Sigh….this book was eating up until the 60% mark and then it just turned into a mess. Hot take but I hate fated mates/bonds. Like what ever happened to a genuine connection without some sort of universal string pulling them together 😭like they just met and they are bonded??? Make it make sense, this whole book gave very much lust. There was no exploration of their love just pure sex which gets super repetitive.

There is nothing I hate more than an insecure FMC who tries to sacrifice her romantic connection “cause she’s not good enough” or “she doesn’t deserve him” like GIRL GET SOME CONFIDENCE. Don’t have me side with a man PLEASE!!! Like some of her actions didn’t make sense and she was acting out of pure selfishness and Calumn would always forgive her cause he felt some sort of strong connection…..

The plot twist was predicable as well. And don’t get me started on how Lady M got away with everything. Literally no justice as well, how can she just disappear after a fight????? I did feel bad for Harold cause he was just straight up in an abusive relationship.

I did enjoy Calum a little more than Caterine but this man literally had no time to grieve. I wish we were able to see more of his struggle of the losing his dad. It was extremely surface level. The whole uncle plot twist wasn’t needed THERE I SAID IT.

Overall it was a vibe up until they were announced as mates and then there was this back and forth of betrayal but then would have makeup sex and everything was okay???

The cover is honestly the best thing about this book. It's beautiful and made me want to read it without even looking at the synopsis, but political intrigue, corteseans, magic and a steamy romance between two people who should be enemies, yes please! I couldn't sign up fast enough.

It started out strong and interesting but then tapered abd fell short as I kept reading. The world building was subpar. Im still a bit confused how everything works. Apparently only women can get magic, and they are called "gifted," but they are suppressed and have all these laws restricting both thier use of magic, and how many of them can congregate together. But luckily off page there was some sort of rebellion, that called themselves the Uprising, and they won, so now they are demanding equal rights and representation for the Gifted. Yay, but the old Monarchy, mainly our Mmc the Prince doesn't agree, because you know female rights are just not something he can root for, and a gifted decided not to help his mother on her deathbed so now all gifted are bad...sorry Callum I cant root for you. Not if you agree with suppressing an entire nation of females because one female refused to help you. But anyways, thus uprising which seems to be lead by men, as thats tge only representatives we see leading it, (which is weird since men don't have magic in this world) demand that not only tge old Riyal family step down, but that in order for the next ruler or president get voted into authority they must first kill the former monarch...say what? That made no sense to me...like why is that the only rule to proclaim your canadicy, then everyone votes that candidate in, even though there's no one running against them because...well you cant kill a dead man, therefore only one person can be a candidate, so why make it an election? It didnt make sense. But whatever. Right away from the begining we see the royal family discussing this in such a cavalier manner. Over dinner they're just like, yea Callum, you gotta kill your dad, no big deal, I want you to kill me, just maje sure you do it before anyone else can, I know you'll make me proud, its for the good of the world...like...what? Then his sister Dom suggests he go to a gifted cortesean who can help hom with his emotional struggles during this difficult time.

This brings us to our fmc who is a cortesean who has the magical ability to...make ppl happy when they cum. Oh look I can do that too, I must have magic! But no seriously thats her ability, she can manipulate a persons emotions but only when they cum in her presence. Anyways, Lady Katherine likes having sex, like alot of it. She takes 4 to 6 clients a night, even though most can barely afford to pay for her services. She does it out of the kindness of her selfless heart, to help people...
...
...
She likes helping them. We should all praise her because she's just giving back to her community, one cum at a time! This kind of grossed me out a little. Like sure im all for women getting off, do what you want to do honey, but in a world that seems a little further back in time...I know that kitty be stinky. 4 to 6 men or women a night...I dont care how many baths you take in between, her ph balance is no doubt way off, and probably has a smell all its own, and thats nit something I want to think about in a fmc, in a romance novel. But anyways Lady Kate has had a rough upbringing, from a young age, like as a child she was given up for adoption because she's gifted...but like...hiw do we know she's gifted if her power has to do with sex? She was having sex with ppl at the age of 8? Or is it something to do with the 3 stars on her. It's mentioned briefly once and I cant remember if thats a tattoo denoting they are gifted or if she's born with it, but whatever, she's suffered like alot, until she's taken in at this club La puissance. You cant forget this name because its mentioned at least every other paragraph in the first half of the book.

