The cover is beautiful. Although the story sounds so fascinating, I just found this lacking. I couldn't really get into the world building. The romance aspect was "Eh". Nothing really EXCITED me. I found myself wanting to put it down a lot.

I loved the chemistry between Callum and Cate. I am usually not into Romantasy but I couldn’t put this down. It had some steamy sex scenes but I feel like there should have been maybe more about the revolution but cannot wait to see what Falon has in store for the second.

This book was okay…the cover is beautiful but I don’t think I am a fan of this book. Couldn’t really get into the world building but the characters were good. I’ll give this book another read in the future to see if I can get into it.

I’ve followed Falon Ballard’s career for a while, always impressed by her ability to blend humor and heart in contemporary romance. So when news broke that she was branching out into the realm of fantasy laced with romance, I was both intrigued and eager to see how her voice would evolve in a very different landscape.
First impression? The cover is an absolute showstopper—gorgeous, moody, and utterly eye-catching. It suggested a lush, intense tale, and the beginning delivered on that promise with a provocative setup: enchantment, political intrigue, and a dangerous game of desire. Unfortunately, as the plot unfolded, I found myself struggling to stay immersed.
The concept—a kind of theatrical fantasy mash-up with hints of cabaret drama and Shakespearean ambition—is inventive and daring. There’s no shortage of passion or visual flair, and the chemistry between Callum and Caterine simmers with intensity. Those looking for heat and high drama will absolutely find it here.
Still, despite the style and bold ideas, the foundation didn’t quite hold together for me. The worldbuilding felt underdeveloped, leaving many of the political elements and character motivations feeling vague or underexplored. I often felt like a spectator in a lavish performance, unsure of the context or emotional stakes. I also craved a bit more emotional layering and authenticity in the central relationship—it leaned more on sparks than substance.
All that said, I genuinely admire Ballard’s courage to pivot creatively and experiment with new storytelling forms. It’s always exciting to see authors test new waters, even if not every leap sticks the landing. While this particular book didn’t fully capture me, I’m confident that plenty of readers will be swept up by its sensual energy and dramatic tension.
This one wasn’t quite my flavor of magic, but I’m still rooting for Ballard’s continued evolution—and definitely looking forward to her next return to the world of romantic comedy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the advance copy of Something Wicked in exchange for an honest review.

This was wild!! I honestly had a really fun time reading, I love a romantasy that has a little ridiculousness to it. I thought the politics as a whole were a little confusing and should've been taken more seriously by the population cause what do you mean they're all just cool with sanctioned murder in order to elect a president?? but honestly it somehow worked??

the romance was written well!! I loved the tension and it genuinely felt like Cate and Callum were attracted to each other and actually wanted to spend time together, I enjoyed all their scenes and I think Ballard did a great job with their chemistry!

Overall, a confusing but intriguing world with an incredibly interesting premise and some well paired romantic leads made this an enjoyable novel!! plus the cover art is to die for are you kidding me it's so stunning!

I’ve been a longtime fan of Falon Ballard’s witty, heartwarming romcoms, so when I heard she was venturing into the romantasy genre, I was genuinely curious—and excited—to see how her signature charm would translate into a world of magic, rebellion, and dark seduction.

Let’s start with the obvious: the cover is absolutely stunning. It instantly pulled me in and set my expectations sky-high. And while the opening chapters promised intrigue and heat, with a high-stakes premise involving political assassinations and magical courtesans, I have to admit… this one didn’t fully land for me.

The Moulin Rouge-meets-Macbeth concept is undeniably bold, and I appreciate the ambition it took to weave those inspirations into a fantasy setting. There are glimmers of originality, especially in the setting of La Puissance and the emotionally-charged dynamic between Callum and Caterine. And of course, the spice is turned all the way up—fans of steamy scenes won’t be disappointed.

But for all the sizzle and style, I struggled to connect with the world itself. The political system, the rebellion, the motivations—none of it felt quite fleshed out enough to ground me in the story. It was as if I’d been dropped into a dramatic play without fully understanding the stage or the stakes. I also found myself wishing for more nuance in the characters’ emotional arcs and a deeper, more believable development of their bond.

That said, I truly admire Ballard’s willingness to take creative risks and step into new storytelling territory. It’s something I’ve seen many of my favorite romance authors do—genre-hopping to explore darker themes and bigger worlds. Even though this one wasn’t quite for me, I know there are plenty of readers who will enjoy the seductive atmosphere, fast-paced drama, and star-crossed intensity of it all.

This book may not have cast the strongest spell on me, but I’m still cheering for Ballard as she explores new realms, and I’ll absolutely be back for whatever romcom magic she conjures up next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital review copy of Something Wicked with me in exchange for my honest thoughts—I truly appreciate the opportunity!

Callum my mannnnn. Loved this book, main character was a bit whiney but so am I so it didn't bother me much! See much potential in this series.

I was not a fan of the world building. It made no sense and lost me from page 4. Not a fan and wouldn't continue the series

MIf you’re anything like me and love, love, love Baz Luhrmann’s iconic Moulin Rouge!—then this novel is going to steal your heart. (Ewan McGregor’s character, Christian? Yeah, he’s basically the blueprint for my entire romantic awakening.)

This book is everything: seductive, captivating, and gorgeously written. It’s one of those rare stories that pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let go until long after the final chapter.

And let’s be honest… I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but come on. Have you seen it? It’s absolutely stunning. You’ll want to display it face-out on your shelf just to stare at it.

Wow, this was wild. I have really liked Falon Ballard's recent rom-coms and I was happy to see her explore romantasy, but I didn't buy or like the fantasy world she created in this book. What do you mean there is a rebel uprising, and the rebels' idea to punish the government that has allowed Gifteds to be repressed is that the next leader has to kill the recently dethroned monarch? This is like if the Hunger Games ended with Katniss agreeing with President Coin's idea to punish Capitol children with another set of Hunger Games. Madness. That was the first part I was utterly flabbergasted about. I was also disturbed with the dark nature of the FMC Caterine's gift. She's a courtesan who has the ability to sleep with people and manipulate their emotions. Disturbing, because now I have to endure many scenes of her sleeping with random rich people for money at the sex club she and her sister work at, along with many other vulnerable women. Of course, I want her to be happy with the MMC, Prince Callum, but I found their many detailed sex scenes a bit much, too. Besides their mysterious bond and strong attraction to each other, what do they have in common? Their romance over the course of one week and then some is complicated by a lot of politics, family drama, and death, and ultimately (spoiler alert) our couple ends up in a good place after a lot of interruptions. But I have no idea how the political intrigue will resolve and I'm not sure I'm interested enough to keep reading. I would say, if you enjoy reading spice and don't care about any of the story around it, you'll love this book. 2.5/5 stars just because I like the author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to preview Something Wicked.

2.5 stars

I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. In all seriousness, I just think this was lacking generally and romance and non-romance readers alike are going to be left wanting more (and not in the good way, although it's worth mentioning that apparently this is the first in a series which I didn't know until I finished it.)

Cate and her twin sister grew up in an orphanage for magical girls where they were mistreated and neglected, eventually escaping and finding a new home among the courtesans of La Puissance, a pleasure club in the city. Years later, a revolution overthrows the royal regime, including Callum's father, and the only way to become a presidential candidate is to kill one of the former monarch. Pressured to kill his own father to make a grab for power, Callum's sister proposes that he meet with Cate, a magical courtesan who can manipulate the emotions of her clients and relieve his guilt over patricide.

I'll get the good things about this book out of the way, because they're always worth saying. This book is extremely easy to read and I finished the whole thing in a few hours, so it wasn't a massive waste of time or anything. I also appreciate the Moulin Rouge-reminiscent aesthetics and like that Ballard is trying to take romantasy in the different direction because I feel like most of them have very similar settings, magic systems, and vibes.

That being said, this book is somehow overly-convoluted and also totally bereft of any meaningful conflict or tension. Cate and Callum are fine, they're just kind of generally morally good and uninteresting characters. Their romance is totally insta-love/insta-lust, which I can't stand as a slow burn girlie. I liked the idea that Callum was going to try to hold himself back because he didn't want Cate to be able to sense his emotions but bro literally gave up on day 2. This gets explained away by some magical soulmate bond, which I'm not generally opposed to because I've seen it done well but here it's just really lazy. The smut is fine, notion objectionable but nothing to write home about.

The politics in this world are also wildly unclear. Who are the revolutionaries? Uh, just some people I guess who didn't like the royals. Some of them were maybe Gifted, meaning that they are women with magic, or at least they are for the Gifted being given rights. Why are only women Gifted? That's never addressed. Callum also starts off the book with some pretty anti-Gifted opinions because he blames them for his mother's death but all those years of hatred and bigotry just disappear once he gets some magical p*ssy. I know a lot of people are going to take the "it's not that deep, it's romantasy and the world-building doesn't have to be good" stance, but I've read romantasy with good world-building and I'm going to hold other books in the genre to that standard. Also, if you're going to have a love-interest who is politically opposed to the rights of the main character, I expect you to give that all of the time and complexity that that discussion warrants.

Plot-wise I just think this is all over the place. I kind of see where the Macbeth-retelling plays a role but don't go to this looking for Macbeth, there's really only two overt parallels and one of them is immensely fucking stupid (mcs go to take down the villain....dressed as trees. Like the trees. In Macbeth. I'm also pretty sure the author just forgot that there were dressed as trees because it's only mentioned like twice and that scene goes on for a while. No one they encounter even mentions that they're dressed as trees?) The twists are predictable and characters die with minimal impact to their loved ones. Seriously, several central characters who are close to the protagonists die and they each get like two sentences and their loved one is almost entirely unaffected.

Once again, I am the victim of a pretty cover and a book that tried to do way too much and ended up doing pretty much nothing at all. Suffice to say I will not be continuing the series.

Thank you to Falon Ballard and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Something Wicked by Falon Ballard is a seductive, darkly twisted romantasy that pulls you into a world of sex, power, and betrayal. Blending elements of Macbeth and Moulin Rouge! into a captivating, gritty saga, it’s impossible to look away once you dive in.

Set in the chaotic country of Avon, where a brutal Uprising has overthrown the monarchy, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Callum, the son of the dethroned king, must face the harrowing task of murdering his own father to claim his place as a presidential candidate. Enter Lady Caterine, a courtesan with the extraordinary ability to manipulate emotions, whose powers may be the key to helping him commit the deed without succumbing to guilt.

I loved the dynamic between Callum and Cate. Their connection is undeniable, but it’s one they both fight against, making their chemistry electric and the tension palpable. The stakes are high, with both characters forced to navigate treacherous political intrigue while battling the emotions that complicate everything.

The world-building is phenomenal—rich with political tension, magic, and intrigue—and the themes of sacrifice and trust are explored in ways that had me constantly on edge. This book is dark, deliciously steamy, and layered with twists that keep you guessing at every turn.

If you’re a fan of morally complex characters, high stakes, and a romance that teeters on the edge of betrayal, Something Wicked is the book for you. Falon Ballard does an incredible job of creating a gripping and provocative narrative, and I couldn’t put it down until the very last page.