** Features: **
- Native American and biracial main characters
- Cozy enemies-to-lovers romance with a touch of ghostly shenanigans
- Book about writers and writing
- Set in a haunted Scottish castle

** Summary **

Penelope’s career is in shambles. After an argument at a Native authors panel ended with her chucking a book at literary legend Neil Storm, Penelope is left without a publisher and without ideas for her next book she has sworn will squash Neil once and for all. Meanwhile, Penelope’s outburst has made Neil question himself in a way nobody has before and it has left him struggling to start his next best seller. When an opportunity to attend a writer’s retreat in a haunted Scottish castle presents itself, both Penelope and Neil hope it will be the answer to their writer's block. But in order to turn inspiration into success, they’ll have to survive the ghosts, and each other, first.

** Thoughts **

Don’t let the three star rating scare you away! This is such a fun read and is perfect for the spooky season. This book reads a lot like a cozy novel with just a sprinkling of paranormal horror to give it an interesting edge. I am a sucker for books about writers and I love how this one touches a little on the challenges of being a Native (or honestly any minority) author. I don’t really find Penelope a likable character, but I understand what Wilkens was going for and can appreciate it. The romance between her and Neil develops quickly which could be a positive or negative depending on your preference. This book bit off a little more than it could chew and small parts in its execution prevented it from realizing its full potential. Still, it is a great read for those who are looking for something light and are interested in dipping their toes into a little bit of spooky fun as well.

Though this book pleasantly surprised me, I’m not sure if there is enough to make it stick with me. There is a strange lack of certain details that cause what should be impactful moments to fall flat or feel a bit silly/over the top. Add to this some tiny incongruities that pop up every few pages and it just feels like this story aimed a little too high. I love a good Scottish castle, but I almost wonder if having a different haunted setting would have provided more natural opportunities for the story to explore its more serious themes.

Started 9/16/24, DNF at 15% on 9/20/24. I really hate to DNF this one, especially an ARC, but it is going nowhere for me. It sounded like a good time, promising romance alongside horror. So far, I've found it repetitive, with wholly uninteresting characters, and I struggle to maintain any focus while reading. No romance yet for these two who hate each other, and little indication of any upcoming paranormal or horror. I don't care what happens here, and I'm bored, so I give myself permission to stop reading. No rating, only b/c it's an ARC. Hope your reading results are better than mine.

ARC received from St. Martins Griffin via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and sweet romance. I really enjoyed this novel.

"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!"

And maybe they can help each other to be better writers? After dealing with the ghosts that is.

If you're going into this as a romance novel, I don't think you'll be too disappointed. It's an enemy to lovers story - where they are two Native authors, pitted against each other for publishing.

It's a cute story to start. They are on a writing retreat set in a haunted castle in Scotland. But the haunting is very light to start and really only gets a spot in the story sporadically until the 20%. It's not terribly compelling, so I don't think it's a great reason to jump into this story.

Maybe because I don't read a lot of romance, I thought some of the romance scenes were awkward. The weird moment where they wondered about ectoplasm (ew) and the interruption of Daniela felt like odd additions that I found gross, not romantic.

However, the banter was cute. I liked how the two main characters struggled to define their writing and their stories - pushing themselves to discover what kind of authors they wanted to be. It was light, cute and I went into it expecting just that.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I tried to get through this one but ended up DNF-ing it. Penelope was just not likable at all. She was basically a narcissist who gaslit everyone around here. Cute cover though!

I was incredibly excited to read this one, having read the blurb and seeing it was an enemies to lovers which is undoubtedly one of my favorite tropes. I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on it. It also has the haunted backdrop and being placed in Scotland sign me right up!

While I was excited for those aspects it ended up falling a little flat for me. There were just too many things happening which left me confused and left some things unfinished or just glossed over completely. I feel like this book had so much possibility but needed to be developed more and some plot points that could have been better explained or just explained at all.

Trying to figure out all the differing situations left me drained. It would have been so much better had it stuck to one and really delved deep into it. All and all I didn’t hate it but I would have liked more.

I gave this a 4.5 Star rating! Rounded up on Goodreads.

Okay, keep in mind I’m a romance reader who dabbles in very light horror. Minimal scary, zero ghosts, never creepy children, and low levels of gore for gore sake.

Hear me out though, I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I COULD NOT STOP READING this book DESPITE being scared out of my wits.

