Book Review- Twisted Promises by Lilian Harris

"I don't want a good wife, Red. I want you as my wife."

Twisted Promises by Lillian Harris is the third book in the Messina Crime Family series, but can be read as a standalone.

Do you guys like reading the whole series even if the books in it are a standalone?

Because I do. I love reading the whole series because even though they are a standalone, they are still a little interconnected and I love reading the other characters stories as well. That way you can understand your main characters better and know a lot more about them through all the snippets of them in other books (I like to call them bonus scenes🤪).

Anyway, this was the one book from the series that I felt needed a separate post because I loved it so much and had so much I wanted to write about that wouldn't fit in the Instagram caption word limit. I have also posted the book reviews for other parts in the series on my Instagram. You can check them out here: Sinful Vows and Cruel lies. If you want to check out the mini review for this book too, you can check it out here: Twisted Promises.

Title: Twisted Promises

Author: Lilian Harris

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: 478 pages

Publication Date: May 15, 2023

Buy it on Amazon: Twisted Promises by Lilian Harris (affiliate link)

SYNOPSIS

I hate everything about him. I hate his smile. I hate his laugh, and most of all, I hate how he makes me feel—so completely alive with every forbidden kiss.

Gio is the son of the Italian Mafia and I’m an Irish Mob princess. An assassin who swore her life to the cause.
We were never meant to find each other.

But one night changed everything. I was about to end his life, while he was about to end mine.

Instead, we found ourselves in bed hashing out a lot more than our differences.

I disappeared after that. I couldn’t let him get close. I couldn’t let him figure out my secrets.

But he found me and refuses to let me go, reminding me why I crave him.

The only problem is, he’s set to marry my sister.

-Goodreads

TROPES

• Mafia
• Enemies to Lovers
• Broken FMC
• He falls first
• Suspense
• Reverse grumpy x sunshine
• Forbidden

MY THOUGHTS

"The world is filled with people you can't trust. They're out there right now, waiting to screw you over."

Okay, I absolutely loved this story. In the beginning, I was a little turned off with how quickly Gio got obsessed with Iseult but then I realized I get obsessed with guys I like (99.9% fictional men) too even if it's only for a few days.

But like if I get a man being as obsessed with me as Gio was with Iseult? I would literally die. He did not care about her past, looked past all her flaws and was always there for her.

Basically, they met at an auction where both of them were there to kill the same man. They hooked up right after and Gio was a goner after that. Though Iseult ran away, he later found her again and they slept together before she disappeared for a longer time.

Gio's brother, Michael arranged for him to get married to Eriu, their enemy, Patrick's daughter to call a truce and strengthen their alliance. When they go to meet the family, Gio is surprised to see Iseult there and once he realises he's set to marry her sister, he freaks out and then you'll have to read the rest of the story to find out what happens next hehe.

I absolutely hate cheating but I don't think I would call what these two did was cheating because they knew each other from long before and Gio and Eriu (Iseult's sister) were being forced to marry each other and Eriu had no feelings for him and wanted to end this arrangement.

"If I were the marrying type, you're the kind of man I'd marry."

Oh Iseult, how much more will you deny your feelings for this handsome, perfect man? I absolutely loved how she knew she had feelings for him but kept denying them, it made their banter so much more better and funny. I enjoyed it so much lol. If my man ain't like this then I don't want him🤪

I absolutely adored Gio's nickname for Iseult. He called her 'red', can you guess why? You probably already have hehe. It's because she was a redhead.

"He's dangerous. He practically killed me. With Orgasms."

I'm not even kidding this time but can I really have a man like Gio?😭

The spice between these two was off the charts. There was a scene where I had to stop reading it mid way because it made me blush💀 I switched off my screen and just sat there smiling and blushing for like a minute before continuing to read lol. I ain't telling you what it was because it would be so much better and hotter when it suddenly just appears in front of you lol.

I couldn't stop reading this book and I gave work to my students so I could continue reading it instead of teaching them lol (I know I'm a bad teacher but they are good students so🤷🤪). There were so many scenes where I just had to put the book down because it felt inappropriate reading their bedroom scenes while my students were in front of me, even though they were across the screen lol but you get how hot the scenes were because it left me all worked up which usually does not happened in most of the books.

Also, look at how good Gio looks in the book cover🤤

"Falling in love with you would be the easiest thing in the world. It's falling in love with me that'd be the hardest part."

This line absolutely broke my heart. I absolutely get Iseult, it's so hard to not be comfortable in your own skin. You always feel that you can never be enough for someone and that they deserve better even though you might be it for them. It's so important for you to love yourself and I am so glad Gio helped her feel better about herself, despite all her scars. That's how we know he was the one for her. The guys from her past were horrified from her scars but Gio was angry, not because she looked ugly, he loved her and his opinion didn't change because that's her story but he was angry at the person who caused them. He asked her who did it so he could go and punish the guy. HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS LOVE SICK FOOL?!

He couldn't even stay without her for even a few hours. Oh, how I love men like him😍

Why can't we find more men like him who are obsessed with their woman and are willing to do anything for them?

"I can't live in a world where you're not mine, Iseult Marino."

See, like I said, obsessed. I absolutely loved the way how he never gave up on her and was always there for her even when she told him to go away. She was broken but she needed someone and he was that one person who never gave up on her and was always there for her no matter what.

I loved the way he insisted that there was no way he would marry her sister and kept calling her his wife instead lol.

Okay, I really need to stop otherwise I will keep going on about these two💀

But, before I stop, THE FUCKING PLOT AND THE ENDING OMG!! I did not expect all that stuff! I absolutely love reading suspense in a romance story so this was something I really enjoyed.

You gotta read this book so we can obsess over Gio together hehe💘

Until next time x

See y'all soon with a new post!♥️