| Title | : | Twisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 328 |
| Publication | : | First published August 5, 2021 |
In the underground world of glitzy illegal auctions, fast cars, and stolen magical artifacts, John “Dom” Domenici knows he’s out of his depth. But he needs the job at Kempthorne & Co like he needs to breathe. The alternative—going back to the organized crime gangs of London’s East End—is unthinkable.
So when Alexander Kempthorne, boss of Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency, wants him on a special case to track down an illegal artifact dealer, Dom can’t say no.
It shouldn’t matter that Kempthorne’s world is full of deadly secrets. It shouldn’t matter that the billionaire is sexy as sin, and it really shouldn’t matter how there’s an American agent stalking Dom, an American who knows more than he should about Dom’s case, including the real reason Alexander Kempthorne hired Dom.
The only thing that really matters to Dom is solving the case and finding the artifact dealer. Because there are worse things in London than a conflicted billionaire and a trigger-happy American. Something wicked is stalking London’s streets, and if Dom doesn’t stop it, its shadows will rise and consume them all.
***
Twisted Pretty Things is the first book in the all-new Shadows of London MM urban fantasy series. Action, mystery, and MM romance combine in this fast-paced adventure from the author who brought you the award-winning Silk & Steel series and the best-selling Prince's Assassin series. Coming August 2021.
Triggering content: mention of past mental and physical abuse.
Please note the Shadows of London series is set in London and the characters are all British (so is the author). Although the series has been edited in US English for the larger US market, to include US spelling and grammar, many English slang words and spelling remain as part of the character of the work.
Twisted Pretty Things (Shadows of London, #1) Reviews
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***
Pre-release info:
This bad boy is coming in August! Having just finished editing this, I cannot wait for you all to meet Alexander Kempthorne, John "Dom" Domenici, and Kage Mitchell (nicknamed Hollywood). Book 1 scratches the surface of this exciting world, with a conflicted and mysterious billionaire (who doesn't like one of those?), our main character, Dom, who has a dangerously criminal past he's trying to escape from, and the super-sexy, out of place American, nicknamed Hollywood, who conveniently and suspiciously keeps turning up in the right place at the right time to save Dom's ass (maybe because it's Dom's ass he's interested in ;) )
In a London that's littered with dangerous, magical artifacts, and latents who can use them to boost their own magical powers, tensions run high, and someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Someone or something is lurking in the shadows... and has Dom in their sights.
***
Finally combining my two loves: urban fantasy and MM!
Watch for updates in my Fb group and/or my newsletter. -
This book is free on Amazon (Canada) for now. 🙂
✅ Betrayals, scheming, and secrets
✅ Characters
✅ Action
✅ Fast pace
✅ Magic / World-building
✅ Plot / Intrigue
✅ Sexual tension
✅ 🆗 Smut MM (not a lot of it)
🆗 Romance – because I would not call it “romance” just yet, but there is potential for the next book
4.5 stars
Dom is a registered latent (someone that has a special magic called “trick”) working at Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency, an organization specialized in monitoring magical artifacts and illegal artifact dealers, and also helping the police with some cases involving latents and artifacts. Dom is happy with his job until he gets thrown into a case that is way above his pay grade, where he needs to track down illegal artifacts dealers and black market buyers and gets involved in car chases, kidnappings, killings, and secret scheming. Dom doesn’t know who to trust anymore between Kempthorne, his sexy boss who keeps putting him in dangerous situations and keeps secrets, his other coworkers who seem to know more than they let on, and Kage the gorgeous and mysterious American who keeps crossing his path and helping him, but also seems to have a hidden agenda.All artifacts, old and new, started out as everyday items. The coin had started life as just another coin. But at some point, a psychic shockwave had blasted it, staining it, turning it from a coin into an artifact. The more psychic shock an item absorbed, the more powerful the artifact.
There are a few words to get used to in this book, but everything is very well explained, and it’s not an info-dump, the information is just incorporated into the plot when we need it, and it’s easy to understand the magic system Ariana Nash created in this book.
Latent are humans with special/magical abilities. Artifacts are objects that hold a kind of magical charge (psychic burn) due to traumatic events linked to them: a knife used to kill someone could become a powerful artifact, a doll belonging to an abused child, etc. The more horrific the event, the more powerful and dangerous the artifact is. If a latent gets his hands on an artifact, they can use it to amplify their power, and they can also use it as a weapon. The strongest artifacts are like beacons for latents, it’s calling them and it is very hard for a latent to resist the call of a strong artifact. If a latent gets its hands on one of the strongest artifacts, the pull is often too strong, the latent loses control and it results in an explosion of power, killing the latent and destroying everything in the direct vicinity.Latents didn’t go to court. They didn’t get to plead their case. Innocent until proven guilty was a fucking lie for us. We were unstable, and that was as far as it went.
The whole dynamic between the latent and the rest of the population reminded me of the X-Men movies a little bit. Latents are supposed to get registered and tested every year to make sure that they are still stable and pose no threats, but the general population is afraid of them and even despises them.In the military, I’d been a pawn in someone else’s game. Used. Sacrificed. It was always the way with latents, but I didn’t want that again. And I was good, or trying to be.
“At the dinner, you said something about money not making a man good. What was that all about?”
Kempthorne’s real smile melted all the leftover ice in his glare. “I simply meant you’re worth more than any man there and you needn’t have felt uncomfortable.”
Dom is a very likable main character and while he’s not the most interesting character here in my humble opinion (because that title goes to Kempthorne, without a doubt), he is kind, has a good heart, and is very resilient. He kept rebounding from every shocking revelation or life-threatening situation he was thrown into and continued to try to do the right thing, while also being able to stand up for himself and say that he’d had enough of the secrecy and lies. I really like him, and I like that while he was no pushover (he’s an ex-military with extensive training), he was not the typical big intimidating ex-soldier gruff that we often see in books either.
Luckily, I hadn’t been born yesterday, and despite my libido finding Kage Mitchell to be the perfect antidote to my dry spell, the desire to jump into bed with him hadn’t overridden my common sense. Yet.
The sexual tension between Dom and Kage (the American) is very well done, but I’m not surprised as Nash never disappoints with her M/M romances. Kage keeps popping up in Dom’s life to “help” him with his latest case, or just to save his life, but he clearly has an ulterior motive to help Dom. He also happens to be a very sexy distraction that Dom has more and more trouble resisting, even though he doesn’t completely trust him. The fact that they do not and cannot trust each other completely yet means that the chemistry between them could be a little better though, but I guess I have high standards when it comes to M/M stories after reading Nash's other series.All of us bunking under the same roof meant secrets were hard to keep—unless your name was Kempthorne. He hoarded secrets like the rest of us hoarded the office pens.
“You used me as bait?”
He frowned. “I don’t know that I’d put it quite like that.”
I laughed, because what else was there to do? At least I knew where I stood. And really, was I even surprised?
Alexander Kempthorne, the shady billionaire, is a character that I found really intriguing and interesting.
I. Love. Him.
He is flawed for sure with a dark past and too many secrets to count. He sometimes is reckless or endangers others for the greater good (according to his reasoning at least), and even though his behavior is very suspicious at times, I do think that he’s genuinely trying to do the good thing, I’m just not sure how it will impact Dom since he always seems to be “collateral damage” in Kempthorne’s plans. Still, it’s hard to resist his polished, refined, and mysterious persona. He is just so charismatic and intriguing, and he has this “je ne sais quoi” that makes me want to know more, more, and more about him.Yeah—I should have hated him. For multiple reasons. One of those being he was as hot as sin and had shown no signs of being interested in men, or women. Anything with a heartbeat hardly registered on Kempthorne’s radar, but give him an artifact to riddle out and he was in love. He was so far out of my league, we were on different continents. But none of that mattered anyway because posh guys weren’t my type.
Yeah right. He is totally Dom’s type. There is sexual tension between Kempthorne and Dom, even though Dom says that Kempthorne is not attracted to anyone, and I cannot wait for the day when something will finally happen between them. It’s obvious Dom finds Kempthorne sexy and would be interested, and we can also see that Kempthorne cared for Dom, in his way at least… I’m just not sure if it was a friend-type of caring or a crush-type of caring, maybe I’m just imagining the underlying sexual tension between them… But I’m definitely shipping them! I like that it’s not 100% clear yet who the final love interest will be, but we’re not stuck into a love triangle either for the moment.Well, this was fucking awkward.
Throw me into a warzone with psychic assassins, government-sponsored latent-sucking leeches, and I was in the zone, but stick me in a posh car with Kempthorne and I forgot how to brain.
Again, Ariana Nash delivers and this book is a great debut to her new series. This is a perfect book if you are looking for an urban fantasy mystery set in London, with sexual tension, action-packed scenes, an original magic system, and an intriguing plot.
Follow me on Instagram 🙂 -
"Tiny little thing. Pretty little thing. Twisted pretty thing."
I found my way to
Ariana Nash by way of her 'alter ego', urban fantasy author
Pippa DaCosta. Actually, that probably should be the other way around, but you get my drift! 😊.
Pippa DaCosta books are urban fantasy, and are essentially M/F (there's a reverse harem thing going on in one series which is totally divine, but I digress). Suffice it to say Pippa's UF books are amazing.
In
Twisted Pretty Things, writing as
Ariana Nash, she returns to her urban fantasy roots, but (for me) adds a cherry on the top, with the romance in this 'Shadows of London' series being M/M. This is book one of three.
Twisted Pretty Things is a magical, urban fantasy mystery, set on the streets and in the shadows of London.
