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Twisted #1
Twisted Love
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.
Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.
WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+.
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.
Twisted Love is a brother’s best friend/opposites attract romance with a hint of suspense. It's book one in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.
WARNING: This book contains a possessive, morally gray alphahole; explicit sexual content, and profanity. No cheating or menage, but if you're looking for a traditionally sweet, loveable hero, this is not the book for you. Recommended for 18+.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2021
About the author
Ana Huang
25 books102k followersAna 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.
STALK ANA ONLINE:
Newsletter signup ↠ https://anahuang.com/newsletter
Reader group ↠ https://tinyurl.com/anastwistedsquad
Bookbub ↠ https://tinyurl.com/yc5mxnp9
Instagram ↠ https://tinyurl.com/ydhv9rfg
Website ↠ www.anahuang.com
TikTok ↠ https://tinyurl.com/2p99t9u6
Facebook ↠ https://tinyurl.com/y87fw8wq
UPCOMING RELEASE:
FULL LIST OF BOOKS:
GODS OF THE GAME SERIES
KINGS OF SIN SERIES
TWISTED SERIES
IF LOVE SERIES
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.
STALK ANA ONLINE:
Newsletter signup ↠ https://anahuang.com/newsletter
Reader group ↠ https://tinyurl.com/anastwistedsquad
Bookbub ↠ https://tinyurl.com/yc5mxnp9
Instagram ↠ https://tinyurl.com/ydhv9rfg
Website ↠ www.anahuang.com
TikTok ↠ https://tinyurl.com/2p99t9u6
Facebook ↠ https://tinyurl.com/y87fw8wq
UPCOMING RELEASE:
FULL LIST OF BOOKS:
GODS OF THE GAME SERIES
KINGS OF SIN SERIES
TWISTED SERIES
IF LOVE SERIES
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103,334 reviews
September 1, 2023
2.75 stars ✩⋆
when i saw that this book has groveling, best friend's brother, grumpy/sunshine trope, touch her and i'll kill you, i hate everyone but you, a bed-sharing scene, great friend group, and revenge plan (???), i ran so fast and downloaded this real quick. plus, this was being hyped in booktok so might as well read it.
i don't know why but this book just made me evaluate my life- myself. why do you ask? well, WARNING FOR NON ROMANCE READERS THIS ⤵ QUOTE IS SPICY OK BYE :
and at first i was like
because there's things you need to know about me when it comes to my taste for irl men:
and normally, my attitude is why do men but when i read this? i don't know myself anymore.
i don't know what came over me but suddenly i... i um.. that quote above... i LiKe it... so if you know me, no you don't.
but anyways, going back to the book, i like both Ava (h) and Alex (H) as individual characters. Alex is literally THE definition of a "fictional character" because that man is too perfect. basically, he has an IQ of 160, created a software thingy that made him a multimillionaire in high school and became the COO of a real estate agent development or something and has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory aaand knows Krav Maga AAAND apparently fucks like a porn star? i-
that's too much perfection ma'am.
i thought Ava and her friend group were also fucking perfect because
can i be a part of this fictional friend group pls and thx.
i thought the romance was cute in the beginning. usually, in a brother's best friend book the girl is always pining for the guy while the guy plays a martyr act and becomes a ho to "push" the girl away even though he has feelings for her. i'm glad that's not the case here and love the fact that Ava was even a little indifferent towards him at first. and honestly? the smut scenes were kinda hot.
overall, this is a very chill book. at least for me. though there are some tw (spoilers) // parental deaths, violence, and child abuse
-`,✎ WHY NOT A HIGHER RATING?
➳ since uh, when?
i really did think the romance and the whole Operation Emotion thing in the beginning was cute, though, their feelings for one another went from 0 to 100 very fast because Alex really went from not caring that Ava was having a nightmare and acting all cold and "heartless" to:
i only sensed attraction but i didn't get the feeling they were already at the "she's mine, he's mine" stage. one chapter he's acting all nonchalant and cold and then in the next he “desires” her and tells us how badly he wants her and i was like bish when? most of the things he talked about in his pov was about his revenge and a little bit of attraction and with ava's pov it was all the operation emotion so them having intense feelings for one another felt kinda quick.
their banter was cute the scenes were cute but personally it wasn’t enough for me to be convinced with his new macho man personality towards her. there wasn’t enough depth to be honest. like i didnt get the vibes he cared enough for her to call her “his” because even when he saw her having night terrors in the beginning, i got the vibes he didnt care for her that much and still acted like she was a nuisance.
➳ telling >>> showing
when they got together after the first time they had sex there was a lot of telling >>> showing of how they are as a couple and that really bugs me because i'm the type of person who wants to know everything. apparently, they went on dates, alex was suddenly making jokes (?), and they talk through the night but because of the 0 to 100 energy and telling >>> showing, I. STILL. DONT. SEE. THEM. DOING. ALL. THAT. like- what do they even talk about?? and because of this, i wasn't really convinced with their “love”, i just didnt feel it because
i wanted all the details of how they are as a couple and we didn't really get that. once they have sex, most of the romance were written in the inner monologue and it's mainly because the last half focused more on the revenge plot. also, even the the grovelling was telling >>> showing. noo, i need more.
➳ Vicious reincarnated
no, but everyone is right tho- i can definitely see the Vicious in Alex. he likes fucking classy women, has insomnia, and has a revenge plan that includes the heroine. i see no difference.
➳ OW drama
don't worry, it's nothing bad but i just find it icky when Alex says that the OW fucks like a porn star or when he was about to go on a "date" with the OW (don't worry, Ava ruined his plans) or when the OW says this to Ava's face:
and then Ava thinks this is hot. personally, if someone says this to my face about the guy i'm into, i will dip because that's an ick for me (please blame my virgo sun and my high standards). you're telling me you're gonna fuck your girl the same way you've fucked your past hookups? ew no thx.
