I had a difficult time with how the romance and horror flowed together and the transitions. It was a pretty good read but I think it would have been better if it was just romance or just horror.
Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are both Native authors that write horror. They should be supporting each other, but instead they are rivals. One of their mutual friends invites them both to a writing retreat at a haunted Scottish castle. Neither of them expect to see each other at the retreat and neither of them has been able to find the inspiration to write a new book. The castle is about to provide more inspiration than they expected when they're the only two being haunted. In order to make it out alive, they're going to have to find out who is haunting the castle and why.

this wasn’t my favorite arc I have read. the main character got on my nerves a lot of the time and the romance wasn’t what I wanted it to be. the writing was good so I will pick up whatever the author writes nexts

oh my god! i cannot even begin to describe how obSESSED i am with this title! the cover and the blurb really dragged me to this book and everything else inside made me stay! i don’t think i have anything negative to say about this book!

I really liked the idea of the book. It felt a little slow and dragged out. However it was very spooky and held my interest!

This book destroyed me in the best possible way with a slow burn that took its time hugging every curve of the long road it took to the things you will PINE for. The characterization is exquisite, the plot is hauntingly spectacular, and the laugh out loud moments are as wonderful as the poignant commentary about representation in literature and in author circles. Colby’s prose is a joy and her humor a damn delight. The horror and romance beats are woven together masterfully; this is glorious, sexy, warm art that will sit with you in your heart long after reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's, and Colby Wilkens for this eARC.

2.5 stars

First things first. I am a huge scaredy-cat and I was okay reading this book. There were parts that were creepy and I only read it during daylight hours but I was fine.

I loved the idea of this book but the reality didn't quite work for me. These two were ENEMIES before they end up in Scotland. At least Pen thought of Neil as an enemy. The switch from enemies to lovers seemed really fast and I didn't buy into their relationship.

The mystery of the ghosts didn't resolve to my satisfaction.

There's lots of sex in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

This book was a 4.5 for me! This was such a fun read. Many enemies to lovers books are all the same but this was something different. I loved the spooky castle, ghost, and the tension between these two writers! This book would be a perfect read when the air is feeling crispy and the leaves are starting to change during Spooky szn. I wish there were even more ghost just for spooks but the story having a different plot other than the romance was refreshing. The different POV's were perfect! The only reason I took down half a star were some cheesy remarks between...ghost 🤭

When I read the description for this book, I was immediately interested. Romance and horror? Perfect for me! By the time I got to chapter 12, I was hooked. It was creepy enough to keep me interested in the spooky part, and there was enough tension between the FMC and MMC to get me invested.

The banter is good, but not overly quippy, I could see myself saying a lot of it instead of thinking I could never be so clever.

If you like spooky stories, forced proximity, and enemies to lovers, give this one a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I am so thankful to Netgalley for giving me early access to this book! My honest review below :)


I honestly loved almost every section of this book. The honesty, the ememies to lovers, the mystery, and especially the inclusion and conversations surrounding the publishing world and inclusion in general. I felt like Colby writes in a way that includes just so much. Every sentence is packed with either information, emotion, truth, and even humor. I laughed so often in this book, while also feeling for the characters and their experiences.

My ONLY issue with the book is the mystery aspect. I guess that part was a little predictable? But also this is a romance book not a mystery, so I wasn't upset about the "plot twist" not really being a twist, but I wish there was more, or more of a secret to uncover.

I cannot wait for more books from this author!

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Penelope and Neil are both Native writers in the horror genre. He has had numerous books published and is a fan favorite; she has one book to her name of far less renown (although we hear multiple times that it was written from the heart). We meet them at the beginning of the book at a Native author panel discussion where she is feeling out of place and growing steadily angrier at him for being a popular author that she thinks has sold out their people for money by pandering to racial stereotypes and creating palatable plots. She loses her temper and starts hurling insults at him in front of a large audience of readers. The scene culminates, unfortunately, with her assaulting him by literally throwing a book at him and then hiding in her apartment for the next several months hoping that the scandal will die down.

Four months later, her friend Laszlo hauls her from her solitude for a writer's retreat being held in a haunted castle in Scotland. Penelope has been suffering from writer's block for years at this point and she is desperate to try something to reinspire her to write. Unbeknownst to her, Neil is attending the same retreat and for a similar reason - her verbal attack at the panel four months ago caused him to lose his confidence and he's been suffering from writer's block ever since. The two have a fake almost kiss when fleeing from an angry Scotsman and it starts something between them.

As the two begin to consider whether they want to see where their connection might lead, they become aware that calling the castle haunted isn't just a gimmick; the ghosts are all too real and one of them has set her sights on Penelope and Neil. The two realize that their best chance is to work together to figure out how to deal with the ghost.

The premise of this book is great and not something I've seen before, so I was excited to read it. It was entertaining and a quick read. With a mid-October release date, I think it will have a lot of readers picking it up for their 2024 Halloween read (not that it is about Halloween, but a haunted castle fits the season).

There were a number of places where I wish the book had been fleshed out more. The only two characters who really receive much back story are Neil and Penelope. To a lesser extent, we do learn about one ghost. I still would have liked to see more written about her back story and everyone else in the book really needed something more to come to life.

There were a lot of steamy scenes and they were well-written for the most part. The portions from her point of view in these scenes were consistently better than his.

