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jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
ARC courtesy of Netgalley
Another strong entry in Zabo's Twisted Wishes queer rock band romance series, this time featuring the band's badass bass player, thirty-three year old white redhead Mish Sullivan, who's being stalked by a creepy fan. The band hires equally badass bodyguard David Altet (Spanish/Eastern European ancestry), ex-army and current martial arts expert, to make sure that said stalker keeps far away from Mish. Mish is feeling a bit left out, now that her three other bandmates have paired up, and she's instantly attracted to David. David's attracted too, both to Mish and to the queer vibe of her bandmates and their support people (he's a trans man), and quickly becomes friends.
In conventional romance novel fashion, when the stalker gets a leg up on him, David worries that his feelings of belonging are getting in the way of doing his job. But he and Mish take the leap into a sexual relationship in spite of his reservations, one in which the hint of dom/sub kink flows in unconventional directions. But what about the stalker? And even if David can find out who he is, can Mish and David maintain a relationship when David moves on to another job?
It was unusual to read about a trans character who had been trans for a while, who has no trouble passing as cis-gendered and who is dealing with the benefits (and the downsides) of so doing.
The romantic connection between Mish and David didn't burn as brightly as that between the protagonists of the two earlier books in the series. Still, Zabo excels at character development, dialogue, and plotting, which makes this queer take on the traditional het rock star romance both comfortably familiar and appealingly fresh.
Another strong entry in Zabo's Twisted Wishes queer rock band romance series, this time featuring the band's badass bass player, thirty-three year old white redhead Mish Sullivan, who's being stalked by a creepy fan. The band hires equally badass bodyguard David Altet (Spanish/Eastern European ancestry), ex-army and current martial arts expert, to make sure that said stalker keeps far away from Mish. Mish is feeling a bit left out, now that her three other bandmates have paired up, and she's instantly attracted to David. David's attracted too, both to Mish and to the queer vibe of her bandmates and their support people (he's a trans man), and quickly becomes friends.
In conventional romance novel fashion, when the stalker gets a leg up on him, David worries that his feelings of belonging are getting in the way of doing his job. But he and Mish take the leap into a sexual relationship in spite of his reservations, one in which the hint of dom/sub kink flows in unconventional directions. But what about the stalker? And even if David can find out who he is, can Mish and David maintain a relationship when David moves on to another job?
It was unusual to read about a trans character who had been trans for a while, who has no trouble passing as cis-gendered and who is dealing with the benefits (and the downsides) of so doing.
The romantic connection between Mish and David didn't burn as brightly as that between the protagonists of the two earlier books in the series. Still, Zabo excels at character development, dialogue, and plotting, which makes this queer take on the traditional het rock star romance both comfortably familiar and appealingly fresh.
shelby82's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
queerhoneybear's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
balletbookworm's review
5.0
If you liked the Bodyguard but wanted a different (read: better/HEA ending) get Reverb when it drops in May.
This is a lovely wrap-up to the Twisted Wishes series, with the band back on the road for a new tour and album. The dynamic between all the characters is great, a true “found family”, and one that David desperately wants to remain a part of but doesn’t know how to accept (when you pride yourself on being able to handle “being alone” for so long it’s really, REALLY hard to swallow and change). Mish is wonderfully fabulous, which we already knew. There was a shade too much Instalust for my taste, in both sides, but that’s definitely a YMMV situation.
Also: MUCH STEAMINESS, though a lot less kink than then previous two books (although not much could have been kinkier than rope+pie in Counterpoint
This is a lovely wrap-up to the Twisted Wishes series, with the band back on the road for a new tour and album. The dynamic between all the characters is great, a true “found family”, and one that David desperately wants to remain a part of but doesn’t know how to accept (when you pride yourself on being able to handle “being alone” for so long it’s really, REALLY hard to swallow and change). Mish is wonderfully fabulous, which we already knew. There was a shade too much Instalust for my taste, in both sides, but that’s definitely a YMMV situation.
Also: MUCH STEAMINESS, though a lot less kink than then previous two books (although not much could have been kinkier than rope+pie in Counterpoint
tellingetienne's review
4.0
Reverb closes out this series with a bang. It's my favorite of the Twisted Wishes stories and I really feel like Zabo's writing shines here. Mish was already a compelling character in the previous novels, and she maintains her energy in her own book. She's vivid and energetic on the page and David is a perfect match for her energy. The two maintain an excellent sexual and romantic tension on the page.
It's also exciting to read a book with a trans romance lead written by a non-binary author. David's experience feels real and isn't ever the center point of the story. There are no huge coming out moments, no tension in his gender identity, it just is.
While the novels all work together very well, you can read Reverb as a standalone.
It's also exciting to read a book with a trans romance lead written by a non-binary author. David's experience feels real and isn't ever the center point of the story. There are no huge coming out moments, no tension in his gender identity, it just is.