-`,✎ OVERALL THOUGHTS
again, i thought the romance was cute but it was just ok. the first half was full of cute moments but the last half kinda went down with all the telling >>> showing and i was kinda disappointed with the groveling because of this. like- you're just gonna describe how Alex has grovelled for a YEAR in just a page? no ma'am i want to see everything. also, i wanted more scenes of them of how they are as a couple because i just don't see Alex being all soft towards Ava.
i'm excited for the next book, aka Bridget's book tho! i love the whole princess/bodyguard, forbidden trope. plus, her future mans name is RHYS. that name will forever be sacred so this fictional man who has the privilege of being named after that sacred name better live up to my high af standards.
»»━━ Twisted series ━━««
#1: twisted love — ava x alex ➳ 2.75 stars
#2: twisted games — bridget x rhys ➳ tbr
#3: twisted hate — jules x josh ➳ tbr
#4: twisted lies — stella x christian ➳ tbr
when i saw that this book has groveling, best friend's brother, grumpy/sunshine trope, touch her and i'll kill you, i hate everyone but you, a bed-sharing scene, great friend group, and revenge plan (???), i ran so fast and downloaded this real quick. plus, this was being hyped in booktok so might as well read it.
i don't know why but this book just made me evaluate my life- myself. why do you ask? well, WARNING FOR NON ROMANCE READERS THIS ⤵ QUOTE IS SPICY OK BYE :
"And your pussy is mine. Every inch of you belongs to me, and if you ever let another man touch you- he'll end up in pieces, and you'll end up tied to my bed and fucked in every hole until my name is the only one you remember. Do you understand?"
and at first i was like
because there's things you need to know about me when it comes to my taste for irl men:
1. i hate bossy men (pls- i'm bossy enough as it is)
2. toxic? i rebuke this negative energy.
3. if you threaten to kill someone if they so much as touch me, therapy or 911?
4. if you call me questionable nicknames while having sex, BYE ✋
and normally, my attitude is why do men but when i read this? i don't know myself anymore.
i don't know what came over me but suddenly i... i um.. that quote above... i LiKe it... so if you know me, no you don't.
but anyways, going back to the book, i like both Ava (h) and Alex (H) as individual characters. Alex is literally THE definition of a "fictional character" because that man is too perfect. basically, he has an IQ of 160, created a software thingy that made him a multimillionaire in high school and became the COO of a real estate agent development or something and has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory aaand knows Krav Maga AAAND apparently fucks like a porn star? i-
that's too much perfection ma'am.
i thought Ava and her friend group were also fucking perfect because
✧ Bridget is a literal princess (i'm not joking)
✧ Jules is jessica rabbit (??) apparently (also, fingers cross for a Jules and Josh book)
✧ Stella is this influencer who has 400k followers (???)
can i be a part of this fictional friend group pls and thx.
i thought the romance was cute in the beginning. usually, in a brother's best friend book the girl is always pining for the guy while the guy plays a martyr act and becomes a ho to "push" the girl away even though he has feelings for her. i'm glad that's not the case here and love the fact that Ava was even a little indifferent towards him at first. and honestly? the smut scenes were kinda hot.
overall, this is a very chill book. at least for me. though there are some tw (spoilers) // parental deaths, violence, and child abuse
-`,✎ WHY NOT A HIGHER RATING?
➳ since uh, when?
i really did think the romance and the whole Operation Emotion thing in the beginning was cute, though, their feelings for one another went from 0 to 100 very fast because Alex really went from not caring that Ava was having a nightmare and acting all cold and "heartless" to:
"She was mine. She just didn't know it yet. I hadn't known it myself until I saw her in Colton's arms and every instinct raged at me to tear her away. To claim what belonged to me."
i only sensed attraction but i didn't get the feeling they were already at the "she's mine, he's mine" stage. one chapter he's acting all nonchalant and cold and then in the next he “desires” her and tells us how badly he wants her and i was like bish when? most of the things he talked about in his pov was about his revenge and a little bit of attraction and with ava's pov it was all the operation emotion so them having intense feelings for one another felt kinda quick.
their banter was cute the scenes were cute but personally it wasn’t enough for me to be convinced with his new macho man personality towards her. there wasn’t enough depth to be honest. like i didnt get the vibes he cared enough for her to call her “his” because even when he saw her having night terrors in the beginning, i got the vibes he didnt care for her that much and still acted like she was a nuisance.
➳ telling >>> showing
when they got together after the first time they had sex there was a lot of telling >>> showing of how they are as a couple and that really bugs me because i'm the type of person who wants to know everything. apparently, they went on dates, alex was suddenly making jokes (?), and they talk through the night but because of the 0 to 100 energy and telling >>> showing, I. STILL. DONT. SEE. THEM. DOING. ALL. THAT. like- what do they even talk about?? and because of this, i wasn't really convinced with their “love”, i just didnt feel it because
i wanted all the details of how they are as a couple and we didn't really get that. once they have sex, most of the romance were written in the inner monologue and it's mainly because the last half focused more on the revenge plot. also, even the the grovelling was telling >>> showing. noo, i need more.
➳ Vicious reincarnated
no, but everyone is right tho- i can definitely see the Vicious in Alex. he likes fucking classy women, has insomnia, and has a revenge plan that includes the heroine. i see no difference.
