Review by Booklist Review
Penelope has one well-respected but slow-selling book. While speaking on an Indigenous fiction panel, she angrily throws a copy of it, hitting Neil in the head, and drawing blood. Formerly friends, she is now furious at Neil for the depictions of Native American characters in his best-selling series, which she thinks are harmful stereotypes. When she is invited to a writing retreat at a haunted Scottish castle, she first verifies that Neil will not be there; but arriving, she discovers he has become a last-minute substitution at the retreat. The four writers, abandoned by the groundskeeper, and soon snowbound, have strict instructions to not venture into the haunted wing. But Neil and Penelope are teamed with each other for writing exercises that take them to parts of the castle where there are secret passageways, incidents involving visions and blood, and a scary, rotting ghost. The journey from enemies-to-lovers through multiple horror tropes leads to scorchingly hot sex.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Enemies become first friends and then lovers in Wilkens's uneven debut. Native American horror author Penelope Skinner's dream is to represent Native populations in a culturally appropriate way in the genre she loves. So she's none too happy with popular fellow Indigenous author Neil Storm when he perpetuates troublesome stereotypes in his latest blockbuster. In fact, she's so incensed she has a very public meltdown. Four months later, thanks to the machinations of their mutual friend, Laszlo, they're stuck together at a writing retreat in a Scottish castle that turns out to be haunted. The horror-tinged romance that follows moves at breakneck speed, careening between moments of laugh-out-loud humor and chilling encounters with the ghost of a young woman who died waiting for her love to return. The characters similarly move between extreme emotions at dizzying speeds with little room for nuance. The novel's strength lies in its exploration of authorial intent and inequity in the publishing world, and in the spotlight it shines on Native characters, who remain underrepresented in romance. It's not perfect, but readers who like their romances both spooky and meta will want to give it a chance. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Agency. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm, both Indigenous American authors, had an argument at a very public, crowded event. In the months since, both have had writers block, and Penelope's reputation is heavily tarnished. When a mutual friend invites them both to a writing retreat at a haunted Scottish castle, they each accept, unaware the other is attending. They're both horror writers, but neither Penelope nor Neil believes in ghosts. When strange noises start, they look for logical reasons, and when the odor of decay and rot permeates the air, they assume it's coming from outside. When terrifying visions appear, however, they decide to stick together to watch each other's backs. As the eeriness increases, their chemistry becomes unbearable. Trapped in a haunted castle while afraid for their safety is not the time to fall in love, but as they work together to solve their ghostly mystery, that's exactly what happens. The ghost encounters are spooky and, along with the worldbuilding, create a perfectly gloomy, creepy atmosphere. VERDICT This forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy has plenty of chills and thrills. Readers will stay up late, with all the lights on, to finish Wilkens's satisfying debut.--Heather Miller Cover
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