There’s a lot of things I loved about this book , I loved the romance, I loved the whole plot involving the publishing industry, I loved everything to do with the ghosts & the paranormal concept as well I think it was very cool and unique. The chemistry was also very there, also was the spice lots of it lol. I guess some things I didn’t like would be just the book being all over the place at certain times and the characters having all around way too many personalities. There was also a lot of heavier topics discussed in this book I wasn’t expecting! They weren’t necessarily bad, but I definitely wasn’t expecting so many of them, also I don’t mind spice but I don’t want my books all spice, but I did enjoy the book! The ending was very underwhelming but I had a good time reading it , I would recommend anyone this book who likes a type of paranormal romance with spice !

Thank you for the chance to review! Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and the cover and description of this book made it a must read. The premise is really fun and interesting with two native writers who are at odds with one another being forced to stay at a haunted castle in Scotland for a writer’s retreat! I did love the idea of blending horror and romance. I did like the main characters and the setting. My biggest issue was the pacing. Pen and Neil are basically sworn enemies who almost ruined each other’s careers but 20% in and they’re already lusting for each other and are almost in a relationship by 65%. And the horror elements are while there, are shown more as inconveniences - there’s one scene where they have an experience with an actual ghost and the next page they’re going at it like it was a normal occurrence. Also at one point Pen literally draws blood (for yet a second time after The Incident) from Neil thinking she was hitting a ghost and again next page they are at it…
I’d definitely be on the look out for the writer’s future books and recommend this for those who are interested in a different type of romance

4 stars

This was a fun twist on a romance. I enjoyed the setting and could definitely feel the spooky castle vibes. I like both of the main characters in this book; I felt like they both had relatable problems and seemed very realistic (although they were maybe a little one dimensional)
Since this book is so short the pacing was a little odd, there were a lot of scenes that didn’t really add much to the plot and then others were rushed through. I also felt like the resolution was a little anticlimactic l, both in terms of the horror plot line and the romance.
Overall I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t necessarily a standout for me

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

The book begins with Pen and Neil are both on a panel for native writers answering questions surrounding their books. Pen and Neil get into a tiff. Pen and a bunch of friends go on a trip to Scotland to stay in a haunted castle that is filled with paranormal activity. Ghosts and love letters from the ghosts pasts. At the castle, Pen and Neil run into each other.

I had difficulty connecting with the characters. I really enjoyed how they intertwined the indigenous hardships throughout the books. The actual paranormal bits did not happen until long into the book in my opinion.

Couple: Penelope Skinner & Neil Storm
Dual POV, Enemies to Lovers, Paranormal Activity

the enemies were enemying a little too hard in this one. in a contemporary romance, it is never that serious, and quite frankly, penelope is a jerk and there will be no redemption for her absurd behavior at the beginning of the novel. if I fell in love with a woman who physically assaulted me to the point of bleeding and also publicly humiliated me by dragging my entire career through the mud, I would hope a loved one would admit me to the nearest psychiatric facility.

I also heard there is ghost cum, and although board studying already has me in shambles, I cannot in my semi-right mind stick around to see what that's all about.

thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

1 star

This was my first horror romance and I loved every second of it! It gave me major Scooby-Doo vibes with romance and a Scottish castle mixed in. I would highly recommend reading when it publishes on October 15, 2024!

The love interest, Neil, is very sweet and deserves the world. The main character, Pen, is shamelessly unlikable. I laughed a lot while reading this book.

If I stopped Haunting You heads into a rocky start with two writers that seem to have conflicting views of life. Heading off to a Castle for a writers workshop would surely fix things, or not. Nothing like creaks and being stranded to send them off to who knows where! Another travel with netgalley well appreciated.

Enemies -> Lovers ❤️
Books about authors
BIPOC
Spice: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

I really had high hopes for this book. I love ghostly books and a little romance is nice too. Bonus points for a BIPOC author. I did enjoy how the story was from Storm's & Pen's perspectives. I'm not prudish by any means, but every other word is f*ck so it's overused on the verge of being annoying. "Hero" was another repetitive word.

