This was such a fun read! Witches and witch hunters, enemies-to-lovers, lots of secrets and lies--I loved everything about it. The characters were well-developed and engaging, the world-building was excellent, and the sexual tension was delicious. The pace was quick with a good bit of suspense built in, a few unexpected twists, and a major cliffhanger at the end. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one in this series!

Overall I liked this book, and I will finish the duology when the second book is released because I do want to know what happens next. It was fast paced and kept me engaged. There were some things I had an issue with that resulted in my lower rating. Some character relationships and plot points didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Also the climax and ending felt rushed. I’m not a huge fan of the writing, it felt a little juvenile at times. I’m definitely curious where the author will go with the second book since there are only two. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

eARC - thank you netgalley, Kristen Ciccarelli, and St. Martins Press

I loved this story and am already anxiously awaiting the next installment.

In Heartless Hunter, a revolution recently occurred kicking corrupt witches out of the ruling elite replacing them with humans. In the wake of the revolution, witches are hunted and purged out of fear that they could once again regain power. We meet Rune, a witch in hiding, who uses her wealth, influence and daring skill to rescue apprehended witches awaiting their fates. Her counterpart Gideon leads the force in charge of capturing witches and their sympathizers. Gideon and Rune’s hunter and the hunted story ensues.

I really liked Rune’s character. I liked that she had the world at her fingertips. Many times our FMCs in fantasy stories have very little control over their lives and is along for the ride. Rune is in complete control over how she interacts with the world and how she chooses to spend her time. I also like flaws in character are acknowledged pretty quickly. Rune and Gideon have known ulterior motives in everything they do in relation to one another; they call themselves out on double-crossing the other often. The bits I didn’t love: I don’t like a love triangle to start and this one gives the reader whiplash. Big nope. I don’t particularly like Harlow all that much either. I do think she’s going to have her own twisty story coming for us later on; for now she can kick rocks goading Gideon into doing things with Rune he doesn’t want to do. Boooo!

All that to say, I really think you should read this so we can chat about it!

I love the potential of this and really liked the antagonistic relationship and chemistry between Gideon and Rune. It was really fun getting the bits of worldbuilding in this with the witches and all, and the back-and forth was pretty fun too. This is more of a me thing, but I hate love triangles so that really bugged me about this and on top of that, Alex deserved so much better than both Rune and Gideon with how the two of them think and talk about him.

But the main reason why this is a 2 for me is I was appalled by Harrow being insistent on Gideon on being more thorough about checking Rune's body for scars and while Gideon is obviously attracted to her, it does really just feel like he ended up doing it all for the job. The buildup didn't make sense to me and I hated the way the ending played out.

Rune is a witch forced to hide who and what she is for fear of being executed like her grandmother. However, Rune has made it her mission to save witches from this fate under the guise of the Crimson Moth, since she’s able to blend in with the elite posing as nothing more than a vapid socialite. Gideon Sharpe is a witch hunter determined to catch the Crimson Moth. When he learns of a lead that links Rune to the Crimson Moth, he’s determined to court Rune. This leads to the start of a dangerous game between the two that has the potential to leave devastation in its wake.

Ciccarelli has written an engaging cat and mouse tale that you will not want to put down. It’s simply that good. The world building is very well done and shows the stark contrast between those that are well off, the underprivileged, and those that were witch sympathizers. I also found the magic system to be intriguing particularly how the witches used to take pride in there marks and making them into art. I am obsessed with Rune’s character and how she plays those around her for fools. She knows what they expect of her and ultimately uses that for her own gain. I also really enjoy the banter between Rune and Gideon. Watching them slowly open up and come alive for each other was such well written character development. I also really enjoyed the major plot twists Ciccarelli wove throughout her story. They were so well done to be complete surprised but looking back you can see the clues were all there. The one element I didn’t enjoy was pitting the brothers against each other as potential love interests. I’m just personally not a big fan of love triangles in general let alone when they’re siblings. However, I know plenty who love this trope, and it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Overall, I highly recommend picking this up, but make sure you have plenty of availability when you start reading it, since you may not be able to put it down.

I was drawn in by the premise, but this wasn't for me. I had a hard time connecting to Rune, and the writing style wasn't a good fit. I know many romantasy fans will love this one, though.

This book was such a fun read! I loved Rune as a whole character. She's a witch who's undercover and she's also the a witch who wants to save her kind from termination by the Guards who hunts them. I love the enemies to lovers trope. Gideon is this Hunter who wants to do justice by being the best. I love the banter, connection, and of course I loved seeing as their story progressed. It was a great journey and the world building gave off Bridgerton vibes. I want more and hope the next book stars them both. Thank you St Martins Press for allowing me to read this novel. Thank you so much!

I read this in three days, it was a very suspenseful exciting book. I liked the magic system but was a little icked out by the one aspect of it, (if you know you know). I think this book is going to blow up when it is released, its got really good world development but also balances the romance really well. The only thing is that I don't feel like this is YA and I feel like it should be shelved with Adult. The way in which the author writes about sex and uses sex in the plot, really makes me think this should be in adult. I think people who liked Fourth Wing will like this book. Which is another reason I think it should be shelved in adult. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and I'll probably try to get my hands on one of the exclusive editions I see are being put out by fairyloot because I definitely want this in my collection.

Obsessed to say the least...

Thank you St Martin's Press, Kristen Ciccarelli, and Wednesday books for allowing me to read this eArc from Netgalley.

This book made me feel every emotion possible and want to remain in this world forever. I felt so immersed in the story because of the author's beautiful writing. The pacing was perfectly executed, the settings described flawlessly, and she has a way of creating her characters that feel so real and have depth. You can't help but root for even the most frustrating of the villians. The tropes in this were so well done....a delicious combination of enemies to lovers, a mild love triangle, found family, dark magic, loss. I devoured this. I wanted to dwell in this. Immediately after finishing it, I wanted to restart it all over again. The cliffhanger is a brutal one, but I particularly enjoy book endings that leave me upset and wanting more. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series and to find out what happens to our characters.

When I say this book ruined me in the best way possible, I mean it wholeheartedly. Read this if you enjoy suspense, nail biting scenes, and a forbidden romance.

Highly, highly recommended and raved about.

I loved this book and for sure already preordered the book! The plot was incredible and was just addictive enough to have me not want to stop reading. The magic system was phenomenal and just left an enchanting imagination of the world in my head. I would compare the way I felt reading this book to the way I felt when I read What The River Knows and Divine Rivals/ Ruthless Vows

♡︎ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
♡︎ 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
♡︎ 𝐜𝐚𝐭 & 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
♡︎ 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧
♡︎ 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Thank you to Net Galley, Kristen Ciccarelli and St. Martins Press for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do highly recommend this book to fantasy romance lovers and bare in mind this book does end off on an EPIC cliffhanger!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Ripped my heart out. I knew it would. Yet I
couldn’t turn away.

It’s been a while since a book kept me reading voraciously even when I knew what was around that corner. Wonderful blend of fantasy and romance. Morally gray characters that I can’t help but love. I hope the second books dives into the magic more - shows us the power and limits and creativity.

"The last time Rune laid eyes on a witch’s scars was two years ago, after the witch queens were murdered in their beds and the blood of their council flowed in the streets."

Thank you to Kristen Ciccarelli, Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

True enemies to lovers ✔️
Witches ✔️
Slow burn ✔️
Society games and schemes galore ✔️

I absolutely devoured this book in a matter of hours. Partly because I'm a sucker for a witch/witch hunter story and party because it was just that good.

Rune is a witch who has hidden her true identity and atoning for past sins by saving witches from death at the hands of the blood guard with the aid of her friends Alex and Verity. More than anyone. She must avoid detection from Gideon, a witch hunter and Alex's "brute" brother.  When both Rune and Gideon need Intel from each other, lies and schemes make it impossible to know what to trust and the cost their treachery will bring.

From the first page to the last, this book kept me captivated and intrigued. With well integrated world building and an interesting magical system, I felt fully immersed in the story.

The romance is definitely slow burn 🔥 and angsty, but not really steamy if you are looking for that.

I truly enjoyed this story and can't wait for the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc book.

What can I say? The book was amazing! I loved it. It took me only a day to read it. I kept getting sucked up into the world as soon as I picked it up again. It reminded me of a great classic book I read and loved.

Rune was a great character as was Alex and Gideon. They had their moments and quirks to shine in plot. Alex and Verity weren’t flat like many side character can be. They had motivations for their actions.

Reading the scenes between Rune and Gideon was like watching two cats size each other up with hackles raised. The mutual distrust between them was fun to read. I enjoyed the banter.

The plot was dark, but not too dark. It felt like a page out of Nazi controlled Europe with fantasy without most of the modern technology of the period.

The ending was satisfactory. It had enough closure and yet left in open enough to want to read the second book.

Thank you again NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this awesome book.

This book absolutely gripped me from the start, and completely exceeded all my expectations. Loved the characters, the story, all of it. Everything seemed to flow so seamlessly, and I was hooked. Definitely will be recommending this! Can't wait for the next in the series!

A promising introduction to a riveting new series.

Heartless Hunter gripped me from the start with its high-stakes plot and well fleshed-out characters.

Gideon and Rune are complex in their desires and motivations, which ends up giving them a lot of dimension and makes it feel like they could be real people, not just characters in a book.

The magic system was perhaps my favourite part of this book. It was elaborate enough that it isn't a copy-paste of other magic systems from other witch books, but simple enough that you can easily understand how it works.

I wish we knew a bit more about the world and its politics. All we really get is "witches bad" in the country the story is set it. I hope that in the sequel we'll delve a bit deeper into that.

Overall, this was an entertaining read and I will definitely be looking out for the sequel.

4.25 ⭐️

Heartless Hunter completely exceeded my expectations! I loved the characters, the story, and that ending!!! Despite having a witch and witch hunter plot, I expected a light-hearted and playful book, so I was pleasantly surprised upon finding many deeper layers in the story. Some scenes tugged at my heartstrings, and Ciccarelli did a great job developing uniquely strong characters.

It has several tropes we’re all too familiar with, but it never felt repetitive or bland. Ciccarelli’s writing proves that if done effectively, the enemies-to-lovers trope doesn’t have to get old or grow boring but can still give readers the urge to kick their feet and smile giddily. I felt engaged in the story from beginning to end and couldn’t help but devour the chapters.

I’m so excited to see what’s next for Rune and Giddeon. Admittedly, it took me some time to like them, but they won me over by the end. Heartless Hunter ends on a cliffhanger that left me wondering how the two will recover from book one (and a little teary-eyed), so I’ll be anxiously waiting for book two’s release.

Heartless Hunter is perfect for readers who enjoy a blend of fantasy and romance with a side of witchcraft and dual POV. There are spells, plot twists, scheming, and betrayal.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books, for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whew!!!!
In a time where being a witch is punishable by death, Rune does everything she can to hide her magic. By day she attends silly parties pretending to be a shallow socialite, but by night she works to save fellow witches. In order to gain insider information on the whereabouts of a recently captured witch, Rune decides the best course of action is to court a witch hunter. The tension between Rune and Gideon is insane. Their relationship had me on edge as I waited for the truth to come crashing out. I'm not sure which side I'm rooting for as far as the witches or the revolutionaries go since neither seem to be the greater good, but I do know I'm team Rune and Gideon. I cannot wait for the sequel!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press , Kristen Ciccarelli, and NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had everything to be my next five star read, but it fell slightly short. I loved the interconnectivity, plot twists, enemies-to-lovers, and a world where neither side is really right. But where it fell short was the connection between Rune and Gideon - it felt forced and flat for me.

A solid new series for those who like their fantasies with a side of witchcraft! Rune is a witch living in a world where they are killed by the likes of Gideon, her best friend's brother who is in the Blood Guard aka the witch hunters. No one knows about her abilities except her two closest friends and she uses this to her advantage, trying to outsmart the witch hunters and save other witches under the guise of The Crimson Moth. There is a great push and pull between the characters but it is YA so there isn't as much focus on the romance, which I was fine with but others may not be. The world building is a little clunky but for the most part pretty accessible so even if you are new to fantasy or they aren't really your thing, I think this would be a great gateway book into the genre. I'm eagerly anticipating the next part of the story!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This tightly woven hunter meets the hunted or does he now become the hunted provides twists and turns throughout. The story line just flows seamlessly and we learn much about the characters who will make you cry, laugh and tug at your heart strings. I could not put it down. Cliffhanger and please hurry up with the next one!