Member Reviews
**Advanced copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Ever since I found the Stage Dive books by Kylie Scott, I have been sucked into the worlds she creates for us. I enjoyed the first book in the Dive Bar series and I was anxiously awaiting the second one and Twist definitely did not disappoint.
All Joe Collins was trying to do was help his brother Eric by setting up a dating profile for him. When Eric lost interest, as Eric tends to do, Joe was going to log on to the account and shut it down, simple as that. But when things seem to be simple they never are. Joe discovered the profile of a woman who definitely caught his attention; one that he wanted to get to know and so he began corresponding with her using his brother's account.
Alex Parks has always been a bit socially awkward and for that reason she keeps her number of friends small, one, her bestie Val, and she works from home as a graphic designer. While she isn't really into relationships, she's totally down with becoming email buddies with "Eric" and enjoys the fun, flirty, messages that pass between them. Could this be more for her than just email correspondence?
Remember when I said things are never simple? Alex finally gets the nerve up to meet the man she's been talking with for so long. When she finally arrives, she's in for the surprise of her life when she meets everyone at the Dive Bar. Will the piece of information that Joe omitted be the end of any relationship before it can even begin? Or will Alex see that maybe what she thought she wanted wasn't what she wanted at all?
I loved the vibe between Joe and Alex. Alex is snarky and funny and Joe is sweet and sexy. Not to mention we get all of our other friends who made appearances in the first book of the series. They are such a fun group, you just want to go and hang out with them!
Kudos to Kylie Scott for another fantastic offering in this series. I can't wait to see what she brings us next!
Ever since reading the first book in the "Stage Dive" series, I have been a huge fan of Kylie Scott. I loved all books in that series and so when the "Dive Bar" series came out, I jumped right into that one too. I really liked the first book in this series, so when I received an ARC for book 2, it made my day :)
I have to say that I liked this book at bit more than book 1. Reason being... the heroine. She was extremely funny and sarcastic...and I just love me some good sarcasm...
This book is about Joe and Alex....and no, Alex is not a guy......sorry guys :P
Joe is a sexy lumbersexual, working as a bartender at "Dive Bar". He also helps his father in his carpentry bussiness. Joe has a beard....Bearded men usually don't do it for me......at all. However, the reference to "Thor" kind of got to me, so I figured I could work with it ;)
Joe has been snooping in his brother Erik's online dating-account and it was there, that he met the lovely Alex.
Alex is a graphic designer, who works mostly from home. She doesn't have many friends, just one really, because she is a bit socially awkward. She doesn't do relationships either. One night stands are really all that she is after, but after emailing back and forth with her new online buddy, she starts reconsidering. Finally she picks up the courage, to go meet the man face to face.
These two don't really start of on the right foot. It did make for some hilarious scenes though. I loved snarky Alex !!
"Lumbersexuals were clearly the worst. Truth was, I'd never been especially into beards. At best, I'd been indifferent. Now, however, I outright despised them. Horrible hairy frames for lying lips and duplicitious tongues, that's what they were. Loathsome whiskery bastards. Burn them all in a fire".
This girl was funny as hell !!
I also really liked Joe. He was very sweet, charming and sexy, though at the end, he pissed me off something fierce !!
Still...these two made an awesome couple. They were funny together, their banter was great and the steam was HOT !!
I am very curious to see who is gonna be next in this series. I myself hope it's Erik's turn to fall flat on his face. That guy needs a good kick in the nuts by the right girl !!
Even though I really liked this book and I laughed my ass off...Mal and Jimmy from "Stage Dive" will always be my favorits.....though you never know.
An ARC was kindly provided to me, by the author, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession
This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be my last! What an amazing book! I loved the characters and all the craziness the author put them through. Oh my goodness the beginning I was dying of embarrassment for Alex and putting herself out there in the way she did. This story tore at all my emotions, I was so embarrassed in the beginning then when she got sick and Joe took care of her I was slowly falling for him then as things went on and the car accident happen my heart was just broken for the situation and for Nell losing the baby, despite thinking this was for the better in the long run. Then Star coming back, I was pissed then Alex leaving back for Seattle and not hearing from Joe, pissed again. The past of Val and Alex and how their friendship was formed and where they are now, that is the making of a great friendship and loved that aspect of the book. Oh I could not put this book down, I was so into this book and the excellent writing!! I loved everything about this book except Joe's name, it didn't quite fit with how I imagined he being after reading the descriptions of him. I wanted a stronger name something more rugged and manly. Joe could be anyone it is a very general or generic name and it didn't really fit how the author described him.
