grandmother and to save Rune's life her grandmother has Rune go tell the people her grandmother is a witch. By doing this Rune feels an intense grief and decides to try and save as many witches as she can. Gideon hunts and kills witches and is well known however, his complete opposite brother Alex aids Rune in any way he can. Rune is also a witch in hiding. Gideon is obsessed with finding the Crimson Moth (Rune in hiding), and he begins to suspect Rune. Rune determined to save all the witches she can tried to court Gideon in the attempt to try to gain information to help save her grandmother's friend. Gideon suspects Rune and in an attempt to gain proof it is her he decides to try and court her to find the proof. This is a dangerous game they are playing and both are trying to not have feelings toward one another and is a cat-and-mouse game that is AWESOME! The only bad thing about this book is that it is the first of a series and the next one doesn't come out until next year! Such a long wait! I loved how this story just pulled me in and I loved it soo much! Thank you, St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one!

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher; the review is my own.*

Emotional wrecking ball. Those are the three words I would use to describe this book. But I loved it. It would absolutely have been 5 stars if it hadn’t been for a few things (see Notes).

Something I liked about this story was the complexity of the world and the characters. The old regime (the Reign of Queens) allotted too much power to witches, leaving those without it at their mercy. However, despite its many promises, the new regime (the New Republic) was just as corrupt, being led by vengeance and fear. The two systems are based on absolutes: in one, possession of magic provides the right to rule; in the other, merely being associated with magic brings condemnation and death. This world is ripe for yet another revolution, hopefully one that’s balanced.

Likewise, we are provided with characters that don’t neatly fit into the villain or hero categories. Rune (18) is a witch, and her actions are all motivated by her goal of rescuing and freeing witches captured by the Blood Guard. She’s a Scarlet Pimpernel-type character, but she does lie and cross ethical borders when trying to obtain information that will help her cause. Gideon (20) is a Blood Guard captain with a very painful history that influences his opinion of witches and his willingness to send them to their deaths. Despite that, he is not cruel for the sake of cruelty, and he does everything in order to protect what’s left of his family. I begrudgingly liked him, possibly because I hoped for his redemption. Other characters also demonstrated their own complexities, like Verity and Alex.

I’m always interested in the magic systems authors create. In this case, all magic is tied to blood, which is necessary for spellcasting. Different types and strengths of spells have different requirements for the blood used. Old blood can be used for some weaker spells, but stronger spells require fresh blood. Some other variations are using one’s own blood versus someone else’s blood and using blood freely given versus blood taken against the person’s will. Each of these things has consequences, too. Cuts from magic leave behind distinct scars that give magic use away, whether the cuts are on a witch or someone providing them with blood. Using blood that was forcibly taken corrupts the witch.

I cannot imagine how the next book will possibly make what happens in this one okay. How can this result in a happy ending? I have to maintain hope that it will.

How it ends: (view spoiler)

Note: Some language but probably 10-15 f words (all Gideon). Violence. One scene of open-door sex (all of chapter 48, easy to skip).

Books being tagged "romantasy" have been hit or miss for me but this one was an absolute HIT for me. I read it so fast and it was such a great mix of character building and plot and magic. Around every corner the characters, whether Gideon or Rune or Alex, were doing something unexpected and the author did an excellent job of telling us why and showing us the repercussions. And of course--the END! I cannot wait to read book two!

I had heard great things about this book and was worried it was going to be overhyped. But this book did not disappoint, it was fantastic! It was a 5-star read for me. I had a hard time putting this one down, because I kept wanting to know what happened next. The plot was paced well, the characters were well written. I’m usually iffy with love triangles that involve brothers, but it was well done! Which had me shocked! The twists at the end had me shocked as well! The author explored some heavy topics, but they were handled well enough. I’m 100% going to read the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

3.5 Stars

I decided to round this up because I was throughly engrossed in this book, but there were some issues that kept me from fully loving it. First and foremost the plotting of the story felt off. I’ve been having a hard time trying to explain why, but it felt like it was moving too quickly and sometimes focused on side stuff more than it should have. Second, the ending felt a bit messy and a bit overly melodramatic (some certain “bloodshed” used as a plot device), which I’m personally just not a fan of. I did really like Rune and Gideon and their dynamic/relationship, though. The plot twist also had me excited; I pieced it together right before it was revealed and was on the edge of my seat. My overall thoughts are that this was entertaining and a solid idea but could have used one more round of polishing and fine tuning. But all that said, I’m going to read book 2 as I am very intrigued to see what happens next. If you liked Serpent & Dove, liked the witch v. witch hunter aspect, I think you would really like this one.

This didn't really feel like the author put a lot of thought into the plot. I also don't think this should be considered YA, there's enough content to consider this an adult/new adult romantasy, in my opinion.

I was a little skeptical going into this one, I think because the premise sounded like something that has been done so many times before and, surely, there can’t be much more to add to it at this point… but I’m glad I gave it a shot because I enjoyed it. It wasn’t the most epic, memorable romantasy, but I still liked it. Since it’s just a duology, I definitely want to pick up the next one when it comes out, although I’ll need a refresher because I already forgot most of the plot. If you’re a lover of the genre, don’t expect anything new or fresh. If you’re looking to get into the genre, I think this is a great one to start with.

Wow... I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. Even though things don't get REALLY good until about 70% in. I still felt the drive to flip pages and find out what would happen next. I guessed the twist at the end but one of the events shocked me to my core. It was an emotional rollercoaster. I can't wait to see what's in store in book 2!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.