This book is very much giving Moulin Rouge, which I love. It captivated me from the start. There were lots of twists and turns, excitement and heart ache. I enjoyed the character development and can’t wait for the next installment to see what happened to Lady M!

First I want to thank Falon Ballard and Putnam books for allowing me this advance copy for Something Wicked.
I liked it, it was so different from what she normally writes so I went into with a very open mind. I loved the Moulin Rouge and Macbeth under tones of the book. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies of all time. I also love Shakespearean twists in stories. This was a fun twist on both, the magic elements were different but easy to follow. The tension between the two characters was fantastic and when they did get together it was so spicy (if you are sensitive to spice or just don’t like it then I would sit this one out) overall I enjoyed the story, class war, interesting magic, tension, and fated mates all mixed into one. Falon’s first dip into romantasy was great!

3.5 stars. I enjoyed the premise and the characters, but the books lost me about 70% of the way through. Great chemistry and the spicy scenes were great, but the back and forth of the I don't trust you, now I love you, now I hate you, etc. felt a little all over the place. Plot and editing could've been tightened up a bit. I'm also not someone who normally enjoys instalove, so that may be part of it. Also, justice for Dom. Overall, it was enjoyable and would read more from Fallon.

This was an interesting read, and I'm not sure where to land on it. I don't think the writing style is for me. I had some questions about the plot, and I felt like the world building could have been better.
I think I need to sit with this for a bit, not sure if I'd recommend it.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately there were too many plot holes and loose threads. The central relationship was pretty good, but the world-building got messy further and further into the story. I love Falcon’s contemporary romances so I’ll continue to be a dedicated reader, but I don’t know that her romantic fantasy books are for me.

Falon Ballard’s transition from rom coms to romantasy with Something Wicked caught my eye, and the cover was super appealing. But the plot, with all its schemes and romance, didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It had some great potential, but it just fell short for me.

My experience with Falon Ballard has always been a bit mixed, some of her books really work for me, others less so. *Something Wicked*, though, was a pleasant surprise. It’s dark, a little weird, and totally drenched in spooky, autumn vibes, perfect for a Halloween-season reread, which I’m already planning for October. The story leans into the dramatic, with political unrest, emotional manipulation magic, and a sex club that somehow becomes the center of a revolution. It’s wild, but in a way that kept me turning the pages. Callum and Cate have a complicated, messy dynamic that I ended up really enjoying, even if parts of the plot asked for a little suspension of disbelief. It’s not perfect, but it’s bold, atmospheric, and entertaining, definitely worth the read if you're in the mood for something different.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for the chance to read this book in advance.

The cover is what initially drew me in to reading this. It’s sooo pretty. The story definitely had its highs and lows but, I did enjoy it for the most part. I liked Cate, our FMC. She was witty and possessed the perfect balance of confidence and vulnerability. The story was also very well paced, there weren’t any parts that lingered for too long which helped keep my attention. The banter was fantastic, had me catching myself giggling and kicking my feet🤭 and the smut…oh me, oh my. Their dirty talk was tastefully filthy.

As for our MMC, Callum, I can’t say I cared for his character too much. I didn’t hate him by any means, but he fell a little flat for me. I found myself appreciating Cate’s POV a lot more. I also didn’t care for any of the action scenes in the book. The felt a little amateur, repetitive and almost always ended with one of the parties literally walking away. It was very much giving “you havn’t seen the last of me” Disney villain monologues.

As good as the smut scenes were, I am sad to report that this book unfortunately suffered from unnecessary sex scenes. I will never understand the need for characters to get into each other’s pants when the world around them is imploding or/and after one of the character’s has just suffered a loss close to them. It’ll never work for me. Instant ick. Instant points withdrawn.

Lastly, the plot twist was predictable. Maybe because I felt like it was spoon fed to the reader. There were too many obvious hints for my liking.

Overall, I had a good time. It is a series I would continue reading because I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes and also, I’m nosey and can’t leave things unfinished. :)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

3.25/5

As someone who adores Falon’s other work, I was really excited to see her debut into the romantasy genre. However, for me, this book had all the right ingredients but just needed a little bit more time baking before it was fully set.

I enjoyed several aspects of this book. The premise is unique taking place in a Moulin Rouge style setting with a very new and fun magic system. The descriptions Falon always puts into the scenes she’s writing always put you right into the action, which stays true in this book. The spice scenes also do spice really well.

The book missed fleshing out the world and characters enough for me to feel connected. There are several characters introduced throughout the book that I felt myself longing to understand why they reacted and were motivated by certain things. With such a beautiful premise, I was craving deeper dives into the Uprising and overall world.

All the kudos and praise to Falon Ballard for taking a step into something brand new and I’m hopeful she’ll continue because I know it’ll only go up from here. I’ll always look forward to giving her books a try.

Thank you, NetGalley, Putnam Group, and Falon Ballard for an eArc in exchange for my honest reviews.

3.25/5 stars

Okay--let me start by saying the cover is amazing. It drew me in like a bee to honey.

I haven't read any of the author's any other works (I think they've been in the contemporary romance genre before this), and I can say I wasn't overwhelmed with need with this one. The first half of the book focused a lot around the physical lessons, and I think that's what inhibited me from feeling any chemistry between the two MCs. I like a bit of a drawn out, tension-y type of feeling before everyone is professing, and--call me a party pooper--I have a hard time rooting for the characters to be together when they're off floating other, ah, rivers so to speak while their own relationship is supposed to be developing.

I liked the writing. The plot seemed interesting enough, but it might be a wrong-person-for-the-job with this book, and it is what it is.

4 Stars — Dark, Dazzling, and Deliciously Wicked

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this seductive, high-stakes romantasy! I devoured it with wide eyes and a racing heart.

Falon Ballard takes a bold leap from her signature rom-com charm into something darker, spicier, and enchantingly twisted—and wow, what a ride. Something Wicked delivers a hypnotic blend of sex, secrets, and political ambition in a world where magic pulses through every whispered lie and stolen touch.

Set in the decadent halls of La Puissance (the most elite sex club in a crumbling post-monarchy world), the story follows Callum, the morally conflicted son of a dethroned king, and Lady Caterine, a magically Gifted courtesan whose power lies in manipulating emotion through pleasure. Their mission? Kill Callum’s father so he can run for president. (I mean… ballot box, but make it murder.)

The chemistry between Callum and Cate is magnetic—charged with tension, mistrust, and slow-burning heat. Their emotional unraveling is just as gripping as the physical. Ballard writes desire with such intensity, it practically shimmers off the page. The political intrigue adds depth, and the stakes never feel anything less than dire.

Why not five stars? The pacing in the middle dragged just a bit, and some of the twists—while juicy—felt slightly rushed in the final act. I wanted a bit more time to sit in the fallout. Still, the character dynamics, richly imagined world, and provocative themes more than made up for it.

If Macbeth and Moulin Rouge! had a love child raised on magic and revolution, this would be it. Gritty, glittery, and utterly original, Something Wicked proves Ballard is just as compelling in fantasy as she is in contemporary romance.

I absolutely adore Falon Ballard. I’ve devoured every book she’s ever written and I can tell this one is fantastic too but the main characters magical powers were way too off putting for me. I just couldn’t stomach it. But if you like kinky fantasies you’ll definitely like this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
wow wow wow. this was my first dive into Falon Ballard’s writing and I am not disappointed. this book captured me from the get go and i couldn’t put it down once i started. i love a good binge-worthy book and this one did not disappoint.

let’s start out with my main characters, Callum and Caterine. both of these character had so much depth and development throughout the book that it made it hard not to love each of them. their chemistry was THROUGH THE ROOF and i just think Falon did just an amazing job writing them. their scenes, when they were trying not to die, were sexy and spicy but also full of love and devotion and you could feel that from the way they interacted. speaking of sexy and spicy… Catherine’s power?? Oh. My. God. it was beautiful and bless Falon Ballard for thinking of it cause my goodness was it a wild time and i lived for every moment of it. And finally i just love Callum and that’s all i have to say about that.

the side characters, in my opinion, deserved more book time. Dom and Bianca mainly. i just adored these strong female characters that did everything they could in their power to save the people they care about. i’m just a sucker for a good side character and here we’ve got two beautiful ones (+ many more i didn’t name).

oh and we obviously can’t forget about the plot. murder, betrayal, love, hope, and revenge all wrapped into one, how could you not love it? i think the pacing of the plot was pretty good too. it kept me hooked even if felt a little too fast or a little too slow at times. there were some plot points i think could have had a little more time and been a little more flushed out, but overall i think it was a well developed and balanced plot overall. i am also not one that loves extensive world building, but a little bit more may have made the story even better than it already was, but i don’t think much more is necessary.

overall i ADORED this book and need a second book NOW even tho this one doesn’t come out until december :( thank you so much to Putnam Books and Falon Ballard for allowing me to read this i am ever so grateful. if you are a romantasy fan who loves magic, love, devotion, murder, and a wild ride, this book is for you :)

First of all, THAT COVER! Absolutely gorgeous!!

Something Wicked is Falon Ballards first delve into the fantasy side of romance and while I think the world building was lacking I found her action sequences and suspense building quite engaging.

The various journal entries that accompanied each chapter had me so invested to know more about who these people were, unfortunately I was more invested in the mystery of the journals than I was in the actual main plot of the book.

The spice level of this book is also very high, which is fine but it got tedious after awhile. Especially when cool stuff was happening with the plot and we’d take a quick bang sesh. I didn’t vibe with it and felt like it messed up the pacing of the story itself. This is a me problem though, if you’re a big spice fan then you’ll love this!

Insta-love and capital-B BONDS aren’t really my cup of tea, so this aspect of the story fell quite flat for me. If you’re a fan of that type of story telling then you may love it. Cate and Callum aren’t *bad* MC’s necessarily but I had a hard time finding sympathy for them because they both flip flop so easily on their respective characterizations that are initially set up in the first few chapters.

As stated above, aspects of the writing were very intriguing and engaging, unfortunately the first 25%-ish was so exposition heavy that it felt repetitive and would completely take me out of the story which, in turn, made it hard for me to fully lock once we did get going with the plot.

I think the various plot lines were all wonderful concepts, the main “twist” and the mystery leading up to it was very fun and suspenseful at times. However, almost every single conflict was solved in just a few pages. Big fights between Callim and Cate would be resolved in the very next chapter. Fight scenes would be over in a single paragraph. It took away a lot of the tension and made it hard to be deeply invested since I knew everything would be fine in a page or two.

I commend the author for writing in this new genre and do look forward to seeing what else she releases in the future, I think this one just wasn’t *for me* given the aforementioned tropes re/instalove/Bonds/etc. I would be really interested in reading any mysteries she put out if that was something she was considering. The journal entries genuinely had me very invested and wanting to know more about THAT story.

Something Wicked by Falon Ballard is described as Moulin Rouge meets Macbeth. There is a fair amount of similarities between the two, mostly favoring Moulin Rouge. I was super excited, because that is one of my favorite musicals of all time.

<i>The country of Avon is in deep turmoil. The Uprising has overthrown Avon's monarchial rulers, and a decree has been issued. Candidates for the first presidential election will be selected by the completion of a special task: to kill the former monarch of their home province.

Callum, the son of the recently dethroned king, is determined to be in the running. But to do so, he must come to terms with killing his father, the key to which lies in the hands of Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan at La Puissance, Avon’s premiere sex club.

Lady Caterine has always had the magical ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who experiences an orgasm in her presence. If Callum can only open up to Cate, he will be able to commit the newly fated murder without suffering the guilt and take his place as the rightful candidate from his province. But Callum has a deep-seated mistrust of the Gifted. And the last thing he expects is to be confronted with an undeniable connection with Cate that neither of them understands, nor wants.