Anyways Dom requests services and sex lessons for her brother from Lady Catherine and the pair become insta lovers. Like no connection between them other than they must love each other. All thier reservations and prejudices are thrown out the window because neither can stop the fact that they must have each other. Theres no emotional connection no relationship building. Just insta love that is explained away by a barely thought out love bond...I hate soulmates and soul bounded troupes for this reason. It's such a lazy way to put two people together.

The rest of the novel is pretty much sex. At least its good descriptive sex, but not alot of romance. The overarching plot fades to the backdrop then when its brought up again its not fleshed out, confusing, disappointing, and extremely predictable. Also my last complaint...Callum is pretty much seen as a woose...like you're telling me that a grown man, in his prime, with muscles and training and the ability to fight is easily taken down and thwarted in hand to hand combat, by a petite woman, twice his age with no special training and no magic that can help on hand to hand combat....um...ok...sure....

Yea I think this one needs to be thought out and fleshed out more, unfortunately.
*****

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 in exchange for my honest review!

This book is so different and the relationship between the main characters is complicated yet hard to resist from the very beginning of the book. It’s entertaining yet emotional at the same time. I really love the world and felt like it was such an easy fast, entertaining Reed.

I am a HUGE Fallon Ballard fan and will continue to be but this book just didn’t work for me. I did not enjoy the fantasy elements (I do love fantasy! But the elements here just didn’t work for me). I just wasn’t really invested at all in either of the main characters.

I’ll look forward to Fallon’s next romance title!

I do not know how to feel about this book. The chemistry between the 2 characters was off the chart and their vibe was amazing together. I was hopeful for an amazing world, because a love a darker fantasy especially with a unique magic system, but i found the worldbuilding a little weak, and I was having trouble imagining the world and the characters. I usually prefer romantasy on the lighter end of fantasy but this lack of worldbuilding made me uninterested in the story and I was struggling to power through. I did love the dual POV and how it was in first person, really helped me immerse myself in the book as much as I could. I find the premise super intriguing and I wish the magic system was a bit more worked out, but all in all I think this is a good read for those who want a less fantasy forward romantasy.

⭐️⭐️.75

this one just didn’t work for me. i was really excited going into it because the premise sounded fun, and i’ve heard nothing but praise for falon ballard’s contemporary romances—so i had high hopes.

unfortunately, the fantasy elements here felt underdeveloped and confusing at times, and i struggled to stay invested in the characters and world. the magic system could’ve been cool, but it didn’t feel fully fleshed out. same with the romance—it just didn’t hit for me emotionally, and i found myself wishing for more chemistry and depth.

that said, i’ve seen so many glowing reviews for her rom-coms, so i might still pick one of those up and give her writing another shot in a genre she clearly thrives in. this one just wasn’t the right fit for me.

thank you to netgalley and putnam for the arc!!

As a disclaimer, I DNFed this book so my review is based off of what I did read. I was honestly just not hooked by what I did read and really wasn't encouraged to continue.

I am a huge Falon Ballard fan, which was why I requested this book, unfortunately this was just not my favorite. The book was well written and I was here for all the sweet romance, but ultimately I struggled to connect with the characters. Fantasy is not my favorite genre, I am certain many others will love this book, it just wasn't for me.

Something Wicked had such a cool setup—Moulin Rouge meets Macbeth? Yes, please. The first few chapters totally delivered on the seductive, mysterious, Moulin Rouge-style vibe, especially with the setting of La Puissance and Lady Caterine’s magical abilities. It felt lush and a little dangerous, which I loved.

But as the story went on, the tone shifted into full-blown Macbeth territory—dark, political, and pretty grim. That would’ve been fine if the transition felt smoother, but the pacing was all over the place. Some parts dragged, while others (especially big emotional or plot moments) felt rushed.

The romance between Callum and Cate also didn’t fully work for me. It leaned hard into insta-love territory, and while there was definitely chemistry, I wish their relationship had been given more time to develop naturally.

That said, the concept was original, and I appreciated that Ballard took risks blending genres like this. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Still worth checking out if you're into romantasy with a darker twist.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t want to put it down. I love Falon Ballard and I appreciate when authors are willing to experiment outside of their general wheelhouse. While there were a few small issues o had with the plot (the biggest being that I wish a more in depth description of bonding had been provided) and this was obviously a first romantasy attempt, the writing was great and it was done quite well. I’m excited to see what the future of the series holds and I’m excited that Falon Ballard books continue to be bangers for me.