Our main protagonist is John 'Dom' Domenici, a registered latent (someone able to generate and manipulate psychic energy), who works at Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency tracking down illegal artifacts (items infused with psychic burn) and illegal artifact dealers.
His boss, Alexander Kempthorne, is an enigmatic billionaire with a closet full of secrets, not to mention being very easy on the eye. He never seems to keep any kind of romantic company, and Dom is curious why. And whether maybe he'd be in with a chance. If Kempthorne wasn't his boss. And totally unobtainable.
''Anything with a heartbeat hardly registered on Kempthorne's radar, but give him an artifact to riddle out and he was in love".
Enter the third wheel in our story, the mysterious Kage (aka Hollywood), a trigger-happy American, who keeps showing up to 'help' Dom on his latest case. And to tempt him in all the worst kind of ways too😈.
Twisted Pretty Things was full of the usual fabulous world building that we have come to expect from Ms Nash, but I feel like we have just been exposed to the tip of the iceberg in book one. I absolutely loved Dom, despite his harsh childhood and experiences in the military, he was totally hilarious, a bit of a romantic and yet tough as nails.
"The elevator still climbed, taking its sweet time. Where the fuck were we going, Narnia?"
So yes, love Dom, but my favorite character (so far) is Kempthorne. I ALWAYS fall for the flawed anti-hero, the one with trauma and secrets and lies and wheels within wheels. The one who isn't sure who he is, but he always tries so hard to do the right thing. Divine🔥.
And yeah, Hollywood is hot too. But I'm hoping for more for Dom.
This instalment is low on steam, but high on slow burn, action, mystery and magic.
I can't wait to read book 2,
Tide of Tricks.
5 stars ✨✨✨✨✨ -
3.5 stars. I have been looking forward to this new series from one of my favorite para-authors, and I jumped right on it as soon as I could. Ariana Nash writes some of the absolute best paranormal & fantasy fiction I've ever read. However, for much of this book, this was me:
However this is entirely on me, due to my BIGGEST pet peeve.
It legitimately soured a good part of the book for me. Though if there is any author that I'll keep trying for though that situation, it's this one. She hasn't let me down yet, so I'll just have to trust her. For now.
The first part of this didn't go smoothly for me *for reasons* but also because it just felt chaotic. The world building by AN is normally outstanding but here there was a lot I didn't understand, and it had me questioning instead of settling into the story. Honestly, that might have just been because I was so damn cranky but I genuinely stayed distracted by the things I didn't get. This was possibly because Dom himself was confused by a lot for much of the story.
But as it almost always does, answers came and for the most part, not good ones. The last of this was all the world class, ass-kicking story I expect from Ariana Nash.
So, not my *grumpy-ass* favorite but still awesome urban fantasy. And despite the things I didn't like, I'm definitely interested in where this might go. -
**** 3.5 stars ****
My first time reading this author. The blurbs for her other books always had *something* to drive me away: BDSM, elves, dragons, slavery, fae, angels... But this contemporary paranormal (or urban fantasy?) had none of those dealbreakers, and turned out to be the right book at the right time for me. Sometimes I want to be entertained without having to feel too much. This had a light touch overall, even though dark stuff in the characters' lives and backstories was gradually unearthed over the course of the story. I loved Dom, the 1st-person narrator, and will definitely be back for more. In fact I just preordered book 2.
I particularly liked how the romance played out. Specifically: a) it's a series, so there's no HEA at the end of book 1, yay!, and b) it's not even definitive who the love interest is. A story that doesn't doggedly adhere to formula! Yes! *insert happy dance here* I do disagree with a friend who said in her review that there's . I adore not knowing in advance how the relationship side of things will play out. 😍😍😍
The magic system — or is it magic, hmm? — had me a wee bit dubious at times, but then I'm more into science fiction than fantasy, so I'm probably not the best judge. There is one very non-magical thing I have a question about, though: Hey, Londoners, is a fall into the Thames normally assumed to be fatal? Like, can y'all not swim? The water can't be *that* toxic, can it? 🤔
I suspect that 3 stars — a happy, satisfied, 3 stars — is probably a realistic rating. But like I said, I read it at just the right time, which made it extra enjoyable. So I'm rounding up instead of down. 😊 -
Audio - 5 ++++ Stars
Story - 4 Stars
Great start to an action-packed series. Looking forward to getting answers to some questions.
One of them being who is the real love interest??? -
51 blazing card shaped stars for this outstanding opener to an amazing new series.
I've just finished
Twisted Pretty Things and now...
feeling all mind blown and speechless...
All I can say is...
to the genius of Ariana Nash.
Fans of Ms Nash will probably know she also writes under the name Pippa DaCosta. This book is the perfect fusion of both those halves, a fast paced story that is chock full of surprises, intrigue and lies. All the passion and heat of the AN name blended with the world building and complexity of PDC books. This had the best of everything the author has to offer and was a 5 star read for me the entire length from start to finish. I am totally enraptured by the series already and cannot wait for the next book to be released!
