This book has skyrocketed to the top of my list of favorite reads in 2024. Holy cow! Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is the enemies-to-lovers fantasy I didn’t know I needed. This Scarlet Pimpernel retelling was fabulous! It held my attention from start to finish, keeping me guessing at every turn. The magic system was unique and the characters were well developed. I loved the dynamic between Rune and Gideon and can’t wait to see where their story leads in book two. The sequel to this story can’t come out soon enough!

Note: contains some language and an open door scene.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kristen Ciccarelli, and St. Martin’s press for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday Books does it again!

Fantasy and YA are two genres I haven’t given a fair chance. 1. I’ve never been drawn to magic, dragons, or witches and 2. being an adult, I’ve always thought YA topics would be out of reach…but @wednesdaybooks has changed my mind! There have been quite a few books I’ve read from this publisher and any time I get a chance to read books published by them now, I don’t think twice about it.

In Heartless Hunter, witches are hunted and persecuted. Rune Winters, witch in hiding, masquerades as a champion of the revolution, supporting these hunts. In truth, she aligns herself with leaders of the revolution to gain intel and save the witches — a vigilante known as the Crimson Moth.

Gideon Sharpe is a ruthless witch hunter and the brother of Rune’s best friend Alex. He wants nothing more than to find the Crimson Moth, which has managed to evade him for two years and put a stop to her. He suspects Rune but isn’t sure, so he decides to court her. They begin a game of cat and mouse to get info from each other until things go awry.

I loved all the plot twists and was shocked by the cliffhanger at the end! The characters were very relatable. I loved Rune’s fearlessness, resilience & tenacity and liked her friendships with Alex and Verity. Gideon has been through a lot, and even though he’s jaded, I liked that he still possessed a soft side.

The only downside was that I found some parts to be repetitive but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

Read if you like:
❤️‍🩹 Enemies to lovers
🧙🏽‍♀️Witches
🔺 Love triangle
✴️ Dual POV
🤯 Cliffhanger ending

Thanks so much to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the e-ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday books and Kristen Ciccarelli for the opportunity to read Heartless Hunter. This is my honest and unpaid review of the book.
The first thing I noticed about this book was the gorgeous cover! Once I read the synopsis I thought it sounded like a great story. And it was! I'm so glad there's another book coming to continue Rune's story. There are so many things I enjoyed about this novel. The descriptions, especially the clothes, the magic (subtle but present), the characters' relationships with each other. I was a bit confused at the start about what was happening and what had happened in the past but I quickly caught on and liked the history behind the current events. Without giving away too much information, I thought the romantic developments in Rune's life were very intriguing and I'm curious to see what will happen as the story continues in book 2!

This book was amazing. The world building was great and the way the magic was used was unique. The main characters were dynamic and it was good to see that they were flawed. The story was fast paced and kept me wanting to know more. The twists were interesting and the ending left you wanting for more.

I would say that there should be trigger warnings for those who may have triggers with sexual assault or abuse.

I cant wait to read the next instalment!

This one was a fast-paced cat and mouse romantasy that kept me entertained the entire time. Witches, witch hunters, magic, a love triangle, betrayal it was all there and so fun. I do wish that the FMC would’ve been a bit more of a badass fighter, and that there would’ve been a little more romance and steam, but it’s fine. It leaves on a cliffhanger, so now I have to wait a whole year for the next one, but I’ll definitely be picking it up.

Ok, this was one of my most anticipated since seeing both the US and UK covers. They are both absolutely gorgeous and drew me in immediately. After checking out the back of the book, I was just as drawn to the story inside.

Now, the first part of the book took me a bit to get into. Part of it was because the names threw me off. Two of the characters are Harrow and Gideon, and I immediately thought of Gideon the Ninth (and Harrow). So because of that, I was taken out of the book a lot through about the first quarter. It also could have been partly me being in a weird reading mood as a mood reader, or it could have been the story at first. Whatever the reason besides the names, I was honestly afraid I might not end up liking this story. 😫

I am happy to say, though, that the rest of the story was so good! I fully enjoyed Gideon and Rune, which were really fun characters to follow, and I loved watching them interact and get close.

