| Title | : | Twisted Hearts (The Camorra Chronicles, #5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 338 |
| Publication | : | First published January 7, 2020 |
They need to be hot as f*ck.
Spread their legs without much prompting.
And leave as soon as the fun is over. Preferably minus any bitching or tears.
With his easy-going bad boy attitude, a last name that rules over Las Vegas and a body to die for, girls have always been at Savio’s disposal.
Unfortunately, the hottest girl in Vegas comes with a price Savio isn’t willing to pay. For Savio to get Gemma he’d need to seal the deal and put a ring on her finger. Settling down is out of the question, no matter how hot a piece of ass waits at the altar.
Gemma Bazzoli has had a crush on Savio from the first moment she came face to face with his arrogant smile, but for him she was always his best friend's annoying little sister—until her hard-earned curves catch even his attention.
But Savio likes it easy, and Gemma is anything but. When she’s promised to another man, Gemma resigns herself to the fact that the man she’s wanted all her life, doesn’t want her badly enough.
Savio has to decide how much work he’s willing to invest, because bending the rules in his usual style might not be enough to get the girl that haunts his wet dreams.
- Can be read as a standalone-
Twisted Hearts (The Camorra Chronicles, #5) Reviews
-
1.5 stars
i'd rather read draco malfoy and cedric diggory love triangle fanfictions in wattpad than read about savio sleeping around and being a ho for 60% (!!!) of this book.
a little backstory,↳ this is about the second youngest Falcone brother, Savio Falcone (H) aka the worst man ho out of all of them (aka my least favorite Falcone brother), falling in lust with Gemma Bazzoli (h) aka his best friend's little sister.
basically, Savio just wants her because she's the "hottest girl in Vegas" and he really wants to sleep with her so they're engaged when she's 16, he's 20 yada yada, a year or two goes by he still hasn't set up a date because he's too busy fucking other girls blah blah then something happens and BOOM. they're married, the end.
so this has ✧ arranged marriage, brother's best friend, and mafia tropes ✧
aaanyways, don't mind the intro because this is actually a Savio Falcone appreciation post!! yaaayy!!
ugghhh he was just soOoO romantic and swoony im gonna list out the reasons why im iN lOvEeEe with him so:☞︎ TOP 7 REASONS WHY SAVIO IS THE BEST BOOK BOYFRIEND OF ALL TIME!!! (SPOILERS) ☜︎
#1:
➳ when Gemma (16 years old) was engaged with someone else, Savio (20 years old) fought him for her HONOR and finaly won her!! ughh he was just sooo excited to marry her right away i mean look:"Now that I had secured Gemma, there really was no rush. I didn't want word to get out that I was taken. It would lead to more unpleasant discussions with the girls I fucked, and I really didn't need that."
aww guys.. don't you feel the love? the passion?? the LONGING?!!? ughh i feel it deep in my bones. it's true love people!
#2:
➳ oh- OH! and of course, he just had to celebrate winning Gemma over by having a quickie with her nemesis in his car the same night!!! and GUYSSS look at what he said to her brother/best friend when he was caught"You are promised to each other."
It took considerable effort not to roll my eyes. "And I'm going to keep that promised, but I'm not going to retire my fucking dick until I marry Gemma. I don't give a fuck if that pisses you off."
awww!!!
#3:
➳ and THEN a few weeks later when they are officially engaged, he just loves and cares about her so much that he plans on delaying the wedding just so Gemma could go to college! awwww 🥺"It's about the college bullshit and you acting like the savior who allows my sister to get a higher education. We both know this isn't about you wanting Gemma to get a degree. You just want to be free to fuck around as you please."
"Who says I can't do that after the wedding?"
y'all see why he's the best book boyfriend ever?!? he's willing to wait a few more years just sohe could fuck other girls- i mean, just because he cares about her education!!
we love a man who loves independent women!! that is like- sooo rare.
#4:
➳ OH and let's not forget what he did to the people who hurt Gemma! i mean guys- GUYS. look at what he did to one of her classmates, Will, who bullied her"Your mother deep throated me a week ago. Did you know she likes to have her hair pulled while eating dick? I thought you should know I fucked your dear mommy to get back to you for talking shit to my fiancee in school."
oh my god... What. A. Man. he sacrificed his dignity- his VIRTUE by sleeping with her bully's mother. ugh we love a brave soldier 😤✊🏼
#5:
➳ 18 months later and Gemma is now 18 years old! yaaayy! and look at what Savio has been doing around that time"How many girls has he been with while you were around?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."
"I want an answer believe me."
"Too many to count, and I doubt he'll stop now that he's back here. Not unless he gets it from you but even then..."
OH! and not only this but he slept with his best friend's ex too!! woooooww.
he just makes me wanna *redacted* the *redacted* outta him. you can totally see how much he respects both Gemma and Diego aka her brother aka his best friend.
#6:
➳ and thennn months go by and Savio's celebrating his birthday but WAIT! he didn't invite Gemma!! oh nooo. but not to worry y'allll he just doesn't want her to see all the half-naked women in his party and the fact that he's making out with two girls awwww
and guys!! when he saw Gemma talking to another dude, you know what he did?? he assaulted him because god forbid she tries to flirt with other guys riigghtt?! Savio is just SO protective <33
after all this, he took her upstairs so they can have a polite, romantic conversation 😌"You keep yourself entertained," I gritted out. "You probably would have slept with one of those skanks if I hadn't shown up."
"I already fucked the blond skank, Kitty, and I'll fuck the other skank once I've made sure you're safely home."
and guys.. guess what?? he DIDkick her out of the partyand got her safely home just so he could have a threesome!! we LOVE a considerate man.
#7:
➳ and finally, 2 months go by after he knows hehurti mean, made Gemma cry becausehe'd rather take his time fucking around with other girls than grovel and apologize to her, i MEAN because he showed her how much he loves her, he STILL slept with other girls!!
YEESSSS. so honorable. so respectful. so romantic. and you guysss!! can't you see how in love he is with her??? ugh *simp mode on*
but it's okay y'all! once the Bratva attacked Gemma's restaurant and half of her family died, that's when hefinally got his head outta his STD infected assand decided to marry her!! HALLELUJAHH it's a miracle.
* * *
ok ANYWAYS, i hate Savio.
this book pissed me the fuck off. almost all of the OW drama and cheating were only mentioned (thank god) and it was barely shown but you know what annoyed me the most? the fact that Savio DISRESPECTED Gemma at every turn and had no remorse for how much he hurt her. he takes advantage of her feelings because he knows she's in love with him so he knows she's willing to "wait" for him while he sows his wild oats. he mocks her traditions and values just because she won't have sex with him before marriage i-
he only wanted to marry her to have sex with her and OWN her. no emotional connection whatsoever and even after they got married he always talked about her looks, making their relationship ingenuine and superficial.
it took Gemma to almost get killed for him to FINALLY fucking changed but nothing about Savio's character change was satisfying nor redeeming. there is NO development in that and honestly, it was such a cop out move.
i've never even liked him until
Twisted Bonds because he was such a great uncle but after reading his OWN book, he'll forever be ireedeemable in my eyes. he is quite possibly- wait, no he IS one of the worst heroes i've ever read alongside
Caden,
Quinn, and
Jase.
the .5 in my rating is for Greta and Nevio BUT the last 40% where all the cute shit happens is totally ruined by everything that happened before. AND Gemma also ruined my mood because she just kept pining after him and honestly, she had betraying body syndrome. her character from previous books showed how much of a badass she is but in here? she was just plain weak.
fingers crossed Adamo's character isn't ruined in his book!!
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ Camorra Chronicles ･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･
#1:
twisted loyalties — fabiano x leona ↠ 3.25 stars
#2:
twisted emotions — nino x kiara ↠ 3.75 stars
#3:
twisted pride — remo x serafina ↠ 4.25 stars
#4:
twisted bonds — nino x kiara ↠ 4 stars
#5: twisted hearts — savio x gemma ↠ 1.5 stars
#6:
twisted cravings — adamo x dinara ↠ 2 stars -
I cannot get over the cover. The guy looks like he's sniffing his armpit. 🤦♀️
EDIT: Rating changed to one star. I have no idea why I even gave it two stars (probably for the few family moments between the Falcones). However, I cannot think about anything positive in this book. And the fact that I use it as some sort of measure (it was not as bad as Twisted Hearts etc.) just shows that for me it was really a bad book. So, there is no giving it extra starts just because I like the Camorra series and pre-this book Savio was one of my fave characters. End of EDIT.
