Omg I couldnt put this down!!! It was superb, the world building, the high stakes and the magic source were all a winner for me.

First I want to state Rune is a fantastic FMC, I actually like that she doesnt come across all powerful, she is learning and adapting as we pace through the book. I really love her connection with Alex and I wished the best for them.

Now her enemies to lovers situation with Gideon was predictably great! From their first encounter in this book I knew I’d love them together even if its probably not a healthy match given their positions in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be gutted if the next book isnt released asap!

The Crimson Moth- Kristen Ciccarelli- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After seeing the hype for this book on booktok I requested and was lucky enough to receive, an arc copy of this via NetGalley and Harper Collins.

Although a little predictable, I did enjoy this book and gave it four stars. The chapters were short, the story had good pace and I enjoyed the love triangle, enemies to lovers and slow burn tropes.

Although I did enjoy the FMC, I found the MMC a little stale and although he was brooding and supposed to be a ruthless, aggressive captain, I just didn’t pick up on that. I wanted the cocky arrogance of someone renowned for brutality and it just wasn’t there.

The magic system was super easy to follow but honestly, I do enjoy a bit more of a complicated and immersive world building in my books, if you want an easy read, then this is worth a shot. But please go into it with the knowledge that it’s not particularly challenging and if you are a die hard fantasy reader, it may feel light and slightly boring in places. There also weren’t that many characters so the cast and character development was lacking for me.

Overall a decent read and worth your time if you are a lover of witchy books.

4.5 ⭐

The Crimson Moth was an excellent witch x witch hunter romance story. I get the comps to the Serpent and Dove because of the concept but in my opinion the execution of The Crimson Moth was better. I gave S&D one star because of the poor writing and terrible romance and dynamic between Louise and Reid.

The Crimson Moth was everything S&D wishes it could have been from romance to worldbuilding. Especially, in a romance setting, I found Louise and Reid utterly cringeworthy. Everything S&D did, the Crimson Moth did right. I loved the use of the blood magic system. Rune and Gideon had loads of tension and great development. I loved their back and forth and the dialohue was great.

While, the last 80% was predictable storytelling, I enjoyed it and it was fast paced with quick reveals. One of my favourite witch/witch hunter romances and I'm excited for their romance to continue to develop. I can't wait for the next book after the cliffhanger.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

THE CRIMSON MOTH is an enemies-to-lovers tale of forbidden magic and conflicting wishes.

I loved that this was a tale of mutual suspicion and trying to use one another. They are both entering into the courting with the intention of using the other. Rune wants information. Gideon wants to know if she's a witch. It made the story feel much more balanced, so there wasn't a one way exploitation.

Alex and Gideon were my next favourite relationship. I love sibling relationships and this one was brilliant - brothers determined to protect one another, both in love with the same woman. Alex secretly helping Rune and torn between her and his brother. The tension was so good (and I wish we'd got a look into his head to get that bubbling mess but even without his POV it comes across so well.)

There are some great action sequences in there, with the mine standing out for peril and stakes. It's a wild ride of a book, balancing action and tender, emotionally charged moments between the characters.

I am looking forward to the next book to find out how it all ends.

"The hunted had fallen for the hunter."

I was excited to receive an ARC of this from @jonathanballpublishers as it was one of my anticipated reads for the year. Rune is a witch but has to hide this as witches who previously ruled, are now hunted and executed. She plays the role of a shallow socialite during the day while she risks it all regularly to save witches from a terrible fate. She decides to court Gideon, a witch hunter to throw him off her scent when she falls for a trap that he sets. Gideon, has his own reasons for courting Rune, to prove that she is indeed a witch and the Crimson Moth who has been spiriting away witches. However, neither of them expect to fall in love with the other.

This is well-written and the world-building clear and thorough enough to easily understand the world in which Rune lives ou feel how tortured Rune is for what she had to do, the promise she made to her grandmother who she loved dearly and was forced to betray. You feel for Gideon for what he endured at the hands of the witches who once ruled. As in life, you see that there is no black and white and I love that Kristen shows this

There is very little that surprises me in stories these days and the fact that there were twists in this that were unexpectedly until the very last minute, is another reason that I enjoyed this so much. The ending was spectacular and left me reeling and needing the next book desperately

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the opportunity to read this.

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli 🌹

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The hunted had fallen for the hunter"

I really enjoyed this whole read! It was gripping, the fantasy plot was wellbuilt with an interesting magic system, and the enemies to lovers was just brilliant - How can you not love a secret witch and a witch hunter romance  😭  The FMC was an interesting intelligent character which is always a win in my eyes!

