perfect spooky read for the month of October. i enjoyed this one and i am looking forward to more by this author :)

If I Stopped Haunting You is an atmospheric and spooky contemporary romance. It’s set at a writing retreat in an old, haunted castle in Scotland. The setting is rife with a rich history that includes, of course, ghost stories.

I adored the setting and the vibes, and the author’s writing style sucked me in. It’s easy to read and compelling and I want to emphasize this before I get into the meat of my review.

Pen and Neil are both indigenous horror authors. Unfortunately, I found the prologue set the wrong tone for the entire book. Pen is, quite frankly, jealous of Neil’s success. She thinks he sold out, writing inauthentic indigenous characters in order to cater to a white audience. In the prologue, she attacks his character during an indigenous horror panel at a writing convention. She’s unnecessarily cruel, and while she may have been making valid points (it’s hard for a reader to discern this based on fictional novels written by fictional characters), her approach is off putting, to say the least. To top it all off, she literally throws a book hard enough at him that it cuts him on the face. He bleeds. He scars.


This was the worst of it, though Pen is quite cantankerous and self-righteous throughout the story. I do enjoy complicated characters, but in a romance novel, I expect a bit more growth before the problematic character gets her happily ever after. Neil, on the other hand, is (rightfully) traumatized by what happened, and he’s had writer’s block ever since. This is one of those types of romances where the “grovel” trope would perhaps make up for this rough beginning, but that never happens.

To be honest, Pen and Neil’s love is somewhat superficial and mostly physical. I would have liked to see more in-depth conversation and connection in the story. That said, the setting makes up for the lack of depth in their relationship (in my eyes). Given the length of the book and the unique setting (A haunted castle!), I would prefer a romance with more of the spooky stuff over the depth of character. However, given how the book began, I was truly expecting a solid character arc for Pen. I was thrown when she didn’t have personal growth over the course of the story.

All in all, this is a (very) spicy and spooky romance, even if the interactions between the main couple are a little too toxic for a non-dark romance.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance with a spooky twist, but it falls just short of its full potential. The premise—two feuding horror writers trapped together at a haunted Scottish castle—promises a lot of fun and tension. Penelope Skinner, a struggling horror author, and Neil Storm, her successful rival, are forced to confront their simmering animosity as supernatural events start unfolding around them. The witty banter and their frustratingly irresistible chemistry make for some laugh-out-loud and steamy moments.

The haunted castle setting adds a fun gothic backdrop, but the ghostly plot doesn’t quite deliver the chills it could have. The spooky elements feel somewhat underdeveloped, and at times, the paranormal mystery takes a backseat to the romance. Pen and Neil’s bickering is enjoyable, but the sudden shift from enemies to potential lovers feels a bit rushed, especially with an "almost-kiss" scene that sparks their rapid change of heart. While the fast-paced romance keeps the story light and breezy, it lacks the deeper emotional development that could have made their relationship feel more authentic.

Overall, If I Stopped Haunting You is a fun, light read for fans of enemies-to-lovers stories with a touch of the supernatural. However, it leans more toward the sexy thrills than the spooky chills, leaving some readers wishing for more on both fronts. While not without its charms, this romance with a ghostly twist ultimately doesn't haunt you as much as it could have.

I really wanted to like this book but the writing just threw me off and I could not get into it. I also felt like the build up to the Skinner and Neil’s chemistry felt so rushed. One second she’s throwing a book at his head and then a flash forward happens and they have this unspoken chemistry. I think if someone is wanting a fun paranormal romance, this would be a good choice but you just can’t get bogged down by the writing.

Hello! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to read this book. I unfortunately did not finish this and don’t plan to because I felt it needed more work. The emotions and situations did not flow well and was a bit jarring to read. The main characters were angry one sentence but the next they were attracted to each other and it was very random. I do with the best of luck for this author and I really enjoyed the concept, I just kept getting stumped by the pacing and verbiage.

When 2 rival authors end up on the same retreat they find themselves working together to solve a ghost story.

I struggled with this one and really wanted to DNF but I can’t do that. The characters were not my favorite & I didn’t find them getting together to be believable. I really didn’t like the FMC. She didn’t have a lot of redeeming qualities. Not for me but maybe someone else will enjoy it.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I try really REALLY hard to not DNF NetGalley arcs just because I try to read the whole thing to be able to give an honest review. But UGGH…this book. I tried. I really did. But DNF at 54%.

