Book Review
Title: Twisted Fate by Marilyn Jeulin (Seoul Stories Book 1)
Genre: Novella, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars
I recently read Begin Again, the fourth book in the Seoul Stories companion series and really enjoyed despite it being a combination of two genres I don’t normally read, so I was excited to get into the rest of the series. Twisted Fate introduces us to Landry Amos who has had a hard life, she wasn’t a wanted child and was treated poorly by her mother and ended up homeless at sixteen to get away from her after she sold her virginity to a trucker for drug money. In the present, Landry’s mother is dying of AIDS and while she doesn’t like her mother she wanted to be there for her even though these efforts are constantly thrown back in her face. We are also introduced to Shim Seo-Joon, a doctor in a hospice which is a demanding and emotionally draining job being pressured by his mother to date even though he doesn’t have the time. What his mother doesn’t know is that he has booked a trip to France to do a cooking course which seems to be a hobby of his.
The first time Landry and Seo-Joon meet is in France as they are both attending the same cooking courses, and while both think the other is attractive there isn’t that instantly spark per say. Instead, we get some scenes where they genuinely help each other and talk to each other in a more friendly rather than romantic way which I was enjoying as friends to lovers is one of my favourite romance genres next to enemies to lovers and forbidden romance. Eventually Seo-Joon does make a move on Landry challenging her to a competition where if he wins he gets to take her on a date and this scares Landry because she does like Seo-Joon. Seo-Joon realises he messed up and makes this right which a stunning kiss and he wants to work out a plan where they can be together even though they don’t come from the same country but Landry is holding part of herself back because she has ovarian cancer and while she is in remission right now there’s no guarantee it won’t come back which is something she hasn’t told Seo-Joon.
Even after spending the night together, things don’t go right for the pair since Seo-Joon wants something more substantial than a one night stand or a few nights together in Paris and Landry doesn’t think she can give him that so she leaves Paris early and returns home. Upon returning home she learns that her mother has died and has one last jab at Landry which breaks her a little more. Seo-Joon is also returning home after the course ends but I have a feeling he isn’t going to give up on Landry that easily. Landry ends up taking a job in Seoul where she meets Seo-Joon again but after fainting she finds out that her cancer has come back but Seo-Joon isn’t going anywhere and his father is the best surgeon for Landry at that moment in time. Seeing Landry finally come to terms with accepting the fact she is worthy of love despite everything her mother said was amazing and Seo-Joon was so supportive through her surgery and the chemotherapy that came after. I also loved how quickly Landry was accepting as one of the family and the epilogue where they are engaged was absolutely divine. The only issue I had was it had a really slow start but once it picked up it was great novella.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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