Rune- a heroine like no other. A witch masquerading as one who hates witches. A character deceived. A girl falling in love. I can’t wait to read how this story ends!

That ending!??!!
I enjoyed reading this book. The story telling is whimsical and stands out with all the other romantasy books out there. It’s a little slow for me but the connection is still there! I can’t wait for book two!

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli is a captivating fantasy romance that follows Rune, a young witch, and Gideon, a ruthless witch hunter, as their lives become intertwined. Ciccarelli's vivid world-building and engaging characters make this a truly immersive reading experience. While the romance is central, the novel explores deeper themes of identity, power, and the complexities of good and evil.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was an amazing book filled with all the tension and other worldliness that I think of when I think of a Witchy Read. Ciccarelii has written an Enemies to Lovers romance that truly sets the bar for what can be done with this trope, especially when blended in with the Brothers Best Friend subtrope. With World building this vivid and detailed I cannot wait to see how the author will build on this for the nxt book.

Thank you St Martin's Press and Net Galley for sharing this arc with me!

I loved this first installment. I want to know what happens next. The enemies-to-lovers trope is real in this story.

I enjoyed this book! It was a light, engaging story with a classic YA romance that hit all the expected beats and a fantasy setting that, while not groundbreaking, was sufficient to hold my attention.

One standout for me was Gideon, the main male character. His backstory, though harrowing (and worth noting for potential trigger warnings for younger readers), added depth and made him a more intriguing love interest than most. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for Rune, the female protagonist. Her character underwent a drastic shift once the romance took center stage, which left me disappointed.

Rune was introduced as a clever, resourceful heroine fighting to save persecuted witches, but we rarely saw her in action. Her transformation into someone whose personality seemed tailored to suit the romance felt inconsistent, and that lack of coherence in a protagonist is a big drawback for me.

The world-building was fairly minimal but served the story well enough. I wish the magic system—where witches use their own blood to power spells—had been explored further, as it had a lot of potential. Even so, the story prioritized character relationships over world-building, and in this case, it worked. The romance was clearly the focal point.

In short, Heartless Hunter is an enjoyable, breezy read that will appeal to fans of classic romantasy tropes.

This is probably my favorite book I read all year. For some reason it got buried in my kindle and I couldnt find it--but once I diid--OH BOY, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. This was absoluter *MAGIC*. I loved the premise, the conflict and the emotion behind the witch and the witch hunter falling for each other. There were so many high stakes and I was constatly on the edge of my seat, holding my breath and talking to my book. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. THIS WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL BOOK.

I am a massive fan of Kristen Ciccarelli and was so excited to receive an arc of her new Crimson Moth series! I am so pleased this fast paced romantasy did not disappoint. The worldbuilding was phenomenal, Rune and Gideon's enemies to lovers trope was perfection and although I would like to have seen a bit more into Rune as the Crimson Moth it was perfect.
I love the style of writing and do not feel anything was overcomplicated to follow and did not feel bombarded with too much information as a first book in a series which enabled me to enjoyable read the book!

I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book! It’s such a good one and I really enjoyed. You should definitely make this your next read if it isn’t already!

I devoured this over 3 days and LOVED the whole thing. The magic system was interesting and Rune working to free her fellow witches while avoiding her own capture made for an interesting story. The attraction between Witch and Witch Hunter here delivered where other books have fallen flat for me. Gideon and Rune each working to get something from the other while knowing/suspecting what the other was added to the tension and I didn't feel like they were clueless and overlooking things due to how hot the other is.

I was picking up on a few of the plot twists and hints at what was coming but not all of them and how they would truly play out. They did all make sense though and nothing felt like a complete blindside from out of nowhere.

Read over a year ago and while I don't remember much, I did really enjoy it. Planning on rereading once I get back into the reading groove.

Book Summary:

Rune is the last surviving member of her family. She’s also a witch - a secret that could result in her death if she isn’t careful. The intelligent thing would be for Rune to stay low, avoid using her magic, and stay safe. But she can’t stand the thought of other witches suffering, so, at night, she masquerades as the Crimson Moth.

Enter Gideon. He’s the famous witch hunter of the city, known for catching all those in his path. He’s determined to capture the Crimson Moth, no matter what it takes, even if that means going undercover.

My Review:

When I say that I’ve been hearing nothing but praise for Heartless Hunter, I mean it. So, naturally, I went into this book with pretty high expectations. Having finished it, I’d say it’s a decent fantasy novel. Somewhere solidly in the middle - still worth reading, but perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had it not been overhyped.

Ironically, my biggest problem with Heartless Hunter is the romance. If this was simply a story about one witch trying to save the rest from a bunch of witch hunters, I would have loved it. But the romance felt forced and predictable, so that was a disappointing element for me.

While I didn’t love Heartless Hunter as much as I had hoped, I’m hoping the second novel will fix my biggest complaint, so I’m willing to continue the series. I’m curious about more of the world and the magical system as a whole, which will hopefully be fleshed out even more in Rebel Witch (expected Feb. 2025).

Highlights:
Romantasy
Enemies & Lovers
Duology
Magic & Witchcraft

Trigger Warnings:
Witch Hunting
Betrayal

Witches and witch hunters and enemies to lovers. What could go wrong? Overall, this story was entertaining and tense and fast-paced. The only thing I didn't care for were some of the predictable twists. Definitely can not wait til the 2nd book is out!

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publishers for this Arc for an honest review.
Im giving this book a 4.5 star rating!

Heartless Hunter incorporated most of the really popular tropes in the romance genre currently, enemies to lovers and an intense love triangle. Saying this, the book definitely did these tropes well and enraptured the very reason that they are so popular. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the "Romantasy Genre" since the story was well developed and fast paces, but the world building may not be up to the standard of someone looking for a heavy fantasy novel

This book was so good. I loved our multi-faceted heroin so much & our love interest was so well rounded. I really enjoyed the whole book and I am so excited to read the second book & see how our characters continue to evolve!

This was so good!! I love enemies to lovers. And loved how ditzy Rune was just playing the part of a vapid socialite to hide that she was helping free witches. She did so good in drawing suspicion from herself even when her best friends brother Captain of the blood guard started suspecting her of being the Crimson moth. This new society is anti witch and the former monarchy was very dangerous.

Gideon has many reasons that we find out why he helps to purge the witches. But in his attempt to find out if Rune is witch he falls for her. I could tell something bad was going to happen but I couldn’t tell which character it would be. So many were very suspicious I was going it was few others before we found out.

I loved everything about this book! Great characters and twists. Very well written. I was totally captivated.

This was a great read, I enjoyed the premise and the characters were well developed and interesting, even the side characters were great. The world building was well done and did not detract from the progression of the storyline, it was more woven into the story so it wasn’t all thrown at you at once causing a lull in the actual plot. I loved the enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance, it is one of the tropes that will automatically draw my attention. I also loved the banter between the characters. The tension surrounding the subterfuge and games between the witch and the witch hunter is exquisite and you are fully invested to the end. I pre-ordered the second book immediately because the ending was that good that I wanted to continue right away. Good news is we only have to wait a few months to pick up where we left off.

Immediately voicey and intriguing, with descriptive worldbuilding and an engaging protagonist. Not sure how I feel about the love triangle with two brothers, but that's an issue of personal preference. Will definitely be picking up book 2.

I absolutely loved this novel, so much I ran out and purchased this and the second one. The story of love, friendship and good\evil was so very well written. I enjoy the build of tension between the love triangle, the description of the setting and the development of characters was excellent.