Dear Cozy Bookworms
From the very first page, Huntsman wrapped its hand around my throat—in the gentlest, most unhinged dark-romance way—and refused to let go. As someone who absolutely lives for dark fairy-tale retellings, this book felt like it was written directly for my soul. Naima Simone takes the bones of a classic story—the Huntsman—and reimagines it through smoke, danger, and the jagged edge of desire. And she does it with such confidence and emotional depth that I found myself highlighting whole paragraphs, whispering “oh, this is GOOD” every few chapters.
Eshe is the kind of FMC I fall for instantly. A dethroned mafia princess who’s equal parts wounded softness and sharpened steel. She is grief, fire, strategy, vengeance, and heart—all wrapped in a body the world underestimates. Watching her take back her power after a lifetime of betrayal felt like witnessing a dark coronation. She’s not just surviving—she’s reclaiming a kingdom, a legacy, and a voice that should’ve always belonged to her. And I will always be a sucker for a woman who rebuilds herself from ash and anger.
And then there’s Malachi Bowden. The Huntsman. The myth. The blade. The man everyone fears—except Eshe, who meets his danger with her own. I am convinced Naima Simone wrote him specifically to ruin my standards. Malachi is morally black, emotionally guarded, quietly lethal, and somehow the softest thing alive when it comes to Eshe. Their dynamic is pure dark-romance heaven: hunter and hunted, weapon and target, predator and prey, attraction warring with duty. Their chemistry is feral in the best, most intimate way—slow, heavy, breath-stealing tension threaded through every scene.
What makes this book brilliant is how Simone balances the violence of their world with the tenderness in their connection. She doesn’t shy away from the brutality of betrayal, the cost of revenge, or the blood-soaked gravity of crime families. Yet nestled inside all that darkness is a love story that feels mythic—like these two souls were carved from the same shadow. The writing is lush and addictive, the plot tight, the emotions messy and real, and the payoff? Chef’s kiss.
As a reader who devours dark fairy-tale retellings, morally grey (and morally black) characters, and romance built on equal parts destruction and devotion, Huntsman hit every single one of my buttons. It’s atmospheric, dangerous, sensual, and beautifully crafted. A story about reclaiming power, choosing love when it’s the most forbidden, and surviving the very people meant to protect you.
Easily one of my favorite dark romances—and one of the best fairy-tale reimaginings—I’ve read this year.
If you love mafia worlds, villainous MMCs, revenge, or fairy tales dipped in blood and desire, run to this book. I’m already impatient for whatever Naima Simone writes next in The Hunted Kingdom.