Dom, our slightly tarnished hero, will absolutely steal your heart, which will then be repeatedly battered as he rebounds from learning one shocking/crushing/terrible secret to another. Hindsight had me spotting all the foreshadowing and clues that had been cleverly woven into the story, but I never ONCE guessed at the myriad of the twists and turns as I was reading this.
Just as I thought the story was complete the author threw in that little twist, right at the end. Because she is cruel and relishes her power to torment us all. Added in to all that were hints of a love triangle - and please don't ask me to chose between EITHER of those two delicious morsels of untrustworthiness. Oh yes, we can't leave it at Dom being used and abused by life, downtrodden and outcast because he is a latent. Oh no, we have to have two extremely hot "possibles" messing with his libido, head and heart, both of whom are keeping secrets from him, lying to him and manipulating him for their own ends.
I am totally hooked on this series, are Hollywood and Kempthorne good guys doing bad things for good reasons or bad guys who are good at lying? Oh the dilemmas and conundrums that this pair elicit. There is also the fact that the author's long term plans for these men has me more than a little worried, she has a track record for being mean not only to her characters but also us poor readers. My mind is spinning and whirling with all the possibilities, dreading she might pull a Nye, or a Brendan or even a Julian move in a future book, just for the fun of shattering my poor heart.
If the words "Urban Fantasy" and "M/M" set your heart and mind aflutter then you definitely need to be reading this series. Oh and when you do you will fully understand why I couldn't resist this final gif...
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Ariana Nash was made for writing series. She’s great with standalone novels and short stories, too, but with series there’s so much room for her to just do her thing, you know? Slowly and thoroughly — and that goes for both relationship development and worldbuilding. I’m not an urban fantasy fan, but I’m giving this book 5 stars… that says it all, right? 😂
I love Dom and his snarky sense of humor. Not sure if I want him with Kempthorne, though, after all the shit he’s pulled… and then there’s Hollywood… (😍) I guess I’ll just wait for AN to work her magic. ❤️ -
“At the dinner, you said something about money not making a man good. What was that all about?”
Kempthorne’s real smile melted all the leftover ice in his glare. “I simply meant you’re worth more than any man there and you needn’t have felt uncomfortable.”
I cannot put into words how excited I was for this book.
Ariana Nash quickly became one of those authors I know I’d enjoyed reading anything she writes. And I mean it. She could write a retelling about the Teletubbies and I’d be read it without thinking twice. Though, don’t worry this isn’t that unusual. If you love urban fantasy and, more important, you like angsty stories; go grab this book. You won’t regret it.
I liked that the amount of secrets and double intentions weren’t too exaggerated. There was a perfect balance of mistrust and tricks. That helped the pacing of this book, I just couldn’t stop reading it.
Having read pretty much all her books under this pen name, I was prepared to not trust any single character. Every time I was about to get attached to one I had to stop myself. Because I’m never the lucky one to like the good character or the one who survives till the end of the movie. Although, no spoilers, I think I chose my favorites wisely.
All the book is from Dom’s perspective. Not gonna lie, I’m intrigued by Hollywood and Kempthorne’s POV. Especially the latter. But, due to Dom’s obliviousness I get why we can only see what he’s thinking.
Like I said before, be prepared for the angst and for having to choose your favorite ship. I wouldn't say this is a love triangle or at least not yet. If it were for me I’d love for this to be M/M/M, but let’s see what happens in
Tide of Tricks.
Ulterior motives everywhere. Secrets. Angst. Urban fantasy set in London. What else can you ask for? I NEED to read the next installment now!
*Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a free and honest review*
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This book was so good! I love a good urban fantasy and this one ticked most of the boxes for me.
The world-building was excellent. There was no excessive info-dumping, so it made for a smooth read. It was all easy to understand so this new world made a lot of sense to me.
The MCs and side characters were great. Dom has to be one of my new favourite leads now. He was so likeable, sweet at the right times and fierce at others. I'm still unsure who's meant to be his love interest - between Kempthorne and Hollywood, they are so vastly different (and neither deserve him, but they're growing on me).
The plot was really intriguing and kept me guessing the whole time. Pacing was perfect; I was never bored and just wanted to keep reading and reading well into the night so I could find out what happens next.
Overall, a fantastic underrated novel that deserves it's 5 stars. I can't wait to finish this series and I'm diving into book two immediately.
***trigger warnings: mention of past abuse, gun violence, knife violence, kidnapping, ?PTSD -
I'm under the impression that Ariana Nash will eventually have all my money and space in my library. I don't regret anything though.
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*Audio this time. The audio was great. I liked the narrator and his voices for Dom, Kempthorne and Hollywood.
Instantly absorbing, I liked Dom from the first few pages. The enigmatic Kempthorne has secrets upon secrets, and some of the things he refuses to talk about nearly kill Dom.
