Monday, June 22, 2015

Review: Twisted

TWISTED
LOST #2
Cynthia Eden
Romantic Suspense
384 pages
Avon
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
n the second seductive LOST novel from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden, an obsessed Last Option Search Team agent goes looking for trouble--and finds her in the Big Easy.

Dean Bannon comes to New Orleans for one reason only: to track down a missing sixteen-year-old girl. That's before he meets the drop-dead gorgeous con artist who makes him want to lose his legendary control.

With her past, Emma Castille doesn't claim to be psychic. She just notices things other people don't. Like the fear in a runaway's eyes--or the pain in an ex-FBI agent's heart. Her chemistry with Dean is blistering, but Emma follows her passion... not someone else's orders.

Then a madman breaks into Emma's home and leaves a twisted message: You're next. Now Dean refuses to let her out of his sight until he pries every last secret from her full, sexy lips. And suddenly Emma's aching to give him everything he wants.


MY THOUGHTS
Twisted walks us through the bustling streets of New Orleans with another member of the LOST team, and introduces us to a new killer who sees blood and pain as moves in a sadistic game of chess. Ms. Eden changes the suspense element a bit from book one, giving us the killer’s identity fairly early on so that our attention shifts from the who to the how and when he’ll be caught before shifting things on us once again. What results is a night spent reading instead of sleeping, making our guesses as to how things are going to unfold and then flipping the pages as fast as possible to see if we’re right.

Given this series is romantic suspense, the relationship between LOST agent Dean and next-on-the-killer’s-list Emma is as prominent as the hunt for the man himself. Things start out just a touch rocky with Dean, his habit of continually reminding Emma of his Incredible Hulk-like tendency to be dangerous when he loses control something that has us wondering if we’ll ever be able to take him as seriously as he takes himself. His fear of letting his control slip might have given us appropriate pause should we have been privy to a few quick flashbacks to times when he’s been as dangerous physically or emotionally as he claims, but aside from one instance that was clearly self-defense, there’s nothing about Dean that warrants his early game of hot and cold with Emma.

Before too long however, Dean gives up on warning Emma off and finally starts taking what Emma is more than willing to give, allowing us to settle into their romance in a way we feared we might not be able to in the first third of the book. As always, Dean’s LOST team all play minor roles as well, giving us peeks into their personalities that are just long enough to build our anticipation for their inevitable stories, but never so long as to have us wishing we could return to our lead couple. Overall, Twisted starts out a little weak on the romantic front, but the killer’s sick games keep us fully invested until the romance catches up strength-wise, and we’re left nothing short of satisfied as we look forward to Sarah and Jax’s book.

Rating: 3.5/5


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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

31 comments:

  1. Too bad it's not really well dosed there but it sounds like a nice one in a whole. I didn't know about this one but I heard a lot about the author,I should try one of her books one day. thanks for the review!

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    1. I loved the first book Melliane, and though this one wasn't quite as strong, I was still a fan. I'm really looking forward to the next installment!

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  2. Hot and cold games without good examples that justify the claims of "not good enough" "too dangerous" and the like usually irritate me quite a bit!
    But I'm glad that afterwards the book was much easier and satisfying to read Jenny!

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    1. He was just a little over the top with his control issues and why he couldn't afford to slip his leash even a little, but that went away about a third of the way though and then I was good to go:)

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  3. I could forgive the weaker romance, especially in the beginning, if the suspense is built well enough. I would probably struggle with Dean's issues and melodrama, but I love these stories from time to time, the closely connected communities, but with a different couple at the center every time, and when there's a mystery involved, it's practically irresistible. Also, it takes place in New Orleans, which is only my favorite city in the world ever.

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    1. She does suspense really well Maja, I liked how everything unfolded. And I'm a big fan of series like this as well - I like getting to spend time with a new couple each book:)

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  4. This sounds like a fantastic suspense book, Jenny. I like how you already know the killer early on. That would be even frightening to read about. Poor Dean though. I already feel for him and I want to find out how they resolve the issues together as a couple.
    Wonderful review, Jenny!

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    1. I really liked them together once the decision to be together was made, and the killer was horrifying:)

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  5. I'm not sure how invested into the book I'd be if the author reveals the killer pretty early on (e.g. as in Dead to Me). I tend to prefer guessing who the murderer is over trying to guess when they'll be caught, Jenny.

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    1. Give this one a try Z, she throws in a few surprises:) Just when you think you know things, you don't:)

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  6. I agree with Nick - sometimes knowing the killer ahead just brings out that much more tension! I'm glad the romance came out strong in the end as much as the mystery.
    Wonderful review, Jenny :)

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    1. I agree! It was a nice change from the first book where we were kept guessing the whole time, so I loved that this wasn't the same exact format just with a different couple.

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  7. I'm not sure how I'd react to reading a book and knowing who the killer is beforehand--that can ether work or put a damper on the mood. But I like how it seems that the author was able to pull it off and that this one turned out to be a truly enjoying read! Yay! Great review Jenny :)

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    1. She definitely did a good job with it Lily! I liked knowing who it was but wondering when he was going to make his next play:)

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  8. I kind of like that you know who the killer is early on so you can focus on everything else in the story. Great review Jenny!

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    1. Thanks so much Ali, this was a nice change of pace for me. I love a good romantic suspense in between all my YA reads:)

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  9. Despite the issues which well boo, I adore the setting and suspense aspect. Are all the books in the series set in NOLA? I maybe able to overlook issues.

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    1. No, they're set in different places. The LOST team travels to wherever they have a case. Kind of like Criminal Minds:)

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  10. I can deal with a weak romance (although I rarely had one in a romantic suspense book... hm...) as long as the mystery is good. I do want to read it for the setting though! :) We need to take a trip to NOLA. Book blogger getaway? :D

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    1. YES PLEASE!!!! Let's make this happen:) I know RT was there at some point and I so wished I could have made it.

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  11. I don't mind a weak romance as long as the thriller part is solid. Plus I can't resist a book set in NOLA!

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    1. The thriller aspect was fantastic Heidi, and the romance definitely ended up strong after a rocky start:)

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  12. I haven't heard of this series before now. But this is right up my street at the mo. I need a gripping romance and one with a killer and some adrenaline action going on, I'm sold. Thanks for bring this to my radar. Jenny. Lovely review. :)

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    1. Definitely read Broken Emma, it's a great introduction to the LOST team, and I loved the romance. The suspense aspect is great in both:)

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  13. I am actually going hmmmm, and not in a good way. Dunno why

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  14. The hot and cold game without reason is so aggravating to me. It's a massive ego trip in a twisted sort of way. Still, I'll check this out!

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  15. Oh that's too bad. I think having a weak romance fail one of the requirements in writing a Romantic Suspense novel. It had to be a major component of it, I think.

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  16. I think Dean's pushing would've been a little frustrating but it sounds like he gets past it soon. ? I'm happy to hear the suspense part was pretty thrilling. I have a Cynthia Eden on deck, I just haven't been able to get to it yet with my review books. Soon! Wonderful review, Jenny! :)

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  17. Ooh, romantic thrillers are by far my favorite so I'm definitely going to be diving into this series soon. Can't believe it hasn't made it onto my radar before, so thanks for bringing it to my attention, Jenny! :)

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  18. I've only read 1 romantic suspense book so far and I'm intrigued! I love the sound of the thrills and the twists and turns here. Sounds great Jenny, great review!

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