Thanks so much for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book - it was a quick read that kept me entertained the entire time. I couldn't put it down. I just wish we would have seen a little bit more of the relationship build but found myself rooting for them as a couple. I just wanted a bit more build. I LOVED the overall haunting and found the ghost story to be very interesting. I liked the spooky parts a lot.

I decided to DNF at 55%.

I was really interested in this book based on the description. Horror and romance?? What could be better! I also liked that it included multiple Native characters and the first chapter seemed to set up for a discussion on cultural identity.

Unfortunately, I found this book, at least the first half, to be lacking in both horror and romance. The scary scenes weren’t descriptive enough to be scary, and there wasn’t any chemistry between the two characters. They’ve hated each other for months, then suddenly they are together for five minutes and apologizing to each other and falling in love. It just not realistic or believable. This book is less enemies-to-lovers and more insta-love in my opinion.

The pacing of the book also bothered me. At 55% in, we are still on the first day they are there. There are so many activities going on, and then a character just walks down the hall and stands at a door, and somehow it’s been three hours and the next activity is beginning.

I really wanted to like this book- the cover, description, and marketed tropes all appealed to me, but it just did not hit the mark.

The book is about two horror authors that have a rivalry going on as they're both Native writing horror, and publishing just doesn't make enough room for both of them to exist in the same space. Penelope doesn't like him because she thinks he is selling out to the industry and writing stereotypes to appeal to mass audiences instead of being authentic, and Neil doesn't like her because she threw a book at his head. Their mutual friend conspires to get them on a writing retreat being held at a haunted castle in Scotland. While at the castle, they find real ghosts and an unsolved mystery.

The romance of this book is marketed as enemies/rivals-to-lovers and frankly I just did not feel any chemistry. Despite them both having valid reasons to dislike each other, there was no real animosity between them? The antagonistic aspect of their relationship should have been 10 times what it was. Even when they start to feel attracted to each other, I didn't understand why. They had barely had like 3 conversations with each other (in the course of the book) before they started saying it, but the conversations were about nothing of substance. Nothing that would make me understand the change of feelings. And because of the short timeline of the book (everything happens within like 2 or 3 days) it makes even less sense. Neil gives her the original manuscript of his book and it's actually good and suddenly she feels bad about criticising him and her opinion of him completely changes? Its marketed as a slow-burn but I did not feel that at all.

All of the characters feel very flat, especially the side characters. Laszlo and Daniela don't have any personality besides what the main characters tell us there are, but we never actually see them acting that way. Laszlo is said to be very strict with schedules and planning, but the entire premise of the book only happens when Neil is supposed to go on the retreat and then cancels, so Laszlo invites Penelope, but then Neil decides he wants to go again. I don't think that someone who is supposed to be strict would allow that to happen? And it's only mentioned that one time, every other time they're all together Neil and Penelope do their own thing and Laszlo doesn't really say anything. I felt bad for Daniela's character because she could have been taken out of the story completely and nothing would have changed. She didn't really add anything that couldn't have been done or said by Laszlo. We're told she's a bit of a trouble-maker but we never see it. If anything, it would have made more sense for the alleged troublesome member of the group to deceive Neil and Penelope to get them to the castle. Laszlo and Penelope are given basically nothing to do, and still manage to annoy the main characters. Near the end, when Penelope goes to the mausoleum by herself, Neil gets mad at them for not being worried about her- but they have no idea that she's in any danger. They don't know the ghosts are real because Neil and Pen haven't told them about any of their investigating. A few chapters later, they prank Laszlo and Daniela by pretending Neil got hurt by a ghost and they laugh and say it's deserved for leaving them to deal with the ghosts alone? Again- they had no idea the ghosts were real.

I wish we got more of a backstory for Penelope and Neil, we don't really know anything about their families or lives outside of the Book Throwing Incident. We know that Penelope struggles with her identity as Native woman because she's white-passing and isn't a registered member of a tribe, but it's not expanded on past that. It's a really interesting aspect to her character, especially since she seemed to be the only one calling out Neil for his writing. I did enjoy Neil's struggle with writing what his publishers want versus what he wants. I thought that was really interesting, but just needed to be expanded on. We're told that he's arrogant and cocky, but we never see any of that. From the beginning, he's mad at her for throwing the book (understandable) and then has inner conflict about her criticisms of him, but besides the very first chapter, I don't recall any other moments where he's acting like that.

I felt like there was a lack of cohesion/ balance between the horror scenes and the romance scenes. It felt like whiplash going from them genuinely scared for their lives to making out in a haunted hallway. I guess it was the adrenaline? It was always very confusing for me. They always seems to be making out at the worst times, it was frustrating to read.

The mystery of the ghost was also disappointing, I wish it had been more of a struggle to find this information because everything just seemed to fall into their laps, or wasn't hard to find if you just looked at all. And the unfinished business for the ghost was just that she had forgotten her name. I understand the emotional aspect the author was trying for here; the ghost wasn't trying to hurt anybody she just didn't know who she was anymore, but it just didn't feel earned.

