Scan barcode
esilanna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.0
If there’s one thing Emily Mcintire does phenomenally, it’s write the absolute hell out of the enemies to lovers trope and I’ll eat it up. Every. Single. Time. This series has been fantastic, this book especially because Mr. Faraci has me questioning if Tristan from Scarred is still my favorite Never After man😭 I absolutely can’t wait to see what comes next from this series and I’m already anxious to read Crossed when it comes out later this year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
weelasswithabook's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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? No
4.5
*** ARC received in exchange for an honest review***
CW: abusive childhood, domestic violence, cancer, misogyny, torture, violence (physical, gun, knife) , graphic sexual content, death of a parent, abduction, woman in peril, dismemberment
⭐ Age Gap
⭐ Slow burn
⭐ Enemies to lovers
⭐ Marriage of convenience
⭐ Aladdin inspired
🌶 Degradation/Praise
Yet another installment in the Never After series where the villain gets the HEA, this time inspired by Jasmine and Jafar from Aladdin 👀
I really enjoyed the set up for this one with the whole arranged marriage vibe. Throw in the pure hatred from both MCs and it's a recipe for success. I loved seeing both characters warm up and acknowledge their feelings for one another, while staying true to who they are. For example, Julian was a villian throughout, the only one he shows softness for is Yasmin. Yasmin softens to Julian, while maintaining her independence and determination. Too often there's a huge switch up in the characters, but here we managed to keep the integrity of the characters while allowing the relationship to develop and progress.
The slow burn element really allowed for the tension to build to a boiling point which I appreciated, rather than just jumping into it from the get go. So you get the opportunity to become invested and wait for that spark that just sets everything on fire.
I feel like we got enough backstory for both characters to really get a feel for who they are. I do feel like a little further insight into Yasmins childhood could've been beneficial as we're presented with misogynist undertones with her father not trusting her to take over his company etc, but it didn't detract from her development as a character.
Julian's backstory was very heartbreaking, and I LOVED that we weren't forced into a healing resolution between him and his Mum. Again, the whole "they're still blood so they should love each other " rhetoric is often brought into stories, whereas Emily stuck with the healthier concept of cutting off toxic familial relationships.
The conflict was interesting, I do feel it was resolved pretty abruptly, but again it allowed for further suspense in the period between the conflict, the sort of resolution, an external conflict, and then resolution. So it made sense in the end to have it paced that way.
The chemistry was on point, the characters were great, plot points and pacing were great, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed Twisted. I'll never be able to watch Aladdin the same again. Jafar is now a Daddy and you can't convince me otherwise 😂
CW: abusive childhood, domestic violence, cancer, misogyny, torture, violence (physical, gun, knife) , graphic sexual content, death of a parent, abduction, woman in peril, dismemberment
⭐ Age Gap
⭐ Slow burn
⭐ Enemies to lovers
⭐ Marriage of convenience
⭐ Aladdin inspired
🌶 Degradation/Praise
Yet another installment in the Never After series where the villain gets the HEA, this time inspired by Jasmine and Jafar from Aladdin 👀
I really enjoyed the set up for this one with the whole arranged marriage vibe. Throw in the pure hatred from both MCs and it's a recipe for success. I loved seeing both characters warm up and acknowledge their feelings for one another, while staying true to who they are. For example, Julian was a villian throughout, the only one he shows softness for is Yasmin. Yasmin softens to Julian, while maintaining her independence and determination. Too often there's a huge switch up in the characters, but here we managed to keep the integrity of the characters while allowing the relationship to develop and progress.
The slow burn element really allowed for the tension to build to a boiling point which I appreciated, rather than just jumping into it from the get go. So you get the opportunity to become invested and wait for that spark that just sets everything on fire.
I feel like we got enough backstory for both characters to really get a feel for who they are. I do feel like a little further insight into Yasmins childhood could've been beneficial as we're presented with misogynist undertones with her father not trusting her to take over his company etc, but it didn't detract from her development as a character.
Julian's backstory was very heartbreaking, and I LOVED that we weren't forced into a healing resolution between him and his Mum. Again, the whole "they're still blood so they should love each other " rhetoric is often brought into stories, whereas Emily stuck with the healthier concept of cutting off toxic familial relationships.
The conflict was interesting, I do feel it was resolved pretty abruptly, but again it allowed for further suspense in the period between the conflict, the sort of resolution, an external conflict, and then resolution. So it made sense in the end to have it paced that way.
The chemistry was on point, the characters were great, plot points and pacing were great, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed Twisted. I'll never be able to watch Aladdin the same again. Jafar is now a Daddy and you can't convince me otherwise 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement and Grief
30something_reads's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75⭐️
Twisted is book 4 in a standalone dark romance series of fractured fairy tale retellings where the villain gets the girl (or sometimes, the villain IS the girl in the case of Wretched.) This book is loosely based off Jasmine and Jafar from Aladdin but set in the modern world.
Yasmin is the young daughter of wealthy businessman, Ali, who runs a world-renowned diamond business. Julian has been his loyal and ambitious right-hand man in all things legal and… less than legal. Yasmin thinks Julian is cold, arrogant, and self-serving. Julian thinks Yasmin is nothing but a spoiled brat that doesn’t deserve to inherit the family business.
When Ali is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he decides that the last thing he wants is to ensure Yasmin gets married to a man that can take over the family business. He intends to set her up with a stranger- a good business match. But Julian has other, more nefarious, plans.
💎Dual POV
💎Villain MMC… very stabby
💎Arranged Marriage
💎Age-Gap (13 Years)
💎Blackmail
💎Slow-Burn
💎Touch her and die (literally) vibes
This series is just so fun and comforting to me. Overall, I really enjoyed this couple and Julian is an excellent bad guy. My only complaint is the pacing felt a little off. I would have liked more time for Yasmin to figure out hers and Julian’s feelings (when it happened, it seemed so sudden in a story that, otherwise, felt pretty evenly paced.)
TWs:
Graphic Sexual Scenes, Graphic Violence, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence (Not between MC's), Murder, Torture, Death of a character, Terminal illness
Thank you to the author, for providing me this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twisted is book 4 in a standalone dark romance series of fractured fairy tale retellings where the villain gets the girl (or sometimes, the villain IS the girl in the case of Wretched.) This book is loosely based off Jasmine and Jafar from Aladdin but set in the modern world.
Yasmin is the young daughter of wealthy businessman, Ali, who runs a world-renowned diamond business. Julian has been his loyal and ambitious right-hand man in all things legal and… less than legal. Yasmin thinks Julian is cold, arrogant, and self-serving. Julian thinks Yasmin is nothing but a spoiled brat that doesn’t deserve to inherit the family business.
When Ali is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he decides that the last thing he wants is to ensure Yasmin gets married to a man that can take over the family business. He intends to set her up with a stranger- a good business match. But Julian has other, more nefarious, plans.
💎Dual POV
💎Villain MMC… very stabby
💎Arranged Marriage
💎Age-Gap (13 Years)
💎Blackmail
💎Slow-Burn
💎Touch her and die (literally) vibes
This series is just so fun and comforting to me. Overall, I really enjoyed this couple and Julian is an excellent bad guy. My only complaint is the pacing felt a little off. I would have liked more time for Yasmin to figure out hers and Julian’s feelings (when it happened, it seemed so sudden in a story that, otherwise, felt pretty evenly paced.)
TWs:
Graphic Sexual Scenes, Graphic Violence, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence (Not between MC's), Murder, Torture, Death of a character, Terminal illness
Thank you to the author, for providing me this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
More...