This had some fun moments, and I loved the concept.

The Native representation was also great to see.

The romance itself ended up falling a little flat for me. I don't think it was quite instalove, though it seemed that way at first, because the characters had known each other for so long professionally, but with that, so much of their backstory felt like it happened offpage, so it was difficult to connect with them as a couple.

The ghost story part was a nice addition that I enjoyed, and I wish there had been more of it.

Content: there were some open-door scenes which aren't my thing but they were pretty easy to skip

Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are rival authors who have a heated argument on a book panel that ends with Pen physically throwing a book at Neil, the so-called "Master of Horrors." Following the event, both writers find themselves in a slump and accept an invitation to a writing retreat in a haunted Scottish castle but what they find there is, of course, each other. The two continue to bicker, not understanding why the other is there or really, not understanding the other at all. Slowly we come to unravel some of their issues which involve self-worth and representation in the publishing industry. While their angst and frustration toward each other ultimately made sense, I didn't enjoy it.

What I DID enjoy was the mystery about the castle. I loved reading a romcom that actually gave us a ghost and a backstory and a little bit of a mystery! So more of that, less...other drama. And yes, it was pretty steamy but I felt that the pacing was decent where spice was concerned. It wasn't overly done and I appreciated it. So while the beginning was sour and some of the character drama was not appealing to me, there was enough fun sprinkled in to really keep me entertained and hold my enjoyment!

DNF at 46%. I truly hated this book. The characters were incredibly unlikeable, their motivations were creepy, and the haunting couldn't even save this. It's a no for me.

A new to me author and an interesting idea. Not to mention a spooky Scottish castle. Enemies to lovers, and boy do they do the enemies part well lol. It has a little bit of everything for everyone

An enemies to lovers romance set in a haunted castle?! This sounded right up my alley.
I think I might need a break from contemporary romances or something because I felt annoyed by everyone’s behavior and immaturity. I know it’s supposed to be fun and lighthearted as well as creepy, but Penelope was kind of awful.
I felt like I was beginning to vibe with the chemistry in the beginning, but their whole adventure in the castle felt choppy and weird.
Amazing premise that unfortunately did not deliver in execution for me. I think people may still enjoy it because I can’t figure out if it’s just me not having as much fun with romcoms or if the book was truly as hodgepodged as I think.

Penelope and Neil have a lot in common - they’re both Native American, they’re both horror authors, and they hate each other. Now they’re stuck on a retreat together in a Scottish castle where they are find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story - and maybe an even more real love story?

Pros:
- I really enjoyed the interesting characters and backgrounds.
- The MMC was GREAT! Definitely would like to see more of him!
- The descriptions of the countryside and castle were beautiful and spooky at the same time!
- The body horror was just gross enough without going too gruesome.

Cons:
- The FMC assaults the MMC several times. I think some of it is supposed to be humorous but she never really seems sorry so it didn't really work for me.
- I would have liked more development of the relationship. It's obvious that Penelope and Neil know each other but we don't really get to see any of that except for the scene where she throws the book at him.

You might like this book if you like:
- Dual POV
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Native American Heritage
- LGBTQ+ Representation
- Ghosts
- Haunted House
- Scottish Setting

Do you ever request a book to review and then realize that you are maybe not in the right mood to read that book but you do it anyway?
I feel the need to preface this review this way because this is a romance book and I haven’t really been in the mood to read romance in awhile. But I usually enjoy romance featuring queer or BIPOC characters and as this had both (and seemed like it would have some touches of horror and the paranormal) I was hopeful that I would enjoy it.

And while I can’t stay I disliked the book, I can’t really say I enjoyed it either. It had some elements I found interesting (POV of Indigenous authors, commentary on the publishing industry, a haunted house) but the plot and the characters just never clicked for me. I wanted more from the ghost side of things (it seemed like it was building toward a big mystery but then it just sort of petered out?) And I never really shipped the two characters or even really liked them as individuals. How come Pen was allowed to injure Neil two different times?? I’m not a fan of one MC injuring another MC, on purpose or otherwise. I wanted more from the side characters too, Lazlo and Daniella were just sort of there. I also don’t enjoy when characters in romances are just so horny for each other they can’t function (but that is absolutely a personal preference and I am sure other people enjoy that kind of thing).

Overall, I am giving this a 3 star review because I don’t think it was a bad book necessarily, it just wasn’t for me.

There are ghosts. When enemies rethink their own choices and become lovers. I really love a Scottish romance.

