there is a reason therin is one of my favorite authors. the characters, the world building, the storylines, relationships, plot twists!! the only thing that kept me from binging this in one sitting was life and being an adult and all that boring stuff, boo.

so. many. things. the slow burn is burning slowly with all the UST and romantic tension. it’s the romantic burn that’s getting me. the flirting. the banter. reese’s sass.

i continue to love reese as a main character more and more. his flaws, his unreliable pov, and his choices that have me (and everyone else) wanting to strangle him and tuck him in a pocket for safe keeping.

i cannot wait to see how this series ends!! (while also not wanting it to end bc i love these characters. but would like to get to the hea that these fellas have more than earned and deserve anyway 😭). i can’t wait to see where this is all going especially after the evil, evil cliffhanger 😭 (have i used the crying emoji enough)

will also need to get me another copy of the first book with that sneaky cover change 👀

It was so much fun to be back in the world of Reece and Grayson. I had missed them! This is book 2 in Allie Therin's Sugar and Vice series a world where being an empath is seen as a weakness. After the prior sparks from book 1, I was interested to see where the relationship would go, especially as Evan can't touch Reece, but their banter and the development of their relationship was SO WORTH IT. Plus, I love the element of a murder mystery. I can not wait to see what happens next, especially after that ending!

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

I was sure I had read the first in the series, but this was not the case! Read book 1 first - I expect it improves the experience. I've tagged this as romance under the assumption book 3 brings it home.

This is the second Allie Therin I've read and I enjoyed it. I always like dual POVs and and both the Dead Man (Evan) and empath Reece are fun. There are political machinations and a conspiracy. This is more plot driven that relationship driven.

I would prefer a single book to a trilogy - this felt very middleof the story rather than a full novel of its own.

Allie is an autobuy author for me, so I was SUPER excited to get this book as an ARC.

The second in a trilogy, the action is heating up as empath Reece and empath “specialist” Grayson work to figure out why there are so many missing empaths. Their relationship is also heating up, though the burn is super slow throughout the book (which is exactly how I like it!).

Often, second books in trilogies can feel like space fillers, waiting for the final action in book 3. This has a storyline of its own, while also working in the trilogy arc as well. Reece and Grayson are an amazing snarky couple, and their banter is hilarious. The action doesn’t stop, and the ending has me DESPERATE for book three.

If you like your romance low spice, your burn slow, your action mysterious, and your dialogue hilarious then this book is absolutely for you. Just read the first one so it makes sense!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for this arc.

I glanced at my review of the first book and I noted that I could not fully buy into the potential romance between Evan Grayson and Reece Davies when I was reading it – too many secrets between the characters and while I love “from enemies to lovers”, I felt that their chemistry was a touch too antagonistic for my liking. In this book I certainly have had no such reservations. I bought into the building romance between them. Now do not get me wrong, there are still plenty of problems between them, but I thought their chemistry was off the charts and just right for me.

The book was also a fast moving adventure. Reese was in danger a lot of times and other people were in danger, too. I thought the suspense storyline was really well done. What I did not understand and still do not understand – why was it called a mystery? Was it supposed to be a secret and a big plot reveal? To me that part was pretty obvious even in book one even if we did not have all the details.

The blurb talks about empaths corruption and I really do wonder about where this part of the story is going actually, because it started to sound more artificial to me, so to speak. I mean empaths are human beings first and foremost even if reading other people’s emotions is such a big part of them. Are they really not allowed to get angry without becoming “corrupt” and going completely off the rails as the story seemed to imply? This feels like a mirror of the Evan’s condition because him insisting on him not having emotions started to feel not very supported by the text. I do wonder.

I am sorry, but after almost 400 pages in the story that has a romance front and center, I really did expect at least marginally *happier* ending for the main characters. I don’t care that all the corruption and problems in this world were not resolved yet (can it be resolved even at the end of the series and look believable enough?), but where they ended up? I will buy the next book for sure, but man I will look at the last page and then decide whether I will read the book or wait till the next book is out. I waited a year and ten months for this book only to have this ending.

