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Hunted Kingdom #1
Huntsman
Welcome to the dark world of The Hunted Kingdom where the daughters of modern-day mob families are reimagined fairytale princesses like you’ve never seen before. In Huntsman, family is power... and power is everything.
Nine years ago, my aunt took everything from me.
My world. My throne. My mother.
I’ve bided my time since then, serving under her in the Mwuaji crime family, but she’s crossed another line. She put a price on my head, sending the legendary assassin the Huntsman, Malachi Bowden, after me.
The Huntsman’s never failed a contract before, but I know everything there is to know about him. It’s finally time for me to take my revenge and finish the war my aunt started.
The Huntsman might be my death. But Malachi Bowden?
He’s my weakness.
Nine years ago, my aunt took everything from me.
My world. My throne. My mother.
I’ve bided my time since then, serving under her in the Mwuaji crime family, but she’s crossed another line. She put a price on my head, sending the legendary assassin the Huntsman, Malachi Bowden, after me.
The Huntsman’s never failed a contract before, but I know everything there is to know about him. It’s finally time for me to take my revenge and finish the war my aunt started.
The Huntsman might be my death. But Malachi Bowden?
He’s my weakness.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2025
698 people are currently reading
22343 people want to read
About the author
Naima Simone
172 books2,195 followersPublished since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 547 reviews
dnf
May 18, 2025dnf @ 11%
i tried my best to give this a try because the premise sounded unique but this was just not good. the writing was terrible and the dialogue was deeply corny. you can tell the writer is an older woman trying to sound a lot younger than what she is, but in return it just makes the main character sound older which is fine but why not just make her older? i also think the author tried to hard to make this author sound badass, i think it takes a certain level of skill to write a badass character that doesn’t feel forced and corny. unfortunately the other does not possess that skill. also why was the word “unalive” used in this book? the point of that word is because tik tok censors people. in what world would an assassin be using unalive? its a book! it doesnt need to be censored! it just give’s chronically online.
i tried my best to give this a try because the premise sounded unique but this was just not good. the writing was terrible and the dialogue was deeply corny. you can tell the writer is an older woman trying to sound a lot younger than what she is, but in return it just makes the main character sound older which is fine but why not just make her older? i also think the author tried to hard to make this author sound badass, i think it takes a certain level of skill to write a badass character that doesn’t feel forced and corny. unfortunately the other does not possess that skill. also why was the word “unalive” used in this book? the point of that word is because tik tok censors people. in what world would an assassin be using unalive? its a book! it doesnt need to be censored! it just give’s chronically online.
September 22, 2025
This mafia romance fairytale reimagining novel was great! It was extremely tense, emotional, adventurous and addicting! It came with a clear thesis, a strong and ambitious female protagonist and a very dark romance. This was a fast to medium paced read that kept me interested and engaged throughout most of the book. It came with a great premise and it was well executed. This book was action packed! I love reading dark romance and this book definitely came with all of those elements in it!
This has danger, betrayal, power dynamics, mafia family politics and a morally grey hero. I enjoyed the world building, the forced proximity and the enemies to lovers trope! I really wish the characters in the book were more developed and gave me more of a background to them. I do feel the main characters attraction to one another was a bit rushed, I would have liked it if had more time to develop. However, I really enjoyed the plot structure, the dark setting and the overall story! I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars!
Be sure to check the content warnings! This is a dark romance book, so some of the content may be triggering to some readers. This book reminded me of mafia type movies and shows.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Naima Simone and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is expected to be published on October 21, 2025!
This has danger, betrayal, power dynamics, mafia family politics and a morally grey hero. I enjoyed the world building, the forced proximity and the enemies to lovers trope! I really wish the characters in the book were more developed and gave me more of a background to them. I do feel the main characters attraction to one another was a bit rushed, I would have liked it if had more time to develop. However, I really enjoyed the plot structure, the dark setting and the overall story! I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars!
Be sure to check the content warnings! This is a dark romance book, so some of the content may be triggering to some readers. This book reminded me of mafia type movies and shows.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Naima Simone and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is expected to be published on October 21, 2025!
December 8, 2025
but I finished it and that’s a success in my book
October 13, 2025
3.25 ★— A spicy Snow White fairytale retelling set in a mafia world isn’t something I’ve indulged in before, so I went into this with a lot of curiosity and ended up quite entertained! That said, this book definitely felt a bit brief when it came to plot and story.
