Book Review · Books

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 343

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Piatkus

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

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He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world

A diverse new adult steamy romance from Tiktok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Ana Huang.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Also her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen-but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts:

“Twisted Love” is a book I’ve always had my eyes on. My sister gifted me a copy, and I instantly dived in. Now, I am all for “bad boy” romances, but this one just wasn’t it. It felt like the author wanted to include all romance tropes at once, and whilst doing so, created a proper mess.

Firstly, our main male character, Alex Volkov, is a horrible person. Rich, as in, I own my grandpa’s company and no one can touch me. Stubborn, arrogant, jealous and possessive. Usually, I don’t mind this in a romance book and just go with it, enjoying the book, despite a character’s red flags. Who am I to judge, right? But Alex was way too annoying. I should request some kind of compensation for the amount of eye rolls this book gave me. Maybe I am owed some eye drops or something.

As for Ava, I really liked her, even though I thought she was a bit gullible at times. I also have to remind myself that she had a crush on Alex, and with that comes a lot of tunnel vision and her wearing her rose-tinted glasses. I liked how her trauma was presented, and it added great depth to the character.

There was one moment in the book that really made me chuckle.

It mentioned how easy it was to cross borders in Europe. And I laughed, because it is clear the author never tried to cross a Balkan border during a summer holiday. If she did, she wouldn’t have made that statement. Europe is much more than crossing the French-Italian border. 

What I found interesting about the book is that despite the unlikeable characters and cliche plot, I devoured this book in two days. Writing this down, I don’t know if that says more about the book, or me. 🙂 And that’s the main reason I haven’t given this book a 1 star. The second book in the series is the story of Bridget and Rhys, and I have to admit, I’m extremely excited about that! I think and I hope that we will see characters with way less red flags. I will still be reading the rest of the series, as I am now intrigued about the rest of the characters.

About the Author:

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Sunday Times, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon.

Her books have been translated in thirty languages and featured in outlets such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR, Cosmopolitan, and PEOPLE magazine.

A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte.

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Book Review · Books

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 352

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

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Demi Crawford was Magnolia Falls royalty.
I was the boxer from the wrong side of the tracks.
She was the epitome of everything good, while I was broody and rebellious.
We couldn’t be more different.
Her family was enemy number one which made her guilty by association.
I despised her before I even knew her.
It was easier that way.
But now she’d moved in next door to me, and she was everywhere I turned.
I couldn’t avoid her no matter how hard I tried.
She was beautiful and honest and sweet.
Everything I knew I shouldn’t want.
Shouldn’t need.
They say there’s a fine line between love and hate—and I don’t know when I crossed over.
I was so wrapped up in this girl I couldn’t see straight.
She was the right hook I never saw coming.
Hating her was supposed to be my end game.
Loving her… well, that was just the beginning.
But the secrets that lived between us threatened to tear us apart.
Lucky for her—I was a born fighter.
And she was definitely worth the fight.

My Thoughts:

“Loving Romeo” was a cute love story. A bad boy meets the rich girl in a small town, and catches feelings for her, despite hating her family. I have to be honest, I did not like Demi at all and couldn’t relate to her or connect with her. She obviously comes from a rich family, and she’s quite fast to say to everyone that everything she has, she worked hard for. And yet, she has this to say about her owning a coffee shop and an apartment on top of it:

“I’ve been away at school for four years. I came home and opened a business, one that I’m working at every day. I’m living in a small apartment above the coffeehouse and trying to do things on my own. But I’m hated anyway because my family has money?”

Umm, sorry, Demi, darling, but you sound entitled. How exactly did you manage to open a business right after finishing school? With what and whose money? Not all mortals can just spawn a business right after finishing school, unless they have some kind of support.

With Romeo, I could understand where he was coming from. I could understand his hatred towards Demi’s family. In the book, we later find out more about why he holds such hatred, and it ends up being the reason that actually brings the two together. But it still felt exaggerated at times when he would judge and be rude to Demi, saying he hates her by association, only to 20 pages later ignore his opinion and want to rip her clothes off.

Once we get past this and they start catching feelings for each other, I enjoyed the story more. Although I have to say, it lacked action and adventure. The most exciting part was the actual boxing match – I really enjoyed that part. I am still curious though – did Johnny Cane got his autographs for letting the girls in?