➳ OW drama
don't worry, it's nothing bad but i just find it icky when Alex says that the OW fucks like a porn star or when he was about to go on a "date" with the OW (don't worry, Ava ruined his plans) or when the OW says this to Ava's face:
"Alex doesn’t do either of those things. It’s well known amongst a certain segment of D.C.’s female population. No kissing, no face-to-face contact during sex. But he will take you from behind. Choke and fuck you till you see stars. Call you the filthiest names and treat you like a slut."
and then Ava thinks this is hot. personally, if someone says this to my face about the guy i'm into, i will dip because that's an ick for me (please blame my virgo sun and my high standards). you're telling me you're gonna fuck your girl the same way you've fucked your past hookups? ew no thx.
-`,✎ OVERALL THOUGHTS
again, i thought the romance was cute but it was just ok. the first half was full of cute moments but the last half kinda went down with all the telling >>> showing and i was kinda disappointed with the groveling because of this. like- you're just gonna describe how Alex has grovelled for a YEAR in just a page? no ma'am i want to see everything. also, i wanted more scenes of them of how they are as a couple because i just don't see Alex being all soft towards Ava.
i'm excited for the next book, aka Bridget's book tho! i love the whole princess/bodyguard, forbidden trope. plus, her future mans name is RHYS. that name will forever be sacred so this fictional man who has the privilege of being named after that sacred name better live up to my high af standards.
»»━━ Twisted series ━━««
#1: twisted love — ava x alex ➳ 2.75 stars
#2: twisted games — bridget x rhys ➳ tbr
#3: twisted hate — jules x josh ➳ tbr
#4: twisted lies — stella x christian ➳ tbr
August 5, 2022
OH BOYYYYYYY! LET'S GOOOOOOOO
Let me hype myself up before I write this one.
Another absurdly overhyped book. Everyone tells me this series is good and the later books are better. I don't doubt it. I don't think Ana is a bad writer, her writing is tolerable and sometimes even enjoyable. Can't say the same thing for her characters.
NOTHING in this book or even it's cover are congruent. Ana thought it would be fun to attempt every single trope in the history of the universe with a single story, so you can't really tell if this is a romcom, a dark romance or just a joke.
You get brother's best friend, neighbor, nightmare tropes, who did this to you, my parents died or tried to kill me, ex psycho boyfriend, billionaire CEO who doesn't date, grumpy-sunshine, family members who want to steal your money and not a single one of these were executed properly. I honestly felt like I was watching a Spanish telenovela.
However, I HAVE TO MENTION the best trope of all. The one that brought tears to my eyes. The "I AM NOT LIKE OTHER GUYS!!!!!" but I will talk exactly like Christian Grey every time I get the chance. (so he kind is like one guy)
Alex, our main character. CEO, billionaire, with an IQ of 190, hates beer, he is not scared of anything, not even bears. Won't kiss during sex, because he hates intimacy. He hates birthdays because everyone has one. He thinks everyone wants him for his magnificent shlong. He has been controlling his family's company since he was 14, because he was always knew he would be CEO one day and his uncle would listen to his 14 YEAR OLD DEMANDS. He also slut shames his own friends.
IT IS LIKE I AM READING THE WORST TINDER BIO EVER WRITTEN. But yet quite possible to exist out there somewhere, the bio under some guy named Rey who lives in Florida and is a republican who hates women.
He also says people feared him at 11, because his parents were killed and he swore revenge. It's like a wish version of Batman. Except Batman is actually cool.
He apparently had a therapist after his parents died. Someone PLEASE GO TAKE THAT GUY'S license, because it obviously didn't work.
Alex, and I quote: "Is not a TOY, so don't play with him unless you want to get hurt" WHAT KIND OF FUCKING TOYS WERE YOU PLAYING WITH WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD YOU PSYCOPATH.
But yeah, Alex's broken record was to please: "stop trying to humanize me, I am your bad guy." He also guarantees people that "biological reactions can be mastered"
Good fucking luck next time you have to sneeze BRO. Hope you don't fucking explode
Our female main character was the SUNSHINE OF THE PARTY! The most giggly adorable girl who apparently "fucks like a porn star" (this author had a really really really weird obsession with porn stars since she mentioned them not once, but four times during her entire book)
Our FMC had her own mother try to drown her, then proceeded to kill herself from guilt. Her ex cheated on her multiple times, abused her physically BUT SHE IS SUUUUUUUUUCH A SUNSHINE and all she needs is to get dicked down to still see the good in people. Fuck therapy.
It's so hilarious that in the desperate need to make this book a tiktok sensation... she added so many things that absolutely don't go together for the sake of hype, but guess what? Tiktok is that predictable. She succeeded.
Now, moving on to the sex scenes. Probably the most hilarious thing I have ever read in my life. Christian Grey comparison aside, we get the most AMAZING LINES I HAVE EVER READ in my book blogger career.
"I am turning you into my fuck doll" (?????????????? I mean if you want her unresponsive... I have something to tell ya...We might need to call you a new therapist, or maybe get you into jail. I haven't decided yet.)
He literally describes the view of her on his bed as a: "sacrificial virgin waiting defilement"
Every time she puts her hand on his dick, she "can feel the power it emanates". I mean, by all means, put a cape on it and give it a marvel contract. 
Well, anyways... a bunch of stupid things happen, this book is MASSIVELY long for some UNKNOWN reason, just like Alex's penis. Near the end, our HEROOOOO threatens the mean girl to destroy HER company, because he has that sort of power, if she doesn't tell him where his girlfriend is. It has the same energy as: "my daddy is a lawyer" in third grade.
It pains me to say this entire review constitutes of quotes from this book, because honestly? It's all I needed. It's embarrassing enough on it's own. I hardly did any work here.
Maybe I will read the next one since you guys love it so much, let's see.
