Twisted Romance Recommendations

Hello there! You! In the corner! You have a wonderful face.

So today on No Bent Spines, we're going to talk about some mind-bending reads that have a good dose of swoon (I mean, seriously, do I read anything without swoon?) and whole lot of what the hell just happened moments.

Let's get started with this, shall we?

Book Rec Number One: Leah Raeder, Black Iris
G o o d r e a d s  //  A m a z o n 

One Word: Heavy

Three Words: Darkest and Deepest

After I finished the book, I gave it 3.5 stars, and I'm not going to change my initial rating, but the more I think about all of the things this book touched on: on abuse and sexuality and mental disorders and just how freaking well done it all was, the more I think this book it worth, like, thirty stars.

You think I'm over-valuing this book but I am not even in the slightest. I want all her books. I want allllll her books.

"I bloomed into the dark thing she made me. I am creature with a vast capacity for patience, and for violence. For watching. For waiting. (ARC)" 

Little wolf. Girls love with their teeth. Bipolar tendencies welcome. Murder isn't as bad as you think and getting away with it is the only option. Run girl, into each other. And boys, don't close your eyes at night, because- that little wolf? She's not even waiting for you to blink.

Book Rec Number Two: Courtney Cole, Nocte
G o o d r e a d s // A m a z o n

Ah, it's been what-? Two months? More? I'm still reeling. I saw all these updates saying "I guessed it!"

I did not guess it. *slow clap*

Courtney Cole, I read your contemporary series. This one was not like the other. It was sooooo not like the other. And I adore it. I'd even go as far as to pull a Mr. Darcy and say that I loved this book most ardently. Plus that cover is just absolute perfection. Seriously. Can I meet and bow down to who made it? Or buy them a coffee?

From the creeptastic Latin and the ENDING. *throws hands up* I don't know what you want me to say, man. I really don't. Read it? You should. Pay close attention? You better.

"I would plunge to the bottom of the ocean for you. I'd comb it for shells and make you a necklace and then hang myself with it. Because if you aren't here, I don't want to be either."

Book Rec Number Three: Tarryn Fisher, Mud Vein
G o o d r e a d s // A m a z o n

This is the book you mother warned you about. It's the book that haunts you because oh my god the ending and nothing is perfect and everything is perfect and soul mates comes in twos and threes and what are your chanced of you even finding one of your soul mates when you have the entire world to search through? That's 7 billion people. 7 billion possibilities. How many of those soul mates will you never meet?

But this book isn't about soul mates.

Nope. This book is about escaping and surviving and what one person would do to live. Sort of. It's about everything you've done wrong and all the chances you didn't take. It's about those times when you trusted someone but then they left you trust for the carnival workers to take down with the rest of the equipment.

I'll repeat one of those. This book is about every chance you didn't take.

"That's what its like to be a prisoner of anything. You want your freedom until you get it, then you feel bare without your chains."

- - - - 

So, how do you feel about the books that are a touch darker? A touch deeper? And do you have any suggestions? Because these books are my

favorites.