If you like witches, witty banter and enemies to lovers this fast paced romantasy is for you! But beware it ends with a cliffhanger!

omg i loved this book so much! the cat and mouse game, the way hey play each other but fall in love and defend one another. it was such an amazing novel! the ending broke my heart, but i feel for these characters, i connected to them and I just want a happy ending in the next novel. please!

Finished Heartless Hunter last night and I am obsessed with this book. Thankfully, I waited until I also had Rebel Witch in hand to start this duology because every raving review I’ve read said that I needed to pick it up immediately after and they were right.

This story follows Rune Winters who is a witch in a time when witches are hunted and feared. Years ago, three evil witch queens were overthrown and a New Republic was started. Since then, witches have been all but narrowly eliminated. Rune has been hiding in plain sight- a wealthy socialite by day and the Crimson Moth at night. Saving witches sent for death and smuggling them to a safer place.

Gideon Sharpe is a witch hunter and brother to Runes best friend, Alex. He has been searching for the Crimson Moth for two years and he’s getting close to catching her. This story has fake dating, suspense, magic and so much more. I was fully engrossed and that ending 🤯 Would definitely recommend if you love fantasy/romantasy.

This book wasn’t bad, it was just a little formulaic for my taste. It hit all the right notes of the standard enemy-to-lovers Romantasy but it was a bit predictable. It had the witty banter, the love triangle, and epic supernatural drama, I think most fans of brooding witchy YA will enjoy. This is a solid read, but a little overrated.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

oh my gosh... I don't know the last time I added a book to my favorites, but I have to say so far most definitely one top books I've read in the past few years.

I DEVOURED this one!! I'm upset I didn't get to this sooner, WOW WOW
a witch story with strong heroine and "villain" character SIGN ME UP!
a true enemies to lovers book without all the nonsense and impracticality you'd see in rom-com books. *don't get me wrong, sometimes I'll enjoy that* but I feel as if this was a piece of art portraying the true enemies to lovers

"she reminded him of the sea: steal-your-breath beautiful on the surface, with the promise of untold depths beneath"
"It had nothing to do with the way he growled her name against his throat. Or the way he worshipped her with every stroke of his hands. or the fact that he thought she was most beautiful when she was a huge mess."

looking forward to the 2nd book *also adding this author to my automatic favorites*

Wow I loved this! Full of intrigue and romance, what a fun ride! I’m so sad it took me so long to read it but the upside is that I can immediately read book 2.

Obsessed is an understatement. This book reminded me of all the reasons why I love ya fantasy! It will now hold a spot on my favorite of all times shelf!

I really enjoyed this book - everything from the quick pace to the complex characters to the magical atmosphere, I felt completely swept up in the story the whole time I was reading it. After reading the second book in the duology, I have an even greater appreciation with the skill Kristen leveraged to set up the story in this first book and it’s impossible to guess the twists and turns is later took in book two. One of my favorite duologies! In addition to this ARC, I bought a beautiful fairyloot edition of this book to have on my shelves for life!

See here for the book’s mood board shared in my monthly reading wrap up; https://www.instagram.com/share/_0XnQycpV

I loved this book. I haven’t enjoyed a love triangle this much since The Vampire Diaries. The witch hunter and the witch being hunted, the cat and mouse, the enemies to lovers back to enemies was so much fun but then you get kicked right in the heart by end. After finishing the last page, I immediately purchased the second book.

I absolutely loved the world building in this novel. I thought the magic system and the historical homages in their society were well done. I loved Rune as a character. She's probably among my favorites. Rune and Gideon were fun to watch together, and I can wait to see where the story goes in book two! Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a witchy romantasy.

Thank you so so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read the ARC of The Heartless Hunter. 🩸🦋

It's been a long time since I've finished a book in 24 hours but I couldn't put this one down. I was hooked with the mysteriousness of it all right from the beginning. I get the hype now. It was well earned.

I can't pin point what my favorite parts are about this book. It's the duality of all of the characters. Or most at least. Or magic system. Or <spoiler>the MMC's lack of awareness about a woman's body that was like the elephant in the room when he was looking for a source for her power haha</spoiler>. Or the misunderstood rooted bickering fests between our main characters. Or maybe it was that this was the first TRUE "Enemies to Lovers" trope I've read in a long while. No matter which it was, I'm so mad for not having been able to pick this up sooner, but I guess better late than never. I knew something was up but I couldn't quite put my finger on it and the ending was not what I expected but excited to see where it goes in the next one!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes
• Enemies to Lovers
• Slow Burn
• Hidden Magic
• Rebellion/Political Intrigue

4.5 stars!

This was such a fun vibe! Witch and witch hunter romance! Regency era style living with balls and operas! A main character who sews!!!! I absolutely ate up this book. It was a great romance and a unique fantasy plot and it reminded me that I should read more books with witches. I'm extremely excited by the sequel of this book and I need it in my hands NOW.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Heartless Hunter was exactly what I hoped it would be. Fast paced, well-written, and smart. Rune and Gideon were
well-developed characters. I am eager to read the follow up soon!

