Twist: A Dive Bar Novel: 2 (Dive Bar, 2)

I've read a good chunk of Kylie Scott's books at this point, and I've re-read her Stage Dive series three times, partly because Mal is one of my favorite fictional men. Twist, however, not so much. This didn't really feel like any of her other books, and if I hadn't seen her name on it I wouldn't have known it was hers. The premise was good. Alex goes to surprise her online guy Eric for his birthday, only to find out that oops, it was really his brother Joe she'd been talking to! I liked that Alex got sick because it was a good excuse for them to spend time together and work through the fact that he lied to her about his identity. That's about where I stopped liking it very much. The chemistry between them was just always off and all they had was spicy time, which, even that was off. This whole thing just felt off. To the point that I probably won't finish the series. Also, I don't care if Joe's brother Eric gets his redemption story, I just don't like him. I did love seeing the Stage Dive guys again. All in all, this was a big dud for me, which sucks because I genuinely have loved all of her other books.

Kylie Scott’s books are always a fun read and Twist really cements the Dive Bar series as one that I continue to look forward to. It’s pure Kylie Scott, with a smart and sassy heroine and a brooding hero worth his weight in gold. I enjoyed it even more than the previous book in the series, Dirty. Twist is a little more vulnerable and heartfelt because of the plot and the main characters.Alex is a lonely work from home graphic designer who has been hurt a few too many times. She’s on a dating site for hook-ups, no relationship attached. She meets a man she thinks is Eric Collins, and sparks fly via email. But when Alex arrives to celebrate his birthday, ‘Eric’ is outed as his brother Joe. Eric lost interest in using the site and Joe went to close it down, met Alex and…you know the rest. It’s a classic case of mistaken identity. The problem is that both Joe and Alex are good people. How can Joe make it up to Alex? Fortunately karma comes around pretty quickly and he nurses her through a case of the flu. Alex knows that ‘lumbersexuals’ like Joe are not her type, but they could be friends…right? Or can Joe convince Alex that a relationship is not a bad thing…One aspect that I really enjoyed in Twist was that Alex and Joe’s relationship wasn’t completely sex-based. Perhaps it was that they met online, or that there was a basis of friendship once they had to start all over again in person. There was some great dialogue between the two of them as they discussed design/building projects and just life in general. It felt like a deeper connection than just the physical, which was sweet.Another thing I am a sucker for in a book in letters, or the modern equivalent, emails. There are examples of the emails sent between Alex and ‘Eric’ (read: Joe) on quite a lot of the chapters which are kind of a basis for what that chapter is about. I liked getting to know both characters in writing as well as face to face (you know what I mean…this is a book, not quite virtual reality!). As a reader, I got to experience Joe’s sweetness and Alex’s wit, which didn’t really shine in the early stages of their relationship. It added another layer of connection, particularly as Joe’s a quiet guy. I also found the Dive Bar crew not to be as OTT in this book. Perhaps I’d just gotten used to them, but there didn’t seem to be the wild antics seen in Twist which made Stage Dive seem a little tame! And speaking of Stage Dive…is there any mention of our favourite fictional band? You’ll have to read the book for that, but you won’t be disappointed. There also isn’t a lot of page time about Vaughan and Lydia (main characters in Dirty). Some might be disappointed, but I personally was fine with that because both can be pretty exhausting!I can’t wait to read the third book in the series, Chaser, in which Eric is (hopefully) redeemed! It’s going to take one special (and patient) lady to do that!

