Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

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

A kingdom previously run by three witch queens, but following a devastating revolution, being a witch will lead to a public execution – hung up like cattle and bled in the streets.

Our FMC, Rune, is a witch hiding in plain sight – an airheaded wealthy socialite by day, a witch saving vigilante by night. Rune is courting many of the kingdoms elite, “trying to find a husband”, but she’s really using her dates for vital intel. Through the night, as The Crimson Moth, Rune saves as many witches from execution as she can and smuggles them to safety.

Our MMC, Gideon, is a ruthless witch-hunter – the leader of the Blood Guard. It is his life’s mission to eradicate the witches. Gideon cannot stand the superficial, airheaded Rune however, they end up courting each other, both with secret motives.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Series: The Crimson Moth [1/2]
Tropes: forbidden, enemies-to-lovers, morally grey, love triangle
Recommend?: Yes!

While this romantasy is marketed towards an older audience, it very much reads on the YA/NA side. I wouldn’t say that this is the most perfect fantasy romance, but I had the BEST time reading this. I devoured this book; could not put it down! The TENSION! The BETRAYALS! Gideon felt like a breath of fresh air to me. While he’s still the broody, warrior type, he has a softer side that we get to see right away. As the son of a tailor, he sews beautiful things in his free time and I loved seeing that. This was an incredibly FUN read and I highly recommend! I will most certainly be picking up the second book when it releases in February 2025.

Also loving the new fantasy romance duology trend we’ve been seeing recently.

Have you read this book?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305713-heartless-hunter