Blackthorn by J.T. Geissinger 
Published by Bramble on November 4, 2025
Genres: Dark/Gothic Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Source: Netgalley
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
DELUXE EDITION--a deluxe hardback edition featuring stenciled edges, a foil case stamp, exclusive endpapers, and a detailed map.
From the diabolical mind of New York Times bestselling author J.T. Geissinger comes a scorching new enemies-to-lovers romance filled with explosive secrets, nail-biting, gothic suspense, and the dangerous lure of dark magic.
You never forget your first love. Especially when he’s also your worst nightmare.
Twelve years ago, Maven Blackthorn fled her small hometown, leaving behind the wreckage of her mother’s suspicious death. But now, drawn back for her grandmother’s funeral, Maven steps onto Blackthorn soil once more, only to find herself thrust into a fresh nightmare: her grandmother’s body has vanished.
The Blackthorns immediately suspect the Crofts—the ruthless titans of Croft Pharmaceuticals, whose bitter blood feud with the Blackthorns has spanned generations. But when Maven comes face-to-face with Ronan Croft, the son of her mother’s suspected killer and the only man she ever loved, she discovers the forbidden passion they once shared is as alive—and dangerous—as ever.
As long-buried family secrets claw their way to the surface, betrayal lurks behind every whisper, and old vendettas ignite anew. The deeper Maven digs for answers, the more treacherous the game becomes. And the one man she can never seem to escape is hiding a truth that could burn their whole world down.
In a town where the dead won’t stay buried, is love salvation…or the deadliest game of all?
Blackthorn is a page-turning gothic romance with darker themes and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please see the author's content note at the beginning of the book.
Blackthorn*Revenge*Touch her and die*Shadier than shade hero*Forbidden romance*Grumpy/grumpy*Plot twists galore*Beauty and the Beast*Enemies to lovers to enemies to...?
Uhm….Uhm…What the F*CK just happened?
Blackthorn features Maven Blackthorn, who has returned with her young daughter Beatrix, to her family’s home in Solstice, Vermont to attend her grandmother’s funeral. And if you think the fact that her grandmother’s body disappears from the funeral home, out a window, naked is the weirdest thing that happens, NOT..EVEN…CLOSE!
I am hot and cold with J.T. Geissinger but she wrote one of my favorite stories, Melt for You, so I always check out her latest offerings. I picked up this book after seeing several reviews indicating the exciting turn this book takes. My curiosity was piqued and I will try to explain the insanity without ruining any surprises.
Upon Maven’s return home, to Vermont, she has been ‘hiding’ in New York for the last decade, she is welcomed by her two matronly aunts back to the creepy Adam’s-family-style gothic house. The Town of Solstice has been burning the women of Blackthorn (literally and figuratively) for the past century, painting them as witches, and so the Blackthorn women keep their distance unless they feel like playing mind-games with the locals.
The locals also give a lot of space to Ronan Croft and his family, as they are the mega-rich, powerhouse of the country, owning a large pharmaceutical company. Oddly enough, mega-rich Ronan went to the local small town school with Maven, and even though his father told him to stay away, teenage Maven and teenage Ronan end up playing patty-cake. You know what I mean. My problem with this is that looking through Maven’s eyes to teenage Ronan, he is hot but his is also a selfish ass. No one treated Maven nicely at school, but teenager Ronan was among the worst although he seemed to be okay sneaking around with Maven for a booty call. This went on for several months until Maven ends up pregnant and Ronan refuses to take responsibility. Guess there were no condom in Solstice and neither the witches or the pharmaceutical heir know anything about preventing pregnancy.
So 17-year-old Maven takes herself off to college and gets a degree in entomology, since she always was fascinated in bugs. Now a dozen years later, Maven returns with her daughter, and suddenly Ronan wants to claim his fatherly rights. Maven lies and says, that she miscarried Ronan’s baby and Beatrix was someone else’s baby. While the lying is a ridiculous attempt to push him off since DNA is a thing, I liked that Maven pushed back hard on his “I was only a kid” excuses for himself.
I really liked Maven and her backbone of steel (mostly) pushing back against Ronan. The author kind of fails in that all her snarky comebacks are some form of “drop dead.” Where is all her intelligent wit? And why could she stand up to Ronan, but be so wishy-washy with the boyfriend she just broke up with. That made no sense.
