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clara01's review against another edition
Very slow paced, I got to 62% in and nothing was really happening between the characters. It started off well but I don't think the characters personalities developed enough for the book to keep me interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
throneofsnark's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"I guess that was what happened when girls with a need for academic validation grew up. They developed a praise kink."
I really loved this story. It was such a great slowburn romance and I was here for it! Barely a touch until 50% in and then it gets HOT!!!
I really appreciated the banter and chemistry between Christian and Stella <3 For a man who didn't believe in love, this man fell HARD! He was obsessed, thinking it was just because she was some kind of puzzle, but really it was because he was so infatuated with her as a person. Mans was in LOVE and would literally KILL for her. The morally greyist of any of the Twisted men in my opinion and quite possibly my favorite. Give me a toxic man in a book but please don't come near me iRL <3
I love that Christian really wanted and supported Stella in becoming her own person and she truly grew and got over her own traumas because of it.
I really enjoyed almost everything about this book, just wished they left out a certain something in the epilogue that I hate!
Aaaah! This couple is definitely tied with Rhys and Bridget <3
Quotes:
"Careful, Stella. I'm not the gentleman you think I am." - Christian
"I don't think you're a gentleman at all." - Stella
"Smart girl." - Christian
"If you saw yourself the way other people see you, you'd never doubt again." - Christian
"How do other people see me?"- Stella
"Like you're the most beautiful, most remarkable thing they've ever seen."- Christian
"I'm an optimist, not an idiot."- Stella
"Too much planning is a form of procrastination." - Stella
"I guess that was what happened when girls with a need for academic validation grew up. They developed a praise kink." - Stella (That's so true :x)
"Christian. Don't give him any pieces of your soul."- Stella
"One of my favorite things about you is that you think I have any pieces left." - Christian
I really loved this story. It was such a great slowburn romance and I was here for it! Barely a touch until 50% in and then it gets HOT!!!
I really appreciated the banter and chemistry between Christian and Stella <3 For a man who didn't believe in love, this man fell HARD! He was obsessed, thinking it was just because she was some kind of puzzle, but really it was because he was so infatuated with her as a person. Mans was in LOVE and would literally KILL for her. The morally greyist of any of the Twisted men in my opinion and quite possibly my favorite. Give me a toxic man in a book but please don't come near me iRL <3
I love that Christian really wanted and supported Stella in becoming her own person and she truly grew and got over her own traumas because of it.
I really enjoyed almost everything about this book, just wished they left out a certain something in the epilogue that I hate!
Aaaah! This couple is definitely tied with Rhys and Bridget <3
Quotes:
"Careful, Stella. I'm not the gentleman you think I am." - Christian
"I don't think you're a gentleman at all." - Stella
"Smart girl." - Christian
"If you saw yourself the way other people see you, you'd never doubt again." - Christian
"How do other people see me?"- Stella
"Like you're the most beautiful, most remarkable thing they've ever seen."- Christian
"I'm an optimist, not an idiot."- Stella
"Too much planning is a form of procrastination." - Stella
"I guess that was what happened when girls with a need for academic validation grew up. They developed a praise kink." - Stella (That's so true :x)
"Christian. Don't give him any pieces of your soul."- Stella
"One of my favorite things about you is that you think I have any pieces left." - Christian
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
donari's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Kidnapping and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
natashaball's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy
hunny_bee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This is a case where I think if I read it vs. listening to the audiobook, I would've enjoyed it way more. I found myself struggling with the voice actors that were chosen (specifically Stella's), and there was something about it being said out loud vs. being read that felt more cringey for me. The "she's mine" and "his whiskey eyes" were kind of a lot after 1-2 hours into the audiobook.
I feel bad because it does taint my ability to give a well-rounded review. Overall, it was a fun book. It follows the typical billionaire tropes and notes, and the characters were likable enough to keep me invested. There was nothing that particularly surprised me or resonated with me, but that was okay! It was a good fluff read for me, and I like the cast enough that I would be interested in reading the other books in the series.
Spice level: š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø
I feel bad because it does taint my ability to give a well-rounded review. Overall, it was a fun book. It follows the typical billionaire tropes and notes, and the characters were likable enough to keep me invested. There was nothing that particularly surprised me or resonated with me, but that was okay! It was a good fluff read for me, and I like the cast enough that I would be interested in reading the other books in the series.