Anyway, I have to say that sometimes I feel sorry for authors, they spend months and months writing the book and then you read it in a couple of hours.
The Camorra Chronicles are my favourite by this author. Savio was always battling for the favourite character spot with Remo. Plus Savio was really growing up on my in the last two books, and I was excited to read his. But after this book, I have to say that Remo is beating Savio to the first spot. Plus, I have to say that this book does not have a to-re-read quality — definitely one of the weakest in the Camorra series.
It was ironic that Remo was the one complaining about someone else acting like a Mad Man.
I was a bit unsure about Gemma. But I sort of hoped that I would like her. However, for being a fighter girl, I was surprised by how much of a doormat she could be. I was annoyed by how much of a crybaby she was; I feel like she cried the most out of anyone in this series. And considering everything, her situation was far from being the worse.
I sort of wish, she would train more, so, she could kick Diego's ass. Plus I liked Toni very much. She and Gemma definitely need to go to a party now and drive Savio crazy. Which makes me think how much I wish that the post-marriage part was longer than it was. Yeah, I could do less with Gemma being 16 and day-dreaming about Savio. A little edit, after finishing my review, I realised that I actually did not talk about the romance between the two. I wondered why that's it, and I realised that I do not feel any chemistry between those two. And that's a problem. Like, this is a romance book and those two felt like strangers. Gemma was just lusting after Savio's pretty face and I seriously had no idea why he was interested. The book really failed here.
I'd completely forgotten that most European cars were stick shift.
I liked Nonna! That was not fair! Savio needed extended stay with Nonna. And
I think that this book was one of the funniest we've got from this author. Since it followed the characters since they were teenagers, it seemed lighter.
However, that also made the book "jumpier". A chapter or two when they are some age, and then the next one was x-months or years later. I always feel like it loses some cohesivity because of it. It also made certain things to feel out of place and sort of just thrown there without any explanation. It might be that the author is getting tangled in the storyline, trying to keep up with everything but not revealing something which will explain the things in an upcoming book which, however, would take place before this one.
What I like most about the Camorra series is the interactions between the brothers and also their wives. In the previous books, Savio had some fantastic banter with Serafina and Kiara, and I wanted more of that. But there was less, way less. It almost seemed as if their relationships went backwards. Also, the "family" time which I liked in the previous books practically disappeared. Even Kiara had spent more time with them when she joined the family, and she was way more terrified of Remo than Gemma was.
I was also definitely missing on the fantastic Savio/Greta combo which we got in the previous book! They were so fantastic in the previous book, but here we got what? Two scenes. It needed more. It seemed like Savio even interacted more with Nevio than with her.
We got only a couple of glimpses of Adamo, and honestly, I'm slowly stopping liking him. I hope that in his books, he pulls it together.
Oh, Aurora. Why do I have a feeling that she and Nevio will be a thing?
Also, I need to know what happened in Reno in all those months! I wanted a chapter on Reno.
I need more on Nestore. It was so funny when Savio said that Remo has a soft spot for him as if he's a puppy. Murderous puppy. -
All I feel is disgust.
Before I begin this rant, I would like to give my deepest apology to Fabiano and Leona. I'm really sorry for giving their book,
Twisted Loyalties 2 stars. It was WAY BETTER than Twisted Hearts. Compared to Savio and Gemma, Fabiano and Leona are top tier romance.
Savio … you shoud have stayed a side character cause as a hero: you are shit. My (imaginary) goldfish would been a better hero than Savio Falcone.
If I can describe the Hero and the heroine of this book in one word each. It would be D I S G U S T I N G (H) and P A T H E T I C (H & h). Savio was always known as the manwhore so people acutally liked it that he stayed faithful to his character during 'Twisted Hearts' but I absoulty hated it. He treated Gemma with no respect, which I already knew from other reviews, but reading it for myself was still a shock. The way he talked to her … the audacity. I knew that I wouldn't like Savio very much, but I thought Gemma would maybe make up for it, but NOOOO. I was equally annoyed with Gemma for being this pathetic little girl who threw herself at Savio at every chance. It was so cringy. She lost her dignity somewhere during her childhood.
So I'd rather show you Savio's best of than telling what he did. Decide for yourself if he's someone you would like to date.Now I got why it was called sweet sixteen. Fuck me. I wished I wasn't so fucking addicted to sweets, because Gemma, without a doubt, would be the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. And I wanted that taste. – 16%
It's worth to note that Gemma is 16 and Savio is 20. I find it pretty creepy and made me a bit uncomfortable.How much was I willing to do for Gemma?
Doesn't that make you heart swoon? Savio is such a gentleman, he would go all the way to marry her just that he is the first guy to have sex with her. And then some people say romance is dead. Unbelievable.
I'd cut a few of my goddamn fingers off to get my hands on her, but marriage? Damn. No matter the price, I'd pay it, only to be the first in Gemma's panties. – 27%"She's only sixteen," Kiara said worriedly.
Isn't he charming? Every girl's dream that their financé is fucking around until their wedding.
"I realize that," I said, getting annoyed with their interrogation. "I didn't say anything about getting into her pants right away. I can wait."
"Really?" Serafina asked.
"There are enough other girls around who can keep me entertained." – 32%"Won't you congratulate me? After all, I won you." – 36%
Savio said that after he won a fight about who will be Gemma's future husband. After. All. I. Won. You. What the fuck? She's not some iPad that you won in a giveaway. She's not a possession. There are a couple more scenes where Savio talks about Gemma as if she's an object.
So Savio got a bull tattoo right above his dick and and that's his conversation with a girl in a club who's hitting on him."It's my eighteenth birthday. And I'd like to see your bull." She let out a giggle, her palms sliding down my chest.
Diego sent me a scowl. I doubted he could hear what she said. The music was too loud.
"My bull?" I asked with a grin.
She nooded.
Her flirting annoyed me for some reason. "I only take him out for a ride."
She giggled again then pushed up on her tiptoes to reach my ear. "I'm going to ride him like a cowgirl." –37%"Fuck Diego. Next time you feel like cock blocking, remember that I still need this dick to satisfy your sister." – 37%
Not only was this scene cringy as fuck, I have never rolled my eyes harder. What the actual hell? The way he talks? Is that suppose to make me swoon, because it clearly doesn't work.
“How dare you? You can’t just reserve me like a table in a restaurant and go on living your man-whore life while I sit back and wait for you to make up your mind about our wedding.”
“I’m a Falcone. I can do whatever the fuck I want, Gemma. And I want you, so no one else is going to get you.”He leaned closer. “Nobody will as much as look at you, or I’m going to rip the fucker to shreds, got it?” – 49%Besides, it gave me a thrill knowing that Gemma would only be mine alone, even if the wait until our marriage would prove tricky. But I had other girls for fucking and sucking until then. – 55%
Let me clear this up: Gemma is going to be the faithful girl until the wedding while Savio fucks around as much as he want? Sounds legit.
And by far my favorite moment of the book:“You keep yourself entertained,”I gritted out. “You probably would have slept with one of those skanks if I hadn’t shown up.”“I already fucked the blond skank, Kitty, and I’ll fuck the other skank once I’ve made sure you’re safely home.” – 59%
MarRIaGe wILL maKe ME yOuR fUCkinG oWNer, nOT thE OthEr wAy AROuD. I don't know what kind of drugs Savio took to spout shit like that, but pls my friends stay away from drugs. Every single sentence out of Savio made me want to murder him so much. It's disgusting. The "And if I want to touch you, I do." part … wow rapist much? What the fuck? I know Savio never forced Gemma to do anything, but the audacity to say this? I have no words.
"The moment we’re married, you’re mine and if you as much as kiss another girl, I’m gone. I’ll leave and no one, not my family, not my brother, not even your brother Remo will be able to make me stay. I’ll pack my things and find someone who knows how to treat a woman right.”
Savio’s face twisted with rage. He backed me into the wall. “What makes you think you can make fucking demands like that? I think you forget the nature of our arrangement. Marriage will make me your fucking owner, not the other way around. I can do whatever the fuck I want, can fuck whoever the fuck I want, and fuck you whenever the fuck I want.”My lips fell open in shock. Savio nodded, his eyes harsh. “I own you. I own your lips and your tits and your pussy. I own every fucking inch of you, Gemma.”He pressed his palm to my stomach. “And if I want to touch you, I do.” –59%
Ladies, if a guy, a dog, or a tree talks to you like that? You better RUN THE FUCK AWAY and never return.