Let me stress this is not simply a reader being annoyed at the ending, this is a *romance* reader in me being very annoyed at the ending. A while ago I read a fantasy book which will probably end up amongst my top three favorites this year, which ended with the *horrible* cliffhanger on so many levels. Was I mad? Sure I was. Did I feel that I had an unfulfilled expectations from that book? No, no I did not, but that book did not claim to be a romance.

As an aside I still loved the secondary characters, especially Jamey and Aisha. A lot.

5 ⭐ 2 🌶️ 4 🎧

Holy wow. I am loving this series so much! The slow burn has finally started burning, the suspense and twists are looming and that cliffhanger has me begging for more. I am so far gone for Reece and Grayson and really this whole cast of characters. I am so excited to see what's next.

As a Pacific Northwesterner, I freaking love how much of the PNW Allie has incorporated into this series. It's so much fun to recognize the places she name drops.

The audio was great. Joel Leslie does a great job with this story and I love how different his voices are for each of the main characters. This is definitely a recommended listen.

I wanted to savor this book because not only is the story richly layered- between all the different perspectives and intertwining storylines- but it’s also just so dang good, and as the second in a trilogy (the conclusion of which is coming out WHO KNOWS WHEN), I wanted to make my experience with this last as long as humanly possible.

This book was so compelling from start to finish, but the highlight is absolutely the dynamic between Evan and Reece. I love a slow burn romance, and the fact that these two CAN'T EVEN TOUCH adds a whole layer of tension to the relationship. I adored their banter from start to finish, and I am just deeply obsessed with these two and cannot WAIT for book three for them to get their happy ending.

I loved getting a better look into Evan as a character in this book. He’s technically emotionless as the Dead Man, but his interactions with Reece show another side of him, and I can’t wait to see how he continues to evolve in the next book.

If there's something that Allie Therin excels at, it's stressing me the hell out, because I was on the edge of my seat for this entire book. I was concerned for the safety of all the characters I love, but particularly Reece, just… GAH THE STRESS



(It’s so good)



Naturally, as a book two, this one does end on a cliffhanger. However, it was along the lines of what I expected to happen. Does that mean I'm happy about it? NO, but of course that just means I'm even more anxiously awaiting the final installment in this series.

TL;DR: Please read this series, I need to talk about it with someone.

Heat Factor: Oh my GAWD! They figure out a workaround to the no-touching problem!

Character Chemistry: So many I want what I absolutely cannot have feelings

Plot: The Dead Man hasn’t told his superiors that Reece is in a liminal state, and someone is trying to change that state to fully corrupted by sending the Dead Man on a goose chase.

Overall: AHHHHHHHHHH!

Y’all. I am so invested in this series, and this book ended on another freaking cliffhanger. Which, obviously. But it was 18 months between books one and two, so now what?

Necessary caveat that this is the second book in a trilogy, so do not read if you would like to avoid spoilers.

Okay. So.

I didn’t reread Liar City before reading Twisted Shadows, and I think that may have been a mistake. On the other hand, I honestly didn’t have time for a full reread. So, I guess I’m in that weird state where I read book one, but I maybe don’t remember everything that happened, and that might impact the reading of book two.

For example, I mentioned in my Liar City review that we barely know if these guys like each other at the end of the book, but also the chemistry was such that I was internally SCREAMING for them to connect. So, something definitely clicked in my brain there, but Twisted Shadows opens with Evan (who was not previously a POV character) and Reece both having some complicated attraction feelings for each other. Except Evan doesn’t have feelings, he just has urges and memories of feelings and thinks Reece is objectively cute (which, part of this book is definitely exploring the idea that Evan may not be as lacking feelings as everyone, including himself, believes. But extremely subtly! We’ll have to see what happens in the next book to know for sure what’s up!!!!) My point is, with both of them having some “I wish touching weren’t completely off the table, but even if that were the case, this would still be an absolutely terrible idea, but I still kinda want it anyway,” feelings, combined with my note from before, I have to wonder if that was a seamless transition between the books. There were a few other areas where I was like, “Hmm, I wonder,” but in the end it in no way impacted the actual read, so let’s carry on.

