Twisted Pawn

Society of Villains #2

by L.J. Shen

From New York Times bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a dark romance about an assassin Mafia heir and the villainess who refuses to become his next victim.

Tierney
There's a bullet with my name on it. And Achilles Ferrante is the man who'll pull the trigger. I'd always known one of us would kill the other. I'd just hoped to do the honor.

Twice I betrayed him. First, I broke his heart. Then, I sold him out to the Feds. Even if I hadn't, I doubt he could spell mercy, much less spare me any.

The Camorra prince promised he'd make a spectacle of my death when he caught me. Let him try. He could chase me until the end of Earth.

I will always run faster.

Achilles
To love is to destroy, and I'd loved Tierney Callaghan far too long, and far too much. She's a fatal weakness, but unlike the Greek mythology warrior - I will remain undefeated.

My little flame can run fast, but my bullet is faster.

Once upon a time, she was the only person who saw my humanity. She's about to meet the monster everyone else knows.

Genres: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Mafia Romance, Dark, Second Chance, Audiobook

458 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2026

About the author

L.J. Shen is a New York Times, USA Today, WSJ, Washington Post and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestselling author of contemporary romance books.

She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).


Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
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Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com

Reviews

[SK · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Everyone had a guardian angel."
"Mine just happened to be my stalker."

Ooh I had a really really fun time with this. Not as amazing as the first one but this had it's strong moments. I believe if that one scene (IYKYK) was handled more delicately than it already was, it would have been absolutely perfect for me. But regardless, this was something I had an absolute blast reading.

Jumping right in, found family, mafia plot are all going strong. The main storyline is forming perfectly and for that I wouldn't change a thing. The action sequences are pretty solid. I loved seeing Tiernan and Lila back. But surprisingly I was REALLY drawn to Sofia and Luca, I'll elaborate on that later.

But focusing back on the main characters here. Achilles, I loved him. LOVEDD him. I just knew from Bad Bishop that man is gonna be a marshmallow at heart for his girl. But an absolutely unhinged one at that, which I adore in my mmcs. The way this man yearned in his feral state, I was there for it. He absolutely swept me off my feet. I kid you not, I'll protect this killing machine with my all.

Tierney is so precious. I found myself understanding her. Through her recklessness and frustrated behavior to the healing that came after, more power to her. I loved that she would never bend for anyone. But I won't bullshit when I see she can at times make such impulsive decisions, that sort of annoyed me at one stage towards 75-80% mark.

I loved their chemistry. The romance was so angsty, such an emotionally wrecking one. I swear at one point it was like sweet torture. I wanted them to be together so bad, but at the same time give me more of that pain. This was second chance romance done right. Their backstory and the glimpses of the past was a painful yet the sweetest thing I've ever read. The spice? Oh my gosh. So hot.. I don't even fault Tierney for folding for Achilles every single damn time 😩🥵

Now as we neared the end, I do think it got a little dragged out and that one scene has left me feeling confused about how I feel on the matter. Because on one hand, I understand why Tierney needed to do that. And I'm glad she did in a very safe environment with a safe person. From her perspective it made sense. BUT on the other hand, even though Achilles took part in it for her, it doesn't change the fact that he later describes throwing up multiple times before and after. That it killed him. That a part of him died. It's an odd way to let it stick to the reader because you're trying to tell me he doesn't regret it, part of him is resurrected and it was worth it. Then why does he feel so sick? I need there to be consistency in the narrative. This creates confusion for me and left me unsettled. Because now I'm like 'wait...that's being brushed under the rug.' And it did bring my rating down.

Coming towards the ending, I FUCKING KNEWWW IT. And I did feel smug for predicting who that secret son would be lmao. I'm really excited to see where we go from here. But I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Luca and Sofia. I'm not sure if they're going to be endgame or not, but the story is there. These two captivated me somewhere around 60-70% of the mark. There's a lot of potential and I always did like my fictional men dark and cold. I am already so feral for that man. And Luca fits right now, would be bummed if this thing with Sofia doesn't work out. But we'll see.

Thanks to my girl Meg for reading this with me. Bear with me because I'm already feral for Luca 🩶


~•~•~
Bad Bishop was amazing. My expectations are HIGH but I've got a good feeling about it. I know Achilles is gonna sweep me off my feet.

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not safe.
Spoilers ahead.

This was a solid 4 star read until the very ending chapter 62, to be exact where the threesome occurred.

Tierney had sex with Alex in front of Achilles, and after watching another man fuck his supposed soulmate, he ended up joining them.

If I had read this spoiler i wouldn’t have invested that many hours into this shit since I don’t like sharing.

I really felt for Tierney and Achilles their push and pull, their stubbornness, their resentment, and everything they went through. Their hate was actually their burning love for each other, so to do this at the very end with the horrible excuse of giving Tierney her freedom back or solving her 15 year trauma by having her sleep with another man in the last 10%???

Utter shit. L.J. Shen i see you haven’t grown at all.

“Look at her,” Alex groaned, staring at the space between us where he entered me. “She’s taking it so well.”
“She’s amazing.”
“Might ask to borrow her sometime.”

"This was the best sex I’d ever had. And yet I knew I’d never do it again. It served the purpose of proving to me that Achilles was done controlling my sex life, but I wasn’t in the market for anyone else."

words of wisdom here. 🤢🤢

[Marianna Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare case where the mafia plot in a mafia romance book is what held it together for me…. I genuinely love this mafia world Lj created im so invested in it and I’m obsessed with the found family and the side character potential relationships have managing at the bars of my enclosure for more books!!! Also these characters are so funny for NO reason! Enzo’s book is gonna absolutely EATTTTTTT.

The Tiernan and Lila crumbs were everything in this, Tiernan Callahan is one of my favorite dark romance MMCs and he’s so pathetically in love with Lila I died every time her opened his mouth. Also idk what it says about me but I’m also a Luca girl…. I need his book more than air.

Okay that being said, I really didn’t connect with Achilles and Tierney as a couple at all. I wasn’t a fan of them sleeping together at page 65, but I do fully understand why that happened, I just didn’t like it. But it is a personal problem of mine that spice that early on makes me disconnect a bit from the romance. But that really wasn’t even a big issue at the end of the day I just didn’t really care much about them. The whole idea of their story was really good but the execution fell flat for me. I did like the chapters where we got them in the past, but the reason behind the time they spent apart and hating each other just didn’t feel like enough reason for the truth to stay hidden for 11 years. And the little cat and mouse game they played didn’t hold my interest at all because it wasn’t ever believable that either of them would actually do anything to the other. They also treated each other like shit for so long that by the time they got together I just didn’t care. But I did love their banter and thought they had a lot of funny moments! I also loved how Achilles never left her side when she was healing in the end, it’s so clear how much he loves her and would literally do anything for her. I loved how Lj focused on Tierneys trauma and going to therapy to work through it as well.

Now listen what happened at the 90% mark was DIABOLICAL. Do I think it was cheating? No not at all. Do I think it was necessary? Also no. Did I hate it? Also no. I honestly understand why Tierney wanted that freedom of choice and there were so many other ways to do this I was just shocked she chose this one… I feel like I honestly would have loved it if they both weren’t fully together yet and Achilles gave her that freedom more towards the middle of the book and he was an active and willing participant like that would have been so hot. Without him feeling like he’s dying inside and throwing up before and after and having to turn off his emotions to stomach it. That just made me uncomfy.

Anyways I’m so excited for the next books I have so many questions about the other couples I neeeeed to know!!!

[naima ⋆.˚⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Monsters can love, too. Harder than humans, in fact.”

This book felt like a scalding hot bath that’s burns at your skin after a long day. Like the scent of your favourite candle that is about to run out. Like catching a whiff of a familiar scent that brings back too many good memories and then being washed over with nostalgia.

I really went into this book believing it would be all fun and games and holy was I proven wrong, I shouldve known it would be far from if it’s written by LJ Shen. IM so grateful to have Annie💖 to buddy read this with, because there were so many aspects that needed to be conversed, so thank you Annie, love ya!🙈💖⚡️

i have some moments to share...

“You promised no more recreational killing. You promised you’d try pickleball instead. I freaking got you a ten-class pass at the country club.

jus kidding i would never rat that man out...or maybe i would.

me when he finnally lets Tierney get a manicure without killing her nail technician

me reading about Tierney putting the 3K-La Prairie eye cream all over her feet because walking all over Achilles gave her blisters...

Tierney picking out which kinda birkin she wants to make with Achilles's skin

if he isnt as delulu as Achilles, i dont want him...

She was now strangling me with a…zip tie? At least she invested in a good one. I felt special. She chose the best. For me.

“You could’ve stabbed me anywhere and didn’t go for the heart. Is this a love declaration, baby?”

“I don’t need to see your ugly face while I’m recovering,” I muttered when he walked through the door. “Fair enough. I’ll turn around.”

IM CRYINGGGG, esp now that we know how he got his scars 😭

“You’ll get out of this place inside your head,” he said, his voice so sure, so full of conviction, I was almost tempted to believe it. “Just hang in there, Little Flame. I’m coming to get you.” His throat worked with a swallow. “Fuck, baby, I should’ve never left.”

Tierney realising something is off with the milk she's drinking...it's Lila's breast milk

Achilles drinking poison for the pleasure of Tierney’s company

“I did what I always do. I bartered with them. Sex for food. For extra clothes.For whatever I could get my hands on. After all, Achilles, too, had benefitted from my barters not too long ago.

what i did after reading this line...the utter realistion that Tierney's actions were not all for fun and game, the utter shame...

Achilles: Hey, beautiful. I have a meeting with my brothers in ten minutes, then I’ll come home. Will you be there?
Tierney: idk.
Achilles: Want me to bring you a bite? Maybe dessert? 😊
Tierney: idc.
Look at us. We were so fucking cute together.
Achilles: I’ll pick up some takeout on my way back. Italian good?
Tierney: w/e.

my face...

My lips quirked deviously. My little flame thought I was one of those amateur stalkers who didn’t know the job.

AINT NO ONE, NO ONE THOUGHT THAT ACHILES💯😭

we also find out that Tiernan like collecting things, no its not butterfly wings, and no silly its definitely not fridge magnets, its his enemies skulls duh!

and if ur waiting for something about chapter 62...

but let me just say, i did not like the way how Achilles felt after it, i felt so bad, i wish Tier would have taken into consideration what he mightve felt but i understand why she needed to do it. and that said i think Achilles would have felt a lot (well as much as he can) better if he hadnt seen it too, like why did she insist he be a part of it, i feel like it just hurt him more.

“I would choose hell with you over heaven with anyone else, any day of the week.

🥹


Id like to talk about the characters for a hot minute, and what made them not necessarily likeable but so human.

Tierney, she is my girl, she acts crazy, self destructs, to protect herself. She shows skin so men don’t interact with her cus she’s ‘slutty’. Shes been through so much. So much that she can’t give herself a good time without finding a way to hurt herself in the process. I UGLY cried. I felt every inch of her pain. I hated the loss of her red locks. Its probably the only thing I felt unnecessary about this book, I felt like it was one part she deserved to keep. buttt lowkey Tierney inspires me to wreak havoc in mens lives cus why not?

I can’t stop ruminating about these two, the tension, the backstory, the MISCOMMUNICATION. Every aspect of them was perfect, Achilles nursing Tier back to herself. Fighting with everyone for her. Running through fire, burning himself for her. That cinema theatre scene…I was not okay man. I think Achilles has ruined every other man for me. He felt so insecure about his burns and said he would still do it over again.

and the fucking coffee and dinner - bro im gonna bawl i need to have a word with Lj Shen bc, god i cried like a BABY the man was so deprived of the most important thing in his life, that some one making just coffee for him - was a big thing for him.

I felt myself pulling my hair out, crying and smiling so hard throughout the whole of this book. And don’t get me wrong at no point am I saying achilles is a sweet man who will hold your hand and feed you sugary cupcakes. He is make no mistake an asshole. An asshole but with a soul for sure.

Also make no mistake too that the PLOT will not eat, the PLOT was more than the romance if im being honest. i think i like mafia settings for the plain reason that we can rely on it for a decent plot and this one...oh this one...
overall it felt like this

extra thoughts
- there is no way lila agreed to that bloody (haha get it, ok ill stop sorry) baptising, shes too sweet for that
- VERY excited for luca + sofia's story, and Tristan's, Alex's 😋
- cant wait for enzo's to br with my beautiful Annie again!!
- WHYYYYYYYYY WHYYY do bad things happen to GOOD people!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eve (semi hiatus)]

IM WHEEZING

The fact that she added threesome, just because she was petty about the reviews on her last book - is hilarious!

Her post “safe readers hate to see me coming” is plain childish…

Considering it was one of these useless, disgusting threesomes, where you sit and think: "Why was it even added, especially at the 90% of the book?"

Where MMC wasn’t enjoying it, at all, he puked before and after, said that the “part of him died” after it.
Where FMC was gauging his reaction through it, seeing that he doesn’t like it, but still, said it was the best sex of her life.
Where the OM said he might “borrow” the FMC sometimes (tsk, tsk, tsk, your misogyny is showing)
Mind you, it’s not even the half of the disgusting factors about it…

So, LJ, tell us, how much more delulu can you get?
You are destroying your characters and write disgusting BS all on your own, safety readers has nothing to do with it 💁‍♀️

How she still got the platform, after bullying other authors and plagiarism, is beyond me…

Bruh, with all her alleged plagiarism, you may think she would copy and paste some good, hot threesome, but here we are…

Her rotten personality slips through her work.
People who leave these fake ass five star reviews - you are the part of the problem 🫵🙂‍↕️

❗️UPDATE
It’s absolutely mental that she reports all the reviews who has an opinion not to her liking.
If you cannot receive a feedback, don’t post your work to the public eye, it’s that simple.

