This is such a cool premise! I really liked the mashup of horror and romance here, and it was a new experience for me to read a story with solid Native American rep. The casual bi representation was also really nice.

I was really looking forward to this one and absolutely adore the cover of this book. The premise sounded fantastic, but unfortunately this one fell a bit flat for me. The author did a great job with the characters and I liked their enemies to lovers vibe, but felt like Pen was a little much at times with how she treated Neil in a way that had me rooting for them to separate because they felt toxic for one another. I did enjoy the overall premise and the cozy horror feel of the book, but it wasn’t my favorite of the year. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

A haunted castle in Scotland? Sign me up! I liked this one a lot; the pacing was good and the setting was so fun. Typical enemies to lovers, but the setting gave it a fresh vibe.

This just didn’t work for me…
I really wanted to enjoy it, but it just fell short.
I also just really didn’t like our two main characters and the “horror” elements left something to be desired.
I hate giving negative reviews, but this one really wasn’t it and I struggled to finish.

I want to start by thanking the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. I wanted to read something out of my typical genre and I found it to be too much of a stretch for me.

Lovers in a horror movie are guaranteed to be separated but, in this romance, they turn a haunting into a happily ever after. After an incident where Pen hits Neil in the face with a book, the two authors are snowed in together during a writing retreat in a haunted castle. The pair overcome their disbelief in ghosts after braving a spooky painting, the smell of decay, and terrifying visions. For fans of gothic fiction mixed with steamy chemistry.

The premise for this story is very unique and intriguing, but the execution left me a bit underwhelmed. It felt like almost every aspect of this story (setting, character development, romance, and the ghost story) were half baked and rushed. I wish the author had taken more time to really flesh things out. It was a lot of telling and very little showing.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I was totally sucked into the paranormal plotline of this book. I am normally not a huge romance reader and while I wasn't really interested in seeing the main couple get together, it was still nice to read about them overcoming their differences and starting to work together. This book was inclusive and I am looking forward to the authors next release.

ahh this was so much fun! i cant wait to read closer to spooky season. she was cute, with so much heart and easy writing to get into. i would love to read more from this author after this!

This book is advertised as an enemy to lovers with a paranormal twist. Well it is not that. We have two main characters, Penelope who is referred to as Pen and Neil who is referred to as Neil. They are both authors in this author friend group and they have a hate-love relationship. This ‘relationship’ is the definition of abusive and toxic. They are constantly at each other's throats and fighting but then it’s okay because they are basically having hate sex because they are attracted to each other.

The story starts with them at a book convention where Pen is there with one copy of her book because nobody likes her really and she gets so irritated at Neil she throws her book at his face because she disagrees with him. This action essentially gets her canceled and she goes on to mope about it for quite a long time. Talk about the consequences of our actions. She gets invited by her friend Laszlo to go on a retreat in Scotland with a bunch of authors to try to get out of their writer's block. She agrees and Laszlo conveniently doesn’t mention her invited Neil. They go to the castle and some spooky ghost stuff happens which is way more interesting than this abusive toxic ‘romance’ that is going on between Neil and Pen. They both are suffering from writer's block and both are like well this person is attractive. I'm gonna sleep with her even though she threw a book at me and we are constantly fighting and hate being in the same room.

The whole book is basically “woe is me” from Penelope and how she has had such a hard time after the book throwing incident with Neil at a convention and the romance honestly it shouldn’t even be called that. There is no wooing, there is no flirting, it's just sex. Like that’s fine and all but at that point don’t advertise it as a romance and even then the sex scenes were mildly interesting and I just skimmed them because they were nothing special. I think this book had the potential to be something good but it honestly just fell flat in every aspect.

People seem to have a lot of issues with this one. It’s fine. It’s not super exciting, but it’s not terrible. Super easy read with characters that were kind of annoying but bearable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ahhh this cover!! I love it, so cute. I ruined this for myself by reading bad reviews so keep an open mind going in and try to avoid that lols

Had to DNF this one because violence (even small) between main characters isn’t my bag,

Thank you for the ARC opportunity!

I absolutely adored this book and I'm eager to add it to my bookcase as a prized possession. Initially skeptical about the premise of two enemy writers, I found the storyline refreshingly unique and engaging. The blend of horror and paranormal elements captivated me from start to finish. I couldn't help but root for Penelope and Neil throughout their journey. Needless to say, I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

DNF

From the first few chapters, this book was a no for me.
There is no reason for a grown woman to be throwing a book at someone, I don’t support violence between love interests

Thank you to netgalley and st martins press for providing me with an arc of this book.

I was drawn in by the interesting cover and I’m always here for more Native romances, so I was excited when I received an arc. I think this is a premise with a lot of potential, but after the prologue and seeing that the end-game romance is Pen, who literally physically assaults Neil, and Neil, it’s difficult for me to want to get invested in these characters or this story. I think I’ll give Colby’s sophomore book a chance but this one was one I couldn’t invest in.

This was a fun read with a beloved trope well done. This was a little spooky, a very unique plot, good chemistry and good character development. It was a well written debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn't get past the first few chapters. It's just not acceptable to have a heroine physically assault her love interest and then justify it like her violence was warranted.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was a DNF in the prologue.

The blurb says she throws a book at him which could mean anything based on situation but she throws it at his face which knocks him out of a chair and cuts him. Violence between main characters is a no for me.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for sending me an early copy!

I loved this! I loved the Native rep, the abundance of paranormal activity, the bi rep, and the swoony enemies to lovers romance. There’s clear attraction between the characters from the jump, but also hate which makes for great tension throughout. Plus, there are ghosts so the stakes feel real. If any of these aspects interest you, give this book a read!