I’ll admit that when I first got the email accompanying the invitation to read an early copy of this, I wasn’t so sure. Ultimately Rebecca Ross endorsing it, and the few reviews there were at the time (early September 2023) decided me, and I started the novel.

Well, wow. I really wasn’t expecting to be soooo interested in this story. Before I even finished, all I could think was that I can’t wait to read the second title of this duology!

This was a very, very fun read.

You’ll hate waiting for the next book too, but it’s a total recommendation.


Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the DRC!

i ADORED this book. the tension both romantic and external was on point throughout the book. the ending was one of the best i've read in a long while, though heartbreaking and left me upset after finishing in the best way possible. My only qualm with this story was the timeline of the golden age of witches to the persecution confused me a little. Not enough to affect my love of the book and i can't WAIT to read the sequel.

I had been itching to get my hands on this book ever since I saw the blurb and the cover release on a Tiktok back in May 2023. Witches? Enemies to lovers? Sign. Me. UP! Did it deliver on those promises? Heck to the YES! Just writing this review has me wanting to just sit down and start the book all over again. While reading this you will be rooting for Gideon to FINALLY catch the Crimson Moth while also rooting for Rune to get the information that she needs and NOT be caught. The action scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. The ending will have your jaw on the floor. If you were a fan of Fourth Wing or Divine Rivals, you will want to pick this one up!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Access full content (sex, language, violence) review and a condensed version of my thoughts here:
https://www.novelnotices.com/heartless-hunter//

To be honest, I have no idea where to start. My rating in my head is more like 3.75 because I was just so FRUSTRATED (like please, guys, just, I don't know, *talk* instead of going at each other's throats? You're very cute and banter-y when you talk, the miscommunication just isn't working for you <3 )

WARNING: Slight rant (of love, obviously). I wrote this very late at night after staying up to finish the book.

I've read only one Scarlet Pimpernel retelling/inspired book before, and I appreciated the freshness of the story and the plot. However, it was pretty predictable and a bit repetitive. Within the first 20 pages of the book, I felt sure I knew how this was going to end.

Did that detract from my enjoyment of the book? Well, maybe a little—but only because I spent the whole time absolutely dreading the betrayals the reader knows are coming. Ciccarelli really was like, "oh here, look at these two opening up to each other and being all soft and vulnerable with each other, aren't they just so beautiful—oh no, that's not right. We loathe happiness in this book and therefore I must always be playing the other and let's just remove SweetGideon™ from existence."

SLIGHT SPOILER: can I just say that Gideon sewing Rune flowers is my favorite thing. He's so precious, I cannot—

I'd like to have it known that fake dating is so not my trope. Like??? Just kiss and admit you love each other??? And I will never forgive that ending. An ending I *knew* was coming—I had the entire book to prepare for it! (And to be clear, this is totally a compliment to the author—there is nothing worse than reading something that's supposed to make you upset or frustrated and just feeling nothing. I really cared about the characters and the plot here.)

On a different note, I loved Rune and Gideon. The side characters could have used a bit more fleshing out, but I'm hoping we'll get to see some of that in the next book (HEA or I'm protesting). Currently, they're all very interesting and seem multi-faceted, but the focus was heavy on Gideon and Rune (for obvious reasons) so it wasn't really shown.

More pros / things that did not make me want to scream/cry/blackmail Ciccarelli for a peek inside her brain to make sure RuneGideon start acting like adults and coming to their senses:
I loved the world. I personally hadn't read anything too similar and I ate it up.
The magic system was cool too!
I am very attached to Rune. She is unapologetically herself, even when she isn't sure what that means. She's feminine, but she's also saving all these witches (note: I wish we'd seen more of that in the actual book) and learning to do magic. And she has a dagger. Crossing my fingers that book two has a dagger-to-throat kiss scene.
Gideon's past and character development. His backstory isn't something we see a lot of in YA fiction—and if we do, it's not really focused on. I wanted to cry for Gideon, hug him, and wrap him in bubble wrap so nothing else could hurt him about a dozen times throughout the novel.
Their dynamic. I'm a simple girl. Boy x girl who learn there's more to the other than what they think—10/10.

Wow I was not expecting to love this so much. 5/5 stars!
Thank you St. Martin's Press (especially you, Alexis) for granting me an ARC.

I basically read it all in one sitting because I had to know what happened next, THAT ENDING THOUGH??? How am I supposed to live when I need the next book immediately! I loved this dangerous and steamy cat and mouse game that the ML and FL play with each other.
ughhh I love them both so much, they've both been through so much.

This could be your favorite fantasy romance of 2024.

If you like slow burn, enemies to lovers, witches and witch hunters, this story is for you. This book features many of our favorite tropes and executes it incredibly well. The characterization is phenomenal. Each character had their own personality and voice, and gray morality. That's right, there's no perfect characters in this book.

One thing I found interesting about this book is there is a hard magic system. There are checks and balances. There is no one with unlimited power that manifests itself at convenient and plot-thickening times. Also, there are negative consequences to casting powerful spells. I like this concept a lot, as hard magic systems are rarely seen in YA/NA fantasy books. It was a fun system to learn about and super creative.

I would highly recommend this book to fantasy romance lovers. If you're new to fantasy romance, this would be a great place to start.

Thank you to Alexis from Wednesday books for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for providing me a copy of this book! This was a cute fantasy romance read, centered on the relationship between a witch and witch hunter. This is a familiar trope with familiar themes but I still eat it up each time. It had very much Kaguya-Sama vibes, where both parties were attempting to outwit the other while fully aware of their feelings. The romance was very much the focus of this book, but I’m hopeful the world / magic system gets expanded on. The book ends on a major cliffhanger, so I’ll be sure to pick up the next one.

I devoured this book. And I definitely wasn't ready for it to end. Book 2 can't come fast enough, although I have no idea where they are going to go from that ending.

This book pulled no punches. Every character was, at best, morally ambiguous. I loved the MC, and the magic system was creative and well fleshed out.

Definitely recommend.

Wow. Let’s me start off by saying I was not ready for how much I was going to love this book. It’s that high romantic fantasy where you just have a range of emotions. Witch who pretends to be a silly and dumb elite to hide her secret identify. A witch hunter who keeps being outsmarted by said witch and has a tragic backstory…
The banter is phenomenal. The tension is pretty much started from the meeting of the two main characters in the first couple chapters. They are both trying to use each other to get information for the opposing side. They are constantly fighting yet also respecting the wit the other has.
Rune is a secret witch trying to get all the witches out of the kingdom for atonement of telling the authorities her grandmother is a witch. The magic system does use blood magic so trigger warning for self mutilation. She is smart but I like that the author shows her inexperience really with falling in love. I do feel conflicted on her relationship with Alex. I’m hoping the second novel will really discuss if she actually felt more or if she was just pretending. I was very much rooting for her while also sometimes screaming at the book.
Gideon… I didn’t honestly think I could find a name like that attractive but here we are. He is the hero for the town. The captain of the witch hunters who is obliviously to women. His interactions felt realistic because most of the time he kept messing up. I loved that the love interest was dense in actually courting a girl and tries too hard at times.
The chemistry between the two was amazing. I really just loved how it felt like love between two people that are so similar but also opposite sides. I was happy to say it wasn’t a true love triangle but the younger brother of the love interest does show feelings for the main character. It’s definitely best friends older brother trope for sure. But this is a really captivating story that some parts are predictable but others left my jaw on the floor. I can’t wait to read the sequel!