Then there's Hollywood, he's got an agenda but he and Dom have chemistry, does this mean he's on the right side?
The tricks are pretty cool, I like the idea of magic/science. Latents facing bigotry echos the usual fear of the unknown met with hate that is seen everywhere. It grounds it in reality.
So many twists and turns skillfully put together.
I'm dying for book 2 already because I get the feeling that this barely scratched the surface of what's going on in London -
Dear lord, how did this fail on every single level? I really don't know.
The writing never grabbed my attention. The author's doing this weird thing where our MC has a crush on his boss, Kempthorne, even though he doesn't trust the guy and the guy doesn't in any way show any interest back. Then the MC bangs the mysterious American he calls Hollywood, even though he doesn't trust the guy, even though the guy keeps saving his life (albeit under odd and possibly too convenient circumstances). Made the MC appear a bit fickle, and it made it impossible for me to really care about either of the so-called romantic entanglements since there was no chemistry with either one. I don't really care which one he ends up with. Actually, I didn't really care about any of the characters at all.
The world building wasn't really working for me either, and maybe I missed the explanation why the magic users are called Latents, as they seem the exact opposite of latent, and that was constantly throwing me out of the story. There are artifacts, and Latents go crazy if they use them too much, but the artifacts are suddenly all over the place and Latents are disappearing, and there's an attempt at X-Men level commentary about registeringmutantsLatents. Our nowhere-near-as-suave-as-Gambit-wannabe MC is constantly falling into one trap after another. It's just a mess.
Also not working for me was the narration, which surprised me since I really liked Cornell Collins's narration of the Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles. But he phoned this one in, barely making any variations to any of the characters' voices, so it wasn't easy to tell who was talking. And I think his rather droll tone might not have been the best fit for this MC. He also doesn't even attempt an American accent, which isn't a complaint, just a heads-up for anyone picking up the narration expecting that. I'd rather he just use his own accent than do a bad American one.
So I'm done with this series, which is a shame because it looked like a really promising one, but for whatever reason, it just didn't click for me. But there are plenty of other people who did enjoy it, so check out their reviews, or check out the sample and see if it works for you.
(I should've known when the character had a mustache on the cover that this was doomed.) 😂🤣 -
![Kati *☆･ﾟ [a bit distracted atm]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1651516918i/144158876._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
***no rating***
dropped @75%
I have no clue what to make of it and I don’t particularly care about the characters or the plot. Probably bc I honestly only listened to it with half an ear and was also not really a fan of the narrator. But at least the audio was currently free with my audible subscription.
I know this is a beloved series but I guess it was not the right one for me. *shrug
************
Shadows of London Series
Book 1 - Twisted Pretty Things - dropped
Book 2 - Tide of Tricks
Book 3 - Trial by Fire
Book 4 - Truth or Dare
Book 5 - Without a Trace -
This was a great start to an urban fantasy series.
The worldbuilding was well done and I found the magic system in Twisted Pretty Things to be really interesting. There are latents who have power and they can channel through artifacts to boost their abilities; our main character Dom uses a deck of cards. The latents in this version of our world are not viewed in high regard and are monitored, they have to be registered. It gave off x-men vibes but it's definitely its own thing.
The artifacts have different levels of power, the more traumatic the event the more powerful the artifact can become. The most powerful artifacts having a disastrous effect in the hands of a latent. Dom is an authenticaticator, meaning he can view the history of an artifact and how powerful it is. This puts a target on his back, as its a rare ability.
The plot and the mystery sucked me in. Ariana Nash knows how to craft an intricate web that keeps you guessing and second guessing peoples motives.
The romance takes a side to the mystery plot but is set up well to flourish in future books in the series. -
This was my first Ariana Nash book, but it won’t be my last. Urban fantasy is not normally my thing, but this was so well paced with the perfect mixture of mystery with magic. Ultimately with these types of books, I have to be able to follow them easily while still remaining interested. Sounds easy, but it isn’t. It’s a very nuanced book, and the world-building is solid. I can’t wait to see where the author takes the series.
*I’ll likely come back for a more detailed review, but I’m super sick & this is the best I’ve got. -
3.5
Twisted Pretty Things starts as some kind of 40's film noir where the first-person narrator hides behind laconic coolness, even London presents itself gloomy and rainy. It gives the story a timeless ambient but together with its paranormal subject also allows a kind of distance but exactly when you start to believe that it's going to be some interesting mystery but not something allowing you to feel with the characters, Nash undermines this Bogart coolness with self-doubt and feelings of guilt and suddenly we're in the present London and it won't be the last twist the author is creating.
The world we find ourselves in is one where traumatic events or great emotional distress is imprinting itself on every day objects used at that moment. Now they act as some kind of battery for psychic energy, getting stronger with age but of course no one would know about it if there wouldn't also be people able to use that energy. Unfortunately mostly untrained people and mostly by chance which leads more often than not to explosive destruction. We all know how humanity likes to deal with such danger and the people causing it.
The thing with Ariana Nash is: she like to show us that world as if we are part of it i.e. we know about latents and artifacts, registration and agencies. So we just get enough information from the situations she's creating to stay curious, creating a mystery behind the mystery. It's like with her characters who keep their secrets until they are no secrets anymore. Trust is nothing which comes easily in that world and as soon as one secret is in the open there's still another in the dark and even while at the end of this book one case is closed there are still more questions than answers. So from a mystery point of view it's a great tale although it could be darker to make it more real and the end feels a bit rushed.
The characters and their relation? Interesting, I would say. We only get the story from Dom's PoV and as a latent, east end guy with a problematic military history he has to deal with a lot of issues. He easily grew on me. He does everything to hide his vulnerability, his need to belong and his longing to be able to trust someone but of course every time he opens himself a bit he gets disappointed - especially by his boss, Kempthorne. Seems they are not so different issue-wise but Kempthorne is even more locked down than Dom, or as Gina's saying: he has a tunnel vision and then forgets that his team is not necessarily in the same tunnel. There is a certain connection between those two, maybe even a hint at the possibility of something more but there is also Hollywood, a mysterious and gorgeous American. Dom doesn't know what to make of him or on which side he stands or why he's really at the UK. Seems more like the shoot-first-ask-later type of guy and knows more than he's saying but saves Dom from some dangerous situations and both get close, so close that Dom feels like he's falling for Hollywood, although he wouldn't say it out loud.
So from a romance point of view it's half-baked but with a lot of potential. At the end of this first book everything's still open and not even a work in progress yet but after all it's not the romance driving this story but knowing Nash from some of her other books that can change with the next book. -
Great storytelling, and a refreshingly new urban fantasy universe.
Dom, an ex psi corps military, works at a private agency specialised on retrieving magical artifacts, a job that suddenly turns even more dangerous than it already is when artifacts go missing and latents ( humans able to control said artifacts to a certain extent) start getting killed.
There's Kempthrone, his boss, who seems to have his own agenda. And who has secrets that get unravelled bit by bit. Very intriguing, hot, and straight (?).
And there's Kage "Hollywood", who seems to pop up whenever Dom is in trouble, saving him more than once (but sadly very trigger-happy).
The story was very well written, kept me guessing (and surprising me) more than once, and the world building was interesting. It's not a classical romance, so expect slow burn. And no clear love interest- there’s Dom and Kage for now, but tbh I'm hoping for some Dom/Kempthrone action in one of the upcoming books. I’m not overly fond of the love triangle that’s being set up, but the rest of the story was good enough that it made the romance part less relevant.
The narrator did a good job, so the book gets a definite thumbs-up when it comes to the audio version.
Recommended to all looking for mystery and suspense, set in a great new UF setting - and with a sprinkle of mm romance. -
I'm liking this. Looking forward to more!
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So fun!!!! and that is something coming from my current jaded reader-self…
I have questions!
*Where does K get his fortune from? he never does anything on page to earn so much money.
*What exactly are Dom's powers as an Authenticator?
*Why would any latent crave that much a magical object that would only destroy them? I didn't get the whole artefacts thing. In their Gollum-Delirium they think the object will give them power… but at the same time they know they will die if they accept it… so why isn't the first instinct of any latent to run far away from any possible magical object?
*
*I didn't understand what K's organisation does, and how it does it. To me, they spent the whole book going to galas, dinners and illegal events. How does this office is approved by any government, country, law in general? K's corporation had so much freedom, even with police forces, they just told them they were agency, and that was everything they needed to know about it….. for all the talk Dom did about mafia and gangs… K's organisations sounded just like that.
And not Questions,
*Dom and Hollywood had no chemistry at all, that was too forced.
*I loved that the grumpy boss is not at all grumpy, but a shy, taciturn man… and maybe with cero sexual experience? He was too shy and cute.
I started reading the book expecting to find a dominant, alpha jerk. But I loved this version of a Love Interest much better. Please, let him be the REAL love interest. Hollywood is booOOooring.
*I really liked the aura/light world building of this Xmen world. But the details about it are few and sometimes confusing. I hope future books explain more about the powers, types of abilities, and nearly everything about Latents.
Really fun. Plus a love story that unfolds through many books….. YES!
Second.Book.Right.Now.Aghhh :) -
In typical Nash fashion, I have ZERO idea what to think about this book but enjoyed every single minute I was reading it. So many twists and turns and I find myself not trusting a single character but still deeply invested in everything they're going through. Luckily our MC Dom was everything I love in characters, deeply troubled, flawed, righteous, magical, and just completely likable. I do not trust either love interest (assuming it is the setup for either one and I'm not projecting), but would be happy with either one of them if they ended up being good for our main guy. Pile on some fantastic world building, and a very interesting magic system and I am so here for this series!
