I loved him from the age of sixteen. Hated him from the age of eighteen. He disappeared at the age of nineteen. We started off as enemies, then fast became lovers. But our story isn’t a happily ever after. It was a story of a king and a peasant. Can you guess which I was? I knew we weren’t meant to be. You see, he fell in love with her first. He loved me last.I’m not someone’s second choice.Not … last.
I’m not someone’s second choice.
Not even for the boy who stole my heart.
I’m someone’s first.
Now, I just have to remember that.
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Five mind-bending stars! This is an all-consuming book that will fulfil your bookish cravings.
For.Goodness.Sake! Someone please pinch me because this book blew my mind to the moon and back. I still feel a knot in my throat and my heart is beating so hard inside my chest. Distorted Love by T.L. Smith is a wonderful book that made me obsessed with the raw and twisted romance inside its pages. This book is so damn good! It is an original masterpiece wrapped in a sinful cover that hides a twisted story that will leave you with a big book hangover.
The pace is fast. I devoured each page of this book with an enthusiasm I have not felt in a long time. It was an intense journey that had me at the edge of my sit. I enjoyed every little thing about it. My time was not wasted. This book worth every minute I spent on it. Perfection exists and is materialised in this book.
The plot is brutally addictive, extraordinary beautiful and with some dark touches that had me drooling over. The storyline is brilliant and refreshing. T.L. Smith delivered a wonderful book that left me wanting more.
I can’t wait to read the conclusion of this duet. It is killing me slowly not knowing what will happen to Barbie and Ryken. Their story sank deep into my skin like a knife. It is passionate, angry and desperate.
Saskia and Ryken are complex, strong and broken. They are a yin and a yang, fighting over which colour took more space. Love and hate. Light and darkness. Power and surrender.
They weren’t meant to be together but the temptation was bigger and the lines that keep them apart will be erased by the powerful attraction that they can’t deny.
The heroine of this book is not the typical damsel in danger. No. She is the opposite. She can be soft and beautiful as a rose but she also has thorns that make her dangerous and strong. Ryken will break her heart nevertheless she is going to be his downfall. She is light and Ryken is darkness. How many times can a heart be broken by the man you hate and love at the same time?
Ryken Lord is dangerous. He is a fallen angel in a sinful body. He has the bad boy style that every girl likes. His demons are carefully hidden. He could steal your heart with a kiss and devour your soul because he is toxic. He is a predator. Love does not exist in his vocabulary. But a beautiful and tempting blonde will turn upside down his planned life.
Taking over his father’s businesses will mean he will sacrifice his heart and he will sell his soul. The only good thing left will disappear from his hands. He knows what he wants until Saskia. She is not the right girl for him. That’s what everyone tells him. She is too good and pure for his darkness. But he can’t stay away the temptation.
I highly recommend you this book. It is a mind-blowing experience that you will want to repeat. This is a must read, a book that will tempt your heart in a sinful and singular way. Distorted Love worth the risk of losing your mind over an intriguing book about two souls that aren’t meant to be together. This book deserves every shining star. Prepare yourself for the best enemies-to-lovers romance. It is a forbidden and tempting reading you should not miss. This is a perfect read for those readers who crave a magnificent story. This book is a mind-blowing journey. T.L. Smith’s writing is exquisite and divine.
I need help, how do I recover after that?
Omg, TL Smith always leaves me speechless, but not numb, I feel numb.
I was pulled in all directions, I felt for Saskia then Ryken, then I hated him, liked him again, oh what a jumbled up dark mess this story is.
Two people who couldn’t be together but loved each other. A story that starts off like any other high school romance, innocent quiet girl falls for tall, brooding bad boy but don’t be fooled.
Ryken was to take over his father’s business once he turned eighteen then later to take over his father’s sex trafficking business.
Ryken was warned Saskia wasn’t the right girl for him when his father saw he had feelings for her his father even threatened to have her taken and sold, he believed that she wouldn’t let the things he did slide, his fathers orders were that he had to have a girl who would overlook his business dealings, be happy with designer things and be by his side, a trophy wife who turned a blind eye…
Saskia would never be that woman, the girl from a trailer park was not a material girl but her richer cousin was.
Livia is destined to be a lawyer she’s the better fit by the order of Ryken’s father and once Livia finishes college who would question or suspect the husband of a lawyer in illegal dealings.
Ryken’s path was always planned even when he fell for the blonde girl, his Barbie but was forced to be with the brunette.
