So I DNF the book.. I'm a big mood reader and I was not feeling it with this summer weather.. It was really hard to get into.. Just for the season.

When defending a client James Woodson wonders if she is defending a monster or falling in love with one. Visit Salam Falls and find out what happens. This book crapped my attention when I seen the cover and I’m glad it did. Good book great story.

An atmospheric and eerie legal thriller that is perfect for jumping head first into spooky season!

James Woodsen is a brilliant attorney working for an elite criminal defense firm. She’s still new to the game, so is surprised to find the most high profile of cases dropped right into her lap: defend Damien Blackhollow - a dangerously charming billionaire accused of murdering his fiancée.

Things start to get weird when the case leads James to Salem’s Fall, Massachusetts. From haunting family legacies, secret societies, and ritualistic murders, James might be in over her head.

This was so good! Ross does such an amazing job of making you feel all the spooky vibes while reading this. Salem’s Fall was the perfect setting for such an eerie story.

And we absolutely love a strong FMC that can hold her own in a male dominated world ❤️

Definitely recommend! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rektok Ross for this ARC!

If you’re looking for an amazing read for spooky season, RekTok Ross has you covered with her latest release Salems Fall! This book grabs ahold of you from page one and keeps you wanting more! Salems Fall is a crazy mixture of legal affairs, romance, and a thriller all rolled into one book. James, FMC, is a young lawyer in a Boston firm who is trying to get ahead in the world while taking care of her sister. James gets hired to defend billionaire Damien Blackhollow for murdering his finance. Through the process of untangling the web of the murder, James discovers secrets about the Blackhollow family. James also ends up discovering secrets about her own family. Salems Fall is an amazing fast paced page turner you won’t want to put down! Highly recommend this book especially with spooky season around the corner!

Rektok Ross is a master at creating addicting thrillers with a side of something else thrown in just for the sake of it!

This book is the perfect Halloween inspired thriller for those of us who need a little bit of that haunting in the middle of summer. We follow our girl James and her law firm when they're tasked with representing gorgeous Damien Blackhollow - the billionaire accused of murder his fiancé. James begins to dig into the case when she realizes that she may be getting a bit to close to the past she tried her very best to run as far away from as possible.

This story is fast-paced, fun, the characters are worth it, and it flies by before you even know you're coming close to the end. As a part of Ross' collection of books, Salem's Fall makes a stand besides it's equals like Summer Rental and makes a statement that Ross is here to stay and she's not going anywhere.

Big thank you to IC13 books for the early copy!

The story opens with just the right amount of exposition, enough to draw the reader in without bogging them down. We’re quickly introduced to Jamie, a junior associate still finding her footing in the legal world. Her portrayal is a mixed bag. There seems to be an intentional arrogance to her, rooted in both intellect and appearance, that fits the stereotype of a young, ambitious attorney, but it can also make her difficult to root for. At times, she shows restraint in defending herself; at others, she openly judges other’s morality, conveniently forgetting her own ethical lapse just chapters earlier. If this inconsistency is part of her development arc, it still feels rough around the edges.

Jamie’s character suffers from uneven motivations, frequent excuses, moments of naïveté, and a stubborn streak that can make her less relatable. She occasionally overlooks obvious avenues for investigation or even her own safety, and her decision making skills are questionable, flaws that work for the plot but sometimes feel exaggerated. Her romantic entanglements, in particular, are underdeveloped, coming across as rushed and occasionally unnatural. Though we see the supporting cast through Jamie’s lens, each character feels distinct, layered, and vivid.

I enjoyed the courtroom scene which was tense, dramatic, and meticulously detailed. I found myself wishing there were more of them. It shifts from courtroom to investigative work, the case connects with Jamie’s own history, adding an intriguing emotional layer. While there are a few criminal justice and procedural inaccuracies, they function more as plot accelerators than distractions. The blend of legal drama and supernatural elements is executed with flair, keeping the pace brisk and the stakes high.

