BOOK REVIEW: 'Twisted Truths' by Rebecca Zanetti—5 Stars

Rebecca Zanetti closes out her Blood Brothers series with the action-packed and super swoony Twisted Truths. I loved every moment! Also, enter to win a paperback copy of your own.

[For Mature Audiences; Some Spoilers]

Rebecca Zanetti’s Blood Brothers series has owned me from the very first book. This series is romantic suspense at it’s best, and Twisted Truths is a fitting conclusion, with it’s action, mystery, and swoons.

Ryker, Heath, and Denver Jones learned that they were created via genetic engineering by Dr. Isobel Madison, who also secreted them away at a boys home in North Carolina. When the boys were barely teens, in an act of self defense, they killed the abusive proprietor of the boys home. Ever since, Ryker, Heath, and Denver have been on the run from Sheriff Cobb, the dirtiest and depraved of cops, who seeks to kill the Jones brothers in order to avenge his own sibling. Madison and Cobb are linked up and desperate to get their hands on the Jones brothers, by any means necessary.

Ever since Deadly Silence (the first book in the series), we’ve known that Denver is dealing with severe heartache. He spent several months in Alaska falling in love with a woman named Noni. However, in the interest of keeping her safe from the dangerous cloud that stalks his life, Denver abandons Noni for her own good. It can’t have been easy for Denver to watch his two older brothers fall in love and actually get to keep those women in his lives. Did he make a mistake with Noni? At the end of Lethal Lies, Denver learns that Noni has been looking for him by posting searches all over the Internet. Unfortunately, that means that the people who are looking for Denver are now clued in to Noni. He has to get to her before they do!

Twisted Truths picks up with Denver tracking Noni down to her motel in Utah. It turns out that she needs his help to rescue her foster sister’s daughter, Talia, who’s been kidnapped. Noni’s foster sister, Sharon, is now dead, and Talia’s deadbeat father (Richie) kidnapped the girl a couple weeks ago. Noni knows that Denver is an investigator of some sort, and in her desperation, she’s reaching out for help. However, things get more complex because Richie is actually part of a major gang and planning to *sell* Talia on the dark web. In the midst of Denver and Noni trying to outbid other unsavory characters for Talia, they’re also on the run from Richie’s gang (who are trying to kill Noni) and Madison/Cobb (who are trying to kill Denver). YIKES! And while they’re trapped together, Noni is determined to get the closure she deserves from Denver. However, it becomes pretty clear that the chemistry between Denver and Noni is still very strong. Despite the dangers, when it’s all said and done, they might not be able to say goodbye again.

I’ve wanted Denver’s book from the moment I met him two books ago. He’s so quiet and introspective, yet a fervent supporter of his brothers. I’ve really wanted to get under his skin and figure out what makes Denver tick. In Twisted Truths, we learn that Denver deals with so much guilt. He blames himself for Ryker and Heath having to live as fugitives who are still on the run from Sheriff Cobb. Denver is dedicated to making sure his brothers can have their happily ever afters, even if he must sacrifice himself in the process. This book is very much about Denver coming to terms with those feelings, forgiving himself, and learning that he’s also worthy of love. He gets these reassurances from Ryker, Heath, as well as Jory Dean and the Dean brothers (from Zanetti’s prequel Sin Brothers series).

But the most important person in Denver’s world is Noni, and she is critical to snapping him out of those moods whenever he retreats into himself:

“We don’t have to do this now.”
“Chicken,” she snapped.
He nodded. “Definitely.”
Oh, he wasn’t going to be cute. Nothing he could say or do would make her see him as cute tonight. No way.
“Explain.” She put her hands on her hips.
He sighed. “The why of it really doesn’t matter. The end result does.”
“You’re wrong. The why matters a whole lot, Denver.” Nothing in her would give him an inch on this. “I deserve the truth. One night you’re there, with me, and then you’re just gone, with no warning…”
“Then why not say good-bye?”
“I thought it’d be easier if you hated me.” His deep blue eyes held nothing but earnest light. “And I couldn’t say good-bye.”
“You’re a coward,” she whispered…
He drew out the chair to sit again. “Done talking.” Sweat dotted his brow, and a vein bulged in his neck. Just a few words from him wasn’t enough. She didn’t care that he was done.
“Too bad. I am not finished talking.”
Maybe if she had forced him to talk to her before he wouldn’t have just left her alone and with so many questions. His head jerked back, and he focused again on her, his eyebrows drawing up. Yeah. She’d never challenged him, had she? No, she’d been so perfectly understanding and accepting of his unwillingness to talk much because it just wasn’t him. Or rather, he wasn’t comfortable talking a lot. Instead, she’d acted like a housewife from the fifties and let him have his way. She’d wanted him to feel accepted and comfortable around her, and she’d tamped down her inclination to get to the bottom of things. Mistake. Definitely a mistake.