It is not the most unique story line, as it does follow any of the big fantasy romance tropes. But that did not deter me from enjoying it as much as I did. I truly can't wait to see what's next for our characters after the way the story was left off. 👀

Giving this one between 4 and 4.5 stars

Absolutely loved this book! A captivating story with well-developed characters and an engaging plot. Couldn't put it down! Highly recommend to all book lovers.

Heartless Hunter is the romantasy book that I needed right now! I have been looking for something that I can just jump into and fully lose myself in, and let me tell you, this was it! This book had intrigue, mystery, enemies to lovers, and twists I didn't see coming. The characters were wonderful. They each had so much to them - they had nuanced backstories that made them very three dimensional. Their interactions were not flat and the story was a good balance between world building and action. It felt well paced and I never got bored. I absolutely flew through this book, and now I am having a bit of a moment losing my mind because I need to know what happens next. I will be counting the days until I can get a hold of the next one. I have read several books by Kristen Ciccarelli, and I am at the point where any of her books are just an automatic read immediately for me. This is definitely in my favorite reads of the year so far.

"Heartless Hunter" by Kristen Ciccarelli swept me away into a world of magic, danger, and forbidden romance. From the moment I opened the book, I was hooked by the story of Rune and Gideon, two compelling characters whose lives collide in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

Rune, with her courage and determination, immediately captured my heart as she navigated the treacherous waters of her double life, masquerading as a socialite by day and a fearless vigilante by night. Gideon Sharpe, the witch-hunter, intrigued me from the start with his complex motivations and unwavering loyalty to the revolution. The dynamic between Rune and Gideon crackled with tension, drawing me deeper into their world with every page.

What truly impressed me about "Heartless Hunter" was its masterful portrayal of the enemies-to-lovers trope. The gradual shift from animosity to attraction between Rune and Gideon kept me on the edge of my seat with anticipation. The dual perspectives of Rune and Gideon offered fascinating insights into their characters, adding depth and complexity to the story.

While I did manage to figure out the twist shortly before it was revealed, I still found it intriguing with more questions raised. I eagerly await the next installment and highly recommend this book.

3.5, rounded up. The world-building and established laws are strong, and I appreciated the nuance and vulnerability among the love interests in this book (that ending, though...very mean); it prevents the enemies-to-lovers trope from becoming toxic. That being said, I wish both Rune and Gideon were stronger, more consistent characters. Made me wish a certain character wasn't killed off (see: mean ending). I'm not as invested in their relationship as I thought I would be because of this, but I'd still read the next book in the series.

I had high hopes for this book and really wanted to like it more than I did. It seems like this book was just a waste of potential. The plot and pacing were fine, just a little predictable as other reviewers have mentioned. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and didn’t really find myself caring one way or the other what happened to them. The world building was pretty solid, I’ll give it that. The last major issue for me was the magic system. I’m not what one would call squeamish, but holy lord, WHY with the menstrual blood?! Like, I get it in terms of that’s how the magic system is constructed, but seriously, enough.

Overall 4⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Kristen Ciccarelli for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book! It was action-packed, emotional, suspenseful, romantic, and heartbreaking. It took me a little bit to get into which is why its not rated 5 stars but once I got into it, the story was amazing! Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth) follows Rune, a noble woman and witch in hiding, who moonlights as a vigilante who saves other witches from witch hunters. To get more information on a captured witch, Rune decided to court Gideon, her best friends older brother and ruthless witch hunter. When feelings begin to develop between them things get complicated.

This book does end on a big cliffhanger which has me wanting the next one as soon as possible! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy enemies to lovers, fantasy romance, morally grey characters, a bit of a love triangle, and a plot twist. I really enjoyed the book and I am excited for others to read it!

Thank you to Kristen Ciccarelli, NetGalley, and Wednesday Books for an ARC copy of Heartless Hunter. All opinions are my own.

Rune’s story grabbed my attention from page one. The magical world of witches, witch hunters, and blood guards was incredibly intriguing. Rune, our FMC, is a strong witch who has dealt with her fair share of trauma. I loved that she was secretive about practicing magic and was able to thwart the Blood Guard from her identity as a witch by using her “monthly cycle”. I thought the magic was incredibly interesting because it was blood magic and therefore required blood in order to complete spells. This was a unique magical system that I hadn’t read before. Rune’s attempt of making reparations for the heartache she has caused comes in the form of saving other witches from being killed.

The setting reminded me of an old-timey, regency-esque time period, with parties, high society, courting, and terrible suitors. I liked the history of the island involving the Witch Queens and the revolution that led to their present day situations.

Our MMC, Gideon, seems to be a bit of a loner and at first he doesn’t have many endearing qualities. The main characters only seem to have interest in each other in order to find the means to the end of thwarting the Crimson Moth, a vigilante that helps witches escape the Blood Guard. At first, he is incredibly hard to like because he is pigheaded in his mission and is only using Rune. As he gets to know her, he softens and some redeemable qualities come to the surface. His brother is best friends with Rune and he feels a sense of duty and loyalty to his only family member and to his country. His misguided sense of self importance and familial trauma makes him hate witches, which was a bit annoying at times. I’d love to see that he wasn’t always trying to justify his actions and deceit by being the white knight to helpless people in the clutches of evil witches. I am sure the purpose of this is to show tremendous character growth over the course of the novel.

As the story progresses, Gideon and Rune’s relationship becomes more interesting but also more complex leading to some unfavorable outcomes for their personal lives. They start to let their guards down and be their true selves while still under the strict scrutiny of the game they are playing with each other. It’s a game of cat and mouse coupled with an attempt to seduce the other person. At first I didn’t see how it would work, when they were constantly trapping each other but it worked well and the novel flowed smoothly.

Overall, I’d rate this book a 4 STARS. I really enjoyed the plot, aspects of romance, and setting. My only complaint was I’d like a tiny bit more spice and sexual tension between characters. I am interested in reading the sequel to see where Rune’s story takes us.

Thank you SMP for sending me an early copy of Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth. )
I absolutely devoured this book! I was drawn in from the very beginning. (Now I have like 5 copies of this book... Because I am obsessed!)

This books is real Enemies to lovers! High stakes! Fake Courting! Secret Identities!
I have been waiting so long for a book just like this! It had everything Ive been looking for and so much more.
The characters actually had so much depth to them. I couldn't put this down!
For sure one of my favorite reads so far this year!

I could see fans of serpent and dove devouring this. I loved the FMC (not so much the MMC) but super excited to see where this story goes.

I was very excited for this book due to the summary and also seeing recommendations from sources with similar opinions. However, as I was reading this book, I struggled to stay interested. When I was 50% through, I realized nothing has actually happened. This book is very much focused on the trauma the 2 main characters have and an already established relationship. I saw comments saying this was a slowburn, and while you could say that, it is not the type of slowburn I go for. They already know each other and feel physical attraction, I didn't feel like I was watching them fall in love, rather just lusting after knowing each other for years. The book was also very predictable, which surprised me. I'm not sure why I expected it to subvert expectations but it did not.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli — 5 stars!

This story was a delicious whirlwind! Filled with lots of mystery and daring adventure, I was hooked from the beginning. Definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers, commentary on human rights, women’s issues, witchcraft, magic, love and heartbreak. This one will keep you guessing and surprise you!

Rune is a vigilante witch who is on a never ending mission to free captured witches. Gideon is a witch hunter sworn to end the lives of any witches and condemn sympathizers to a life of poverty. Gideon’s brother is Rune’s best friend, who has always been there to protect Rune’s secret of being a witch. Witches are outlawed, anyone discovered as being a witch is killed — but it wasn’t always the case. Only two years prior did the revolution that brought an end to the reign of witches come about. And one of the witches murdered was Rune’s own grandmother. Rune managed to keep her life because she reported her Grandmother to the hunters, it was the only way she could protect herself from being accused of witchcraft herself or of being a witch sympathizer; after all, why would a girl report her own family if she was also a witch or sympathized with them? Well, it’s a complicated and twisted tale that weaves together the horrific past with this barbaric present. Filled with determination to free witches from the fate of death, Rune moonlights as The Crimson Moth. And Gideon is on the hunt to take her down, once he uncovers the identity of his evasive foe.

Available now!

