Twisted Love: A Grumpy Sunshine Romance

OH MY SWEET LORD THIS BOOOKKKK. Bro this book was toooo good I finished in two days. I did not want to put this book down, I probably could’ve and would’ve read that book in 24 hours. That’s how good it was. There were so many plot twists and just interesting moments it was crazy. I literally wanted to restart and reread the book all over again right after I finished it. The plot was literally chefs kiss and yet ppl just talked about the 🌶️ but that part wasn’t even the best part. I mean it was good but I always skip those parts if they have nothing to do with the plot 😭. But my goodness this book was good. I have high hopes for the next book 🤭

This was a good book. Good plot, lots of twists and turns, with complications that made sense for the story, The characters and the relationships really made the story sweet. I read another book of this author and it was just as good. You could even see where she gave slight hints to a possible next story with different characters with a different story.

Twisted Love is the first book in Ana Huang’s twisted series. When I tell you I didn’t know what I signed up for when I started this book, I mean it. The book has many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. The unexpected turns, ups and downs was great! I enjoyed this book from start to finish.

The relationship between Alex and Ava is so sweet and endearing. Alex, our MMC, is the grumpy hard exterior guy that doesn’t have emotions (or make it seem like he doesn’t unless it comes to Ava) and has only one thing on his mind. Ava, our FMC, is the sunshine who has a positive outlook on life regardless of the things that have come her way. Alex and Ava didn’t know they needed each other until circumstances push them together and they only have each other to lean on. Alex and Ava’s character development was a roller coaster ride.

I enjoyed both Alex and Ava’s characters. There was a lot of ups and downs and betrayals. Hearts being broken and unexpected turns. I enjoyed Alex being the red and green flag. I enjoyed his possessiveness towards Ava. I enjoyed Ava’s positive and cheerful attitude. The dynamic between the two was refreshing and enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the tropes listed below and wanting to read about a love story with many twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and bought the rest of the series so quickly!

Rating: ⭐️ 5/5 Spice: 🌶 4/5

Tropes: Billionaire Brother’s best friend Grumpy x Sunshine Suspense Opposites Attract

Ana Huang's "Twisted Love (Twisted, 1)" is a beautifully written novel that kept me hooked from the very first page. This book is a perfect blend of romance, intrigue, and personal discovery, making it a compelling read for fans of contemporary romance.

Plot and Characters: The story revolves around complex relationships and unexpected twists that kept me guessing throughout. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own flaws and vulnerabilities that add depth to the narrative.

Emotional Depth: Ana Huang masterfully explores themes of love, trust, and personal growth, drawing readers into a rollercoaster of emotions. The ups and downs of the characters' journey kept me emotionally invested until the satisfying conclusion.

Writing Style: The author's prose is engaging and evocative, painting vivid scenes and capturing the intricacies of human relationships with authenticity. The pacing is just right, balancing moments of tension with heartfelt emotions.

Romantic Tension: The chemistry between the main characters is palpable, and their relationship unfolds with a perfect blend of passion and realism. The romantic tension is beautifully portrayed, keeping me eagerly turning pages to see how their story unfolds.

Overall Experience: "Twisted Love (Twisted, 1)" is a standout in the romance genre, offering readers a captivating narrative that lingers in the heart and mind long after finishing the book. It's a story of love's twists and turns that will appeal to anyone looking for a heartfelt and immersive reading experience.

In conclusion, I highly recommend "Twisted Love (Twisted, 1)" to fans of contemporary romance and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story with engaging characters and emotional depth. Ana Huang's storytelling prowess shines through in this compelling novel, making it a must-read for romance enthusiasts.

I found the book to be interesting given the slow burn nature in the beginning but things picked up with the plot. Now once things it there peek and slowed down thats when i was stuck between i want to know what comes next and this could have ended or wrapped up a little differently. I would have loved to know more about the redemption or the why setting the stage for a redemption. Especially if it was so brief in itself.

🔥 Grumpy/Sunshine 🔥 Brother’s Best Friend 🔥 Possessive Alpha Male 🔥 Massive Groveling

Alex and Ava’s story is beautiful! It gave me some major Fifty Shades vibes with Alex being a Billionaire who always gets what he wants and Ava is the “Sunshine” that he didn’t know he needed. Thankfully there is a completely different storyline and there is a definite “revenge is a dish best served cold” feel about it. As my first Ana Huang book, I am very pleased to say that I am officially a fan! I enjoyed the storyline, the perfect amount of smexy stuff and it was easy to read.

My Personal Ratings:

5 Stars: Loved it! Couldn’t put it down or obsessed about it while needing to get to the end of it. Had to share some bits with my hubby!! Usually read in less than 2 days cause a girl has got to sleep sometime. Will be reading everything this author has to offer and most likely reread the series as next books in the series are released.

4 Stars: Really Good. Whether the story drew me in or a specific character, will definitely continue the series and look into more books by this author.

3 Stars: Enjoyed something about the book, whether it be the storyline or a character but also may have not liked something. Sometimes the book is great but needs some TLC from an editor. May or may not continue the series.

I’m so disappointed in myself for not picking this book up sooner! I love the representation in the book. I was slightly disappointed in the last 2 chapters…the timing of it all just seemed…unrealistic to me. Also, ironically (bc first books are always lowest rated for me bc of the sheer amount of world building ), there wasn’t much world building for me to understand the extent of why Alex is so dangerous. But, it still didn’t deter me from enjoying the book.

I LOVE a grumpy MMC and Alex Volkov is no exception! How cool that the character had HSAM. I have never heard of this before and after reading about his experience, I’m kinda glad that I don’t have it.

And, how fitting that Ava had amnesia when it came to her childhood. Ava and Alex were destined to be together that’s for sure. The…mysteries in this book were a bit predictable but I love that the author sprinkled a lot of Korean culture in this book.

If you’re looking for a book with a bit of amnesia, mystery, romance and Asian representation. DEFINITELY read this one!

4/5 🌟 1/5 🍋

Minor spoilers

The Pros: Ava was a literal ray of sunshine she was adorable very relatable and honestly the banter between her and Alex was fun to watch. I love Jules she was so much fun to read and her engagement with Ava was everything I wanted especially since it reminded me of me and my best friend.

The air of mystery was an interesting plot especially with her memories being foggy and she was unsure of what happened and how it brought into her every day life.

Ava and Alex going toe to toe with one another and neither backing down was fun to see and had me squealing, giggling and kicking my feet

I got to the part where Alex was teaching Ava how to swim at the hotel and I have no idea what happened after that but the writing was all over the place.

The author had a problem with telling and not showing

We were told Alex is cold hearted but we never seen it we were told Alex and Ava spend so much time together after they got together but we only saw glimpse of them

The groveling in my eyes wasn't him groveling it felt more like he was there just to get her to forgive him. The gifts were nice but they weren't genuine aside from the camera they felt like material things.

Also it may be me but my pet peeve was Alex said he resign as CEO but the minute he got Ava back he went to get his position back which honestly felt like a cheap shot because claimed he left it for her and once he got her back he went and took his position back which felt like a lie to me

Not to mention the plot twists weren't plot twists or at least weren't shocking or jaw dropping it was just there

I loved the characters I love the story and I honestly had an good time reading this {despite my criticism towards the book} overall it was a good read and I'm excited to read the next story ^^

1st read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars 2nd read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars Alex Volkov is an underrated twisted MMC, and no can change my mind. This man is the KING OF GROVELING. He bought her a new phone because she didn’t text him in a week 😭😭. He bought a $40,000 art piece so she’d get the commission. He helped her get over her fear of water. He gave her up willingly because we hadn’t feel worthy of her. He moved to another country without hesitation to be with Ava once he found out she was leaving. He resigned his CEO position to follow her to London, despite the fact he’s been working for that position his entire life. He groveled for AN ENTIRE YEAR. He bought her entire art collection. He sang for her even though he previously refused to sing because it made him too vulnerable to his emotions. Like come on. He’s AMAZING. He used to be as cold as ice, and only had his eyes set on revenge, until he met HER. She brought light into his life 😭😭. She helped him smile, laugh, make jokes, and helped with his insomnia. And then if you’ve read the next three books, you KNOW he gets better in each book even through the brief scenes we see of him and Ava.

If I could change one thing, it would be more in depth scenes of their time together. I needed to their dates, the swimming lessons, etc rather than a brief description. Like the epilogue and bonus scene was PERFECT. We needed more of those kind of scenes.

Favorite quotes/scenes:

“Do you ever smile? It might help with your condition.” “What condition?” “Stickuptheassitis.” “No. The condition is chronic.”

“Just take the damn cookies. You can eat them, throw them out, feed them to your pet snake Nagini, whatever.” “Did you just compare me to Voldemort?” “What? No!” Maybe.

“Ooh, yes! Spnk me, master!” “I am not your master. Go away.”

“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.”

“Your current phone is clearly broken, since I haven’t received so much as a text from you in the past five days.”

“Alex, the piece costs $ 40,000.” “Really? Sht.” “I’m sure we can—” “I thought it was expensive.”

“I wanted every shadow of his soul and every piece of his beautiful, multilayered heart. I wanted to pour into him every drop of light I had to give until he consumed me whole. Until I was his and he was mine.”

“What did I tell you? You’re mine, Sunshine. You’re never touching another man unless you want him six feet in the ground. So yes, we’re fing exclusive.”

“You want to fk, we fk. You want to date, we date. You want to call me your boyfriend, I’ll call you my girlfriend.”

“Tell me who or what I need to kll. What happened at your father’s house?” “I told you, nothing. It was just the lake. You can’t kll a lake.” “I’ll drain every fing lake and ocean in the world if I have to.”