What makes a man-slut like Savio reconsider his feelings for Gemma? The russian mafia attacking the restaurant where Gemma works and killing Gemma's grandma and her dad and almost killing her. Yes, apparently seeing Gemma's almost dead body was too much for Savio that he made a 180° turn to finally marry "the hottest girl of Las Vegas" and staying "faithful". Isn't that sweet? By the time Savio saw his errors, I felt like it was already too late.
I could do the same with all quotes about how weak Gemma was when it came to Savio. She was supposed to be this badass fighter, but when it came to Savio she was just a doormat. But at the end of the day I just feel really sorry for her, she was so blinded by her childhood crush and by her conservative upbringing. It's not hard to see that she deserves better than the trashy husband she got.
Not even the Falcones scenes could make this book any better. My highlights were when Nevio cockblocked Savio. There is a reason he is already my favorite kid.
After the train-wreck that is Twisted Hearts, I'm even looking forward a bit to Adamo's book, because NOTHING and I mean nothing can be worse than this book. -
Sigh.
I really wanted to love this.
It had so much potential and so many scenes that could have been all that my romantically angst-field dreams were made of...
Instead, however, I finished the book feeling like Savio liked Gemma...but could have also just have easily continued banging half the women in Las Vegas and and still been just a-okay. -
Playlist:
You got me – Ivy Quainoo
You should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish
Crazy – Madonna
Bounce Back – Little Mix
With you – Meghan Trainor & Kaskade
My way – Ava Max
Make up -- Jason Derulo
Not your barbie girl – Ava Max
Into your arms – Witt Lowry
So Am I – Ava Max
Nobody’s perfect – Jessie J
All the good girls go to hell – Billie Eilish
Candy shop – 50 cent
Genius – LSD
Blow your mind – Dua Lipa
Me and my broken heart – Rixon
Close – Nick Jonas
Shameless – The weeknd
You don’t own me – Grace
Cry baby – Demi Lovato
Call it what you want – Taylor Swift
Everyday – Ariana Grande
Endgame – Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran
365 – Zedd & Katy Perry
Miss Independent – Neyo
Side to Side – Ariana Grande
Love me harder – Ariana Grande
Heat (Lokii mix) – Kelly Clarkson
Only want you – Rita Ora
I like it – Cardi B
WTF – Hugel
Crying in the Club – Camila Cabello
Don’t call me up – Mabel
Buttons - The Pussycat Dolls feat Snoop Dogg
Don't cha - The Pussycat Dolls -
a sense of pure joy that surges through my body every time i wind up loving a book that everyone loathes, despises and wants to burn till only ashes remain of it
not only does savio live up to his notorious manwhore image of the previous books, he surpasses it in spades here, which is sort of iconic.“The hottest girl in Vegas is going to be my wife, can you believe it?”
Over my dead body, Michelangelo. I looked him up and down. He didn’t deserve Gemma, and he sure as fuck wouldn’t get her.
selfish, arrogant, cocky, vain, charismatic, funny, sexist, slutty, territorial, possessive, rueful, insufferable, shameless, disgusting—
unapologetically creepy fan of gemma's sweet sixteen too 😏Now I got why it was called sweet sixteen. Fuck me. I wished I wasn’t so fucking addicted to sweets, because Gemma, without a doubt, would be the sweetest thing I’d ever tasted.
i think the reason as to why i don't hate him is the fact that he had never committed emotionally to any woman before gemma. controversial opinion but emotional cheating is so much worse and more heartbreaking than physical one. 🌝 it's hard for me to read about a hero who flirts, courts or thinks about OW while he's with a heroine, but a hero mindlessly slutting it up with countless faceless women coz he can't put his paws on his girl just yet? hehehe, it's another matter altogether, according to my brain. 💀
tbh, i also do have a soft spot for funny and cocky bad boys, and savio is so EXTRA most of the time. he made me cringe laugh more times that i care to count.
the enormous bull tattoo right above his dick pls i wanna see it sjsjsjsjsj—“Calm the fuck down, asshole. I know Gemma isn’t up for more. But you know as well as I do that she’s got a crush on me.”
“It doesn’t matter. You can’t have her—unless you marry her.”
I laughed and sank back down on the couch. Lifting my shirt, I clapped my hand on my bull tattoo peeking out. “This bull won’t ever be chained to one woman.”
this is the savio from Twisted Loyalties, Twisted Emotions and Twisted Pride in his unabashed magnificence:It took considerable effort not to roll my eyes. “And I’m going to keep that promise, but I’m not going to retire my fucking dick until I marry Gemma. I don’t give a fuck if that pisses you off.”
the nadir of his nastiness is bottomless. 🤌🏻 i know it for a fact cora had FUN writing this book.
i really don't get the uproar his character caused among the reading community because if you read the previous books you must know that he... has always been like that? magical pussy healing from manwhore ways takes place, but it also takes time :DDOur eyes met and he let out a harsh breath. He bent down, his expression so full of possessiveness that I shivered again. Savio shook his head. “If you keep looking at me like that, waiting until marriage isn’t going to happen, Gem.”
gods, gemma and savio are so shallow but they have so much CHEMISTRY. I LOVE THEM.
(i wish gemma made savio sweat MORE after what she had had to tolerate from his trashy ass. but ALSO i do get where she's coming from. her family is so traditional they could come straight out of a cave. her behavior and beliefs make sense as much as they're hard to relate to. your surroundings definitely shape your consciousness x)
as a side note: the scene where savio thought that gemma died was super angsty, but i didn't get the feeling he'd be suffering and mourning her much afterward. i'm pretty sure he'd have been sad for a couple of months, and then he'd have just gone on fucking his way through las vegas AGAIN.
at least a death scare forced him to pull his head out of his ass and start treating gemma right. -
🎆Unpopular
RantReview Alert🎆
Cora Reilly's all the men are ho literally and figuratively but why Savio's ho-ness had been highlighted this much?
Did Cora Reilly have a real life enemy named Savio 😂 ? To embarrass that said Savio she wrote this book ?
I mean aren’t all her male protagonists even after engagement have been sleeping around for years? Some of them even after marriage? Some of them even after sleeping with the love of his life *coughs* *coughs* Yeah wasn’t Remo Falcone slept around after making Serafina pregnant and sending her back after popping her cherry? Remo who let me remind you wasn’t celibate during that infamous 1.5 years timeline , To Savio’s credit he at least stoped sleeping around two months before his marriage
11 books later I came to terms with this fact that all the Cora Reilly's men are wh*r*es through and through
Fabiano is the least wh**e among them
The only thing we readers can do is
💫Accept It💫
Not even an engagement or a marriage can stop them from pimping and hooking.
They needspread Eagle leged conformationverbal agreement from their beloved finance or wife or whatever to become exclusive 😪
Because
🎇Story Time: Cora Reilly Men's Journey to Exclusivity The-Visual-Representation🎆
Cora Reilly men:
Cora Reilly girls:
Afterwards,
That’s the little episode we will have in every book of hers 🤧
At this point, Imma just come out say I have become immune 🤣 If they don't sleep around I am like
-is he okay? 🤣🤣🤣
Honestly speaking Savio reminds me of The Hunter
Well sh*t this could have been 10 times better cz Savio has great sense of humor and he is hilarious, so naturally I thought this one would be a nice fun light read.
Which it is.
eww there is so much cheating in it!
But Alas I am not interested in Savio anyway!
So I might just come out and say his man s**t behaviour didn’t bother me or have any effect on me, on the contrary, if it would have been Luca or Nino I would have panic multiple attacks by now 😶🤥
Gemma finally, the fighter girl, we all have been waiting to get a girl who can break an enemy's nose (Serafina's good for nothing but barely hate f&*king doesn’t count)
Can I just say I could connect with Gemma?
Imagine having a crush over someone then slowly you fall for him
Then waiting for 6 years and the man of your dreams fight for your hand?
Who**e or not I will take my chances!
Life is too short for settling for less or regretting forever that you didn't even try once to get what you want.
I am glad she was NOT portrayed as naive
She was well aware of Savio's doing.
I loved the resistance she shows instead of temptation, honestly, that is the type of resistance I wanted from Remo's Plaything.
I mean-"Is a kiss really so bad? Your mouth is so fucking kissable.”
“Well, your mouth is coming around too much for my taste. You’ve probably kissed more lady parts than most toilet seats.”
I will name it Verbal Kickboxing
Gemma 01 👑
Savio 00 😌
I feel like I do like Savio Gemma separately
In Savio's defense, we didn't get any "juicy" "smutty" extensive details with other women and somehow they worked as a couple too?
Personally, I loved their jabs, back and forths, banters.
