While I usually steer clear of horror books, having only explored a handful, my enthusiasm for romance novels is undeniable. Given the chance via Netgalley, I eagerly picked up "If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkens with high hopes. Regrettably, it didn't live up to its promise of blending horror and romance seamlessly. The narrative was marred by plot holes and inconsistencies, making it feel disjointed. It appeared the author grappled with the story's direction, resulting in a convoluted plot. Though I'm not fond of negative reviews, this book didn't resonate with me, leading me to abandon it midway.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

This book had such an interesting and unique premise! Enjoyed learning about the rivalry between Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm. I appreciated their vulnerability throughout the book about learning about themselves. I thought that adding a ghost component was hilarious in a great way!

Vibes: rivals ro lovers, haunted houses, danger banging, and unfinished business

Heat Index: 7/10

Penelope Skinner carries a huge grudge against Neil Storm--and it culminates in her throwing a book at him at a conference. Why? Because Neil claims that his books break Native stereotypes, while they simply seem to embrace them. Penelope's been blacklisted ever since, so she's none too happy to see him at a writers retreat in a spooky Scottish castle. Neil isn't thrilled to see her either--but as they discover that the castle's ghosts may be realer than expected, they're forced to work together to help the spirits resolve their unfinished business... while fighting some of their own.

This was a really interesting, different debut--and I'm excited to see what Colby Wilkens does next. There's a lot delved into here, especially surrounding the politics of passing (as Penelope, who is Native, does), gender privilege, respectability, and the particular way that publishing treats BIPOC authors.

However, it's still first and foremost a romance, and a good one at that. Neil and Penelope have a crackling chemistry from the start, and it only intensifies as they spend time together in this castle... full of tight passages.... (in more ways than one).... and occupied by a ghost that's always showing up at the right times. (And by the right times, I mean the times that force Penelope and Neil emotionally and physically closer.)

There's some... interesting... genre marketing happening with this one, but I'm here to reassure you: 'tis a romance!

Quick Takes:

--Okay, so, the genre stuff. I've seen this marketed as "horror romance" or "horrormance". I am just... refusing.... with horromance. I'm done with the portmanteaus, I can't do it anymore. HOWEVER! I can see horror romance being a thing, maybe? I have yet to read it, but maybe? As a subset of paranormal romance? But it's tricky, and I still wouldn't say this aligns with any conceptualization I have of theoretical horror romance.

So, what is it? I'd say VERY light paranormal romance, or, more accurately, a contemporary romance with a sprinkling of paranormal. None of this is critique; the book is good no matter what it is. Just--if you like contemporaries and don't like paranormals, don't worry. Read this. You'll like it, and it's not scary, I promise. A little spooky, yes, but not scary. And if you enjoy some spookedy bump in the night stuff, you'll like this, too.

--I can see Penelope being a polarizing heroine. Mostly because she has, I don't know, an opinion. And she gives Neil shit. And she's not right all the time. She needs to consider nuance! Her hot takes have holes in them every now and then! She's a little morally rigid and judgmental! Gasp, horror.

Personally? Her flaws made her more human for me, and she's quite likable. As is Neil! I actually loved how palpable his irritation with Penelope was. Like--she didn't have the whole story, but she had his number, and he knew it, and that bugged him. Fun fun fun.

--The ghost story is cute. I will say that it's weaker than the romance, which is fine because this is a romance novel, but... I did expect a little more there. However, the way it resolved did amuse me greatly. There's one detail that I kind of can't wait to see unfold further.

--One thing I really liked about the way Colby Wilkens presented Penelope and Neil's contrasting opinions and experiences is that there wasn't like... a wholly right or wrong side? Both of them had points. Their histories were valid. I feel like there are going to be a lot of judgments made (especially against Penelope) but to be real, if you're white (like me) maybe you should.... pump the brakes.

--Random, but when Penelope and Neil have sex, she notes that he has a soft belly. Because he's a writer. He's a nerd. He sits at a desk a lot. I LOVED THIS. More body diversity in romance please, especially for heroes.

--There is a lot of "Neil is hard at an inappropriate moment" here. What a great choice. I approve. Yes.

The Sex:

It's definitely a sexy read--and one that handles sex in a smart way. You wait a while before Neil and Penelope get down to it... But once they do, they're all over each other. You have several penetrative p in v sex scenes, and a particularly delightful fingerbang (and, obviously, Neil goes down; you can sense it in him from the start). All of it is treated like sex, which I appreciate. However, I also liked that a throughline in the sex scenes is that Penelope guides Neil? It's not that he doesn't know what he's doing, but he doesn't know HER body yet. And it's totally cool for her to show him where to touch her and how, and HE thinks it's hot. It was both really consistent with their characters, and really good to see in a romance novel.

Here, we have a fun romance novel with a legit interesting, unique premise and point of view. Like, I can genuinely say that I haven't read anything like this before. It's funny, it's hot, and it covers issues you really don't see in the genre often at all. More, please!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everything about this book seemed perfect to me. But dear lord, I’m 25% in and I’m so bored. I was excited about the paranormal aspect yet that is just now finally happening but it’s just not enough to keep me going. Then I was excited about having the main characters be Native, yet we only explored their history briefly in the first chapter and now we’re in Scotland?! Also, zero chemist between them. One quick touch in the woods and suddenly two people who hate each other are feel warm in fuzzy in their nether regions? Sorry, not for me.

Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are horror writers who write about their Native American culture. Pen has had one book published and Neil Storm seems to be the Stephen King of Native writers. When they appear on a panel together at a book conference, Pen loses her mind and accuses Neil of selling out his culture to sell books. She actually THROWS a book at him that cuts his skin and leaves a scar.

I really just did not understand this book. One of the largest bones of contention is the authenticity of Native culture between two writers, so of course this author sends them off to Scotland to experience THAT culture. What a waste of a chance to educate people about what is and what is not Native culture. The fact that they are Native Americans seems kind of a throwaway issue instead of central to the story which is ironic as that issue is central to their antipathy toward one another. I also did not care for the main character(s). Pen is violent toward Neil; on more than one occasion. That is NEVER cool and Neil just seems like a one dimensional character who just takes it. This book defines toxic relationships. Also, the characters seem very young (especially Pen), but have somehow managed to be in the industry for some time (at least 5 years in Pen's case). Then we have to believe that utter loathing on Pen's part for Neil all of a sudden is insta-love and insta-lust. The ghost story is not bad, but I just could not get past the dislikes enough to care.

*Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Colby Wilkens and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
A main character that throws a book at a man's head? Sign me up! If you like romance, with a little bit of ghosts mixed in, then this might be the book for you. Insert two authors, trying to gain inspiration for their writing careers, a haunted castle, a mystery, and you get a steamy story written by Colby Wilkens. While I love the main characters, I did feel that their chemistry was just a bit "off" and therefore the plot seemed to go at a clunky pace. While I love the premise of this book, I mean spooky and steamy is such an undiscovered trope, I feel that it was rushed a bit in this story.

When looking for a good romance, I do often find myself looking for one that combines the obvious lovey-dovey feelings with something more than just a simple miscommunication trope (which works sometimes but can be overdone). "If I Stopped Haunting You" though went so beyond what I had hoped. The author perfectly mixed rom-com and paranormal thriller in a way that I haven't seen done so well in ages. And beyond that, she did so without compromising a dose of harsh reality that many of us need to be more aware of - the struggles that BIPOC and Indigenous writers experience. As a white woman myself, these are things I am not often forced to think of in my day-to-day life, so reading the experience of two Indigenous authors WRITTEN by another Indigenous author was a very eye-opening experience.

I loved reading about Neil and Pen's romance as well as the obstacles they faced both just as authors and as Indigenous authors specifically. I felt like I was peeking into the lives of real people...almost. Because most real people don't experience what our couple and their friends do in haunted castles in Scotland. As a history buff myself, I loved that the history of the castle was so prevalent in our story. And I especially love that this book's author chose to give us more than cold breezes and randomly falling items as we experienced the haunting there This story truly brought creepy, almost scary vibes to me as a reader, and I ate it up.

As a whole, I loved this book for the thrilling experience it delivered as well as the perspectives it explored. The ONLY (and I mean ONLY) thing I was mildly disappointed with is that there were a few loose ends I would've liked to see tied up. Now whether that was intentional in that many real-life mysteries are never tied up with a perfect bow, or if it may be revisited another time, or if it was somewhat of an oversite in the writing, I will never know. Regardless, I'm so glad I picked up this book, and Colby Wilkens is now firmly on my radar for future publications!

Thank you to Erica Martirano at St. Martins for providing me with the ARC for this title to review!

I really enjoyed the last third of the book. I thought the opening was fantastic as well and a real attention grabber. I got lost somewhere in the first half, though. Something about it seemed slow…. How the stories progressed, the characters themselves …I’m not quite sure what it was but I didn’t really become invested until hunting for answers in regards to the ghost story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book was not for me. I found the FMC was incredibly egotistical and horribly immature. I thought the idea of the book was really clever and I’ve been wanting to read something with a little horror and romance but this wasn’t it.

This story centres around two indigenous horror authors who end up snowed in at a writers retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland. Both are seeking inspiration to try and get past their writers block. Ever since the incident at Book Con where Penelope publicly calls out Neil for abandoning his indigenous roots to write something more palatable, that in her anger leads to her throwing a book, hitting him in the face and causing her to temporarily disappear from the writing world. Penelope struggles with her identity as a light skinned native woman who has also been pitted against men like Neil her whole career. Neil is struggling with the lasting effects of Penelope's judgements about his writing causing him to doubt himself. When they arrive to the castle the pair end up in the middle of a mystery surrounding the ghost known as the lady in white. Penelope and Neil end up working together to discover her truth.

As a white passing indigenous woman, I connected deeply with those elements of the story.
This book had slow burn/tension with a spooky twist and was surprisingly spicier than I was expecting from my first judgements of the cover.

