this book was... okay. the romance aspect was decent and i found the whole publishing industry scene to be fascinating. but the whole thing is super repetitive, i felt like i kept reading the same thing over and over. even though the romance was okay, the characters weren't great and i really didn't connect with them. the story itself is supposed to be mainly character driven and these 2 just didn't do it for me, or the story really. i might give this a reread down the road to see if my mind changes.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.
I did not love this book like I hoped. Honestly, I don't even have much to say about it. The main reason, the only reason, honestly, I didn't care for this book is the characters. None of them are likeable. I've read plenty of enemies to lovers romances and it doesn't mean the characters have to be annoying. And the romance was way too quick. They've hated each other for months and then the second time seeing each other they almost kiss? They are in the castle for a week. It didn't need to happen the second time post incident. Our main female character is definitely one of the most annoying book characters I've ever read. Now a part from this large negative, I did think the "haunted" parts were written quite well. Some scenes did give me a bit of goosebumps and so for that, I give the book two stars. It shows me the author can write well, just the people in this book were the most annoying people on the planet. That being said, I would still recommend it to others, as the annoyance is more of a personal thing.

Song of the book: Ghost - Sir Sly

This book was not for me. I’m sad to be rating it so low, but so much of it didn’t work. I was excited by the premise of the novel, but I found the execution lacking.

I struggled to like Penelope, the FMC. The author puts herself in a very difficult position when she opens the novel with Penelope throwing a book at the MMC, Neil. She never manages to get Penelope to overcome this mistake in the eyes of the reader (or at least, in the eyes of this reader). Penelope is super stubborn and never seems to genuinely regret physically assaulting someone. It’s kind of bizarre. When Penelope talks about the incident with Neil, she makes arguments about WHY she disliked Neil and his writing, but she uses those (reasonable) arguments to then make the massive leap to say it was acceptable to throw a book at his head. I could not get over it!

The bulk of the novel takes place at the haunted castle where Penelope, Neil, and two of their author friends are doing a writers retreat (just to preface, let me say ZERO writing gets done at this retreat. I feel like this was kind of a missed opportunity for a cool story-within-a-story, but this is the lest of my issues with this book). These other two author friends are entirely two-dimensional and basically only exist so that Penelope and Neil have a reason to be at the retreat together. Penelope and Neil treat these two friends like trash by not even warning them that the ghosts in the castle are real and possibly murderous. I think if they had roped their friends into helping them solve the mystery of the ghost/castle, it might’ve given those two characters the opportunity to become more well-rounded and interesting, but that just did not happen.

Regarding the haunting of the castle, one of things I did appreciate about the novel was that the horror moments did feel very visceral and creepy at times. I also liked that the horror aspect was not super overwhelming to me as someone who generally dislikes horror movies and creepy plotlines. However, one thing I absolutely hated was how BIZARRELY the horror was juxtaposed with the romance. This is possibly my biggest problem with the book. There were at least three occasions where Penelope and Neil would have a close encounter with a ghost, and their response would be to make out or have sex IMMEDIATELY after. And I mean immediately! It was super jarring.

On the topic of the romance, I found it very strange that Penelope and Neil go from enemies to lovers in the course of a day. A DAY! The tension was not simmering like it should have. Neil, she threw a book at your head! I saw another reviewer that had the audacity to call this a slow burn. A slow burn? Be serious for a minute. Do NOT go into this expecting tons of yearning, I’ll tell you that much. I also feel like the author tried to retcon the total hatred Penelope and Neil felt for each other at the beginning of the book by having them both be like “ohhhh, I used to see you at these literary events and I was totally into you,” but I was really not getting that from the first half of the novel. Additionally, some of the dialogue between Penelope and Neil felt so stilted to me, especially when they were talking about the publishing industry. It was like the dialogue was intended as a presentation for the audience, not as two characters having an authentic conversation. Overall, it made it hard to enjoy the romance aspect of the book. I will give the author kudos for not having an idiotic third-act breakup.

In conclusion, I would not recommend this book. I’m sorry I didn’t like it more.