The FMC is just an awful person. I’m all for an enemies-to-lovers trope but this was just SO beyond. Pen physically assaulted Neil by throwing a book at his FACE during a BookCon panel, made him bleed, and LEFT A SCAR. And we’re just supposed to believe that 4 months later they’re both just magically past that and have the hots for each other? Just no.

I had so much fun reading this one ! Part Romance, Part Spooky, it was the perfect read for this fall !

If I Stopped Haunting You was a story about two Native writers who are enemies. They hate each other's guts. Penelope even threw a book at him at a book convention.
But when they signed up to be in the same writing retreat in a Haunted Castle in Scotland, the mystery of the ghosts brought them together.

The chemistry, the tension and the spice was amazing !

And the ghosts were really spooky ! I didn't know I would need a romance x horror book in my life but now, I need more !

Read this if you love :

✨ Romance ;
✨ Enemies to Lovers ;
✨ Books about books ;
✨ Opposite Attract;
✨ Spicy and Spooky ;
✨ Ghosts and Haunted House ;
✨ Mysteries.

I was looking forward to this paranormal romance and saved it for October…unfortunately this was a DNF for me at 24%…I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t like any of the characters. Bummer!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I wanted to like this one a lot as I love spooky, fallish vibes with enemies to lovers. It sounded right up my alley. But unfortunately, the FMC was just not likable. Very self-centered and even verbally abusive at times. On top of that, the development between them just didn’t seem believable.

This was not my favorite.. at all 😬
Honestly- I regret that I didn’t DNF.

I haven’t actively disliked characters this much in a while.
Thank you for the chance to read this one, I wish I had different feelings towards it!

This was such a good mixed genre horror romance… we need more Native voices in all aspects of fiction, and this was a goood mixture of fun, horror, and social commentary.

DNF at 22%

I realized at this point that I did not give a crap about either of these characters and what was going to happen in the story. I usually love a haunted castle but...this book started off rubbing me the wrong way with the FMC assaulting the MMC by throwing a book at him and it just really didn't get that much better. I had known about the assault from other reviews which is why I wanted to continue to see if it got better, but alas.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I wanted to like this one a lot as I love spooky, fallish vibes with enemies to lovers. It sounded right up my alley. But unfortunately, the FMC was just not likable. Very self-centered and even verbally abusive at times. On top of that, the development between them just didn’t seem believable. When its enemies to lovers, it really should be more of a slow-burn, but I felt like it was way too fast. Overall, I think we needed more likable main character and more character development in general.

Flawed characters are definitely not bad! But there needs to be some kind of character development and redemption in order for readers to like them. In this case, there wasn’t really any. I think the author can really grab readers more if she hones deeper into that.

2.5 rounded to 3. I was really excited for an enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance with If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens, but I struggled to get into it. Pen’s behavior was harsh, and she completely wrecked Neil’s self-esteem, making it hard to root for their relationship. While the book had a lot of great representation, it ultimately felt lacking and fell short of my expectations.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGlalley for providing me with an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin Griffin, and Colby Wilkens for the early access copy of If I Stopped Haunting You.

If I Stopped Haunting You is a paranormal romance novel that will leave you with chills.

For those that love reading books with:
Diverse representation
Horror and Hauntings
Enemies-to-lovers
Dual point-of-view
Writer protagonists

Colby Wilkens did a fantastic job at creating a creepy atmosphere and great tension between the main protagonists.

A ghostly enemies to lovers?! Say less. This was such a cute read! Rating is 3.5 stars, rounded down, I just wish more spookiness was added to the story. The pacing was a bit slow, but I still think this is a perfect pick up for a quick and fun fall read. I always enjoy a multi POV in a romance novel, it made it even more enjoyable, especially since this is a forced proximity of sorts.

Dnf at 31%. I really want to love this. The cover cat fished me. The main character threw a book at the other main character after yelling at him at a public event. Just never okay.

This book was such a fun read for this time of year. I have read several cute "spooky" romances lately where the paranormal is all friendly and harmless. This is not that book. It has such an interesting combination of rom-com and horror that I really loved.

Set in a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands, four writers go on a retreat. Two of these writers hate each other and were not told the other was coming. Now trapped on this trip and snowed-in in a creepy castle, these two have to, not only survive the haunting, but each other as well.

I really enjoyed the read and recommend for anyone who wants a little bit of everything. A little dark, a little light, a little spice, and a little impending doom. It was a combo I didn't know I needed, but had a great time reading it. Thanks to Colby Wilkens, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this advanced copy!