Without any spoilers, it was an easy, but engaging book that left me reeling for book 2, which is never fun when book 1 isn't even released yet 😅 

Thanks Netgalley and Harper Collins for this e-arc!

Genre/Tropes ❤️:

○ Witch Fantasy
○ Enemies to Lovers Romance
○ Witch Hunter x Secret Witch
○ Highstakes

--------‐------

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?

Read in one sitting!

Absolutely adored the witch / witch hunter vibes of this book. It had me nervous from start to finish.

Amazing, wow, perfection, great fantasy, amazing start for a series. The whole world building was fenomenal. The characters got me hooked right away, refreshing and entertaining. This is one to look out for . Exited to get my physical copies

Kristen Ciccarelli is back with another wonderful series that will leave readers speechless. I was very excited to read this book because I’ve loved the Iskari series. Enemies to lovers with witches and their hunters, was a wonderful idea. I adore the magic system and the inspiration from Scarlet Pimpernel. I love the scheming and dangerous atmosphere. The characters were intriguing and the romance had tension.

The pace of the story was good, it was easy to fall into this book and read it quickly. Rune and Gideon featured a wonderful game of Cat and Mouse. All the lies, schemes and pretending kept me on my toes. It was a wonderful game of deception and lies. Some parts were surely predictable but I liked the plot in general.

Not going into details regarding the plot, but this book features a wonderful enemies to lovers story, with lots of adventure and romance that will make you excited for the second book. If you love forbidden romance, witches and lots of deception then this will surely satisfy you.

Wow. I had not expected for this book to be this good!
I has everything perfect: a really strong FMC, a grandmother passing down a legacy (one of my favorite tropes), really high stakes, secret witches, a broken and brooding male (oh so much brooding) and enemy-to-lovers that deserves the name.
In some stories it seems that the pair ist only set up as enemies to add tension and heat. Here it's different. A witch and a witch hunter, both playing each other for their purposes. And while you know this can't fly, you're still rooting for them.
Three story, worldbuilding and mythology are really great and deep and there's so much more to discover. The ending is incredibly good, sorting everything new and promising much more adventures, angst and broken hearts in book 2.

5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the eARC!

#CrimsonMoth #netgalley #bookstagram

I did enjoy this but did find it slow to get into and even then it was more character driven I found than plot driven. (I like heavy plot) However, I never saw one of the twists coming and loved the second half of the book and began really enjoying the characters. Loved the ending and will be picking up book 2 when it comes out!

4.5 stars

This book was highly addictive and kept me up way past my bedtime! I couldn’t put it down, it was super fast paced and I absolutely fell in love with the characters. It has that romantasy ingredient that has you internally squealing like a 12 yr old.

I will say this is one of those where you shouldn’t think too hard as it’s more flash than substance at times. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed and I think some of the characters motives were somewhat random/questionable at times. Having said that I still had a moth shaped hole in my heart after reading this and will definitely be pre-ordering book 2 asap.

This book was absolutely amazing! I’m not a huge fan of witchy novels as it is, but this kept me completely gripped. Rune is a silly debutante by day and a vigilante by night, saving witches from persecution from a witch hunting regime. In her quest to save witches and gather intelligence, she has to get up close and personal with the most predominant witch hunter in her city, who also happens to be her best male friends older brother. But he has his own agenda - he suspects her of being the elusive crimson moth and needs to get close to her in order to verify his suspicions…

The characters in this are amazing, it’s true enemies to lovers which is rare and has plenty of twists and turns. Would recommend.

"I will never stop hunting you, Rune Winters. No matter where you go, I will come for you"

Cue a wistful sign and a new book boyfriend by the name of Gideon Sharpe to obsess over.

I could not put this book down. I don't know if
Ciccarelli is casting their own magic spell but I was spellbound into turning page after page into the early hours.
If you like any of the following: Enemies-to-Lovers, a game of cat and mouse, fake dating and a delightful smattering of betrayal, this book will not disappoint.

Ciccarelli's world building is *chef's kiss* the setting, the history and the magic system were unique and gripping. I adored the ideas of blood magic and scars being an indicator of witchcraft, it upped the peril levels and stakes for those being hunted.

The characters of Rune and Gideon were fleshed out to perfection, I devoured both view points, their relationship and it development is delicious.

