TWIST (Dive Bar #2) by Kylie Scott-Review and Book Tour

TWIST
Dive Bar #2
by Kylie Scott
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 11, 2017

When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot, bearded, bartender extraordinaire, Joe Collins, only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her.

Alex Parks is funny, friendly, and pretty much everything he’s been looking for in a woman. And in no time at all they’re emailing up a storm, telling each other their deepest darkest secrets… apart from the one that really matters.

And when it comes to love, serving it straight up works better than with a twist.

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REVIEW: TWIST is the second installment in Kylie Scott’s contemporary, adult DIVE BAR romance series – a spin off from her popular Stage Dive series. This is bartender/builder Joe Collins, and interior designer Alex Parks’ story line. TWIST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person point of view (Alex ) TWIST follows the building relationship between builder/bartender Joe Collins, and interior designer Alex Parks. For weeks Alex has been communicating online with a man she believes to be Eric Collins but a surprise visit to the man in question finds Alex stunned when Eric denies all knowledge of their online affair. Enter Eric’s older brother Joe, and the man with whom Alex will fall in love. What ensues is the rebuilding of a friendship between Alex and Joe, and Alex’s struggle to not fall in love with the man who has lied to her for several months.

Alex Parks doesn’t do relationships but her online friendship with ‘Eric Collins’ finds our heroine entering new territory and stepping out of her comfort zone when she makes a surprise visit to Eric’s hometown. But to Alex’s dismay and shock Eric knows nothing about Alex believing she is a groupie from his days as a rock star and musician. Joe Collins struggles with his place in the family and keeping his identity a secret from Alex Parks has stirred up a hornet’s nest of distrust and anger from not only Alex but from his brother as well- a man who directs his anger at our story line heroine. Joe is a bit of a push over as it pertains to his family and his friends making for some awkward moments between Joe and the woman with whom he will fall in love. While Alex remains in town to help Joe with a renovation project, she discovers that falling for the man will only lead to heartbreak-once again. Some drama of another nature forces Joe to reevaluate his relationship with Alex Parks forcing our heroine in another direction.

The relationship between Alex and Joe begins as a lie; an online deception that Alex struggles to forgive and forget. Joe is determined to make things right with the woman that calls to his heart but an accident will cause Joe to push Alex out of his life, and in doing so, force Alex to walk away for the very last time. Their lack of confidence and uncertainty about the future overshadows their developing love. The $ex scenes are intimate, seductive and intense, without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Joes’ brother Eric, and his parents Stan and Audrey Collins; Nell and her ex husband Patrick; Dive Bar employee Rosie; Vaughn and Lydia (Dirty #1) and Alex’s best friend Val, as well as cameo’s appearances by the rock band Stage Dive including our beloved Mal. The requisite conflict is a not so subtle ex who wants a second chance with our story line hero.

TWIST is a slow building story about family, friendships, loyalty and second chances. Joe and Alex’s relationship has issues of trust, not only from Joe’s original deception, but also from demons of the past, for both of our story line characters. The premise lacked something in its’ presentation- perhaps the anticipation factor or lack of any real emotion from either leading character. In the end, the conflict was too quickly resolved for all of the struggle between our leading couple. The romance was provocative; the characters were affectionate and sensitive but missing some of the fiery emotional connection I want in my story line couples.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Dirty
Twist

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Kylie is a long time fan of erotic love stories and B-grade horror films. She demands a happy ending and if blood and carnage occur along the way then all the better. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet

Kylie is represented by Amy Tannenbaum at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, New York.

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