Thankyou to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me this ARC! So first of all this was definitely a new read for me. I was hesitant about a horror and romance book in one but this was surprisingly a fun and nice read. This book sets in a remote and haunted Scottish castle! The slow burn romance could of been speed up a bit I felt like there was some fillers that weren’t needed but that’s my only complaint! Definitely give this book a 3 and a half stars! It’s definitely something worth reading and seeing if it’s your vibe!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! I hate to say it, but Pen and Neil were kind of on my nerves. First, the book starts where you have a main female character who seemingly loses her mind with jealousy and rage and throws a book at a fellow author at and event and scars him? Not ok. Then it becomes even less ok when they are in the same vicinity again and all of a sudden keep having all the feels about each other? I kind of feel sad for both of them because she needs to handle her issues, and I guess he does, too, because dude-the scar! I guess she’s cute, but-the scar! Furthermore, the ghost story started off kind of cool and creepy and then flopped for me because-the basis of the haunting? Weak. And so many things at their fingertips where they could all do some investigative work but choose to make out and risk their lives jumping right into the haunting instead? It just didn’t feel realistic for me. The writer’s retreat they were on also felt like just some friends playing some creative writing games for kids. The story had potential but really fell short. It has language and detailed sexual situations that, frankly, I wasn’t interested in because I felt like they needed to do a little more Scooby Doo than getting all up in each other’s business.

I cannot decide if this wasn’t the best book or it just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure the author did a good job on execution.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read this book.

I wanted to love this book, I tried very hard to connect with it and unfortunately I just could not. It took me almost a month to finally find the courage to finish it. While it was not a bad book, it just was not for me. I did not feel any connection to the story or the characters. The spicy bits were good, the rest of the story just was not exciting for me.

Maybe one day I’ll buy the book and give it another chance.

Okay hear me out. A spooky enemies-to-lovers tale that takes place at a writing retreat at a castle in Scotland. It's like Colby Wilkens read my diary and then wrote a book involving all my favorite things. 5 stars. 10 stars if that was an option.

Solid 3.75/5 ⭐️ 1/5 🌶
Four months after an embarrassing book convention that ends with Pen chucking a book at her “rival” she finds her self stuck at a writer’s retreat with him in a haunted castle in Scotland. After several scary ghost sightings and a snowstorm, the two find them selves going from “enemies” to allies to lovers. When you fully immerse into the creepy castle atmosphere the story flows and the romance between Pen and Neil is just adorable once they stop with the petty arguments 😂👻📖

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book. I really loved the overall theme, spooky setting, mystery, and romance. Initially felt like a romantic version of Scooby Doo. Where this book frustrated me is the relationship between the two main characters. It felt really lusty and not like they had much of a genuine connection. The pacing of their relationship felt a bit off. It was hard to go from the main character’s inner dialogue to their intimate scenes.

2.5 stars

DNF @45%

I really wanted to like this one - I'm so disappointed that it was a miss. Creepy mansion, ghosts, and romance sounded like a perfect cocktail, but this really didn't have any of that? And when it did, it was really lackluster.

The romance was just not it - there was an assault from the FMC (Penelope) early on over why she thinks her books aren't selling and it never really gets resolved? At least not to the point where I stopped.

The mansion and ghosts were just meh. I think the author just didn't know how to construct a spooky setting without being too scary and taking away from the (romance?) but, I think most readers are capable of setting aside the two and enjoying a combined genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review. I'm sad that this was a miss.

Four writers go on a writing retreat in a haunted castle in Scotland. Two of the writers aren’t too keen on each other after an incident involving a book flying through the air. Perhaps they will even find more than just ghosts and their voices by the end of their stay…

This book was pretty fun read. I enjoyed following the different perspectives of Penelope and Neil as they navigated the haunted castle while also trying to defeat their writers block. Their banter was fun and it was nice to each of them develop as the book went on, overcoming their block and feelings and finding confidence in their writing and what they want to do with it.

The ghosts in the story were pretty intriguing themselves. I enjoyed learning their story alongside Penelope and Neil.

If you enjoy and fun, quick spooky read with some spice mixed in, I recommend reading this!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the chance to read an arc!

I had high hopes for "If I Stopped Haunting You" by Colby Wilkens, but unfortunately, it fell way short of my expectations. This book promised an intriguing blend of horror and romance, but it failed to deliver on both fronts.

First off, let's talk about the characters. Neil and Penelope are supposed to be the driving force behind this supposed "enemies-to-lovers" story, but their development felt rushed and forced. Instead of building up tension and chemistry between them, they jump straight from enemies to hooking up without any real emotional depth. And all those sex scenes – they were about as steamy as a cold shower.

And don't even get me started on Penelope. She's downright awful. Not only does she physically assault Neil by throwing a book at his head (seriously, who does that?), but she's also manipulative and delusional. Her behavior is inexcusable, and I couldn't find any redeeming qualities in her character.

As for the horror elements, they were more yawn-inducing than spine-tingling. The supposed haunted castle setting felt like a cliché, and the ghosts themselves lacked any real scare factor. I was hoping for something unique and terrifying, but all I got was a snooze-fest.

And let's not even talk about the plot holes and inconsistencies. It felt like the author couldn't decide which direction to take the story, resulting in a messy and disjointed narrative.

I really hate to give negative reviews, but this book was definitely not for me and I was struggling with finishing it.