this book is my first introduction to ballard's writing, and i will say the style has captured me and i will furthermore be a fan of her writing. the premise of the book instantly drew me in, both topics said to inspire this book are some that have shaped my life and carried with me through most of my enjoyments in life. that being said, some of the inspirations seem barely there. i can sense a hint of the moulin rouge inspiration but it merely seems like a copy that never delved deeper into the nuances that come from moulin rouge's story. on the other side of this, it is refreshing to see that is isn't directly and outright copying the story.

outside of the very steamy scenes (readers be warned, there are plenty if that is for you!), the world building and politics were something that struggled to grasp me. they had chances to be so wonderful and captivating, truly. but this is where <i>too</i> many spicy scenes becomes a takeaway. at a point it feels like more time is spent in a bed than developing a world that seems so wonderful if given the proper chance. i may not say this often, but truly this book could benefit from being a little longer. and i do realize there is a second book in the series, but i do not mean it in this way. driving the plot out over a longer span of time would've done enough to dive into characters arcs much deeper than they were here.

i may seem harsh with this, and i may not depending on your point of view, but i did fully enjoy reading this book. in fact, it was one that i finished entirely in one sitting and could not put down. it is a very fun read! i enjoyed my time with it and i know many more will in the future.

The cover, title, and author's name all caught me immediately. I've read others of Falon Ballard's books and loved them. So the idea of a more fantasy based one that was this pretty to look at? Absolutely.

Moulin Rouge meets Macbeth? Absolutely x2.

And while this book was a nice little read on a rainy afternoon, and I am sure fans of the author will love it. I found it okay. The idea was there, the pieces were there. I think where I struggled was needing more. More character development, more world building, more of everything.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A different type of book from this author but I was excited to see this romantasy story. It’s spicy and sexy and is the perfect book to bring on vacation.

I’ll admit, the gorgeous cover is what first pulled me into Something Wicked—moody, magical, and totally eye-catching. I was excited to dive into what looked like a fun, witchy romance. And while the premise and characters had a lot of promise, the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The story leaned heavily on telling rather than showing, which made it harder to connect deeply with the characters and their world. There were moments that felt like they could’ve been really powerful or swoon-worthy, but they didn’t quite land the way I hoped. That said, I didn’t dislike the main characters—they were interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, and I genuinely wanted to see where their story would go.

Overall, Something Wicked wasn’t a bad read. It just didn’t completely deliver the magic I was hoping for.

Very fun and immediately hits with the spice. Very moulin rouge with heavy politics. I enjoyed the Gifted plight and emotional twists. Ready to see what happens next

I looooved this book so much! Such a unique fantasy premise. The characters were great. I am so glad I preordered the beautiful addition coming out! Can’t wait to reread it.

Newer fan to romantasy but Falon did not let me down! Everything I’ve read by her has been absolutely stunning and this one was no been exception. This plot of the story was very engaging, the spice was spicing! And to top it off the action throughout was amazing. Callum and Cate are an elite book couple!

Despite the plot (which was heavy - themes of sex work and patricide from the start) this story is told in a lighthearted fashion that felt at times disassociated from the emotional depth of the protagonists experience. As described, Macbeth meets the Moulin Rouge nails it.

The spice in this book is pretty unmatched to other books that I have read in this genre. The scenes differ from one another, they don’t use stale descriptors that are over used in this genre, and actually had me swooning a bit over their sexual connection. Ballard does an amazing job setting the scenes and describing the body language in a way that paints a vivid picture without being overly wordy. But that being said, the draw towards one another seemed a bit rushed and lustful than a believable love.

Cate differs from her other counterparts in the romantasy genre as the MFC by actually doing something to the plot, rather than having the plot happen to her. I could actually believe Callum falling for her outside of the lust because of her love and affection for the girls at the orphanage that she visits. She shows compassion and love for those who grew up under the same circumstances with her, and I loved seeing Callum see her in this environment and falling in love with her for that. But I do wish that we saw more of her at the club interacting with the other courtesans and the world outside of the club. She seemed a bit too stagnant in this world, like she couldn’t move outside of the set of the club until the end.

Cate falling for Callum seemed a bit shallow. He as a character was very flat for me. I think if we spent more page time on Callum’s interactions with his sister, uncle, and father, we could have fallen for him more. And have him interact with Cate beyond sexual ones. It felt like every encounter besides the orphanage was a sexual one at the club, and that really devalued how strong their relationship could have been together.

The main conflict of the book also came off a bit convoluted for me as well. The monarchy is being dismantled because the people are unhappy with their rule, so the rebellion comes up with the idea to usurp the throne by killing the king and replace him with his murderer. This seems a bit strange in that, the king’s family is allowed to be the replacement to the throne. So why wouldn’t the king just let his kids kill him for the throne? Wouldn’t they would arguably rule the same way as the king? I feel like the plot to usurp the king shouldn’t have been privy to the family, and Callum’s quest for Cate’s services should have been something else. Maybe to help with the grief of his late mother?

I wish the book focused more on Callum’s family rule, how they failed their people, how the Gifted abused their power and caused the throne to over correct, how Callum felt of his father’s decisions, how he wanted to differentiate his own rule, his relationship with his sister, and then building more of his relationship with Cate outside of the bedroom.