Eshe wants revenge. After her mother’s death at the hands of her aunt, she’s determined to take back what’s rightfully hers. Not foiled by the huntsman, she can’t help but be distracted by him.
The beginning of this book throws you straight into the action, moving through the setup at a breakneck pace. I really wished it had slowed down and expanded more, which would have helped ground the story overall. Much of it gave off the impression of being more erotica than spicy romance. There was plenty of heat, but the plot felt rushed in comparison.
I also didn’t love the amount of pop culture references and slang, and Eshe, the heroine, sometimes came off a bit over the top with her confidence and posturing, which made it hard to really connect with her as a main character.
I’d recommend this to readers who are in the mood for an unserious, entertaining time and don’t mind a smutty story where worldbuilding takes a backseat.
🎧 Audiobook Note
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual
I really liked the tone of the female narrator and thought her performance elevated much of the book. The male narrator was also solid, though the dialogue’s heavy use of slang sometimes pulled me out of the story and affected my listening experience.
_________
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Eshe wants revenge. After her mother’s death at the hands of her aunt, she’s determined to take back what’s rightfully hers. Not foiled by the huntsman, she can’t help but be distracted by him.
The beginning of this book throws you straight into the action, moving through the setup at a breakneck pace. I really wished it had slowed down and expanded more, which would have helped ground the story overall. Much of it gave off the impression of being more erotica than spicy romance. There was plenty of heat, but the plot felt rushed in comparison.
I also didn’t love the amount of pop culture references and slang, and Eshe, the heroine, sometimes came off a bit over the top with her confidence and posturing, which made it hard to really connect with her as a main character.
I’d recommend this to readers who are in the mood for an unserious, entertaining time and don’t mind a smutty story where worldbuilding takes a backseat.
🎧 Audiobook Note
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual
I really liked the tone of the female narrator and thought her performance elevated much of the book. The male narrator was also solid, though the dialogue’s heavy use of slang sometimes pulled me out of the story and affected my listening experience.
_________
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
October 18, 2025
I've been reading Naima Simone for over a decade, and this might just be my new favorite by her! Huntsman is action-packed, addictive, entertaining, culturally relative (read: Black ass) books I've read this year. I'm loving the current wave of having Black women mafia queens who are stabby and unhinged, fueled by anger and blood thirst!
This is a Snow White reimagining and I had fun! Eshe is kidnapped and tortured as a teen and soon after returning home, her mother, the mafia queen, is murdered in cold blood. Over the years, Eshe grows suspicious of her aunt as the culprit—the new queen who is power drunk and morally black. When Eshe discovers she has a hit on her head and The Huntsman, Malachi, has been sent to collect, Eshe grapples with her desire for him and her desire for revenge.
Eshe and Malachi matched each other's freak on multiple levels, they were so equally-matched and it was hilarious how they ping ponged between fighting, wanting to k*ll each other, and jumping each other's bones LOL. The fight scenes were so much fun and John Wick-esque, Eshe's seven were all so strong and dynamic, and both MCs had a very well-developed backstory and arc progression. I had so much fun reading!
The narration was incredibly entertaining. Trei Taylor and Myles Montgomery did a phenomenal job bodying and embodying their roles! This book is extremely spicy; like I knew what I was getting into with a Naima Simone book, but gollyyyyyy (complimentary)!
I did feel like the actual romance aspect could have been fleshed out more—I could buy Eshe falling for Malachi because she had been watching him and knew everything about him before ever speaking to him, but Malachi could have done more in the way of being equally obsessive. With that said, the love story works anyway because I could just tell myself Malachi is absolutely crazy and that's why he loves that absolutely crazy woman. That works for me!
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Bramble for the physical galley, and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!
5 ⭐️s
4 🌶️
🚨 Out 10/21/25
This is a Snow White reimagining and I had fun! Eshe is kidnapped and tortured as a teen and soon after returning home, her mother, the mafia queen, is murdered in cold blood. Over the years, Eshe grows suspicious of her aunt as the culprit—the new queen who is power drunk and morally black. When Eshe discovers she has a hit on her head and The Huntsman, Malachi, has been sent to collect, Eshe grapples with her desire for him and her desire for revenge.