The book leaves certain questions unanswered, likely setting the stage for future installments. The plot is engaging, the premise intriguing, and the tension compelling enough to keep the pages turning. While Jamie’s uneven development kept me from fully connecting with her, her distinct personality is well-rendered through descriptive prose and a clear narrative voice. Salem’s Fall is a promising start with a strong atmosphere, memorable side characters, and a unique mix of genres, it just needs a bit more polish in its protagonist’s arc to reach its full potential.

This book was different from what I was excepting. I think the story was a bit tangled. I’m a bit confused about the Veil and what exactly happend at the rituals. I think it should have been explained more. Overall I liked the FMC, but sometimes she annoyed me, She was supposed to be smart, but sometimes she acted so dumb for no reason. This book wasn’t bad just not for my preference.

I absolutely loved this book has great banter and characters and the plot is wonderful. It’s a good read that has what you need for a twisty psychological thriller, legal suspense, and gothic dark romance.

Arc review-
Salem's fall, is a gripping thriller that's added a bit of Halloween during summer, a great start to my spooky reads for this season!

It started off a little slow but definitely picked up, the plot with the supernatural element was intriguing. A great starting point to get into this author. Loved it!

Definitely a recommendation for those looking for a fast paced, edge of your seat read.

James is a rising star at a Boston law firm that just took a serious tumble. While working over time to make up for an error at work, she becomes involved in a case centered around one of the richest men in Boston, Damien Blackwood. The year prior Damien's fiancé was murdered in a horrific way, and he's just been indicted for her murder. As James investigates the murder she begins to see more and more connection to her mother's murder. One her father is currently doing a life sentence for.

This book was interesting. It took me a moment to get into but once it caught me I was invested and read about 2/3 in one day. The investigation into the crime kept me hooked and the twists and turns kept me going. I would say my only complaint would be the romance aspect of the story. It felt a little rushed and a little tacked onto the story.

All the spooky, eerie and scary vibes you need to, get you in to the fall season!!

So happy that I got to read this story!
I looove spooky season and my dream is to one day visit Salem. The way she describes everything, the attention to detail amazing, I felt like I was there. The way James just did not give up and would keep digging. Very good “lawyering” on her part. Kept me captivated in the story. How she is able to do what her gut tells her and how she ends up even being able to help her own Dad is crazy. When I heard it had some sacrifices and rituals I was like ok I’m scared but nope nothing too scary stil lead that spooky vibe we are all getting ready for.

And Lucky!! I am terrified of cats and I want a lucky I don’t know why but I feel like it’s their mom. Idk that’s just me. Let me know what you think.

But girl the tension come on!! No spice scenes, some very hot makeouts that 😱 because that hand in the hair excuse me. All in all loved it. I am adding her to the list of favorite authors.

As someone who loves halloween I was drawn to this book when looking through arcs and found this cover to be beautiful and the blurb was captivating as well. I really enjoyed getting to read Salem’s Fall. I believe that the atmospheric, spooky setting combined with the secret cult and murder mystery elements created the perfect setting for spooky season and it was a captivating read. The blend of witchy vibes, legal themes, and romance added depth and made the story feel well rounded. The strong female lead was engaging, and the fall/Halloween mood was perfectly captured. It was an easy, enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to fans of thrillers with a supernatural twist.
needless to say, this book did not disappoint

If you like thrillers with secrets and cultish vibes, this is a book for you. I liked the characters in this book. The setting and everything that was happening in the book was intriguing. The book kept me on the edge and with each discovery, a shocking secret and truth was revealed. A small town has a history and it is much darker than anyone could imagine. People were dying in mysterious ritualistic ways and James Woodsen is determined to find out the answers. She is a youngest associate at Boston’s criminal defense firm. I couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend this to readers who like thrillers with gothic vibes and unpredictable ending.

Read it if you like;

- Ritualistic murders
- Secret Society
- Haunting family legacy
- Twisty gothic thriller
- Secrets and truth

Damn im so glad I found Retok Ross on tiky tok and reached out because this book was an absolute banger and a palette cleanser for me from what I normally read. And as someone who is from Rhode Island and frequently is in Salem im so glad she was geographically correct with her description and everything else definitely a 5star read and a one click author for me!!

Thank you NetGalley and ic13books for this. ARC. Let me sort it out by saying I love this author so much. I read all three of her previous books and they were all five star reads for me. This book was read. I absolutely love how she incorporates each character and waves a wonderful story that’s thrilling and such a quick read! The female main character James reminded me so much of Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde. James is smart and knows what she wants and goes after it and Damien is a total heart throb but is he a good guy or a bad guy that is the question. I fell for both of these characters and I needed to know what happens at the end. I was on the edge of my seat. If you’re looking for a great thriller book with amazing characters then I would highly recommend this author.

I am looooooooving the Halloween vibe of this book! Especially with the heat we have been having here! This book is so full of spooky, paranormal vibes. This is a must add to your Summerween TBR. Or Fall TBR. Whenever, doesn't matter. Just read it.
This was a fast read. It took me about 4 sittings (which is good for me, right about now). All I wanted to do was read. I was hooked and needed to know what happened! And the black cat, Lucky, made the book even that much better. I rooted for James (the FEMALE main character) the entire time, even though I wanted to shake her and make her stop being so stubborn. I kept going back on forth on my thoughts about Damian. Did he do it? Did he not do it? Check it out for yourself to find out! This is definitely the book for you if you enjoy legal drama, murder mystery, spooky suspense, paranormal aspects, small town drama, and cults. All rolled into one!

I can't describe the emotional roller coaster that reading this book is, I love every page of it and will be adding it to my list of books to reread when I want a creepy thriller.

I'm just going to say it Rektok Ross is now in the Jeff Lindsay, Riley Sager category of see it read it love it.

If your looking for a good psychological thriller I can't recommend this one enough, it's freaking fantastic.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book and loved every second of it. Salem’s Fall is perfect for spooky season and was a great summerween addition to my TBR.
James, top of her class at Harvard and promising young lawyer, was such a strong and determined character and I loved navigating this investigation with her.
Damien was quite the morally grey conundrum, I will admit it was hard for me to pin him down for most of the book. Did he really commit the murder of his fiancée last Halloween like he’s being accused, or is he innocent? I went back and forth nearly until the end.
We met a lot of interesting characters, but Lucky the black cat is without a doubt my favorite. James has the perfect companion in him.
The creepy occult vibes were both bone chilling and fascinating! I found myself reading into the night despite being a little spooked in order to unravel this mystery James had found herself engrossed in.
I really had a great time reading Salem’s Fall all around and absolutely recommend everyone add this to their Halloween TBR!

Salem’s Fall is a razor-sharp blend of legal suspense, gothic romance, and psychological thrills that will keep you guessing, and maybe blushing. When a rising star attorney is tasked with defending a dangerously magnetic billionaire accused of murder, the case spirals into a web of secret societies, ritual killings, and irresistible temptation. Perfect for fans of Verity and Haunting Adeline, this dark, twisty read will have you questioning everyone, especially the man you’re trying not to fall for.

In this gripping legal thriller, the stakes couldn’t be higher for James Woodsen, a young attorney facing her biggest challenge yet. Accused of murder, her client, the enigmatic billionaire Damien Blackhollow, is both charming and dangerous, drawing James into a web of secrets and dark family legacies. Set against the eerie backdrop of Salem’s Fall, the novel masterfully intertwines legal drama with elements of suspense and romance. As James navigates the complexities of the case, she grapples with her growing feelings for Damien and the chilling possibility that he might be a monster. With a fast-paced narrative and well-drawn characters, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat, making it a must-read for fans of legal thrillers and romantic suspense. Perfect for Halloween, it’s a haunting tale of love, betrayal, and the pursuit of truth.