Twisted Pawn by L.J. Shen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tierney

There’s a bullet with my name on it. And Achilles Ferrante is the man who’ll pull the trigger.

I’d always known one of us would kill the other. I’d just hoped to do the honor. Twice I betrayed him. First, I broke his heart. Then, I sold him out to the Feds. Even if I hadn’t, I doubt he could spell mercy, much less spare me any. The Camorra prince promised he’d make a spectacle of my death when he caught me. Let him try. He could chase me until the end of Earth. I will always run faster.

Achilles

To love is to destroy, and I’d loved Tierney Callaghan far too long, and far too much. She’s a fatal weakness, but unlike the Greek mythology warrior—I will remain undefeated. My little flame can run fast, but my bullet is faster. Once upon a time, she was the only person who saw my humanity. She’s about to meet the monster everyone else is scared of.

Twisted Pawn

Twisted Chemistry, Dangerous Games

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💛❤️💙
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😀🤯😎🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration – Full Cast

Main Characters and Plot Overview

Twisted Pawn follows Tierney Callaghan and Achilles Ferrante, two people who are drawn together despite every reason to stay apart. Tierney is intelligent, determined, and constantly trying to stay one step ahead of forces much bigger than herself. Achilles is exactly the kind of morally gray hero L. J. Shen excels at writing. He is ruthless, calculating, and used to getting what he wants, yet there are moments where small cracks in his armor reveal someone capable of much deeper emotions than he wants anyone to see.

What kept me invested was how their relationship evolved through manipulation, secrets, and reluctant trust instead of instant romance. One of my favorite early moments was watching Achilles constantly test Tierney to see whether she would break under pressure, only to discover that she was far more resilient than he expected. Though we had learned that until she was 12 years old, her and her twin brother Tiernan had grown up in a Siberian prison camp, where she went through all kinds of hell.

Later, when the truth behind several long-hidden schemes begins to unravel, the emotional stakes become just as important as the external conflict. I especially enjoyed how several confrontations forced both characters to question their own motivations rather than simply defeating an obvious villain.

Highlights and Limitations

The strongest part of this book is the chemistry between Tierney and Achilles. Their conversations always felt like verbal chess matches, with each trying to gain the upper hand. I loved that Tierney refused to become another heroine who simply surrendered to Achilles’ overwhelming personality. Even when he tried to intimidate or outmaneuver her, she found ways to push back, which made every interaction entertaining.

There were also several emotional scenes that landed well because they were earned. Achilles gradually lowering his guard instead of changing overnight made his character growth believable. I found myself looking forward to those quieter moments almost as much as the high tension confrontations because they revealed more about who these characters really were.

If I had one criticism, it would be that some of the twists arrive in rapid succession during the later part of the story. While I enjoyed the surprises, I occasionally wished one or two revelations had been given a little more room to breathe before the next major development arrived. Even so, none of the twists felt random, and most connected well with earlier clues scattered throughout the story.

Narration

The full cast elevated the experience considerably. Stephen Dexter gives Achilles exactly the commanding presence I imagined while still allowing moments of vulnerability to come through naturally. Lucy Rivers captures Tierney’s determination and emotional resilience without making her sound overly dramatic.

Corvin King and Lila Winters help flesh out the supporting cast, making conversations feel dynamic instead of repetitive. Since so much of this story depends on tension, shifting loyalties, and emotional undercurrents, having multiple narrators made those scenes easier to follow and much more immersive. The performances added weight to the confrontations and tenderness to the quieter scenes.

Final Thoughts

This ended up being one of those audiobooks that kept me saying, “Just one more chapter.” I came for the romance but stayed for the psychological games, shifting alliances, and the constant uncertainty over who was actually in control. Tierney and Achilles challenged each other in ways that made their relationship feel earned instead of inevitable.

I especially appreciated that neither character was simplified into purely good or bad. Their flaws often created the biggest emotional moments, and that made their eventual growth much more satisfying. While I would have liked a little more breathing room between the final twists, the overall journey was gripping, emotional, and full of memorable character moments. If you enjoy morally gray heroes, sharp banter, emotional tension, and romances where trust has to be fought for every step of the way, Twisted Pawn is absolutely worth picking up, especially in audiobook format.

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