I hated it at times, OMG my heart, love triangles are so cruel. All I wanted was for Ryken to fight for Saskia and he couldn’t even do it, not even when he became the underground boss.
This book will make your head spin.
If your the kind of reader that gets all squeamish at cheaters, honestly this isn’t for you then, me, however, I love and hate the drama of it all, it’s fiction and can’t wait for more.
I need book two now!, my sanity needs It! I’ll be over here rocking in the corner waiting.
I can’t even express the way this book left me. From the moment I started reading I was addicted. T.l Smith is everything I want in dark romances . It’s absolutely brilliant and will leave you breathless.
Nothing in Distorted Love will be how you expect. It’s dark, it’s gritty, and it’s distorted. You will be left hanging off the edge of your seat, no doubt.Ryken and his real life Barbie will lead you on an adventure and then leave you free falling.
It’s dark and it’s sexy. What more could you ask for between Rykenand Saskia. And after that ending I can’t wait for Sinister Love.I spent most of the book holding my breath, waiting for that bomb.
“Ryken Lord is my daytime Tulip, while I’m his night-time siren.”
This was my second T.l Smith book and I’m an addict. But its one addiction I don’t plan on breaking.
*ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love forbidden love, the pull between the couple where they can’t keep their eyes or hand off each other.
Finding out what Ryken father’s business entails is in no way shocking.
You do not read TL without knowing she’s going to stir shit up.
It will interesting to see where this heads in the next book, I’m all kinds of intrigued.
This book has bleeding destroyed me.
Like Totally Wrecked me in a major big way.
This has got to be one of the most angsty stories I’ve ever experienced.
I’m so confused I’m not actually sure if I hate this book as much as I love it.
It has all my most hated Tropes.
In particular, love triangles, hate them sooo much !!!
but still, something compelled me to give this a go.
And in all honesty, I can only give it it’s full five stars as Distorted love has gripped me with its sharp talons piercing my skin and digging in for maximum damage leaving me ravaged with blood and tears.
After finishing I’m sat here with the biggest lump ever in my throat.
I’m just like so sad it’s unreal, I’m an actual mess here.
There’s a fine line between love and hate and I’m straddling it.
But when something affects you so powerfully for whatever reason that may be, it’s definitely done its job ten-fold.
So sorry for my vaguish ramblings, but I think the blurb for this says it all, and really this just needs to be read with no preconceptions.
I really hope this affects you as profoundly as me.
Saskia and Ryken I am waiting in anticipation to discover where this journey is taking you and I eagerly await book two.
I was provided with an ARC of “Distorted Love (Dark Intentions Duet #1)” By the author of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
WTAF did I just read…..
I knew when this novel headed my way I would be in for one hell of a ride, but once again (and I have no idea how she does it) TL completely blew my mind.
Distorted Love is novel that captured my very soul and it simply took my breath away.
Yet again another novel by TL Smith that with every page turned was a manipulation of the mind, turning my thought process in to complete mush. Not once, and I mean not once was there any predictability to it. It kept me guessing the whole way through.
A dark and sinister read that held me captive until the wee hours of the morning because I couldn’t put it down.
A disturbing read with a whole lot of darkness, secrets and evil that simply played out perfectly in this well written, in depth, raw and gritty novel. I can’t rate it high enough.
I cannot wait until the next installment. Ryken and Saskia are my new addiction and I just want more, no I need more.
Bravo TL Smith…Again you have created perfection with your dark and twisted mind.
Another case where you simply show us that darkness can be beautiful.
5 stars.
I honestly don’t know if I can write a coherent review for this book, so my deepest apologies if I don’t make sense. My heart is still in an incredibly messed up place right now and I’m not so sure it’s ever going to be the same. Not after going through one of the most unsettling, but freaking awesome reading experience I’ve had in such a long time. This book was dark, twisted, and disturbing, but I devoured it in less than 24 hours. It was so damn good.. so good it hurts, but I still can’t get enough. I want more… I need more!
Ughhh this book… I seriously LOVE/HATE this book so much. Distorted Love completely destroyed me in the BEST and MOST SATISFYING WAY. The story had so much darkness and heartbreak, but it was so intensely real and undeniably captivating. Not to mention, sexy, suspenseful, and thrilling. As much as I love to read lighthearted, adorable, and sweet love stories, there’s something really alluring about dark romances. That being said, I’m still very picky and most of them don’t really “click” with me. I really don’t know which stories I’ll like and enjoy, so I held back from requesting the sequel for this book.