Evan begins the story at a meeting between the three heads of empath, uh, protection? Protection of others from empaths? Agencies. He gets sent to investigate an empath murder because that’s what he does, but he’s extremely concerned about leaving Reece in his weird semi-corrupted-but-still-ethical state back in Seattle. Reece is also extremely concerned about turning into a murder beast, so he’s basically an anxious shut-in who people keep poking with an evoking emotion stick. One thing leads to another, and it becomes increasingly clear that bad actors are trying to influence Reece for unknown but clearly nefarious ends.

This section of the narrative hinges on Evan’s lack of emotion (or is it?) and Reece’s perception of the usefulness of his new abilities. Everyone who knows about empath corruption understands it to be a one-way street, and the fact that Reece experiences some of the effects (hearing lies, projecting his feelings, etc), but still has a moral compass, is not supposed to happen. Which is why Evan is protecting Reece, but also why Reece wants Evan to protect others from himself. As the Dead Man, Evan’s goal is to protect people from corrupted empaths, and for some reason he’s the only one who understands that the only way to do that is to avoid corrupting empaths in the first place by protecting them. It becomes increasingly clear that the Bad Actors are intentionally antagonizing Reece to corrupt him, which makes Reece’s dependence on Evan’s protection more important.

Funny thing, though. People corrupt empaths usually by harming people empaths care about. And Evan and Reece keep developing this complicated bond. And even if Evan has no feelings, Reece absolutely does, and he can see Evan as a person being used—and taken advantage of—by the agencies that employ him, even when Evan only sees himself as a tool.

There are some “bad guys” in play in this book who end up with more question marks at the end. I’m extremely curious to get to some resolution about, shall we say, agency interference compared to empath corruption. Who’s trying to accomplish a neutral good sort of status versus who is going full blown chaotic evil. How emotional superpowers (both Evan’s and the empaths’) may be more complicated than previously believed. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?!

I had a couple questions (like, if the general public doesn’t know about empath corruption, why are they collectively so OTT afraid of empaths?), but the world building in this book (series) was really tight. Or I was just so invested that I didn’t pay attention to possible problems. But really, the dichotomy of extreme empathy (to the point of they’re vegan pacifists who can only watch empath-friendly shows because they get so stressed out about even the idea of people being harmed) and the Dead Man having no feelings could have had so many little situational whatabouts and failed on a number of levels, but Therin seems to have done a really thorough job of considering just what these scenarios would entail. For Liar City, I wrote that I was often frustrated that people weren’t trusting each other, even as I acknowledged it made sense in context. In this book people mostly have each other’s measure, so I didn’t experience that frustration. I did have to put the book in time out because I knew it would stress me out if I tried to read before bed, but all of that was intentional thriller tension, not annoyances making me mad.

I really like this series. I’m super invested. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! But also—sorry Carina—because there’s not even a book three publication timeline right now, I would hesitate to advise readers to start without being able to finish the whole series. It’ll be an amazing binge. Being left hanging for over a year is pretty rough.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

wisted Shadows is the second book in Allie Therin’s incredible Sugar and Vice series. It is a thrilling, suspenseful series and this book follows shortly after the end of the first one, Liar City. They should definitely be read in order and this book (and review) will reveal elements of the first story (but no spoilers for this one). I gave both of these books a rare five-star rating and I absolutely adore them. Check out my review for Liar City if you want to get started with the series.