With the fate of the country at stake, Callum and Cate search for ways to bare themselves to each other, and discover a darker force building within La Puissance, one that might ruin the future of Avon for good. To stop Avon from violently falling to ashes, they must sacrifice everything they have . . . even if it requires betraying each other.</i>

I went into this story mostly blind because I completely forgot the plot summary. As I was reading it was a bit difficult, due to formatting issues. I realize I was reading an ARC, but there were sections that were letters or diary entries that were not separated from the main part of the story. It was hard to discern timeline and narrator at times because of this. The plot set us up for a lot of political and word building, but the bulk of the story took place with Cate and Callum at La Puissance with little elaboration on the magic of governmental systems. We are introduced to Harold, Lady M, Andra, and the other Gifted woman of the club, but they have such little on page time that I didn't really form any kind of connection with them. About 60% of the way through, we learn that Callum and Cate are bonded (essentially fated mates). There is no mention of this in the entire previous half of the book, with the exception of them acknowledging there is a strong attraction between them. This made me want to DNF. Then we come to the main characters going to rescue Andra, disguised as trees. At that point I mentally checked out, and don't really remember the ending.

Overall, the writing was decent, I just had a lot of problems with the story. I would definitely be willing to read Falon Ballard's other work, but Something Wicked just didn't do it for me.

Netgalley provided me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved the cover of this book but unfortunately found the inside overly simplistic. The two MCs lack depth. The author explains away the insta-love with 'forced' time together and then saying they're Bonded. The lifelong secrets seemed obvious from the very introduction of the characters (Harry and Lady M). Both MCs are both stubbornly naive about life - Cate somehow has never though about how a brothel stays in business, while Callum's prejudice over Gifted and his own moral supremacy comes off super douchey.

Dual POV did help keep things going, but sadly there just wasn't enough going on to make me invested in the plot or the characters.

Unfortunately this was not for me. I did really enjoy the writing style! However the plot and magic system were not for me. I’m not sure how I missed that.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange this is my honest review.

Something Wicked by Fallon Ballard was a fun and gripping read. Cate and Callum’s chemistry is instant and their resistance to the pull to each other just as instant. Ballard balances her characters’ desires well, creating dynamic characters I wanted to learn more about.

While the world building is a bit loose, I believe it being her first romnatasy book and being foremost a romance book it works for the needs of the book. The politics and overall goals of some of the bigger picture are also unclear but this is a series and there is time to delve into that. There are clues between chapters that do add to the overall tone of the world as well and gives some explanation to Cate and Callum’s whirlwind romance.

Cate and Callum both have clear motivations and intention as they start their partnership which they grow and question as they grow closer and learn how their actions affect not only themselves but potentially their homeland as well. The fast pace of the story kept me engaged and wanting to learn more, and there was just enough spice as well. Something Wicked left me wanting for more after I devoured it. Overall a 4/5 star read. Buy or pre-order Something Wicked by December 1st, 2025.

Reading Something Wicked felt like I finished a puzzle with missing corner pieces. I was so excited to read this one! The cover is a stunner and the description made this story sound like a winner. I get that Caterine is a Gifted courtesan working at a premiere sex club, but found the insta-love between the two MCs after a few days together unbelievable. There were too many scenes where they were parroting back what the other said & at 60% I was just trying to get to the end. I wanted more from Callums family, his sister’s character had so much potential! The ending felt clunky and uninspired and I ultimately didn’t love this book. I think this will work for readers that want a quick palate cleanser with low world building. Unfortunately the characters lacked depth and I’m left itching to read something with feminine rage and a badass female lead.

Thank you NetGalley, Falon Ballard & Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC of Something Wicked in exchange for my honest review.

I ate this up it was so good. I loved the tension, suspense, and the romance. It was super well written and loved that it had a good plot laid out amongst the spice. To me, it's a 10/10, cliterature with everything I want