This is one of those books that took me a million years to pick up where I end up kicking myself a million times for not picking it up sooner. One of my favorite reads of 2024 and combined with the sequel, one of my all-time favorite duologies.

I love how the overall story is built on lies and deception, not only on the part of Rune, but on Gideon as well. A few of the side characters hold their own secrets, and it all combined to give this book an air of mystery and deceit.

There’s a fantastic enemies to lovers/witch x witch hunter romance happening too, which I loved. I also like how this feels like some of my favorite gothic historical romances with the balls and the gowns and the society, only with magic and danger and witches. I think the atmosphere and the setting is my favorite part.

All told, this was fantastic from start to finish and one I’ll recommend to anyone and everyone. 5 stars. Pick this up if you enjoy:

➼ Enemies to lovers
➼ Witch x witch hunter
➼ Deceit and intrigue
➼ Action and adventure
➼ Witches and witchcraft
➼ Phenomenal world and setting


*Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Thank you to PRH Audio ( @prhaudio ) for the gifted audiobook and to St-Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for review.

I enjoyed this one a lot! I have been craving a good witch vs witch hunter fantasy with forbidden romance since Serpent and Dove and I'm sooooo happy to have picked this one up. Rune is a strong FMC - she has a tortured past and spends her days acting like a socialite and her nights as a vigilante, the Crimson Moth, saving witches and their sympathizers from certain death. The dichotomy of her day and night persona's made me chuckle - she is quite good at pretending to be vapid ahahah. As for Gideon, he's a classic witch hunter driven by duty and the want to protect his younger brother. Rune and Gideon become entangled in a great game of cat and mouse indeed - just when I think one has a leg up on the other, the power shifts! The forbidden romance in this story is soooo good and hits on multiple levels - not just witch and witch hunter but Rune is also off limits because Gideon's younger brother is in love with her. Let's just say, the tension is high, lingering gazes are fire and touches are electric! I was all in for Gideon corrupting Rune 😈. The ending was twisty and totally gutted me so don't mind me running off to read the sequel!

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. I was immediately sucked into the story and fell in love with the characters. I am a sucker for a good witch story and this one was definitely it. I can’t wait to read the next one.

I’m not a huge fantasy reader but this book ignited my curiosity in the genre.

Thank you to @netgalley @smpromance and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kristen Ciccarelli's "Heartless Hunter" is a captivating dance of deception and desire between a witch and her hunter, and I was utterly enthralled. This marks my introduction to Ciccarelli's work, and it has far surpassed my expectations.

The chemistry between the love interests is electric, their vulnerability and openness a stark contrast to the high-stakes game they play. Ciccarelli masterfully crafts a timeless, historical atmosphere, avoiding the modern clichés that often plague witchy romances. The dialogue is sharp and engaging, and the story feels refreshingly original. The intricate plot, filled with misdirection and suspense, kept me on the edge of my seat. The alternating perspectives between the witch and the hunter provide valuable insight into their motivations and histories, enhancing the tension.

The pacing is impeccable, making "Heartless Hunter" an easy 5-star read and a must-read for fans of atmospheric fantasy romance.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #heartlesshunter #kristenciccarelli #smpinfluencers

Gosh I loved this one! A cat and mouse story between a witch and a witch hunter. But who is the cat and who is the mouse? Enemies to lovers but backstabbing at the same time. I loved how this one progressed and can’t wait to read the next!!!

I absolutely LOVED this book! The push and pull, the cat and mouse game, enemies to lovers to enemies again! That ending! This was a total rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed every moment of them.

Rune is a witch, in a world where witches are persecuted. Gideon is the captain of the witch hunters… and these two have collided in the most thrilling and delicious way. All their interactions are calculated, full of secrets and doubts, and yet they can’t help the attraction they have first each other. That sizzling chemistry. This is exactly why I love the enemies to lovers trope. It was done so well in Heartless Hunter. These two had me at the edge of my seat. I couldn’t trust anyone while reading and had soooo many theories running through my head. By the end some were proven correct, but I was way off on many - it just made it that much more entertaining.

“This is a game, he reminded himself, his chest tight. It means nothing. But if that were true, why did he feel like he was walking straight off a cliff, hoping he wouldn’t fall?“

The next installment in this duology cannot come soon enough!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.

This is solid Romantasy and I had such a great time reading it. The character development was on-point and I especially appreciated the discussion around male abuse survivors. The complex dynamics of two morally questionable revolutions and the fallout of both was done so well. There were a few times that outcomes were predictable and I saw them coming before the MC's did, but it didn't spoil reading this for me. I also really enjoyed the development of Rune's and Gideon's relationship. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.