Horror isn’t my first genre I pick, but I thought the idea of a romance horror would be too good to pass up. It took my awhile to finish this as I never found it to grab my attention for more than 10 minutes at a time. I’m sadly disappointed with this book as this is just not a book I’d buy or read again.

I didn’t think the story within the plot made sense. Things randomly fell into place. I will say a couple parts of the book did give me that eerie feeling I was looking for and was described well, but for the most part I was not “on the edge of my seat”. This enemy to lovers trope was too predictable for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first horror romance I've read. I really enjoyed it and hope to read Wilkens' other books.

I beleive this was also the first novel I've happened to read with main characters who are Native. At the beginning I was half-concerned that I wouldn't relate to or understand, as I'm not Native myself, but those feelings were unfounded and now seem ridiculous.

Pen was such a relatable character. The subbornness, the sense of inadequecy, being passionate about her values! These are human traits, found in all cultures and exclusive to none. That being said, I did learn a fair bit about Native cultures, the publishing industry, and issues relating both, as well as other minority representation and stereotypes.

Neil Storm also kept me intrigued. I love that he is the one to have extended an olive branch to Skinner after everything, including bodily harm. I felt myself rooting for them.

I wanted to give this one five stars as a rating, but took one off because I feel Laszlo and Daniela seemed like they could be interesting characters if developed further, but otherwise felt like afterthoughts only there for plot development. Honestly, THEY felt like the ghosts who popped in and out of the story, like they spent most of their time in an unseen, otherworldly plane.

I wish more was cleared up on the Skinner family name coincidence. That feels like a strange thing to mention then not really take anywhere.

Overall, really enjoyed it and will recommend to friends!

At about 60% is when the book had me invested. I couldn't connect to Pen that much, and I am stubborn just like her. But to me, she took too long to let go of her fury when she was part of the problem. Her attitude is very standoffish.
But the castle being hunted and it's mystery had me intrigued. I found Neil's awkwardness charming. I found the romance between Neil and Pen intense and spicy. And I respect Pen's dedication and drive.

Penelope and Neil are attending a writers' retreat in a spooky old (probably haunted) castle. But the isolated castle isn't the biggest problem—Pen and Neil are rival colleagues, and they haven't seen each other since their public blowout a few months prior. Since then, Pen hasn't written and Neil has been questioning his artistic integrity. A ghost might actually be the distraction they need.
Romance and horror are fraternal twin genres. No, I will not elaborate. Even still, I was skeptical about the marriage of the two in a single book (especially one with an on-trend cartoon cover). My misplaced concerns were met with delightful Indigenous and queer rep, witty banter, light spice, and some genuinely spooky moments. It might actually be genius to add some supernatural horror into a rom-com. Maybe this is actually something I need a lot more of in my life.

I was so excited to read this, it sounded so good to me! Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed.
This wasn't really an enemies to lovers, it seemed the enemies part only lasted a couple chapters. After that, it felt really repetitive with them each in their POVs rehashing the same stuff over and over again. I also was let down by the horror/paranormal aspect. It didn't feel like much was happening, and I did not understand why they kept saying they could be killed by the ghost. It was just a lot of jumping from them pining for each other to one slightly spooky moment interrupted by them going at it again, then another spooky moment. 2.5 rounding to 3. I'm sad, but I just wasn't having much fun with this one.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I've been reading more and more romance lately, and while the premise of this seemed really intriguing, I could not get over how much I hated Penelope. Her personality was so grating, I honestly lost interest in her completely. If that was the intent with the story, a must commend for a job well done, but personally for me, I can't read about unlikeable MC's. This book might be perfect for others, but it just wasn't meant for me. I certainly have a handful of people that would be great candidates for me to recommend them this however.

The story starts as two native authors are trying to overcome some past events that have occurred between the two. Penelope and Neil start as enemies who cannot do anything by deny their attraction to each other, however as motive become clear and past events are reviewed with more information, they inevitably become lovers. Oh, did I mention they’re trapped in a haunted castle that seems hell bent on doing something to the new lovers. Can these authors use their writing skills to solve the mystery behind the ghost of the manor?


