I don't consume a lot of witch hunter / witch stories so this was a nice break from the norm.

Our 2 MC's are Gideon and Rune. I liked Rune and her story. I liked learning about what she'd been through and why she was doing what she was doing. I liked feeling like I understood her and I loved her strength as much as her vulnerability. Gideon was gruff but you still learn so much about him to love.

Although I saw the twists and turns coming in this one, I still loved following the story along. I definitely didn't see where the end would leave us and I liked the conclusion we got. I found the steamy parts not overly-spicy and appreciated the subtlety. I loved the description of the magic! The leftover symbols, the fluttering moth left by Rune. It sounded like such a unique and interesting piece to the magic and I loved picturing it!

This definitely left it open for a book 2 and I plan to read it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow, okay - where did this book come from?! I was not expecting that!! This will probably be one of my top reads of 2024.

This story is about Rune, who is a witch that has to hide what she is and the only person who knows is her best friend Alex.

Alex is secretly in love with her and his brother, Gideon, is a witch hunter.

Gideon stays away from her for multiple reasons- but a big one is he knows his brothers feelings.

As you can see there is a ton of conflict and tension between Gideon and Rune. It’s described as a “cat and mouse relationship” and it definitely brings that energy!!

This book has everything I like in a Romantasy, and I don’t have one bad thing to say about it!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐ 4-4.5

I enjoyed this a surprising amount! I am also a fan of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Big fan. So I saw it was inspired and I was immediately hooked.

This book is very much romance first, vigilante/cat-and-mouse-game second, an aspect that really made the story an inspired book and not a retelling, so if you have no interest in the Scarlet Pimpernel, you'd definitely not feel lost. That being said, I really ended up loving the romance! The witch hunter x witch aspect of the story was fun, much more so than Serpent and Dove in my opinion (I didn't enjoy that book at all), but I found myself always wanting for more magic. The ambience wasn't very immersive in this regard. I wanted more fog and blood and arcane trickery.

I was neutral about Rune. I did enjoy her friends and Gideon was surprisingly sweet, he's the classic "tall, dark, and handsome" love interest but he's softer than you'd expect. The fact he sews is adorable and I was constantly going "Awww!". If you like One Dark Window, Bridge Kingdom, or ACOTAR, I recommend this book! The romance feels like something you'd like as well.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my God I AM OBSESSED!!but this was absolutely magnificent!My new favourite read. i can't stop thinking about it! I preordered 2 special editions of it and can't wait to have it on my shelf!!I devoured this in one sitting! Absolutely perfect. I am not even a big fan of triangles but this was done just right. I love everything about this book I cannot honestly find anything wrong with it. The plot , the characters and the writing style were impeccable. I am looking forward to reading more work by this author.10 stars.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

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This is an absolutely spellbinding read! It has a great cast of characters and I got pulled into their world...that makes a fantastic read for me.

Rune is a witch hiding in plain sight from Gideon, the witch hunter trying to capture her. Rune needs information from Gideon in order to rescue a witch, and Gideon needs proof of Rune's crime. A potentially deadly game of cat and mouse begins.

I liked that Gideon and Rune grew throughout the book while becoming vulnerable to each other. I highly recommend Heartless Hunter and am looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heartless Hunter simply took my breath away - from its detailed world-building to its emotional love story and every point in between. I found myself instantly pulled into its world and sped my way through all of the action, tears, and subterfuge, and now I have to patiently wait for its conclusion. In saying that, I LOVED that the story ended in a soft conclusion or a transition point. It would have made me even more of an emotional wreck than I already was had it ended with a cliffhanger.

The story is a loose retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but you see that the most in the tragic aspects of the tale more than anything. Unlike Scarlet Pimpernel, Heartless Hunter has magic and witches, which I loved. The magic system is well described, and the power struggles between the witches and the humans are described just enough for the reader to understand the situation, but not in so much detail that it slows the pacing of the story down.

The enemies-to-lovers chemistry between Rune - the main character and camouflaged witch - and Gideon - our male lead and witch hunter - is palpable, making their story much more emotional. I loved that will-they-won’t-they angle with the added complication of Gideon’s brother being one of Rune’s best friends who loves her in secret. It’s such a deliciously messy situation, and watching it play out took me on a complete emotional roller coaster.

This fantastic story swept me away into a world of witches and witch hunters, and I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!

This was such a fun read! Witches and witch hunters, enemies-to-lovers, lots of secrets and lies--I loved everything about it. The characters were well-developed and engaging, the world-building was excellent, and the sexual tension was delicious. The pace was quick with a good bit of suspense built in, a few unexpected twists, and a major cliffhanger at the end. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one in this series!