The whole setup has so much potential and I wish it wasn’t been so focused on What a man s**t Savio is.
I feel like I was well aware of what to expect from this book especially from Savio which Let's be real wasn't much.
Gemma surprised me, even her crush on Savio never annoyed me.
I have a soft spot for a girl who is vocal about her feelings without throwing herself and Gem managed to stand her ground tremendously as a 10 to 18 years old.
All in all yeah it was a one go read for me, couldn’t put it down
And also if I ignore the fact this book portrayed Savio is a sl*t vendetta
for 60% of the book then yes I enjoyed the story and Savio×Gem chemistry (much more than Remo and his babysitter's book) more than I expected.
So yeah
I am done with my unpopular Rant 😆 sorry I feel like I would die if I didn't rant on this book.
Happy Reading Loves
xoxo -
3 Whiskey goes well with the taste of blood STARS
"Pride is an honorable thing, but don’t let it get in the way of a wise choice.”
Gemma es adorable y Savio es un descarado horndog. Ambos se dan a querer de forma individual, es imposible no enamorarse de ambos por sus personalidades únicas y peculiares.
Pero como pareja, como pareja son insoportables.
Resena Pendiente... -
Cora Reilly books are a guilty pleasure for me. I used to be in her Facebook group but the ridiculous fan girls who start shit with others who don’t agree with them didn’t sit well with me so I left. But her books weren’t ones I would normally like but found myself reading and enjoying for the most part. There was so much anticipation within the group about this book and I was looking forward to it.
I shouldn’t have bothered! When Savio is still fucking around more than halfway through the book, it doesn’t work for me. When he purposely humiliates Gemma, but justifies it by saying ‘they’re not married yet’ then in the next chapter think how he never meant to hurt her, I’m done. When he’s free to fuck whoever he wants but she needs to stay the good little virgin for him, I want to smash my kindle against the wall! She, of course, turns from the strong girl she’s supposed to be, to a fucking doormat in no time - so disappointing. He has is no loyalty to her (yet she’s expected to have it for him) and he will never be faithful to her (I just can’t see that happening) so maybe I’ll just stick to her earlier books. And don’t get me started with the grandmother’s advice:
“It’s a burden every woman has to carry, accepting their husband’s mistakes. Women make marriages work.”
Are you fucking kidding me??!! The blatant disrespect men have for women in these Camorra books (with the exception of Nino and Kiara) is fucking unbelievable. Each to their own and all that, but it’s not my thing. Maybe this is where Ms. Reilly and I part ways... -
3 STARS
Gemma was the hottest girl in the city and didn’t even realize it. She was the girl I wanted most and couldn’t have.
Ever finish a book and you struggled to feel any which way about it? This was that book for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was something of that middle of the road story that I don't enjoyed reading, but also would never be something I'd come back to either. Does that even make sense? I hope it does, because there's no better way for me to describe how I felt about Twisted Hearts.
I love mafia romance. I love unconventional love stories with imperfect characters that make their fair share of mistakes. And it just doesn't get more imperfect than womanizing Savio. Savio and Gemma have known each other since they were kids. Savio was Gemma's older brother's friend and a boy that she crushed had on. Her crush was so obvious and at times desperate when she was a teen, that it was almost uncomfortable to read at times, admittedly. Luckily, she doesn't carry that into adulthood either. Gemma lives in a highly traditional world of old-world mafia family where the women are kept innocent and naive and marriages are a contract and not of love. That doesn't stop her from hoping beyond hope that Savio will ask for her, since his family is one of the most powerful business alliances her father can make. But Savio is much too concerned with sowing his wild oats with every single available woman out there to even think of marriage. That is, until Gemma is promised to another.
Now I loved the fact that the author stayed true to her character with Savio and didn't have him turning a complete 180 the second he decides he wants Gemma. He's not a perfect character and I loved that about him. What didn't gel for me was the lack of everything else outside of the back and forth he and Gemma go through. The world, the suspense, the story all kind of fell sideways and got lost in the frustrating back and forth of I want you but I can't have you and I'll have you but won't give you all of me. It started off so strong and then all just sort of fizzled for me. I was skimming parts and growing more bored with each page. And while Gemma did grow a backbone in her adulthood, I did also found myself wishing that she made Savio work for it in a different way than she did. Although, I do respect the hell out of her for the way she did handle their relationship.
Ultimately, the romance just didn't grab me. I didn't fully buy into it and I just didn't love Gemma and Savio. They were entertaining, sure, but just not memorable characters for me. Did I enjoy the book? Sure. Most definitely. Was I glued to the pages reading it? Not really. A fun read, but ultimately not an entirely memorable one. But hey, different strokes for different folks right? Give it a read and judge for yourself.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
-
You can read my Review to know the entire story.
10 year old Gemma was cute
But 13 & 15 year old Gemma annoyed the fuck out of me. I had to keep reminding myself that she is a kid.
Omg and but then 16 year old Gemma came into the picture and god. No self respect and following Savio like a love sick puppy even though he has 0 feelings for her.
She just didn’t stop. Even her brother Diego tried to knock some sense into her. But did she listen? NO
“Savio, Gemma, I’m talking about Savio. Just give it up. You’re embarrassing yourself. The only thing missing is you asking Savio for his hand in marriage. Get it into your stubborn head that Savio’d rather chew on glass than chain himself to a woman.”
After dropping so many hints in front of Savio that her father is looking for a husband, which he ignored finally her hand is asked by Mick (Savio’s best friend)
And that’s when Savio wakes up from his slumber and is like GEMMA IS MINE I WANT TO MARRY HER.
”Oh Kitty, I will own you, even if I have to shove my knife into his fucking heart.”
You think things get better after Gemma FINALLY gets what she wants, Savio? No. Not at all. I just want to puke after reading this book.
I feel so bad for Gemma, because Savio’s intentions were not right at all. He never loved her. Not once. I still don’t think he does. This book is so fucked up. You know what he said to his family? Why he wants to marry Gemma and what he will do after the engagement?
He just wanted to pop her cherry and still sleep around with other girls. And he didn’t even want to get married to her, let alone announce to everyone that him and Gemma are getting engaged
”I didn’t want word to get out that I was taken. It would lead to more unpleasant discussions with the girls I fucked, and I really didn’t need that.”
It gets worst from here. 18 MONTHS LATER. (Gemma 18)
Is when Gemma finally confronts Savio about his whore ways. Even after their public engagement (because someone called Gemma Falcone whore, sho Diego basically forced Savio to make the engagement public, but lol that still didn’t stop him from fucking other girls) Savio continued his ways and Gemma finally talks to him about it.
This is their conversation.
”How dare you? You can’t just reserve me like a table in a restaurant and go on living your man-whore life while I sit back and wait for you to make up your mind about our wedding.”
“I’m a Falcone. I can do whatever the fuck I want, Gemma. And I want you, so no one else is going to get you.” He leaned closer. “Nobody will as much as look at you, or I’m going to rip the fucker to shreds, got it?”
And then RIGHT AFTER THIS CONVO Gemma’s brother walks in
“Nothing happened, Diego. We almost kissed, but we didn’t and we won’t.”
“Next time you’re considering kissing Savio, just remind yourself that his mouth has been between another girl’s legs not too long ago.”
My face scrunched up. “Thanks for the image. I didn’t need that.”
“You do. Maybe it’ll keep you from making a mistake.”
Savio came back with plates and cutlery. He scanned my face then cocked an eyebrow at Diego. “What kind of horror story did you tell now?”
“Only the truth.”
“That’s always the worst,” Savio said with a grin, and Diego actually laughed.
“You’re both idiots.”
They both settled on the sofa, Diego between Savio and me. Savio sent me a wink over my brother’s head. I smiled. I had missed him. Everything. Even his annoying arrogance and teasing smirk.”
Gemma is completely fine with all of this and is back to normal with him
I WANT TO PUKE. WTF. HOW DUMB DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO INDURE ALL THIS!? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES HOW WRONG THIS IS
THE GIRL IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP HERSELF FOR THE MAN WHILE THIS SAID MAN GOES AND FUCKS EVERYTHING THAT MOVES. How can anyone be okay with that. AND THEY ARE FUCKING ENGAGED.
I WANT TO CRY THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Nobody should be okay with this. I dont think i ever read a book where a man treats a woman as bad as Savio does. Especially his birthday scene I wanted to cry in disgust. He didn’t even invite Gemma to his birthday party and she crashed the party and saw him with two woman. And when a man comes up to her and starts talking to her Savio sees it and pushes the guy out the window
Double standards much. And then proceeds to say this to Gemma
”What makes you think you can make fucking demands like that? I think you forget the nature of our arrangement. Marriage will make me your fucking owner, not the other way around. I can do whatever the fuck I want, can fuck whoever the fuck I want, and fuck you whenever the fuck I want.”