For the most part, the writing is pretty good. However there are some instances where rudimentary lines are reused. There was also some disconnect between the lady in black (used for most of the book) then she turns into the lady in white (about halfway through). There was also some places where Fanny was named franny instead. Also it’s mentioned that the boy in the journal worked at the manor then later it says he was a soldier but it never explains how or when pen got that knowledge then later it’s brought up again.

“Neil was Native American, and that’s all that ever mattered – until Penelope Skinner opened her mouth. She came in with her hard truths, and no one had listened because she was a one-hit wonder, and Neil Storm was a household name. But Neil had listened. Even though he’d tried to block out her voice, he’d heard every word she said.”

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is a fantastic debut coming to you this October! I absolutely loved this one! For starters, I immediately fell in love with the premise: an enemies to lovers, forced proximity on a writer’s retreat…and there’s ghosts? I’m there. If you love the show Ghosts, you’ll probably fall in love with this debut just as much as I did. Penelope is a funny, brilliant, takes-no-crap MFC, which we love. Not to mention, Colby does a fantastic job adding in some horror elements into her story, and as a girl that reads a lot of thrillers, I absolutely love when authors can successfully mix tropes of one into other genres. The woman in white was terrifying, read her parts with your lights on!

Mark your calendars for 10/15/24 and don’t forget to pick up her stellar novel when it hits the shelves! This would be a perfect Halloween read for this year! Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review!

✮✮✮✮✮/5!

Have you ever overreacted to someone and later realized that you merely misinterpreted that person? This is the premise of “If I Stopped Haunting You.” Penelope and Neil, two Native American authors at odd with each other, find themselves on a retreat meant to revive their literary creativity.

The only problem is the retreat is being held at an isolated Scottish castle that is purportedly “haunted.” The retreat affords the two authors the opportunity to both make amends and discover a mutual attraction for each other, all while being harassed by the lady in white.

Although the storyline uncovers the “why” the house is haunted, the remainder of the book read entirely too much like a Harlequin romance. I’m not opposed to such books, but I wasn’t expecting that I was reading such by the title. In my opinion, the at length descriptions of the two authors newly discovered attraction was not only overkill but distracting. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
5-20-2024

Penelope is basically cancelled after verbally and physically attacking Neil at a book conference where they are both speakers on a panel of indigenous author. Fast forward 4 months later Pen is invited to go along on a writing retreat with her best friend Lazslo, but when she arrives she learns that Neil is also attending. What starts as enemies ends up turning into lovers, Neil and Penelope are forced to work together and end up getting tangled in a ghost hunt at the haunted castle they are staying at.

I personally found this book so be extremely slow in the beginning, there wasn’t a lot of hooks to make me want to turn to the next page. It was probably about the last fourth of the book that finally hooked my attention and I couldn’t turn the page fast enough.

Pen’s personality was hard to relate too, she was very jaded and to me seemed superficial in majority of her actions. Neil was not much better. There was emotion to the book but I don’t feel as though the characters correlated to the emotion.

I was drawn to this book because of the "paranormal" and "romance" aspects put together and, while I do not like any scary things, this book was not scary to read.

The romance portion, specifically the enemies-to-lovers portion, lasted exactly 3.2 seconds, and they were getting ready to hump each other. As a romance reader, this was expected, but it happened a little too quickly.

Pen was not a walk in the park as an MC (and at times, I just did not like her), but what she lacked in relatability, Neal complimented her. Their banter wasn't as fun and quirky as I expected from two writers, and the fact that romance scenes jumped from steamy to scary bits actually didn't work for me, personally.

Besides all this, it was a quick read with many spicy scenes that I believe many romance readers will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Colby Wilkins for the e-ARC!

I had to skim in order to get through this book. Penelope is insufferable, easily the most unlikeable character I’ve read about in a long time. She starts the prologue by causing a public scene that culminates in her throwing a book at a colleague’s head, and I thought ok, we caught her at her lowest point. I expected huge character growth, but she ends the story exactly the same. She’s whiny, self-absorbed, immature, and generally unpleasant. I couldn’t believe that Neil would want to be with her, and it only felt like he did because he was sexually attracted to her. The sex scenes were also really cringe=inducing. I liked the spooky paranormal elements, but Penelope being the way she was really ruined everything else for me.

