How long do I have to wait for the next one? I hope it’s not too long because I might actually die of cliff-hanger. This one moved fast and kept me reading (I finished it in less than 24 hours). Love the character development, loved the way it was based in plot, really enjoyed going deeper into the world and into Evan’s backstory. So much yes.

Care Bear forever

Aaarrggghhh, I can’t believe I’m finished!!! Why did I read this so fast??? I know why: Twisted Shadows is incredible and the best read of my year. My head is spinning, my words aren’t wording, and my heart, well, suffice it to say, it needs an empath hug.

“Maybe I can’t read you like most people, where it’s obvious as the colors of a rainbow, but your memories keep you from a flat dead gray. You’re quicksilver, and I’m starting to see every glint and shimmer.”

Swooooon, Reece and Grayson are magnificent and take my breath away. I have no idea where we go from here, or how we’ll get to the stunning HEA these two deserve, but I do know this: Grayson is so much more than he gives himself credit for; Reece is even more precious to me now; and I will rip through these pages to ensure that nothing stands in the way of my Care Bear and his protector.

Superb world-building, suspense that takes edging to a whole new level—it’s true art—and enough UST it will set the world aflame. Now I’ll have to console myself with many, many rereads so I can dissect every word spoken, and until I can have the conclusion we all need in our grabby hands and heart.

If you're not reading Allie Therin, you should be. Twisted Shadows brings us back to an alternate Seattle where empaths are considered a threat to the public. Empath Reece Davies is on the brink of corruption and the only thing keeping him sane is empath hunter Evan Grayson. Chemistry sizzles between them and stakes rise as the mystery of a dead empath spirals into a much bigger problem. With top notch banter and a spine-tingling thriller, Twisted Shadows is a killer of a sequel.

Somehow, Allie Therin always manages to get so involved with her characters, even in genres I don't particularily enjoy usually. 'Twisted Shadows' is the second book of a romantic thriller/suspense trilogy, centered around Reece, an empath, and Evan, empath specialist and protector of non-empath (is he really?).

Society is afraid of empaths, afraid they'll use their ability to manipulate people, to dig into emotions without consent, or, even, that empaths are going to wreck society to pieces. It's a frightening and anxiety inducing belief, so much aligned with things we can see in the world right now. But somehow, and though Therin doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of this alternative Seattle politics, she also managed to keep a spark of hope and optimism, that doesn't feel like sugar coating. Just a strong belief that even with an awful lot of "bad" people and machinations, there is still a sliver of hope for a better world. I really love that.

That belief can be found in Reece, even Evan, despite some of his words, and in other people, in a nuance and quite realistic way. It's so great to see the interactions, the way various characters process their emotions, feelings and opinions. Especially in the romance side of the plot, which, I must warn you (in a happy way) a REAL slow burn. Don't expect a resolution on that part in this tome. The slow burn aspect helps to have that "real" feel of two people slowly inching toward each other, overcoming (or not) their inner turmoils and the obtacles on their way. It's so great. And the BANTER! Wonderful.

There is a few revelations trickling in this tome. About Evan Grayson and his brother, about Reece Davies and his empathy, about the corporations. I hate corporations. With all my heart. The end had be clutching my tablet, because oh boy I'll be jumping on the last book as soon as I can get my hand on it. I need to see the characters happy and safe. But first they need to get through the mess of a society and corporation set on making their life hard (my poor heart). The third book promises to be high on actions and feels, for everybody involved.

Literally amazing!!! I devoured this book, I could not put it down. The development of Grayson and Reece’s relationship is so good. Their banter and flirting is just top tier. Also, the tension is just so palpable and makes me happy to read. I am quite literally giggling and kicking my feet. And OMG that truck scene 🔥🔥🔥, literally amazing!! Seeing through Grayson’s eyes was very interesting and I loved having his perspective in this book. Seeing his thoughts on Reece as well as learning more about him and his past was really cool. That ending though!!! I need the next book like now, I can’t wait!! The writing pace and style is great. The overarching plot is super intriguing as well. The only issue I’ve had just has to do with formatting. Sometimes it was confusing for me to differentiate the characters’ thoughts vs. a text they were sending. Most of the time the texts had “name:” in front of it or after the phrase that was supposed to be a text it said “he texted” or something similar to that, which was great. But sometimes the text someone would send was not like differentiated from their internal monologue, which confused me a bit. It just kinda took me out of the immersion of the book at times. This could just be like a me issue though. There was also maybe a grammatical error in chapter 25. The line says, “Grayson place his finger on the screen” and i feel like maybe it’s supposed to be “placed or places”. But I could be wrong about that. Otherwise, this book was amazing and I am so excited for the final one!

I was given the NetGalley ARC, this is my honest review.

The second paragraph in Chapter Six made me CACKLE.

37%: You know those romances where you keep puzzling and puzzling at how anything between the two characters could possibly ever work? Yeah this is one of those.

I read the last 30% today because it's that kind of novel, too, only now I want book 3 because how... How are we getting out of this level of... No spoilers. Just, whew.

I bought LIAR CITY for the cover and fell in love with the characters and the world Allie Therin created. To say I'd been refreshing Netgalley, waiting for this sequel would be downplaying my obsession. I reread LIAR CITY on Friday in prep for diving into this read and I'm so glad I did. Spending the weekend fully immersed in Reece and Evan was a delight and this book more than lives up to the hype I felt for the first one. TWISTED SHADOWS finally gives us Evan's POV and it's a delight being in his head. These two men's fight against government corruption and evil people using empaths as experiments is uplifting and powerful. I also love that this book really explores the question of what love really is and what you'd do to protect it. I said "OH SNAP" out loud multiple times while reading and that ending is a gut punch and a half. If I didn't already have this book preordered, I would have ordered it again. Will be waiting just as obsessively for book 3.

The first book in this SF romantic thriller series was fun, with great characters and banter and a compulsive pace that swept me through it, but it was also SO breathlessly paced that I could never quite tell whether all the pieces of the mystery really lined up. This book, thoguh? This book was just *excellent* - a thriller that (while still fast paced) took the time to line up every single piece in an inexorable, inevitable, and incredibly tense line while also giving fantastic banter and a wonderful slow burn romance.

I thought about giving it 4.5 stars just subjectively, because ARGH that cliffhanger, but honestly, that wouldn't be fair. It's Book 2 in a tightly-arced trilogy - we all know the kinds of endings those get, and the author pulled it off perfectly. I will definitely be reading Book 3 ASAP!

Oh, I've been looking forward to this book for quite a while, and it did not disappoint. I am SO HERE for Reece and Evan. The UST, the pining... and the plotty plotty plot! I can't wait to see how things get wrapped up in book three (though I wish the series would go on a lot longer).

I do have one wish/complaint. I wish Joel Leslie were NOT going to be doing the narration for this, because I would love to listen to it over and over and over, and he is AWFUL. His twee delivery, his appallingly weird accents... he ruins everything he touches, and it simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me. (Insert corrupted empath vibes here.)

My thanks (so many thanks!) to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.