Heartless Hunter

English language

Published Feb. 20, 2024 by Wednesday Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-86690-5

No rating (1 review)

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 …

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 The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch...is falling in love.

2 editions

lastblossom reviewed Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (Crimson Moth, #1)

A volatile romance with great cat-and-mouse moments, and plenty of drama.

No rating

It's rare that a book promising cat-and-mouse delivers quite as well as this one. Usually you only get a bit of banter before the kissing starts, but there are some real twists and deceptions locked up in this one, and I loved it. (Don't worry, there's also kissing.) Anyone looking for conflicted leads with angst and internal hurts will find plenty here to go around. The chemistry between Rune and Gideon is volatile, with a dash of spice, and a really believable enemies-to-lovers(?)-to-enemies(?) roller coaster relationship. World building is effective, with rules about the use of magic explained with quick, but consistent strokes. Author's notes mention The Scarlet Pimpernel (a personal favorite) as a light inspiration, and I can totally see the spaces where it peeks through. I will say that I have never seen a character marked for death so obviously as [Name Redacted], and when they died I …

It's rare that a book promising cat-and-mouse delivers quite as well as this one. Usually you only get a bit of banter before the kissing starts, but there are some real twists and deceptions locked up in this one, and I loved it. (Don't worry, there's also kissing.) Anyone looking for conflicted leads with angst and internal hurts will find plenty here to go around. The chemistry between Rune and Gideon is volatile, with a dash of spice, and a really believable enemies-to-lovers(?)-to-enemies(?) roller coaster relationship. World building is effective, with rules about the use of magic explained with quick, but consistent strokes. Author's notes mention The Scarlet Pimpernel (a personal favorite) as a light inspiration, and I can totally see the spaces where it peeks through. I will say that I have never seen a character marked for death so obviously as [Name Redacted], and when they died I found myself somewhat relieved that it finally happened so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Recommended reading for fans of morally gray, complex relationships, hunter vs. hunted relationships, and a splash of dark fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.