There's not much buildup from from the Incident to the time period they meet up in Scotland. It would have been better to know more about them before they reached Scotland. The insta-boner is a bit rushed IMO.

I appreciate the ghost mystery because it would have been smut and I like a plot with my smut, thank you. However the mystery was lackluster. It was disappointing and the author just had the ghosts have sex just for the sake of doing it... What was the purpose?? I'm sorry, why would ghosts have sex?? The ghost cum was ridiculous.

The "payback" at the end was lame... their friends didn't "make them suffer the hauntings all on their own". Neil and Pen purposefully omitted the hauntings to Lazlo and Daniela. Between the actual screwing and thinking about it, everything could have been solved in like 30 minutes. The last twenty pages were a drag and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Honestly, Pen and Neil's novel about Archie and Georgina would have been more interesting.

To sum it all up:
The title, cover art and blurb drew me in. The story itself will not have me recommending it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.

This is easily the worst book I’ve read this year, with the potential to be the worst book I’ve read in a decade.

I don’t know where to start. Do I start with the bland characters, the blatant pandering, the weak storyline, the lack of character growth, or the terrible dialogue? Because all of the above brought this book down from a 5-star to a 3-star..

There are 4 characters to this book, and only 2 of them matter. 2 of them are entirely useless, only popping up randomly to make strange jokes about the main characters having sex. It’s so juvenile, borderline cringey. Other than that, I don’t know why those characters exist. I’d say the book would have been better without them, but they were so insignificant that it wouldn’t have changed the plot at all.

Neil is a fine character. He’s bland, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with him. It’s the female lead that is reprehensible. She starts the book out by physically assaulting the male lead by throwing a book at his head and making him bleed, even leaving him with a scar. Not that there’s ever a reason for physical assault, but she gives zero reason for it. The main character is mad at the male for having written a book she doesn’t agree with. That’s it.

What drops this book from a 3-star to a 1-star is how this is handled. If this was part of her growth it could be interesting, but the author doubles down on excusing this behavior, going as far as to celebrate it by saying there are groups of people who might “have joked that maybe she shouldn’t have thrown the book, but they didn’t blame her for it in the least.” She mentions that a group of people even sided with her. There is no world or situation written that could make me find physical assault silly to begin with, but to actually hail the female main lead as a hero because of it? I’m speechless.

I was lured in by the great cover and fun premise, and left so disappointed and uncomfortable. Huge miss, I cannot recommend this book or this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

If I Stopped Haunting You is a beautiful, haunting contemporary romance with ghosts, a gorgeous setting, and an all-queer cast of lovable characters.

If I Stopped Haunting You was a delightful treat. I loved the queer cast and the loathe-to-love romance. The characters were funny and entertaining, and the spooky scenes with ghosts in the haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands were so fun! It was lovely and interesting to see the main characters (writers) struggling through writer’s block and the business, then finding their story. The diversity in the story and the Native MCs were excellent additions that I really appreciated. I cannot wait to read more by Colby Wilkens!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I almost didn't finish this book. I wish the characters had been more developed. I wish the plot didn't have so many inconsistencies. A lot of good ideas for the plot, lots of good descriptions for the setting but just not enough of everything.

I requested this book because of the premise and the cover (love it!).
However, this was not a hit for me. I couldn't understand why these two characters would be together, I did not read or feel any chemistry between them. Pen as a character was not enjoyable (not always a negative in books, but it did not help keep my interest in this story). I think the book needs additional editing, the writing seemed disjointed...I kept thinking I missed some sentences and had to reread to make sure I understood the abrupt changes.

Sadly, I'm rating this 2.5 stars. It has potential, but was not for me.