Spice level: š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Death of parent
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is the one Iāve been waiting for since the beginning (ok well, since getting to the end of the second book and realizing that's what it was setting up for, but still) and it deliveredddddd. Definitely my favorite of the series; last one best one! Like, there was something about this one that hit all the right notes for my preferred dark romance: the truly reprehensible (and normally male) MC who develops an unbending soft spot for their romantic interest. I honestly can't get enough of reading to what lengths they would go to defend and support their person. And in this case, it was extra wonderful because of how much Christian's (frightening levels of) did for Stella's own confidence and self-perception. Maybe it wasn't always the best way to go about it, sure, but the result made my heart happy. Similarly in reverse, while it was just in relation to her, Christian's realization of his own remaining humanity, seeing himself through Stella's (optimistic, but not stupid - in her own words) eyes, is the kind of character "growth" I love in a situation like this. And of course, the levels of drama not seen in typical human life (high stakes security stuff, obscene amounts of money, stalkers and kidnappings, etc.) were as unbelievable and entertaining as always. Side shout out to Stella's lower libido and ace spectrum vibes (demi-ish) that were really mentioned openly and often on page - I don't see that a lot (ever?) in these kinds of mainstream spicy romance series, and I really appreciated it. It made me like what was already my fav of the four even more...though when the spicy scenes came, they also matched up with what Huang has provided this whole series (thumbs way way up for that). I knew I wanted this one and it hit the spot. I donāt even care how long (and perhaps sometimes repetitive) it was because I really did want to spend that much time with Stella and Christian.
āWe always expected our external world to reflect our internal one, but it was situations like these that reminded me the world would go on no matter what happened to us individually. It was equal parts reassuring and depressing.ā
āThat was the thing about humans. We were hard-wired for survival, and we took every opportunity to convince ourselves that our problems weren't as bad as we thought they were. Hope and denial. Two sides of the same coin. They kept us from falling into a well of despair even in the darkest of times.ā
āBut he makes me feel like I can be anyone I want to be. Better yet, he makes me feel like I can be who I am.ā
āBut our lives were our own. There would always be people who were better and worse off than us. That didn't make our feelings any less valid. We could acknowledge how good we had it in some respects while criticizing other parts.ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Pregnancy
saraunderthetree's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Christian and Stellaās relationship was one of many twists and turns! Christian had his morally grey complexities that Stella saw as only a portion of his character. Stella, while a tad naive, always hoped for the best for everyone, but was always a tad weary of herself till she met Christian. These two have tension that builds into something thatās worth fighting for. I was hoping for a little more spice than was given, but the book was well written!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide, Torture, and Abandonment
jg34's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
Ok these books are I think objectively not good?? Not trying to be a snob but the writing, the inconsistencies, I even seen some grammar mistakes which I have never before. The plots are outlandish and the MMCs are unbelievable the FMCS frankly boring and the stakes are unnecessarily high and donāt make sense. Not to mention these are like the same book four times. Morally gray MMC (maybe a billionaire) who CANT date FMC for whatever reason but omg they are obsessed (to a concerning degree) and canāt help it and have to f them senseless (seriously canāt any of them enjoy likeā¦ gentleā¦ they always pounding them to a new galaxy or something).
BUT I read them. And quickly. They are addicting!!! I donāt know why!!! Very easy to read if you get past being frustrated by the inconsistencies and just total lunacy that is the plot. Somehow I was able to.
Do I think this book is good? No.
Do I like it? I donāt think so.
Did I enjoy myself??? I donāt even know if that is a yes!!
Am I just really into smut? Absolutely not.
WHY DID I READ THESE brb I gotta talk to my therapist about this
BUT I read them. And quickly. They are addicting!!! I donāt know why!!! Very easy to read if you get past being frustrated by the inconsistencies and just total lunacy that is the plot. Somehow I was able to.
Do I think this book is good? No.
Do I like it? I donāt think so.
Did I enjoy myself??? I donāt even know if that is a yes!!
Am I just really into smut? Absolutely not.
WHY DID I READ THESE brb I gotta talk to my therapist about this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
jax10124's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What is in these? I inhaled this series. But this one was my favourite. The mystery dynamic maybe? Not sure exactly why but thatās what Iām going with.
Stella is being stalked and Christian is working to protect her. I love a good protector storyline.
Morally grey Alpha mmc š„µ
Grumpy x sunshine āļø
He washes her hair šæ
Slow burn! š„
Good girl š
Stella is being stalked and Christian is working to protect her. I love a good protector storyline.
Morally grey Alpha mmc š„µ
Grumpy x sunshine āļø
He washes her hair šæ
Slow burn! š„
Good girl š
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
smartcookiesca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder