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!

A promising introduction to a riveting new series.

Heartless Hunter gripped me from the start with its high-stakes plot and well fleshed-out characters.

Gideon and Rune are complex in their desires and motivations, which ends up giving them a lot of dimension and makes it feel like they could be real people, not just characters in a book.

The magic system was perhaps my favourite part of this book. It was elaborate enough that it isn't a copy-paste of other magic systems from other witch books, but simple enough that you can easily understand how it works.

I wish we knew a bit more about the world and its politics. All we really get is "witches bad" in the country the story is set it. I hope that in the sequel we'll delve a bit deeper into that.

Overall, this was an entertaining read and I will definitely be looking out for the sequel.

4.25 ⭐️

Heartless Hunter completely exceeded my expectations! I loved the characters, the story, and that ending!!! Despite having a witch and witch hunter plot, I expected a light-hearted and playful book, so I was pleasantly surprised upon finding many deeper layers in the story. Some scenes tugged at my heartstrings, and Ciccarelli did a great job developing uniquely strong characters.

It has several tropes we’re all too familiar with, but it never felt repetitive or bland. Ciccarelli’s writing proves that if done effectively, the enemies-to-lovers trope doesn’t have to get old or grow boring but can still give readers the urge to kick their feet and smile giddily. I felt engaged in the story from beginning to end and couldn’t help but devour the chapters.

I’m so excited to see what’s next for Rune and Giddeon. Admittedly, it took me some time to like them, but they won me over by the end. Heartless Hunter ends on a cliffhanger that left me wondering how the two will recover from book one (and a little teary-eyed), so I’ll be anxiously waiting for book two’s release.

Heartless Hunter is perfect for readers who enjoy a blend of fantasy and romance with a side of witchcraft and dual POV. There are spells, plot twists, scheming, and betrayal.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books, for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whew!!!!
In a time where being a witch is punishable by death, Rune does everything she can to hide her magic. By day she attends silly parties pretending to be a shallow socialite, but by night she works to save fellow witches. In order to gain insider information on the whereabouts of a recently captured witch, Rune decides the best course of action is to court a witch hunter. The tension between Rune and Gideon is insane. Their relationship had me on edge as I waited for the truth to come crashing out. I'm not sure which side I'm rooting for as far as the witches or the revolutionaries go since neither seem to be the greater good, but I do know I'm team Rune and Gideon. I cannot wait for the sequel!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press , Kristen Ciccarelli, and NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had everything to be my next five star read, but it fell slightly short. I loved the interconnectivity, plot twists, enemies-to-lovers, and a world where neither side is really right. But where it fell short was the connection between Rune and Gideon - it felt forced and flat for me.

A solid new series for those who like their fantasies with a side of witchcraft! Rune is a witch living in a world where they are killed by the likes of Gideon, her best friend's brother who is in the Blood Guard aka the witch hunters. No one knows about her abilities except her two closest friends and she uses this to her advantage, trying to outsmart the witch hunters and save other witches under the guise of The Crimson Moth. There is a great push and pull between the characters but it is YA so there isn't as much focus on the romance, which I was fine with but others may not be. The world building is a little clunky but for the most part pretty accessible so even if you are new to fantasy or they aren't really your thing, I think this would be a great gateway book into the genre. I'm eagerly anticipating the next part of the story!

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This tightly woven hunter meets the hunted or does he now become the hunted provides twists and turns throughout. The story line just flows seamlessly and we learn much about the characters who will make you cry, laugh and tug at your heart strings. I could not put it down. Cliffhanger and please hurry up with the next one!

I absolutely loved this! The characters were great! Rune is such a deep character and I feel is actually mirrored in Gideon. Yes he’s a hunter and she’s a witch, but their motivations and aspirations are very similar. I love their chemistry and it was present right from their first interaction. I did not see the ending playing out like that so that’s awesome. All of the characters played their roles so well and actually added to the plot. I also enjoyed the flashbacks. I can’t wait to see where this series goes!

I loved this book! It definitely deserves 5 stars. My attention was held throughout the entirety of the book and I can’t wait for the second one! Every twist of this book had me shocked and the romance between characters had my heart (and broke it).

Review on Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

The tension & showmanship in an anything-you-can-do, I-can-do-better situation is so good, bonus points if one of the leads has their life hanging in the balance.

But the ending of Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter cemented for me that—while this story has definite positives—I’m not going to pursue the rest of the series.

Rune Winters is celebrated by her peers bc they believe that she turned in her own grandmother for witchcraft, a punishment that meets a violent end. But the reader knows from the beginning that Rune is actually a witch, & moreso the Crimson Moth, an anonymous witch rescuer that witch-hunters would do anything to track down.

Her key antagonist is famous witch-hunter Gideon Sharpe, the brother of her BFF. He suspects that she might be The Crimson Moth and as a result, they both try to outmaneuver the other, both of them keeping secrets even as other feelings come into play.

Sign me up for the tension, the lying leads, & twists that keep me interested in that dynamic. Unfortunately, some of the things that happen at the end leave me cold & confused, & with that feeling that too much happens, too quickly.

YMMV with this fantasy but it just doesn’t fully work for me.