[Matea ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Let me love you. Show me every jagged, ugly piece of you, and watch me stay anyway. I will stay. But you have to let me.”

Okay. WOW. She did it AGAIN. This series is officially becoming my Roman Empire.

Also… first thought after finishing this: what on earth does L.J. Shen’s search history look like??? Girl. Be careful. Someone’s gonna knock on your door one day 😭

BUT—let’s stay focused. My boy Tiernan? Still number one. Untouchable. Irreplaceable. I don’t care who comes next, that man is LOCKED in the throne. And the little snippets of him and Lila??? Instant 5 stars. No plot needed. Just them. Existing. Breathing. Being superior.

“Do you expect me to make every decision in my life with your wife’s preferences in mind?” I ground my teeth together.
“Naturally.” Tiernan narrowed his eyes. “I think the entire world should bend to her will.”

I’m trying VERY hard not to spoil anything since the book just came out, but just know: I loved every single second. No notes. No complaints. Just vibes and emotional damage.

And can we TALK about the banter??? THIS is how you do it. I was giggling, kicking my feet, snorting like a gremlin… if anyone saw me, they’d have serious concerns. But that’s between me and my dignity (which is long gone).

Exhibit A:

“Ukha. I hate that soup.”
“I’ll throw it out the window, then.”
“I hate you, too. Can you jump out of it, as well?”
“Sure. But I’d probably choose a higher floor, just to be on the safe side.”

??? Your honor, I am obsessed.

Tierney… my girl. She went THROUGH it. I was stressed the entire time like I personally had deadlines in her life. Meanwhile she’s out here surviving trauma after trauma. I just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and fight everyone on her behalf. My Miu Miu queen 🖤

And Achilles… oh. Oh no. Another mafia man stealing my heart right in front of my eyes and I just let it happen. He’s unhinged, possessive, jealous—exactly how I like them. Problematic? Maybe. Baby? Also yes. He’s literally experiencing emotions like it’s his first day on Earth and I ate that up.

When I pick up a mafia romance, I want that “look at her and I’ll gouge your eyes out” energy—and this DELIVERED.

Will he deliver you flowers? No.
Heads? Absolutely.
But flowers? Absolutely not.



Now… the elephant in the room. The trigger warning I did NOT read (because spoilers are my enemy): the threesome.

AND I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING—because I’ve complained about this trope before. HOWEVER. This time??? Done RIGHT. L.J. Shen executed it flawlessly. It was hot, it made sense, it didn’t feel forced—I was swooning, panicking, praying Achilles wouldn’t lose his mind… I was STRESSED. In a good way.

Also—it’s a one-time thing. I’ll say no more. You’re welcome.🤭

BUT HELLO??? The setups for future couples??? I have QUESTIONS. I need ANSWERS. I need BOOKS. Immediately.



And the plot twists??? I NEVER see them coming. Ever. Call me clueless, I don’t care. One second I’m fine, next second I’m staring into the void like a fish, processing life choices in my living room.



Anyway. Bee—you’re next. And I KNOW you saw that trigger warning. Do NOT back out now. Stay strong. I believe in you.

Thank you for coming to my unhinged TED Talk.


_____________________
pre-read

THE TIME HAS COME!!! THIS IS OUT FINALLY 😭😭 YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW CRAZY I AM ABOUT Achilles from the last two books! And Tierney too!!! THIS BETTER SLAP SO HARD 💥

The first book is literally my 6-star read, so I NEED this to be soooooo good 😭

Also, buddy reading this with my Bee… you already know what team we are—YOU ARE GOING TO BE SO SICK OF US HEHEHE 😂

pre-release
After that L.J. Shen Instagram tease, I need this book ASAP 😭📖✨

[nadine 🧁 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DISGUSTING 🤢.

Achilles spends eleven years killing all of Tierney’s lovers because he loves her so much that he can’t stand seeing her with anyone else even though they can’t be together. And then she goes and tells him:
“And I want a one-night stand. I’ve never really dated anyone else—never had the privilege of living life as I pleased because of you. All I could do was hook up with people like a thief, hoping you weren’t looking. If you’ve changed like you claim you have, you’ll prove to me that I am free—free to choose you… or anyone else, if I wish to.” she said that to him when they were together!!

he agrees… and then even offers her to Alex just to prove he doesn’t control her sex life and can restrain his jealousy what happened to “she’s my lover, my woman, my soulmate? If I can’t have her, no one else can”?

Tierney: “This was the best sex I’d ever had. And yet I knew I’d never do it again. It served the purpose of proving to me that Achilles was done controlling my sex life, but I wasn’t in the market for anyone else.”

CHEATER. TRASH.

[Can Helin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really hope this is about Tierney and Achilles
!!! I need this so bad! 😭🤍🙏🏻 please

Present day update:
: just started reading it and i want to cry!!! THIS SHIT IS SOOOO GOOOD 😭 love everything

Laste update:
LOVEDDDDDS IT OMG AND WHAT A DAMM UNEXPECTED Twist at the end hahaha:)🤭🤍

[Paula (in & out)]

Another unprofessional writer behaving badly and childish - and she adds a threesome scene in the end to make it s**k even more where the MMC is clearly uncomfortable and doesn't want it. Nice way to destroy one's work.

Never reading anything by this person.

[Nour Hane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This entire novel drained my nerves, and I don’t even know where to start talking.
Let’s start from the beginning, when Achilles and Tierney were teenagers at fifteen. Achilles loved her, and Tierney loved him too. He used to visit her every night to teach her English and sit with her until she fell asleep without nightmares. He wanted to kiss her, but he couldn’t even touch her out of fear that it might trigger her and make her afraid because of her past. He only touched her when she initiated it. That’s how deeply he loved her. Even though he was mentally unhinged — he literally ate a man’s heart alive — he was still terrified of losing her and never crossed her comfort boundaries even while suffering from his desire and longing for her. He tattooed her kiss on his neck, the first tattoo he ever got in his life. She was also the first girl he ever kissed, and he wanted to marry her as soon as they turned eighteen.... he treated her like a queen, worshipped the ground she walked on, and couldn’t imagine his life without her, despite never receiving any human affection or care his entire life. He was starving for it… His love for her was that deep…

On her eighteenth birthday, he bought an engagement ring to propose and marry her.