Eshe and Malachi matched each other's freak on multiple levels, they were so equally-matched and it was hilarious how they ping ponged between fighting, wanting to k*ll each other, and jumping each other's bones LOL. The fight scenes were so much fun and John Wick-esque, Eshe's seven were all so strong and dynamic, and both MCs had a very well-developed backstory and arc progression. I had so much fun reading!
The narration was incredibly entertaining. Trei Taylor and Myles Montgomery did a phenomenal job bodying and embodying their roles! This book is extremely spicy; like I knew what I was getting into with a Naima Simone book, but gollyyyyyy (complimentary)!
I did feel like the actual romance aspect could have been fleshed out more—I could buy Eshe falling for Malachi because she had been watching him and knew everything about him before ever speaking to him, but Malachi could have done more in the way of being equally obsessive. With that said, the love story works anyway because I could just tell myself Malachi is absolutely crazy and that's why he loves that absolutely crazy woman. That works for me!
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Bramble for the physical galley, and Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!
5 ⭐️s
4 🌶️
🚨 Out 10/21/25
Read
August 19, 2025this is indeed a book, and i did read it.
November 2, 2025
it took everything in me to finish this god awful book! The writing and verbiage was horrible. Unalive??? In a book?? This isn't social media and if the word dead triggers reader... don't read dark romances.... don't waste your money. This book is definitely going in the donation pile!
October 20, 2025
This was a fun, twisted and very spice take on the Snow White fairytale told with dark mafia vibes. Naima Simone never fails to deliver heart and heat. But add in a lot of unaliving with this one because "Snow White"-Eshe is not a sweet little princess. She was a vengeful assassin who is coming for "The Queen". This story was a hit! Pun intended. I highly recommend for a wild dark ride. Happy reading!
November 15, 2025
DNF at 60%. Normally, if I was this far in a book I’d finish, but it’s just too awful to continue. The writing is so forced, dialogue between characters isn’t organic, and the amount of times the author writes ‘muthafucka’ is both embarrassing and infuriating. The whole story is down right boring, I caught my mind wandering more times than I care to admit. The author used a lot of current slang which fell completely flat and made everything cringy. Read anything but this please.
September 1, 2025
Made it 15%. DNF. The Gangsta talk that only happens part of the time was annoying. This just didn’t do it for me.
October 24, 2025
I don't know what's been in my water lately, but the retellings I've been reading have been hot and perfect for the season.
Huntsman by Naima Simone is dark, addictive, twisted and had all the mafia, enemies to lovers vibes wrapped up in a Snow White sort of retelling and I ate it up!
From the beginning, we are brought right into the action with an assassination that ends up being the catalyst to the whole story and the "why" of Eshe and her actions. She's a strong AF FMC that has a hit out on her, a mother that was murdered in cold blood and an aunt that is suspicious AF and is consumed with feeding into her power as the head of their family. The Huntsman is supposed to take Eshe out, but when these two go toe to toe, they have a lot more between them than revenge.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and really enjoyed the performances from Trei Taylor and Myles Washington. You could feel the badass Black characters brought to life in a very graphic and cinematic way. From their desires to k*ill or to f*ck one another, you couldn't help but be excited by their antics, no matter how dark they went. Their dynamic is just darn good entertainment.
If you're looking for a retelling that is out of the box and on the nose with the pop culture references and has just enough darkness and mafia mixed with the "fairy tale" aspect, then don't pass up Huntsman.
Huntsman by Naima Simone is dark, addictive, twisted and had all the mafia, enemies to lovers vibes wrapped up in a Snow White sort of retelling and I ate it up!
From the beginning, we are brought right into the action with an assassination that ends up being the catalyst to the whole story and the "why" of Eshe and her actions. She's a strong AF FMC that has a hit out on her, a mother that was murdered in cold blood and an aunt that is suspicious AF and is consumed with feeding into her power as the head of their family. The Huntsman is supposed to take Eshe out, but when these two go toe to toe, they have a lot more between them than revenge.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and really enjoyed the performances from Trei Taylor and Myles Washington. You could feel the badass Black characters brought to life in a very graphic and cinematic way. From their desires to k*ill or to f*ck one another, you couldn't help but be excited by their antics, no matter how dark they went. Their dynamic is just darn good entertainment.