It’s been about three weeks since the confrontation with Cora and the fight on the roof of Stone Solutions. Reese has started showing the first signs of corruption, but so far, he has been able to keep that darker side in check. While Evan has left the city, he and Reese have still been keeping in touch. Evan has made it very clear to Reese that he is dangerous, that his job is to stop empaths who are corrupted and he will do whatever it takes to bring them down, even Reese. But it actually gives Reese surprising comfort to know that Evan is there to watch him, knowing that Evan will never let Reese harm anyone.

Evan has been called out to the East Coast to investigate a murdered empath. The more he looks into the death, the more it begins to look connected to some suspicious activities back in Seattle, including missing empaths. And with Reese potentially in the crosshairs, Evan rushes back to his side. Both men are determined to stick together as they look further into what is going on, each knowing that Evan may be the only thing keeping Reese in check if he starts to veer into corruption. Despite Evan’s lack of emotions, a bond is clearly building between the men, as well as an attraction. But there are more questions than answers about what is really going on and who is behind it all, and Reese and Evan begin to realize that those who are meant to do the protecting may be the biggest threat.

Twisted Shadows is an incredible follow up to Liar City and it was everything I could have wanted and more from this second story. I found myself caught in that loop of being desperate to read on and find out what would happen, while also wanting to avoid finishing the story. Sometimes when you love the first book in a series, the second can’t measure up. But in this case, I was blown away by the second installment and loved everything about it.

Therin has created some fascinating world building in this series and she expands the lore around empaths and corruption even further here. The story continues to be told in multiple POVs and it works to great effect, letting us as readers have inside information that our main characters don’t always have yet. With so many players, each with their own motives and many up to no good, it makes for a lot of moving parts and it all comes together in an explosive combination. The fun here is slowly uncovering what is really going on, as well as where the real danger lies, so I am going to be vague about the suspense end of things. But there is a murder out east and missing empaths in Seattle and signs that Reese is in danger. The excitement and intensity builds throughout the story and things are so thrilling, I didn’t want to miss a word as I was frantically reading to find out what would happen. Things come to a natural end here, but the larger story is still very much developing leading into the next book.

In the first story, Evan is mysterious by design. We don’t get Evan’s POV, and it keeps him unknowable and heightens the sense of him being removed from everyone as the Dead Man. However, here in this second book, we do get Evan’s POV and it really opens him up in fascinating ways. It highlights that he is now connected to Reese by this bond of friendship, and maybe something more, as he isn’t so separate anymore. But it also gives us a chance as readers to learn some key things about his past, including how he became the Dead Man and what happened to his brother. We also learn some of the secrets that Evan knows, but that Reese and others aren’t aware of. So this story really explodes with new revelations and I found it so compelling.

Reese and Evan are slowly building a connection, even as Evan is determined to keep his distance. Everyone sees Evan as the Dead Man — unknowable, emotionless, dangerous, and a void. But Reese sees so much more in him and views him as a person, not the weapon so many believe him to be (including Evan himself). There is an interesting dynamic where Reese is able to understand a lot about Evan, despite his lack of emotion, because he is so similar to Jamey. Both are superpowered siblings of empaths, and so Reese has an understanding of Evan that few others possess. This is a slow burn series, but there is definite progress in their relationship, including an incredibly intense intimate scene, made all the more powerful by the fact that they men can’t actually touch directly. But the painful reality is that they are still caught in this almost impossible situation. Reese can’t touch Evan, and he needs to not be able to touch Evan, because the threat of Evan’s touch is the only line of defense if Reese loses his battle with corruption. It’s intense and bittersweet, but at the same time, there is so clearly something there developing between them nonetheless.

This book was just incredible and it is such a wonderful follow up to the first story. I could go on and on forever about all the little details that make this book shine. Therin just has built such a fascinating world, really engaging characters, and an intense suspense. I was caught up from the first word of book one and absolutely loved this follow up. I can highly recommend this series and can’t encourage you enough to check it out.