Well, I MOST DEFINITELY shouldn’t have…
All it took is one hit and I knew without a doubt that I’ll be craving to read all of T.L. Smith’s other books. I mean there were things that bothered me and I’m still not sure how I really feel about the story and the characters. BUT… I was hooked from the very first page and this book had me reeling and on edge the entire time. I never knew what was coming — it was so frustratingly fun, thrilling and intriguing. My emotions were all over the place — infatuation, happiness, hate, love, anger, hope, sadness, pain. It was such a mess — a beautiful mess. This book definitely affected me so much more than I expected that even when my heart was breaking into pieces, I DID NOT WANT TO STOP READING! I don’t know how much more I can take, but I NEED the next book NOW! That ending totally ruined me and I can’t stop thinking about what’ll happen to Ryken and Saskia. There’s no other way to put it — I’m consumed by their twisted love story and so hopelessly addicted. If there’s anyone who knows just what I’m going through… that would be Camila Cabello. Her song, “Never Be the Same” describes EXACTLY how I feel towards this book.
Love is complex, messy, and sometimes even tragic. Distorted Love left my heart broken and barely beating, but I can’t seem to let it go. T.L. Smith is such a brilliant writer who knows just how to tease, seduce, and reel you in. Once you have a taste, you’ll keep coming back for more. As soon as I finished reading, I immediately requested for Sinister Love and hoped I would get approved. And I DID!!!! I cannot recommend this book enough. You really just have to experience Smith’s gorgeous and awesome writing to know what I’m talking about.
Current Status: Impatiently stalking my email waiting for my Sinister Love ARC to arrive. I’m so obsessed because this book!
Ryken. Saskia. The angst.
This was part one in a duet and it was wonderful. Obviously being a duet, it ends on a cliffhanger and the questions I have, ohhh my! I couldn’t put this book down until I was done. ~ Keanna
Distorted Love is my first book by T.L. Smith and most certainly not my last. Dark romances are a new genre for me, but I’m definitely adding this author to my must read list. Everyone has said this book was mind-blowing and that is so true. I was speechless at the end of this book, I need the second book ASAP; I need to know what happens next!!! T.L. Smith’s writing will have you so hypnotized that you wouldn’t know that you were at the end until the last page. Three words to describe this book – Hot, Twisted, and Emotional.
This book will leave you sitting at the edge of your seat and will take you on one hell of a roller coaster!!
I fell in love with this book since I read the synopsis and I just couldn’t wait to get started reading it. AND boy let me tell you…..I am sitting here hoping that the next installment comes my way SOON! I need it like RIGHT NOW!
I absolutely love, love triangles because it always leaves me broken. Always feeling like a mess because I never know which way the ending should go (for the most part).
Ryken, obviously is a god’s gift to women. All girls practically fall at his feet because he’s just so damn gorgeous but he’s had his eye set only on one girl, Saskia but he knows he can’t have her. If anything, he’ll put her life in danger if he so much as talks to her. But the pull is so strong that neither one can stay away from each other.
But Ryken makes the toughest decision of his life and chooses Livia and believe it or not, he falls in love with them both, but has to go the safe way instead of the way his heart wants him to.
Unexpected events happen, Saskia’s life has been put in danger (all thanks to herself) and even Ryken has had to pay for her huge mistake, but apparently it wasn’t enough and now Saskia will have to do what she never expected to in order to pay up her slip up.
Both Ryken and Saskia love playing with fire, will they both get burned!!
TL Smith never ceases to amaze me. She knows how to write a great suspenseful book that will leave you with a tremendous book hangover especially when there’s a cliffhanger lingering and you just can’t wait to get the following book to the story.
I can’t express how much I LOVED this book! I’m counting down the days for the next book!
5 STARS
Wow….I am still digesting this story….
Distorted Love is the story of Saskia (Barbie) and Ryken, and what a twisted story it is!
I really am a closet dark romance fan and this story checks all the right boxes!
Saskia is the quintessential hardscrabble girl. She has had a craptacular life but she has a quiet strength to her. She tries to be in a happier place, tries to find a “normal” love but she is always drawn to Ryken.
Oh Ryken, he tries so hard to rise above his legacy, he has the heart his father doesn’t. He is pulled in so many different directions and he tries to make the right choices, even when they hurt the ones he loves most.
I liked the style and speed of the story, the “confessionals” really made me think! I liked the bit of mystery. And finally, what a helluva cliffhanger, absolutely loved it! I cannot wait to get my hands on the conclusion!!
This is the first story I have read by this author, but it won’t be my last! Well done!
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. … Today I fell further down the rabbit hole I wasn’t invited into. Today I fell in love.”
We’ll that could be my next confession. Distorted Love is a rabbit hole you fall into so willingly you don’t even realize it. I fell in love with every T.L. Smith book I get into my hand starting some time ago, so it’s no surprise I fell deeply in love with Distorted Love as well.
“How the prince steals the heart of the princess with just one kiss. He could steal my heart with his lips alone.”
Distorted Love is slightly different from T.L. Smith’s latest books. In my eyes anyway. It still is dark, toxic, enthralling, sexy but yet somehow different. Again she created a world you get sucked right into as soon as you turn the first pages and you are not able to leave until you turned the last page.
“It’s impossible to stay away from something you want more than your next breath.”
Saskia and Ryken are special in every possible way. So different from each other, yet so similar. No wonder they are attracted. You feel the game of pushing and pulling deep in your reader’s soul. Saskia and Ryken seem to be two wrongs which clearly can’t make one right. Yet they seem to be two magnets who’ll always find their way back to each other. They dance a dangerous game and one of them will get hurt in the end.
“And Ryken Lord just made me his living breathing Barbie without even knowing it.”
My big mystery is Quinn. I don’t know why but there is just this dark aura around him, that keeps pulling on my heart strings every time he made an appearance. I want to know about him so I truly hope, and I’m begging here, that he’ll get his own book!
“I’m afraid I’ll love her even when I shouldn’t. I’m afraid I’ll want her even when I can’t have her.”
Distorted Love will ravish you. It will take bits of you, piece by piece. It’ll stuck under your skin and you can’t escape.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
Well my goodness, what a story!
Saskia and Livia are cousins attending a private high school. Livia coming from money and Saskia living off the support from her uncle and sometimes present mother. Livia, the one who is making her rounds with the boys in school and Saskia, concentrating on keeping her grades up so that she doesn’t lose her scholarship.
Ryken they boy with mysterious eyes. The one you look at and deep inside your gut is telling you to stay away from. Nothing good can come from being in a relationship with him.
Two cousins…One boy…
One cousin is perfect on paperwork.
One cousin is perfect for love.
While I was hooked from the beginning of this book, reading it nonstop, I didn’t feel any connection to any of the characters. The constant back and forth love, hate, leave, stay, push, pull, drove me crazy. In my opinion took away from the story.
Bring on book two because I’ve got to know how this triangle will end!!!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Ridiculous manic girl meets stupid criminal boy.
Holy effing mind eff of the freaking year!!! T.L. Smith is a newer author to me but I have found that her twisted new adult dark romances are unique and right up my alley. There is no way to know what is going on in her stories, even when you are positive you have it figure out Smith throws in another twist and messes with your head even more. Distorted Love is no exception to the dark and twisty. I found myself turning pages left and right trying to figure it out. I finished this in a few hours and I now have more questions than answers and I am impatiently waiting for the final book in this duet to land on my kindle!
She’s my end, my middle, and my beginning. But in another life. Not this life.
Ryken and Saskia are two people drawn to each other. They complement each other in ways that most people search for until their dying breaths. But they are also completely wrong for each other. From different worlds, Saskia wears hand-me downs and lives in a rundown trailer. Ryken lives in the biggest mansion in town and is set to follow in his father’s very powerful footsteps. If they can stay away from each other they’ll be fine. But staying away is hard when that person is the only thing you truly want.
“It’s impossible to stay away from something you want more than your next breath.”
I LOVED this book!!!! I have strong feelings toward every character, even the ones that appear for only a scene or two. I loathe Livia in a way I have never loathed a character before. I really wanted to find something to like about that girl but I just couldn’t and I am positive that my feelings will only grow stronger in the conclusion. Robert, Cane, Stiles, heck even Quinn I found myself liking, some more than others but hey they can’t all be my favorite. That spot is reserved for Quinn in case you were curious. I do love me a bad boy and while Ryken certainly checks every box, I found myself giddy (yes giddy!) whenever Quinn made an appearance.
“It’s me you can’t have. Haven’t you worked that out yet, Ryken? Two wrongs can’t make a right. You and I, we’re two wrongs.”
^^^^^ That quote sums up Ryken and Saskia perfectly! I am dying, literally dying to read the conclusion ASAP. Who do I need to talk to to make this happen???? I’m not above bribing!!! I needs more Ryken, Saskia and of course Quinn 😉 Thank you T.L. Smith for an amazingly messed up wonderful read!
