Twisted Pawn (Deluxe Edition) (Society of Villains, 2)
**The deluxe edition comes with designed edges, inside cover designs, and a colored piece of artwork of the couple!**
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.
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Community Reviews
5⭐️’s!! Absolutely freaking amazing!! I love LJ’s writing style!! I want to read all her works! This second book in the series was not only gut wrenching and heartbreaking, it also had me feral!! This book will get your waterfall flowing and your heartstrings going. 😉 Especially the scene with Alex! Soo yummy!🤤 Waiting on my girls to finished this since I pretty much inhaled the book!
Twisted Pawn is everything I wanted in a dark mafia romance—intense, emotional, and seriously hot.
Achilles is ruthless, obsessive, and unapologetic, and Tierney is just as strong—she refuses to be a victim and fights back at every turn. Their chemistry is electric. Their banter, shared history, and unresolved feelings made every scene feel charged with tension.
The enemies to lovers dynamic mixed with a second chance romance worked so well, especially with the added layer of betrayal between them. I also loved the glimpses into their past. It added so much depth to their relationship and made their present story even more gripping.
If you love a dark, dangerous romance, this one is a must read.
⚠️ Be sure to check CW before reading.
Thank you to L.J. Shen and The Author Agency for the ARC.
Achilles is ruthless, obsessive, and unapologetic, and Tierney is just as strong—she refuses to be a victim and fights back at every turn. Their chemistry is electric. Their banter, shared history, and unresolved feelings made every scene feel charged with tension.
The enemies to lovers dynamic mixed with a second chance romance worked so well, especially with the added layer of betrayal between them. I also loved the glimpses into their past. It added so much depth to their relationship and made their present story even more gripping.
If you love a dark, dangerous romance, this one is a must read.
⚠️ Be sure to check CW before reading.
Thank you to L.J. Shen and The Author Agency for the ARC.
Twisted Pawn gave me a new book boyfriend, and his name is Achilles Ferrante.
This man is obsessed with Tierney Callaghan. Not in the cute contemporary romance sense where a guy sends flowers and remembers her coffee order. Achilles spends years hunting her across continents after she breaks his heart and sells him out to the Feds. The man is furious, dangerous, and catastrophically down bad.
Tierney's self-destructive streak was probably the hardest part of the book for me. She spends years convinced she is not good enough for Achilles because she cannot give him children. That grief sends her into a spiral of punishing herself through meaningless encounters with men she doesn't even want. It is uncomfortable, messy, and often frustrating to watch. At the same time, it creates a unique obstacle in a genre where the biggest problem is often a simple lack of communication. Achilles could not care less about having an heir. Tierney cannot accept that she is enough exactly as she is.
The cat-and-mouse dynamic had me hooked. Every time Tierney ran, Achilles was right behind her. Every time she pushed him away, he dug his heels in deeper. Their relationship walks a thin line between devotion and destruction, which made it impossible for me to look away. My favorite scenes were the childhood flashbacks. Beneath all the violence, revenge, and mafia politics is a boy who trusted one girl with his deepest fears. Tierney is the girl who loved Achilles long before either of them understood what love really meant. Those glimpses into their past made the slowburn to the present-day conflict even better.
Achilles completely stole the show. He is ruthless with everyone except Tierney. Every time another man touched her, I found myself waiting to see how long that person had left to live. If Achilles cannot have Tierney, nobody can. Achilles is possessive, ruthless, and terrifying to anyone who threatens Tierney. He somehow remains completely soft when it comes to her. Every time someone put a hand on Tierney, Achilles responded exactly how I hoped he would.
The mafia storyline kept the plot tense without pulling focus from the romance. I also enjoyed how Shen set up the next installment through the fallout surrounding Achilles' family. That ending had me ready to backtrack for book one and immediately add book three to my TBR.
The audiobook was fantastic. The duet narration elevated every scene. Lila Winters, Lucy Rivers, Stephen Dexter, and Corvin King delivered performances that felt immersive, emotional, and ridiculously hot. The infamous scene involving Achilles, Tierney, and Alex? Chef's kiss.
Twisted Pawn is dark, obsessive, emotionally messy, and packed with longing. Pick this up if your favorite romance heroes are the ones who would burn down entire cities for the woman they love. Achilles Ferrante is ready to meet you.