Allie Therin disproves the old adage with “Twisted Shadows.” This sequel was better than “Liar City,” the first in her Sugar and Vice series, though that made my “best of 2023” list. I was fascinated to watch an intricate plot become more complex, to vibrate in tension from its slow burn romance. An impressive feat!

Reece is a pacifist empath who catches others’ emotions. Except, if an empath feels too much, the emotions can be projected, enthralling strangers who catch them. In “Liar City” Reese has accidentally developed a new skill, to instinctively recognize lies, a sign he may be “corrupt” and able to enthrall. Several agencies protect “normal” citizens from corrupt empaths. Their chief enforcer is the Dead Man, Evan, an individual with superhuman strength, who cannot feel, and thus cannot be ensnared. He is sent to neutralize the corrupt.

In “Liar City” an anti-empath senator was murdered and Reese’s sister, Jamey, a police detective, is assigned to the case. She also lacks emotions like fear and has supernatural strength. Jamey and Reese keep their enhanced skills secret. Meanwhile, Evan, brought in to find the murdering empath, keeps Reese with him – to verify Reese isn’t corrupted by his reactions to the murder. Except, Evan respects Reese’s concern for others, which means Reece is safe, right? Wait. Isn’t Evan’s “respect” a “feeling?” Who is corrupting whom?

“Twisted Shadows” opens as both Evan and Jamey are sent out of town to investigate missing empaths, just at Reece receives threatening texts and realizes he is being watched. Reece feels unsafe, not from the threats, but because Evan is no longer around to stop him, should Reece become compromised.

When Reese and Evan are reunited, their romance crackles. “I can’t get through a thought these days without you finding your way into it,” Reese tells Evan. But no worries. If they were to touch, Reese would be knocked unconscious by Evan’s emotional blankness. Oh, wait! Is Evan’s lust another emotion? Does it threaten to set Reese off, or to tame him?

Even as Evan and Reese enter murky personal territory, there are more murders, which empower anti-empath organizations. Similar to our current social environment, readers question who is outright lying and who is rationalizing to themselves. For example, anti-empath perpetrators blame empaths as the real danger. Here’s the head of one organization, explaining why empaths are a threat. “Some might say the paranormal ability to read others’ emotions without consent is de facto aggressive, regardless of what the empaths claim to be.”

Sublime prose clears every twist and shadow. I experienced each intense turn, softened only by constant humor and warmth between Reese and Evan. I was enthralled myself, sucked in like a vacuum, unable to emerge until I finished the book. But then, Holy Dead Man, Ms. Therin, the third installment is not expected until June? Oof, what a jagged breath cliffhanger!

One caveat. Read “Liar City” first even if you might be able to start with “Twisted Shadows.” That way you’ll experience the full range of delight in context. It’s like a three day pass to an adult amusement park at a fraction of the price!

The sequel to Liar City picks up immediately where book 1 ends. Reece Davies is a pacifist empath who deeply feels everything going on around him. Anxiety ridden, he makes all of his decisions based on how other people may be affected (emotionally or physically). On the one hand, this makes him the safest driver on the street, on the other hand, it can often lead to decision paralysis. Evan Grayson is the polar opposite of Reece: he's called "The Dead Man" because he feels absolutely no emotion, and if he touches an empath, it could obliterate them. Reece and Grayson are obviously very attracted to one another, because this is a romantic arc, and they can't even touch. But Reece's life is at risk because someone is trying to "corrupt" empaths, and while it's Grayson's job to control empaths, there's more to Reece that he feels a very strong need to protect.

I loved this followup to Liar City. Allie Therin laid a lot of important worldbuilding groundwork in book 1, and it pays off in book 2 as she adds a fast-paced plot and digs further into what an empath can truly feel.... and whether or not a Dead Man is even a human.

Do we call this romantasy? We might. It has a very strong romantic arc, which is a critical part of the story line. Maybe more like romantic speculative fiction, because there's not magic, even though it's an alternate universe Seattle.

I highly recommend this underrated series. It's good lite science fiction and a great entry point to the genre for those more comfortable with fantasy because of its focus on romance.

Twisted Shadows by Allie Therin
Sugar & Vice #2

Twisted twisty tale that returned me to empath Reece and Dead Man Evan and their slow burn romance while they are dealing with what is REALLY going on I a world where empaths are the boogeyman with corporations making big bucks to protect non-empaths from…empaths

What I liked:
* Reece Davies: empath, loving brother, anxiety ridden, fears being corrupted and harming others, hears lies, makes me smile, likable and likes Evan
* Evan Grayson: has lost all emotions, gorgeous, lethal, strong, dark backstory, weapon used against empaths, protective, attracted to Reece, seems conflicted
* Jamey: ex-detective, Reece’s sister, enhanced strength and abilities from growing up with Reece, in a relationship with Reece, may join the Vanguard and work with Evan
* Aisha Easterby: doctor, medical examiner, works with Evan, intriguing and hope to see more of her
* Diesel: ex-marine, gentle giant, cares about empaths, works as a bouncer at an empath themed bar
* The communication between Reece and Evan ~ snarky, sweet, hot, fun, and so much fun to read
* The smiles that were created from time to time
* The way touch and not being able to touch in a relationship was used in the story
* Being able to hate the bad guys…and there were more than just a few…hope karma seeks then out
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I became invested in the characters and want to know how their lives turn out – am hopeful that there will be a way to reverse/fix some things to make life easier for more than one of them
* Knowing that there is another book coming and hoping it is soon

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how wicked to the core some of the characters were

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/ by this author? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Adores, and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The stakes are climbing ever higher, and for Reece and Grayson, the situation is even more complex - like a political, empath chess match. It’s impossible to know who to trust, with lies and deceit at every turn, and many of the players are bad actors looking out for their own best interests. One thing’s for certain - everything is changing, and at the end, no one will be the same.

This second installment in the Sugar & Vice series has everything I love about Allie Therin: incredible storytelling, fantastic characters, complex situations, and tons of surprises. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle where someone’s hidden the most important pieces, and as they’re revealed, the impact blows you away. It’s dripping with tension and suspense yet has a sweet romance running counterpoint to all the action. How she makes it work between the unlikeliest of bedfellows is nothing short of brilliant, and it pretty much had me in a chokehold from start to finish.

The political drama seems to be escalating at approximately the same rate as the relationship between Reece and Evan. Allie Therin mentioned this is a series romance arc, so we’re one step closer to completion, but let me tell you, it’s its own brand of torture. This story has even more sexual tension, more temptation, and more attraction. They don’t exactly try to hide it, and the slow burn is the sweetest, most painful feeling ever. I don’t think Therin knows how to write MCs that don’t have insane levels of chemistry, and Evan and Reece have it in spades. Their banter, the sexual innuendo, and all the endearments are the icing on the cake, not to mention the laugh out loud humor when you least expect it.

I can’t recommend this book and series enough; it’s definitely in the running for my favorite of the year. The end is a bit of a cliffhanger — you’ve been forewarned. I legitimately have no idea where things go from here, but I am DYING to find out!

This ended up being quite a thrilling sequel to "Liar City". Several weeks after the events of the first story, Evan Grayson, known as the Dead Man, finds himself investigating the murder of an empath in Vermont. From there, he and Reece Davies find themselves facing once again a conspiracy to turn empaths into weapons. And once again, the two men must team up to solve a mystery and protect empaths as a whole.

