This was my first time reading dark mafia romance and I loved it! Eshe and her seven are completely bada** . Huntsman is to broody that its almost annoying, but other than that I loved it.

I don’t know if it was formatting of the ARC or the writing style - but this one was not for me. I think with some editing it would have potential though.

Dark, sharp, and absolutely addictive.

What starts as a fairytale-inspired setup quickly unravels into a gritty, seductive game of revenge, power, and unlikely connection. After discovering her aunt Abena—queenpin of the family—has hired an assassin to eliminate her, Eshe sets her sights on vengeance. What she doesn’t expect is Malachi: the deadly, brooding hitman who might just meet his match.

This dark romance has it all: razor-sharp banter, intense chemistry, rich backstory, and a lead who knows how to "research" her enemies (and lovers) a little too well. Eshe and Malachi’s tension crackles on the page—equal parts danger and desire—with trauma, trust, and loyalty all on the line.

The found-family dynamics, brutal humor, and emotional payoff made this an easy 5-star (honestly, 10-star) read. If you’re into mafia plots, morally gray romance, and heroines who can go toe-to-toe with an assassin, this book belongs on your shelf.

Naima Simone has rewritten the book on the mafia romance genre!!!

Huntsman is a Retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves except instead of a damsel in distress, Snow White, Eshe Diallo, is a bada$$ and the Seven are her best friends and kapteni (basically ranking soldiers in their matriarchal mafia type family). The Huntsman is the assassin hired by the evil queen or oba (Eshe’s diabolical aunt). Not only does Eshe outsmart the Huntsman initially, she drastically turns the tables on him which sets the stage for their entire relationship. Eshe does not wait for the hero (or antihero as the case may be) to save her. She takes on all the baddies herself and dares him to keep up with her! Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a dom/sub type of relationship because the Huntsman is just as alpha as she is.
My favorite quote (which perfectly highlights Eshe’s strength and attitude) “I ain’t gotta do nothing but stay black and die. And Michael Jackson and Jesus showed even those two are optional.”

Pay attention to the trigger warnings but I have to say, that I was much more comfortable with the situations depicted in this book than I have been with other dark mafia romances I’ve read before. Not once did I feel the FMC was put in a degrading or demeaning position sexually. She was always in control and giving just as much as she received.

I absolutely loved this book and while Naima is one of my favorite authors, I feel she has hit this one out the ballpark!!! Don’t sleep on it!! Read it as soon as you can!!

This book was SO. GOOD. I honestly don't know what I loved more: the female led organization, the obsession Eshe had with Malachai, the fact that it was an actual enemies to lovers from his side, the spice, the plot?! I highlighted so many quotes I don't even know where to begin. Amazing.

I devoured this book and immediately wanted more. It’s bold, unapologetic, and packed with emotion. The kind of story that hits you in the gut but also makes your heart race. A must-read for anyone who craves dark romance with complex characters and a twisted fairy tale vibe.

An utterly fearless book. Naima Simone is at her best with this sexy dark romance that swings for the fences and doesn't miss. One of my favorite reads of the year!

Morally grey MMC AND FMC! Who knew I would eat that up? My girl Eshe does not play and I’m here for it. I really enjoyed this story line, aside from the romance, the overall plot kept me engaged. The author did a great job showcasing both characters’ conflicts. I do have some questions about the ending though. I know this is a start to a series so I’m excited to see where it goes.

What if Snow White had a knife, no chill, and a mafia bloodline? Yeah. That’s this book—and I devoured it.

Enter Eshe: chaotic, vengeful, and raised by a matriarchal crime family. She sets her sights on the emotionally detached hitman sent to kill her, and instead of running, she kidnaps him. It’s not “he falls first”—it’s “she abducts first.” And honestly? Iconic.

Dark romance meets twisted fairytale with clever nods to the original: the mirror, dwarves, wicked queen, all recast in a gritty, blood-soaked fantasy underworld. It’s hilarious, intense, red-hot, and beautifully deranged.

This was such a fun read! Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

Unfortunately, Huntsman just didn’t work for me. I was intrigued by the idea of a dark mafia romance with a fairytale Snow White spin, but the execution fell flat. For reference I am a HUGE Disney/ fairytale retelling fan and also really love dark romance and mafia books so this was disappointing for me. The characters felt underdeveloped, and I struggled to connect with either the heroine or the Huntsman. The dialogue came across as forced and immature, pulling me out of the story multiple times.

While I expected a dark and spicy read, I found the spice overwhelming and overshadowing the actual plot. The pacing lagged, and the emotional depth I was hoping for just wasn’t there. This might work better for readers who are primarily looking for spice and revenge tropes, but sadly, it wasn’t a good fit for me.

Huntsman by Naima Simone is everything I crave in a dark mafia romance — bloody family rivalries, a morally grey assassin, and a heroine burning with revenge. Set in The Hunted Kingdom, where mob princesses take the place of fairy tale icons, this reimagining of Snow White is fierce, brutal, and undeniably sexy.

Simone masterfully balances revenge-fueled plotting with dark romance heat. The action is sharp, the emotions run deep, and the characters are unapologetically ruthless. Malachi is the kind of morally grey MMC that leaves you both swooning and slightly afraid, and I loved it.

