Thrilling, intense, heartbreaking… this is sure to be a fantasy romance hit in 2024. This is upper YA that some may want to consider NA; it isn’t spicy, but the subject matter is mature (references to sexual assault, torture, drugs, etc.).

It is easy to have empathy for Rune and Gideon, but these are true enemies-to-lovers, and to see their tale unravel is both gripping and gut-wrenching. Usually with these types of books, I find myself siding with one character over another, but this time, I feel for both side and their perspectives. I’ll be here awaiting the sequel with bated breath.

The writing is great; I previously loved Edgewood by the author, if you’re looking to bide your time with another book.

Story: 📖📖📖📖📖
Spice: N/A

On the surface Rune Winters pretends to be a ditzy, gossipy socialite who condemned her own grandmother to death by the hands of the witch hunting Blood Guard. Behind closed doors she’s the savior/hero to a community of witches. She is the Crimson Moth. Despite what the elitist socialites believe Rune to be she’s a sly and cunning woman with a sharp mind and penchant for wreaking a little havoc that will do any and everything to protect witches. Gideon Sharpe on the other hand, is the captain of the Blood Guard whose claim to fame is catching and putting to death hundreds of witches across the land. He finds himself entangled in a cat and mouse game while trying to prove Rune Winters is the infamous Crimson Moth.

This tension filled story is quite charming and takes you for a cheeky little ride.

Character development is super huge here! Kristen did a great job in creating well rounded characters who have some flaws… and quite a few of them at that. Dynamic and thoughtfully drawn up characters help create beautiful(or messy depending on what you’re into) stories and worlds.

I can’t wait for the next one.

"Isn't that the point of art - to tame the monster in us?"

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

TW: addiction, blood, child death, death, death of a loved one, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, physical abuse, rape, self harm, sexual assault, sexual content, sexual violence, torture, violence.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I am devastated to be rating it this low.

Reviewing ARCs, especially negatively reviewing ARCs, is always a bit of a challenge because I'm unsure how much to say without accidentally giving too much away. Which means I am reduced to being vague and my thoughts may not come out clearly, but I'll try my best.

First, I want to say that this should not have been a YA novel. It felt like NA, it felt like it had been written for a NA audience, and the timeline simply doesn't make sense if all of the characters are in the YA age range. I will be shelving it as NA, despite the fact I know that's not what it's being listed as.

Beyond that, still trying to stay as vague as possible, I was bothered by the entire plot. So much of the premise revolves around an SA victim being pressured into sleeping with someone to properly inspect their body; while this is met with discomfort, it's still a sizable portion of the book and never truly condemned.

I felt the relationship between the two MCs was forced and toxic in a way that was completely unnecessary. As well as the way things were... propelled forward by the end of the book, felt cheap and predictable. I was able to guess the plot from the very beginning off of a very minor detail and was really let-down to find out that I had been correct.

There are many other things I could say, but as this is an ARC, I don't want to go any further. I will say, this is not a terrible book. It is tropey and very flawed, but I believe people will enjoy it so long as it finds the right audience. I just... I still can't help but wishing the entire plot had been different.

All in all, this is like a witchy Bridgerton (the comparison makes sense in my head) and if you've read this review and it still sounds like something that would interest you, please go for it.

I'm extremely grateful for the ARC and wholeheartedly wish I could have loved this even half as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an eARC of Heartless Hunter!

Enemies to lovers, a witch and a witch Hunter, secrets, lies, and betrayals. I couldn’t put this down once I started reading! I’m already itching for the next book. Highly recommend!

I'm so glad I got this as an ARC. It's a great story and I can see it taking over BookTok in the spring! The stakes are so high, I was worried for the FMC from page 1 all the way through the end. I desperately need book 2 ASAP. The book is fast paced with a lot of action interspersed between the more character driven scenes. So it is the type of book that is hard to put down. And there are some really good twists, many I started to anticipate but not to their full extent.

I do with there had been more world building but I think a lot of things are being set up for the second book to explain. I need more info on who is the New Republic, what the world off of the island is like, and why do they have electricity and guns but no cars or other tech. The magic system is really unique-- it's based on blood and scars to TW for that.

And I'm on the fence about the MMC. I was hoping to see more character development for him but in the end he reverts to what he knows, violence and hatred.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for providing an eARC of this book!

Perfect witchy vibes for spooky season! I am looking forward to Rune’s adventures continuing in the next installment. I hope the author will dive even deeper into these characters’ pasts and we get an even better idea of their lives. I felt like I knew then, but I want to know more.

Mystery, murder, deception, a love triangle, and witchcraft. Everything flows together so well and I love when there’s plot twists you can’t predict at the beginning of the story. I can’t wait to see what Rune does next.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this story before it’s published!

I devoured this book. Heartless Hunter is a Witch/Witch Hunter, enemies to lovers, Mr and Mrs Smith vibes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. The chapters were short and fast paced so it was an easy read. I love the trope of trying to manipulate the other for information, but ~definitely~ not falling in love in the process. I loved how they outwit each other. I loved everyone and I trusted no one.

My only critique is while I understand Rune's solution to casting.... it really took me out of the story and kinda made me laugh thinking about it. iykyk

I would not be surprised if this book blew up when it comes out. I will definitely be reading the second book.

Heartless Hunter, by Kristen Ciccarelli, book #1 in The Crimson Moth series. Witches, Cat and Mouse, Enemies to Lovers, and dual POV.

I rate this a 4.5 (5 stars)

Wow. I absolutely devoured this book, I couldn’t put it down. The female main character, Rune, is a witch vigilante who has many identities: Crimson Moth, who saves witches from prosecution and being purged and High class Socialite, who turned in her own grandmother to the guard. Gideon Sharpe, captain of the guard and has spent two years hunting the Crimson Moth, and will do what it takes to find her.

I can not wait to continue this series. I have a few questions that I hope will get answered, before the purge how was the witches magic used, was there a purpose? Who took over after the Queens death, who is the New Republic?

The negative part is I have to wait even longer for the second book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Heartless Hunter was such a ride!

I absolutely loved reading it. The short chapters provide excellent pacing. Nothing is super drawn out, everything leads to immediate action. Which I loved.

A big problem I have in romantasy can be that one of the love interests isnt developed enough. They just love because they do. But here I really felt the emotions from both pov characters. My little angsty heart loved Gideon's internalized criticisms of himself. I loved how he was trying to overcome these emotional barriers on top of the plot barriers keeping them apart.

About the 65 percent mark I realized where the ending was heading and then I was just along for the ride. I loved the climax. And the angst leading to the climax. There was so much to root for!

Im definitely impressed and excited for the world to read this series. A perfect YA Romantasy.

ARC review
5⭐️ for Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
Just finished this book yesterday and it has been on my mind ever since. It’s an enemies to lovers, dual point of view fantasy, following a witch and a witch hunter. I loved the blood magic system, even with the eyebrow raising method of the MC acquiring it. 🤭It was unexpected and clever. The characters and relationships felt well developed and the slow burn was perfection. The ending was twisty and gut wrenching. When I reached the end I kept staring at the page hoping for more! This one comes out in February 2024 and I highly recommend grabbing Heartless Hunter
Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli was such a surprising read for me. It was enemies to lovers done right with an incredibly unique magic system and twists that I never saw coming. I absolutely loved it and was wowed from the first chapter.

One thing I really enjoyed about the world the author created was how she handled the magic system. I appreciated that there were consequences to using magic—that it wasn’t just an endless supply of power and that sacrifice had to be made to access it. It made it feel more authentic and you never knew if it was going to solve the problem or cause another.

I gave this book a five-star rating because it was non-stop action, well-written, and the author did a fantastic job of pacing the information she revealed without leaving the reader lost or confused. I would highly recommend you add this to your 2024 tbr, you won’t regret it!

The story captured my interest pretty quickly. I was concerned about it being considered a YA title since I usually don’t like that genre. But aside from our heroine being a bit ditzy (although probably just young) for being an undercover heist queen, I was rooting for Rune and her relationship with the witch hunter, Gideon, developed nicely. The action definitely kept me reading to find out how all would resolve itself. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC copy of this book.

In the aftermath of a bloody revolution that left the witches without ruling power, witches and those who support them are in danger. Rune, a witch, must live a double life. During the day she is a young socialite throwing after parties and balls, but at night she is the Crimson Moth saving witches from the clutches of the new regime. On the night of a rescue gone wrong, Rune decides to throw caution to the wind and decides to court Gideon Sharpe, a notrorious witch hunter loyal to the revolution, for intel to continue to help save witches from capture.

Gideon cannot stand the superficiality of Rune and has spent the past few years avoiding her, despite her friendship with his brother Alex. However, once he learns that the Crimson Moth uses Rune's merchant ships to smuggle witches he begins to court her to determine Rune's loyalties. Despite their pretending, they both discover there is more underneath the surface and that they just might be a great match. How will Gideon feel if he discovers Rune is in fact the very witch he's been hunting?