Seriously though, this story gripped me from the start and I had to know what was going to happen and WHYYY.

👻Enemies to lovers
👻Rival authors
👻Dual POV
👻Haunted castle
👻Writing retreat
👻Ghostly backstory

Pen and Neil are both Indigenous authors in the same genre. While they should truly be bolstering each other up, they end up pitting themselves against each other. After a debacle that nearly ruins them both, they end up at a writing retreat together in a haunted castle.

Colby Wilkens weaves Pen & Neil’s story with the story of the woman in black (or actually white) in a way that had me spellbound. I was excited to see how Pen and Neil could overcome their differences to work together to learn more and eventually understand what was going on in the haunted castle they were staying in.

<<I would recommend to proceed with caution below, I tried to keep the review spoiler-free, but I don’t want to spoil anything on accident! >>

No time of day is safe, daylight meant nothing! The way the ghost and her haunting evolved was exhilarating and terrifying. There’s 🌶️🌶️ spicy scenes that helped break up a lot of the tension which was surprisingly fun! I am definitely interested in finding more spooky romances now!

The ghost devolves throughout their stay from a woman in white in despair to become something lost and terrifying. I felt like the ghost and her story were able to find some justice and understanding. I enjoyed the ride tremendously.

One note: There’s a stop in another castle on their way to the destination castle in the beginning I didn’t quite understand, but it had a really great scene in it that opened up the potential for breaking down the walls between Pen & Neil.

I had to DNF this book. Penelope was terrible and I could not continue reading her mistreatment of Neil. She just seemed super jealous and full of herself and there wasn't enough growth of her character for me to want to continue reading. It's disappointing because I was really interested in the premise and was looking forward to this as a fun, spooky fall read. Sadly that is not what I got at all.

I went into this one with super high hopes for a good romantic spooky read and unfortunately very disappointed. I didn't really like the FMC all that much and that really made it hard for me to read. I hope others found it more enjoyable than I did.

DNF
I tried several times to get into this book but something just wasn’t clicking for me. Reading is subjective and I appreciate the opportunity to give this book and author a shot. The concept seemed good, so I would be interested to try a different novel by this author in the future.

Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

After a very public altercation with fellow author, Neil Storm, Pen Skinner found herself trying to pick up the pieces of her broken career. In an attempt to write again, she accepts an invitation to a writer's retreat in a haunted Scottish castle, and lo and behold, so did Neil. Trapped within the walls of this castle, the two find an undeniable attraction and connection as they set forth to solve the mysteries contained within its walls.

This book had an interesting premise and combination of elements. I found the publishing drama, the public feud, the ghost story, and the romance all interesting. I think, at times, they didn't fit together well. The story felt a bit disjointed, or I felt somewhat lost.

I see that many people did not like Pen, but I think she as misunderstood. I feel like some of her issues stem from something that was touched upon very briefly. Both Pen and Neil were mixed race (white and indigenous). While Neil presented with darker skin and hair, Pen looked white. She also was not enrolled with a tribe, and again, this was touched upon briefly, and all that left her feeling "less than" when it came to her identity as an indigenous woman. Here she was, writing stories to properly represent her community, and it was Neil enjoying all the success by leaning into and propagating stereotypes. I felt those were good reasons for her frustrations.

There were also some fun and lighthearted moments in this story. It was those times where Pen showed her full self, and I rather enjoyed watching her and Neil form a friendship.

Overall, I found this book to be both interesting and entertaining.

Overall this was ok. There was a lot of repetition though. I was looking for something different and this is definitely that. I hated the lead character. I also don’t like that the spice was oddly placed.

Romance with a fantasy/supernatural/paranormal twist is my new favorite sub-genre and If I Stopped Haunting You fell squarely into that category. The Incident at the beginning of the book was such a funny meet-ugly for Pen and Niel and had me really excited for the rest of the book. The gothic, haunted castle setting for a writing retreat was so much fun and the author used a lot of classic horror motifs that were fun to spot.

I wouldn't say that this was ever actually scary or unsettling because Pen and Niel were so un-serious about the hauntings but it was a fun Fall read. I wish the central mystery had been a little more fleshed out or had one more twist and I think the tension between the main characters could have been a little more drawn out, but overall I had such a good time.

I also particularly enjoyed the conversation about Native and Indigenous authors finding space in the publishing world, struggles about identity, and how difficult it can be to stay true to your truth and story in the face of the pressure to conform. These voices are so important and I hope to read more from this author in the future!

DNF @ 25%

While this book has a promising premise, the writing style and the setup did not flow easily and were "clunky" to read. Perhaps the plot ended up making up for this, but I just could not connect to this book.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity.

I really wanted to love this book since it sounded so good but the FMC really fell flat for me. I found her annoying and I really just couldn’t move past that.

I was looking forward to reading If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens, but after about 100 pages in I was loosing faith. This was bad, despite trying really hard to enjoy the characters and plot.

2/5. ⭐⭐

Mk.

I went into this with absolutely high expectations, because romance and paranormal...horror..a retreat at a haunted Scottish mansion...how does none of that sound perfect? Unfortunately, it fell super flat for me. I think this is one of the only books that I only read a few pages, and had immediate distaste for the main characters....and it never got better.

Our FMC is simply toxic and whiny, and I truly could not stand her. The victim card is irritating to me, and I just didn't connect with either character. None of them.

The enemies to loves aspect didn't work for me either. We start off, quite literally in the first few pages, with the FMC physically assaulting the MMC, and the rest of the book is them being childish then magically becoming romantically involved. The romance just felt....lackluster. It was just sudden with nothing to back it up.

Also, this is not my idea of horror.

This had so much more potential, because the concept is such a great idea. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Penelope and Neil are both Native American horror authors - but Neil is far more popular. Penelope is upset with Neil's success partly because he uses hurtful stereotypes and phrases, among other things, for Native people in his books. It all comes to a head (no pun intended but if it was, it would be a great one!) when the two are at a book conference on the same panel. Penelope is sure she has ruined her career, but decides to give writing one more shot at a writer's retreat in a haunted Scotland castle with friends. Turns out, Neil is is attendance as well and only he and Penelope can experience the ghosts and creepy events at the caste.

I really enjoyed "If I Stopped Haunting You". The chemistry between Penelope and Neil is apparent even (maybe especially) when they are angry with each other. There are several storylines happening in this book at once, and unfortunately I don't think any of them were fully realized. First, neither Penelope or Neil can write. It's discussed and they maybe end up writing a few good lines but neither really write anything substantial in the end. Frankly I don't care that Daniela wrote a book even if it is about Penelope and Neil, the story is about them. I found Daniela annoying and unnecessary. Laszlo would have served the purpose of being the friend sounding board and the person trying to bring them together. Second, Penelope resents Neil and his writing. I don't think Penelope truly gets to the bottom of this. During her internal monologues, she often talks herself around to just being jealous of Neil. Her reasoning eventually trickles out to Neil and I am glad she ultimately reads his original book and makes him see he can fight for what he wants to be published without the industry imposing their racist ideals on it. Three, the hauntings - the story is a bit too complicated. There are a lot of characters in the haunting and they don't really all serve a purpose. It felt like you only needed the two main characters in the haunting and not as much on the background of the others involved. Finally, the romance. That does get pretty well resolved.

I really did like the main characters and think if the book had been tightened up, it would be so much better. It doesn't all have to wrap up nicely in a neat bow but it feels as if there were a lot of loose threads that didn't even need to be started in the first place and it muddied the book.

I would give a 3.5 if I could.

4.25 stars

An Indigenous bi4bi romance with ghosts!

Pen Skinner and Neil Storm are both Indigenous authors at a panel where Pen calls Neil out and ends by throwing a book at him. Four months later, a mutual friend books them both at the same writing retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland.

I actually really enjoyed much of this book. Pen is human and messy and acts before she thinks. Neil is just trying to do his best in a system designed against him. Their banter is entertaining, the spice is spicy, and they both happen to be queer. The spooky parts got a visceral reaction out of me, which is always a good indicator to me. I also really liked the discussion points around difficulty of publishing as an Indigenous person, especially since Colby Wilkens is, I think, one of 4 or 5 American Indigenous romance authors?

I thought the shift from enemies to lovers was a *little* fast, but it worked out okay. I am not a fan of sex in the last chapters of a book, but I definitely recognize that's a me issue. I thought Daniela and Lazlo were great in the first half and then weirdly just not as involved in the second half. Pen should probably go to therapy to deal with her insecurities.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will absolutely read Wilkens' next one! Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.