Si je vous dis que je suis complètement tombée sous le charme de Joe, vous me
croyez ?
Hier, j'ai eu la chance (et je n'en reviens toujours pas !) d'avoir en avant-première un exemplaire VO du nouveau bébé de Kylie Scott, et je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de me jeter dessus sitôt l'ebook chargé dans mon kindle !
Joe avait déjà piqué ma curiosité dans le tome 1, aussi ce tome faisait partie pour moi des sorties les + attendues du printemps ...
Joe le barman au look de bûcheron sexy, ça en rebute plus d'une, à commencer par l'héroine, mais pour moi c'est carrément le contraire. Smile Le jeune homme correspond donc pendant un bon moment avec Alex, une graphiste vivant à Seattle, seulement, il le fait sous l'identité du beau (et lisse) Eric, qui n'est autre que son frère (et il le fait pour des raisons qui lui sont propres, qu'il expliquera). Mais quand Alex débarque à Cœur d'Alene pour faire une surprise à son 'penpal', la surprise est énorme, et le mensonge leur explose à la figure.
Pourtant, et ce en raison de circonstances que je vous laisserai découvrir, Alex reste à Cœur d'Alene et tous deux apprennent à se connaître sans faux semblants, sans illusions et sans poudre aux yeux. J'ai vraiment aimé l'évolution de leur relation, cette amitié progressive qui glisse lentement vers une histoire plus ... intime. Certaines trouveront peut-être que c'est trop lent, mais personnellement, j'ai adoré, et cela correspond tellement au caractère des personnages que pour moi il était impossible que les choses tournent autrement. J'ai aimé voir Alex changer au contact de Joe, s'affirmer, prendre confiance en elle. Il lui sert de déclencheur, elle ne change pas pour lui plaire ou pour devenir une autre, non. Il lui donne la force et le courage nécessaire pour se battre et affronter ses peurs. Et lui aussi évolue à son contact, ils se font vraiment du bien à ce niveau-là (et non, ne cherchez aucun jeu de mots graveleux ).
Les personnages secondaires sont vraiment très attachants, à commencer par Nell & Pat, c'était cool de revoir Lydia et Vaughan (quel blagueur celui-là, avec ses chansons sirupeuses !), et tous les autres ...
Qu'est-ce que j'aimerais traîner au Dive Bar moi aussi ! L'ambiance chaleureuse du lieu, l'amitié simple, la bienveillance des amis de Joe est vraiment sympa, et même ce crétin d'Eric est amusant, même si une bonne claque lui ferait du bien ! ^^
Ajoutons à cela la plume fluide et très agréable de Kylie Scott, du swoon, du rire et des bouffées de chaleur, et hop, vous obtenez un divin cocktail à consommer sans modération !
J'ai refermé ce livre avec un soupir rêveur et un sourire niais, j'ai vraiment adoré !!
5++++ Stars
This book has it all and then some more. Kylie Scott is an automatic one-click author for me and although it is a big call, I'm going to make it; Twist is my favourite Scott book. I laughed. I cried. I screamed at my kindle in frustration. I loved every second.
The story is fresh and fast paced, with drama and humor from the start. Eric and Joe are brothers, who are nothing a like in either looks or personality. One is a metro-man and smooth talker, the other a deep thinking lumbersexual. Alex, our heroine, doesn't stand a chance! A graphic designer who works from home, she had always been socially awkward. She moves out of her comfort zone, traveling to Idaho to surprise the guy she has been chatting with online. Things develop unexpectedly from there, with twists and turns aplenty for The Dive Bar group.
What I love about all Kylie Scott books, Twist included, are these beautifully developed characters and the interactions between them. They are real and the dialogue between them authentic. I found myself giggling at something Alex said, as it was exactly what my girlfriend would say to me. I want to go to Coeur d'Alene and order a Whisky Sour from Joe, while Vaunghn sings some hideous 90's ballad. Side characters are not just window dressing, but add dimension and fullness to the story.
My heart broke, I cried and held my breath during a number of emotional scenes between supporting characters; who got to share their stories interwoven with the main focus. With this author's writing style nothing is redundant. Ever scene, every dialogue has a purpose. It all builds together to the book's climax.
Although Twist is book 2 of the Dive Bar series, it can be read as a stand alone. However, you will get a better overall experience if you read Dirty (book 1), before diving into Twist.
My only disappointment is that in finishing Twist so quickly, I am going to have to wait longer to visit The Dive Bar gang again. There is a 3rd book in the series, Chaser, and it can't come out soon enough!
This book is a solid 3.5 for me. I loved Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series and while I like the Dive Bar series the characters just do not engage me as much. I find myself really enjoying the beginning of the book and the skimming the last quarter of it because I lose interest.
I am reviewing this book based on an ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
Twist
by Kylie Scott
Genre: Romance Contemporary
Sensuality: Hot
4.5 Stars
Kylie Scott’s second installment in her sexy and outrageously fun Dive Bar series offers up laughs, love, and heartbreak with a bit of catfishing on the side when a woman discovers the man she has fallen for on the internet hasn’t been completely honest with her. Strong leads, addictive dialogue, and tantalizing chemistry will leave readers rooting for this couple when the heroine’s distrust slowly turns into friendship and more as she learns more about the real man behind the fake name. A subplot carried over from book one offers readers some emotional angst and trepidation as it pushes the couple’s new feelings for one another to the test. Fans will enjoy seeing a few familiar faces from a previous series.
Summary: Joe Collins; bartender, carpenter, and jack of all trades never meant to deceive anyone. He only wanted to close the dating profile he set up for his brother Eric but finds himself drawn to one particular response. Soon, Joe develops an online relationship with a woman and is spilling all his deepest secrets, except the most important one. When his guilt gets to be too much, he stops all communication with no explanation. Alex Parks is a graphic designer who is more comfortable holded up in her apartment then being the life of the party. Her online relationship has her wanting more from her life then just four walls and a peeping tom squirrel. She decides to take a risk and travel to Seattle to find out why he stopped talking to her only to discover everything she knew about him was a lie. Joe hates he has hurt Alex and wants to prove to her that he may have lied about his name, everything else was the truth. But Alex isn’t sure she can trust Joe not to twist up her heart anymore more than he already has.(ST.MARTIN’S GRIFFIN, APR, 288pp., $14.99)
Reviewed By:Tori Benson
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Published: April 2017
"The whole world seemed to have emptied out. There was just me, that voice, and the storm."
What a fun, fun read!
When we first start Twist, we meet up with Alex. Alex has decided to throw caution to the wind and meet up with the man she has been writing to for the past few months. Little did she know that when she was set to meet "Eric", her whole world was about to be turned upside down. It turns out that she hasn't been talking to Eric this whole time. She's really been talking to his brother, Joe....Alex is everything that Joe could possibly want in a woman. She is smart, funny, good at her job and she has a huge heart. When he first started writing to Alex, he only meant to have a few innocent conversations. He never imagined how far things could possibly go or that he would ever meet Alex in real life. Now that Alex knows the truth, Joe will stop at nothing to prove that he isn't a bad guy. He'll do anything to win Alex over and get her friendship back. Will Alex forgive Joe for his well intended lies or are some lies, no matter how innocent, too hard to move past???
Twist is the second book in the Dive Bar Series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. This book is fast paced and entertaining. I was sucked into Alex's story right from the very beginning and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I thought Alex's character was a lot of fun. She was easy to connect with and had some issues and personal insecurities that she had to overcome. Alex didn't forgive easily, but once she let you in, you were in. She was an amazing friend and made me laugh so many times. She's never really known love, but when she does care about someone, she certainly gives it her all. As for Joe...Joe. Joe. Joe. He had to know that something could go wrong with his conversations with Alex. However, at the end of the day, he had an error in judgement and worked hard to get Alex's forgiveness. Joe was in no way perfect. In fact, he screws up a lot while on his journey to finding happiness. Even with all of his mistakes, Joe is a terrific guy. He is a wonderful friend, loyal to those in his inner circle and the kind of guy that you'd want to have your back. Together, these two make an unforgettable team and boy do they ever steam up the pages together.
Twist was a terrific read, from beginning to end. The characters were a lot of fun and easy to connect with. I loved getting to catch up with some old friends and getting to know some new ones. The story-line was fun and engaging. I didn't want to put this book down. In fact, I finished it in just a few short hours. Twist hit all the marks for me and had just the right mix of drama, laughter, angst, romance and sexy good times. And in the end, I was left with all the feels and a big smile on my face. I look forward to getting my hands on the next book in this series.