All that being said, I didn't hate this book- the ghost scenes were genuinely scary and very well-written, I just felt like they weren't given enough time to breathe when the main characters had sex immediately after. I liked that the ghost wasn't harmful, she was just a grieving woman. The sex scenes were written well, it felt like a lot of care was put into them.

I would read more from this author in the future, but I just didn't feel invested in this storyline or characters.

This was such a cozy read. I didn't find it overly romantic, but it paired well with the horror aspect. Of course, there was more romance than horror, but that's expected. Read it quickly, reminded me of the Dead Romantics

Holly Smokes! The cover of this novel is what drew me in and I HAD to read it.

This book reminded me of The Haunting of Bly Manor, and that alone should be enough reason for you to give it a go. The author did a great job of mixing horror and romance just enough to where it wasn't overly romantic.

- cozy read
- for fans of minor horror (not scary)
- not an overpowering romance that makes you want to barf because its been done a million times before
- haunted castle

The idea of a horror romance was so intriguing to me, and I absolutely loved the intro to the story. I was cackling so hard at the Book Con scene, and I was so excited for the rival author enemies to lovers. I loved the Native American and LGBTQ representation as well.

Unfortunately the story fell a little flat to me. I've read so much contemporary romance and enemies to lovers, that if I don't feel connected to the relationship development, I struggle to maintain interest. It felt like the two main characters resolved their issues simply because the other was hot. I also thought the conclusion of the horror part of the story was a bit anticlimactic.

The book was OK, and I will keep an eye out for Colby's future books.

"If you're in the mood for a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance but also a chilling haunted-house horror, GET YOU A BOOK THAT CAN DO BOTH! I blazed through this book in one sitting because I just couldn't wait to find out what would happen next!" - Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of With Love, from Cold World

An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland

It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.

Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!


i adored this book

Ughh... I wanted to love this book so much. The premise of this book was so intriguing. I've never read a "horror romance' but it sounds right up my alley. Sadly, I could not get invested. Everything felt so forced that I couldn't connect to the characters and questioned many interactions.
*mild spoiler for the beginning maybe*
There is a part in the beginning where Penelope and her "mortal enemy" Neil Storm sneak into a castle. The whole thing just left me scratching my head. They sneak in, he says it's going to be their secret, then they go different directions but end up running into each other and act like they are shocked they are in the same place. THEN someone comes to run them away from the castle and Neil pulls her to the side to act like they are cuddling? What was the point? The whole thing was so strange that it completely turned me off.
AND WHY DO THEY KEEP REFERRING TO THEM BY THEIR LAST NAME?!Jesus, just stop.
I'm just going to stop there. Its a pass for me but I really wish the author the best and will definitely check out future books!

A horror / romance that shouldn’t really work but somehow does? Enemies to lovers and forced proximity; this book delivers on spice and some pretty creepy paranormal elements (points for the Native and queer representation)! A decent balance between the romance and horror, although the conclusion was massively anticlimactic.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

OMG I absolutely LOVED this book, I couldn't put it down until I finished. I really loved the Native American representation and also the LGBT+ representation. Can't wait to recommend this book to others!!!

I devoured this book. A lot of the contemporary paranormal romances just use like a hint. But this went all out.

Penelope is one of my new favorite leads. She is very real for her first instinct to be run away and later think things through. And there being an actual mystery in the book hooked me that much more.

I cannot wait to read more. Also I loved the side characters. There wasn't really anyone I dreaded popping up.

As an indigenous woman, I was excited to see my culture represented in the romance genre. The diversity is a welcome change. It starts strongly with Pen and exploring the conflict of cultural identity. This exploration is not carried throughout and is a missed opportunity to showcase character depth. Sexual diversity is also mentioned but only briefly and served as background fodder and another missed opportunity.
The story is meandered by characters making illogical decisions and motivations that need clarity. The horror was not horrific nor mysterious. The characters needed more depth and fell flat after the opening chapter. The romantic connection was tepid as Pen and Neil lacked romantic chemistry—the arguing as a flirtation narrative was too one note to bring about believable dialogue. The conflict was there, but the chemistry was not. The prose could have been more precise to make for a smoother read. Instead, it felt wooden throughout.
While If I Stopped Haunting You aspires to mix romance and some light horror, it needs more chemistry and character development. The generic romance enemies-to-lover trope does not showcase character development, and the constant bickering quickly gets old. The mystery/ghost story also needs more tension. The blurb promises chills and thrills but could be better in both departments.

Colby Wilkens' debut novel has nearly everything I'd want in a spooky romance.

Pen and Neil are both Indigenous horror authors, but in Pen's opinion, Neil has catered too much to his Caucasian audience. So naturally, she calls him out on a panel they're both sitting on... And then throws a book at him.