Overall I liked this book, and I will finish the duology when the second book is released because I do want to know what happens next. It was fast paced and kept me engaged. There were some things I had an issue with that resulted in my lower rating. Some character relationships and plot points didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Also the climax and ending felt rushed. I’m not a huge fan of the writing, it felt a little juvenile at times. I’m definitely curious where the author will go with the second book since there are only two. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

eARC - thank you netgalley, Kristen Ciccarelli, and St. Martins Press

I loved this story and am already anxiously awaiting the next installment.

In Heartless Hunter, a revolution recently occurred kicking corrupt witches out of the ruling elite replacing them with humans. In the wake of the revolution, witches are hunted and purged out of fear that they could once again regain power. We meet Rune, a witch in hiding, who uses her wealth, influence and daring skill to rescue apprehended witches awaiting their fates. Her counterpart Gideon leads the force in charge of capturing witches and their sympathizers. Gideon and Rune’s hunter and the hunted story ensues.

I really liked Rune’s character. I liked that she had the world at her fingertips. Many times our FMCs in fantasy stories have very little control over their lives and is along for the ride. Rune is in complete control over how she interacts with the world and how she chooses to spend her time. I also like flaws in character are acknowledged pretty quickly. Rune and Gideon have known ulterior motives in everything they do in relation to one another; they call themselves out on double-crossing the other often. The bits I didn’t love: I don’t like a love triangle to start and this one gives the reader whiplash. Big nope. I don’t particularly like Harlow all that much either. I do think she’s going to have her own twisty story coming for us later on; for now she can kick rocks goading Gideon into doing things with Rune he doesn’t want to do. Boooo!

All that to say, I really think you should read this so we can chat about it!

I love the potential of this and really liked the antagonistic relationship and chemistry between Gideon and Rune. It was really fun getting the bits of worldbuilding in this with the witches and all, and the back-and forth was pretty fun too. This is more of a me thing, but I hate love triangles so that really bugged me about this and on top of that, Alex deserved so much better than both Rune and Gideon with how the two of them think and talk about him.

But the main reason why this is a 2 for me is I was appalled by Harrow being insistent on Gideon on being more thorough about checking Rune's body for scars and while Gideon is obviously attracted to her, it does really just feel like he ended up doing it all for the job. The buildup didn't make sense to me and I hated the way the ending played out.

Rune is a witch forced to hide who and what she is for fear of being executed like her grandmother. However, Rune has made it her mission to save witches from this fate under the guise of the Crimson Moth, since she’s able to blend in with the elite posing as nothing more than a vapid socialite. Gideon Sharpe is a witch hunter determined to catch the Crimson Moth. When he learns of a lead that links Rune to the Crimson Moth, he’s determined to court Rune. This leads to the start of a dangerous game between the two that has the potential to leave devastation in its wake.

Ciccarelli has written an engaging cat and mouse tale that you will not want to put down. It’s simply that good. The world building is very well done and shows the stark contrast between those that are well off, the underprivileged, and those that were witch sympathizers. I also found the magic system to be intriguing particularly how the witches used to take pride in there marks and making them into art. I am obsessed with Rune’s character and how she plays those around her for fools. She knows what they expect of her and ultimately uses that for her own gain. I also really enjoy the banter between Rune and Gideon. Watching them slowly open up and come alive for each other was such well written character development. I also really enjoyed the major plot twists Ciccarelli wove throughout her story. They were so well done to be complete surprised but looking back you can see the clues were all there. The one element I didn’t enjoy was pitting the brothers against each other as potential love interests. I’m just personally not a big fan of love triangles in general let alone when they’re siblings. However, I know plenty who love this trope, and it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Overall, I highly recommend picking this up, but make sure you have plenty of availability when you start reading it, since you may not be able to put it down.

I was drawn in by the premise, but this wasn't for me. I had a hard time connecting to Rune, and the writing style wasn't a good fit. I know many romantasy fans will love this one, though.

This book was such a fun read! I loved Rune as a whole character. She's a witch who's undercover and she's also the a witch who wants to save her kind from termination by the Guards who hunts them. I love the enemies to lovers trope. Gideon is this Hunter who wants to do justice by being the best. I love the banter, connection, and of course I loved seeing as their story progressed. It was a great journey and the world building gave off Bridgerton vibes. I want more and hope the next book stars them both. Thank you St Martins Press for allowing me to read this novel. Thank you so much!

I read this in three days, it was a very suspenseful exciting book. I liked the magic system but was a little icked out by the one aspect of it, (if you know you know). I think this book is going to blow up when it is released, its got really good world development but also balances the romance really well. The only thing is that I don't feel like this is YA and I feel like it should be shelved with Adult. The way in which the author writes about sex and uses sex in the plot, really makes me think this should be in adult. I think people who liked Fourth Wing will like this book. Which is another reason I think it should be shelved in adult. Other than that, I really enjoyed it and I'll probably try to get my hands on one of the exclusive editions I see are being put out by fairyloot because I definitely want this in my collection.

Obsessed to say the least...

Thank you St Martin's Press, Kristen Ciccarelli, and Wednesday books for allowing me to read this eArc from Netgalley.

This book made me feel every emotion possible and want to remain in this world forever. I felt so immersed in the story because of the author's beautiful writing. The pacing was perfectly executed, the settings described flawlessly, and she has a way of creating her characters that feel so real and have depth. You can't help but root for even the most frustrating of the villians. The tropes in this were so well done....a delicious combination of enemies to lovers, a mild love triangle, found family, dark magic, loss. I devoured this. I wanted to dwell in this. Immediately after finishing it, I wanted to restart it all over again. The cliffhanger is a brutal one, but I particularly enjoy book endings that leave me upset and wanting more. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series and to find out what happens to our characters.

When I say this book ruined me in the best way possible, I mean it wholeheartedly. Read this if you enjoy suspense, nail biting scenes, and a forbidden romance.

Highly, highly recommended and raved about.

I loved this book and for sure already preordered the book! The plot was incredible and was just addictive enough to have me not want to stop reading. The magic system was phenomenal and just left an enchanting imagination of the world in my head. I would compare the way I felt reading this book to the way I felt when I read What The River Knows and Divine Rivals/ Ruthless Vows

♡︎ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
♡︎ 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
♡︎ 𝐜𝐚𝐭 & 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
♡︎ 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧
♡︎ 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Thank you to Net Galley, Kristen Ciccarelli and St. Martins Press for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do highly recommend this book to fantasy romance lovers and bare in mind this book does end off on an EPIC cliffhanger!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Ripped my heart out. I knew it would. Yet I
couldn’t turn away.

It’s been a while since a book kept me reading voraciously even when I knew what was around that corner. Wonderful blend of fantasy and romance. Morally gray characters that I can’t help but love. I hope the second books dives into the magic more - shows us the power and limits and creativity.

"The last time Rune laid eyes on a witch’s scars was two years ago, after the witch queens were murdered in their beds and the blood of their council flowed in the streets."

Thank you to Kristen Ciccarelli, Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

True enemies to lovers ✔️
Witches ✔️
Slow burn ✔️
Society games and schemes galore ✔️

I absolutely devoured this book in a matter of hours. Partly because I'm a sucker for a witch/witch hunter story and party because it was just that good.

Rune is a witch who has hidden her true identity and atoning for past sins by saving witches from death at the hands of the blood guard with the aid of her friends Alex and Verity. More than anyone. She must avoid detection from Gideon, a witch hunter and Alex's "brute" brother.  When both Rune and Gideon need Intel from each other, lies and schemes make it impossible to know what to trust and the cost their treachery will bring.

From the first page to the last, this book kept me captivated and intrigued. With well integrated world building and an interesting magical system, I felt fully immersed in the story.

The romance is definitely slow burn 🔥 and angsty, but not really steamy if you are looking for that.

I truly enjoyed this story and can't wait for the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc book.

What can I say? The book was amazing! I loved it. It took me only a day to read it. I kept getting sucked up into the world as soon as I picked it up again. It reminded me of a great classic book I read and loved.

Rune was a great character as was Alex and Gideon. They had their moments and quirks to shine in plot. Alex and Verity weren’t flat like many side character can be. They had motivations for their actions.

Reading the scenes between Rune and Gideon was like watching two cats size each other up with hackles raised. The mutual distrust between them was fun to read. I enjoyed the banter.

The plot was dark, but not too dark. It felt like a page out of Nazi controlled Europe with fantasy without most of the modern technology of the period.

The ending was satisfactory. It had enough closure and yet left in open enough to want to read the second book.

Thank you again NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this awesome book.

This book absolutely gripped me from the start, and completely exceeded all my expectations. Loved the characters, the story, all of it. Everything seemed to flow so seamlessly, and I was hooked. Definitely will be recommending this! Can't wait for the next in the series!