I did a buddy read with a friend and had a wildly good time. Some parts had me laughing harder than I have in a long time. If you like an unapologetically flawed main character and a soft, sweet love interest, this would be a great pairing for you! And if you're looking for some smut with your romance, this had several smutty scenes that you don't have to wait long for.

This book initially intrigued me because of the stunning cover and overall, the story was fun all together. It gave me the enemies to lovers trope that i love, plus the horror aspect that really flows well with romance. The characters were interesting enough to root for and I can see myself rereading dare i say, around halloween, and recommending to a few fellow reader friends.


Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Two words. Bet you’ll never guess them, because I sure didn’t: Ghost. Jizz.

The book goes like this:
Two horror writers who hate each other; one who has really good aim, and the other who has an affinity for getting hit in the head (like a lot), find themselves on a writers retreat in a haunted castle (with extremely horny ghosts?) and their two friends that are just… there.
The two MCs are potentially in danger the whole time, but that’s okay because have sex about it and all is well.

This is the first ARC I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, so just that aspect alone had me VERY excited!

All in all, a lot going on, a little misguided, a few inconsistencies, and not as much chemistry between the two main characters that I’d like. However, I did have fun reading this book. I honestly don’t read a lot of horror and i do think this book might’ve been a gateway into that genre. I loved the vibes, spook factor was great, loved that all the characters were bi kings/queens!

The description of this book was right up my alley! spooky, romance, enemies to lovers, what more can I ask? Also the cover? stop. LITERALLY scooby doo vibes and I love it. I think the fact that this book is to be published during spooky season is PERFECT!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review


3.4/5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but I was a little bit disappointed to find myself not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would. I can usually finish a book in one or two sittings because I lean more towards fast-paced books than slower-paced, and it took me about a week to read this one. I didn't dislike the characters, but I had trouble connecting to them. Overall, this was a good read and I would recommend this book if you enjoy spooky romance!

✨️ paranormal/romance
✨️ slow-burn, enemies to lovers
✨️ release date: October 15, 2024

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc copy of this book.

Penn is angry with the world and rightly so. As a half white half native woman she’s felt like an outcast her whole life. Too white to fit in with the native people too native to fit in with the white people. This has carried over into her work and has left her jaded. The story starts at book con where Pen lays into Neil for selling out and writing a book to be popular instead of something with soul. This blow up tarnishes both their reputations and has left them both with a severe case of writers block. Lucky Laszlo their mutual friend has a solution. A writers retreat in a haunted castle in Scotland… too bad neither of them knew they’d have to spend the retreat with each other. Tensions are high in this haunted love story.

The prose is incredible and really pulls you in. It’s hard to find books that make you forget you’re reading but this was one of them. If you like romance with a dash of horror I highly recommend this book!

I honestly am disappointed with how this book did not live up to what I thought it was going to be. The book’s pace in plot was very slow and I had to force myself to keep turning the pages and complete the novel. Penelope’s character wasn’t one I could connect to, which is something that made the book harder to get into. Several of the scene made me gasp due to the absurdity like… who lets someone bleed and leave??!! Crazy. I hope that this book is revised more because the concept is something I think is truly interesting. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book at this time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an arc of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. It is a “classic rom com” but with a mystery and horror twist. I have read anything quite like it.

Pen and Neil are, in essence, rival writers. Pen is struggling to gain traction while Neil has the fame but at what cost? After a very public argument, the two part ways and want nothing more than to never see each other again. Cue their mutual friend Laszlo and a writing retreat in a haunted castle.

This book took me a little bit to really get into, but once I got a feel for it I really enjoyed it. The characters are fun, the enemies to lovers plot had excellent snarky banter, and the side characters rounded out an excellent cast — both alive and dead?

The overarching mystery was well done and kept me curious, and although horror hasn’t been my thing for many years, I surprisingly liked that aspect of the book, too.

If you want to read something a little different but still definitively a romance, I definitely recommend this one.