Book Review: Twisted Games by Ana Huang

Title: Twisted Games

Author: Ana Huang

Series/Standalone: Twisted Series (Book #2)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Pages: 456

Publisher: Indie

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"She can never be his... but he's taking her anyway.

Stoic, broody, and arrogant, elite bodyguard Rhys Larsen has two rules: 1) Protect his clients at all costs 2) Do not become emotionally involved. Ever.

He has never once been tempted to break those rules... until her.

Bridget von Ascheberg. A princess with a stubborn streak that matches his own and a hidden fire that reduces his rules to ash. She's nothing he expected and everything he never knew he needed.

Day by day, inch by inch, she breaks down his defenses until he's faced with a truth he can no longer deny: he swore an oath to protect her, but all he wants is to ruin her. Take her.

Because she's his.

His princess.

His forbidden fruit.

His every depraved fantasy. 

***

Regal, strong-willed, and bound by the chains of duty, Princess Bridget dreams of the freedom to live and love as she chooses. 

But when her brother abdicates, she's suddenly faced with the prospect of a loveless, politically expedient marriage and a throne she never wanted.

And as she navigates the intricacies- and treacheries- of her new role, she must also hide her desire for a man she can't have.

Her bodyguard.

Her protector

Her ultimate ruin.

Unexpected and forbidden, theirs is a love that could destroy a kingdom... and doom them both."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This is the second book in the Twisted series and I felt very similar to this one as the first one. The first half of this book was well done, especially the banter between the characters. Seeing how they interacted and the longing from the get-go was amazing. I loved the bodyguard aspect, but about halfway through I figured out how this was going to end (or at least pretty close). Over time, I also find it frustrating that the author does a lot of telling and very little showing. I want to see what's happening to the characters not hear about it later (obviously this can't be done for every scenario but a bit more would help with my personal enjoyment). I don't think I will be continuing with the series at this time but I hope to try her other series in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Title: Twisted Love

Author: Ana Huang

Series/Standalone: Twisted Series (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult,    

Pages: 360

Publisher: Originally Self-Published

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line: "There are worse things than being stranded in the middle of nowhere during a rainstorm."

"He has a heart of ice... but for her, he'd burn the world.

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.

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 Rating: 2.5/5

This was one that I was hoping I would love but it was just ok for me. I think that the author did a lot within the story but the mysterious aspects were very obvious to me. I had no questions about who was doing what in the background of the plot. I knew exactly who was doing the behind the scenes evil. I guessed within moments of meeting the villains that they were the villains. The sex scenes we did get were great, but I would have liked more. I also am unsure if the series needed to be a companion series or if they would have done just fine as individual stories that were not interconnected. A princess, a photographer, a law student and a regular student all being friends and being introduced like Bratz dolls just wasn't for me. I liked it, I just didn't love it. I look forward to reading the next one, but mainly for the tropes. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny