Twisted

How does each book keep getting better?! How does Emily McIntire keep making me salivate over each villain despite their extremely disturbed personas and criminal activities? I've read quite a few books where the villains get the happily ever after, but the Never After series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Twisted is a dark contemporary slow burn romance with forced marriage and enemies to lovers tropes. It's a fractured fairy tale of Aladdin. I don't think this was anywhere as graphic as the prior books, but I do think this was the spiciest I have read in the series yet.

Where's that smart mouth, bad girl?

Where do I even start on the force that is Julian Faraci? The tattoos covering his toned body; the fierce desire to show more protect what is his, even if that is a bratty young woman; the confidence to demonstrate how Yasmin needs a man and not a boy; and the filthy words he whispers to rile her up. From early on, I was already team Julian, even after reading the prologue showing the reader exactly how dangerous and unhinged he was.

Some people say that family is family, blood is blood. But I say that toxic is toxic, and no one is more important than my inner peace, even if it means I lose them for good.

I found myself associating with Yasmin's need to be a constant people pleaser and putting others before her own happiness. Her realization that she needs to stand up for herself and the steps she takes to get there demonstrates how fed up she is with being pampered with kiddy gloves all the time. She is a headstrong female lead, who may not realize that every action has a reaction at first, but she stands her ground against the villain blackmailing her happiness. Both characters see growth and redemption (in ways) through the story, which I think helped them grow and move forward as a couple. show less

Yasmin Karam and Julian Faraci

Review:
In this Aladdin twist, I can't believe how many times the author had me guessing at who would actually wind up being the love interest! A brilliant tale of love, money, and lies - and easily one of my favorite books in the series! I loved every page and couldn't put it down, but it now lives rent free in my head. The anger and passion I felt with the FMC was real and palpable.

Quotes:
“I love capturing memories. Emotion that's usually fleeting being frozen forever in time. The wisdom in the gaze of a person who's lived a full life.”
“I want the rest of your firsts and your forever.”
“She could burn Sultans to the ground with me inside, and I’d die happily, knowing she was queen of the ashes.”

wow - this was unlike anything i've ever read before!! i fully thought i didn’t like the marriage of convenience or arranged marriage trope until this, and emily mcintire has changed my mind in the space of roughly 400 pages.

Twisted fairytales are becoming a new favorite of mine. I enjoy learning about the "Bad guy" and how sometimes they are not as bad as you perceive them. Out of this series so far, I think this one might be my favorite.

I felt that Yasmin's character was relatable. Holding on to secrets because she didn't want to disappoint her father, yet not wanting to let go of her first love. Julian's backstory was heartbreaking but makes his character who he is and more believable. His character could be a real a-hole but he owned it.

The story was a bit predictable but fun. I thought Yasmin and Julian's relationship developed at a good pace and evolved well. I appreciated how even when they hated one another you could still feel the underlying lust show more that they had for each other. The spicy scenes were well done. Pepper scale show less

This is my first book by the author and I was surprised in a very good way, I love dark fantasy and retellings, so I gave this a go and now I will try and read the previous ones. This story was terrific as I love the villains. Yasmin and Julian simply worked like a charm. The powerful dark Julian has a secret and I'm in love with him, he was simply the best villain I ever know I wanted. I strongly recommend this book!

Loved it. This one is my favorite of the series behind Hooked. I do feel like the ending was rushed a little but I still enjoyed the whole story. Julian was a perfect grumpy sunshine! This retelling was so clever and I always love how Emily incorporates elements of the originals stories into hers. Can’t wait for the next one!

This was a decent listen. I didn't care for the male narrator; he was just blah for me. The female narrator really brought her characters to life. The sexy-times were hot, but I didn't believe their attraction/love for one another. None of the characters were likable, but the story itself did take me for a nice ride.