Fast forward four months, Pen has been ostracized in the book community as part of the fall out of The Incident. She lost all creativity and shut herself away. Laszlo invites her to a writers retreat in a haunted Scottish castle. Pen begrudgingly agrees to go, as long as Laszlo can guarantee that Neil won't be attending... But of course, Neil decides last minute to join.

This enemies to lovers romance is so fun. We've got a little bit of spooky, a good mystery, førcëd prøximity, more thrown objects, and redemption. There's only about 3 explïcït scenes but they're hot!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Colby Wilkens for this advance copy!

Tropes :
Førcëd prøximity
Enemies to lovers

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Penelope Skinner is in desperate need for a getaway especially after an explosive encounter with fellow horror author Neil Storm. Yes she may have thrown a book at his face, but he deserved it! The incident has left her feeling like a pariah for maiming the beloved author. So when her friend invites her to a writing retreat, she quickly purchases her ticket. Once in the picturesq Scottish landscape all her worries fade away, up until Neil Storm walks through the door. Penelope convinces herself she can handle a week with her nemesis. But when the group arrive to the castle, they are staying they find it already occupied…by ghosts. Forced to work together Penelope and Neil must not only survive one another for this week but also the spirits haunting them.

I was immediately interested in this I mean who doesn’t love a good spooky Scottish castle. Along with the spooky romance, there is also great representation as our two main characters are native American authors. This aspect of the plot was insightful and well done, showing the reader the difficulties in which they had to face in order to become published. The plot unfolds through dual POV from FMC Penelope and MMC Neil. Along with the dual POV, we are also given excerpts of each of the characters own books that they have written, which I really enjoyed. I will say I had hoped for more ghostly spooky aspects in this though. With that said this is most definitely centered more on the romance and the ghosts are a subplot. I also personally wouldn’t classify this as a slow burn as the characters did rather quickly lust for one another. Aside from the same repetitive discussion regarding their rival books with one another it seemed that they did not have many conversations to build their connection. Overall, this was an interesting read that just slightly missed the mark for me. However, I do think many romance readers will thoroughly enjoy this book and am interested to see the author grow with each continued work they create.

If I Stopped Haunting You comes out October 15th, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"If I Stopped Haunting You' by Colby Wilkens was a quick, quirky read and I loved every minute of this book! Would re-read it again at a later time.

Pen is an author who became the black sheep of the literary community when she challenged the golden boy of fiction during an event. She ends up in another country on what she thought was going to be a writing retreat when she discovers her arch nemesis has also joined. In addition, there's a paranormal component which adds an interesting twist to your typical "Hallmark movie" type story. This is your standard guy/girl hates girl/guy plot where romance blossoms. There were a few bits in the story that seemed unnecessary (headstone same last name as Pen, but didn't seem to go anywhere), the end felt a little rushed with the wrapping of the ghost's story, but it was a good read overall.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. This cozy horror enemies to lovers pulled me in from the first page and had me finishing it in 4 hours! Everything in this book was done well from the plot, tension and spice. This slowburn romance will have you swooning in no time! The character growth in this book was so good! I absolutely adore Neil and Pen!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Quick, fun read. Great horror scenes. Really spooky. Totally enjoyed Pen and Neil’s banter. Pen throwing things was laugh out loud funny. Really liked the romance too. Everyone needs a friend like Lazslo. Hoping for more from this author. It’s a trope I didn’t know I needed. Well done!

Enemies to lover in a haunted castle sounded like a really fun & spooky premise, but unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me.

The enemies to lovers made sense and felt genuine (she literally throws a book at him), but they went from hate to like really quickly and it didn’t really make any sense to me, especially when they hadn’t resolved much between them.

The spooky scenes / horror aspect was really cool, but the steamy scenes around the spooky stuff definitely pulled me out of any sort of tension or sense of danger. Like, “oh no, scary ghost lady!” But then let’s make out against this wall??? Didn’t work for me.

Also, there were a lot of questions I had in the end that were never resolved:
•Why were Pen & Neil the only two who could see the ghost?
•Where were the other two characters the entire time?
•What was the point of Pen having the last name if it isn’t revealed she’s related?

While the spooky stuff / horror aspect was chilling & fun at times, “we’ve got some Dorian Grey-level shit going on here” had me laughing out loud, overall I felt like this one just didn’t live up to what I was hoping it could be.

Thanks to NetGalley & Colby Wilkens for providing me with an advanced reader copy. All thoughts shared here are my own.

This book was such a quick and fun read! I was interested from the very start and stayed that way throughout. The slow burn actually was, and wasn’t an insta-love kind of thing. However, this was marketed as being horror, but it wasn’t at all. This was generally pretty light. It had the potential to be creepy, but that part was kind of glossed over. Overall this was an easy and enjoyable read, I’d definitely recommend checking it out! 4.5 ⭐️