Anyways, my stomach hurts from laughing.
*wipes sweat off brows*
May 16, 2023
the red in the flag that is alex volkov is from all my brain cells he has murdered, and the blood of the people he has actually murdered 😍
everybody who said he begged and grovelled for a year LIED, i hope you guys have to wear wet socks for the rest of ur lives 🤠 he spends half a year preparing to stalk ava, and then does that for the next half. no tears were shed on his end, i demand my money back.
i wanted to be nice to this book just because of how unintentionally hilarious and satirical it was, but then he sang and all of that was out the window.
i respectfully don't care enough about the plot to go into details about it, but if you must know, it was very poorly executed and i did not care one bit for anything that was going on.
i do want to elaborate on the absolute JOY that alex and ava are though 🥰 apparently miss huang agrees bec they're her favorites.
meet, Alex(H): he has a god complex you can't rival, a dick for days, a massive ego, works as a full-time stalker for six months, will get jealous of a fly if it dares to hover around ava for more than a second, thinks he's the most special mf on god's green earth, isn't scared of anything not even wild animals, has HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) that he uses to relive a traumatic event of his past bec he's weird like that, is a walmart version of Christian Grey, and he's so freaking smart that he quadrupled his investments and also became a millionaire in high school because of a technology he invented 🥺💅🏻 doesn't he sound like an absolute bombastic slay?
let me tell you he's acc not. alex is a man written by a woman who has probably never had any interaction w a man before he's so cringey you won't believe it - but I'll let him speak for himself 😵💫
╰─▸ ❝Nothing turned me off more than desperation, which reeked stronger than their perfume.❞
says the guy that left his job and followed ava around for six months like a pathetic loser 🙏🏻
╰─▸ ❝Besides, everyone knew I was the power behind the throne, anyway.❞
power, throne, kingdom - shut ur fucking mouth fr 🤡
╰─▸ ❝It was the same thing that would’ve gone through any red-blooded male’s mind. Sex.❞
misandry looks good on me and u can't tell me otherwise 🥰
╰─▸ ❝Don’t try to humanize me. I’m not a tortured hero from one of your romantic fantasies.❞
oh irony, my old friend
╰─▸ ❝I destroy everything beautiful that comes into my life.❞
he doesn't have emo boi hours, it's his whole personality fr 🙏🏻
╰─▸ ❝You’re about to find out what happens when you invite yourself into the lion’s den.❞
i laughed for a good ten minutes at this.
╰─▸ ❝My quickly hardening cock fit perfectly against her ass, like we were tailor-made for each other. ❞
he's so poetic, shakespeare has got some fierce competition out here (his #1 competitor will always be miles, the ugly in "ugly love" though)
i would inc more, but I'm so fucking tired of his shenanigans. also, he has dirt on every single person you could think of, and his only way of getting things done is by making threats. he has connections in the FBI, he knows court judges, he knows British government officials... everybody in a position of authority? he knows them. ana could've gone as far as saying he took his evening tea with king Charles, and late night snacks with the Pope and it really wouldn't have been far-fetched 🥴
now meet, Ava(h): she's gone thru sm near-death experiences, but always manages to see the good in people. and beyond that and her love for photography and her phobia, i really couldn't tell you what her personality is. but I'll let her speak for herself too:
╰─▸ ❝I didn’t respond, because how was I supposed to tell the man determined to save me that I didn’t want to be saved?❞
and then she wonders why people fuck her over 🤦🏻♀️
╰─▸ ❝Maybe not the “too fast” part, as Alex Volkov had stolen my heart, bit by bit, over the years, even before I thought I liked him.❞
she's so delulu i can't w her
╰─▸ ❝I’m not one of those girls who chases after guys who don’t want them❞
and yet every time y'all have a fallout, it's you who seeks him out? 🤡
even if you zoom real close and try your hardest to see if there's any chemistry between ava and alex, i bet you wouldn't be able to. and I'm a myopic bitch, so it was damn near impossible for me to. the romance if you can even call it that (bec its literally just a bunch of tropes), went from 0 to 100 so fucking fast, it gave me a whiplash. the telling >>>> showing also got on my nerves.
the smut was acc underwhelming, but i'm so salty we didn't get any in the epilogue 😔
anyway, the only person i genuinely feel somewhat interested in is jules. i hope joshy doesn't ruin their book a lot for me xx
-
the cover is atrocious 😭 and i'm probably going to hate this 😭
everybody who said he begged and grovelled for a year LIED, i hope you guys have to wear wet socks for the rest of ur lives 🤠 he spends half a year preparing to stalk ava, and then does that for the next half. no tears were shed on his end, i demand my money back.
i wanted to be nice to this book just because of how unintentionally hilarious and satirical it was, but then he sang and all of that was out the window.
i respectfully don't care enough about the plot to go into details about it, but if you must know, it was very poorly executed and i did not care one bit for anything that was going on.
i do want to elaborate on the absolute JOY that alex and ava are though 🥰 apparently miss huang agrees bec they're her favorites.
meet, Alex(H): he has a god complex you can't rival, a dick for days, a massive ego, works as a full-time stalker for six months, will get jealous of a fly if it dares to hover around ava for more than a second, thinks he's the most special mf on god's green earth, isn't scared of anything not even wild animals, has HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) that he uses to relive a traumatic event of his past bec he's weird like that, is a walmart version of Christian Grey, and he's so freaking smart that he quadrupled his investments and also became a millionaire in high school because of a technology he invented 🥺💅🏻 doesn't he sound like an absolute bombastic slay?
let me tell you he's acc not. alex is a man written by a woman who has probably never had any interaction w a man before he's so cringey you won't believe it - but I'll let him speak for himself 😵💫
╰─▸ ❝Nothing turned me off more than desperation, which reeked stronger than their perfume.❞
says the guy that left his job and followed ava around for six months like a pathetic loser 🙏🏻
╰─▸ ❝Besides, everyone knew I was the power behind the throne, anyway.❞
power, throne, kingdom - shut ur fucking mouth fr 🤡
╰─▸ ❝It was the same thing that would’ve gone through any red-blooded male’s mind. Sex.❞
misandry looks good on me and u can't tell me otherwise 🥰
╰─▸ ❝Don’t try to humanize me. I’m not a tortured hero from one of your romantic fantasies.❞
oh irony, my old friend
╰─▸ ❝I destroy everything beautiful that comes into my life.❞
he doesn't have emo boi hours, it's his whole personality fr 🙏🏻
╰─▸ ❝You’re about to find out what happens when you invite yourself into the lion’s den.❞
i laughed for a good ten minutes at this.
╰─▸ ❝My quickly hardening cock fit perfectly against her ass, like we were tailor-made for each other. ❞
he's so poetic, shakespeare has got some fierce competition out here (his #1 competitor will always be miles, the ugly in "ugly love" though)
i would inc more, but I'm so fucking tired of his shenanigans. also, he has dirt on every single person you could think of, and his only way of getting things done is by making threats. he has connections in the FBI, he knows court judges, he knows British government officials... everybody in a position of authority? he knows them. ana could've gone as far as saying he took his evening tea with king Charles, and late night snacks with the Pope and it really wouldn't have been far-fetched 🥴
now meet, Ava(h): she's gone thru sm near-death experiences, but always manages to see the good in people. and beyond that and her love for photography and her phobia, i really couldn't tell you what her personality is. but I'll let her speak for herself too:
╰─▸ ❝I didn’t respond, because how was I supposed to tell the man determined to save me that I didn’t want to be saved?❞
and then she wonders why people fuck her over 🤦🏻♀️
╰─▸ ❝Maybe not the “too fast” part, as Alex Volkov had stolen my heart, bit by bit, over the years, even before I thought I liked him.❞
she's so delulu i can't w her
╰─▸ ❝I’m not one of those girls who chases after guys who don’t want them❞
and yet every time y'all have a fallout, it's you who seeks him out? 🤡
even if you zoom real close and try your hardest to see if there's any chemistry between ava and alex, i bet you wouldn't be able to. and I'm a myopic bitch, so it was damn near impossible for me to. the romance if you can even call it that (bec its literally just a bunch of tropes), went from 0 to 100 so fucking fast, it gave me a whiplash. the telling >>>> showing also got on my nerves.
the smut was acc underwhelming, but i'm so salty we didn't get any in the epilogue 😔
anyway, the only person i genuinely feel somewhat interested in is jules. i hope joshy doesn't ruin their book a lot for me xx
-
the cover is atrocious 😭 and i'm probably going to hate this 😭
July 29, 2021
3.5 ⭐️ ok y’all this shit was actually good, like the plot and romance was actually so enticing.
ok so basically the plot is girl MC, Ava falls in love with brothers best friend and brothers best friend is a textbook genius with an IQ of 160 named Alex
Alex checks all the boxes tall, brooding, dark haired, god complex, rich af, ect.
Tell me why i wanted to slap this mf so hard at some points? literally his brooding-ness was so frustrating at times i’m like BITCH SHUT UP. but don’t get me wrong i’d let this man have his way with me.
Ava - (she’s Chinese-American ayyy let’s go east asian rep!) i really liked her characterization and character development in this story. she was kinda annoying in the beginning but baby girl pulled through and faced all her trauma by HERSELF and thanks to no man! queen shit!
not gonna lie there were some hella cringe scenes that had me laughing out loud. i was giggling and laughing so mf hard. honestly that’s on me and my twisted sense of humor.
i literally cannot wait for the next book because it’s a bodyguard/forbidden romance and i just KNOW it’s gonna top this one. I FUCKING KNOW IT. it comes out july 29th btw
ok so basically the plot is girl MC, Ava falls in love with brothers best friend and brothers best friend is a textbook genius with an IQ of 160 named Alex
Alex checks all the boxes tall, brooding, dark haired, god complex, rich af, ect.
Tell me why i wanted to slap this mf so hard at some points? literally his brooding-ness was so frustrating at times i’m like BITCH SHUT UP. but don’t get me wrong i’d let this man have his way with me.
Ava - (she’s Chinese-American ayyy let’s go east asian rep!) i really liked her characterization and character development in this story. she was kinda annoying in the beginning but baby girl pulled through and faced all her trauma by HERSELF and thanks to no man! queen shit!
not gonna lie there were some hella cringe scenes that had me laughing out loud. i was giggling and laughing so mf hard. honestly that’s on me and my twisted sense of humor.
i literally cannot wait for the next book because it’s a bodyguard/forbidden romance and i just KNOW it’s gonna top this one. I FUCKING KNOW IT. it comes out july 29th btw
June 2, 2023
Here me out: Alex kept talking about how Ava won’t be able to handle his “dark side” also referring to sex so I kind of expected him to be into idk maybe BDSM but nooo. He just liked other stuff than the missionary position. I expected more for how dramatic he was about it so I kind of laughed out loud when I read that.
I also didn’t really like the way he talked and he would say the most random sexual phrases that made zero sense at that time so I just kept cringing when he talked.
Let’s not even talk about that one specific scene… (cough y/n singing this is my fight song).
Plot wise I was invested because of Ava’s past and I wanted to know about this fictional world but I didn’t personally vibe with the plot twist. It made sense but also not at all?