I fell in love with Vaughan and Lydia in Dirty, so I couldn't wait for the second book in the series to be released especially after reading the blurb. Joe and Alex were a hot mess at times in Twist, but with a little help from their friends, they manage to navigate the rough waters eventually.There was a bit of a role reversal in this story in terms of the attitudes and actions of the main characters. Joe may look like hot Bigfoot with long hair and tats, but he is a genuinely nice guy who generally gets stuck cleaning up his immature brother Eric's messes He is hardworking to a fault and a people-pleaser which can get him into trouble at times. Alex is the commitment-phobe with intimacy issues who rarely leaves her house and whose sole friend Val convinces her to take an uncharacteristic chance on traveling to meet the man she has been corresponding with online. Alex is the love 'em and leave 'em type but something about "Eric" (really Joe) convinces her to take a chance when Val pushes her out of her comfort zone only to be completely humiliated when she arrives at Eric's birthday party and he has absolutely no idea who she is.Joe has some serious groveling to do if he hopes that she will ever speak to him again. When Alex is struck by the flu before she can get on a plane to flee back to the safety of her apartment in Seattle, Joe gets his chance to convince her to hear him out because she is too sick to kick his butt back out the door. Alex was initially drawn to Eric's picture online and Joe's appearance is the exact opposite of the type she is normally attracted to, but as he nurses her back to health they try to find the friendship they established in their online interactions despite his lie about his identity. They are both surprised when that friendship not only re-emerges but also starts to turn into something more as they agree to help balance each other out. Joe helps Alex break out of her shell to experience more of life, and she helps him learn to say to no to people once in a while. Just when things are going well and feelings may have to be acknowledged, tragedy strikes and Joe withdraws into himself as guilt and an unexpected blast from his past courtesy of his petty brother's machinations hit him all at once.Maybe it was the fact that I read back to back stories about men who started their relationships based on a lie, or maybe I just built it up too much in my mind due to the long wait between books, but Twist just didn't hold the same magic for me that I found in Dirty. There was still plenty of Ms. Scott's signature humor and heat, but I didn't experience that same connection with these characters that I have found in her past books. Alex is a bit immature at times and Joe had a tendency to bury his head in the sand rather than getting a clue a little too often, but I absolutely adored Alex's best friend Val formerly known as Vince. She had no qualms about laying into Joe for his stupidity or calling Alex onto the carpet for running away from anything remotely resembling a feeling that may cause her to break out of her comfort zone. Oh and a guest appearance from my absolute favorite Stage Dive guy was one of the high points of the story for me too! As for Eric, that man has some serious maturity issues to deal with so his redemption ought to be interesting. Let the countdown begin to Chaser...

“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.

FINAL DECISION: A wonderful quirky romance between two flawed humans. Kylie Scott never disappoints in making her characters feel real and honest and TWIST is no exception. Loved the characters!THE STORY: Joe Collins has always been the good brother. When his younger brother Eric wants to sign up for an online dating service, Joe helps him but ends up connecting with one of his brother's matches. Under the identity of his brother, Joe corresponds with Alex Parks for months until Alex decides to surprise Eric on his birthday.OPINION: Twist features such wonderful characters that I loved every moment of the book. Joe is a genuine good guy who makes the "mistake" of adopting his brother's persona to email a woman who catches his interest. I liked how Joe falls into doing something that is completely against his nature -- but the truth is that it might have been the right thing to do ultimately.Joe is so wonderful a man. A bartender, a builder, someone who has done his best even when taken advantage of by those he cares for. He cares for Alex even when she is angry with him and takes on so much onto himself for everyone around him. I liked how considerate he is and how he is able to accept all of Alex's neuroses with equanimity.Alex is a woman of incredible contradictions -- as are we all. Talented as a graphic artist, she has trouble with social interactions. Her fears make her veer away from the possibility of being hurt. She has meaningless sexual relationships as a way of placing distance between herself and others. Joe challenges her at every turn.I especially liked in this book how Joe and Alex have a funny and sweet relationship that becomes incredibly hot and intense. How can you not love a guy who takes care of a woman who is at her absolute worst. Joe works to help Alex become the best she can be which means challenging herself. Joe needs help as well. These two nicely balance one another.This book was almost a 5 star book, but the end of the book has a crisis which disrupts Joe to an incredible extent. Both Alex and Joe relapse into their comfort zones a bit. That causes a problem in their relationship which is resolved too quickly and easily for my tastes. Too much of a serious situation is resolved off stage for me. Even with that caveat, I loved this book and recommend it.WORTH MENTIONING: Mal!CONNECTED BOOKS: TWIST is the second book in the Dive Bar series. The book can be read as a standalone although a lot of characters appear in the prior book so you might enjoy it more knowing more about the interrelationships.STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.