If you're looking for a retelling that is out of the box and on the nose with the pop culture references and has just enough darkness and mafia mixed with the "fairy tale" aspect, then don't pass up Huntsman.
November 15, 2025
A dark Snow White retelling, this book was wildly entertaining! I picked this up because a) I love Naima Simone's writing and b) there was a review calling it ludicrous lol. This book was definitely wild (in the best way possible) and was exactly the kind of entertainment I was looking for. The characters are all comfortable in who they are and what they do for a living so be aware that this is definitely not a light romance. Highly recommend for anyone who loves darker romance + unique fairy tale re-tellings. I'm really glad to see that this is going to be a series and not a one-off.
April 4, 2026
Huntsman by Naima Simone
Hunted Kingdom series #1. Dark fantasy, fairytale retelling. Romance erotica. Morally gray.
Modern day Cinderella retold in a modern day mob family world.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Myles Washington and Trei Taylor. The performances bring the characters and story to vivid life with accents, distinct dialects and deep emotion. Highly recommended to get an internal visual of this dark world.
Dark, gritty, sexually explicit, and stunning.
Hunted Kingdom series #1. Dark fantasy, fairytale retelling. Romance erotica. Morally gray.
Modern day Cinderella retold in a modern day mob family world.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook narrated by Myles Washington and Trei Taylor. The performances bring the characters and story to vivid life with accents, distinct dialects and deep emotion. Highly recommended to get an internal visual of this dark world.
Dark, gritty, sexually explicit, and stunning.
March 25, 2026
3 stars feels pretty spot on for this one. Great book if you’re into super smutty mafia romance ✨
November 11, 2025
What even is this book? The writing is so childish and terrible that I couldn’t even make it past 25% of the book. This is definitely a DNF for me. And I rarely DNF books.
I wanted to like this because it is apparently a Snow White retelling, dark romance style. But the entire time all I could ask myself is WTF is going on. The author uses extremely childish words in the dialogue of the characters. This is supposed to be a mob romance style book but it feels like she’s trying way too hard to emulate that. I also was extremely confused on the timeline for the first 25% in the book. The writing is not very clear. Overall, I could say a whole lot more I’m sure. I would not recommend this to anyone.
I wanted to like this because it is apparently a Snow White retelling, dark romance style. But the entire time all I could ask myself is WTF is going on. The author uses extremely childish words in the dialogue of the characters. This is supposed to be a mob romance style book but it feels like she’s trying way too hard to emulate that. I also was extremely confused on the timeline for the first 25% in the book. The writing is not very clear. Overall, I could say a whole lot more I’m sure. I would not recommend this to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2026
I liked this as a concept as well as the execution, but I thought it to be predictable. Not terrible but also not amazing.
There's also the dark romance, extreme acts of violence in the bedroom and the borderline cringey declarations of aforementioned violence. I think I just might be getting over my dark romance obsession haha.
The fact that this is a Snow White retelling in a matriarchal mafia was neat! It kept the forest cottage, 7 companions, huntsman, evil queen, mirror, and bring me her heart motifs.
I felt like this was very formulaic and structured, which is good and bad. Good because I didn't think there was anything extra and unnecessary addressed, but bad because it was, again, predictable.
So I'd recommend this to some, but I will be unhauling my copy.
There's also the dark romance, extreme acts of violence in the bedroom and the borderline cringey declarations of aforementioned violence. I think I just might be getting over my dark romance obsession haha.
The fact that this is a Snow White retelling in a matriarchal mafia was neat! It kept the forest cottage, 7 companions, huntsman, evil queen, mirror, and bring me her heart motifs.
I felt like this was very formulaic and structured, which is good and bad. Good because I didn't think there was anything extra and unnecessary addressed, but bad because it was, again, predictable.
So I'd recommend this to some, but I will be unhauling my copy.
October 7, 2025
3.75 stars rounded up
This book was a wild ride and a good time. This is a snow white reimagining that takes place in a mafia world, and I ate this book up! Eshe was such an interesting character and while she did frustrate me with her decisions at times, I still thought she was a fantastic FMC to read about. The Huntsman is the character that stole the show for me here. This dynamic between them was chef's kiss perfection and I really enjoyed this love story. This book was very insta-love, but it worked so well for them. The hire assassin and the woman he was hire to take out is always a favorite of mine.
My only issue with this book is all of the side characters. I feel like there are so many, and I understand it's necessary with this unique take on the 'seven' that help Eshe, but I did find myself getting them confused. I felt like I missed the book that introduced all of these characters and it did leave me a little confused. I do think we will get to know them more in the future when we get more books in this world, but I did get them all confused and mixed up a lot. I also wish we would have gotten just a touch more world building. Yes this is contemporary, and not fantasy and I understand that, but this underground mafia-esque world was new and I wish the hierarchy, what this organization does, and the players were developed more.
I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy dark and spicy romances! I can't wait to read more from this world.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy
This book was a wild ride and a good time. This is a snow white reimagining that takes place in a mafia world, and I ate this book up! Eshe was such an interesting character and while she did frustrate me with her decisions at times, I still thought she was a fantastic FMC to read about. The Huntsman is the character that stole the show for me here. This dynamic between them was chef's kiss perfection and I really enjoyed this love story. This book was very insta-love, but it worked so well for them. The hire assassin and the woman he was hire to take out is always a favorite of mine.
My only issue with this book is all of the side characters. I feel like there are so many, and I understand it's necessary with this unique take on the 'seven' that help Eshe, but I did find myself getting them confused. I felt like I missed the book that introduced all of these characters and it did leave me a little confused. I do think we will get to know them more in the future when we get more books in this world, but I did get them all confused and mixed up a lot. I also wish we would have gotten just a touch more world building. Yes this is contemporary, and not fantasy and I understand that, but this underground mafia-esque world was new and I wish the hierarchy, what this organization does, and the players were developed more.
I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy dark and spicy romances! I can't wait to read more from this world.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy
November 28, 2025
This was an okay read my first by the author and it definitely won’t be my last. If you are looking for a diverse dark mafia romance then you should definitely pick this one up. It has all the mafia world intrigue and that dark plot they usually have. I was intrigued by the plot and the fmc after tragedy struck her in the beginning of the book. The mmc is paid off to kill the fmc by the queen of the mafia clan but the fmc is ready and instead gets the mmc. It was fun seeing the fmc be bad ass and already know everything about the huntsman. There is immediately lust and instant attraction which was spicy with blood play. I found the plot of the fmc aunt trying to kill her interesting and I was glad to see it play out in the book. The romance, adventure, action, intrigue and darkness was good and I’m here for a second book in this world. Thanks to Bramble for this arc for an honest review.
Read for:
Dark romance
Mafia romance
Snow White retelling
Diverse read
Black romance
Read for:
Dark romance
Mafia romance
Snow White retelling
Diverse read
Black romance
November 2, 2025
This book is definitely a VERY SPICY and very dark romance so I’m rating this compared to other romance books that I’ve read. I love that women run the mafia in this world. I loved how unhinged the characters were and how self-aware they were about it. I’m not typically a fan of dark romance, but the sex in this book didn’t just feel like sex, but involved conversations and shared more about the character’s psyche. I also think the sex moved the plot forward. I could tell the author put a lot of thought and detail in this story and I really enjoyed it. Loved the world, characters, and plot. The mafia setting and all of the characters felt real to me and I enjoyed the dialogue. I’m excited to read the next book in this series.
February 19, 2026
deliciously dark!
November 6, 2025
If you're looking for a dark, twisted and very spice take on the Snow White fairytale- you got it with some mafia vibes included. This was my first book by Naima Simone and it will not be my last. I was giggling, gasping and loving the vibes this book gave. I loved that the FMC was a vengeful assassin who is coming for "The Queen". The enemies to lovers vibes this gave were well done. Please keep in mind this is a very spicy dark romance- so don't think everything is rainbows and butterflies. but if you're one to like those types of book... GRAB this one.
The audiobook was narrated by Myles Washington and Trei Taylor, and I can attest that they did this book justice. I was enthralled by the duet narration the entire time. I really enjoyed the performances from Trei Taylor and Myles Washington. You could feel the characters brought to life in a very graphic and cinematic way. The dynamic between the two narrators was good entertainment and impacted this audio in such a positive way.
Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
The audiobook was narrated by Myles Washington and Trei Taylor, and I can attest that they did this book justice. I was enthralled by the duet narration the entire time. I really enjoyed the performances from Trei Taylor and Myles Washington. You could feel the characters brought to life in a very graphic and cinematic way. The dynamic between the two narrators was good entertainment and impacted this audio in such a positive way.
Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
November 30, 2025
This is easily the most insanely ferocious book I’ve read all year. It’s on another plane altogether. What a ride.
Imagine a Black Snow White retelling embedded in a matriarchal street mafia, and you only have part of the picture. The visceral, you-are-right-there language, Eshe’s sociopathic badassery, her uncompromising need for retribution, the soul-deep sisterhood with her loyal 7, and — AND — holy shit Malachi, her shadowy Huntsman. Sometimes the sex is indistinguishable from a fight to the death.
Edited to add: I need to say something about the language. To me it feels like freakin Shakespeare. It’s so alive I can hear not just their voices, but every modulation, all the roughness in her voice, every growl. I can see her eyes and face too. It’s written in what I think is Simone’s version of Black street vernacular, and it crackles with a life of its own.
I think the best kind of retelling is the kind where the elements of the old story aren’t obvious. Where they lurk like Easter eggs for you to discover.
It’s such a kick to see the echoes of the old Snow White story. Some are obvious: the usurping stepmother, the mirror, the huntsman, the seven loyal bitches, apples. Then others sneak up on you when you re-read the story.
Shonda Rhimes, you need to make this a gotdamn movie.
#banterHOLYSHITTHEBANTER
#BPE
#WAPE
#BDE
#darkhumor
#electricity
#authenticity
Fuck survival of the fittest. It’s survival of the cruelest. The fucking craziest. Survival of the one most willing to burn all this shit to the ground if it means getting what you want.
Imagine a Black Snow White retelling embedded in a matriarchal street mafia, and you only have part of the picture. The visceral, you-are-right-there language, Eshe’s sociopathic badassery, her uncompromising need for retribution, the soul-deep sisterhood with her loyal 7, and — AND — holy shit Malachi, her shadowy Huntsman. Sometimes the sex is indistinguishable from a fight to the death.
Edited to add: I need to say something about the language. To me it feels like freakin Shakespeare. It’s so alive I can hear not just their voices, but every modulation, all the roughness in her voice, every growl. I can see her eyes and face too. It’s written in what I think is Simone’s version of Black street vernacular, and it crackles with a life of its own.
I think the best kind of retelling is the kind where the elements of the old story aren’t obvious. Where they lurk like Easter eggs for you to discover.
It’s such a kick to see the echoes of the old Snow White story. Some are obvious: the usurping stepmother, the mirror, the huntsman, the seven loyal bitches, apples. Then others sneak up on you when you re-read the story.
Shonda Rhimes, you need to make this a gotdamn movie.
#banterHOLYSHITTHEBANTER
#BPE
#WAPE
#BDE
#darkhumor
#electricity
#authenticity
December 12, 2025
No. Just no.
November 23, 2025
dnf at 60% too cringey
May 10, 2025
Thank you to Tor/Bramble and Netgalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.