November 2, 2022
classic case of “i would never tolerate this mans behaviour in real life, but i cant get enough of it in books” kind of romance.
i would say we should all form a support group, but im pretty sure thats what booktok has become by this point. lol.
↠ 3.5 stars
i would say we should all form a support group, but im pretty sure thats what booktok has become by this point. lol.
↠ 3.5 stars
May 4, 2021
this book didn't understand the assignment
July 24, 2021
people who said this book was good lied
May 21, 2023
to a potential future kidnapper: want to torture me? make me reread this 😃
July 20, 2021
I was going to give this two stars but then my dude started singing and I simply could not.
October 1, 2021
so stupid god bless
April 10, 2022
i literally did not sign up for a murder mystery. and why did he sing??? horrific
February 4, 2022
Anyone who told me this book was good literally lied to my face
September 28, 2023
I know Alex is supposed to a pOsSeSiVe aLpHa or whatever but that man just scared me lol
Me to Alex: BACK🤺OFF🤺WHITE🤺MAN
Me to Alex: BACK🤺OFF🤺WHITE🤺MAN
August 13, 2022
the cringe i felt when alex started singing😀
June 14, 2022
Spent several days in a Twisted Series induced trance, regret nothing, 8 million stars out of 5
October 27, 2022
with peace and love: i want my $4.99 back and damages paid for the time spent abusing my brain cells and withstanding the cringey one liners💀
April 12, 2023
where's simon cowell when you need him
July 20, 2022
alex volkov, i want u behind bars <3
January 14, 2023
ngl this book could kill a small Victorian child
I LOST IT WHEN HE STARTED SINGING 😭😭😭
I LOST IT WHEN HE STARTED SINGING 😭😭😭
February 5, 2022
literally wtf was this
January 13, 2024
I was already hanging on for dear life and then he started to sing 👀🤦♀️
January 21, 2022
“You are the light to my dark. Without you, I’m lost.”
i started this book because i had fomo. who tf let me??? oh and i also finished this book because a hate review came with it so duh thats a bonus
this book was…. lacking in all kinds of ways and i seriously was just not into it at all. people who like this book have weird brains. im saying that in the nicest way possible… maybe
the plot? cliche.
the romance? cringe.
the characters? bland.
the book? A TOTAL DISASTER.
also please remember : CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING BUT DONT EVEN BOTHER BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS TERRIBLE. RUN AWAY !!
nothing in this book intrigued me and 99% of it either gave me the icks or made me want to jump into an endless void. yes i hated this book but also yes im finishing the bloody series sigh
PLOT ˎˊ˗
ava chen is just a normal college girl who has a protective brother, josh chen. low and behold, joshy has a ”mysterious, bad boy, rich, smart” best friend, alex volkov. ava has a broken past that, oh no she cant just figure out and would you believe it?? so does alex. trauma haunts both of us and so they both turn to each other to basically seek solitude but then realise that will most likely all. go. to. shit. how lovely right?
the plot was just so boring to me. it was really cliche and it was so predictable i probably dozed off so many times i can’t remember the story
like the plot twist?? not even that amazing and was just like squashed under their romance anyway so i see no point in it tbh
in short, wasnt my vibe
the beginning was a huge snooze with really nothing going on. plus we then have some crazy bullshit get pulled?? like alex is a full psycho killing stalker maniac and ava still wants him??? spare me the headache PLEASE
ROMANCE ˎˊ˗
the romance had me puking on the floor. it was so cringe. so incredibly cringy i was ready to sell my eyes on the black market wtf.
maybe the smut wasnt my type of thing?? well thats what i thought BUT its honestly just because its alex volkov doing all those things. if it was anyone else i wouldnt mind i just have an issue with HIM
“Get up,” he said, his voice soft but so commanding I obeyed without thinking. “You’re about to find out what happens when you invite yourself into the lion’s den.”
just say youre a furry and move along jeez. how can he say this and ava not be shitting her pants laughing??
again, THE ROMANCE WAS NOT IT. if someone would care to enlighten me on how their romance made any sense. usually i would say ”oh im all ears” no fuck that keep those reasons to yourself <3
CHARACTERS ˎˊ˗
ava chen :
⤷ she was definitely way too trusting which at first i honestly didnt mind and didnt see it was an issue but then when fucking alex volkov is a literal walking red flag and this woman is just like ”oh but i love him and miss him who cares if he killed 2 people and stalked me for a year”
like what the fuck???
and her whole ex situation was so random. it was like ”what is the easiest most boring way to add some spice into my story so the male mc can be jealous” type of vibes
news flash : cheating psycho ex is no better than moving on to a psycho killing stalker
by the end of the book, i was sick of her
alex volkov :
⤷ i dont hate many male mcs but boy oh boy did this man literally make me want to just throw him a free funeral
like wow he’s rich and smart. does that just automatically mean we just forget about all the shit he did?? ITS JUST SO FUCKING UNREALISTIC IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY
yes its a fiction book but like it just didn’t add up. ive read more unrealistic books than this yet they were done so much better??
he gave me the actual icks SO BAD and i really couldnt stand him. the way ava told him that she hated him and didnt want to be involved with him but he would be like ”well too bad youre mine and im gonna wait” like what..?
he followed her around FOR A FUCKING YEAR in another fucking country and idk waited for her to forgive him. its the way that he did it that made it 10x creepier and not romantic at all. someone get this man into like those love sessions with a love professional idfk
in conclusion, i hate him. he can burn.
im too lazy to do each side character because the book isnt good enough for me to put that much effort.
