Book Review: Twisted Palace by Erin Watt

Twisted Palace (Royals #3) by Erin Watt

Blurb:

These Royals will ruin you… 

From mortal enemies to unexpected allies, two teenagers try to protect everything that matters most.

Ella Harper has met every challenge that life has thrown her way. She’s tough, resilient, and willing to do whatever it takes to defend the people she loves, but the challenge of a long-lost father and a boyfriend whose life is on the line might be too much for even Ella to overcome. 

Reed Royal has a quick temper and even faster fists. But his tendency to meet every obstacle with violence has finally caught up with him. If he wants to save himself and the girl he loves, he’ll need to rise above his tortured past and tarnished reputation.

No one believes Ella can survive the Royals. Everyone is sure Reed will destroy them all. 

They may be right.

With everything and everyone conspiring to keep them apart, Ella and Reed must find a way to beat the law, save their families, and unravel all the secrets in their Twisted Palace.

My Review:

Spoiler Alert: Do not read this review if you have not read the previous book in the Royals series, Broken Prince.

So the wicked bitch of Bayview, NC is dead. And Reed Royal has been arrested for Brooke's murder. Oh, and Ella's biological father, Steve O'Halloran, is back from the dead. Yeah - that actually happened.

Ella and Reed's world is crashing down around them. Reed is being accused of a crime he didn't commit and Ella is forced to interact with a man she's not sure she likes. Steve is nothing like how Callum described him and his aggressive push to be super-dad (including a ton of insane rules) rubs Ella the wrong way.

With everyone whispering about Reed being a potential murder behind their backs and Steve working to keep them apart, will Reed and Ella be able to figure out who is framing Reed? Or will Reed accept defeat under the mounting stack of damning evidence against him? Will Ella be able to save Reed before he makes the biggest mistake of his life? Was Brooke really the intended target? Or was it a case of mistaken identity?

One thing is for certain: there's a killer out there that would do anything to keep his or her secrets and their crime from being revealed.

I enjoyed Twisted Palace, but not as much as I loved Paper Princess and Broken Prince. A great majority of Twisted Palace was spent on the murder, Reed's uncertain future, and Steve's unexplainable drive to keep Ella and Reed apart at all costs. While it added a greater depth to the story, the tone felt a lot different than in the first two books - so although I really liked the mystery and the story, I felt like the story slowed down at times. Like the reader and the characters were waiting for something to happen, for some resolution that too time to come.

I still loved all of the main characters but I have to admit I really hated Steve. I know that was kind of the point but I guess I was wishing he would be the cool guy that Callum kept talking about - not the kind of guy that made Callum look like a Father of the Year candidate. And I even felt sorry for Dinah! The sky must be falling!

Overall, I really did like Twisted Palace, especially when everything was revealed at the end and things settled down. Now I'm eager to read Easton's story. Who will be the girl that steals his heart? Somebody we already know? Or someone completely new?

My Rating:

4/5 Stars