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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Twisted Abel by T.L. Hodel
amazon.com/dp/B09XM6FJWN
I'm probably preaching to the choir, but if you haven't gotten your hands on Twisted Abel by T.L. Hodel yet, remind your book boyfriend to punish you and then go get a copy. I am now a believer that dark romance readers everywhere need to share this experience. I have done nothing today besides tap my kindle screen to advance pages. I started Twisted Abel by T.L. Hodel this morning and was unable to stop until there were no more pages.
Let's talk about Aspen, shall we? First and foremost, Aspen truly is one of those "good" characters. No matter what life throws at her, she never falters in being exactly who she is. Her inner monologue is so raw it hurts. Aspen doesn't leave herself any pretenses and that sincere vulnerability draws you in. This character was raw. Aspen is REAL. I found that those feelings of shame and guilt found in Aspen's inner monologue are almost too well-articulated for comfort. No, unlike many heroines, Aspen is Abel's perfect victim through absolutely no fault of her own. And strength? The woman puts Hercules to shame. She maintains a certain resilience that you don't often find in romance books. Regardless of anything she faces, Aspen never loses sight of who she is and doesn't change. She truly is a one-of-a-kind character.
So, Abel? That man spider-monkeyed his way up my list of book boyfriends right to the top. He is so complex that there is almost a physical need to work him out (pun totally intended). Abel is a thinker. For all of his insanity, he's self-aware in an almost naïve manner. When he has a thought that's abnormal for him, he recognizes it, and then moves on. He accepts that he thought it, and and eventually those thoughts start to sink in and become his reality. He consistently applies his style of logic, which is skewed at best, all the while having an equally skewed moral compass. Just as Aspen is who she is, Abel is also just himself. I love the slow progression of thought changes that occur to Abel.
Obviously, I loved the characters. They snared me from the beginning and never let go.
The plot itself is rather simple. Pyschopath finds an object of obsession and ... well ... obsesses. He kidnaps her. There's a touch of stock- *ahem* I mean, she falls for him. He falls for her. They live happily ever after, right? And before you yell at me, I know there's so much more, but that is the essential story concept. But then there are twists. Not gonna lie, I did see some of the twists, but there were a couple that snuck up on me out of nowhere. There's enough action to keep me reading (which says something), but it isn't until the plot is paired with such exquisite characters that the story really shines. Those delightfully written inner monologues allowed the characters to slightly upstage the plot.
FYI: The amount of darkness that is found inside this cover nearly bowled me over. It is pervasive. The light clicks off and the shutters come down at the very beginning and the darkness takes over. This is not a book for most baby dark romance readers. Y'all will find more than a few disturbing imagines, and I need to tell you that it fed my dark soul so well it won't need another sacrifice for while.
TL:DR - Incredible book. In my top 3 of the year so far. Oops, I guess I should have put that at the beginning *evil laugh*
amazon.com/dp/B09XM6FJWN
I'm probably preaching to the choir, but if you haven't gotten your hands on Twisted Abel by T.L. Hodel yet, remind your book boyfriend to punish you and then go get a copy. I am now a believer that dark romance readers everywhere need to share this experience. I have done nothing today besides tap my kindle screen to advance pages. I started Twisted Abel by T.L. Hodel this morning and was unable to stop until there were no more pages.
Let's talk about Aspen, shall we? First and foremost, Aspen truly is one of those "good" characters. No matter what life throws at her, she never falters in being exactly who she is. Her inner monologue is so raw it hurts. Aspen doesn't leave herself any pretenses and that sincere vulnerability draws you in. This character was raw. Aspen is REAL. I found that those feelings of shame and guilt found in Aspen's inner monologue are almost too well-articulated for comfort. No, unlike many heroines, Aspen is Abel's perfect victim through absolutely no fault of her own. And strength? The woman puts Hercules to shame. She maintains a certain resilience that you don't often find in romance books. Regardless of anything she faces, Aspen never loses sight of who she is and doesn't change. She truly is a one-of-a-kind character.
So, Abel? That man spider-monkeyed his way up my list of book boyfriends right to the top. He is so complex that there is almost a physical need to work him out (pun totally intended). Abel is a thinker. For all of his insanity, he's self-aware in an almost naïve manner. When he has a thought that's abnormal for him, he recognizes it, and then moves on. He accepts that he thought it, and and eventually those thoughts start to sink in and become his reality. He consistently applies his style of logic, which is skewed at best, all the while having an equally skewed moral compass. Just as Aspen is who she is, Abel is also just himself. I love the slow progression of thought changes that occur to Abel.
Obviously, I loved the characters. They snared me from the beginning and never let go.
The plot itself is rather simple. Pyschopath finds an object of obsession and ... well ... obsesses. He kidnaps her. There's a touch of stock- *ahem* I mean, she falls for him. He falls for her. They live happily ever after, right? And before you yell at me, I know there's so much more, but that is the essential story concept. But then there are twists. Not gonna lie, I did see some of the twists, but there were a couple that snuck up on me out of nowhere. There's enough action to keep me reading (which says something), but it isn't until the plot is paired with such exquisite characters that the story really shines. Those delightfully written inner monologues allowed the characters to slightly upstage the plot.
FYI: The amount of darkness that is found inside this cover nearly bowled me over. It is pervasive. The light clicks off and the shutters come down at the very beginning and the darkness takes over. This is not a book for most baby dark romance readers. Y'all will find more than a few disturbing imagines, and I need to tell you that it fed my dark soul so well it won't need another sacrifice for while.
TL:DR - Incredible book. In my top 3 of the year so far. Oops, I guess I should have put that at the beginning *evil laugh*
**** Before you start reading this you really need to read book 1 Unhinged Cain so you can understand the story and dynamics of the Buchanan Brothers ****
Abel is convinced he doesn’t need anyone and thinks his brother Cain has gone soft since he met Kirby that is until he sees Aspen . Even though he tries to convince himself she’s just another kill he knows deep down she’s different and as much as Aspen says she doesn’t want Abel she knows she’s lying to herself. When things surrounding the copy cat killer come to light everything starts to fall into place and I sat kicking myself as I never saw it coming ( I’m usually good at spotting the bad guys so well done TL Hodel you got me
Abel is convinced he doesn’t need anyone and thinks his brother Cain has gone soft since he met Kirby that is until he sees Aspen . Even though he tries to convince himself she’s just another kill he knows deep down she’s different and as much as Aspen says she doesn’t want Abel she knows she’s lying to herself. When things surrounding the copy cat killer come to light everything starts to fall into place and I sat kicking myself as I never saw it coming ( I’m usually good at spotting the bad guys so well done TL Hodel you got me
dark
funny
medium-paced
dark
funny
fast-paced
Abel didn’t exactly endear himself to me in the previous book so with my many preconceptions I was intrigued to see if he could manage to pull it together enough to make me like him even a smidgin. To be fair this was absolutely bloody mental Abel is certifiable loco and so incredibly but unique his many eccentricities and demented sense of fun made me smile despite his murderous tendencies.
The contrast between psychopathic killer and wisecracking comedian was extreme Abel’s mood changes as swiftly as the weather. He’s unpredictable totally unhinged and definitely insane and despite all of his evil deeds I still couldn’t help liking him. His logic only makes sense to him and his logic is at times incredibly childlike. Again be aware this is extremely graphic and the villain doesn’t have some major redemption here Abel is just Abel and Aspen eventually accepts him for exactly who he is a cold-blooded not quite sane monster. To everyone else, he’s totally dangerous but for Aspen, he becomes her hero.
Again imagine all of the triggers and this story throws them all out there for you. It was an easy well-written page-turner and it’s certainly unique. It bravely goes where other books fear to tread and I think it’s the contrast between the horror and humour here that made this mainly work. it distracted from the intensity of Abel’s actions making you unexpectedly laugh out loud and introducing a certain levity to the scene.
I definitely think Aspen’s unique past has moulded her into accepting the train wreck that is Abel. But I also genuinely think he gets her and it was so incredibly amusing to witness Abel in sheer denial and having to then backtrack with his brother and Kirby.
Finally, what the heck was that bonkers poem at the end of this OMG I laughed it was just so wrong that I couldn’t help myself Ode to a bitch In a box is morbid black comedy at its finest and I’m British so Im so there for all of that. This duet is for all those that adore a good old psycho romance this is definitely not for the easily offended though it has some extreme triggers and plenty of questionable content you’ve been warned.
Wow
Abel will make you question your own sanity and make you read somethings twice because you just can’t believe what you just read and you’ll never think of an eye socket as the same again. Once you’re done questioning your sanity Abel will having you laughing out. Some parts of the books felt lacking and little rushed but overall the story is super twisted and enjoyable. I wish there were more clues about agent Hanson in Cain’s book it probably would have made more sense that he was the villain
Abel will make you question your own sanity and make you read somethings twice because you just can’t believe what you just read and you’ll never think of an eye socket as the same again. Once you’re done questioning your sanity Abel will having you laughing out. Some parts of the books felt lacking and little rushed but overall the story is super twisted and enjoyable. I wish there were more clues about agent Hanson in Cain’s book it probably would have made more sense that he was the villain