Toxic Love and Then Some!

 

TTITLE: A Twisted Love Story

AUTHOR: Samantha Downing

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: July 18, 2023

PAGES: 390   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They've never felt anything like it. It's the kind of romance people write stories about. 

But what kind of story? 

Because when it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears. 

When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants. 

But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy--and she's a detective. 

There's something Wes and Ivy never talk about--in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead. 

If they can stick together, they can survive anything--even the tightening net of a police investigation. 

Because one more breakup might just be their last…

MY THOUGHTS: This is my second book by this author and I'm hesitant to pick up a third.  I gave He Started It a 4 star and was hopeful this one would be just as good.  The premise immediately caught my eye, and I assumed it would be a fast read.  Well, I was right about a few things, but I really bombed on another.

Wes and Ivy have been together on and off (and on and off and on and off) for ten years.  When they are apart, they are miserable and scheming ways to get back together, and when they are together, they are counting the minutes, sometimes seconds, until it all blows up.  Early in the relationship, something really tragic happened and unfortunately it shaped the lives of people who didn't even know Wes and Ivy.  Now, people are starting to put the pieces together and will the secrets finally be the end of Wes and Ivy or will they finally be the end of each other.

I could not stand this book.  I almost DNF'ed twice and only the hope that there would be a twist at the end that would make it all worth it, kept me going.  But even the twist was weak and the ending! I can't even talk about how frustrating it is without spoiling something.

I am a firm believer that there's a book for everyone.  I've read many a book where someone gave it a bad rating/review.  I think sometimes a negative review makes me more curious about what I'll find on the pages. Hopefully that's the case here and if you were considering reading this book, then please do so.  But if you happen to dislike it as much as I do, then you know where to find me.

RATING: 1 PAW