Overall, I found the plot quite compelling. There were some really nice reveals and twists in the story, particularly towards the end with some of the choices that Reece makes, resulting in quite the cliffhanger. The action scenes were also described quite well and I could even visualize them as part of a movie- once scene in particular stood out for that with Evan having to come to Reece's rescue by performing some road heroics. I only had a few misgivings about the plot- in one part it took a bit longer for Evan to figure out that there was a reason behind his assignment than I would have liked, and in one section an operative decides to go investigate a location despite all the signs showing that it was a bad idea (I found myself thinking, "don't do it girl!")

There was also some nice commentary on privacy issues in our modern age, and the tension of balancing said privacy with modern conveniences, along with some savage satire on corporate culture's incestuous relationship with politics. All in all, quite a thrilling piece of work, perfect for fans of paranormal tales with a touch of science fiction and a bit of romance that finally comes in play after the slow burn of the last novel. I only hope that the third book in the series doesn't take quite as long to get here.

No second book slump for Allie Therin’s Sugar & Vice series! It took me a little while to fall into TWISTED SHADOWS’s rhythm, it having been almost two years since I read an ARC of LIAR CITY, but once I was in, I was hooked.

These books are marketed as romance, but they’re really crime fiction that look into what society DOES when some people have powers that could be dangerous under very particular conditions. Therin takes a bleak, realistic view; restrictions and abuses abound, spearheaded by folks who screech about freedom and privacy while they launch assaults on both.

It gets dark in places, but nothing goes unquestioned as Therin layers her characters’ attitudes and perspectives into a mosaic that gave me reason to hope for change on more than one front. She also tempers things with plenty of cuteness, funny bits, and a deeper dive into the romantic component. I ate it up.

The wider plot pushes things in a REALLY compelling direction, too, with one hell of a hook at the end. You can bet I’ll jump on the third book to see how it all plays out in (what I presume will be) the dramatic conclusion!

Twisted Shadows is the second book in Allie Therin’s Sugar & Vice paranormal/urban fantasy series. You must read Liar City to have a clue what is happening. I had to reread it as a refresher. In Allie Therin’s alternate universe, some people are born with supernatural empathic powers. Empaths are feared, fetishized, and regulated. Empaths can read emotions, and if corrupted, can turn people into thralls. A corrupted empath no longer cares about hurting people. The US government has an operative called The Dead Man who is immune to empaths because he doesn’t have feelings. Evan Grayson is The Dead Man, and Reese is the empath he’s both protecting and protecting the world from.

Twisted Shadows picks up soon after Liar City. The events at Stone Solutions’ Seattle headquarters have increased tensions around empaths, and particularly around Reese. The violence that happened at Stone Solutions has left Reese in a place where he is not corrupted, but teetering on the edge. He is concerned about the harm he may do, and feels safer knowing that Evan can stop him. While there is still an adversarial quality to their relationship, they’ve also become friends, and they have banter about hypothetical physical activity. There’s pining, charged silences, and heavy eye contact. They can’t have physical contact though because when they touch, skin to skin, Reese is rendered unconscious.

There’s scheming afoot. Someone comes back from the dead and someone is making empaths disappear. The tension winds ever tighter and then Reese makes a choice, leaving Evan adrift. And now I have to wait for the next book to find out what happens. I don’t love cliffhangers, but Allie Therin makes this work. She’s set up a situation that needs resolution, but because so little information has been available to Reese, it’s taken two books just for him to understand the shape of the question. These books are coming out at an interesting moment.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Carina Adores and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Hands down, the worst thing about this book is having to wait a year to see how Allie Therin is going to fix what she broke. Destroyed. Nuked. To recap: A fragile peace has been shattered and It. Is. Glorious.

All hell is breaking loose in the world of empaths and the people who fear them, the people who want to control them, and the one man who hunts them. When Therin introduced her version of Seattle in the stellar Liar City, it not only brought to life an allegory about compassion struggling to survive in a deteriorating social environment, but it introduced a character in Reece Davies who was fairly destined to become a casualty of a world where chaos, unkindness, and emotional exhaustion reign.

