Author: Kylie Scott
ISBN: 978-1-74353-952-1
RRP: $29.99
Twist was a book I signed on to read as part of Kylie Scott’s blog tour, then life got hectic and I dropped the ball. Totally missed the book coming in and it went on my shelf to be forgotten. So, I missed my blog tour date (boo) but I did find the book a week later (yay) and decided that it needed top priority – and I’m glad I did because after the last two books this month it was a total breath of fresh air that I read in less than 24hrs.
Fun, fast and flirty this book was funny, it was light and it just captured my attention as the pages flew past.
Alex Parks is a graphic designer who spends most of her time in her apartment, sitting back and reflecting on the book I’m still a little unsure of how she came to have an online dating profile with the distance she keeps from people. At the same time it makes perfect sense because her social anxiety would make meeting people difficult but she still likes some physical interaction occasionally – as long as it’s devoid of emotion.
She’s been emailing hot bar-owner Eric for months and the two have formed a connection, so on the spur of the moment she decides to hop a plane and surprise him for his birthday at the Dive Bar where she gets a lot more than she bargained for.
It seems that the man she was emailing is not quite who he claimed to be, or actually at all. Eric Collins claims to have no idea who she is and broadcasts his playboy ways straight up as they try to establish the connection. Alex discovers the deception and is livid, storming out and planning a speedy trip back to Seattle. It seems the hot bar-owner she’s been baring her soul to is actually his older brother Joe, carpenter and bartender at the Dive Bar.
I like the interaction between Alex and Joe, they are very different and both claim the ‘not my type’ excuse. We hear this from Alex many times because at the top of her list is an aversion to beards, and Joe proudly wears his.
An extremely rocky first face-to-face leads to Alex catching the flu and being unable to hop a flight straight home so the two spend a lot of time together and Alex begins to see past the bearded tough guy to find the man she was emailing, even if she’s still mad about the deception.
I love that these characters are both deeply flawed, and their flaws are at opposite ends of the spectrum so their interaction challenges each other to grow, to move outside their comfort zone and start to overcome some of their issues.
Alex suffers anxiety, she’s not great with people and likes to keep her interactions to a minimum; heading cross country to Idaho is completely out of character.
Joe is a people pleaser who likes to fix everything and be the peacekeeper. He still lives close to where he grew up so he has a circle of friends and family who are still close.
Realistic characters in an interesting situation make for compelling reading with some extremely steamy scenes.
The story is told by Alex, across the country and way out of her comfort zone with chapter openings consisting of email interactions between Alex and Eric/Joe.
Light and fun reading with some serious issues to be dealt with, Twist was a great read that has left me wanting to chase up the rest of Kylie Scott’s back catalogue.
Twist is book #16 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2017.
Kylie Scott can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and KylieScott.com.
Twist is published by Pan Macmillan and is available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!