3 ⭐️. Out 02/20.

[Lots of CWs, including: Gideon was emotionally abused & threatened by a witch previously. He was forced to have sex with her to avoid harm coming to people he loved. Violent murder of witches.]

A witch and a witch hunter.
Enemies to Lovers - What started out as a rescue mission to save witches to atone what she couldn’t do to save her grandma, Rune is now on a impeding time limit to save the woman her grandma tasked her with.

The only thing - the prison is impenetrable without certain clearance. One person who has the highest clearance is her best friend’s brother Gideon.

A seduction mission is underway.
How they play one another to discover each others deception is fun. I like how witty Rune is. Also Rune as a character is someone I vibe with. She’s loves deeply and does not care for social boundaries. Her two best friends are not rich. Alex and Rune’s relationship is my favorite and the foreshadowing to this friendship killer me. I read this book so so slow because I knew there would be a tragedy at the end and I was right.

Very well written, engaging!

Magic system of how witches strength their magic was interesting. They have to use blood as a conduit and that typically leads to scars which is a marker that someone is a witch. Rune circumvents this by using her menstrual blood which is weird but clever.

Overall I’m excited that this is a duology and I cannot wait for the next book!

“Heartless Hunter” is subtitled “The Crimson Moth: Book One” so you know right away that the story will not end at the conclusion of this book. I think I’ve seen that author Ciccarelli has called this a duology, but be assured that she could easily make this a series once the “enemies to lovers” theme is settled — it’s that good.

In this narrative it's a secret witch (Rune) vs. witch hunter (Gideon). Rune is known publicly as a vapid, silly socialite who inherited great wealth from her adopted grandmother after turning her into the authorities and outing her magical abilities. But she’s also the Crimson Moth, an avenger who frees captive witches before execution. She has allies in her non-witch friend Verity (whose witch sisters died horrible deaths) and Alex, who quietly and too shyly loves her, but who, very inconveniently, is loyal to his older brother, Gideon. There’s politics involved — Sister Queen Witches despotically ruled the island and Gideon was the underclass prisoner/plaything of the youngest queen, Cressida. A revolution against the ruling class put the “Good Commander” in charge, but his soldiers are equally cruel as they root out the hidden surviving witches. So, there’s our conflict: both Rune and Gideon are trying to outwit each other — she to rescue a captured witch and he to uncover the possibility that she is the Crimson Moth.

The author builds a spectacular world of the wealthy and the poor. Gideon has refused to leave the tenement that his murdered parents had once lived in. Alex lives in Thornwood Hall, the summer palace of the late Cressida who Alex killed. Their parents had been the famous Sharpe Duet — a tailor/seamstress team employed by the queens until they fell out of favor. In the most interesting aspect, Gideon can still sew the most beautiful dresses and he creates one for Rune (a different type of seduction).

These witches also need blood to cast spells — and how that blood is obtained is a major plot point.

The plot (with alternating POVs) matches the intricate world building — there’s always a sense of tension and discovery. Ciccarelli leaves us wondering throughout “which one is the heartless hunter?” I became so engrossed and I’m definitely invested in finding out what happens in the next book. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO In a book with unreal eye colors (Rune has gray eyes; Alex has gold eyes), there are no green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s an imagined island where anything can grow, although Gideon compares Cressida to a pitcher plant that eats you alive.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you yo NetGalley and the publisher for offering me an ARC!

This was such a good surprise! Lately it has been so hard to find a combination of romance and fantasy that I actually like. Usually I find either the romance or the fantasy part lacking and here I enjoyed both!
I also liked the writing and the world. I love witch and witch-hunt stories even though its something I have seen before, I never get tired of it. And I really liked how the magic worked and its limitations.

The characters: I loved Rune. I found the survival guilt approach interesting, it was a good motivation for the character. I also had fun with her fake identity persona. The only thing that bothered me is that after everything she has seen, I think she should be angrier. There were specific moments in the story I expected her to feel more anger.
As for Gideon, I was really worried about him in the beginning but I ended up liking him too. I think he has understandable reasons to hate witches and since he still has a lot of development to go, I hope in the next book the things he has done will not be treated lightly.
And Alex! I can't talk about him without spoilers but I really liked how the author didn't do the predictable thing that I see in a lot of books lately for characters like him.

The romance: I loved that they were actual enemies with valid reasons to hate each other. Was not a fan of the triangle but I understand it has some importance in the plot. The development was fine, but I wish it had developed more before they got to a certain point in the (sort of?) relationship. Part of it is my slowburn-lover talking but other part of it it's about something I can't really talk without spoilers. (Its also related to how I wish Rune had been angrier)

Overall it was a solid book. I loved the ending (I even teared up a little bit) and I will definitely read the next one. Really curious to see how some things will turn out!

I loved this fantasy book. The balance between witches and witch hunters, the bouncing back and forth as they tried to out smart each other, but were really playing another’s game all along.

Gideon is the brooding older brother with a boat load of trauma so naturally he becomes my favorite, but I loved how Rune bounced between them. Her love for both of them was so different yet strong in their own ways. I loved the reasoning behind her choices and can’t wait to see where the story goes!