If you’re into twisted fairy tales, mafia drama, and dangerous men falling hard for the one person they shouldn't touch, Huntsman belongs at the top of your TBR.

I’m a sucker for a retelling, so I jumped when I saw an arc was available for an African crime family Snow White retelling. This was not what I expected, but man! I am 100% sure it was me misunderstanding, or hoping for something different, so that’s on me, but I wasn’t disappointed. There was a Black matriarchal crime family, there were Snow White elements, it was spicy, it was exciting. I did knock off a little with the fact that there’s a mix of names/situations and stuff that were clear references, while the others absolutely were not, and I think some opportunities were missed there, but that’s personal preference. Also, this retelling is VERY dark. Just something to be aware of going in. Overall, I enjoyed it very much. It was funny and exciting, and something I hadn’t come across before. Give it a go! Thank you to Tor and Naima for providing an advanced copy, this review was provided at my discretion.

A dark romance full of stalking, sorry researching?? I am IN.
This was a unique retelling of Snow White and I loved it! The fmc was super crazy and i absolutely loved reading the book from her perspective!

Thank you Naima Simone for allowing me to read your book in return for my honest review. This book was so good! Mob, morally grey men who run the mob. Sign me, up! I need for of this now!

Ohhh my! This was such a great read. This was my first from this author but definitely won’t be my last. This was everything and more I love in a fantasy novel. The world building and characters..chef’s kiss!

Thank you to Tor/Bramble for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I ended up DNF'ing Huntmans at 34% because I could not get into the story. The premise itself is very interesting and why I initially requested it. A dark romance fairytale retelling sounded like something I'd really enjoy.

However, the dialogue in this book took me too far out of the story to continue with it. I found the dialogue to be juvenile and cringey. The FMC is supposed to be 25 but as a 27 year old with a wide variety of friends I have never heard anyone talk like this. Profianity and slang can add to a book but in this case I felt like it took away from it. It felt more like the author was trying to make the FMC sound cool with overdone slang and profanity. It would have been better, and more fitting for a bad ass FMC who's mean to be queen, to make her act more mature.

I can definitely see where other people might enjoy this more than me! While I can enjoy a dark romance, I'm not well versed in the mafia romance genre and I think those readers will still love this. I also think people who are seeking out a book simply for dark romance spice will find what they are looking for here!

This is not a bad book by any means, I just failed to connect with the story due to issues with the writing style.

I like reading dark romances/mafia romances, but this one missed the mark for me. I almost dnfed at about 30% in, and it does get better the second half of the book, but I think this could've been more. I didn't feel the connection between the characters so I didn't understand the spice, and the male love interest makes a really stupid error towards the end which is the only reason the plot ends up moving forward. I was a lot more interested in Eshe and the other female characters.

Unfortunately this book was just a bit too dark and spicy for me. I was so intrigued by the snow white x mafia family premise but felt the overall concept of the book was over shadowed by the lust and spice. I also felt the FMC was a bit too unhinged lol. Overall this is probably a great read for someone more used to dark romance but I was taken by surprise and it just didn’t work for me!

I loved this book so much! It's hilarious, insane, and red hot fire!

When the super stoic, hired hitman is so thrown off by your attempts on his life that he forgets to stop hiding his emotions long enough to ask "what the f* is wrong with you?", dear reader, you know you're in for a ride.

This Snow White inspired dark romance features The Huntsman, a pro hitman, and Eshe, daughter of a matriarchal mafia family. While you may think the hitman is the one you should be weary of, Eshe is tapping on your window right now saying hold my beer.

I LOVE a strong FMC but I rarely get the chance to see a strong, batshit crazy FMC who is imperfect and vengeful and is determined to get her man. Unfortunately, this is not a he falls first because she kidnaps first. I won't give it all a ways just know there are many surprises, and all of them delightful or tension-filled or both. This book is SO horny.

I also really love the nods to the original Snow White with the Mirror, dwarves, wicked queen, and all the other little elements.

This is a romp and I LOVED it and I hope you will too. Naima Simone is officially an autobuy author (but she absolutely already was!).

Eshe has grown up in the Mwuaji crime family, her mother as the oba. Her entire life is flipped when she’s 16 and her mother is murd3r3d. She dedicates her life to honing her skills and getting revenge on her aunt who has taken over the throne. The Huntsman, the boogeyman, one of the most lethal assassins, is Malachi Bowden. Eshe’s a little obsessed with him. Maybe a lot obsessed. And he’s been given a contract to end her life. What comes after is a tangled web of danger,deceit,and lust. This story was so original even as a retelling. There was a ton of humor that had me cackling. There was spicy goodness. Eshe is absolutely unhinged, but we love her for it!! Malachi has basically cut himself off from everyone and lived in solitude and numbness, until Eshe’s crazy a$$ comes crashing in and flipping his world upside down. He doesn’t even really know what to make of her for the longest lol Despite their differences, Malachi and Eshe are two sides of the same coin. He’s quiet and nimble, she’s crazy and emotional. But their hearts are the same. I loved this story and all these characters!! There was found family that made me so happy and even teary eyed!!! This book
definitely had darker themes so keep that in mind before going in and check any content warnings!