As the plot unfurled, it was Witch vs Witch Hunter, both clever and calculated, trying to outsmart each other in their game of cat and mouse. It was addictive, their chemistry was off the charts as they went from pretending to use each other for their own schemes into falling for the enemy for real before the bitter taste of betrayal ruins everything.

I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins/Magpie for the ARC!

***ARC review through NetGalley***

*Spoiler free review*

4.5 stars.
This book gripped me from the very beginning.
I don't personally like the miscommunication trope but while this could fall into that category, it was completely different at the same time. I loved the character dynamics, the romance, the magic, all of it!
Gideon Sharpe is... Just beautiful!
I would have liked a different ending but without any spoilers I can't say what I'd like to have happened. Also if this is going to be a series I think it ended in a really good way.
The writing style is perfect for the world building. It didn't feel forced at any point and neither did it come across as cringy in the dialogue.
Fully recommend this! I look forward to seeing how this story evolves.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

<i>“I’m afraid you’ll be the end of me”</i>

3.5 stars but rounded it up to 4 because enemies to lovers was done just right. I’m also a sucker for a good witch/winter hunter trope, so... there’s that.

If you like slow burn, enemies to lovers, witches & witch hunters, a game of cat and mouse, and fake dating <spoiler>with a hint of betrayal</spoiler> this story is definitely for you.

Rune Winters, who is our FMC, is a witch who is hiding in a world where witches are being hunted down. Gideon Sharpe, our MMC, is the witch hunter who is searching for the elusive Crimson Moth aka <spoiler>Rune</spoiler>. When it comes to Gideon, I liked the fact that he was the one going through a certain trauma and not the FMC. It was something new, at last.

Whilst I enjoyed their interactions and bickering, their chemistry was off and I did not really feel it. It felt flat.. there were so many opportunities to "grab it by the hair" and make them more "alive" and believable, but it just didn’t deliver in that field.

The Crimson Moth is a great take on a witch x witch hunter romance. I really loved the story and found it to be super engaging. I’ve been struggling to get into books recently and this one caught my interest immediately. The magic system especially interesting, I thought the idea of the scars being an indicator of witchcraft to be really unique.

However, I do think there were some small things I probably would have changed about this book. Mainly the recurring theme of how small Rune was in comparison to Gideon. This is such a common trope in books and I just think it’s getting overused. It sort of made me question how Rune was getting away with being the Crimson Moth if she was as tiny and helpless as the author was leading us to believe. I don’t think the constant mentioning of this added anything to the story, in fact I think it made it a little bit less convincing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a great start to the series and I am really excited to see what direction the author takes it in.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harpercollins UK, for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this books. I think it could be one of my favourite reads of the year. It's going to be hard to find a book that tops this one. I went into this book not knowing much, just that it was a Witch x Witch Hunter enemies to lovers book and let me tell you it didn't disappoint.
If you're a fan of enemies to lovers, slow burn, fake dating, Witch and Witch hunter and an amazing magic system then this book is for you.
Our main girl Rune is a Witch in hiding. She's a gossiping socialite by day but when night comes she's The Crimson Moth doing her best to save all the Witches she can from being purged. While trying to find the Witch her grandmother told her to find she realises the Witch has already been found by none other than The Blood Guard. Rune needs as much information as she can get and the only way to do so is to court her best friends brother who happens to be a Captain of said guard. While she is using him for information on the Witches where abouts the Captain has ulterior motives himself and he has suspicions on who the Crimson Moth is. While they are both in this fake courtship they learn more about each other and it might not be as fake as they thought. But with them both on the opposite sides of the law it doesn't end well.
I loved both Rune and Gideon so much and loved reading about there game of cat and mouse. This book has everything you need and more. I couldn't put it down and let me worn you; it ends on a cliff hanger. You bet I will be preorder both books when I can.

I have read The Last Namsara series by Ciccarelli and really enjoyed them.

After reading The Crimson Moth I AM UTTERLY BEWITCHED by this new series. I could not put it down at all, the plot just kept getting better and more tangled, twisted and exciting. I loved the secretly a witch x witch hunter pairing where both of them pretended to love each other just to gain information and reach their goals… until they fell in love for real. And betray each other.

The setting, the history and the magic system are all unique and adds a delicious twist to the world Ciccarelli has created. I cannot wait to see where book 2 leads!!!

This was such a good read! Enemies to lovers to enemies again with a whole lot of great story telling between. Beautiful and heart wrenching- I love it