This was an entertaining romantasy that I liked but didn’t love. Rune and Gideon had the star-crossed lovers thing going on, but I didn’t feel like enough was happening in the plot until close to the end. The middle was a little longer than it needed to be. I liked the writing and the characters, and I liked how things were left at the end. I will plan to continue the series.

CW: there is a significant amount of blood magic performed with menstrual blood. If reading that sentence icked you out, don’t read this book!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While this was slow at times, and I felt like I had no problem setting my book down, I absolutely loved the setting and characters and the whole witch/witch-hunter plot point. I will DEFINITELY be reading the next one!!!

I enjoyed reading this book. It was different. I'm not certain if i love it or hate it. Love the idea of witches and witch hunters, but it was difficult to clearly identify the good vs the evil. I think I will continue this series, as i'd like to find out what happens with the main characters. Colorful and intriguing characters in this novel.

This book was fantastic! This perfectly paced new adult fantasy took hold of me from the first few pages and kept me rapt until the end! I need book two immediately, gah! I loved Rune and Gideon, their romantic tension was so good and so believable just based on their different stations in life as well as their convictions. And, what a great fresh take on a magic system I loved the smart way the main character was able to use it.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
-enemies to lovers
-my brother loved you first
-unique magic system
-tender hearted heroine
-slow burn romance
-surprising twists
-secret identities

THANK YOU so much for the opportunity to read an ARC of this gorgeous, beautifully written book. I LOVED IT!!

Kristen Ciccarelli does a wonderful job of thoroughly and solidly building her world, where our main character Rune is both the hunter and hunted after witches have been "purged" and are feared to be secretly rebuilding their power. Rune's back and forth with Gideon, captain of the Blood Guard and the New Republic's most notorious witch hunter, is deliciously fraught with tension & passion and I could NOT get enough of the scenes they shared. Their banter, the electricity in the air, the mind games and politics! It was all just so wonderful.

I was able to predict some of the twists and turns in this novel but the ending left my jaw on the floor. I don't know how I will make it until book 2 releases - I have to know more! I highly recommend this book. The prose is beautiful, the world is immersive, and the relationships/reveals/twists will make you squeal. Thank you again!!!

3.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This book was pretty good! There were some parts I really enjoyed and other parts that weren’t necessarily slow, but I didn’t love them. I still would recommend this though as I think the next book will also be very good! I am definitely looking forward to the next book and seeing what happens with Rune and Gideon!!

Oh my gods this book is absolutely AMAZING! I loved everything about it and ran the gamut of emotions throughout too. I laughed; I loved; I screamed; I cried…and I was a little surprised mixed in there too.

I can 100% guarantee that I’ll be waiting with bated breath for the next one! If you’ve been stalling on picking this up, stop stalling and do it - you won’t regret it.

I also now have the stunning Fairyloot version of this gracing my shelves too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for an e-arc of this one, despite life causing me to run a bit behind schedule. All opinions are my own.

I love a good cat and mouse story! I was a bit concerned going in as the synopsis reminded me of another fantasy book I read in the past but I was pleasantly surprised. It was hard to put down and I loved the ending!

I loved this one so much! What a great blend of fantasy and romance. Can't wait until the next one comes out!

The Heartless Hunter is set in a time where witches once ruled, but now are hunted and killed for their powers. Rune only survived the change of regime from witches to witch hunters because of the sacrifice of her grandmother. When her grandmother realized there was no way to save them both, she convinced Rune to turn her in so that Rune could live another day. Rune tries to make a difference for the other witches still being hunted by leading a dual life as both a socialite darling of the regime, and a vigilante saving witches from their death. Her life becomes even more complicated the closer she becomes to Gideon Sharpe, a formidable witch hunter and brother to her best friend. Their chemistry is undeniable, but what will it cost them both?

This is a captivating new world of witches and witch hunters, with a fast paced narrative. I highly recommend for readers of fantasy romance, and am excitedly waiting for the next story in the series! Thank you to NetGalley, Kristen Ciccarelli and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am unable to post a full review until SMP further addresses and make assurances in regards to the concerns associated with the St. Martin's Press boycott.

I received an e-arc of Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was eating this up!!! This read like an upgraded version of Serpent & Dove and I was here for it.
The tension between Rune and Gideon - witch and witch hunter was amazing. And the friendship between Rune and Alex was so sweet. I'm excited and nervous for book 2.
4 stars.