You guys this book is HORRIBLE. After this scene Gemma wants to break her engagement off but she can’t because of what people will say about her and her family. But she says she is “done” with Savio. Lol Savio comes to her house to apologize but she doesn’t want to see him. And that’s it. Savio is giving her “space” while still fucking other woman. How do I know this? You see
2 months after the birthday incident Russian’s come and attack Gemma’s restaurant where she works and gets her head injured and faints.
And then Savio comes to the scene and thinks she is dead. And is all heart broken about the last conversation they had and that he would never be ever to spend time with her again. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 i wonder whose fault is that. 🙄🙄
Anyway she ends up being alive and basically forgives him for all the nonsense he has done and kisses him. Actually basically she begged him to kiss her to make her forget “the heartbreaking incident”. Self respect what is that?
And now 2 weeks after this “heart breaking incident” Savio tells Gemma since those past 2 weeks he hasn’t slept around with anyone. So that means even after the birthday incident he was till fucking around. Like. I don’t even know what to say at this point. As he says the past 2 weeks (since the restaurant incident) NOT THE PAST 2 MONTHS SINCE THE DEGRADING BIRTHDAY INCIDENT.
Any oh god. Let me just finish this review.
They get married and Gemma tries to torture Savio by not sleeping with him after marriage. 🙄 but eventually does. They both say I love you to each other and end of story.
This book is disgusting. Savio did not even redeem himself. I went through all that torture thinking that Savio will finally stop thinking from his dick and finally do something nice for Gemma or basically redeem himself or be worthy enough Gemma’s love. But he doesn’t at all.
Hated the Nino’s.
Loved Remo’s book.
EXTREMELY DISGUSTED by Savio’s book.
-
Ok I gave in and read this book even though I promised I wouldn’t read this author anymore.
At least now a know why I need to avoid this author’s books.
The guy is a cheater and a hypocrite and the h is even worse than the previous h in another book I loathed. She puts up with him cheating throughout their how many years of engagement and then literally falls in his arms when tragedy strikes forgetting that two weeks before that she walked in on him with two other women getting it on on his birthday! No self respect or self preservation for herself whatsoever. I dnf as I truly didn’t like either of them and didn’t care to see their so called happy ending. There was no redeeming either of them by that stage!
I WILL DEF NOT READ ANYMORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR SHE IS DEF NOT FOR ME! -
well, i've never had a penchant for reading books with arrogant heroes and their manwhoring ways. however, even i hadnt anticipated how atrocious this book is. especially, since i thought we were getting somewhere with savio's character arc in the last two books.
i realized that in the past, i'd been charmed by him mostly bcs of his crude humor and his adorable uncle-niece moments with greta. when it comes to being a womanizer, his reputation precedes him. im not complaining about him being one but how he doesnt evolve at all in this book.
what you call slowburn, i say repetitive. these two idiots just keep going round and round pursuing and denying one another with little to no effort at building an emotional connection. by the time they're together, it's already past 70% mark, and their love is so lackluster and flimsy.
i suppose i should say i dont favor greta all that much either. she has this doormat personality though she can be pretty badass sometimes. she's also too prudish for my liking. i wanted more savio-greta moments. i missed the family dynamics like the one in the previous book.
overall, this installment is a let down. there's really no plot to speak of. i mean, okay it's a romance, but even that sucks too. i wonder if the author put this out simply bcs it was due for her to release it. im looking forward to see more of what i've missed here in the next book. will adamo be paired with luca's daughter?!
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
#1
twisted loyalties — 3 stars
#2
twisted emotions — 4 stars
#3
twisted pride — 2 stars
#4
twisted bonds — 3 stars
#5 twisted hearts — 2 stars -
2.5
”Crushing girls’ hearts was practically my special skill set, but knowing I had to break Kitty’s innocent little heart actually caused me a flicker of qualms.”
^ I think saying Savio even had a flicker of a qualm about hurting Gemma is a reach. An extreme reach. I am all about a mafia dude being jelly and possessive, fighting dudes and or killing them for his lady love, but I also need more than 20% monogamy. And you know, more than 20% of the hero actually having some sort of feeling other than lust toward the heroine. For 80% of this book Savio is proudly banging anything with an opening. Which at first is fine in my opinion. I don’t need the hero or the heroine to be fresh as fallen snow, especially when one party isn’t even old enough to be banged by the other party. (As in, he shouldn’t even be interested) But anyway, after he gets the hots for Gem, and then engaged that was when the author should have thrown in, AT THE VERY LEAST, some form of guilt for having sex with other people. Like come on. You’re already lusting after a teenager, you can at least make him have some sort of remorse for hurting her feelings repeatedly. I mean Remo literally jacked Serafina from her wedding, left her alone and one of his men nearly raped her, then he himself, threatened to steal her V over and over, and yet he seems more emotional and thoughtful than Savio.
Anyway. I’m a sucker and will continue to read this author. But holy crap I’m let down by this one. I actually liked Gemma. Even if I don’t agree with her values, at least she stood by them. She’s too forgiving, but she’s also been obsessed with this dude forever, so I can forgive that. But honestly my expectations were just WAY TOO HIGH. I’m not sure why I expected this lusty romance where Gemma was promised to someone else, Savio had to fight for her, and once he had her he’d actually want her. I mean all those things happened, but they just weren’t in the way I thought haha. Fail. -
2 “only for the Falcone Gang, except Savio” ⭐️
Mafia Romance (in my opinion more a YA)
Brother's BF, slow burn, arranged marriage
First Person, Double POV.
HEA? Yes.
Standalone? Yes but I suggest you to read the previous books in the Camorra Chronicles Series.
Before I start ..
I love Cora Reilly,
Bound by Honor was my first Mafia Romance and for this reason this author and her Mafia Series will always have a piece of my heart. I'm a fan of BBMC and Camorra Chronicles and maybe I'm not the most objective person to evaluate this book..I didn't like it and I would have probably DNF it if this story was written by a different author and wasn't part of this Series. The author is German and english is not her mother language: she uses very simple sentences, no slang and the writing is often missing fluidity. Compared to her previous books I have to say that her writing (grammar/dialogue/sentences structure) has improved considerably and I'm really happy about this.
Another aspect that I loved in this book was the Falcone Gang..I love them especially Remo, Serafina and the twins. They were the only reason I finished this book.
Okey, Now I can start with my bitchy rant:
📌 PLOT
If you expect a Mafia Romance with action, sex, blood, torture, kill well you will be very disappointed. Twisted Heart is a slow burn Young Adult and the mafia element is VERY marginal. Cora wrote Gemma and Savio “love” Story from the begging ( from 10-14 years old to 18-22 years old) and I was so BORED. The end was rushed: For 80% of the book Savio and Gemma have only stolen moments together or they have chaperons and their relationship was 100% platonic. In the last 30% we have all sort of dramas, first kiss, wedding, sex, the I love you declaration (last friggin page).
Why?! Honestly I wasn't interested in Gemma sexist medieval family or Savio bull rides with every woman (except Gemma) in Nevada or Gemma's two years long pity party because Savio was a WH**E. I needed more pages about them as a couple. This was a LONG, ANNOYING and PAINFUL ride. I didn't feel a real connection or chemistry between Savio and Gemma and I didn't root for them. Until the end I hoped Gemma would come to her sense and leave Savio to drown in his vanity and STD.
📌 SAVIO aka THE BULL aka STD COLLECTOR
I wasn't a fan of Savio..he was my least favorite Falcone and this book confirmed my previous idea about him. I'm sorry but Remo and Nino are something else..Savio is selfish, shallow and spoiled for 90% of this book. Honestly all this talk about his “Bull”tattoo was really annoying.. this frigggin Bull was mention almost 50 times in every chapter..okey Cora, we understand..Savio has atramp stampemmm Super HOT tattoo above his magic wand and every woman in the universe wants a ride. I swear this damn Bull is the real protagonist of TWISTED HEART! He deserves his own POV.. He has seen things we humans cannot even imagine!
He wants to have his cake and eat it too. While he was engaged with Gemma he had sex with hundreds of women but he wanted Gemma to stay a little good virgin and wait for him. He doesn't love Gemma, he only wants to own her and I really feel sorry for her! His final love declaration was forced..I don't believe him. If I were Gemma I would hire a PI and get texted for STD every single month.
