NEVER AFTER04 TWISTED Paperback – 7 February 2023

My Adult heart gets giddy whenever i read a fairytale re-telling especially when we focus on the antihero.Twisted the fourth book in this series is a rare diamond, 🤭 because we don't see normally this fairytale being retold or spinned in contemporary background but Emily did it, and i loved every page in reading the story about Julian and Yasmin.The angst, the buildup, the explosive chemistry were everything you can expect from Emily McIntyre's writing.This definitely makes it 2nd fav from the series,.

“It’s amazing what we’re capable of overlooking what we’re willing to do when it comes to those we love”As an avid dark romance reader - and I say this proudly for ppl out there loving gore but disturbed when it plays out in a fictional rom book (double standards ppl), I can damn straight say how the above quote is true for almost every relationship. Tbh I didn’t aspect to like and understand this book as much as I did after finishing it. There is something human about seeing villains as more than what they appear to be. And no that’s not romanticisation, that is reality. Some of us can’t just get over our traumas and be happy go lucky to please others. The world is a f* up places and it’s books like these that can capture it. Yes it’s romance but also yes it’s fiction. I loved Yas and Julian’s silent chemistry so much - you just know they need each other. And the whole development of it was literally me at the edge of my seat. I did find the ending a tad bit rushed but again I know McIntire’s action packed last scenes so I kinda understand. People who like D.R. Will like this a lot. Ofc, it’s not for everyone. ( side note/ tw: the mentions of abuse in the story)

Another book romanticising a particular brand of abuse. To be fair the author did warn me but "highly recommended" i go in blind and i believed it. I regret that sorely. Having an abusive childhood does not give you the right to behave this way. I would have enjoyed the book had the "villian" been just that a villian, unapologetically bad but this undertone of how having an abusive childhood is supposed to make me sympathetic to the villian or make me okay with his actions just feels off. Like stop making excuses for the antihero. If you like your heroes abusive go for it but i wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.