If you're going into this as a romance novel, I don't think you'll be too disappointed. It's an enemy to lovers story - where they are two Native authors, pitted against each other for publishing.

It's a cute story to start. They are on a writing retreat set in a haunted castle in Scotland. But the haunting is very light to start and really only gets a spot in the story sporadically until the 20%. It's not terribly compelling, so I don't think it's a great reason to jump into this story.

Maybe because I don't read a lot of romance, I thought some of the romance scenes were awkward. The weird moment where they wondered about ectoplasm (ew) and the interruption of Daniela felt like odd additions that I found gross, not romantic.

However, the banter was cute. I liked how the two main characters struggled to define their writing and their stories - pushing themselves to discover what kind of authors they wanted to be. It was light, cute and I went into it expecting just that.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. ( )

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Colby Wilkens for providing this advance reader copy (ARC) of the book. My honest review is below.

Cute name, cute descriptive blurb, lots of potential, so I took a chance on the story. It didn't live up to my expectations. The lead female character, Pen, is an awful unlikeable mess. She's a bit violent, snarky, and anti-social and I'm left wondering if she's a decent writer. The lead male character, Neil who's a published successful author, is a glutton for punishment that keeps coming back for more. Their "love" affair is too quick to be anything more than lust, they hate each other and then bam they're having sex & have become a couple. The plot of the haunted castle and solving the ghostly mystery was interesting but everything else was rushed or not fleshed out. The secondary characters are left hanging and you can't like or root for someone you don't know at all. The ghostly characters complete story would have interested me more. I'm giving 2 stars for the haunted castle/ghost part of the tale.

#NetGalley #St.Matrin'sGriffin #IfIStoppedHauntingYou #ColbyWilkens #contemparyromance #ghoststory #writersretreat #mystery ( )

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland

It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.

Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.

But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.

Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Spooky castle...enemies forced into proximity...sparks flying left and right...bingo! #Deathtober read card filled.

One star off for heterosexualizing a perfectly good plot.

Author Wilkens does a fine job of entertaining her readers with a ghost story inside Gothic-novel trappings. Her domestic-violence opening...the woman throws a book at the man hard enough for the injury to bleed, and to leave a scar, and it's...somehow okay...? Like, a woman injuring a man isn't a problem but if he'd done the same to her the howling banshees would be all over it!

I was not thrilled by this.

I just barely got to a three-star rating because Author Wilkens made me chuckle many times *in*spite*of* my existing irritation. That is some serious talent! Causing an irked old curmudgeon to chuckle is a feat!

I really don't know what to tell you about the violence. You know your own tolerance for the abuse passed off as humor trope. ( )

Horror writers Penelope "Pen" Skinner (female main character/FMC) and Neil Storm (male main character/MMC) are manipulated by a mutual friend to attend a writers retreat together in a haunted Scottish castle, but each is unaware that the other is attending. They have history: they are both indigenous authors which automatically leads to comparisons between them, and Pen thinks Neil sold out to get his book published - her irritation with him, and his antagonism of her, ultimately culminates with Pen throwing a book at him at a conference. Since that moment, neither one has been able to write another thing, so on paper, at least, the retreat is exactly what they need.

The plot can be summed up as a combination of the "enemies to lovers" trope combined with that of "opposites attract." The plot fits in both, and yet, is really neither one. As we get to know our main characters better, we realize they were never really enemies, and they have more in common than it would first appear. There is also a supernatural/horror element (not TOO scary - think more...."pleasantly goth," maybe) that set up the framework for the plot and having the retreat in the castle provided many opportunities for moody, spooky, vibes. I also enjoyed the indigenous author angle of this story. It really made me think about how we categorize our entertainment "tropes" (including literary ones) and in so doing, deprive ourselves of seeing - and enjoying - the individuality of something that defies categorization.