Ladies and Gentlemen let me introduce you Mr Savio Falcone:
“Is what a lie?” [...] “That you were with Dakota yesterday and God only knows how many more girls in Reno.” Savio grinned, but there was something dark about it. “It’s true.”[..]“But it’s also true that I thought about you every fucking day.[..] You were always in the back of my mind when I was with other girls.”
“You probably would have slept with one of those skanks if I hadn’t shown up.”
“I already fucked the blond skank, Kitty, and I’ll fuck the other skank once I’ve made sure you’re safely home”
“When do you think you’ll stop sleeping around? I’m sick of this.”
“What makes you think you can make fucking demands like that? I think you forget the nature of our arrangement. Marriage will make me your fucking owner, not the other way around. I can do whatever the fuck I want, can fuck whoever the fuck I want, and fuck you whenever the fuck I want.”
“I own you. I own your lips and your tits and your pussy. I own every fucking inch of you, Gemma.” He pressed his palm to my stomach. “And if I want to touch you, I do.”
D I S G U S T I N G.
But hey, he has a super cool BULL TATTOO. We can forgive him, right Gemma?!!
📌 GEMMA aka KITTY akaDOORMATEmmm BADASS BITCH
Oh Gemma, Gemma.. I'm SOO disappointed! Don't get me wrong, I don't hate her because she's very young (we can't expect too much from a 14/16/18 year old) and her upbringing is strict and conservative. If you are part of Cora Facebook group, you can understand why I had such high expectations..Gemma was described as a strong, proud, rebell girl.. a Kickass heroine. Yes, she's a kickboxer but this is her unique strong feature. She's submissive and a doormat, first with her family and then with Savio. I admit there are some moments where she makes her voice heard and when she showed her backbone I was like:
but then all it takes was a little glimpse at the horns of the damn Bull and Gemma became an invertebrate.
Badass my 🍑.
Another thing I didn't like about Kitty? I know it's not her fault but she is too much clueless, naive and prudish for my taste. NOT MY CUP OF TEA.
For most of the book, she acts like a sad puppy and makes a foul of herself just to have Savio's attention. Her family is super conservative and so far nothing new, if you are a fan of Cora you have already found this element in her others books. What annoyed me was that, unlike the others heroines who sooner or later managed to emancipate their-self and have their “freedom” (at least to a minimum extent), she never questioned her family or fought for her independence..She was okey with their sexist, retrograde and hypocrite view of the world. She is happy because she wants Savio but If he wasn't in the picture, she would have married a men chosen by her family and accepted her fate. This brings me to the next point on my black list:
📌 BAZZOLI FAMILY AKA THE AMISH AKA WOMEN ARE INFERIOR
As I said before if you are a fan of Cora series, all this sexist/double standard mentality isn't something new. My problem was that In Twisted Hearts( before the marriage) Gemma and Savio spent a very little time together. For 80 % of the book Gemma lives at home with her family and we have to endure her obnoxious family and their narrow, sexist mentality. I swear, my inner feminist was screaming bloody murder ALL THE TIME. Gemma is clearly brainwashed but at the same time I can't understand how an eighteen years old girl who attends high school, has “normal” friends like Toni, watches tv and uses internet believes in all this bulls**t (and I'm not talking about sex):
“Then her words registered on me. “Impure?”
She nodded. “I’m not supposed to show this much skin to anyone but my husband.”
“I knew it was my duty. I knew what my family expected from me, and how ashamed they’d be if they found out I’d denied Savio Falcone my body.”
These are some of the best quotes of The Bazzoli Clan:
“I was doing homework.”
“Then do it somewhere else. Go into the kitchen, that’s a place where you have more business being anyway”
“Maybe this kiss was the reason why Mom usually insisted that I wore sleeved dresses.”
“I don’t understand the need for college. No one from our family has ever attended college, and I don’t see why Gemma would need it. She’s going to be a wife and mother, and she already knows everything to be good in both jobs. She can cook, clean, stitch, iron..”
“[..] Mom never talked to me about it but my aunt saw me in my jeans and T-shirt once, and told me that I was asking for men to touch if I dressed like that, and that men are driven by their urges and wouldn’t be able to hold themselves back if I didn’t cover myself.”
Samantha? What do you think?
YES, I FEEL YOU.
I can go on and on. 350 pages of sexist BULLS**T..Next time Dear Cora, MORE LOVE LESS BULLS**T.
Thank you very much.
In conclusion:
Did I like this book? NO.
Will I reread it? NO.
Will I recommend it? Yes and No. If you are a fan of this Series I think you should give it a chance. If you don't know Cora I don't think you should start with this one. Her previous books (in my opinion) are better (4 or 5 stars read). -
I read this book when it was out, but haven't posted any reviews because I was just too disappointed. Savio was one of my favorite characters but this book just ruined his every character development.
I also thought Gemma would be a badass but she just turned out another meek, naive heroine. I have no problem with that, I mostly enjoy this kind of heroine but when you read every book in the series and every female protagonist is kind of same you get bored. Besides, I haven't seen a male character such a proud manho with no redemption. Savio constantly cheated on Gemma and I didn't even get their romantic development. I am even confused if Savio even loved her or not, or just wanted her because she was hot.
Now it's time for my rant.one thing I want to say about the author. I think when you publish your book you should be prepared for criticism. Not everyone is going to like your work and I think it's completely normal. Recently, in her Facebook group, someone posted about CJ, if you don't know her she is a sex worker works in sugar trap. So someone posted that CJ is strong and fierce, even though she was manipulated into this, she remained brave. And I think this post is valid. But suddenly the post was DELETED.
Cj was forced into this profession by Stefano who is getting a book. Sometimes I lost faith in women because from her group it seems girls are willing to accept anyone as long as it's a guy and that guy is hot. If you can accept Stefano as the main protagonist, why can't you accept that CJ deserves better? Can you imagine, someone you loved betrayed you, forced u into prostitution and you have to see that person doing the same thing to other girls. Can you imagine being into this profession with no way out? So what happened was, the post about supporting a prostitute just got DELETED. I am just shocked. There wasn't any fighting or anything. It was a simple CJ appreciation post and I even found people who agreed.
What's wrong with discussing a character who readers find strong and deserve better? Is it because girls have to virgin to be pure? A prostitute can't be a good person? Because she has sex for money so she has to be viewed negatively by everyone? It seems like that because every fucking girl here is virgin and inexperienced ( except Kiara but she was raped) and every guy is a fucking manwhore. But the guys are getting praised and girls are getting shamed.
It's okay people gushing over a pimp who manipulates girls into prostitution because he is hot? But discussing a prostitute who was manipulated into it, but remained strong is wrong? I don't know who deleted the post, maybe it was the author or maybe it was the admin. But I am tired of the author's same repetitive plotline, a manwhore hero and a virgin heroine, slut-shaming and double standards. It seems Women's value only reserved if she is a virgin or not. And it doesn't matter if a guy is a pimp or a disgusting human being, as long as he is hot authors can do anything and readers will buy it. Pathetic. -
Reread this this weekend and I loved even more than the first time. Still wish there was more of them as couple though. I will be sitting here waiting for the short story ✨
—————
I’m a huge fan of The Camorra Chronicles and this book was highly anticipated by me and it didn’t disappointed.
Savio Falcone caught my eye in Twisted Loyalties and I fell in love with him with every new book. And I fell even harder after reading Twisted Hearts. Savio isn’t an easy character to like but Cora made an amazing job showing all his sides and layers and still pulling us with his sweet talk and charm. Meantime, Gemma is this sweet innocent girl with a dose of sass, a perfect fit for Savio. I was totally surprised by them. You think you know everything when you don’t and they weren’t what I thought what they would be but this isn’t negative, it was actually the best.
Their relationship has ups and downs, they aren’t perfect but they are perfect for each other. Gemma grows to be this strong beautiful lady while Savio ends up maturing and proving everyone how wrong they are. Their chemistry is on point and I’m thankful how the author spent time showing us the first time they saw each other and how everything rolled out without rushing it.
Once again, the secondary characters were amazing in this book. I admire how the author makes them all so present yet they never take the focus from the main couple and feeding the fans desire to see their favorite characters from the previous books.
You will laugh, you will smile warmly and you will cry. The action was soft in this book but the angst was on point and you will feel completely lost once the books is over and wishing for more and more.
Twisted Hearts is a good addition to The Camorra Chronicles, Savio and Gemma are a perfect couple that will pull your emotions, squeeze your heart and leave you with a smile in your lips.
Trust this author to make you fall in love with bad guys and give them the best redemption.