“Something Wicked” is a fast- paced romantasy novel that focuses on a dethroned prince, Callum, and a Gifted (i.e. magic wielding) female Caterine with the power to manipulate the emotions of another individual after orgasming. This book was my first by Falon Ballard/romantasy book in general, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

While the plot itself slowed at times and the true action of the book did not occur until the mid-end of the book, I felt the growth of each main character was shown in detail. My only criticism of this novel is the consistent introduction of various letters between characters that seemed to be inserted at awkward areas within the novel. While these letters started to fit better at the end of the novel, I found that the beginnings of the novel and the inclusion of the letters were not best fit.

I do hope that future stories do take place and the story continues, especially to see what happens next to Caterine and Callum.

If you like the following tropes/ideas, you will love this book:
Found Family
Romantasy
Steamy Love (especially intimate scenes)
Yearning & Chaotic Messy Love
Shocking Discoveries and Plot Twist

A special thank you to Putnam, Falon Ballard, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars // I really like reading Falon Ballard but this one fell a little flat for me. I like that she went outside of her normal genre, and the original premise was interesting enough. But it didn’t come together as smoothly as I had hoped. Still very interested in reading anything else she comes out with

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I am not going to write a huge thing about all the things that I didn’t like about this book. I’m a huge fan of Fallon Ballard. I’ve loved all her books, and will continue to read her books. She tried a new genre and it just didn’t hit.

If this was your first Falcon Ballard book…pick up one of her many others- ‘Right on Cue’, ‘Just my Type’ give those a try and you won’t regret it.

I adore Falon's books but retellings aren't always for me. I find myself pulled out of the story often looking for the original story. The premise was creative and interesting but a little over the top at times. I am excited for what she writes in contemporary romance in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, I ended up not finishing this book. I forced myself to keep going until 74% when I just couldn't. I did not care in the slightest about any of these characters. Pretending to be trees to be incognito... that was the last straw. I didn't believe the romance. I couldn't get over the MMC's prejudice against Gifted. The cover of this book is beautiful and the synopsis so promising, but I was so bored. The story and the characters did not grip me at all.

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard about it. I mean it's inspired by Macbeth and Moulin Rouge, it's gonna be good.

I found this book to be sexy, fresh and exciting. You will not be able to put this down. The plot is fast-paced, full of intrigue and has a villain you love to hate. The leads had great chemistry that was simply too good to resist. This made the spicier scenes stand out a lot for me. This book was sizzling hot! Callum and Caterine certainly could not get enough of each other! Don't read this book around your parents ha ha!

The world-building could have been better. Considering this was about patricide and politically driven book, I think I needed the world fleshed out a bit more. With that said, I was able to follow along enough to get the gist of the political intrigue. This is a debut romantasy book so I won't be too hard on that point. I did think the magic system was interesting and I liked how it tied into the sex/sex worker element of the book. I liked the sex positivity here and the take on sex workers.

I think romantasy lovers are going to gobble this one up for sure!

I would say if you're a fan of Moulin Rouge/Macbeth and spicy romantasy, give this book a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this arc!

I was so drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the insides did not disappoint. The plot, intrigue, tension everything. The Moulin Rouge feel to the story really worked for me. But the depth these characters had within themselves and with each other is really what made it for me. The sex and fantasy were worked together really thoughtfully within the story. This was my first Falon Ballard book and Im so excited to read more of her stories!

“Something Wicked” is a fast, fun, and seriously spicy read that doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. If you’re looking for deep lore or complicated politics, this probably isn’t your jam—but if you’re here for the heat, the chemistry, and a good time, you’re in luck. Ballard’s got a great thing going, and I’m definitely curious to see what she writes next.

2.5 stars - thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

Hmmm.... I think this had interesting potential, but the world building fell so flat for me that I couldn't pay attention to anything else. The plot was simply paper thin with Lady M's introduction and her schemes with Harold. And what's this about killing the old king to be eligible for the new king?! I enjoyed the writing and I do think I will read her other contemporary books, but I think the romantasy needs more work

3.75 stars rounded up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this arc!
I love Falon Ballard so I was so happy to see that she was releasing a new book and I had to get my hands on it! This was a fantasy so not her typical type of book but I liked it nevertheless. It’s something about Falon’s writing that always has me entranced. The chemistry of the characters and the plot. And for this fantasy I can definitely say the character and their banter gave me something to keep reading for. The only thing that prevented this rating from being higher is that I wasn’t completely comfortable with the plot. While I will give her point for creativity I did feel a little uncomfortable with the plot. Other than that I loved the main characters and the book!