<spoiler>I didn't find Penelope a particularly likeable character. She has a tendency to feel sorry for herself and blame her disappointments in life on others. Considering she is the one who literally threw a book at him and gave him a scar, it seemed like she was doing some victim shaming of Neil - something along the lines of "if you hadn't sold out our people, then I wouldn't have thrown a book at you" rather than admitting her own culpability for letting her temper get that out of hand regardless of her views on his writing. There is some growth on this issue, but not as much as I would have liked. To put it bluntly, I think she owed him a lot more of an apology than she gave him, not just for throwing the book in the first place but also for trying to make him feel equally to blame for it happening.</spoiler>

I wanted to like this book because the premise sounds so great and enemies to lovers is my favorite but this relationship made me so angry. She blames him for thing that was her fault. She is such a manipulative gaslighter. DNF at 48 percent

I liked the overall message of the book - to give indigenous writers equal opportunities in the publishing world and how BIPOC writers often have to prove themselves. But unfortunately the rest I wasn’t wild about. I found Pen to be annoying and childish. Blaming others for things that were very obviously her own fault. Also she was unnecessarily violent. I liked Neil enough, but I wasn’t sold on their romance. I usually like enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes.

What I did like was the mystery part, while it was the last 40ish% I had fun reading about the haunting. I think if that has been intertwined in the whole story, the romance was less abrupt, and Pen was more likable I would have enjoyed this way more.

Overall I give it a 2.5 rating. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for my review. All opinions are that of my own.

omigawed. I LOVED. Thank you so much for inviting me to read this book but I must say its TORTURE to not being able to rave about it until October! Okay so we have all of it in here folks, We have spice, romance, enemies to lovers, mystery AND paranormal even indigenous social issues. I am Seminole from Oklahoma so I truly appreciate this book and everything that was mentioned. Have I mentioned the banter? I promise from the bottom of my heart you will have a fun ride with this one.

Well I'm sad to say that the premise was better than the actual story. I liked the Native American rep, but it didn't really connect with the ghost story aspect. It felt like it tried to create a conversation about stereotypes and what it meant to be Native American, but it almost seemed surface level. Then throw in the romance (or should I say horniness) and it just wasn't working. I did not care for either of the main characters or their friends. The ghost's own story was unmemorable. Nothing was even remotely spooky.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. This was a no go for me. It was a very toxic relationship, abusive and just not something I enjoyed. I really wanted to like this book- the cover, description, and tropes all appealed to me, but it just really disappointed me

This was EASILY one of my top books of the year. (I’ve already recommended it to all my friends.) It had the perfect amount of spook, romance, and self discovery. Absolute perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.
The main characters, Penelope and Neil, are rival writers. They have a huge fight at a convention, but then get thrown into a castle where the spirits roam freely. This novel has wit, gothic terror vibes, and tons of sexual tension. It is also under the category of an enemies to lovers romcom. It reminded me a lot of Rosie Danan’s newest book, but really only because of the setting. If you like paranormal and enemies to lovers romance then give it a shot.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this. It felt a bit like the author was trying to write stereotypes but flipped the genders, while trying to touch on topics like representation and acceptance. It didn’t work for me.

Before I begin, shout out to Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for providing me with a “Read Now” eARC.

Spoilers Alert – For real.

For this review, I find inspiration in an unlikely place: Penelope’s braid.

There were three main strands in this novel.

*Strand one: Social commentary of BIPOC’s place in the publishing industry and the disconnect between Native American presenting and pandering to white audiences.

*Strand two: Enemies to Lovers between Neil and Penelope with zany side characters making bets on will they or won’t they while very well knowing “they will.”

*Strand three: Exposing the mystery of a haunted castle with an increasingly malevolent ghost.

If done well, these three strands woven together would create an Elsa level braid that has been set free from its taxing updo to flow majestically in the frigid air (in this case, Scotland’s frigid airs).

This book was not an Elsa braid, it was Anna waking up in the morning – hair flying everywhere with a random white strand stuck in for good measure (of that, I mean random excerpts from Penelope’s book that had no real context nor made concrete connection to the content). These three strands while woven throughout, did not feel woven together. The narrative felt clunky.

My biggest issues come down to the two concepts: intense disconnect from the characters and a plethora of missed opportunities.

Overall, the relationship between Neil and Penelope felt sex-obsessed and ultimately hollow. Outside of the revelation that they were both secretly jealous of each other and therefore obsessed with each other, there was no real growth that wasn’t a physical default. I felt like I was experiencing mental vertigo as I was reading.

I couldn’t get my footing in this novel. I couldn’t connect with the main characters. I couldn’t make sense of their motives. Running from a security guard? Snuggle behind a fence for some unknown reason, which is literally never explained even when the main character outright asks about. Snowball fight? Make sure you somehow manage to end up straddling your arch nemesis. Find a room that also inexplicably has pillows, a blanket, candles, and matches. Assume the ghost that hates Neil was for some reason trying to push Neil and Penelope together and somehow managed to accumulate all of those very tangible items. Like, what?

That does not even touch how frustrated I was when Neil and Penelope were given any clues that would help them with discovering the truth of the supernatural happening. Right where the main characters were able to work towards something together and actually get to know one another, they turned to sex. Missed opportunity for character development. They were given the metaphorical keys to the castle’s mystery and then this conversation happens. Neil: “and instead of figuring out how to stop the ghost...” Pen: “I would like to f***.”

And finally, this comes with an apology to my sweet mother-in-law who reads my reviews: the actual use of the phrase “ghost j*zz.” As if I wasn’t already mentally OUT, this concept alone would have had me dropping a star. Even the ghosts are sex-obsessed?! You have got to be kidding me.

This last missed opportunity is seems small, but it’s actually so big (and therefore, so frustrating). How are you going to name a character Skinner, make such a big point that she is Native American, but looks Caucasian (hinting towards European ancestry), put her in SKINNER CASTLE and then not connect them. Why even use the phrase "I feel at home" as Penelope is leaving the castle to do absolutely nothing with it!! I thought all of the focus on her physical appearance and little snippets of her feeling of belonging was foreshadowing for some big reveal.... it wasn't.

Overall, I would not recommend this novel.