DNF at 20% due to ongoing issues with author and the fact that the book is no longer being published.

If I Stopped Haunting You is an eerie tale by Colby Wilkins. Among those on a writer’s retreat at Skinner Castle in Scotland are two indigenous American horror authors who came to blows over their representation of fellow native people and values in the past. They now find themselves both in a writing slump and find themselves together in a supposedly haunted castle trying to overcome their blocks.

These two, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm, appear to be the only ones of the quartet at the castle to encounter the spirit of the white lady. As they scramble to determine her path to this point and how to release her from her earthly bindings, they also learn more about one another, forming an unexpected bond.

This is an interesting story, however I was disappointed that what looked like obvious storylines were left unexplored. I did enjoy what the story offered, but would have rated it higher if I hadn’t found myself dissatisfied by what seemed to be an important aspect that was left untold.

I'm scoring this book based on reading, which I completed before the allegations about Colby Wilkens' heritage came out. I truly loved this story. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm run in the same literary circles, but cannot stand to be around one another. At least Penelope can't stand to be around Neil. They're lured under false pretenses to a Scottish castle for a writing retreat, and come face to face with a lot of their own personal fears as well as their conflict with one another. Penelope struggles with her identity and Neil does a lot to affirm her-it's jarring to see this same identity issue called into question regarding Wilkens herself.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my review.

4⭐️ Narration
3⭐️ Story
Rival indigenous horror authors, Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm are surprised when their mutual friend tricks both of them into attending a writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle.

Finding themselves haunted by more than just their past animosity, Penelope and Neil lean on each other to unravel the mysterious happenings around them and find that they not only have more in common than differences, but they are also stronger together- in both ghost hunting and with their writing!

This is an interesting romance/mystery that I found a little disjointed with the genre melding. I really appreciated Penelope and Neil’s interactions and their enemies to lovers relationship and found that the mystery aspect of the story to be a distraction and take away from the romance.

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook narrated by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia and I can easily say that it was the highlight of my reading experience. The inclusion of Curtis and Kyla‘s indigenous voices brought the characters to life and added another dimension to them. Both mariners did an excellent job voicing their main character and differentiating the side characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed my listening experience and found that the romance between Penelope and Neil to be very compelling. Their cultural struggle are what made this book stand out.

This book was just okay for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. There was just too much going on. Was it a mystery? Was it a romance? Was it both? I feel like it had a bit of an identity crisis. The main characters were okay. They started out as enemies, and that usually leads to the spicier romances, which it did, but I wasn’t convinced that they one hundred percent were into each other. And the supporting characters were just there - they didn’t impress me much.

Cannot recommend this audiobook for purchase unless the controversy surrounding the author's identity claims resolves in her favor.

I am really disappointed by all the drama around this author because I finished and enjoyed this title just before it came out that she might not be Native. It's one of the things that I pay attention to in my reading. I'm sorry that she is likely done in publishing, but I wish y'all hadn't done this.

**** I am reviewing this after finding out author has lied about being indigenous and attempted to not let this bias my review.****

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and boy was it a let down. The only aspect I actually enjoyed about this book were the ghosts and not in a scary way. The premise of the story was that it would be a scary romance and I found none of that within this book. To enjoy a romance I must root for the pairing - and I could not get along with either Penelope or Neil - enemies to lovers, more like forces proximity sex partners and the only enemies were the me, the reader and the main characters. If the main story was the ghost - that had more of chance, heck even the main characters falling in "love" (more like in lust) with the ghosts instead of each other. Also the main aspect of Penelope is that she is an indigenous woman trying to break into a predominately white industry - only to find out the author is white woman faking being indigenous to - break into the industry - WTAF! So I cannot recommend this to anyone and I have yet to find a horror/romance where the author has not deceived the general public about who they actually are and boy, that is very disheartening.

Disappointed. Domestic violence in a contemporary romance? No. An author who was outed for lying about her identity and heritage - AND bullying others? Nope. So sad because I wanted to love this.

legit listened to this in one sitting. i think the narrator did a wonderful job bringing this spooky story to life and i read it in october which was PERFECT for an atmospheric and vibey experience!! highly recommend reading (or listening) if this haunted romcom is up your alley!!!

I'm bored, but also extremely uncomfortable with the female lead's "poor me, nobody treats me Indigenous" narrative. She honestly appears to believe that being white or white passing does not provide her with any form of privelage in the world. Being in a room with a Black woman and a visibly Indigenous man and thinking you're the most oppressed person in the room BECAUSE you are white is a really weird vibe. I tried to push through and give it the benefit of doubt because of the author's being white and Indigenous, but if her knowledge of indigeneity only came from research and genealogy, I'm not sure she's one to speak on the subject with authenticity.

I liked this for what it was, but am very disappointed to find out about the author faking Native identity. My original review has been redacted for this reason.

DNF at 50%
Giving this one three stars because I thought the narrators did a great job, but overall I don’t think this one was for me.

The tropes were on point: enemies to lovers in a haunted Scottish castle?! Sign me up! The haunting piece of the story was my favourite part. But I found I had a hard time connecting with the characters and investing in the story and the romance between them.

I would be willing to try something from this author again though.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Colby Wilkens for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

𝙶𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚖𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
- now that’s a tagline! 🤣

I was immediately captivated upon hearing about this intriguing blend, a distinctive fusion of a contemporary romance and cozy horror.

Although I never felt fully connected to or invested in the characters, I commend Wilkens’ effort in crafting something fun, unique, and steamy for #SpookySeason!

Read this if you enjoy:
🙅🏻‍♀️Enemies to Lovers
🏰 Forced Proximity
🏚️Haunted Houses
👻Ghost Stories
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scenic Stories
🥵Spicy Romances
✍️Books About Writers

3

3⭐, 2.25🌶️

This was not the book for me. I couldn't get invested in either of the charcaters, their past problems and current issues, and the spooky vibes of the haunted house were at times hard to follow since I wasn't thoroughly paying attention, so that mystery just went over my head.

**Also, I haven't fact checked but apparently there is a dash of drama circulating about this book and the author POSSIBLY falsely identifying as a native person. Research on your own time if you feel the need!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Not for me. I requested this to read in October, as I always like to stock up on "spooky stories" to get me in the Halloween mood. I knew this was a romance, but thought it might have some spooky elements. This wasn't quite what I expected, and not my favorite.

This book wasn't good to begin with, and then the accusations against Colby Wilkens are so heinous that I have no desire to spend any effort into all the reasons this book was bad. I was orignially so disappointed that I couldn't give a good review to a Native romance, but now it's just another not great book by a problematic white author.

Choosing not to read this now with what has come out in the last week and due to this book being pulled. I want to read books by actual native authors.

This book was a solid, if not fairly predictable and unoriginal, rom-com but after the news about the author came out, I cannot bring myself to recommend it or ask my library to order it. The narrators are both Indigenous and did a great job with what was ultimately underwhelming material.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!! I love a good spooky read!