Really atmospheric book with an interesting plot and characters. The was a wild ride through a fantasy realm. Full of magic, mayhem and adventure, A vigilante witch and a witch hunter, what can go wrong? Ends in a massive cliffhanger.

Rune is a witch hiding in plain sight, pretending that she hates witches while secretly rescuing them from the Blood Guard and sneaking them out of the city.
Gideon is a captain of the Blood Guard, trying to heal from the trauma inflicted on him by a witch, by catching and killing every witch he can find. But one witch has been eluding him for years, and helping other witches escape.
As Rune and Gideon play a cat and mouse game with each other, both trying to learn the others secrets without getting caught, a bigger plot is brewing in the city, right under their noses.

I loved this book. The world building was fascinating and duel POVs were excellently handled. Watching the way Gideon and Rune fell for each other while simultaneously trying to convince themselves not to was a delight. And then ending had a twist that I had glimpsed in the making but was not prepared for the full extent of the reveal.
This was obviously plotted with care and attention to detail that had me eagerly flipping pages to see what was going to happen next. I can't wait to get my hands on more of this series.

This book exceeded all expectations I had! It was a great combination of romance and suspense and mystery and magic! Kept me wanting to keep reading the whole way through. Couldn’t put it down!

You know that feeling when you read a book and you feel like you know exactly what’s going to happen, but you don’t care because you’re just flying through each page? This is one of those books and it was SO bingeable. I enjoyed this story so much and I can’t wait to see how much more intensity builds between our main characters in book 2.

This book reminded me how much I love stories about witches and balls and heists and a woman with a mission to avenge her family. I can say that I did not see the full ending, so I’m very excited to watch Rune’s magic grow and see what else she may be capable of to bring the world back together.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books for an E-ARC copy of this book!

It took me a minute to get into this book because I was only had time to read a few pages at a time first, but once I was about a quarter of the way through the book, I was not able to put it down.

Heartless Hunter follows 2 points of view: Rune: a secret witch and the vigilante known as the Crimson Moth, and Gideon: a captain in the New Republic and witch hunter.

The following tropes can be found in this book:
enemies to lovers
best friend's brother
fake dating/relationship
love triangle

I loved the writing style and the world author Kristen Ciccarelli created. Her writing was straightforward and it was easy to visualize everything as I read the book. Ciccarelli created a fantastic back story and history for the witches and witch hunts. I also really liked that the "revolution" mentioned in the book was recent and that all the characters lived in the before and after, instead of a few members of the "older generation" remembering what life was before.

As I read - and right after finishing the book - I absolutely loved the characters and the relationships and tension between them. However, after processing the book and thinking through the actions and reactions of the characters, I like them more individually than how they relate to other characters and their relationships/interactions with one another.

Rune, Alex, and Gideon gave me major whiplash because how they interacted with one another did not match up with who they were. Rune is living a double life as the Crimson Moth and a socialite, but the person she is with Gideon is completely different from either character and the person she is trying to remind herself to be in her presence. To the public, Gideon is the tough-guy who when from living with a deadly witch to hunting witches for work and as a personal vendetta. However, behind closed doors, Gideon proves to be someone who is still working through the hell he lived through is scared to let himself feel anything other than indifference for anyone else - including his brother. I liked the "unseen" version of Gideon and who he is when he is doing things with and for Rune because he wants to, not for a mission or a fact he is trying to either confirm of deny. I liked the version of Gideon the decided to make Rune a dress and made her a bouquet of silk/fabric flowers, the version of him that automatically agreed to accompany her to a ball. However he was discussing these things with his fellow hunters, his reasons became twisted and unauthentic.

As much as I struggled with the characters, I did enjoy the book. I am curious to see how the second book turns out with the change in alliances and newfound heroes/enemies.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kristen Ciccarelli for providing me with this ARC (even though it took me a really long time to read).

I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. I will not be publicly reviewing this title until St. Martin's Press addresses reader concerns.

A captivating tale of magic, intrigue, and forbidden love., and there is a cat and mouse game between a witch and a witch hunter. The writing is vivid and plunges the reader into a world where magic and danger collide. .
I was engaged from beginning to end look forward to more work by this author.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book in a series.
In a time where witches are persecuted Rune, a young witch, hides in plain site. Gideon, the witch hunter is trying to find all witches.
The witch and witch hunter pretend to date each other in hopes of gaining information, but will they be pretending by the end of the book?
I love how all of this tied together by the end, lots of little twists, surprising revelations, and some good old fashioned love/hate romance.
I'll definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC