This story checks so many boxes for lovers of fantasy romance, and for a lot of readers, it was a fantastic enemies to lovers, hidden identity, witch vs. witch hunter read.

Unfortunately, this one didn't do much for me, and actually, the more I think about it, these characters and this story really bug me.

First: PERIOD BLOOD. I'm sorry, I could not get over the fact that our FMC, in order to avoid the witch marks that mar others (basically, cutting themselves to use their blood in spells), she stores her menstrual blood and uses that for basic spells for the month until her next cycle. I'm all for normalizing women's health, but this is gross, plain and simple.

Second, I could not believe that FMC Rune was this super stealthy witch hiding in plain sight, flighty heiress by day and daring witch rescuer by night. The timeline didn't give enough time for her to develop skills for this kind of activity, nor are her skills ever shown to the reader. We're just supposed to believe that she has freed witches out of the hunters' grasp. Maybe if she were a few years older I could believe that she had grown into a super bad*ss witch savior, but as it is, I just didn't believe it.

Third, the romance. Ugh. You know that the romance is headed towards a brother love triangle, and it was not handled well. I thought the fake courting angle was okay, but the fact that Gideon was being pressured to get her naked so quickly in order to discover any witch marks (and he himself being a victim of sexual manipulation) just sat so wrong with me. This is definitely not Young Adult content. Again, make all the characters about 5 years older and fine, I could believe it. The way everything went down at the end was so frustrating (and somewhat predictable) and I was just kind of over it.

I did enjoy about 25% of this book (got really invested at about the 60% mark), but the other 75%, I was either frustrated, rolling my eyes or just bored.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: Upper YA (should be New Adult)
Content: some violence, some strong language, one vague open-door

By far THE BEST book I’ve read in 2024 so far! It was so so so so good I only got 3 hrs of sleep devouring this!

I loved every single bit of this and am dying inside having to wait so long for book 2. Rune’s story is heartbreaking and mischievous and dangerous and chaotic all in the right ways. I loved her devotion to protect the innocent, but her recklessness drove me insane 😂. Like Alex, I was going out of my mind with some of the things she risked and almost got caught so many times! I swear Nan is her guardian angel instead of a witch for how many times Rune escaped death/capture.

Gideon… oh Gideon… you righteous brute. Your indoctrinated ways must change and I can’t wait to see how your journey develops especially after that end 😭😭😭😭. I knew betrayal was going to happen on both sides, but the romantic in me wished they had that little bit of happiness for just a bit longer! I sincerely hope they learn to forgive each other and reconcile sooner rather than later so they can rally against the true evil!

4.5 stars :) Thank you for allowing me to read this as an arc.

This was so goooooood. Wow! It was a true enemies to lovers, but yet will they ever be lovers? Because dude they are ENEMIES. Strong emphasis. There is also a bit of a love triangle between two brothers, that I enjoyed. In many ways, I loved both brothers and wanted both of them to win in some way.. Which isn't reality but they both had redeeming qualities but separate faults that made them each intriguing. I think the opposing sides of the new vs old republic was well done to share the cons of each and made one struggle to decide who to root for. I loved all the main characters in their own ways and really enjoyed the plot twist. For a minute, I was confused as to how this was going to go but then the twist occurred and I said OHHH this makes sense. Also that ending????? How long do I have to wait for book two... !!!!!

I always love witch versus witch hunter books because they are filled with angst, betrayal and forbidden romance (just you know all my favorite things in a fantasy book) and this story was no different. This book was a wild ride that I found hard to put down. It sucked me in on the first page and kept me engaged until the last word. The world was well fleshed out, the magic system was unique and interesting, and the characters were multilayered and interesting.

I found both Rune and Gideon to be such interesting characters and the dual point of view in this story was done so well and added so much to the overall plot. Both Rune and Gideon had strong motivations and while at times they made terrible decisions, it was easy for the reader to see why they would do such a thing. My one complaint was the love triangle between Rune, Gideon, and Alex. It was just an added layer to the story that I think could have been done without and that is why this book is a 4.5 star read and not a full 5 star read for me.

But overall I loved this book! It was everything I wanted it to be and more and I am painfully waiting for the sequel!

Ummm….THIS. BOOK. I was absolutely blown away by this story. It was everything we love in this genre but so unique that I just couldn’t stop listening. This is definitely a story propelled by the characters in a way that you are instantly invested in the outcome.

One thing I really loved about this story is that it is not overwhelming. There is a small cast of characters that are easy to follow, the world building is easy to understand, and it is the perfect beginning to a duology where I don’t feel like I am going to have to do a reread before the next book to actually remember all the important details. This would be the perfect introduction to witchy, fantasy reads for those newly interested in this genre.

There is a love triangle, which is a trope I do not personally usually care for, but don’t let that deter you from picking this one up. It was done in a way that was palatable and didn’t completely turn me off to the story. I could connect and understand her feelings very easily.

Also, prepare yourself for a cliffhanger ending that will rip your heart out in the best ways. The ending was completely different then I was expecting, leaving my jaw on the floor by the time it was over!

And lastly, this is 100% an audiobook I will be recommending all year. The reader was top notch and brought this story to light in such a refreshing way. Plus, she did a great job narrating both POVs in a way that wasn’t cringy and felt authentic to the characters.

Wow, that a thrill this book was to read. I had a lot of fun with the witchy vibes, swoony romance, and the PLOT TWIST AT THE END? Wow. I tend to not read series/trilogies/etc. because I frankly don't have the patience to wait for the next installments, but I'm very glad I took a chance on this one. The prose was mesmerizing and it kept me reading and my mind thinking about it long after I finished it.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc, and though I may never be the same again after reading this book. I absolutely devoured this book, at first it started a little slow and the discussion of certain kind of blood started to turn me off from this book, but I decided to give the book a chance, and I’m glad that I did. Following both Rune and Gideon as they both lure each other in, her because she wants to keep her enemies closer than her fake socialite friends, and him cause he suspects that she is the witch that has evaded him and capture for 2 years. Rune is a witch whose hand was force and she had to turn her own grandmother in to save her own life, and in turn she dedicated her life to saving all the other witches that have been capture, and led to slaughter. Gideon is a leader of the blood army that is tasked with hunting down known witches and killing them.


🔹Dual POV
🔹Fake dating
🔹Enemies to lovers
🔹He falls first

This was an incredible story. I absolutely love a good slow burn, enemies to lovers and this author completely delivered. It had an intriguing plot with very likable characters. I’m 100% invested in this story now and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

Somewhere between 3.5 to 4 stars because I finished this in a day, so obviously I enjoyed the hell out of it, but I also had some issues.

Lets start off with the good: I really liked the magic system. Especially given the state of the world, one really has to think about the consequences of practicing magic. I liked that it wasn't easy for Rune and how limited she was with its usage.

I wanted to like Rune. I don't hate her. I think Rune was set up really well, but some of the things she did didn't really add up to this bad ass witch vigilante. I wish we could've spent more time with her actually rescuing witches instead of just hearing about past ones. I'm not convinced the Rune we experience in the book is capable of all that rescuing.

I did really enjoy Rune's relationship with Alex and Verity. It was sweet and almost had that kind of found family appeal. Rune's relationship with Gideon needed more time to simmer. I wanted MORE cat and mouse between them. It just went from trying to manipulate each other to love too quickly for my tastes. But also Gideon seems kind of like a meat head and I don't know how I feel about him.

The ending was intense and made up for the fact that I saw the plot twist a mile away. I will definitely be picking up book two simply because I want to see how the new dynamics will be.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press

P.S. Harrow is frigging weird (and kinda sus?) and I really wish her interactions were removed from the book entirely

Sorry it’s taken so long to review this book on here. I totally thought I put my review in. But I’m absolutely obsess. I am Team Rune and Gideon all the way. Also i am obsessed with Moth which is what drew me to the book and I am so glad that i was able to read it. I have a physical copy and plan to do a reread of it soon. I highly recommend this book to everyone and I can’t wait for the next book.

This book was so good, i couldn’t stop reading it. I can’t wait for the 2nd book to come out. The author, Kristen Ciccarelli has outdone herself with this book. It was written so well. I would definitely recommend reading this book!

There’s something about a witch and witch hunter enemies to lovers romance that makes me giddy, but this one was something special. The character development, tension, and betrayals in Heartless Hunter were flawless, leaving me breathless and consuming my waking thoughts. I have no idea how I will make it until the next book is released. My heart is broken with the way that things were left for Rune, Gideon, and Alex. My mind is still whirring with the implications of the last 20 pages. I have no doubts that this will be among my favorite books of the year and am already yearning to reread it.

I don't know how a book can fill me with so much love but also so much pain!! It also didn't help that I didn't realize this was a series so when things started going to shit I was looking at the few pages left and getting very concerned.

