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Lately when picking out what books to read, I have been enjoying those that is a series. From Lucy Score to Katherine McGee books, it’s nice to continue on with your favorite characters. For part 2 of what books I read this past spring I am sharing the Twisted series by Ana Huang. It follows 4 best friends through their individual ups and downs of being a young adult after college. Each book follows one friend as they navigate life and their new relationship. While I loved each book for its storyline, I did have a hard time reading through the intimate moments. With no judgement to those that like this certain type of intimacy, it is just not for me. I would personally feel degraded. But everything happens with consent. If this isn’t your thing you can always just skip the intimate moments and read it for the storyline. As always the reviews have *spoilers so only read the synopsis if you haven’t read the book.
*Check out part 1 of what books I read this past spring here
Ava Chen is a sweet, positive college student who adores her friends and loves her older brother. But she is trapped trying to escape the trauma of her childhood. A childhood she can’t really remember. Still she sees the good in everyone and everything, even her brother’s best friend Alex Volkov– a brooding, handsome man. A man who is also battling the demons of his past. When sparks between the unlikely couple start to happen, secrets of the past unravel…. secrets that could destroy them.
4/5 stars
Review
I enjoyed the storyline of both of Ava and Alex’s background. It was a page turner as it was thrilling- especially during the kidnapping scenes. After reading all of the books I found Ava and Alex to be my least favorite couple. As mentioned in the opening, I was uncomfortable with the intimacy–especially theirs. The nicknames he called her would not be ok with me. But let’s move on to more of the storyline. I loved the twist of Alex being a part of their lives for revenge. I didn’t see that coming! Even Ava’s background was a twist that made me audibly gasp when we finally found out the truth. Their storyline is the most thrilling in my opinion.
As the princess of Eldorra, Bridget von Ascheberg knows she has to act accordingly to protocol. But as the 2nd to the throne she has a lot more freedom than her older brother. Bridget enjoys her life in America with her 3 best friends. She loves being “normal” in college; getting to do the same things as the other students. That is until she has to get a new bodyguard. Rhys Larsen is stubborn, overly protective and very handsome. They hardly see eye to eye on things. But rules are meant to be broken… especially the one about not getting involved with clients. When Bridget finds herself in a more prominent role in Eldorra, she must chose between love or duty.
4.5/5 stars
Review
This book feels so left field compared to the others because of Bridget being royal, but I loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed following along on her journey to becoming Queen. I am a royal enthusiast so this storyline was right up my alley. I also really liked Rhys and how he was so supportive of Bridget. Most men wouldn’t be ok with living in the shadows of a woman, but Rhys –a masculine military man- was willing to sacrifice everything to be with Bridget. It was romantic.
When the two most unlikely couple of the group start having a fling, it must be kept in secret. Jules Ambrose is a fierce, party girl redhead who may be the only woman not in love with arrogant, handsome Josh Chen– Ava’s older brother. Josh can easily woo any woman he wants, except he doesn’t want to woo Jules. They actually despise each other. When their fiery friction finally explodes one evening, Josh proposes a solution; enemies with benefits. But here’s the thing about these types of arrangements, they never work. Feeling always get involved. And for Jules and Josh, they can’t afford to have feelings for each other. Their past catches up to them and it will either make them stronger together or break them apart.
4.5/5 stars
Review
The bickering between Jules and Josh was fun to read. What I liked about this book was that Josh wasn’t brooding or grumpy like all the other men in this series. He was fun. He liked to joke around and have a good time. To me they were the most relatable couple; best friend and brother, struggling grad student and resident. Not a billionaire or a princess. And their scavenger hunt date in the book store was probably one of the best date ideas I have ever heard of! I loved it!! I also enjoyed that Jules was the one with the secret troubled past. Yes Josh had the ordeal with his father, but that didn’t affect him as a child per se. Jules on the other hand had a tough childhood and it finally caught up to her. It was thrilling that her ex was out of prison and trying to get her to do his dirty work. The book had a lot of sweet tender moments that I enjoyed while also being exciting.
Stella Alonso has little time for romance. She is more focused on building her career as an influencer and working for the biggest fashion magazine in DC. As a shy introvert she keeps her heart locked away. That is until a threat from her past shows up again and the only person who can help her is the one person who is the most dangerous. Christian Harper is not only charming, rich, and good-looking, he has a reputation for being deadly. But everyone has a weakness and his is Stella. To protect Stella and help her career, they decide to fake a relationship. But their courtship is a foundation built on lies.
4.5/5 stars
Review
What I liked about this one was Stella being an influencer. I can obviously relate to her struggles. I loved how supportive Christian was and never once made her feel as if her dreams were unrealistic. Like all the other couples, this was an unlikely pairing but also made the most sense. Stella needs someone who can encourage her to grow. Christian needs someone to keep his morals in-check. The lies of how they met, what Christian does, and the story of Stella’s stalker were all thrilling. Lots of twist I didn’t see coming! I really thought Christian was the stalker and I also thought it could be his right hand man. I also liked how relatable Stella’s story was with her family. Many people have the fear of disappointing their parents or feeling inadequate to their sibling. Her shyness and insecurity rings true for some as well. While I thought Josh was the most relatable male, Stella was the most relatable female in the Twisted series.