As the saying goes, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Corrupted empaths, those who are twisted and manipulated and made into unrepentant monsters, are the ostensible enemies of humankind. Evan Grayson, known to all as the Dead Man, is the weapon created to put those empaths down. He himself was transformed into a weapon without feeling. He is apathy personified. And yet . . . there is something about Reece that makes Evan responsive and receptive in ways that shouldn’t be possible.

Factions working for and against each other dictate the danger Reece and Evan face. As the past comes back to life with a furious vengeance and Reece begins using the powers he has dedicated himself to subduing, the story races full-throttle into an end that was, perhaps, inevitable.

Introducing a new and unexpected weapon at this point in the conflict was timed impeccably to coincide with the changes Reece and Evan are going through themselves. Things are shifting, transitions are happening, transgressions have been committed, and the greatest threat now is the unknown. Whether the damage is permanent is unclear, but I can’t wait to find out.

Even if this is the second book in the series, you really don’t lose much by not having read the first one like me. This is an interesting twist to the urban fantasy genre, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I didn’t really like that the two characters Evan and Reece spent their time texting and not together, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. The texts were quite amusing and fun. I have to admit that I didn’t click as much with Evan as I would have liked, but I really liked Reece. I have a hard time with emotionless characters like Evan because I spend my time thinking about how their actions are not “emotionless.” LOL! Add in an interesting plot, great writing, and an aggravating but intriguing cliffhanger, this is an entertaining read. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This was pretty darn good. It's hard to say how much of that was because I lowered my expectations after my recent re-read of book one and how much of it was because there was a lot more focus on the relationship between Reece and Evan. While plot holes still abounded, I decided to just keep trucking along, rather than dwell on them, and I think I have a better sense of what the author had in mind on the zoomed out version of the intended allegory. I went through this pretty quickly because I did not want to put it down and it had a really strong finish. Plus the relationship pay off is worth any plot holes that get us to that point. I am very eager for book three now. Considering that often book two in a trilogy is not the strongest, I was really pleased to see the improvements over the first book and will likely re-read in anticipation of the final book.

Picking up only three weeks since the conclusion of the first book, Twisted Shadows finds empath-hunter Evan Grayson continuing to deal with the fallout from the shocking discoveries and events centered in Seattle and Stone Solutions. Meanwhile empath Reece is trying to keep a low profile until Evan returns to Seattle. When empaths go missing, it looks like Reece may be a target.

Liar City, the first book in Therin’s Sugar & Vice series, was one of my top reads last year, making Twisted Shadows one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and it did not disappoint (mostly). The book starts slowly so that readers can recall and acclimate, but then it quickly picks up speed, jumping from one POV to another. At one point I was consuming the words so quickly because my heart was racing and I needed to know what happened next.

Therin expands upon her unique universe, fleshing out details about organizations, the past, and empathic abilities, especially for Reece, while developing the depth of the overall series plot. There is a somewhat self contained story centering on a missing Canadian empath, but it all ties into the interconnected government agencies that put a target on empaths. And we discover pretty quickly that the plight of the empaths is much more dire than we found out in the first book.

The author also ups the ante on the taboo attraction between Reece and Evan. I love the banter between the pair. They get bolder with their flirtations because it’s reciprocal and they know they can’t act on it, so why not push boundaries. Even though this is not a genre romance, there is a wonderful love story in the works.

One thing that is worth noting is that it doesn’t take much to see parallels between the treatment of empaths and the LGTBQ+ community here in the U.S. I started reading this book just after the election in November, and it was tough for a bit. The way anti-empath energy sweeps over crowds who are fearful is all too real.

My only hang up comes with how the book ends. I immediately drew a comparison to something that happened in a well-loved TV show, but I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll say no know. I don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for the next book, but I need it NOW!

I really enjoyed Twisted Shadows. The story is engrossing, exciting, and had me on edge. In the end, this book is an excellent second chapter in the larger story.

My Rating: B+/B