Tierney set her room on fire. She wanted to kill herself because she couldn’t marry him. The reason? She couldn’t have children and couldn’t give him heirs. Don’t get me wrong, I sympathize with her and the suffering she endured since birth, but this was a stupid excuse. If she had told him, he wouldn’t have cared — he loved her more than anything. Damn it, he burned his body and disfigured his face just to reach her and save her. This is a man who sees no one but her, and she, in her stupidity, destroyed everything and shattered this beautiful relationship.

And with Luca threatening to kill her if she didn’t leave him, she chose to protect him. To push him away, she told him his love was just from one side and that she didn’t want him. That’s how she managed to break him and wound him. Then he told her…

“I will always fucking love you, but I’ll spend every waking moment of my life making sure no one else ever does.”

From here, this toxic relationship continues. She hurts him, and he hurts her, until they reach twenty-nine.

She still wasn’t satisfied with all the damage she caused him, so she went and sold him to the federal authorities. I don’t mind this particularly — it fits for more drama — but the act itself was disgusting. He threw himself into death for her and betrayed the Camorra, even though his entire life he pursued power and rule. But when forced to choose between achieving his dream of ruling or choosing Tierney, he chose her gladly without a hint of regret. And in return? All he received was betrayal and heartbreak. She only cared about her trivial anger, and that was painful — especially since she cared about nothing but her fragile, useless pride. She stabbed him and tried to kill him twice, and it ended with him helping her, getting her out of the mess she put herself in, and trying to save her life again. He simply couldn’t let her go, even if she dragged him into the depths of hell or caused his death.

“I would choose hell with you over heaven with anyone else, any day of the week.”

"Because I’ve had enough of my own bullshit. I’d rather die than hurt you.
And I don’t fucking care. I don’t care that it’s not mutual and never will be."

"I reminded myself she’d stabbed me not even a minute ago. Tried to kill me—twice now—and sold me out to the feds."

"I asked myself if I regretted the night I opened Tierney’s bedroom door all those years ago and let myself in, voluntarily tangling myself in her web.
The answer was no.
I didn’t regret it one fucking bit.
Even if I died in the next few minutes.
At least I’d gotten to hold her."

So what did we have here? Let’s see. First, I humiliated both of us by revealing I’d been speaking to all of her therapists (possibly more than she ever did). Then, I slapped her with my cock hoping she’d like it. Spoiler alert: she did not. Next, I confessed my obsession to her, proceeding to screw her like a rabbit in three-hour increments. I’d started a war with Sangue Blu without consulting my family. Rearranged the territorial borders of the Camorra Alliance. Went against Don Ferrante’s orders, thereby betraying my clan. An offense punishable by death if I weren’t the don’s son.

“I’d walk through fire every single day for you, Tierney.”

“You either get the pussy or the throne, but you can’t get both,” Luca had clarified. “You made your choice.”
It was the easiest decision I’d had to make. Tierney came first. The rest of the world after.

This whore definitely didn’t deserve him at all… She was actively sleeping with any man who appeared in front of her — around fourteen men — and most of them were innocent. She knew Achilles would kill them, and she didn’t care. She’d be sad for a bit, then repeat the same behavior again. Meanwhile, Achilles never slept with other women and rarely even touched another woman. He only paraded them in front of her to make her jealous, while she committed all these disgusting acts. Look at Tierney’s words here:

stretchy pain between my thighs reminded me that we’d screwed each other’s brains out not even six hours ago.
While he knew he was betrothed. He could’ve said something before I jumped into bed with him.
Would that have changed things?
Honestly? No.
It wasn’t a real marriage and they weren’t a real couple. And maybe this obsession went both ways, because something told me I would always jump Achilles’s bones given the chance, no matter the circumstances.
It made me understand other women. The side pieces who preferred to take something over nothing, even if it broke their hearts and abolished their honor.

When I say she’s a whore, she truly is one. She only cares about her nonexistent pride and her backward logic. She even justifies men cheating and sympathizes with mistresses. My God, she is the worst female character I’ve ever read in my life.

On the other hand, to be fair, Achilles also actively destroyed her life. Here’s a summary of his actions:

“No, Achilles! You made my life a prison of your own making for half of my existence. Even after I escaped the gulag, you made sure I’d never be truly free. You murdered my lovers, broke into my apartment, assigned bodyguards to tail me, and refused to allow me to move, date, or marry. To move on from this, from us.”
“I know.”
“You made me your whore for a weekend, knowing my past and what I’d been through. You fucked me every three hours on the dot for the privilege of not marrying me off to a complete stranger.”
“I know,” his voice cracked.
“And then, the cherry on the shit cake, you tried to assassinate me.”
His eyes, so dark, so brutal, fastened on my own. No words left his mouth.
“And you think, after everything that happened, that I’m going to forgive you?”
“Yes,” he said with conviction.
“Why?” I spluttered. Achilles was many things—shrewd, vicious, a prolific assassin, and an impeccable, unhinged mobster. He was not, however, delusional.
“Because I’ll do anything to make you mine.” Rather than desperation, determination dripped from his every word. “Even at the price of obliterating my own life for your entertainment.”

Warning beforehand: she was the one who offered to have sex with him and even asked him to hit and humiliate her because she’s apparently masochistic and couldn’t feel pleasure unless she was slapped to the point of injury and bleeding. Achilles killed her previous partners only because they mistreated her in bed. He humiliated her because he thought that’s what she wanted. When she asked him to stop, he respected her boundaries and rules. He was only fulfilling her desires, and here she is playing the victim to justify her disgusting actions. 🤢 The most toxic and irritating couple digging for misery in the lowest depths. 🥴

Their story continues after Tierney gets shot in the head — unfortunately, she didn’t die. Her childhood memories returned when she was kidnapped, so she isolated herself inside her mind and stopped responding to anyone around her. But Achilles didn’t give up. He took her out of the hospital and brought her to an isolated place and took care of her. She was like a lifeless corpse, but he didn’t give up and managed to bring her back to life and help her overcome everything. He stayed by her side despite her rudeness, her attempts to provoke and hurt him. He didn’t give up. They reached an agreement: he would give her freedom so she could forgive him. He couldn’t, but he did it for her. Here I was somewhat happy with the direction. She admitted what happened in the past, they asked forgiveness from each other, Achilles regretted mistreating her, asked for the names of those who abused her so he could kill them, and Tierney finally got justice. I felt relieved and happy for them. I said, okay, this story deserves the suffering. I’ll give it four stars even if I hated their actions — I accepted them as broken people whose love is beautiful even if toxic.

But this peace didn’t last long. That vile whore Tierney asked him to have a relationship with another man while she was with him, just to prove he didn’t control her and that she was free. And he agreed… and asked her to sleep with someone in his house and in front of him 🤢 wtffffffffffff... These disgusting lunatics… goddd She was literally sleeping with him and at the same time saying:

He’d denied me pleasure with other people, and I couldn’t get past that... No matter how deeply I felt for him.