To me, this felt more like a stage play rather than a fantasy novel. We are stuck at the club for too long in this book, and I wanted our characters to move and explore this world that we are in. We need to see more of the shortcomings of these rulers, the other providences around them, and more characters interacting with one another to build up the secondary cast. I am curious to see how the second book will explore this more, because I am aching to see this characters move a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Falon Ballard and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC!

This cover is gorgeous!!! I just had to mention that first and foremost. I absolutely adore it.

Overall, I did find this book a bit of a struggle to read. The world building did not feel as quite fleshed out as I would have liked. With that being said, I did adore the story itself. I was a HUGE Moulin Rouge fan growing up, so to have that incorporated into a book was amazing.

Overall, I went through this book enjoying aspects of it. However, I felt a lack of connection with the MCs and more importantly they seemed really dumb? I think I just expect more cunning from the MCs I truly enjoy and time after time both of them continued to make really stupid decisions or think really stupid things? It made it really hard to invest in them, especially with one vying for a presidency. You may be “a good man” but if you’re kinda dumb why should I believe you deserve this?

This book has spice, which I would normally love, but they kept engaging in the weirdest times. I don’t know, but I couldn’t even enjoy it bc I was busy thinking about all the things they SHOULD be doing. Like… urgent plot points are happening that requires you to take actual action (action you’re aware of that has actual time frames or puts you in danger) and you’re taking the time to partake in spice?? Again, dumb. They’re both so dumb.

All throughout the book the characters reacted to things in ways that just didn’t make sense. So much so, that it wasn’t just that it felt like orchestrated drama but made me (again) feel like the characters were just dumb or there was no care in trying to make any aspect of their personalities or actions make actual sense. I get that I read fiction and fantasy, but I still expect the characters to act like slightly intelligent (or at the very least having SOME common sense) people. If I can’t make any sense of their reactions, I cannot stay invested in the story.

Sooooo while the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS, this one ultimately wasn’t for me. Could I enjoy some things about it, sure. Was that enough for me, no. If I hadn’t been reading this one for Netgalley, I unfortunately would have put it down.

Something Wicked was ok. It had an interesting premise that immediately pulled me into the story, however I didn't feel connected to the characters and the plot became a bit convoluted.

This was a fun one! I was worried that since I wasn’t super familiar with MacBeth I would have trouble understanding it, but that was not the case at all! This was entertaining and kept me interested from page one. Kudos!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this eARC for an honest review.
I loved the cover and it is what drew me to this book. This was such a delightful read. You got me at Magic and Romance. It is a paranormal romance with a little witchy flair. I loved how the FMC is able to manipulate peoples emotions, but in a specific setting. That was interesting. And the spice? OMG! It was spicing. The chemistry between the FMC (Cate) and the MMC (Callum) was fire and I really enjoyed their banter.

I rated it a 4 star because there were some parts that were very predictable to me and the plot felt a tad bit rushed towards the end. But, overall, it's engaging, it's a feel good read for those that love paranormal rom-coms.

This book was amazing! If you love moulin rouge and Macbeth then you will love this book! It is filled with quite a bit of spice though so just be aware of that before you get into this book.

The premise of this book was unique and interesting. Moulin Rouge meets Macbeth? Count me in. The first half of this book is heavy on the spicy scenes (starting on the very fist page) and character building while the second half of the book is where the action, plot twists, and drama are heavy. Insta-love/Insta-lust usually isn't my thing but these characters had off the charts chemistry and watching them learn to trust each and the connection deepen was perfect. The beginning of this book was started strong, there was a bit of a mushy middle and the end went off the rails (that cliffhanger at the end!!!) and I couldn't put it down (I stayed up until 1am to finish it.)

I will say, the world building, magic system and political plot felt kind of vague, hollow and underdeveloped. But the fun and enjoyment I had reading the book outweighs the criticisms and overall this book was a sexy, fast past ride that I enjoyed. I cant wait for the next book. 4.75 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, author Falon Ballard and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book

I don’t normally read fantasy but the cover and plot intrigued me. I liked that this was an insta-love. I’m not a fan of slow burn but I don’t think the characters got together quickly either even though they are instantly attracted to each other. I definitely enjoyed the relationship more than the plot. I really like the lead characters in the story and the progression of their love. The story was very captivating and I was even shocked by the twist.

3.75 stars!

The synopsis for this book really pulled me in! So dramatic and fun, I was all in from the start. and while there were definitely things I enjoyed this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

I loved that the story was told from a courtesan’s POV super rare in romantasy and Cate has a strong voice. The concept is cool, but I had a hard time getting into the world. Things felt kind of vague and hard to follow sometimes, which made it tricky to stay fully invested.

The first half of the book leans heavy on the spice (not complaining it was excellent spice!) but I didn’t always feel the deeper connection between Cate and Callum. It picked up big time in the last chunk of the book though lots of action, twists, and drama that made it hard to put down.

Overall, it wasn’t perfect, but there’s something there. I think the next book could be really solid, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it!!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc!

Thank you so much for this ARC! This book was SO good! Callum and Caterine's chemistry was electric, and the gifts that the gifted have are so interesting! I just know that the next book in this series is going to have drama and I'm here for it!

Something Wicked was...fine. There's not much for me to say other than, I think was trying to be a whole lot more than it was. The execution was lacking in what was promised. I was super excited to get into it, but it all fell a little bit flat. 10/10 cover though, it's BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the eARC!