You won’t regret it.
Twisted Hearts is coming out January 7, 2020 💕
PS: I NEED THEM TO GET ANOTHER BOOK , OK?
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟓/𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.* -
Oh boy! Twisted Hearts took me by surprise on so many levels. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt so many contradictive emotions about a book hero. While cocky, charming and stubborn Savio often made me want to throw my kindle against a wall, the heroine Gemma was the total opposite. I loved that fierce and loyal girl with all my heart and soul. For the most parts of the book I was convinced that Savio doesn't deserve her! He was so used to easy women who did what he wanted and Gemma was anything but! She knew her worth and didn't make it easy for him. I wanted to high five her for that! Despite many stupid actions on Savio's part, Cora Reilly did her magic and made me change my mind about him in the end. She has this special talent of making you fall in love with the bad guys. When it comes to Mafia romance she's my go to author. Noone writes this genre better than her!
Gemma Bazzoli had a crush on Savio from the first moment she met him. Unfortunately he only saw her as his best friend Diego's annoying little sister. But when Gemma turns into a beautiful young woman with sinful curves, she finally catches his attention. Too bad she's taboo and comes with a price Savio isn’t willing to pay: marriage. When she’s promised to another man, Navio has to decide if he's going to let her go or fight for the gorgeous girl he can't stop thinking about...
I loved sweet Gemma from the start. She grew up in a very loving and traditional family with values, which was so much different from Savio's upbringing. The Bazzoli's weren't rich in material terms. Her brother and father were common soldiers for the Falcone brothers. Gemma knew that in the Mafia world, marriage was seldom about love but more about power and alliances. Knowing that, her heart still refused to accept that and let Savio go. She was a romantic young woman who believed in true love and saved herself for the only man she's ever wanted. I totally respected and admired her for that!
As a mobster and brother to the capo of the Camorra family, Savio had blood on his hands from a young age. The concept of love was foreign to him, with the exception of his brothers and their spouses and children. For him loving another person made you vulnerable and he wasn't ready for that! Nor was he ready to give up his freedom and be faithful to one woman.
Gemma and Savio started off as friends, but there was always something more there. Gemma was in love from the start, but it took Savio some time to catch up and see her as a woman. But once he did, he could hardly stay away from her. All he wanted was to corrupt and own the young, innocent girl with a body to die for. Nobody else was going to have her but him!
At some point I thought I already knew in which direction this story will go, only to be proven wrong later. I didn't see the big blow coming! It was a punch to the heart and was so sad and heartbreaking, I could barely stand it. Everything changed after that and Savio's eyes were opened once and for all. It gave him the final kick to grow up and make the right decision!
I'm not going to give away more from the plot, because it would spoil the book for you. All I can tell you is that there will be ups and downs and some very unexpected turns. But don't worry, you will get lots of Falcone family time plus some very cute and funny scenes that will make your heart melt.
Thank you Cora Reilly for another highly entertaining and unputdownable book in the Camorra Chronicles series. I can't wait to read Adamo's story. 5 stars! -
2.5 ⭐️
I love the series in general. There aren’t many criminal/mafia books that appeal to me but Cora manages a great balance when it comes to tackling dark themes and her books are situated in a safe zone should I call it. This is why she is an instant buy regardless of hits and misses.
That being said, this book was kind of a disappointment and that is maybe due to the fact that I always expect another Twisted Pride/Twisted Emotions or heck even Twisted Loyalties although that’s my least favourite out of all of the Camorra books(I guess now this one takes its place).
- Firstly, most of the book captures the early years, and it was just about a little girl dreaming about a boy who is going around sharing “rides” with the entire female population of LV. When she’s finally 18 and legal he is still going strong with his lifestyle because he got the girl/package “on hold” with the ring and all, and he’ll collect when he’s ready cause only he matters... duh, all those wild oats will not sow themselves.
- There wasn’t enough character development, enough action, enough plot and it’s such a damn shame because Savio was such a different character from his brothers so I really wanted to see more of him being real or being a badass or I don’t know I just don’t feel I know him anymore that I did from previous books and while we got those sparse moments of honesty from him it didn’t feel natural, it felt like the author decided it’s time for him to say something that’s not sarcastic and call it character development.
- We need another book, maybe when he is older because he deserves to have a personality that goes beyond the vapid and sarcastic comments he throws, and while we were kinda told that he hides behind that persona, that was all we got nothing else... until literally the 99% point in the book and that felt fake. I feel frustrated for him, like he was betrayed or something, that’s a stupid thing to say perhaps, but it really says a lot about how I feel on that matter. He has no emotional depth either, it's just a one-track mind up there. Fighting, having fun and finally fucking anything with an opening.
- The one scene that’s pretty tragic, that was designed to be a catalyst for his change in behaviour was actually good and I felt emotional but not because of Savio’s reaction, or feelings but because of Diego and his reaction, that brother moment really did it for me, Savio saying sweet nothings into her ear at that point didn’t even feel real, it was more the shock that made him react like that and regret for being an asswipe because he was an asswipe.
- The whole book felt sort of empty of emotion and his “love” for Gemma, came as a conclusion to the book/ realisation of his feelings in the end and it didn’t feel real. I loved him in previous books and I wanted so much more, this book left me feeling meh while after reading Twisted Pride I was a emotional zombie for days feeling like I’ve been struck with a good story over the head lol
- As for Gemma, she was developed more as a character than Savio, but I still didn’t connect that much with her. I felt like the dialog in general didn’t do much for characterisation or driving the plot forward. We were told that she was a badass in nun clothing, but not so much shown.
This book only works because we have background on these people and we were curious to see where the story goes. Anyhow, I can't wait for what come next in this universe, and then the next one and the next one. You get my point. Even if this didn't deliver what I expected, I kinda loved it all the same just cause it put a story to another name/character - I'm a bit OCD like that, and getting to tick those names of my list is ...satisfactory?! (crazy, I know, but I'm damn invested in all those fictional people and the ones to come). -
EWWWWWW???!!!!!!
also SAVIO STOP CALLING HER KITTY YOU WALKING STD
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮 -
Well... this might actually be the worst book I've ever read omg.
What was even happening?
Like was Cora Reilly trying to create the most mysoginistic, pig of a character to ever exist?
If so she suceeded.
If I could give this book minus stars I would, it doesn't even deserve one. -
Before getting into this review, I just want to say that Remo Falcone remains as the superior best man.
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this book, I love Savio and Gemma as two individuals but as a couple, Gemma deserves more. But, I hope that if they ever get a second book, their relationship will progress into something more concrete and real. I always knew that Savio is cocky and very confident, but the way he behaved in the first half and more of the book, it was more of him being immature rather than being a confident man. Here's the thing, I do understand that this entire series is set based in a mafia world which means a lot of dark, twisty, and even weird things can happen. However, Savio just did things without a reason especially how he treated Gemma in the beginning knowing that she had a crush on him, he acted like a jerk which annoyed me. Most of the book, his behavior was just of atypical a**hole, but he was only like this with Gemma whereas with everyone else he was able to be gentle and kind. Also, when things between them do get better, I feel like they were rushed because throughout the book we saw this push and pull between them, and when they're together all of a sudden, it's like something was missing. They definitely need a second book or novella for more development as a couple together. As individuals though I loved how fierce Gemma was and even though she liked him, she never let Savio push her over. She was emotional but she was also strong. And, Savio.. well let's just say I saw a lot of inconsisteny with him, and he definitely needs more development as a man.
The best part of the book for me was Nevio, I just cannot wait for his book actually the entire second generation is going to serve. I'm so excited to see them grow. Nevio served some great comedy and him and Greta were SO adorable together, the best twins. Also, the other kids as well, Alessio, Massimo and baby Aurora were all too cute. I just loved all the moments between the Remo & Serafina with their twins, and Ninio & Kiara and their boys. They literally owned the book for me more than the actual plot. -
En un principio no estaba demasiado emocionada con este libro, sinceramente me llamaba mucho mas la atencion la historia de Adamo, que la de Savio, sin embargo, con el paso de los meses mientras esperaba a que se publicara Twisted Hearts fui aumentando mis expectativas, ojala no lo hubiese hecho, quizas asi no me hubiera llevado un chasco tan grande.
A Twisted Hearts no hay forma de redimirlo, la trama carece de chispa y fluidez, los protagonistas son irreales, incoherentes y muy infantiles, y para rematar el disparate, el desenlace es de lo mas absurdo e inverosimil que he leido en un tiempo.