My Rating: 1/5

I was very interested in this book, it seemed like such a a cute idea. Enemies to lover, paranormal and romance sounds cool right? Well this book ultimately ended up failing on both for me.
My biggest gripe with this book and it's a BIG issue, Pen, the main character is AWFUL. First off she is just down right abusive. She constantly asserts that she is actually the victim even though she is always attacking Neil and even literally threw a book at his head. It's not his fault you got blackballed Pen it's just not, despite your many assertions it is. I disliked her throughout the book and felt sorry for Neil.
Beyond that their enemies to lovers is rushed and quite lusty. I love a good spicy book but this was just not it. The writing was repetitive at times as well

Im sorry to give such a bad review but this book was just not for me and I struggled to get through it.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Two horror writers & self proclaimed enemies snowed in during a writing retreat in a haunted Scottish castle. What could go wrong?!

I was drawn to this book for the paranormal/horror/romance cross over, but I found the execution to be a little lacklustre. This book is told using dual POVs of Penelope and Neil during their forced proximity at the castle. While I enjoyed the character development, I spent the first half wanting to throw a book at Penelope who seemed determined to hold a grudge.

The actual enemies part lasted about 30 seconds then felt forced & repetitive. The conjunction of romance scenes immediately after some creepy parts sometimes gave me whiplash & took away from the horror factor IMO. The conclusion of the ghost story was a tad boring as well.

Despite the whiplash, there is a good amount of spice in the second half of the book, if that’s your vibe. I enjoyed the ghost elements of the story & there were some parts that were genuinely scary! Even the ghosts got in on the spice - IYKYK!

Overall, this paranormal romance promises a quick, enjoyable read that I think many will enjoy. A perfect book to curl up with during spooky season! 👻

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press and Colby Wilkins for the EARC!

The overview in the description had me very intrigued for this read. I usually really enjoy light fantasy romance, however this story didn’t quite work for me. The setting was interesting, and the atmosphere was set very well. I did feel that the racial topics felt a bit forced. While the pacing was a bit off at times, it was a generally easy read but I couldn’t connect with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this story and give my unbiased opinion.

During the Indigenous Fiction panel at Book Con, Penelope tosses a book at best selling author Neil due to problematic representation of indigenous people in his novels. His fans are appalled by her actions, which they see as jealousy since she only has one published work. Neil and Penelope, who are haunted by the incident, discover that their mutual friend Laszlo has invited them both on a writing retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland. As the ghosts reveal their agenda, Penelope and Neil transition from enemies to lovers.

I really liked how both Penelope and Neil were indigenous authors, but I didn’t really buy that they were horror authors. The book has plenty of spicy scenes, even in the epilogue.

The book, which is told in a duel point of view, is introspection-heavy and felt repetitious to me since the characters frequently rehashed issues. The subplot with the haunted castle takes a backseat to the romance and didn’t feel particularly threatening to me. The subplot does get cooking in the second half of the novel.

The other two people on the retreat, Laszlo and Daniella, are delightful as they try to navigate the brewing tension between Penelope and Neil. While the writing exercises that Laszlo concocts for them to do are a bit silly, they do help to advance the plot.

I liked that both Penelope and Neil were struggling with expressing their identity through their writing; Penelope because she feared that she wasn’t seen as Native enough as she is biracial and Neil because he accepted edits to his books that did not align with his vision. For me, their mutual decision that they would quit writing if they were unable to break through their writer’s block held more tension than the supernatural shenanigans.

The book contains a number of excepts of fictional texts including from Laszlo’s novel in progress. In my opinion, none of the excerpts really add anything to the story.

I love the LGBT+ elements and the idea of Penelope’s fluffy black cat, Apawllo. Unfortunately, the structure of the book doesn’t lend itself to allowing for the kitty to get much page time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Loved the spooky/spicy vibe. It’s like a cozy mystery with naughty bits? I love forced proximity and a haunted castle in Scotland is pretty forced .
2 horror writers, Penelope and Neil are snowed in together. Enemy-to-Lovers isn’t my favorite trope but the banter between the MCs made it hard not to love (and laugh)
This book comes out in October and it will be a great Spooky read to get you in the mood!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC