Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Falon Ballard for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am used to the cutesy romance that is a typical Falon Ballard novel so I was surprised when she decided to switch over to a more dark romance, almost teetering on erotica. Nevertheless, I was eagerly anticipating this book and was ecstatic to receive an ARC.

Caterine and Callum were both great characters. I think we got good backgrounds for both of them and they were well developed. Caterine is very focused on her family and the Gifted people around her and most of her motivations surround protecting them. Callum is a humble prince with motivations to protect his people while also gaining an understanding for the Gifted.

The plot of this book revolves around Caterine needing to teach Callum "love" lessons so she can win his trust and get him to bend to her will and the will of the new club owner.

Unfortunately, this was an insta-lust romance that isn't built on much. Towards the middle of the book, we learn about a Bonded pair but we don't get much backstory or much information on how this mechanic affects Caterine and Callum's relationship. Their relationship goes all in way too fast for me and isn't built on much. They open up to each other too quick and I wasn't a fan of the "hurts to be away" trope. They weren't together long enough to even develop that attachment.

Overall, I expected more. For such a mature themed book, the characters felt juvenile.

such a pretty cover for such a questionable book… it honestly makes me sad 😔 i didn’t like this one at all. couldn’t connect with the characters, didn’t care for the politics either. i need at least one of those things to work for me to enjoy a book even a little and this one gave me nothing.

this book is very much not for me. why tf am i reading a political fantasy with the male main character that is giving fantasy neo-nazi???? baby i can read about neo-nazi’s in the everyday news!!!!

I've enjoyed Falon Ballard's other books and was exited to give this one a read. However, it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I will say the spice level was perfect and it was fast read. Oh, and the cover! The cover is literally one of the most gorgeous I've seen in ages! While this one wasn't for me, I'm still excited to read anything else Falon Ballard writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Something Wicked is a sparkling blend of banter, magic, and unexpected heart. Falon Ballard delivers a delightfully sharp romantasy with just the right touch of mischief. I was hooked from the start. The couple is definitely in the instalust category which I don’t typically enjoy. The cover is absolutely gorgeous I’ll take 15 more of them thank you!


Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the early copy!

I have been a long time reader of Ballard's contemporary romance. I was so excited to see this pop up! The chemistry between Cate and Callum was undeniable. I really enjoyed their dynamic and how layered it was. The magic system was sexy and fun and unique for sure. I binged this and really enjoyed Ballard's storytelling. I wish the world building was a bit more developed. Avon was a little flat at times. I would consider it low stakes for a fantasy. The ending did feel a bit rushed, but made me excited for what is to come!

Unfortunetly this book wasn't for me. I love this author, but this was not the type of Fantasy I like.

I was drawn into this book because of the beautiful cover, but it just wasn't for me. I didn't enjoy the characters, and there wasn't much character growth or development. I wouldn't continue on with other books in the series.

I love Falon Ballard (I subscribe to her Substack) and I love romantasy, so I was ecstatic when I was approved for an ARC of Something Wicked. Unfortunately, and it pains me to write this, but it was a bit of a letdown.

I loved the setting of La Puissance. It felt so vibrant. I really liked Cate and thought her gift was was a unique idea (and a very handy magical ability for a courtesan). However, Callum wasn’t doing it for me. It felt like the reader is repeatedly told that Callum is a great guy and would make a great president, but he honestly seems naïve and his decision making is pretty questionable. Why was he surprised other people would try to kill his father the minute the killing window opened? Do you honestly think no one else in the kingdom wants a chance to be king? And yes, I understand Cate’s job was to keep him distracted that night, but as they say, YOU HAD ONE JOB.

Overall, the pacing felt off and the world building/politics was just too much, yet not enough. The cover is everything though. Kudos to the artist on that one! It’s stunning.

Honestly, I’ll probably still read the next book in the series because I’m hoping it’ll all come together *fingers crossed*

Not a bad story overall. However, the worldbuilding can use some help. The whole concept of "the bond" seems like a cough up for fated mates but doesn't actually have any significance. The whole election process is weird. What is with the killing if the former monarch in order to become candidate. Also, the whole candidates having to kill each other in order to become the next candidate is never explained.

With the premise of a courtesan who is able to control emotions when the person "reaches their release," you would think that there would be smut everywhere. Thankfully, the number of smut scenes we get still allow for some plot.

The romance between Cate and Callum seem to happen overnight. The mystical "bond" aside, I wish we could have expanded more on that. There has to be more to their relationship than the physical aspects, but we have yet to see much of that.

3.5/4 ⭐️

One week. A whirlwind, passionate dance of ultimately giving into an unexpected connection with a person neither of them could’ve ever imagined possibly being with. 

Something Wicked had me intrigued immediately when I read it was a blend of Macbeth and Moulin Rouge!. It goes without saying, I had to read it.

The passion. The longing— the yearning. Cate and Callum definitely delivered.

I will say that this book explores more of the romantasy aspect (highlighting the main character’s romantic relationship in a fantasy-esk setting) than it does necessarily on the world building… Along with the character arcs. There is a bit of character development from Callum, which I won’t get into because it contains spoilers; however, it was predictable and somewhat of a no-brainer from the blurb alone. 

I did find this an enjoyable story to be caught up in, even though it was a bit of a roller coaster. In fact, I think that’s the best way to describe Something Wicked. It was fast, a bit unexpected, bumpy, had twists & turns, and left me wanting more. The premise is so interesting, I would’ve gladly read an additional hundred pages to flesh out the story further.

And can we take a minute to appreciate that cover? PHEW! It’s gorgeous and I could stare at it for hours.

As always, thank you to the publisher; PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, the author; Falon Ballard, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my unbiased opinion and is given with free will.

3.5 stars

I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and then intrigued by the Mulan Rouge meets Macbeth description. While I am not familiar with Falon Ballard's other works, I do know this is her first step into Romantasy, which I appreciate.

This book started very strong. I found both Lady Caterine and Callum to be interesting characters and they had great chemistry. The side characters were good as well. It started to fall apart for me a little over halfway through and I found myself not really invested in the larger political story, even though I think it's an interesting concept. There were a few things here and there that seemed like they would be important later but are never mentioned again and the ending felt a bit rushed to me.

Overall, I did enjoy this book for the most part and will likely read others in the series but it wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to Falon Ballard, NetGalley, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Witches. Emotional walls. Slow-burn enemies-to-lovers. The witchy setting is charming without being over-the-top. More cozy vibes than full-on fantasy. If The Ex Hex had more heart, or if The Kiss Curse had slowed down to feel something, you’ll find the balance here. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very cool idea and I loved the cover artwork, but the execution was faulty and I had to DNF this. Hoping to try other works of the author!

“Something Wicked” had all the right ingredients for a dark romance: magic, monarchy, and a courtesan who can manipulate emotions of the people who patronize her. Lady Caterine grabbed my attention at first, but as the story dove deeper into the politics of the Gifted versus the monarch, I just couldn’t stay invested. The politics didn’t fully make sense and felt more confusing than compelling.

Prince Callum was especially hard to connect with. He resents the Gifted for killing his mother, which is meant to justify his hatred (borderline prejudice?), but I honestly struggled to care. His dynamic with Caterine also didn’t do much for me. They had an insta-lust moment that screamed “fated mates,” and I clocked it immediately. It just felt forced. Dom was awesome, I have to say. And Lady M made no sense as a villain.

And look…I totally get the irony in saying this about a book centered around a courtesan…but I really didn’t want to read about her sleeping with a bunch of randos. I know it’s part of her job and her world, but it still went through those parts feeling very icky.

The real winner here? The cover. It’s fucking gorgeous.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Falon Ballard! Whoeeeee do I need some water to cool down after reading this spicy book. A word of warning: do not read this book at Disneyland. It is very dangerous because you never know if some little child’s eyes are on your E reader screen. And somehow, it just felt wrong to read this book at the happiest place on earth. 🤭When my sister introduced me to Falon Ballard, she told me her books were very wholesome and she mentioned they had very little spice. So imagine my surprise when the first book I read, All I want Is You, had quite a few spicy scenes. This one definitely changed the game. First fantasy book for the author and also a lot more spicy than the previous books. It was a wild adventure! I enjoyed the book so much. I loved the characters and I’m excited to follow along in the next book. We’re definitely in introduced to a Moulin Rouge vibey world that is similar to ours and has magic so there is some world building. I think we’re going to see a lot more world building in book 2 and I’m really looking forward to learning more about the world she has created.

Definitely an amazing release for the author writing in fantasy for the first time. I’m looking forward to reading more of her fantasy books in the future, as well as continuing the series. This author is an auto buy for me.

This book wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea… however it was fun to read! The spice was perfection. The cover of the book is literally gorgeous. Can’t wait to read more from Falon Ballard 🤩

This is my first read by Falon Ballard, and what drew me into this read was both the cover and the description. This was one of my anticipated reads from NetGalley, and I was so happy to have the chance to review it! (I also eat up the fact that this was inspired by Moulin Rouge !!)

Starting strong, the pacing in this read was so quick (one might say too quick at times) but that completely made it bingeable! I think Callum and Cate had such good chemistry that it made you want more (especially when it came to spice). We also had sex lessons that I kinda ate UPPPP!! I will say our FMC is also Bi (bi girlies, RISE UPPP) but we only get one WLW interaction. Lastly, I would like to mention that we get a really positive take on sex and sex work that we don't really see in books.

I will say, I did have quite a hard time when it came to world-building. I don't know if it was just a me thing or what, but I could NOT get it down for the life of me.

Big thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this!

To be honest, this book just wasn't my cup of tea. I was confused for majority of the book and feel as though the world building and characters could've been way better. This book had potential but it was a bit of a let down

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Something Wicked is an entertaining, immersive romantasy debut with captivating characters.

This one was wonderful. The story presented delightful Moulin Rouge and Macbeth vibes, and as a huge fan of both, I appreciated the atmosphere of the book. The world-building was immersive, although I longed for more development of the political system and plot. The characters were captivating and entertaining, and I enjoyed their development. The romance was lovely, and the pacing fit the story nicely. The magic system was creative and well-developed, and I enjoyed the plot’s twists and action. Falon Ballard’s prose was engaging and beautiful. This was Ballard’s debut romantasy after writing in the contemporary romance genre, and I think this book is an especially great read for contemporary romance readers who want to branch into fantasy. I absolutely recommend this debut!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!