As I read 'Blackthorn', I kept thinking: 'This could've been a great book if the romance was removed.' The mystery is what kept me going, but even that became overcooked, convoluted and just plain weird by the end. The author seemed to be trying for 'Rosemary's Baby'-style tension, but it kind of fell flat.

The protagonists were just consistently awful, with their constant bickering (not to mention the unpleasant spice). And as a modern Pagan, the 'witchcraft' had me wanting to beat my head off a wall.

I really wanted to enjoy this, but ended up just being frustrated and annoyed. Atmospheric to start, but then it went off a cliff for me. Disappointed.

this book is hard to rate. I don’t even know if I enjoyed it and I really did spend most of the middle skimming and finding I lost nothing plot wise.
the dialogue in this book is the main issue. it’s all over the place and feels like it’s written by my teenage sister. the writing was clumpy and a fresher round of edits is needed for flow.
the plot was fine. predictable by 30% in and I guess for the most part, was executed okay in the end. the middle was just, <i>there.</i> it held no real point to the book at all and just felt like filler.
the romance. I mean. really???? both of them are insufferable as characters let alone together.
loved the cover though & I have read and rated this author 5 stars before. maybe it’s the genre (not the usual).

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.</i>

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC provided. You made my year! 🥰🫶

Now let's talk about what you can expect from Blackthorn 🤓

Hight quality of prose, insanely good dialogues. Laughed like crazy with the banter between Maven and Ronan. It was so witty, smart and sarcastic I was giddy with contentment. They hit the spot just right. But I expected nothing less from Geissinger.

The story though was predictable: I figured out what was going to happen at the 30-40% mark. There were a lot of things thrown at you for diversion by the 80% mark that made the story too chaotic and unpleasant to read but my guesses for the plot twist were all spot on. The lore elements were too many and not very well integrated with one another. Less is more if you ask me. The end was anticlimactic and rushed. There were some loose ends that were left hanging.

As for the FMC - she was unpleasant. Fast to jump to conclusions, impulsive, childish, mean for the sake of being mean and full of prejudice. And not a very good mother if you ask me. She claims that Bea was her life but in reality the child was an after thought or missing from the story as a whole. She was either sleeping or studying and that was about it.

As for the MMC - he was intriguing but one dimensional. There were hardly any chapters from his POV and all we saw were hiss obsession with Maven. Everything else was implied but not developed as it should be.

And talking about obsession: the love story was unconvincing. Too instant lust and instant love to be believable. It was suppose to be second chance but there was little to no context of their previous relationship to step on so we can root for them now. Some flashbacks would've been useful in that matter. But all we got were just a few lines of inner dialogue on Maven's part.

Loved the themes! Both generational trauma and societal prejudices topics were integral to the story and well depicted. I don't know if it was intentional or a byproduct of the story but I appreciated the crossing between the second one and the idea of the self fulfilling prophecy concept.

Loved the gothic atmosphere too! It was creepy, it was spooky, trippy and sometimes right out scary. It will make your heart race and jump at shadows and strange sounds at night. Perfect for the fall season.

The monster romance elements were quite the surprise. But it wasn't an unpleasant one. Love the fact that Geissinger always tries something new with her stories. That's why she is one of my top romance writers.

As a whole Blackthorn was a fun ride but it's not on the same level as Pen Pal for an example.

The story started off slow for me but it soon ramped up and I was quickly turning those pages to find out what was going on. I really enjoyed this gothic romance it had all the elements I loved including a mystery to solve and secrets to unravel. The characters were well written and I enjoyed reading the back and forth sparing that went on. The ending was perfect I definitely did not guess the ending and it was a perfect way to finish to book. This was my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be my last.

First, definitely make sure you read the trigger warnings for this book, there are a lot of them. Now I love the authors work and have read all her previous stuff. The book is, as always, well written with twists and turns. I did find this one a bit much though personally. The book has a very gothic vibe in a dark atmospheric setting. With very dark characters! If you enjoyed her darker works and wanted them darker still, then this book is for you.

This was so unique. I went in expecting to be surprised and the book delivered. Secrets, love, betrayal. I expected this to be a bit darker but I thoroughly enjoyed this nonetheless.

Blackthorn follows Maven Blackthorn who fled her small hometown twelve years ago. Maven goes back to her small town for her grandmother’s funeral but her grandmother’s body has vanished. The Blackthorns and the Crofts are enemies but Maven sees Ronan Croft who she had a relationship with before she left the town and realises the chemistry is still there. The trouble is the feud spans generations, there are rumours Ronan’s father killed Maven’s mother and Ronan is hiding a secret.

To start with the positives, this book has a brilliant gothic atmosphere at the beginning. This was very intriguing and I liked the vibes of this. The writing was good and I can see people enjoying this. That said, I’m still trying to find what I like in romantasy books and I just got a bit bored of this. The story was fine but I wanted more supernatural elements and it felt like all of the fantastical elements came in at the end. Plus I wasn’t really feeling the romance, it was fine but I wouldn’t say I really believed in the romance and the sex scenes didn’t do anything for me. However, I would still recommend this and I’m sure many people will enjoy this.

Paranormal erotic horror with mysteries, cults, and a side of monsters-fucking… sure? It was a mind fuck really - I enjoyed my time with it and it was a wild ride from start to finish.

The story follows Maven (our FMC) as she travels back to her small hometown following her grandmothers death with her daughter Bea. There she sort of rekindles a relationship with our MMC, Ronan - her first love but also the son of her mother’s suspected killer. The story follows Maven investigating her families weird secrets, finding out what’s going on and rekindling her relationship with Ronan.

Honestly it’s a lot of fun - I was very absorbed in the plot and read through it all in about a day. It is a very dark novel with more than a few trigger warnings in the intros.

Quater of a star off for the quote ‘guzzle his own cum straight out of my ass like French wine from a bottle’ just because that image hasn’t fully left my brain.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Bramble for the ARC copy.

Blackthorn is a dark, twisty read with a strong sense of atmosphere and plenty of intrigue. Geissinger knows how to create tension, and there are moments where the writing really shines—especially in the moody setting and sharp dialogue. That said, while the premise hooked me, parts of the story felt uneven in pacing, and some character choices didn’t quite land for me. I enjoyed the flashes of intensity and the immersive world, but I found myself wishing for a bit more consistency to keep the momentum going. Overall, a solid read with standout moments, but it didn’t completely deliver on its promise for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Blackthorn took me on a wild ride and it wasn't one I enjoyed.

I think this is a case of a book that just wasn't for me. The synopsis sounded SO promising. It ticked all of my boxes and I was so sure I'd love this book.

However I found it to be a total mess. The first 50% was very slow all banter which became tedious. Then between 50% to 80% the plot started coming through and I was like okay let's go. But we weren't given enough clues through the beginning to even guess where the story was going. Then ending? Like just what was that?!

I'm also not sure how we're supposed to root for the MMCs? Ronan was a complete jerk with no redeemable qualities and he had ZERO respect for Maven. Maven also had no respect for herself and was a complete doormat when it came to the men in her life, especially Ronan. Most surprisingly I also found my limit when it comes to spice. I'm not someone who is very squeamish and read a variety of romance/spicy books and this one was too over the top for even me!

All that being said, the writing was good and easy to read. I can see this being a hit with some readers.

WOW😭🤣
What did I just read???
I am so perplexed!
This book took such a wild turn at 80% mark and I don't think I have ever read something like this before and I weirdly enjoyed it👀
Of course it's a Jt geissinger book so Banter, obsessed man and great plot was there as promised.
You gotta give it to Jt for keeping you on toes throughout the book. That ending???
Romance was absolutely delicious.

Small town, two families with blood fued.
She belongs to Blackthorn family, they are called witches. The whole town is afraid of them😋
I love myself a witchy romance.
Also Ronan croft???
The man he is😭❤

Did you ever read a book where you ask “what did I just read, and why did I like it so much?” Because this is one of those books.

This is a dark gothic romance book and boy oh boy did I enjoy this. This was a book where you are made to keep guessing at where the story is going, because when I say that anything could have happened in this book, I’m not lying. I never knew which direction we would be going in, and this kept you guessing right to the end.

I literally inhaled this book. A fire could have broken out in my house and I was that absorbed into the story I would have been non the wiser.

This book hits the creepy, gothic dark romance vibe you’ve been looking for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A 4 star rating from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling and relatable, likable characters. Loved every single second reading it.

If you loved Penpal, and Perfect Strangers, then Blackthorn is for you.
I thought I knew where this was going, until about 80% in when I remembered this was a J.T. Geissinger book, and chances were I knew absolutely nothing. I, in fact, did know nothing, and even now I've finished I still know nothing. This was heavy on the Perfect Strangers/what's real what isn't, and honestly I haven't fully decided what my thoughts are, and I'm not sure if I ever will.
It's so difficult to review without spoiling and also whilst not fully grasping what even happened 🙈

Omg this book. I was hooked. It’s got all the moody gothic vibes ,stormy skies, creepy old estate, and a small town that feels like it’s hiding 100 secrets. Maven? Loved her. She’s fiery, stubborn, and not afraid to push back. And Ronan… ugh, the tension between them could power an entire city.

It’s definitely not a light, fluffy romance.there’s drama, secrets, and those “oh no they didn’t” moments that make you stop reading just to process. Every time I thought I had it figured out, another twist came out of nowhere.

Basically, I inhaled it in like two sittings and now I’m mad it’s over. If you like your romance with a side of mystery, a dash of danger, and enough slow-burn tension to make you scream into a pillow , read this.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This was a wonderful dark romance and I loved it!
J.T. really knows how to write!

The trigger warnings weren't in the book, however i hope they'll be there when its published.

No trigger/content warnings were included on the NetGalley listing and there was no page of trigger warnings inside the e-arc, so it was a suprise when, at 82%, it went from normal dark romance to weird/disturbing/what's-real-and-what-isn't. At this point I specifically searched for the content warnings for this book and found them on Goodreads listing. I'm assuming that the content warning was left off the NetGalley listing in error, as the blurb otherwise matched the one on Goodreads. The blurb describes it as a "deliciously gothic tale" rather than a dark romance, so the genre and content could definitely be signposted better on NetGalley in particular! At the point that the content shifted, the 82% mark, I was so close to the end that I wasn't going to stop there because of the content took a turn, and I wanted to see how it ended. After seeing the content warnings, I think they represented the content well.

Assuming that that is fixed for release, and that you know what you're getting into as a reader, this story will likely be a hit! There's a dark romance that does have a HEA. It's creepy and gothic, and I binged it in one go. I wasn't sure whether to go with a 4 or 5 star rating on this one, it's probably in between because the book was addictive and I raced through but I did want the relationship between the MMC and FMC to feel a bit older at times, and to be a bit deeper than the lust they obviously shared.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from Pan Macmillan and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.