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DNF 68%. I don’t particularly like the author’s writing style. I had no idea who the love interest was (love triangle, maybe) and the storyline was too convoluted for my taste. I’ll probably check out the next book in the series, but I don’t have high hopes for it.
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A woman’s scream. The flash of a knife. Blood on my lips. A punch to the gut.
A world where people with special abilities, called the latents are subjugated and treated like a time bomb, John Dominici aka Dom is an authenticator. A latent with abilities to tell the past of an artifact. But things are not always what they seem.
Some of these artifacts, dirty artifacts, cause latent sickness, that is, you lose your mind to the object and then the government sweeps you under the rug and pretends you don't exist. But these latents aren't just hurting themselves. When they blow up, they BLOW UP. And something in the shadows definitely wants London to blow up.
What I loved about this book was the element of mystery and intrigue. Yes, the romance was kinda cute, but there wasn't a lot of it, which frankly, was ok with me. I don't know how much more of Hollywood; a trigger happy, latent-killing, blonde, I could handle. :3
What intrigued me the most was Olivia's ramble about the lurking shadow, the coin Kempthrone seems to horde like that was what made him Midas and Alexander Kempthorne, the man, himself. I would love to see more of this guy's past. The things he seems to derive joy from are... well questionable for a ruch guy with too many houses and toys to play with. Also I'm hoping something goes down between Dom and Alex because their chemistry?🤯 I couldn't carve it out with a knife if I tried. :3
The world-building and the plot is amazing. Like it's Ariana Nash, what do you expect? ;) As is the narration style.
The Thames was a huge, dark scar running through the middle of London.
The secondary characters are equally lovable and after the life Dom has had? I think he deserves all the love and cake in the world. Like I'd personally hand him a rainbow cake stuffed of happiness and peace. Definitely has the found family troupe. All the characters, though, have a past that is either traumatic or has some event in it with enough dark mojo going on, which shaped them into what they are today, but wait until y'all get to know what makes an object an artifact. That's just messed up.
Over all this was a 4.5 star read for me. It was just the romance which made it a little 'errrrr' for me. Else everything was absolutely perfect. -
Firstly, I'd like to thank the author, Ariana Nash, for the ARC!
!!!
This was so GOOD!! I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this, I don't think I've read a book with a similar setting. But wow, this book dELIVERD! The magic is so interesting and the mystery around the latents and their origin is so well done, you just want more more more. The characters are amazing, I love them all. Dom is lovely, his relationship with everyone at Kempthorne & Co is nice which makes it fun to read. I can't wait to learn more about Hollywood and Kempthorne! Those two were my favourite. I loved Dom's dynamic with Hollywood! I'm so excited to see what Nash has in store for them in the second book! ☆
The story was a bit confusing at first because of the magic-system, but after a few chapters you get the hang of it.
If you think Ariana Nash's books are too dark or triggering, but you still really want to read her work, I definitely recommend this series! Compared to her other work, Twisted Pretty Things is less graphic and the sex isn't elaborated, which makes it the perfect candidate!
Some Pretty Twisted Things, Shadows of London #1 terms (copied from the author's Facebook group):
• Latent - Someone able to generate and manipulate psychic energy. (John "Dom" Domenici is a latent).
• The trick - The manifestation of psychic energy and often used by latents as a weapon or as defence. The trick consists of light and heat.
• Artifact - An item infused with a psychic burn. At some point in history it was a part of/near to a traumatic event i.e. a murder weapon, and it soaked up the psychic shock of that event. A latent can use an artifact to boost their own power.
• Dirty artifact - An artifact that is too powerful. Irresistible to latents due to its abundance of power, a dirty artifact can overwhelm and kill an untrained latent.
• The IRL - Institute of Registered Latents. A government-funded agency that controls, tests and registers latents, making sure they're safe to be a part of society.
• Latent sickness - When a latent begins to lose control of their trick they mentally spiral, descending into insanity. The IRL removes these unstable latents from society.
• Artifact Retrieval Agency - Independent agencies that find artifacts and safely remove them from the public. Agents are trained in latent deescalation, helping to remove unstable latents from society and get them the help they need.
• Shadows - Information unknown. -
Ariana Nash doesn't disappoint with her new foray into M/M urban fantasy set in London, where magical artifacts and those who would do harm with them are hunted by the Kempthorne & Co. Artefact Retrieval Agency. The atmosphere is eerie and scintillating; it's a world where magic can be both very dangerous and alluring.
Throw in three hot men competing for each other and their own self-interests, and you're in for a steamy rollercoaster ride. John “Dom” Domenici works for billionaire Alexander Kempthorne at his self-named agency, tracking down the illegal artifacts. He's in over his head, but dedicated and ruthless when it comes to his job; the man he works for definitely requires it. Plus, Dom has a nasty organized crime past he needs to put behind him if he wants to make a fresh start, not that his current job is turning out to be a picnic.