First of all, is this cover not amazing. I loved this story. Rune's sidekicks Alex and Verity are so great. Her chemistry with Gideon is out of this world. I am a big fan of witches and magic. The end had me in tears so many times. It ends with Rune in quite the dilemma that I just do not know how she is going to get out of.

This spellbinding book took me on an adventure and didn’t stop even at the very end. Absolutely loved meeting Rune and seeing her journey to save witches to atone for her betrayal and death of her grandmother. Gideon has a sordid past that hunts him everyday and works to rid the island of the very beings who stole his family from him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a generic and predictable enemies to lovers romantasy that feels like a poor man’s SJM novella? Do you want to read about a size kink so much it’s practically an Ali Hazelwood book?

Pre-reading:
On this episode of Samantha reads ya fantasy against her will because she wants to be like the other girls and also it’s a book box pick.

I think all versions of this cover are hideous. I think it’s very dumb that books have different titles in different countries.

Thick of it:
It’s giving nazi Germany.

Why the illusion of a donkey if you own a horse?

Oh, she’s adopted? Can’t wait for her to be the chosen one/missing princess. (Ask me again in book two.)

The Crimson Moth is the worst superhero name. The Crimson Chin, however-(There’s a Saltburn period joke in here somewhere.)

Why hide bloody sheets? Why not burn them?

Lol Gideon from Maeve, but I still only think of the Criminal Minds guy

Rhys and Amarantha I’ll bet. (I swear I just open books. I don’t even read blurbs. I’m just like this. It’s horrible.)

It reminds me of TOG- specifically the costume party in the novella where she dances with Dorian.

I’m kinda bored. They’re being dumb. Like obviously she’s involved if she owns the ships.

What about like a bloody nose? Or like needles? Leeches? You can def get blood without scars.

When does she have time for fashion to be her specialty?

Why does the Fairyloot cover have pink hair if she’s strawberry blonde? Did we run out of characters in the email to the artist?

How does he have two hours to make a flower? I thought he was late to her party. He’s late and he spent two extra hours making a flower? What do you mean.

Oh, she’s got little hands? This is giving Ali Hazelwood with the size difference fixation, but also I have that kink so carry on.

Why is no one questioning her name? Rune-like that’s literally a magic symbol. And they’re like oh yeah, she’s not a witch. What do you mean?

His parents are named Sun and Levi. What do you mean.

What do you mean what connected these things? Obviously revenge, you dumb whore.

A piney boy

She might be worse than Hazelwood with the man is big mentions.

This is a little rushed in the romantical depot for me.

I feel like maybe it’s the baby sister murdering everyone as like a vampire? I dunno something undead.

Oh lol, never mind. Not the sister. Definitely an undead Verity.

Get a bucket and a mop 🎶

It’s better than I expected, but I want it to be faster.

I’m a little confused what era this is supposed to take place in because it seems like it’s supposed to be Victorian maybe, but she’s allowed to wear pants and go around without a chaperone. But then they’re also courting each other and have dance ribbons. I think it’s all just vibes and not historically correct which is fine by me, but pretty sure others will ding it for that.

I mean yeah men have domestic violence too, and yay rep, but like submissive tortured dudes do not do it for me.

How does the water not wash-oh okay lol. (Give the book a chance before you get snarky, Samantha.)

Oh, really incredible that blood can recognize consent and intent.

This reads so much like an SJM book.

It’s sitting at about a three for me right now. The world-building is a little janky, but if it can win me over with the romance, I’m down.

Oh cool, so girlypop is like definitely Seraphine’s daughter then. (Ask me in book two.)

That is not a horse, but like you know, I’ll let it fly. How much Zelda has the author played? Or like The Witcher?

Like obviously Alex is gonna betray her.

Is Charlotte gonna become an actual character? We keep bringing her up. (Not in this book at least.)

Lol, that bitch is undead for sure.

How do you not know poor people exist. Like be so for real.

OK, so Alex definitely didn’t kill Cress, and she’s still alive. Hmm, what other undead thing do we just have lying around this plot? I’m positive I’m right, so I’m bored.

I wonder if the girlies read this like oh what a romantic moment they’re having. He’s stripping bare before her. And Sam’s just over here like he’s still following Harrow’s advice. What a fucking slimeball.