CONCLUSION ˎˊ˗
i hate this book. i wasted my life. i want to go home and sleep but i am home tf am i saying… this book is making me stupid. send help ok bye <3
October 23, 2022
{reread number one} I just realised that Alex Volkov is Sheldon Cooper if Sheldon Cooper was hot and sexually active
big dick energy right here
big dick energy right here
September 3, 2024
a poet once said "Alex has a d!ck for days." and i think it’s beautiful.🫶🏼
April 29, 2021
this was so good! i devoured it in one sitting!
🔥 brothers best friend
🔥 hates everyone but her
🔥 grumpy/sunshine
the chemistry was off the charts between these characters and it had a much darker & action-packed plot then i was expecting but i loved that! i can't wait to read the next book in the series (which is going to be a princess/bodyguard romance!)
🔥 brothers best friend
🔥 hates everyone but her
🔥 grumpy/sunshine
the chemistry was off the charts between these characters and it had a much darker & action-packed plot then i was expecting but i loved that! i can't wait to read the next book in the series (which is going to be a princess/bodyguard romance!)
April 2, 2023
alex and ava are the worst twisted couple. avas so boring. alex does nothing for me.
im gonna pretend the singing did NOT happen. miss me w the singing man act.
im gonna pretend the singing did NOT happen. miss me w the singing man act.
October 12, 2022
if I ever get the chance to meet Alex volkov, I’d run a thousand miles per second in the opposite direction. He’s a walking red flag lol.
February 7, 2022
2.5 - 3 stars.
🔹 Overall feelings:
〰 Mmm this is honestly such a hard review to write because this was such a confusing reading experience for me. On one hand, I really liked this book but on the other, I really didn’t. I will try to be as thorough as I possibly can in this review so let’s get on with it...
🔹 What I liked:
✏ Characters:
〰 Here’s the thing, I liked the characters, I really did. Both Ava and Alex were loveable and the side characters were also interesting and intriguing. I even liked Bridget and wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was a literal princess (which, granted, is utterly unbelievable but I still found that aspect to be amusing despite its utter incredulity).
✏ Tropes:
〰 The writing style was good and the book literally had all the tropes that I usually adore (brother’s best friend, grumpy/sunshine pairing...) and they were actually well done.
〰 I really liked the fact that Ava’s brother did not forgive Alex at the end. Honestly, I thought that was very realistic considering Alex’s betrayal of their friendship and the way he manipulated both Josh and Ava. I also found that aspect quite refresh since it leaves their friendship open for further development later on in the series (in Josh and Jules’ book).
✏ Representation:
〰 We have a beautiful Asian heroine and a hero of Ukrainian descent, which we just love to see. I also really appreciated all the small details that the author included to help us learn more about the Chinese culture; that aspect was honestly well done and seamlessly integrated in the story.
〰 The first half of the book was really entertaining and I was sure that this would become a very fun and quick read for me. The second half however is where things started to go south in my opinion and this is why...
🔹 What I did not like:
✏ Plot:
〰 During the second half of the book I started getting the feeling that I was watching a bad soap opera. Things started becoming incredibly unbelievable and cheesy. For instance, the whole thing with Ava’s father was such a cliché that I was honestly surprised that none of the author’s beta readers had told her to cut out this “plot twist”. The writing in these instances also needed rework since they reinforced the feeling that I was watching a Disney villain giving his speech and congratulating himself on his wickedness. This is an example of what I mean:
〰 And don’t even get me started on how Micheal was the man who supposedly killed his parents only to find out that Alex’s uncle was actually behind the whole thing. I would genuinely be shocked if anyone was shocked by this “turn of events”.
✏ Aspects of the writing style and characterization:
〰 And this is what I personally think was my biggest issue with this book. The novel does an awful lot of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’. Both characters go from not knowing each other to being madly in love in a short amount of time. And the thing is? They’ve supposedly been seeing each other and getting to know each other for months by that point. But we as readers are only told of this passage of time instead of shown the moments that they spent together. This is not something that can work in a romance novel. We need to see the main characters slowly opening up to each other and starting to like each other in order for us to believe in their romance. This is why some romances that are set within the span of a single week work. Because its not about how many months the main characters have known each other, it’s about how valuable and detailed each interaction between the two is.
〰 This happened once again when it came to the groveling aspect. A literal year passes in which the hero is supposedly groveling and begging the heroine to take him back. However, readers are once again not shown any part of said groveling. This is what I mean:
〰 Ummm, I’m sorry what? You can’t go from having the heroine say that she will never forgive the hero to having her say something like ‘Alex and I developed a friendship over the past year’. If you do that then you can’t expect your readers to believe in the legitimacy of said friendship because guess what (and I cannot stress this enough):
We need to see the development between the characters in order to root for them because frankly? By that point I neither believed in Ava and Alex’s love nor did I believe in Alex’s remorse because I hadn’t been able to see him truly grovel. That said, I honestly hope that this aspect of the novel gets better in the second installment.
🔹 Final thoughts:
〰 If you read any of my ‘pre-reading’ updates then you know that I had incredibly high expectations for this book. I had never read any of this author’s works before but this novel contained all of the tropes that I usually adore. The snippets that I saw on the author’s instagram page also reinforced my belief that this was definitely a book that I would enjoy. Hell, when I first added this on Goodreads it literally only had about 20 or 25 other people who had also added it (so I truly found it very early on). That said, while I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was disappointed or let down by the execution in this book (because, as I previously mentioned, I enjoyed many aspects of it), I will still say that I think many things needed rework and further editing.
〰 Finally, I do think that I might read the sequel since I truly enjoyed the friendship group in here and I do think that this author has a lot of potential. So do I recommend this book? I think this could be the perfect example of a guilty pleasure read in my opinion. Many things needed to be done differently but this wasn’t a horrible read in any way.
———————
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rose_books2/
—————————————————————————-
PRE-READING UPDATES:
———————-
Ok but I just stalked the author’s instagram and now I’m pretty freaking excited about this😩
———————-
Mmmm I think I’m intrigued
Fr tho, gotta love the grumpy/sunshine trope loll.
🔹 Overall feelings:
〰 Mmm this is honestly such a hard review to write because this was such a confusing reading experience for me. On one hand, I really liked this book but on the other, I really didn’t. I will try to be as thorough as I possibly can in this review so let’s get on with it...
🔹 What I liked:
✏ Characters:
〰 Here’s the thing, I liked the characters, I really did. Both Ava and Alex were loveable and the side characters were also interesting and intriguing. I even liked Bridget and wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was a literal princess (which, granted, is utterly unbelievable but I still found that aspect to be amusing despite its utter incredulity).
✏ Tropes:
〰 The writing style was good and the book literally had all the tropes that I usually adore (brother’s best friend, grumpy/sunshine pairing...) and they were actually well done.
〰 I really liked the fact that Ava’s brother did not forgive Alex at the end. Honestly, I thought that was very realistic considering Alex’s betrayal of their friendship and the way he manipulated both Josh and Ava. I also found that aspect quite refresh since it leaves their friendship open for further development later on in the series (in Josh and Jules’ book).
✏ Representation:
〰 We have a beautiful Asian heroine and a hero of Ukrainian descent, which we just love to see. I also really appreciated all the small details that the author included to help us learn more about the Chinese culture; that aspect was honestly well done and seamlessly integrated in the story.
〰 The first half of the book was really entertaining and I was sure that this would become a very fun and quick read for me. The second half however is where things started to go south in my opinion and this is why...
🔹 What I did not like:
✏ Plot:
〰 During the second half of the book I started getting the feeling that I was watching a bad soap opera. Things started becoming incredibly unbelievable and cheesy. For instance, the whole thing with Ava’s father was such a cliché that I was honestly surprised that none of the author’s beta readers had told her to cut out this “plot twist”. The writing in these instances also needed rework since they reinforced the feeling that I was watching a Disney villain giving his speech and congratulating himself on his wickedness. This is an example of what I mean:
“Michael’s face remained anguished for several more seconds before it twisted and morphed into a hideous mask. His eyes gleamed with delighted malice, and his mouth spread into a mocking smile. [...] ‘Bravo’. He slow-clapped. ‘I almost had you,’ he told me. ‘You should’ve seen yourself’ I swear, Mrs. James was real,’ he mimicked, laughing.”
〰 And don’t even get me started on how Micheal was the man who supposedly killed his parents only to find out that Alex’s uncle was actually behind the whole thing. I would genuinely be shocked if anyone was shocked by this “turn of events”.
✏ Aspects of the writing style and characterization:
〰 And this is what I personally think was my biggest issue with this book. The novel does an awful lot of ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’. Both characters go from not knowing each other to being madly in love in a short amount of time. And the thing is? They’ve supposedly been seeing each other and getting to know each other for months by that point. But we as readers are only told of this passage of time instead of shown the moments that they spent together. This is not something that can work in a romance novel. We need to see the main characters slowly opening up to each other and starting to like each other in order for us to believe in their romance. This is why some romances that are set within the span of a single week work. Because its not about how many months the main characters have known each other, it’s about how valuable and detailed each interaction between the two is.
〰 This happened once again when it came to the groveling aspect. A literal year passes in which the hero is supposedly groveling and begging the heroine to take him back. However, readers are once again not shown any part of said groveling. This is what I mean:
“Alex and I had developed a new... well, I wasn’t sure if I could call it a friendship, but it was a step up from whatever we had when he arrived in London a year ago.”
〰 Ummm, I’m sorry what? You can’t go from having the heroine say that she will never forgive the hero to having her say something like ‘Alex and I developed a friendship over the past year’. If you do that then you can’t expect your readers to believe in the legitimacy of said friendship because guess what (and I cannot stress this enough):
👏 Passage of time alone does not a convincing relationship make. 👏
We need to see the development between the characters in order to root for them because frankly? By that point I neither believed in Ava and Alex’s love nor did I believe in Alex’s remorse because I hadn’t been able to see him truly grovel. That said, I honestly hope that this aspect of the novel gets better in the second installment.
🔹 Final thoughts:
〰 If you read any of my ‘pre-reading’ updates then you know that I had incredibly high expectations for this book. I had never read any of this author’s works before but this novel contained all of the tropes that I usually adore. The snippets that I saw on the author’s instagram page also reinforced my belief that this was definitely a book that I would enjoy. Hell, when I first added this on Goodreads it literally only had about 20 or 25 other people who had also added it (so I truly found it very early on). That said, while I wouldn’t necessarily say that I was disappointed or let down by the execution in this book (because, as I previously mentioned, I enjoyed many aspects of it), I will still say that I think many things needed rework and further editing.
〰 Finally, I do think that I might read the sequel since I truly enjoyed the friendship group in here and I do think that this author has a lot of potential. So do I recommend this book? I think this could be the perfect example of a guilty pleasure read in my opinion. Many things needed to be done differently but this wasn’t a horrible read in any way.
———————
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rose_books2/
—————————————————————————-
PRE-READING UPDATES:
———————-
Ok but I just stalked the author’s instagram and now I’m pretty freaking excited about this😩
———————-
Mmmm I think I’m intrigued
Fr tho, gotta love the grumpy/sunshine trope loll.
December 28, 2023
alex volkov is an andrew tate stan
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