“I’m not an easy person to love.” “Good thing I never cared much about taking the easy road. You are cold and infuriating and, I admit, a little scary. But you are also patient and supportive and brilliant. You inspire me to chase my dreams and drive away my nightmares. You are everything I didn’t know I needed, and you make me feel safer than anyone else on the planet. What I’m trying to say—again—is, I love you, Alex Volkov. Every part of you, even the parts I want to slap.”

“You are the light to my dark, Sunshine. Without you, I’m lost.”

“I wanted to keep her here, safe and cherished, forever. Fk the rest of the world. It could burn for all I cared.”

“That’s my girl. Hate me. Don’t cry over me. Never cry over me. I’m not worth it.” 😭😭

“Because I love her! There, happy? I love her so much I would rather give her up than hurt her. But if you think I’m letting her go to another country alone, with no protection, you’ve got another think coming. Now give me her fing flight info.”

“You told me once there was something beautiful waiting for me, something that would restore my faith in life. I’ve found it. It’s you.”

“Leave me alone.” “I can’t do that, sweetheart. I’ll wait however long it takes, but I’ll never be okay with a world in which you’re alone.”

“I never claimed to be Prince Charming, and my love isn’t a fairy-tale type of love. I’m a fed-up person with fed-up morals. I won’t write you poems or serenade you beneath the moonlight. But you are the only woman I have eyes for. Your enemies are my enemies, your friends are my friends, and if you wanted, I would burn down the world for you.”

“I resigned as CEO, effective one month ago.” “What?” “I couldn’t stay on as CEO while spending all my time in London with you, so I resigned.”

“You know there’s no getting rid of me now.” “That wouldn’t have happened anyway.” “Now you’re getting it.”

“Alex?” “Yes, Sunshine?” “I love you.” “I love you too.”

Ok. So this book series was all over TikTok & I finally caved. As per usual with this author, the book is well written the pacing is good, I liked the characters and even the plot itself was good…I’d give the heat level two chili peppers….But the believability of the the plot twists eek. It’s in the details where it all falls apart for me. -SPOILER-Ava Chen’s bother is going away for a year so he asks his best friend of 8 years, Alex, to watch over his sister. Within 2/3 months they fall madly in love. I wish we had felt them fall in love not just had a few movie nights and a few bouts of jealousy then boom life altering love. But ok. During this time Ava recovers her repressed memories of her dad trying to murder her. Supportive Alex seems to have everything in place to bring her dad down. We find out later why he’s so prepared but still-It’s a little like an infomercial during the scene (insert eye roll here) but wait there’s more! First he surprised the dad with- you’re being recorded- and your son has been secretly watching, AND the fbi is here-boom case closed. You’re going to jail. Just cheese city the way it all played out. Thennnnnn Alex finds out after 10 years of planning the ruin of the man who killed his family it wasn’t him at all! Again. We needed another murderer in their midst? Is this a mafia romance? No.Ok. Fine. Cut to a kidnap scene in which Alex presses the number 1 on his phone (discreetly of course) and instead of the police showing up 10 minutes later- it’s a “clean up” crew mascarading as police and ems crew. Sorry. Don’t buy it. Again I’m willing to jump the hurdle to get to the next point in the plot. And the author must have felt the same way. I picture her on the computer like” ugh. How is Alex going to get away with MURDER in 1 page or less”. He then breaks up with Ava (for her protection of course) and really hasn’t this excuse been used enough? It never lands well with me but again. Ok. Then we wait 5 months. 👀 my patience level is zero at this point, but im sticking it out for my hea. He finally comes to his senses and tells her he loves her but of course he broke her trust and she “just can’t” cause as a reader we haven’t been tortured enough apparently. So she makes him wait A YEAR!!!! That’s not even the most unbelievable part of the story. He waits for her every morning with a coffee and walks her to work for a YEARRRRRR. Never once touching her. He walks her to and from work every single day. In another continent. Doesn’t work. Doesn’t have friends. No family. Lives his life solely hanging on these 30 minitues per day 5 days a week he gets with her? Major ick. It doesn’t sound romantic it sounds pathetic and I just could not. A year? He ate dinner alone for a year, spent Christmas alone? Wandered the city aimlessly all day just waiting for her FOR A YEAR?? no vacations, no purpose, no friends, no conversation, while she went out with friends and had a fullfilling thriving career? The wieght of being alone for a year isn’t stated at all in the book. It glosses over how this man went a year without a single human touch. It may seem romantic to some people but killed it for me in a big way. I will probably read the whole series cause I’m a masochist apparently, and I have to see things thru. The friend group each gets their shot at love. Hopefully theirs is less painful and a little more believable. It was a quick read, maybe 3/4 hours total? Enjoyable enough, but I probably won’t be in a rush to read this author again. After this series hahah.