Like the heroines who have come before her, Noni is a fierce woman who will do absolutely anything to keep her loved ones safe. Time and time again, Noni puts herself on the line to stand by Denver’s side, save Talia, and protect her Aunts (who lovingly refer to Denver as “dickhead” *SNORT*). Noni also believes that she’s entitled to the truth of Denver’s feelings. As they spend time together, the memories of their time together come into sharp focus, so why not try to reclaim some of it right now?

Yet here she was. Right here and right now. So he swooped in and kissed her like he’d wanted to for the past day. Hard and fast and demanding. He took, and then he took more. She stiffened and then the tautness deserted her as she softened against him, submitting to his mouth. It had been that way before. The quiet sound of submission as she let him take, as she started kissing him back, demand on her tongue. Pure sweetness in her taste. The world burned hotter, and desperation tried to claw through him. But he controlled himself, thinking only of her. He gentled his kiss, giving pleasure. He remembered what she liked, what made her moan…

Being with her again was better than he’d dreamed. He didn’t deserve another chance; he knew that. But touching her felt right. For the first time since he’d left her, he felt whole again. His hands pushed up the camisole, and he palmed her breasts. She arched against him, crying out. He gently squeezed. Touching her again filled something inside him he hadn’t realized had been stone-cold empty.
“Noni, you remember me, and you remember this.” He lightly tweaked her pretty nipples. She pushed harder into him and threw her head back on the pillow, pure bliss in her sigh. Yeah, she liked a little bite with her pleasure. He loved that about her. And it worked well, because he couldn’t let her tear out her stitches.
“You don’t get to move, baby. Move, and I stop.” He settled on top of her, forcing her thighs apart. Then he rolled her nipples, and she caught her breath. Good. He had her attention.
“Tell me you understand.”
“I understand,” she breathed, her body relaxing against the bed…

“You’re being very good, Noni,” he murmured, sliding farther down and placing a kiss on the top of her mound. Her entire body shuddered beneath him. God, he’d missed her. He stretched his fingers inside her, and she gasped. The musky scent of her desire drugged him, and he let himself just feel. Just for the moment. He slid his fingers free, and she gave a moan of protest. Then he spread her open for him…

He pressed his tongue right on her clit and swirled it. “Let me make you feel good.” The taste of her was destroying him, and he didn’t care. Her head fell back on the pillow.
“I missed you so much.” The words slammed into him, filling his chest. Filling all of him.
He licked her again. “I missed you, too.”

…

Pleasure rushed through her, edged with pain, mingling into a sensation so intense she could only feel. Her hands released, and one of his was instantly banded around her wrists, keeping them pressed against the small of her back. Her eyelids flashed open. Determination and lust stamped hard on his angled face.
“Don’t. Move.”
She swallowed, her body vibrating, her breasts so heavy they ached. Finally, her butt rested on his thighs. She tried to lift up, tried to move, tried to dispel some of the need…and he held her in place. She could do nothing but take what he was giving. Wait until he gave more. Even his gaze trapped her in place…
She arched her back against her own wrists, losing herself in the vicious pleasure. He did it again, the glide of him inside her brushing nerves she’d forgotten about. Nerves that only Denver had ever owned. As if they belonged to him. She pulled against his hold, instinctively trying to release herself and find some control. Escape this hold he had on her. One she’d forgotten was so damn intense.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he said in a rough voice. “You’re safe.”
She was nowhere near safe, but at his low voice, she eased into his hold.
“There you go. Let me show you.” He moved, his hand sliding down to her hip, his strength easily allowing him to lift her to meet his thrusts. Her thoughts scattered, and her nerves focused on the devastating sensations spiraling out. He pinched her nipple, the rough pain pulling her deeper into his spell. His thrusts grew harder and faster, deeper inside her. Her fears and concerns faded away, replaced by the hard cock inside her, the strength of the body surrounding her, the determined fingers on her breasts. There was a gentleness to him, a sweetness she’d barely glimpsed before. The rise to ecstasy was sharp and edged with pain, and yet she kept trying to climb.

OOLALA!

In the course of Twisted Truths, we learn that Denver has a special relationship with Cobb and Madison that attracts their interest and attention in a way different from Ryker and Heath. So even when Denver would do anything to be with Noni, Talia, and his brothers, the only way he might be able to guarantee their safety is to take extreme measures. There are covert missions, lots of explosions, hand-to-hand combat, medical experimentation, huge surprises, and big reveals.

Plus, I love that Ryker and Zara, Heath and Anya, along with the Dean brothers and their Montana crew play a major part in this story. The journey to an HEA is fraught, but Rebecca Zanetti totally brings her A-game to deliver a fantastic finale, worthy of Denver and the Jones brothers.

The ending is so fulfilling, plus, we even get a bonus chapter that drives home how Denver, Ryker, and Heath are safe and in love. With that said, if Rebecca Zanetti wants to give us a few additional novels/novellas, you better believe I’d be first in line and ready to devour all her words.

The Blood Brothers series MUSTREAD for readers who like their romance sexy and with a heaping side of action-adventure. Add Twisted Truths to your Goodreads TBR list and download your copy ASAP!

You can also go HERE to enter to win one of ten paperback copies that Forever Romance is giving away.