After Eshe finds out her aunt Abena, queen of the family has hired an assassin to take her out, Eshe decides it’s finally time to get her revenge for Abena destroying her family years earlier
🖤 Dark romance
🖤 Mafia
🖤 D3ath
🖤 Sexual content
I came for the fairytale retelling but stayed to see a queen bring an assassin to his knees
If I could give this 10 stars I absolutely would. I loved everything about this. The characters, the story, the darkness and the humor 🙌🏾
Apparently we no longer use the term “stalking” it’s “research” and Eshe is real good at researching 😌. Also, how many times do you have to tell someone yall go together before they get it 🙄🤭
The way Eshe and Malachi were at each others throats I didn’t know if I should be turned on or scared 😅 but I believe their hardships and sordid pasts are what helped them understand each other and without it I doubt they would have connected. Trauma bonding for them win 😛
I adored watching Malachi’s walls slowly crumble, and going from 100% wanting to unalive Eshe down to only slightly wanting to unalive her is what I call growth 🥹
Normally my steel toed boots are reserved for crappy ex’s but Eshe’s aunt had me ready to make an exception and jump through the pages to get to her 🥾💥🥾💥
I love anytime a book has a solid friend group so when Eshe and her seven or Malachi and Jamari were together I ate it up 💖💖
I’ve already preordered and can’t wait to start my reread
If you love dark romances with “researching” and only I can unalive you vibes then you need this book
After Eshe finds out her aunt Abena, queen of the family has hired an assassin to take her out, Eshe decides it’s finally time to get her revenge for Abena destroying her family years earlier
🖤 Dark romance
🖤 Mafia
🖤 D3ath
🖤 Sexual content
I came for the fairytale retelling but stayed to see a queen bring an assassin to his knees
If I could give this 10 stars I absolutely would. I loved everything about this. The characters, the story, the darkness and the humor 🙌🏾
Apparently we no longer use the term “stalking” it’s “research” and Eshe is real good at researching 😌. Also, how many times do you have to tell someone yall go together before they get it 🙄🤭
The way Eshe and Malachi were at each others throats I didn’t know if I should be turned on or scared 😅 but I believe their hardships and sordid pasts are what helped them understand each other and without it I doubt they would have connected. Trauma bonding for them win 😛
I adored watching Malachi’s walls slowly crumble, and going from 100% wanting to unalive Eshe down to only slightly wanting to unalive her is what I call growth 🥹
Normally my steel toed boots are reserved for crappy ex’s but Eshe’s aunt had me ready to make an exception and jump through the pages to get to her 🥾💥🥾💥
I love anytime a book has a solid friend group so when Eshe and her seven or Malachi and Jamari were together I ate it up 💖💖
I’ve already preordered and can’t wait to start my reread
If you love dark romances with “researching” and only I can unalive you vibes then you need this book
October 18, 2025
I felt like I was watching a train crash, and somehow it just kept getting worse and worse.
The mafia premise, the opposing sides, and the trying to murder each other was interesting, but the execution wasn’t good enough.
The writing made the suspension of disbelief hard to reconcile. It just kept throwing me out of the story.
The sexual aspects felt way too soon and the way that it happened made me feel uncomofrtable (and I’ve read a lot of dark romance)
I think the story was trying too hard to be very different things. A mafia romance, a dark romance, a retelling, and the pieces weren’t able to fit together.
The mafia premise, the opposing sides, and the trying to murder each other was interesting, but the execution wasn’t good enough.
The writing made the suspension of disbelief hard to reconcile. It just kept throwing me out of the story.
The sexual aspects felt way too soon and the way that it happened made me feel uncomofrtable (and I’ve read a lot of dark romance)
I think the story was trying too hard to be very different things. A mafia romance, a dark romance, a retelling, and the pieces weren’t able to fit together.
October 29, 2025
✨ Book Review: Huntsman by Naima Simone ✨
⭐️ 4/5 Stars
Mafia meets Snow White in this dark, twisted romance but who’s really the prey here?
If you love a badass FMC and an equally dangerous MMC, this one will hook you. The chemistry between the characters is intense, and their dynamic makes every page addictive. It’s a slow-burn thriller with all the tension and grit you’d expect from a dark romance.
Naima Simone delivers a story that’s both seductive and sharp, blending danger, desire, and fairy-tale shadows in the best way. Just a heads-up, definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.
⭐️ 4/5 Stars
Mafia meets Snow White in this dark, twisted romance but who’s really the prey here?
If you love a badass FMC and an equally dangerous MMC, this one will hook you. The chemistry between the characters is intense, and their dynamic makes every page addictive. It’s a slow-burn thriller with all the tension and grit you’d expect from a dark romance.
Naima Simone delivers a story that’s both seductive and sharp, blending danger, desire, and fairy-tale shadows in the best way. Just a heads-up, definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.
May 3, 2025
Full review to come closer to release day but this one is a full on gem. Stunning and addictive and so much fun. Also deliciously dark, steamy hot, and just WHOA. I want to reread it already and I just finished it. So many highlights and smiles and just pure awe of storytelling and emotion. I loved it so much!
October 30, 2025
dnf @ 25%
the slang the MMC and FMC used was just atrocious. I couldn't get past it. every time they talked they just sounded like two drug addicts attempting to communicate
the slang the MMC and FMC used was just atrocious. I couldn't get past it. every time they talked they just sounded like two drug addicts attempting to communicate
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