Overall, it’s a cute romance. Nothing too special and I probably won’t remember the book in too much detail in a few years. But it’s a great book to take on a holiday with you, or pick it up when in need of a bit of small town romance. That being said, I will still be reading the rest of the series, as I am now intrigued about the rest of the characters.

Favourite Quotes:

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” Rocky Balboa

“Don’t ask me how, but standing in this cold space, where most of the people who worked out here smelled like dirty socks and were covered in sweat, still somehow managed to be the most romantic moment I’d ever experienced.
Because I felt a connection to him that was foreign to me.
Something I’d never felt before.”

“It doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks. When you love someone, you love all of them.”

“I don’t hold love over people’s heads. I’m careful about who I love, and when I love someone, it’s forever. I can’t just turn it on and off, and I don’t think you can either.”

“I’d never felt this connected to another person, yet at the same time, it felt like the world I’d known was crumbling around me.”

“If nothing good ever happens to me again, I’d still be the luckiest guy in the fucking world.”

“There was something about the way that he looked at me. Like I was the only girl in the whole world. Like he’d move heaven and earth for me if I asked him to.”

About the Author:

Laura Pavlov is a USA Today and Amazon top 10 Bestselling author. She writes sweet and sexy small town romance that will make you both laugh and cry. Laura is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome kids who are currently adulting, one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. She’s living her own happily ever after in Las Vegas. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves hearing from readers!

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Book Review · Books

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros [BOOK REVIEW]

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 527

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Piatkus

Format I read it in: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★★

Before I start talking about “Onyx Storm” at all, as this is the third book in The Empyrean series, it goes without saying that this review will most probably contain spoilers from the previous books. I will refrain from spoiling this book, though. It feels like yesterday that I read “Fourth Wing” and “Iron Flame” and at the same time, it feels like forever ago!

I really enjoyed returning to Violet and Xaden’s story. To be honest, the first 100 pages were a struggle. A lot of information dump and not a lot of action – big difference in Rebecca’s writing style that felt unfamiliar. But I forgave her, because she likes using the Oxford comma. Around half-way through the book though, things started to pick up. I loved that a lot of the side characters had their moments of fame and their time to shine. My favourite part in this book was Violet and Xaden’s relationship. And not only the romantic scenes, but also the silent acts of love. Choices they make throughout the chapters that show how much they care for each other. Their selflessness and willingness to make sacrifices to protect the other person. 

“But the thought of you being out there, beyond the wards, facing down a known attack of venin, triggered something in me I’ve never felt before. It was hotter than rage, and sharper than fear, and cut deeper than helplessness, all because I couldn’t get to you.”

“I would have killed anything and anyone in that moment to reach you. No exceptions. I would have channeled every ounce of power beneath my feet without hesitation if it would have landed me at your side.”

I really enjoyed the ending as well.

That huge cliffhanger, oh my goodness! The scene that had me ask so many questions and the realisation that I have no answers. It was an incredible ending, that leaves a lot of room for discussion and theories about what happened. And the conclusion is always the same – we’re going to have to wait for the next book to find out. I cannot wait for book four now – I am desperately curious for answers. Onyx Storm – you were good to me after all!

“I could reach the rank of Maven, lead armies of dark wielders against everyone we care for, and watch every vein in my body turn red as I channel all the power in the Continent, and I would still love you. What I did doesn’t change that. I’m not sure anything can.”

“Yes, love, I’m jealous. I’m jealous of the armor that holds you when I can’t, the sheets on your bed that caress your skin every night, and the blades that feel your hands. So, when the prince of our realm walks into my classroom and starts talking to the woman I love with what can only be considered intense familiarity, and then has the audacity to ask her out right in front of me, naturally, I’m going to get jealous.”

About the Author:

Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros [BOOK REVIEW]

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event. She’s the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. As the mother of six, when she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and two cats who rule them all. 

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Book Review · Books

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 419

Genre: Young Adult, YA, Fiction, Science Fiction

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★


Silver has been trained since birth for her collect data on the humans to test if Earth is viable for her home ship, Charybdis, to colonise. The only rules are that she must feed back the data she collects to the ship, and at all times follow the To touch is agony. To feel is pain.

So when Silver inhabits the body of a young woman and infiltrates the house she is staying in, she must learn to pass as a human without revealing her true identity. But she isn’t prepared for how the humans will get under her skin. And she definitely isn’t prepared for Finch, the boy she starts to fall for. Especially when he touches her – and it doesn’t hurt.