The story starts off with this Romeo and Juliet romance where Ronan is being told to stay away from the Maven and her “witch” family. There is also some question about the fact that Maven’s Mom was killed on Ronan’s family’s property. Was Ronan’s father responsible? We are also lead down a path when suddenly View Spoiler »
It is about this point when our Romeo and Juliet story takes a crazy left-turn which starts with Ronan’s family being “cursed” for burning one of the Blackthorn witches oh so long ago. Ronan and his pharmaceutical family have been trying to ‘cure ‘the curse against their family which only follows the male line. Something Ronan doesn’t mention to Maven even though he believes Beatrix is his kid and would pass down those genes to any male children.
Black Thorn suddenly takes a crazy (and I mean craaaaazy) paranormal twist. I mentioned this to my husband who said “I thought you like those kind of books?” Which I do, when I know that is what I am reading! This change from star-crossed lovers to insanity was quite sudden…View Spoiler » and kept getting more out of control until at the end…we are left wondering if it was all imaginary?
The introduction gives us a hint of the ending so what is coming isn’t entirely a shock. But I still don’t know if the explanation given to the Town is the truth of what actually happened or if it was the cover story for the insanity that we witnessed.
When I first saw Black Thorn, I don’t know why I thought this would be some kind of updated Jane Eyre. It was not! I liked Maven (even though her snark could have been more creative). Beatrix was a nice kid but was left with the aunts a lot so Maven is free to keep running into Ronan so we don’t spend that much time with her. I didn’t like anything about Ronan. He was the spoiled, rich boy that Maven calls him. He treated her badly as a teen and I don’t understand how she ended up having sex with him at all. His sudden desire to be a Dad to Beatrix, who he barely spoke to but was an awesome kid because her single MOTHER raised her well, did not impress me. Neither did his sudden obsession with Maven sell me on his love. He was a man used to getting what he wants and was unhappy that they were not falling into his plan. And the sudden turn into paranormal…Did it? Did it not? What the hell just happened? ending left me more bothered than intrigued.
You might need decide that you too need to read what happened in this story but be warned, it will not be what you think it will be and the mental scarring will be on you.
I don’t like Ronan!
He growls, “She’s my daughter, Maven. I want to know her. I want to be in her life. I know she’s mine.
“You don’t know anything.”
“Your Dr. Lattman doesn’t know anything about having a daughter, either.”
“As if he’d disclose something so personal to a total stranger over the phone.”
He scoffs. “So he’s liar, too?”
“If someone rang you up out of the blue and said, ‘Hi, this is Joe Blow, and I was just wondering if you could tell me a bunch of intimate details about your family,’ how would you react?”
“Not very well.”
“Exactly.”
“Except if Joe Blow pretended to be the principal at my daughter’s school calling to let me know she’d been involved in a terrible accident, I might be more forthcoming.”
My heartbeat stutters, then stops. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, yes, I did. And do you know what good Dr. Lattman told me? He told me there was a mistake. He doesn’t have a daughter.”
Drawing on every ounce of my resolve, I keep my voice level and my expression calm, though inside, I’m panicking. “I never told him I was pregnant. We only dated for two months before we broke up. And you know Blackthorns don’t keep fathers around. That’s the end of the story.”
His searching gaze darts all over my face. Then he exhales a short, astonished breath.
“I should wash that lying mouth out with soap.”
“Try it, and you’ll end up missing a few important appendages.”
“You really hate me that much that you’d keep my own blood from me?”
“The blood you denied you wanted in the first place?”
“I was seventeen!”
“So was I. Just a girl in a love with a selfish, heartless boy who didn’t want to be seen in public with her.”
“I never said I didn’t want to be–“
He cuts off abruptly, staring down at me with furrowed brows and a strange expression taking over his face. At first I think it’s confusion, but then it’s worse. Much worse.
It’s understanding.
He grasps my jaw, gripping it firmly so that I can’t turn away.
“You were in love with me.”
It would’ve been bad enough if it was a question, but it wasn’t. It was a statement. I can see it in his eyes, the way his brain is working furiously, going back over every interaction we ever had and casting them into a whole new light.
“You were in love with me.“
The lump in my throat is too big to talk around, so I bite my tongue and stay silent.
“I thought you hated me. I thought you were ashamed to be seen with me. But you were in love with me. You loved me. You loved me.”
“Stop saying that! It doesn’t matter.”
“It’s the only thing that matters.”
I start at him defiantly. “Why?”
“Because if you loved me once, you can love me again.”
“I’ll never love you again. I don’t feel anything for you except disgust.”
His eyes burn. His jaw clenches. He grits out. “You really are the worse liar in history.”
I can’t respond to that because he covers my mouth with his.
Leave a Reply