Review by MBerretta -- Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren
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MBerretta
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- Latest Review: Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren
Review by MBerretta -- Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren
[Following is a volunteer review of "Twisted Threads" by Kaylin McFarren.]
Akira Sato, former geisha, and trained assassin has been given a rare opportunity—a way out of the Zakura-kai, a formidable yakuza mob family in Japan. Mitsui, head of the Zakura-kai, has suffered the immeasurable loss of his sister, Keiko, while she vacationed in Cabo. Strangely enough, an older English couple has been implicated in her death. Akira’s mission is to follow them as they take an extravagant cruise in the Caribbean and exact retribution on whoever is responsible for her death. Mitsui couldn’t care less if that means killing one or both. Whatever is necessary to avenge Keiko. With Takashi Hamada posing as her father, the pair befriend the Lyons—Paul and Sara— as well as their handsome, rogue nephew Devon. Akira knows the easiest way to gain insight into Keiko’s death will be through Devon, however, she doesn’t intend on falling in love with him. As Akira and Devon become closer, the truth behind Keiko’s death as well as the slurry of unfortunate accidents aboard the ship become known. Nothing is what it seems.
Twisted Threads, by Kaylin McFarren, is indeed a twisted, tangle of threads all seemingly connected in unusual ways. Akira is a likable protagonist with immense flaws. She has had to choose her life over others for many years as she worked for the Zakura-kai. Her story is fascinating and the lifestyle she has is one of the reasons I continued to read this book. I liked how there was a lot of intrigue and mystery surrounding herself and Devon as they got to know one another. It appears that neither of them is proud of their past and somehow manages to see a brighter future with one another. Their love story is one of the positives.
However, I feel like there was too much going on in this story. We had Akira and Devon’s story; Akira knows Devon’s sister from a previous treasure hunting excursion, but he doesn’t know that. Sara and Paul’s story of how they’re connected to Keiko. Sara’s evident mental illness and attachment to Dr. Bradshaw. A mysterious watcher that seemingly knows everyone—even Akira and Takashi’s mission—and has a vendetta against the doctors’ attending a conference on the cruise ship. Employees and guests going missing or winding up dead, a dastardly Captain, and his stewards. As well as the sociopathic rival and fellow Zakura-kai member Yuki being thrown in the mix. It was a little bit confusing at times and I think I would have liked it better if it had been simplified.
I am giving this book three out of four stars. I feel like it was professionally written, and I didn’t find any grammatical errors, however, the story itself seemed a little convoluted and hard to follow at times. There were also some unnecessary details thrown in just for a dramatic effect that did not aid the plot in any way. This might be due to my only having read this book and not the previous three. The author does explain background information that is necessary to move the story, so I’m not too sure if that was precisely the problem here.
I would recommend this book to anyone who tends to like a lot of drama, romance, and erotic-type novels. There is a lot of Asian influence as well, so if you like Japanese culture, you will appreciate those details that are included in this book. There were a lot of explicit descriptions of sexual interactions and intercourse so definitely not suitable for those that don’t care for that.
******
Twisted Threads
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Akira Sato, former geisha, and trained assassin has been given a rare opportunity—a way out of the Zakura-kai, a formidable yakuza mob family in Japan. Mitsui, head of the Zakura-kai, has suffered the immeasurable loss of his sister, Keiko, while she vacationed in Cabo. Strangely enough, an older English couple has been implicated in her death. Akira’s mission is to follow them as they take an extravagant cruise in the Caribbean and exact retribution on whoever is responsible for her death. Mitsui couldn’t care less if that means killing one or both. Whatever is necessary to avenge Keiko. With Takashi Hamada posing as her father, the pair befriend the Lyons—Paul and Sara— as well as their handsome, rogue nephew Devon. Akira knows the easiest way to gain insight into Keiko’s death will be through Devon, however, she doesn’t intend on falling in love with him. As Akira and Devon become closer, the truth behind Keiko’s death as well as the slurry of unfortunate accidents aboard the ship become known. Nothing is what it seems.
Twisted Threads, by Kaylin McFarren, is indeed a twisted, tangle of threads all seemingly connected in unusual ways. Akira is a likable protagonist with immense flaws. She has had to choose her life over others for many years as she worked for the Zakura-kai. Her story is fascinating and the lifestyle she has is one of the reasons I continued to read this book. I liked how there was a lot of intrigue and mystery surrounding herself and Devon as they got to know one another. It appears that neither of them is proud of their past and somehow manages to see a brighter future with one another. Their love story is one of the positives.
However, I feel like there was too much going on in this story. We had Akira and Devon’s story; Akira knows Devon’s sister from a previous treasure hunting excursion, but he doesn’t know that. Sara and Paul’s story of how they’re connected to Keiko. Sara’s evident mental illness and attachment to Dr. Bradshaw. A mysterious watcher that seemingly knows everyone—even Akira and Takashi’s mission—and has a vendetta against the doctors’ attending a conference on the cruise ship. Employees and guests going missing or winding up dead, a dastardly Captain, and his stewards. As well as the sociopathic rival and fellow Zakura-kai member Yuki being thrown in the mix. It was a little bit confusing at times and I think I would have liked it better if it had been simplified.
I am giving this book three out of four stars. I feel like it was professionally written, and I didn’t find any grammatical errors, however, the story itself seemed a little convoluted and hard to follow at times. There were also some unnecessary details thrown in just for a dramatic effect that did not aid the plot in any way. This might be due to my only having read this book and not the previous three. The author does explain background information that is necessary to move the story, so I’m not too sure if that was precisely the problem here.
I would recommend this book to anyone who tends to like a lot of drama, romance, and erotic-type novels. There is a lot of Asian influence as well, so if you like Japanese culture, you will appreciate those details that are included in this book. There were a lot of explicit descriptions of sexual interactions and intercourse so definitely not suitable for those that don’t care for that.
******
Twisted Threads
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"I want to learn everything I can, and I write down everything I see. Golly says if I want to be a writer someday, I better start now, and that is why I am a spy."
-Harriet M. Welsch (Harriet the Spy, 1996)
-Harriet M. Welsch (Harriet the Spy, 1996)
Latest Review: Twisted Threads by Kaylin McFarren