It is not how Charybdis said it would be.

Have they been lying all along?

Conflicted by the war between her growing feelings for Finch and her allegiance to her ship, Silver must decide who to stand by and who to betray.

My Thoughts:

I was very intrigued by the story of Silver. She is an alien and is sent to Earth for a mission – to collect data on humans and test if Earth is viable for her mother ship, Charybdis, to colonise. All her life, she has been taught that she must follow the Mantra, a set of rules that her ship stands by. To stay away from humans. To not touch them, for touch is agony, and to feel is pain. 

When Silver joins a family as a pet-sitter, she has to inherit the body of the young Polish girl to do so. The more time she spends with the family, the more human she becomes. The book is also set around Christmas time, so she feels extra included and excited about all the festivities. She starts to develop a crush for Finch, and when they touch by accident, she expects to feel pain. But instead, all she can feel is warmth and funny feelings about this boy, which is extremely confusing to her.

Every so often, Silver has to go back to the mothership to “shield”. When she shields, the founders gather all the data she has collected. They are not impressed with her, as she has gotten too close to the humans and she is also starting to defy them by visiting much less frequently.

The story of Silver is very fast paced and addictive.

I read it in two days. But I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. There were a lot of discrepancies with the characters. Stella, for example, kept coming in and out of the picture. It felt convinient, when it was needed to fit the story and plot. Silver’s character had many flaws too. She showed empathy, but then was brutal the next second. For example the scene where she tells Finch the truth about his dad.

Also, there are some things that didn’t add up with her powers. On page 94, she scanned “Brave New World” in a second, and in the next chapters she does that with other books too. But on page 122, it takes her “seventy-seven minutes” to watch some cooking videos. Surely, if she had an ability to inhabit humans, scan books in seconds, morph into anything, she can also process cooking videos at a crazy speed?

For some reason, I couldn’t relax enough to enjoy the book. As a whole, I really loved the idea behind it and the story about the world/the ship/Vortex/Founders. But personally feel that it may have been slightly poorly executed. I would still recommend it if you are after a unique alien story with a romance twist to it. 

About the Author:

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

Olivia Levez divides her time between teaching English and binge-writing in her caravan by the sea. Olivia likes hula-hooping, yoga and real ale, but not at the same time. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband, two sons and her real life Dog, Basil.

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Book Review · Books

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 288

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Afterglow Books / Mills & Boon

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★


I enjoyed “Much Ado About Hating You”, but I found it very frustrating at the same time. It’s a lovely fast-paced office romance and what you see is what you get, but as soon as I dive a bit deeper into the details, I cannot help but find many flaws.

Aidan Scott is an English Professor, who also secretly writes steamy romances on a writing app. Micah Mila is a financial auditor that is tasked to review the local university’s English department and find ways to cut costs. She also enjoys reading steamy Shakespearean fanfic.

When Aidan and Micah meet, there is hostility. She’s there to cut costs, which in Aidan’s world means – she’s there to try and take away his job, which he very much loves. Both characters have huge egos, and what starts as bickering and general hostility, quickly turns into competition and them becoming sworn enemies for life.

But the twist is – their hate turns into tension. And their connection on the writing app is about to get deeper. As time goes on, they are starting to push the boundaries of what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and lust gets the better of them. 

As for the story, unfortunately, it didn’t connect with me.

I found the characters slightly childish and immature. Their office encounters are completely unprofessional, and their writing app conversations cringey and over the top. The only bit I did like was the suspense in the real world and the tension between them. And also maybe Aidan’s relationship with his father and how that progressed throughout the book. 

I have to be honest and say that the book had a lot of typos and grammatical errors, and what I believe to be one plot hole, that also diminished my reading experience. I think I noticed around 6 typos in the book, which I will flag to the publisher, so they can hopefully rectify in the next edition.

All in all, “Much Ado About Hating You” is a fast-paced romance that will appeal to some of the romance lovers. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but hopefully the synopsis will pique your curiosity. I really do hope you enjoy it more than I did. 

About the Author:

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith [BOOK REVIEW]

Sarah Echavarre Smith is a copywriter turned author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie’s stash of romance novels. She’s been hooked ever since. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and her adorable cat, Salem.

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