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geeky_anguissette 's review for:
Twisted Abel
by T.L. Hodel
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*