Wow!! Just wow. I absolutely loved this first installment in this duology. Rune's relentless fight to save her kind was so admirable. I really enjoyed the Dual POV helped the reader to visualize the cat and mouse game from Rune and Gideon's minds. A book with good banter is always a favorite of mine and these two did not disappoint. Despite their uneasiness with each other, it was so nice to see them divulge little truths about their lives and pasts. Alex and Rune's friendship was so sweet to view as the story continued. The twists and turns throughout this story made it very difficult to put down. Highly recommend adding this book to your TBR. I am very excited to read book 2!!

I cannot wait for part 2. Kristen Ciccarelli has created such a unique world for this exciting enemies to lovers trope filled romantic fantasy tale.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was a very unique enemies to lovers read. Witches use blood for their spells, and have a signature apparition in the place where the spell was cast. I thought I knew where this was going but the end had quite a few twists and I will be reading the sequel.

After a bloody revolution against the witches creates a new world order, witches and witch sympathizers live in fear of being betrayed and purged. Rune, a witch, is forced to live a double life. By day, she is the vapid heiress socialite, flitting through life one party and event at a time. But by night, Rune is the Crimson Moth, a vigilante determined to save as many witches as she can with the help of her friends. Gideon Sharpe, a notorious witch hunter, is hell-bent on uncovering the Crismon Moth and bringing the witch to justice. Gideon despises what Rune represents, and Rune loathes where Gideon's loyalty lies in killing her kind.

When an opportunity arises for both of them to find the information that they seek, they find themselves luring each other into a courtship. Soon both are uncovering truths about the other and realize there is much more underneath the surface.

Wow, just wow! Rune's relentless fight to save her people was incredible. The Dual POV gave an excellent dive into Rune and Gideon's minds as the reader journies on the cat and mouse game with them. The banter between Gideon and Rune was on point, and I loved how both of them slowly let real bits of who they are show. The connection between Alex and Rune was heartwarming. The twists and turns and secrets that are uncovered during the course of the story make it so hard to put down. Definitely recommend this book! It is going to be so hard to wait for the second one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me an early copy for an honest review.

There’s really not too much I can really say about this book. Nothing was happening yet there some things happening? It’s hard to explain.

The premise of this book sounded so good. The world building had potential… but honestly, I was so confused and had lots of questions about the witches and previous uprising? I needed more backstory. There was no explanation of motivation as to why the witches did what they did.

I also wish there was more magic. And I’m sorry? Menstrual blood used for spells? I really just can’t.. I was trying to figure out how that worked.. but doesn’t period blood congeal?

Let’s talk about the characters here for a minute:

Rune: I liked her in the beginning.. I still somewhat like her but she was a bit wishy washi.

Gideon: my expectations for his character was too high. I didn’t mind him in the beginning. I could understand why he hated witches and why he was so hell bent on eradicating them. But him at the end? Did his character show any growth?

And my favorite character.. Alex. He was so loyal and I just loved him. There’s a scene towards the end that made me want to throw my kindle across the floor.

Now last but not least, the romance.

There is a sort of love triangle going on. Honestly I was team alex all the way, but then again.. I also felt he was too good for Rune.

It does end on a cliff hanger and I will say I didn’t predict the plot twist.. but I did have an inkling towards the last 15%.

Will I read the sequel? No. There’s too many good books out there to waste my time.

I just couldn’t connect with the characters or story so this one def just wasn’t for me.

Thank you, St. Martin’s and NetGalley, for sharing an ARC with me.

A devastating revolution changed everything for Rune who now lives in a world where the new rulers seek to destroy every last vestige of witches and witchcraft.. Society darling Rune is not just secretly a witch, but also the Crimson Moth, a notorious rebel who is always one step ahead of the witch-hunters hell-bent on capturing and killing her. Desperate to protect more vulnerable witches, Rune engages in her most dangerous mission yet: seducing Gideon, the most fearsome witch-hunter who is obsessed with the unveiling the Crimson Moth.

The steamy cat-and-mouse game kept me up all night because I didn’t know how things would go, and this book did NOT hold back. The characters are extremely morally grey, and I’m not sure I’ll recover from that ending. Come quickly, book 2!

A very binge-able book! While I did wish there was more world building and development/ background of certain characters, this was still a very entertaining story


The main charges kept me engaged and the overall tension was well done. Can't wait for the second book in this duology!

(Really wish we could do 1/2 ratings here, as I think this is a 3.5 but not quite enough for a 4 for me, mainly due to the world building. But I'm hopeful that my questions are answered in the next installment which would definitely bump this rating up)