Rune is a witch. A witch hiding in plane sight during a regime that hunts and purges witches. When she was younger, she turned her grandmother over for being a witch and had to watch her die... Now, Rune's life mission is to save and free captured witches as the "Crimson Moth". The guard in her town is lead by none other than Gideon Sharpe who just so happens to be he best friend's older brother. When Gideon and Rune both begin to court each other, neither seems to know that they are attempting to use each other for information...

Really good enemies to lovers, slow-burn, romance. That cliffhanger though... I'm definitely ready for the second installment of this series! I feel like I would've given this 5 stars if it hadn't been so hyped. I think I just had REALLY high expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kristen Ciccarelli and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’’ve got conflicted feelings on this one because I really wanted to like it but something about this felt…..unoriginal. This was basically just Serpent & Dove told slightly different.

I also feel like the “new adult” genre fell apart and this book’s identity is somewhere in that mix. The content feels more for adult audiences but the characters, since they are teenagers (18), reads YA.

I’m also saddened and tired of the sacrifice of good, noble, interesting characters for the sake of the MC’s character development.

I think this novel is the enemies to lovers that people have been asking for , and I do think it will have an audience with those who are fans of romantasy. Personally, this one just wasn’t for me and I don’t know if I’ll continue the series.

Rune is a witch living in a land where witches are hunted outlaws after a revolution killed the witch queens and sent her life into chaos. In order to survive the hordes of the revolution, Rune's grandmother forced her to turn her in as a witch so she could escape suspicion. Now, Rune has spent the last two years as the Crimson Moth, secretly helping captured witches escape in an attempt to assuage her guilt. The stakes are higher than ever and the only way to save an important witch is to seduce her best friend's brother, one of the most devoted witchhunters, and risk everything she's worked hard to attain.

I wanted to like it, I really did. It's technically everything I would love in a story yet it feels overly sentimental and overdone, and I'm not even going to go into how tired I am of the overdone love triangle. Ciccarelli lost me the second it was obvious that it was going to be an overly dramatic triangle with only two sides actually engaged in the romance and the other one thrown in for the drama. It's one cliche after another with no special twist to make it its own. Not even solid writing could save this one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books

Heartless Hunter follows a Witch named Rune who is being hunted by Gideon the captain of the Blood Guard. The beautiful quotes and moments in this with their relationship got me so much! This is packed with action, romance, and so emotional. I didn’t think I would react so emotionally to this! There were moments I felt a scene reminded me of Pride and Prejudice and it was just so BEAUTIFULLY written!
My heart was ripped out at the end! I still don’t even know how I fully feel. It was just emotional pain, and any book that can make you feel so deeply is an incredible book.
So so good!! 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review

I was eagerly anticipating this book and was honestly disappointed. The worldbuilding was intriguing but it was the characters I had the biggest issues with. Rune is supposed to be an incredible secret agent witch whose saving witches left and right, yet we never actually see her going on any successful missions. We never see any scenes in the book that warrant this fearsome reputation she has. A reputation so fearsome it catches the eye of Gideon, a notorious and ruthless witch hunter who wants to hunt her down. So you guessed it, these two have an enemies to lover romance. The problem for me was these two had absolutely zero chemistry. Gideon was an insufferable murderer who was happily committing a genocide on witches and didn't care at all that this is something he maybe sorta shouldn't be doing. His history at the hands of a witch was handled sloppily and for shock value to me. By the end of the novel there is a major betrayal with these two firmly on opposite sides. I wish she would've chosen his brother to be honest, he was better suited and always supportive of her.

What is so frustrating to me is this had such potential to be an amazing story. It had all these amazing elements but the characters were cardboard cutouts. I am interested in the conclusion of the story but I fear it will again be tropey and predictable, like this story was.

4.25 This was a fun romantasy book that I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. This book follows Rune a witch in a time when witches are hunted. Rune unable to perform magic without risking scars identifying her as a witch Rune has to be clever. Rune finds herself saving other witches when she can earning her the name of the Crimson Moth. We also follow Gideon a witch hunter charged with finding and capturing the Crimson Moth. Little does Gideon know the Crimson Moth may be closer than he ever imagined.

I had a lot of fun with this book I loved the trope of a witch and a witch hunter falling in love. This book reminded a lot of The Serpent and Dove series which I loved as well. The writing was fast paced and entertaining and I really liked the relationships in this book. The ending was so tough but I really loved it and can’t wait to read the next in the series. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

If you love a great cat-and-mouse game with witches abound, then Kristen Ciccarelli's Heartless Hunter is the book for you.

🩸Heartless Hunter🩸

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Kristin Ciccarelli
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Witches used to rule, that was until their regime was ended by a raid and the witch queens were killed. Now all witches and witch sympathizers are executed. Gideon Sharpe was the leader of that raid, and now one of the best witch hunters. His mission for the last two years has been to catch the crimson moth, a witch smuggling other witches out of the continent to a safe location. Rune winters, appears as just a young rich socialite, but really she is the witch crimson moth hidden in plain sight. Rune needs intel on a witch that has been taken captive, and Gideon needs to catch the crimson moth who he suspects is Rune. In a game of cat and mouse, both Rune and Gideon decide to falsely court eachother In hopes to get the intel they need. No one expected real feelings might arise in the game of deception.

I am soooo excited for the rest of this series, and it cannot be published soon enough! This cat and mouse romance had my on the edge of my seat sweating and frantically trying to read faster to find out what happens. Not only do you have a deceptive courtship, but you also have a love triangle between brothers, and Victorian era vibes with witches. Rune on all accounts reminds me of Celaena in the first few books from the Throne Of Glass series. She is so cunning, quick, and confident. The twist at the end I did not see coming at all, and I don’t know how I am going to wait for the next book to come out to see where it leads us with Rune and Gideon, but I am scared and super excited for it! I will just be here impatiently waiting for the next book 🫠

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.