Jesus, that is a violent death.

kittiwake

Who is this Harrow bitch, a Kindle Unlimited girlie? She is very invested in them boinking.

I don’t know. The book isn’t working for me. It’s too repetitive. I’m not into the romance because they’re both dumb. Everyone’s dumb in this book.

The book just contradicted itself. It said she cursed the sister with an arcana spell, but then it just told us that a majora spell is inflicting a deadly disease. So which is it.

Of course, it lasts till midnight, fucking Cinderella shit.

I think Verity/Cress is the little sister that died, and the sister queens used their magic blood to bring her back to life and it corrupted them even though it was for an initially selfless reason, but now Cress has just been rotting alive since they’re dead.

By the transitive property-They are the worst detectives.

cogent

I think I’m just bored because I’ve read this plot so many times so I’ve already guessed what’s gonna happen and I’m just like waiting for it to happen. I don’t care about the romance.

I think this book is going to end on a cliffhanger and to be continued me, and I’m just not in the mood.

And Sam’s like it’s literally just Verity. I’m so bored.

Isn’t there another book I read that was like stupid bunny? It’s like almost this exact quote (It’s Beach Read)

Stairwell oral is not very YA of you

subsume

Is it a bird? Is it a kestrel? Is she grandma’s gay lover? (Sigh, ask me in book two.)

Post-reading:
Yeah, this didn’t work for me. I don’t wanna hate books. I want to like books again, okay? I crave a book hangover like nothing else.

This reads like the poor man’s SJM. And with how much I’ve been disliking her books lately, it may as well just read like straight SJM. So I understand why the girlies are eating this up. Except I’m a a Dorian, Eris, Pollux girlie so you can throw me out with the trash. Which is to say, I like my heroes with some major bite to them.

And homeboy, Gideon, he ain’t it.

So if you give me a generic fantasy plot that I can guess the second I open the book and you don’t give me a romance to get invested in, what else is there for me to enjoy? I don’t think the book is that poorly written. I think it’s fine. I want so much more than fine. The world-building is janky. The magic system has gaping plot holes. And listen I’ll suspend my disbelief that horse whistles work if you give me some payoff for doing that. There’s no payoff here. There’s YA style wishy-washy inner monologues that are grating to read and so repetitive. The author talks about the size difference between the characters so often that this may as well be an Ali Hazelwood book.

And then most damningly, but so typical for a YA is that everyone is so goddamn dumb about the mystery. How are any of these people employed? This book would’ve been over so much sooner if literally, anyone could pull their head out of their ass and be like correlation IS causation. Or if any of the villains grew a pair and were like we don’t need a fair trial. Let’s just murder some people instantly rather than trotting them out for holiday executions. What are you doing?

It’s such a fanfictiony plotline of you need to fake date to figure out if she’s a witch. Now you need to get her naked to figure out if she’s a witch. Now you need to fuck her to figure out if she’s a witch. Like fuck it, I’ll be on board with that cliché if the romance is good, but it’s not.

I think writing style and plot-wise this is firmly YA. The sex scene wasn’t quite YA so I would bump the rating up to new adult, but if you’re gonna get bumped up to new adult, give me a darker world and more dick. Otherwise, fade to black for the youngins.

Gideon reads like a diluted Rhysand which like yay for male rape victim representation because it’s very underrepresented, but also let’s do something a little more original and maybe have more commentary then he beat his addiction and he’s ready to love again because he met a blonde.

Rune is Mary Sue and overpowered and rocking some serious plot armor. What do you mean you don’t know poor people exist? She’s also just uninventive? Period blood is the only way you can think of to get blood? I don’t believe you.

Their romance felt rushed, and I never thought that they were a good couple for each other. The chemistry was really lacking. If your dream is to fight with someone every day just to keep things spicy, consider therapy. And as our Lord and savior, Miley Cyrus, once said I can buy myself flowers.

She’s not going on my do not read list but only just.

Who should read this:
SJM fans
YA enemies to lovers fans

Do I want to reread this:
No. And I don’t want to continue it but I will if the girlies want me to

Similar books:
* The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas-romantasy novella
* A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas-romantasy, male rape
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* A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft-generic YA romantasy, tailor character, enemies to lovers, addiction
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