I love good rivals to lovers book! The setting was so much fun, a crumbling, haunted castle for a writer’s retreat I loved the mystery they solved for why the ghost was haunting the castle. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

What I did like about the book was the overall representation of Indigenous writers (the main characters) and the struggles and discriminations they face.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for me review.

Spooky castle...enemies forced into proximity...sparks flying left and right...bingo! #Deathtober read card filled.

One star off for heterosexualizing a perfectly good plot.

Author Wilkens does a fine job of entertaining her readers with a ghost story inside Gothic-novel trappings. Her domestic-violence opening...the woman throws a book at the man hard enough for the injury to bleed, and to leave a scar, and it's...somehow okay...? Like, a woman injuring a man isn't a problem but if he'd done the same to her the howling banshees would be all over it!


I was not thrilled by this.

I just barely got to a three-star rating because Author Wilkens made me chuckle many times *in*spite*of* my existing irritation. That is some serious talent! Causing an irked old curmudgeon to chuckle is a feat!

I really don't know what to tell you about the violence. You know your own tolerance for the abuse passed off as humor trope.

Two rival authors, one haunted castle retreat, and the unlikely romance between them as they face off against ghosts. Penelope Skinner is an indigenous writer who just hasn't made it yet and she absolutely hates Neil Storm, another indigenous writer who has become a bestseller. She hates that he's as handsome as he is successful, and she absolutely hates that he is a successful indigenous writer while she isn't. Pen hates him so much that she threw a tantrum at his speech and threw a book at his face that left a scar. Neil begins to doubt himself after Pen's argument with him and the book incident... and now months later they both end up at the same writing retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland. As supernatural things begin to happen and Pen and Neil finally face each other, they'll have to find a way to work together if they want to make it out. This book was not for me, I honestly could not stand Pen at all.Pen is manipulative and narcissistic, her jealously toward's Neil was a little unhinged and the fact that she physically assaulted him to the point where she left a scar?? The fact that she, a grown woman, threw a huge tantrum and then threw a book at a guy because he was successful?? Girl be for real. Her relationship with Neil does not feel romantic at all, she's constantly criticizing him and he's constantly apologizing. Honestly if I were him and she did all the things she did to him to me, I would be pressing charges. Pen never really takes accountability for everything she does and I just don't see this being a romance at all. This just didn't work as a romance book for me and I just didn't feel myself caring or loving these characters and their story by the end of it.

Release Date: October 15,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC that I struggled so hard to get into that I missed the deadline so I waited for my Libby app to get it so I could just power thru.

I kind of liked the first half, but I found so many of the characters unlikeable, and the audiobook made it worse. There were a few moments that gave me hope, that got me interested, only to be pulled out of the moment with politics.
I did like the discussions the characters had about Native American culture, authors, and whether or not you need to prove it to claim it.

I think this book does have an audience, I’m just not it. It’s well written, well plotted, has some genuinely funny banter.

If I Stopped Haunting You brings together a group of four horror/thriller writers to a haunted castle in the Scottish Highlands for a writing retreat. The problem is, two of them had an argument at a Native authors panel a few months ago - beginning with Penelope accusing Neil of playing into stereotypes and ending with Pen throwing her book at his head and ruining her career, so she thinks. She came on this retreat as a last ditch effort to write another story. Neil is here to reevaluate his stories and break through the writers block he’s fallen into. They both start to see more than they came there for.

You can expect -
Paranormal Romance
Scottish Highlands
Haunted Castle
Ghostly Mystery
Writers Retreat
Snowed In
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
Rivals to Lovers
Native & Queer Characters
Early30s MCs
Dual 3rdP POV

I loved the setting and vibes this book brought - snowed in at a haunted castle was a great basis for the tropes to play. I enjoyed reading a book with the Native perspective and how the characters as authors worked through that. I was a little nervous that this was going to be too much horror and not enough romance for my preferences, but it was a good mix and I wasn’t too creeped out. The resolution of the mystery fell a little flat for me, it was awkward and I was left a little confused that that was all it was, not sure if it wasn’t quite polished for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s for providing an eARC for my honest opinion.

Overall, this was enjoyable, though there were a few repetitive moments.

I picked it up looking for something a bit different, and it fit the bill with its mix of romance and ghost story vibes. The opening scene between the two leads was especially memorable. However, as the story progressed, I was surprised by how unlikable the female lead became. While her initial anger at Neil might have been understandable, it felt unwarranted since she never really communicated why she was upset. The outburst seemed to come out of nowhere, with no deeper backstory to justify it.

There were also parts of the story that didn’t quite flow. The romance developed very quickly, which felt strange given the female lead’s earlier anger toward him. Her switching back and forth between being mad and being attracted to him was jarring.

If I Stopped Haunting You felt like a cozy mystery with hauntings and a touch of steam, and it had enough fun elements to make it a solid, enjoyable read.

perfect spooky read for the month of October. i enjoyed this one and i am looking forward to more by this author :)

If I Stopped Haunting You is an atmospheric and spooky contemporary romance. It’s set at a writing retreat in an old, haunted castle in Scotland. The setting is rife with a rich history that includes, of course, ghost stories.

I adored the setting and the vibes, and the author’s writing style sucked me in. It’s easy to read and compelling and I want to emphasize this before I get into the meat of my review.

Pen and Neil are both indigenous horror authors. Unfortunately, I found the prologue set the wrong tone for the entire book. Pen is, quite frankly, jealous of Neil’s success. She thinks he sold out, writing inauthentic indigenous characters in order to cater to a white audience. In the prologue, she attacks his character during an indigenous horror panel at a writing convention. She’s unnecessarily cruel, and while she may have been making valid points (it’s hard for a reader to discern this based on fictional novels written by fictional characters), her approach is off putting, to say the least. To top it all off, she literally throws a book hard enough at him that it cuts him on the face. He bleeds. He scars.


This was the worst of it, though Pen is quite cantankerous and self-righteous throughout the story. I do enjoy complicated characters, but in a romance novel, I expect a bit more growth before the problematic character gets her happily ever after. Neil, on the other hand, is (rightfully) traumatized by what happened, and he’s had writer’s block ever since. This is one of those types of romances where the “grovel” trope would perhaps make up for this rough beginning, but that never happens.

To be honest, Pen and Neil’s love is somewhat superficial and mostly physical. I would have liked to see more in-depth conversation and connection in the story. That said, the setting makes up for the lack of depth in their relationship (in my eyes). Given the length of the book and the unique setting (A haunted castle!), I would prefer a romance with more of the spooky stuff over the depth of character. However, given how the book began, I was truly expecting a solid character arc for Pen. I was thrown when she didn’t have personal growth over the course of the story.

All in all, this is a (very) spicy and spooky romance, even if the interactions between the main couple are a little too toxic for a non-dark romance.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is an entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance with a spooky twist, but it falls just short of its full potential. The premise—two feuding horror writers trapped together at a haunted Scottish castle—promises a lot of fun and tension. Penelope Skinner, a struggling horror author, and Neil Storm, her successful rival, are forced to confront their simmering animosity as supernatural events start unfolding around them. The witty banter and their frustratingly irresistible chemistry make for some laugh-out-loud and steamy moments.

The haunted castle setting adds a fun gothic backdrop, but the ghostly plot doesn’t quite deliver the chills it could have. The spooky elements feel somewhat underdeveloped, and at times, the paranormal mystery takes a backseat to the romance. Pen and Neil’s bickering is enjoyable, but the sudden shift from enemies to potential lovers feels a bit rushed, especially with an "almost-kiss" scene that sparks their rapid change of heart. While the fast-paced romance keeps the story light and breezy, it lacks the deeper emotional development that could have made their relationship feel more authentic.

Overall, If I Stopped Haunting You is a fun, light read for fans of enemies-to-lovers stories with a touch of the supernatural. However, it leans more toward the sexy thrills than the spooky chills, leaving some readers wishing for more on both fronts. While not without its charms, this romance with a ghostly twist ultimately doesn't haunt you as much as it could have.

I really wanted to like this book but the writing just threw me off and I could not get into it. I also felt like the build up to the Skinner and Neil’s chemistry felt so rushed. One second she’s throwing a book at his head and then a flash forward happens and they have this unspoken chemistry. I think if someone is wanting a fun paranormal romance, this would be a good choice but you just can’t get bogged down by the writing.

Hello! Thank you for giving me this opportunity to read this book. I unfortunately did not finish this and don’t plan to because I felt it needed more work. The emotions and situations did not flow well and was a bit jarring to read. The main characters were angry one sentence but the next they were attracted to each other and it was very random. I do with the best of luck for this author and I really enjoyed the concept, I just kept getting stumped by the pacing and verbiage.