3 out of 4 stars
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Twisted Threads is an exciting thriller by Kaylin McFarren, full of intrigue, suspense, and red-hot romance. Akira is a yakuza assassin with one last mission: hunt down the ones responsible for murdering the boss’ sister and end them. The former geisha has just ten days to find the killer onboard a Caribbean cruise ship full of passengers who aren’t what they seem. Danger lurks behind every door, and Akira knows she’s going to need an ally if she wants to make it out alive. To that end, she selects handsome Devon Lyons as her mark. The plan: seduce him, gain his trust, and use him to complete her mission. But even as she chases increasingly tangled leads, Akira’s involvement with Devon becomes increasingly complicated, as seductress begins to find herself seduced, drawing both Akira and Devon into an ever more deadly game of cat and mouse with their dangerous, unknown foe.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Twisted Threads hits the ground running and then keeps the brisk pace throughout, serving up a tangled web of suspicious connections, broken up only by the steamy seductions of Akira and Devon. Though Twisted Threads is the fourth book in an ongoing series, newcomers to the series will be able to slip right in to the action.
Backed up by three books of backstory, McFarren’s characters feel rounded out and real, and the stakes of their conflicts are all the more tense because of it. The rivalry between Akira and Yuki, for instance, simmers naturally to a boil with the weight of (presumably) three books behind it, and readers feel their animosity even without knowing all the events that led them to that point. Similarly, the complex relationships of the Lyons Family feel fleshed out and real.
All the same, there were moments where the dialogue felt a little stiff and unnatural, and there were moments where the prose would benefit from being tightened up a little more. There were also some plot points that got a little old after a time, such as Takashi’s shows of disapproval toward Devon, and others that felt a little forced, such as Paul’s disapproval of Akira. In both these scenarios, less is definitely more. Overusing Takashi’s fatherly disapproval cheapens it, so removing some of the instances of him glaring daggers at Devon will make the moments when he does feel all the more weighty and awkward.
Paul’s disapproval is a trickier fix, since it feels almost perfunctory. While the reasons for his concern that he expresses to Devon are sound and rational, they don’t seem to fit into his character as presented in the story, and none of his interactions with Akira are in the least bit tense or awkward because of it. While this can be chalked up to English politeness, it instead comes across as Paul being uncharacteristically two-faced, which doesn’t feel right for the character.
Otherwise, it was very enjoyable and a must for fans of thrillers, most especially romantic thrillers. When I read Twisted Threads, it was without having read any of the preceding books, but after having read it, I think I’ll go back and take and take a look at them!
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Twisted Threads
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or not for a good week. I wasnt sure if I would be able to get into the storyline of geisha's and stuff. I do however enjoy thrillers, so I was glad to read its a must read for fans of thrillers. 