I did not especially care for either of the main supporting characters. I thought the mutual friend who tricked them into attending the retreat was pretty ballsy - if one of my friends tricked me into spending a week or two with someone I thought I thoroughly disliked, I would've been really angry!! It smacks of manipulation and dishonesty/lack of consent, but it does make an effective plot device! The other supporting character was just rude and annoying. I'm not even sure why she was included, other than to show that Pen is queer and perhaps to provide a counterpoint to the friend who arranged the retreat? I also thought the description of the setting (the castle) could stand improvement as there was the occasional confusing moment when a trap door didn't align with the room I thought it should or a view out a window didn't make sense given what I thought I knew about the layout, etc. Minor details, but they did take me out of the story a little bit.

I rate each of the individual elements of this book on a scale of 1 to 5 stars as follows:

FMC - 4 stars
MMC - 3 stars
Supporting characters - 2 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Setting - 4 stars
Pacing - 4 stars
Syntax/grammar, etc. - 4 stars
Dialogue - 5 stars
World-building - 4 stars
TOTAL - 3.9 stars, rounded up to a solid 4 stars out of 5.

If you like romances and don't want your horror to be too graphic or bloody, I think you will enjoy this book. Based on this book alone, I would read other books by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

Things that go bump in the night!

An intriguing concept but it just didn’t engage my interest. Two writers who dislike each other at a supposedly haunted castle as part of a writing week. They’ve both lost their writing mojo and hope for the opportunity to find it. Pen’s major problem with Neil Storm is that he’s sold out his writings for success. His novels don’t do their First Nation’s heritage justice. Fascinating!
So that premise alone holds so much promise. This was a great springboard. That, along with the enemies to lovers trope should have sparkled, but I just wasn’t on board. I finished the title, skimming mostly. Not what I wanted or intended to do.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
Contemporary paranormal romance. Enemies to lovers troupe.
Horror writers Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm end up on a writers retreat together in a haunted Scottish castle. She thinks he sold out to get his book published and then threw a book at him at a conference. Neither have been able to write since the conference so the retreat is exactly what they need. As soon as they can civically talk to each other and get rid of a ghost or two.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook which was narrated by Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia. The two offset each other very well taking their POV and using different distinct voices for Neil and Pen for their chapters. The chapters are labeled for whose POV it is but the audiobook is easier to hear the change. They both do a great job with emotions, in particular when encountering the ghosts and arguing with each other in frustration. The audiobook was great for the minor secondary characters with accents that I wouldn’t have heard correctly reading the print version. But with the print copy I was better able to visualize the castle.
I listened at 1.5 to more closely match my reading and conversation speed. Both formats or either recommended.

Reading about authors writing books is always an amusing topic although I’m sure most authors won’t find the topic of writers block all that encouraging. The haunted castle and ghosts added a creative twist for the romance. I’ve toured a bunch of castles and don’t know that I’ve actually encountered any ghosts but watching the caretaker run away isn’t a good sign for an overnight stay!
I was glad when Pen thought more about, and acknowledged why Neil may have made changes to his novel. That went a long way in changing her from self righteous to likable.
The secondary characters added a lot of humor and personality to the story.
A bit gothic and campy with several steamy scenes thrown into the mix.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Dreamscape Media. ( )

4.25 stars

An Indigenous bi4bi romance with ghosts!

Pen Skinner and Neil Storm are both Indigenous authors at a panel where Pen calls Neil out and ends by throwing a book at him. Four months later, a mutual friend books them both at the same writing retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland.

I actually really enjoyed much of this book. Pen is human and messy and acts before she thinks. Neil is just trying to do his best in a system designed against him. Their banter is entertaining, the spice is spicy, and they both happen to be queer. The spooky parts got a visceral reaction out of me, which is always a good indicator to me. I also really liked the discussion points around difficulty of publishing as an Indigenous person, especially since Colby Wilkens is, I think, one of 4 or 5 American Indigenous romance authors?

