Padma Wulandari

Twisted Games (Twisted, 2)

Book by Ana Huang

DETAILS

Publisher : Bloom Books (September 27, 2022) Language : English Paperback : 448 pages ISBN-10 : 1728274877 ISBN-13 : 978-1728274874 Item Weight : 13.6 ounces Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.12 x 8.5 inches Best Sellers Rank: #640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #13 in Military Romance (Books) #69 in New Adult & College Romance (Books) #177 in Contemporary Romance (Books) , A steamy contemporary royal romance from BookTok sensation Ana Huang. 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. Do not become emotionally involved. Ever. Read more

REVIEW

I loved Rhys in the beginning when he was grumpy and scratchy with Bridget, but doing things like setting up a private concert for her after nixing her seeing one with her friends. The buildup started slow, but I didn't mind, since Huang does a terrific job of keeping the tension sizzling. Then they start their secret affair, and I slowly started to hate him. Rhys doesn't even attempt to understand her life, or seem to respect her in any way, once they start getting it on. Maybe it's just that there was no setup for Bridget wanting kink or domination, but he just seems to get off on bossing her around and humiliating her? It's unconnected to her, say, enjoying kink because she doesn't have to be in control, which I would've gotten behind. It just felt out of character that Bridget pushes back all through the beginning and then suddenly she's crawling on the floor when he orders her to. I want to be rooting for the couple to get together against the odds (and wow are they up against some odds - Huang does a terrific job of boxing Bridget in). Not screaming "DUMP HIM." I mean, she's going to be a queen. Commoners don't dictate to queens, and Rhys does not appear to get that at any point. So how could their marriage ever really work if he's running roughshod over her all the time? Like Bridget says during the third-act breakup: "Future queens didn't live for themselves, they lived for their country. That was the price of power." I guess I don't like it when the heroine is the one who has to change for him, and he remains a pompous, dictatorial a$$ all the way to the end of the book. I have little patience for toddler heroes who throw fits when they don't get their way. YMMV. I didn't DNF because I wanted to find out if my suspicions about the ending would come true. And it did, so I felt smart. :) Overall, I enjoyed the book, I just didn't much care for Rhys.

DOWNLOAD PAGE