I want to throw up. I can’t continue anymore L.J. Shen never stops amazing me with how low her ideas can sink. She didn’t stop there — she wrote a threesome between Tierney, Alex, and Achilles 🤢🤢 this is disgusting. The entire novel portrayed Achilles as an obsessive, possessive lover, and then in the final chapters she does this vile act and destroys his character and my love for him…

I finished reading this nonsense from this insane woman. And apparently Luca cheats on his wife and knows Jeremy loves her and lets him guard her. It seems they’re involved — I wouldn’t be surprised if he shared her with him. I have zero excitement left for their story. She even made me hate Alex after what he did with Tierney. She ruined the entire series for me.

I am completely done with L.J. Shen’s books... I will never read anything by her again. She drained every nerve I have with her repetitive writing and disgusting actions that I simply cannot forgive or accept under any circumstances.

I hated the first book Bad Bichob but this one was even worse.
At least Tiernan cheated on Lila at the beginning of their marriage, when there wasn’t a deep love to lose, and he didn’t share her with another man.
But this? It’s a disaster by every standard.
If this is what love looks like — erasing your personality, losing yourself, and blindly following a narcissistic partner — then no thanks.
That’s not the kind of love I want, and definitely not something I can accept.

[Momma Eureka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I was going to love the story of Achilles and Tierney I just didn’t know how much ….

This book is not as funny as Bad Bishop was to me ….
But it was way more mafia, had more depth, more angst and tension between the couple.
Achilles and Tierney absolutely hate each other for something that happened when they were teens. They were stupidly in love and let’s just say that their story didn’t end well. Achilles vow to make Tierney’s life living hell and NEVER allow her to ever be happy with anyone else, and he MEANT IT every word and he was a mean morherfucker ! They spent over a decade fighting.
But Tierney wasn’t about to just lay for him to step allover her, she gave him a run for his money. They have legendary fights, crazy banter and no matter what happens, no matter the betrayal, Achilles just absolutely LOVES her and is utterly incapable of killing her or let her go.
Tierney’s past is super sad and she had deep depression and connection issues. She wears a mask all the time pretending things don’t affect her but they do. I love the participation of the whole family. As usual I loveddddddd Tiernan. Can’t wait to have Enzo’s book since FOR sure will be a MM and his love might be a FBI agent , so mafia enforcer x FBI agent ? COUNT ME IN !
I will probably also love to have Alex’s book. Talking about Alex 🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥 THERE IS a very very very hot threesome involving Alex towards the end and it was HOT ! 🥵
So far this series is slapping really hard and I am here for it 😏

[Annie ˖ ࣪✦: * ˚ ✦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋰˚☆ 5
ೃ⁀➷
I absolutely loved this book.

So, um, this definitely my new favorite mafia series. I seriously thought I couldn’t find anything better after reading the Sinners Anonymous Series, but than comes this & I think we have some competition. Sorry sinners, I might be outgrowing you….just kidding, Rafe & Penny you will forever be stuck in my mind. Forever. 🤭

Wow. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better after bad bishop, especially seeing the amount of mixed reviews this book had. Safe to say I much preferred this one over bad bishop. Doesn’t make bad bishop any less good, far from it in fact, but gosh the tension and obsession in this book took the icing on the cake!!

“Tierney Callaghan wanted me dead. I wanted her period.”

Achilles: THIS BOY WAS HEAD OVER HEELSSS in love with Tierney. Willing to risk everything & everyone for her. Now that’s what I’m talking about 😫 - was a literal sweetheart. Loved her from the moment he first stepped foot in her vicinity. Even after she broke his heart he still couldn’t bear letting her go. Decapitated all her assaulters heads and gifted them as a souvenir. How romantic!!! Of course he had his moments of being the absolute worst jerk on the planet, but even in those moments he still loved her soooo much.

THE PLOT? LJ Shen, I give it to you. You know had to write a mafia romance book with still pivoting around the mafia while simultaneously doing it with the romance. Some mafia books lack plot and mostly focus on the romance, and that’s a no for me. Lj does a fantastic job making both things coexist.

Tierney: Okay, this girl was the epitome of a complex character. You either hated her, and thought she didn’t deserve Achilles, or you loved her and they both deserved each other. I’m in the middle. Whereas I feel indifferent about her, I also think no one else could be with Achilles. This girl went through HELLLLL & just wanted to live a normal life. I get it. But gosh, she honestly kept making her predicament worse than it already is. Her motives were understandable 50% of the time, but the other 50% of the time it was like she wanted to get herself killed. Self-deprecating was a coping mechanism for her. I loved how she finally moved on from her trauma, and Achilles was a big help.

THE SUSPENSE WAS OFF THE CHARTS. I’m trying to be concise because I can just keep rambling about these two, but gosh, this book checked off all my marks.

The discourse about chapter 62: Okay, I can totally validate everyone’s feelings with their hatred for this chapter. When a guy is so obsessed with his girl, and allows this to happen it’s definitely out of character. But I also get why Tierney did it and why Achilles went along with it. I don’t agree with her, but from her perspective it needed to be done. Achilles was proving to her that he would allow her to live. Willing to agree with anything and everything she did. Making a promise he wouldn’t control her life like he once did. Also, it was a one time thing !

I cannot wait for the other books in the series !! Gosh, I’m so freakin excited. Also, a huge thanks to one of my favorites, Naima!! Loved reading with you bb. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series with you !! You made this so much more enjoyable.



Pre-read: So, I absolutely loved bad bishop - So of course the most ethical thing to do is to move on to the second book, and I’m genuinely so excited. After seeing snippets of Achilles and Tierney I knew I had to read their book right after. AND OF COURSEEE another BR with my favorite, Naima !! We equally bother loved bad bishop so of course we have to read this one together, again! 💕 So excited!! Hope LJ comes through, again!!!! 👌🏻😫🙏

[Yelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahm ahm this was TOXIC..in a good way🙌🏻
lol I knew getting into it that it was going to be messy but damn at some point I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel😭😭😭

“Tierney Callaghan wanted me dead.
I wanted her, period”

Omg first of all I LOVED Tierney soooo much she reminded me of Gianna Russo aka my favorite Fmc of all time she was so bold and confident and she had Achilles wrapped around her fingers.

“I wore it to warn people off. I was the harlot, the jezebel, the Delilah of the family. Not wife material and definitely unfit for an arranged marriage”

I absolutely love a good second chance romance and I think this was done so right the flashbacks we got were soooooo sweet and the buildup for their intense relationship was written so good they had their reasons for everything they'd done and while sometimes I felt like the push and pull dragged I still loved it L.j Shen just knows how to pace a book right.
I think this series is becoming one of the best mafia romance series out there because it focuses on the plot just as much as the romance and the plot is really good even in bad bishops I think the plot was even better than the romance it's perfect.
Achilles character really surprised me I wasn't expecting him to be so...romantic?😭😭 their relationship is weird guys I can't explain it but the banter was so good and fun I want to say it was a true enemies to lovers but I don't think he ever hated her he was just a little possessive 😊

“Everyone had a guardian angel.
Mine just happened to be my stalker”

The only reason this wasn't a 5 stars for me is the fact that the spice started so early and I wished it was more of a slow burn specially with all the angst and yearn we had it just took away from the tension and caused a lot of problems later in the book but everything else was so perfect and the crumbs we got for the other books!!! I can't wait🙏🏻
Alex Rasputin 😩💋

--------------------------------------
Ahhhhh I'm soooo excited for this I have a feeling Tirney is about to become my favorite red head Fmc (sorry Jules ambros) I kinda wished that it'll be her with the FBI guy but no problem I'll take Achilles 😚

[makayla 𖧧.⋆☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 🖤♟️ “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒔’ 𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒍.”♟️🖤

I love this mafia world so much!! The writing makes these books so addictive, I couldn’t put this down! I am fully invented in this plot and these families like I genuinely can’t wait for the rest of this series, specifically Luca’s book 🤩

First off, I just have to confess… my absolute LOVE FOR TIERNAN!! God I love him so much. He is everything in a man that I’d get on my knees for, anytime he showed up I was literally swooning 🫦

Now, Tierney and Achilles. I do like a second chance romance, their story is much more of a fourth chance romance lol but they are totally made for each other with how toxic they are 😭🤣 I loved getting flashbacks of their initial relationship and seeing how they got to where they are now. I think Tierney’s story is just heartbreaking with everything she’s endured. And the fire, ugh my heart breaks for both of them ❤️‍🩹

⇢ “𝐼’𝓂 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃.”
⟢ “𝓘’𝓶 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓽.”𓏧♡

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆࿐𝓛𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓕𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓮 ঌ

Also - the hate for chapter 62… I have to agree. Like I get why but also whyyy 🫤

And I was not expecting the little reveal we got! Makes me even more interested in the next books.

Loved the ending!! 🖤🤞🏼
That epilogue.. EEEEK 👀

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘛𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦. 𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦.”


Preread: YIPPEE im so ready to absolutely DEVOUR this!! Bad Bishop was a 5 🌟 read for me, so I know this has to be good 🤭😋

[dak ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5✰ 🏍️♟️🔥 📚 ☕️ “𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬’ 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥”

wow this was so achingly good. 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨 and 𝙏𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 god damn… 😭😭 my heart broke every single flashback.

“𝘈 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥”

𝙏𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 i absolutely loved her in the first book so i was so excited to read her story and the way i was not prepared… she has been through so much fucked up shit my heart literally aches for her
and then we have 𝘼𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨 whose internal monologue had me cackling!! 🤭 talk about obsessive and possessive 😜
•·· ➵ 𝓟𝓲𝓬𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓪 𝓕𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓶˚ˋঌ˖ ··•

watching these two forgive each other and heal was such a wild ride but the ending was absolutely everything and so worth it ❤️‍🔥

now the plot? soo good. i was glued to this book. i love this mafia world and these characters!!
i can’t wait to devour the next book when it’s released especially since it’s Enzo’s 🤪

OH AND THAT LAST SENTENCE 🤭

“𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚠𝚗, 𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎’𝚍 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍”

[Readerofbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are massive plot holes in this book - the first and foremost being that she was in a burning building and tells him she was trying to commit suicide - somehow he makes that about himself by asking her why she would do that knowing he would come to save her - and she lies to him (right after the bit where she explains she was trying to commit suicide) saying she wanted to kill him to break up with him and knew he would come to save her. Omg the mental gymnastics there is causing me the biggest eye roll. Anyways he believes her - even though she was in the fire and he knows she was unconscious when he rescued her. Does he give even 5 mins of mental space to think - oh, she just confessed she wanted to commit suicide, and oh, she’s been my best friend taking care of me for 4 years and oh she’s not making any sense? No - he goes directly into banishing her from his sight, blocking her on all socials and controlling her every waking moment. Knowing that too that she’s been in a work camp until she was 14 and does suffer from trauma. What does she do in the meanwhile - does she finally grow up and tell him the truth? No - when she does, and he grovels, she asks him to allow her to have a one night stand. Tbh, if she was doing this to hurt him, I would have supported it perhaps - but she’s doing this to assess if she should take him back. So she does want to be with him, but ties this decision with “being allowed” to sleep with another man. Why? What sense does that make?! Ah, too many plot holes. That apart, it was a decent read. Bad bishop was much better and I do feel like there were many missed opportunities to really make a gem of the tropes in this book but I feel like most of those opportunities were scuppered by wizzing past the truly emotional moments in favour of some bizarre plot points - like the whole FBI/USB thing. So many pages were dedicated to that when it was absolutely unnecessary. Will update when I’m through with the book but I’m nearly at 75% so feel equipped to give my opinion. So far it’s a 3 - 3.5 star.

Updated - okay it’s definitely a 2.95-3 star at best. At 90% she cucked him! He had to watch her being railed by someone else even though she knows it kills him. He had to literally drown himself in alcohol because he set it up for her and thought she would never really love him if he didn’t. And even that didn’t stop her because, and I quote, “he denied her from getting pleasure with other people and she couldn’t get past that”. Mind you, by this time she’s calling him her fiancé to random people so she isn’t being forced to accept their relationship. To add salt to the wound, after forcing him to be cucked, she asks him “how much does it hurt”?!!!!!!! And he responds “not enough to fuck this up”!!! This woman needs to be ditched. Let’s flip the roles around a bit and assume that the man forced her to let him sleep with his childhood friend (coz that’s what Alex is to her let’s be honest) and ask HER how much it hurt after fucking the OW, would we be giving this a 5 star? That too, at 90%?!!! How is he or the reader ever to believe she isn’t just a bloody cheater who likes getting her kicks elsewhere? Ahh it’s infuriating. Mind you, the same scene could have been done when he and her were enemies - at like 5 or 10% in - and it probably would have been understandable. But not now when she has decided to be with him for life and knows how much this guts him. Fire all the alpha and beta readers because they just gave the author lip service by allowing this to be published

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boooooooooo. I loved the first one but what in the world was THIS?! The back and forth was exhausting. The FMC sucks. And WHY does chapter 62 exist?? Absolutely not.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗬 📚 [⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Star Review]...

T𝐖I𝐒T𝐄D P𝐀W𝐍: Is the second full length book in the (Society of Villains) series by Author L.J. Shen. Spoken in daul POV's.

📚'𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁𝚂'📚 can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

Tropes:
❥ ENEMIES TO LOVERS
❥ SECOND CHANCE
❥ ASSASSIN HEROINE
❥ MORALLY PITCH BLACK HERO (MINE)
❥ OBSESSED ANTI HERO ( YET AGAIN MINE)
❥ SLOW BURN TENSION

This one hits those feels like a mack truck oblibering that beating heart of yours like no other, there was a scene in this (not going to give spoilers) but it broke me, my heart broke for this man watching the woman he loved gaining back control, that control he took from her, I wished it had've been done in a different way. But that's not how this story unfolds. I literally had tears running down my face and it was unbearable to read. Comfort zones may be put to the test. Be prepared.

But it didn't stop me from enjoying this, I loved the too and fro, the fashbacks, the want to kill you but want to have you angst, the darkness of her past, their story wasn't made up of puppy dogs and unicorns farting glitter, it was raw, and it suited their story, their journey, their pasts.

These two met when they were teenagers, he was the boy who climbed through her bedroom window standing in the shadows a strong force keeping nightmares at bay. She was fighting the demons of her past. Their story was one I couldn't wait to get my hands on, that slow burn simmering in the background, Loved him, loved her for him, together they were perfection, two broken souls mended as one.

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[sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

not every book needs a threesome

[Anna Nenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Duet style narration with multi cast - Stephen Dexter is great (his voice is like a balm for my ears!🤭) but neither he could salvage whatever this was…?! 😵‍💫
Achilles is not a widespread Italian name - it is rooted in Greek mythology - so there’s that… All that “baptism in blood” is so cringe but so were many other situations…
FMC is portrayed as unlikable from the get go and tagged as “loose woman” - but not in a good - empowering manner - more with a “whiff” of sexism and stereotypes! Bias and subtlety …
Writing a 🌳3some requires skills and nuance, and a proper placement in the story (a warning in CW or TW list), comfortably established boundaries, creating safe space etc. This one was added for shock value, it feels coerced, the other party is uncomfortable, doesn’t want this, it is forced! It promotes skewed empowerment and damaged power dynamics, driven by market requirements or personal unhealthy beliefs!
Author is behaving poorly, childish like (not a new thing!) blaming readers and has an enviable gift of not being troubled by weights of reason…
But you know, for some a bad rep is still a good PR… and there will always be those supporting it… 😵‍💫🙄
To each their own -
Wouldn’t recommend this one nor the other previous 3 (or so) books from this author because the quality? of their writing has considerably declined…

[Athena, the goddess of books · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year. L.J. Shen has long been one of my favorite authors, and although I struggled when she previously killed off a heroine only to have the hero move on, I loved Bad Bishop. I was incredibly curious about Tierney’s story based on the snippets we saw in her brother’s book. Unfortunately, this has become my first one-star read of the year.

The sharing scene absolutely killed the story for me. I enjoy threesomes and hot scenes when they are built into the narrative and represent something both characters truly want and feel good about.

While Tierney is "riding Alex’s cock harder" and begging for more, Achilles is described as having "bricked over" his face. He retreats into the same "headspace he used to take a life," mentally removing himself from the intimacy because it is too painful to witness.

I found myself rooting for Achilles to leave her, he should have just let Alex borrow her whenever he wanted, since Tierney clearly wasn't going to deny him. The most jarring part was Tierney admitting it was the best sex of her life. How am I supposed to believe she will be happy in a HEA with Achilles when the pinnacle of her sexual experience wasn't even with him? It felt like a total shitshow. By the end, I was so checked out that I couldn't have cared less about their ending.

[EmBibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I’m still trying to figure out my feelings about this. I really loved Bad Bishop, and after reading this and seeing more scenes of them, I’m actually considering giving it a higher rating.

Now, about the book itself. It was so chaotic, and all the miscommunication was really getting to me. I cared so much for both of them. They truly loved each other in their toxic, destructive way. I liked both characters. The way Achilles was there for her while she was healing is the best part of the book.

However, there were a few personal reasons why I didn’t love it more: them sleeping together at the very beginning of the book. I didn’t like it. I wanted the slow burn, the yearning, especially since he mentioned how long he waited for that. I didn’t like those early chapters and how they played out. The miscommunication is another thing. Overall, I guess I just didn’t connect to them as a couple as I hoped I would.

And lastly, but not least, that annoying chapter 62 scene that happened in the last 10% of the book. Also known as a lesson on how to ruin a book in the last 10%. Everyone got their kink, so no judgment here, but this wasn’t consensual. He wasn’t into it. He vomited several times before and after. She even saw he retreated and was disconnected. Wasn’t enough for her to stop it, though. I was screaming at her to stop it at any moment. I understand her reasons. I just don’t agree with them. Also, is there a reason this couldn’t happen before they were already in an established relationship? I mean, they spend most of the book not fully committed, so why did that have to happen when they’re finally together?

[Lily Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

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The hero spends a lot of years killing all the heroine's lovers because he loves her so much he can't see her with anyone else even when they can't stay together because they supposedly hate each other...just for him to offer her sexually to a Pakhan in order to show her he doesn’t control her sexuality, and can restrain his jealousy...and then he watches the loooove of his life having great amazing sex with this other hooot man (her thoughts), and later both men are inside her and she thinks the men's balls might be touching so entwined they were...stopped reading.
Thanks but no thanks.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY FUCKITYYYY FUCK!!! Yes yes yes yes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fav parts: THE TATTOO. THE FLASHBACKS. THE SAFE WORD. CHAPTER 67.

I LOVE THEM. Dare I say I loved this even more than Bad Bishop???? I was not ready for that oh my gawd 🤯

Achilles 🫦🫦🫦🫦 do NOT even start with me his yearning is next level. YES DECADES OF HEARTBREAK AND YEARNING. How he showed up to put her back together every time…. 🤧🤧 I highlighted basically everything that came out of this man’s mouth…holy mother 🔥

“You look like the love of my life” ……..🥲

I am obsessed w Tierney!!!! Her spirit and story is everything ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🔥 She is just a girl ok I wanna be her friend bye

Easily becoming a favorite mafia series of all time ummmmmm waiting for next books is going to be torture. LUCA👀 ENZO….!!!
SOPHIA AND JEREMIE???!👀👀👀 ALEX!!

Please don’t mind me making this series my whole entire personality✨ LJ Shen, girl I wanna kiss u… what is going on in ur gorgeous brain bc you absolutely ATE with this
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SPOILERS🔒🖤
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WHY so many haters!!?? We have to discuss the threesome obviously. GUYS I am so confused as to why a lot of people are calling this cheating?? Did we read the same book?? It was very much planned and consensual between all 3 of them. How is it cheating when your man is front and center participating?? (or should I say behind😈) HAAAA forgive me for being this annoying. But honestly I thought this was done tastefully and it was HOT. It made sense Tierney wanted that freedom after Achilles murdered her hookups for years and her sexual trauma on top of it. Hellooooo yes it made him physically ill, of course he didn’t want to share but he did it FOR HER. Full circle moment for trusting and letting go for BOTH of them ❤️‍🩹 When she didn’t want to kiss Alex bc it felt too intimate and Achilles joined in…. OOOOH I left my body oh my god!!! It was sugar and spice in the best way!!!