I thought the shift from enemies to lovers was a *little* fast, but it worked out okay. I am not a fan of sex in the last chapters of a book, but I definitely recognize that's a me issue. I thought Daniela and Lazlo were great in the first half and then weirdly just not as involved in the second half. Pen should probably go to therapy to deal with her insecurities.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will absolutely read Wilkens' next one! Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review. ( )

Penelope Skinner is unable to hold her tongue as she sits on an interview panel with fellow indigenous horror author Neil Storm. His “sell out” books are hits while she can’t seem to write anything new. After the disastrous interview, Pen agrees to attend a private writer's retreat at a seemingly haunted castle in Scotland. The last thing she expects or wants is to find Neil Storm at the same retreat.

I found Penelope difficult to like, her reactions to Neil were way over the top. Little by little Neil broke down her prickly defenses and the chemistry between the two was combustible. The peripheral characters, Laslo and Daniela, don’t add much to the story at all. It seemed like I was reading two different books and might have been better if the author had stuck to either horror or romance. I felt the story lost steam at the end when resolving the mystery of the haunting. I'm giving this 3 stars because it was easy to read, the story flowed smoothly, and the chemistry was written well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

If I Stopped Haunting You
By Colby Wilkens
This is an arc book I received in exchange for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher.
I saw this was advertised as a paranormal and horror, and boy, was I eager to get this. I don't read a lot of romance, but almost every story has some romance. This was to have steamy scenes, which is OK in some books. So, I went into the book with that knowledge.
Now, what I read was totally different. Anyone that follows me knows I give many 4s and 5 stars because I enjoy a wide array of subjects and styles. But this is one of the few negative reviews I have made.
Two writers that hate each other act like children until about halfway into the book when they realize that they now find each other very attractive and they let nature take it's course. Then that's all they want to do.
Not one character was likable. The plot was so overused. I saw no real horror. There is more horror in children's stories. Steamy scenes? Pathetic! Laughable.
I gave it 2 stars for the ghost that had to endure the stupidity of the characters!
I hate writing negative reviews. I am glad I don't have to write them often. ( )

When I read the synopsis of this book, I felt like it had all the components to make me love it, but it didn't quite hit the mark. I love the premise, and I liked one of the side characters (a mutual friend of the FMC and the MMC), but the main characters themselves, and their other friend, were rude and insufferable, and really hard to root for. They bickered over the most ridiculous things, and I couldn't figure out why they ever wanted to hang out with each other. I usually love reading friend to lover romances, but these two didn't give me the feels at all.

All in all, unfortunately, I didn't feel like this book was my cup of tea after all.

2/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Colby Wilkens for the opportunity to read and review If I Stopped Haunting You. ( )

Although it may not sound like it, this is actually a compliment. For me, the hatred between Neil Storm and Pen Skinner was so believable that it was difficult for me to buy into a romance between the two of them. There were some downright childish arguments between them. The instant shift to sexual tension was definitely perplexing for me. But perhaps being locked in a haunted Scottish castle does it for some people…The paranormal aspect is a bit of a slow burn, but it does pull you in and make you very curious how it all plays out. As an avid mystery reader, that is what kept me flipping pages. ( )

It's a great premise: two rival horror writers with a conflicted past, end up at the same writing retreat in a haunted castle, when sparks fly between them. Interesting plot point that both are Native American writers focusing on indigenous characters in their works, and their differing experiences as authors definitely fuels their interpersonal conflict. Dual POV enemies-to-lovers story. But for me, it just never clicked. The characters weren't very sympathetic or likeable for me. I found it hard to invest in their outcomes in the beginning, and that struggle continued as I got further in. As the book went on, I grew farther away from the fmc and some of her behaviors towards the end of the book felt self-serving and callous. Actually, the actions of both main characters frustrated me during events towards the end of the book. I think there was promise to this story, but it felt unevenly written. Almost like the book wasn't sure what kind of narrative it wanted to be and the plot got spread a little too thin in trying to cover multiple angles well. It also takes a while to get moving and, for me, dragged during the first 25-30 percent of the story. Thankfully things started moving more quickly in the second half of the book. This is a debut novel by this author so hopefully these are just growing pains for her. I do like that the main characters evolved to be supportive rather than adversarial. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review. ( )