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stardustandrockets's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Abandonment, and Body horror
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Pregnancy, and Violence
melissat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book confused me. I want to be clear that if someone is a Gothic horror girlie (gender neutral), this may be way more up their alley than it was for me. But I found the descriptions of the castle and constant discussion of the ghosts really slowed the pace down for me. The romance was spicy but clashed in tone with the horror and I found it difficult to get into one way or another. The big reveal at the end also felt very anticlimactic to me, I don't know that a malevolent terrifying ghost would manifest from the events that happened. It could be someone's vibe during the Halloween spooky season, but I felt a bit disappointed by the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Alcohol
csmoke85's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
rchulin1's review
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Colby Wilkens debut novel was such a nice read a perfect book to read in between series’s and even to get you in the spooky spirit
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Racism, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual content, and Violence
beckyremillard's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Penelope Skinner is an author who has been rivals with Neil Storm, especially after a book panel that cumulated with her throwing a book at him. Now they’re unintentionally (on their part anyway) staying at the same haunted castle for a writing retreat. Romance and mystery ensues.
This book was fairly average for me. I didn’t fully buy Penelope and Neil’s relationship because I don’t feel there was as much tension as a typical enemies to lovers.
The mystery also had decent build up but the reveal wasn’t anything crazy and honestly they we just told what happened at the end, so what was the point of Penelope and Neil looking for answers. They didn’t find anything on their own - they had to be shown and then told everything at the end.
Has some spicy and spooky moments, but not my personal favorite. I did appreciate the BIPOC perspectives though, that bumps up the rating for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a chance to read and review this eARC!
This book was fairly average for me. I didn’t fully buy Penelope and Neil’s relationship because I don’t feel there was as much tension as a typical enemies to lovers.
The mystery also had decent build up but the reveal wasn’t anything crazy and honestly they we just told what happened at the end, so what was the point of Penelope and Neil looking for answers. They didn’t find anything on their own - they had to be shown and then told everything at the end.
Has some spicy and spooky moments, but not my personal favorite. I did appreciate the BIPOC perspectives though, that bumps up the rating for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a chance to read and review this eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death and Pregnancy
nrogers_1030's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Enemies -> Lovers ❤️
Books about authors
BIPOC
Spice: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
****SPOILERS****
I really had high hopes for this book. I love ghostly books and a little romance is nice too. Bonus points for a BIPOC author. I did enjoy how the story was from Storm's & Pen's perspectives. I'm not prudish by any means, but every other word is f*ck so it's overused on the verge of being annoying. "Hero" was another repetitive word.
There's not much buildup from from the Incident to the time period they meet up in Scotland. It would have been better to know more about them before they reached Scotland. The insta-boner is a bit rushed IMO.
I appreciate the ghost mystery because it would have been smut and I like a plot with my smut, thank you. However the mystery was lackluster. It was disappointing and the author just had the ghosts have sex just for the sake of doing it... What was the purpose?? I'm sorry, why would ghosts have sex?? The ghost cum was ridiculous.
The "payback" at the end was lame... their friends didn't "make them suffer the hauntings all on their own". Neil and Pen purposefully omitted the hauntings to Lazlo and Daniela. Between the actual screwing and thinking about it, everything could have been solved in like 30 minutes. The last twenty pages were a drag and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Honestly, Pen and Neil's novel about Archie and Georginia would have been more interesting.
To sum it all up:
The title, cover art and blurb drew me in. The story itself will not have me recommending it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.
Books about authors
BIPOC
Spice: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
****SPOILERS****
I really had high hopes for this book. I love ghostly books and a little romance is nice too. Bonus points for a BIPOC author. I did enjoy how the story was from Storm's & Pen's perspectives. I'm not prudish by any means, but every other word is f*ck so it's overused on the verge of being annoying. "Hero" was another repetitive word.
There's not much buildup from from the Incident to the time period they meet up in Scotland. It would have been better to know more about them before they reached Scotland. The insta-boner is a bit rushed IMO.
I appreciate the ghost mystery because it would have been smut and I like a plot with my smut, thank you. However the mystery was lackluster. It was disappointing and the author just had the ghosts have sex just for the sake of doing it... What was the purpose?? I'm sorry, why would ghosts have sex?? The ghost cum was ridiculous.
The "payback" at the end was lame... their friends didn't "make them suffer the hauntings all on their own". Neil and Pen purposefully omitted the hauntings to Lazlo and Daniela. Between the actual screwing and thinking about it, everything could have been solved in like 30 minutes. The last twenty pages were a drag and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Honestly, Pen and Neil's novel about Archie and Georginia would have been more interesting.
To sum it all up:
The title, cover art and blurb drew me in. The story itself will not have me recommending it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
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