Dom's boss, Alexander Kempthorne, is the irresistible cliché of romance fiction: enigmatic, sexy, and with far too much disposable income. Nash transcends the tropes by presenting a complex, haunted man with dark secrets to hide; he's the devastating seducer who might whisk you away on a helicopter for an expensive night on the town and dump you overboard mid-flight. You're never sure if he can be trusted, which of course ratchets up the I-want-you-now heat factor with him.
Enter Kage Mitchel aka “Hollywood”, a brash American agent armed with damaging information about Dom and dead-set on discovering how many skeletons hang in the elusive billionaire's closet. He definitely catches Dom's eye, with his knack for turning up when Dom least expects it, but Hollywood's brazen confidence might end up with him biting off far more than he can chew (pun intended).
With a twisting plot that lives up to the title, Nash's trademark erotic touch infused with an urban fantasy setting that doesn't skimp on surprises delivers the perfect summer trifecta. TWISTED PRETTY THINGS is great fun to read and I'm so looking forward to the second book! -
It was good! There was some pretty epic world building and some tense, action moments, though I still felt there were some issues.
The explanations concerning the 'magic.' How many magic users are there? Where do they come from? These answers should have been provided near the exposition, and if nothing is KNOWN about the magic users, that should have been explained, too. It was only near the end when Dom questioned anything and revealed how little is known about the makeup of the story's supernatural elements.
Kempthorne's antics. When the writing continued to justify Kamothorne's selfish actions, it nearly drove me insane. Kempthorne continued to use Dom as a means to his own ends, selfish and ignorant of Dom's feelings. Dom allowed it to happen, which was infuriating, and even justified it at some points. For example, after the first auction where Kempthorne endangered Dom's life, and Dom rightfully blew up in the car with an epic rant, later Kempthorne gave his non-action apology, and DOM APOLOGIZED for getting angry. The issue was settled with, 'so I suppose we are even, now.'
I'm sorry, what? How does using Dom so cruelly equivalate to him being angry about it? I didn't get it.
Things like that. I suppose I might be fine with the whole 'using' thing if Kempthorne was more sentimental? If there was an endearing point of interest to his character? There was none. While the other characters were all enamored with him for seemingly no reason, I failed to see the draw. There was nothing to his character that stood out, he was more like a background 'boss' figure in the narrative with a bland relation to the mc. No tension there. Nothing interesting that I'm invested in.
Hollywood.
I figured this might be a slow burn, so hopefully things will look up and more explanation and character development will be provided. -
This was my first Ariana Nash book, but it won't be the last and not just because this book ended on a cliffhanger. I got an advance copy of it so I knew going it probably wouldn't be fully resolved by the end, and I'm okay with that. In case you're not, here's your warning.
I don't read a lot of urban fantasy, but I do enjoy it when it's well done, and this book is definitely well done. I loved the concept of "latents", especially skilled in what's essentially psychometry, and it didn't hurt that it's mostly set in the area of London I visited on my only trip there, so I could easily visualize where the action was taking place.
Fast-paced, but not overwhelmingly so, I enjoyed the tension between the three men in the story, leaving me wondering whether this will end up as an MMM, or if John "Dom" Domenici's relationship with his boss, the mysterious Alexander Kempthorne, catch fire, or will the American, Kage "Hollywood" Mitchell be his HEA.
It's told in first person, single POV, which heightens the mystery, and the 328 pages seemed like a much shorter read to me. I slipped easily into this world, and am eager for the next installment. -
This was so, so good!
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a new emotional rollercoaster of a series (because you really can't not expect it from Ms. Nash), here I come.
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2.5 ⭐️
Suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages, but rather unsatisfying. Feels like Nash was so determined to keep things and the magical world mysterious that she didn’t give us enough to connect to or care about the characters. I assume things will be answered in the second book? We only see from Dom’s POV and so we should have known so much more about him, should have *felt* with him. Instead I found his characterization (and others) to be shallow. We don’t even know what he looks like FFS. For someone who has been betrayed and used over and over he is too trusting. And how powerful is he really, especially compared to any other latent? We never see him really flex, or understand his value or why he is a target.
Don’t know what the other reviewers are seeing that I’m not, but I didn’t feel any chemistry between Dom and Alexander (a look and a few smiles??), or Dom and Hollywood for that matter. I don’t consider lying to someone or using them to be a precursor to romance or a relationship. Also, I feel like the thing with Alexander at the end was telegraphed a mile away, and the fact that Dom was surprised just made me think 1) he’s dumb/too trusting or 2) the world building needed more work.
I’m rounding up to 3 ⭐️ because it kept me reading and I do want to know what happens…but otherwise this is a bit of a miss for me.