First of all, I absolutely loved Rune and Gideon. Getting both of their POVs and seeing how their feelings for each other grew over time and being so vulnerable with each other but also still hiding their darkest secrets. *chefs kiss*

I guessed the twist probably about halfway through but the final chapters of this book were still equally thrilling and heartbreaking.

Absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!

It took me a bit to get into this one - it's a slow burn. But I love witchy books and this cat and mouse chase between the witch and witch hunter was great! I guessed the twist pretty early on but still enjoyed seeing how it played out. Now I'm just bummed I have to wait for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy.

This witchy, fantasy romance novel is a great surprise to go into without reading the synopsis.

Rune and Gideon's cat and mouse-esque relationship is very intriguing and captivating. It was a pleasure to read, and a wonderful journey of a slow-burn that I normally did not like. I somewhat did not catch the plot twist, but there are some sprinkles of clues to tie you into the true "foe".

Cannot wait to get into the next book when it releases.

3.5 stars

Heartless Hunter was an intriguing and entertaining young adult fantasy. That first chapter had me invested in the story and I couldn't wait to see how things played out. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I really enjoyed the game of cat and mouse between Gideon and Rune. I liked how they kept each other on their toes and also repeatedly thwarted each other. Unfortunately, the transition to more didn't flow naturally for me, but that might be because there was a love triangle element also at play in the story. What kept this from being a really stellar read though, was the last quarter or so of the book. It didn't bother me that I saw most of the twists coming, but the delivery of the reveals was a let down because so much information was thrown at the reader in the end. This greatly diminished the emotional impact those reveals had. The ending didn't make the most sense to me either, but I'm intrigued enough to want to find out how the story ends.

I both read the ebook and listened to the audiobook and thought Grace Gray did a great job with the narration. She was perfect as Rune, but I did find it difficult to sometimes differentiate between some of the characters (for example - Alex and Gideon).

Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5 stars

Lots of content warnings in this one, but some of the major ones are: death of loved ones (past), grief, PTSD, repeated rape/forced sexual relationship (past), enslavement and torture (past), murder/death, violence - guns, fighting, cutting/knives, persecution and witch hunt/purging

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book. Audiobook borrowed via my local library/Libby*

***SPOILER WARNING***
I think this was a fantastic start to a duology about witches in a unique world with a pretty cool magic system. The author paints a vivid picture that transports you into the heart of this story.

We’re introduced to Rune, who with the help of her friends, saves witches from being purged. She’s hiding in plain sight. She’s desperate to save Seraphine at her late Nans last request, so the only viable option is to seduce the witch hunter that hates her.

The angst and the banter between Rune and Gideon had me in a chokehold. This wasn’t a sprinkle of enemies - these two actually are enemies. But with each of them faking the other out for info it definitely felt more lustrous than love between them. If they didn’t have the cat and mouse game - would they really truly love each other?

I really enjoyed the way in which these witches used magic and cast spells. Especially the unique way in which Rune casts in order to hide.

I know that we are supposed to believe that Alex wasn’t the one for her - but it’s pretty hard to believe otherwise. They were too right for each other, which is why it was super predictable how that would end. For all the waiting Alex did though, I was satisfied with how his last moments played out.

Unfortunately, Verity’s storyline was also very predictable. I think we were fed a little too much information that made me see straight through the plot line. I also felt like some of our characters inner thoughts were a little repetitive throughout the story.

I also didn’t enjoy the pressure Harrow continued to put on Gideon to sleep with Rune. It felt wrong, especially given Gideons past. It made me dislike her character. Hopefully that was the goal.

That cliff hanger was BRUTAL! But in the best way. I felt like the storyline in this book was closed up well and left me excited for what is to come.

I still thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be diving right into the next one as soon as it is available! I highly recommend this to my fellow romantasy lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for my advanced reader copy.

Heartless Hunter was a fun, engaging fantasy! I love the idea of a witch and a witch hunter love story. I can’t wait to read the second book!

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I loved the enemies to lovers to enemies and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. The development of this book was wonderful as was the setting, the writing made it seem like you were actually there!

So good. Already a fan from The Last Namsara, but I kept hearing even better things about this book on instagram so I picked it up and I’m so glad I did. It’s part fantasy, part historical romance, all magical.

When a witch who’s hiding in secret, decides to woo a witch hunter to try and find the location of her captured grandmother, they partake in antics and some forbidden sparks of love. Throw in a brother who also wishes to court her and the fact that she’s the notorious crimson moth who smuggles witches out of the country and you have an amazing story. I’m gonna need the next book pronto!