To call a mafia romance book “not safe” is just fucking comical to me bc they are all deranged and delulu… isn’t that the point!? That’s WHY I’m here 🤪 We are reading about psycho unhinged murderers and yall are worried about a threesome that only lasted like 4 pages. I get if sharing isn’t your thing, that is valid, but it didn’t make or break the book imo 🤗🖤🖤🖤

[NOUR · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book I’ve read since the beginning of the year. The plot and storyline were extremely messy and confusing, and the main characters were a disaster.

The FMC was a heartless, brainless bitch who kept making terrible no, catastrophic decisions for no reason. I’ve never hated an FMC as much as I hated Tritni. I understand her past and that she was suffering from it because she never healed from what happened to her, but that doesn’t justify continuing to make random, illogical choices that destroy her life and the lives of those around her. I was never convinced by her reason for targeting or hating Achilles he literally did nothing to her except foolishly fall in love with her.

As for the MMC, he was a complete disaster by every standard. I didn’t like him at all, and I definitely didn’t like how submissive he was to her under the excuse of obsession or love. It was awful. He doesn’t even qualify to be part of the mafia, let alone the son of a boss. His personality was incredibly weak. I hated how much control he gave Tritni over his life and freedom he was basically her personal clown 🤡

And let’s not even talk about the threesome sex scene… I genuinely don’t understand why it was added in the first place. It had zero importance to the plot or character development. It was obvious Achilles wasn’t comfortable with it he even said it himself. He threw up multiple times and felt like he lost a part of himself after going through it with Alex and Tritni. So what was the point of that?! 😐

Am I excited for the upcoming books?
No.

Am I excited for Enzo book and the federal agent?
Yes 😭

So I can’t say I’ll drop this series in the future… unfortunately, despite how awful it is 💀

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a man, what a man, what a yearner!!!! And if you think he didn't yearn or not enough, you are DELULU.
I really loved this one as well, what do I even expect at this point, I feel like this series is just crack for me. Tierney was absolutely unhinged and crazy, a bit too crazy at times lol, but I expect this because of her character, she has to be a little crazier than him doesn't she! And Achilles, my baby, this man would literally give his organs to her just to keep him. Who doesn't want love like this? Sure is toxic as shit and he's batshit insane, but this is their love, their absolutely messy love.

also TIERNAN MY WIFE CALLAGHAN, so nice to see you again baby. I missed you. Nobody can top you (yet).
I'm super excited for the next one in the series, I feel like with each book, I'm learning even more about this messy family, all the mafia connections, all the DRAMA unfolding before my eyes and I am simply glued to all of it lol. The ending was sweet and - unexpected - although I did get spoiled for something, because people have no idea how to write a damn review without spilling EVERYTHING important or a twist. Anyways, slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite series for sure!!🖤🖤

Thank you (again) to my beautiful bestie Matea for buddy reading and discussing our theories together and fawning over these 2 together 😂😂🥰🥰
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pre:read
finally after we've been edged into oblivion with a thousand teasers, it is finally HERE!!! Please please do not disappoint or I will lose it lmao
🖤🖤
Also buddy reading with my gorgeous bestie Matea, can't wait to flood each others DMs lol
🖤🖤

[L.J. Shen]

TWISTED PAWN

♙ eBook: https://amzn.to/4sRpnoH
♙ Paperback: https://amzn.to/4sNUpxC
♙ Walmart Exclusive: http://shor.by/bw13
♙ Audiobook (duet narration: Stephen Dexter and Lila Winters, with Corvin King as Tiernan and Lucy Rivers as Lila): https://amzn.to/3N5ROQz
♙ UK/Commonwealth: http://shor.by/RLXz

🚩 Please read trigger warnings if you have any.

[Siyaaaaa_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

started off soooo good...then went downhill.
had no business being this long..
and let's not even talk about that threesome.. (it pissed me off so bad)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be on the minority side when it comes to this book, but I loved it!!! This was such a fun, crazy, chaotic read and as well was such a good second chance romance !! Please again check your TW’s!!

I’ll start off by saying I am so hooked with the found family !!! Like I needed everyone’s book pls and is it crazy that I want Luca’s book asap?!! That man has me so intrigued!! Also the plot here was so engaging and it kept getting better as well!!

Now Achilles, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that man!! He was such a lover boy through and through and the yearning this man went through for Tienery killed me!! 😩 like did he stalk her and control her life, and get rid of her lovers for 11 years … yes , yes he did , but I can’t fault him because my mans was so in love even through the heartbreak 😭 ( yeah pls don’t judge me) I also love how crazy, funny, psychotic and romantic ( in his own way) he was when it came to Tierney!! Like I don’t fault Tierney for never getting over this man because I get it!! 🙂‍↕️

“ Let me love you. Show me every jagged, ugly, piece of you and watch me stay anyway. I will stay. But you have to let me.” …Yeah I was speechless.

Tierney!! There were times where I loved her and times where she annoyed me a tad bit!! Like I understood she was the way she was due to her past and she deserved to feel the way she did , but I felt her decisions were kinda dumb at some points !! Still love her though cause she was a true baddie and never gave up!! as well I love how fiercely she loved Achilles and how they matched each other so well 😭 idk why ppl say they didn’t have chemistry because they had it since day one in the flashbacks!! Yeah I won’t be getting over those !! 🥲

The reason this wasn’t a 5 star read was cause of the mess of chapter 62. This confused me so much based on how the story was progressing because I do get why this needed to happen ( and honestly didn’t mind the situation) and why Tierney needed this to heal and move into a more serious relationship with Achilles , but I feel like this would have been much better if it happened more early on in the book rather than them being deeper into the relationship. 🥴 it felt like both Achilles and Tierney made progress to be with one another , Tierney wasn’t even thinking about being with someone else and then this happened ?! I will say I was happy that this situation was handled with care and it was with someone very trusted , but it was just awful to see how sick Achilles felt in this situation 😭

The plot twist in the end with Tristian Hale was very good and didn’t see coming mostly because I haven’t ready any of the other books so I don’t know much about this man , but I just know this one will be my favorite out of them all 🙂‍↕️

Ready for the next book 🤸🏻‍♀️

[Katya · Rating 1 out of 5]

She cheats on him in the end, made me feel awful, and whats the point of romance if FMC sleeps with someone else. Why people rate it better I don’t understand. People must know this information before starting this book

And when someone is going to say he was there and knew about it, think back to when he said no to her offer of one night stand with someone else, but she gave him an ultimatum. By the end he stated he was hurt, it’s a form of cheating.