A rasgos generales, tengo la impresion que durante las 340 paginas que tiene la novela no sucede nada en lo absoluto, es solo un cumulo de escenas predecibles y monotonas que no aportan nada, y cuando al fin parece que la historia va a dar un giro y tomar un rumbo mucho mas interesante, todo queda en un simple intento de la autora.
En lo que respecta a los personajes no tengo una opinion mas favorable, Savio es un autentico imbecil egoista que me causo bastante rechazo, es curioso como en los tomos anteriores su caracter prepotente e irreverente no me molesto demasiado y en esta quinta parte me provoco un deseo inmenso de ahogarlo en la tan mencionada piscina de los hermanos Falcone.
Con Gemma tampoco congenie, esta bien que su personalidad sea candida e inocente pero la autora lo llevo a un extremo que lo unico que daba era risa por lo muy fantasioso que era su personaje, ademas me enfado muchisimo que en ningun momento de la lectura sacara ese " supuesto " caracter que tenia, en lineas generales me parecio una mocosa enamoradiza que lloro y pataleo hasta que consiguio su ansiado premio, lastima que su amado Savio este muuuy lejos de ser un premio.
En conclusion, Twisted Hearts es mi libro menos favorito de esta saga, podia haber sido muy memorable si Cora Reilly le hubiera dado toques realistas y tambien hubiera creado unos buenos personajes, pero al no hacerlo quedo como una novela plana, sosa e insipida, justo como la pareja formada por Gemma y Savio.
2 Estrellas! -
(just tid-bits of spoilers)
I've become invested in this series that, this book is a must read-it-now read.
Savio is an arrogant, cocky, playboy who enjoys sleeping around. Gemma, a girl grown up on religious traditions falls for Savio. She day-dreams, fantasizes to marry Savio since she was a little girl of 10. Savio barely pays any attention to her, indulging her only because she was his best friends little sister, until one day Gemma grows up.
The Camorra series is on an exciting track. We get Savio's story here. Our beloved characters appear here - Fabiano, Nino and Remo with their wives and children. Each of them having banter among them, their interactions with Savio's 'bull-headness' is really fun to read. Savio's blunt attitude sometimes really gets on my nerves. He tries to seduce Gemma to bed, but Gemma strong to her traditions wouldn't sleep with him until they're married. He hurts Gemma, where he is an unapologetic asshole says he can sleep around even when he is engaged.
"A tricky question. Assholery is in my DNA and has a penchant of coming out in unfortunate moments. It's the infamous foot in mouth disease I suffer from"
Now, he can't help himself. He is one of the twisted Falcone brothers. 😉 Gemma is sweet and innocent, then again she is strong and sassy. She remains doormat for most of the time but in the end she stands her ground, holding her beliefs. She doesn't let Savio off the hook easily; Savio does grow up and redeems himself.
Then there is Gemma's father, her mother, her brother Diego, Nonna and tiny baby sister Carlotta. They were the epitome of loving, loyal and beautiful family. But the tragedy that happens is shocking and heartbreaking.
This book entails Savio's story. Another twisted brother with a twisted story. The story was exciting. Cora Reilly has done her wonders again. But no matter how many Falcone brothers arrive Remo would be my favourite. -
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
4.5⭐️
Twisted Hearts is the fifth novel of the Camorra Chronicles series. It is the love story of the third Falcone brother, Savio, and his best friend’s Diego’s little sister, Gemma Bazzoli.
Although sometimes Savio’s antics made my blood boil, I kept reminding myself that his actions were part of his defense mechanisms, protection against the darkness that surrounded him. But behind the shallow demeanor, there is a man who eventually learns to show his love to the light of his life.
Gemma’s character had some qualities that I anticipated, yet some that turned out be surprising. I grew to have a soft spot her, and I’m glad that she held on to her beliefs and dreams.
As always with Cora’s books, Twisted Hearts left me in an overwhelming state. Here I was, thinking that this book would be just fun and games, and even though it does contain all of that, there are some deeply emotional scenes. I usually might just shed a few tears while reading saddening scenes, but one very realistic situation made me actually bawl. This novel once again proved how versatile author Cora can be, adding unexpected twists and turns to the storylines.
On a side note, Cora introduces us to relatively new characters. Some of them have been promised stories of their own, and it was a thrill to get a deeper picture of their personalities. And some of them, well, make you wonder whether Cora has a bigger role planned for them😏
This was yet again a solid 5 star Camorra Chronicles masterpiece, and after some really heart melting moments, fingers crossed we get to see more of the bull and his kitty romancing🤞💕 -
3 ⭐⭐⭐
I can't even put into words how anxious I was to read this book.
I follow Cora's publications since 2015/2016 and see her stories evolve with each new book makes me very happy.
Twisted Hearts opens 2020 being her first published book of the year. Unfortunately, I was not surprised by its content and development.
Before going deeper, I would like to say that Twisted Hearts is a good book, but it could be much better if the events in the story had been organized in a linear manner.
We already knew briefly about Savio Falcone relationship with Gemma Bazzoli character from previous books in the Camorra series. However, expectations were dashed when we came across their personalities being worked into a confusing and even unnecessary plot.
A lot of the book happens in the "past," where we can see the beginning of Gemma's passion for Savio, her development into adolescence, and what happens for their engagement to happen.
The problem with the book lies exactly at this point, where we spend a lot of time exploring a love-hate relationship between them, with their quarrels and arguments becoming tiresome as we read, rather than focusing on the part that really matters: the marriage and the building of love between the couple.
When Twisted Hearts arrives at the apex of the plot, which in my opinion would in fact be the union between Savio and Gemma, the author seems to be unable to develop enough, leaving in the air a hurried and poorly worked plot.
From the wedding, the facts happen in an accelerated, and almost sloppy manner, showing an absurd celerity to finish the book. I couldn't connect with the character, especially when it comes to Savio's feelings toward Gemma.
The plot of the story turns out to be the same cliché as usual in Cora Reilly's books, and Savio's fear ends up speaking louder. However, from this moment until the end of the book, we can't really see the rise of the main character's real love.
The scenes seem to have been written just to fill in the remaining gaps, confusing even to the reader (especially the scene where Gemma questions Savio about his true feelings), ending a story that had everything to be one of the most amazing of the author.
In addition to the many unnecessary scenes in the past, and the lack of exploration and development of scenes in the present, it is also possible to feel the dissatisfaction of the reader in some moments of the plot.
I missed the interaction of the characters with the children, because the only one who has their scenes narrated is the little Nevio Falcone. I wish I could have seen Savio's relationship with all his nephews, who at that time in history are old enough to produce great scenes with his uncle.
Inconvenient moments became utterly unnecessary, such as the interaction of Marcella Vitiello and Savio Falcone in the marriage. We don’t see Luca or Aria having a mere dialogue in the book, but we do have their daughter (over protected, by the way) having the opportunity to attract attention in a forced and unrelated way.
Also, I was disappointed by the subtlety of the couple's sex scenes. Of all the books written by Cora Reilly, this one certainly has the lightest and dull sex scenes between the characters.
Among other things that I could cite here that bothered me while reading the book, I would like to reaffirm what I said in the beginning of this review, that Twisted Hearts is a good book, but could have been better worked to supply the reader's expectations.
Now, we can only hope that the author's next books can positively surprise us, and hope that these holes in the script don't happen again. -
I have never hated a H as much as I hated Savio in this book. He did redeem himself in the end but I would have liked him to cop the fuck on much earlier and to have grovelled more. I also kept waiting for Gemma to say fuck this and run off, leaving him frantic trying to find her. I also really wanted her to ditch her traditional views and go and at least kiss someone else in front of her manwhore fiance, but none of that happened.
Kudos to Cora for making me feel so many emotions. I was livid and ready to throw my kindle on so many occasions. Any book that makes me feel so much still deserves a good rating even if I wish the plot had gone differently.
Remo and Adamo are my favorite Camorras with Savio at the very very bottom of that list. Man, I've never wanted to punch a fictional character as much as I want to punch Savio.
3.5 stars. -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
I really like the groveling in this book, but I feel like there was room for a lot more. I also didn’t believe that Savio had changed.
Gemma is one of my favorite Cora Reilly heroines. She is sweet, strong, and at the end of the day, she stands up for herself. I really liked her progression through this book from 10 years old.
Savio annoyed me throughout the book. I never really liked him to be honest. His character was pretty one sided and pretentious. His personality was pure jerk.
Overall, okay mafia book. If you specifically like mafia, this book is pretty light on that stuff, but it is still a good read.❤️❤️❤️ -
Omg... jakie to było złe, okropne i żenujące. Brak mi słów
