Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: February 20th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A steamy game of cat and mouse between witch and witch-hunter, played out against a backdrop of opulence, secrets, and bloody history.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

MY NEW OBESSION.

This book absolutely blew me away. It was one of those books where from the first few chapters I could feel the five stars coming. I LOVE the world building and magic system and the whole vibe of this book is dark and moody and everything I love about fantasy romance.

And yes, the ROMANCE. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I have a new micro trope unlocked after one scene. The push and pull and oh no we’re catching feelings-ness is exactly how enemies to lovers is supposed to play out. This is a true enemies situation filled with steam and heat and insane levels of tension.

I love that this was dual POV with both Gideon and Rune’s perspectives. Getting both sides of the story was exactly what this book needed. I love both of them. Flaws, strengths and all. I am obsession with their chemistry and there was one scene at the end that sent me y’all.

An absolute must read. I am so upset I have to wait for book two now.

Overall audience notes:

• NA Fantasy
• Language: moderate
• Romance: 1 brief/vague open; light innunedo
• Violence: high
• Trigger/Content Warnings: lots of blood content, physical and sexual abuse (off-page)

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