Five Distorted Stars!!
**Review by Amy W., Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night w/ Books**
I’m sure I say this every time I finish reading one of T.L. Smith’s books……I think this one may be my favorite to date. It really kept me on the edge of my street the whole time. It was a very emotional story that I really didn’t want to ever end. Once I got started I found it impossible to put down.
I haven’t been this hooked on a book in ages!! Loved the characters and was so frustrated many times! Twisty twisty! Can’t wait for the 2nd part!!
Oh man when I got to the end of this book I wanted to throw it. This was an extreme emotional read. Dark and ugly, twisted. The love that they shared was explosive and forbidden. The author just. Well I don’t know what this author did but I couldn’t put this book down. What started as a simple attraction turned so ugly, I mean the things they did to each other and still returned was beyond me. She wasn’t a part of his world but she was in his heart.
OK so this isn’t my first read by this author so I should have been prepared but like Barbie I wasn’t ready. This touched me in so many ways that I have to have more. I can’t let their story go and since this isn’t a standalone I have to have the next book. It’s that kind of read. And with the way the first book ended the stuff aint done.
This was my first TL Smith book, but it sure isn’t going to be my last one. I mean, yeah, I have to read the second book on this one, but yeah, I’m going to have to read the rest of her catalog, because so awesome.
This is an enemies to friends to enemies to lovers to enemies to something else. I couldn’t keep track of all the changes that Saskia and Ryken went through. I’m pretty sure that they couldn’t either. The changes are awesome and scary and so mindf&**^ing that I needed a tissue and a cigarette afterward. The layers that are always going on in this story are just wow. So much to unpack and dig through and each new bit adds more questions.
Saskia is a high school student. She’s had a crush ever since he transferred into her school. But, she’s the girl from the other side of the tracks and is in their exclusive private school on scholarship. Saskia would rather just hide and be ignored because she feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. When her cousin asks her if she likes Ryken, she lies and says no.
Ryken has been watching Saskia, his Barbie, for as long as he has been in town. He wants her, but he tries to avoid it. He is going to inherit his father’s clubs when he turns 18, and he doesn’t really want to drag Saskia into that life, even though he wants her. When Ryken finds out that Saskia has come to the attention of his father for his trafficking business. Ryken promises to stay away from her altogether and she’ll be safe. Instead, he decides to start a relationship with her cousin.
The twists and turns in this are just wow. This is not a standalone and it is the first book in a duet, so if you don’t like to read before the next one comes out, then you may want to wait for the next one to come out, But, I couldn’t wait because the story is so intriguing. I love both Ryken and Saskia, even when they are making me mad, and dangit if Ryken really piss me off a lot. But he gets shoved into places where he has to make crappy choices, just because the choices are crappy and crappier. And no one is going to win with those choices. They are going to hurt someone, no matter what.
I can’t wait for the next one.
5 SHATTERED HEART STARS!! My heart is shattered! I am trying to put it back together again, but still struggling to find the pieces. OMG, what has this author done to us readers with this phenomenal book. I have never read a story like this before she has written a masterpiece. This dark twisted love story will take you on one emotional rollercoaster ride you never want to end. T.L. Smith is the master of dark love stories, her words are like gold and turns it to a 5 star read. I am sorry, my review can not do this story justice, so JUST READ IT!! I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
T.L Smith is a new author to me and WOW did I pick a good book to start on. This dark and twisty new adult, enemies to lovers romance but not in the way you think, was one that I couldn’t put down. Now I can’t believe I have to wait a month for the next part.
Saskia Tyler and Ryken Lord are complete opposites but as the saying goes, opposites attract just in this case they shouldn’t. She shouldn’t want him but she does. He wants her but can’t have her.
Saskia wants him but there’s someone standing in her way – her cousin Livia, she can’t hurt her cousin for a guy. She’ll have to ignore and avoid him, which is hard to do when you keep getting thrown together.
Ryken wants Saskia but Livia is the better choice, she won’t ask to many questions. He has to stay away from Saskia to keep her safe or she’ll be collected – but he keeps being drawn to her.
Sex, lies, secrets, dark and twisty stuff – this book has it all. It definitely takes you on a rollercoaster. I loved this book, the characters keep you engaged , the secondary characters also. The dual POV is great, I love reading from milutiple perspectives – I feel like I get more from the characters that way. And the confessional parts – who is that? I can’t wait to find out.