While the novels all work together very well, you can read Reverb as a standalone.
bookish_notes's review
2.0
I’m finally done!! I dearly wished I loved this book more, but it had the same issues for me that the last book, Counterpoint, did. It’s not that I don’t like the characters? Because I love all of them. They’re sweet and all deserve hugs. But I really just don’t like the main tropes and plot points so I just wasn’t having fun reading this book. I read about to the 53% mark and then skimmed the rest.
Trigger warnings include stalking, violence, threatening messages, transmisia, homomisia, misogyny, mentions of a near death experience (from first book), mentions of being in the military and war, mentions of child sexual assault, and mentions of a parent dying from cancer.
Mish is the fourth member of the Twisted Wishes rock band. She plays the bass and has a lovely singing voice. She’s also a very tall 6’1”. I feel like I should mention that because how often do we get tall heroines?? When Mish keeps gets increasingly threatening messages, the team decides to hire a bodyguard to keep an eye out for Mish.
The bodyguard is war vet David. He’s 43 and a trans man who works in security. He comes off as a little jaded and gruff, maybe because of the lonely life he’s accustomed to living, but he soon opens up to Mish and the rest of the rock band that makes up Twisted Wishes.
So, I do love Mish and I do love David?? But I wish the story was just something else entirely when it comes to the actual stalker and bodyguard/security aspect of the book, because those things really made me not enjoy this as much as I wanted to. This is my 4th book with a stalker in the plot in the last two months and I think my 3rd in the same timeframe, and none of these have worked for me.
Like, I do get that in real life a celeb isn’t going to know their stalker and it’s just some random creeper, but also...I do also read a lot of mystery books so the fact that the stalker randomly shows up at the end of the book with no knowledge of who they are beforehand and is “handled” in a page or two and promptly vanishes from the story seems way anticlimactic.
And then for the bodyguard piece of the story. Look. I adore David but he is not good at his job. I like bodyguard stories if the bodyguard in question is actually competent at their jobs. But I also think the band set him up for failure straight off the bat because they should’ve hired a whole team to watch over the band and Mish, not just one guy to watch a rock star in the middle of touring the country. David even forgoes his bodyguard duties when he goes out with the band to hang out!! WHY. If he can’t switch out with someone else, then there shouldn’t be down time for David. Mish gets in danger too many times and over little things that could’ve been prevented if David did his job properly and if he had a team to look out for Mish. That kind of got fixed in the end after all was said and done but way too late.
How am I supposed to believe security is David’s job or that he was a war vet if he shows no sign of either? Is he a guy who just handles security of his own or does he work for a company?? I don’t understand anything about David’s actual role in this book besides as a love interest. I think the book would’ve been more enjoyable if he had been introduced to the band some other way. I just grew more and more frustrated reading this book because the band members kept telling him to not feel so down on himself for doing a bad job, but he was very clearly doing a bad job, the poor guy.
This story goes in hard for the found family and diverse sexualities with all the characters. I feel bad for saying this but it almost seemed too forced at times and the conversations about their band family too repetitive and too stilted. I do love the author’s other books, but ultimately this series is not my favorite from them.
***Thanks to the publisher for approving me for this ARC on NetGalley.***
Trigger warnings include stalking, violence, threatening messages, transmisia, homomisia, misogyny, mentions of a near death experience (from first book), mentions of being in the military and war, mentions of child sexual assault, and mentions of a parent dying from cancer.
Mish is the fourth member of the Twisted Wishes rock band. She plays the bass and has a lovely singing voice. She’s also a very tall 6’1”. I feel like I should mention that because how often do we get tall heroines?? When Mish keeps gets increasingly threatening messages, the team decides to hire a bodyguard to keep an eye out for Mish.
The bodyguard is war vet David. He’s 43 and a trans man who works in security. He comes off as a little jaded and gruff, maybe because of the lonely life he’s accustomed to living, but he soon opens up to Mish and the rest of the rock band that makes up Twisted Wishes.
So, I do love Mish and I do love David?? But I wish the story was just something else entirely when it comes to the actual stalker and bodyguard/security aspect of the book, because those things really made me not enjoy this as much as I wanted to. This is my 4th book with a stalker in the plot in the last two months and I think my 3rd in the same timeframe, and none of these have worked for me.
Like, I do get that in real life a celeb isn’t going to know their stalker and it’s just some random creeper, but also...I do also read a lot of mystery books so the fact that the stalker randomly shows up at the end of the book with no knowledge of who they are beforehand and is “handled” in a page or two and promptly vanishes from the story seems way anticlimactic.
And then for the bodyguard piece of the story. Look. I adore David but he is not good at his job. I like bodyguard stories if the bodyguard in question is actually competent at their jobs. But I also think the band set him up for failure straight off the bat because they should’ve hired a whole team to watch over the band and Mish, not just one guy to watch a rock star in the middle of touring the country. David even forgoes his bodyguard duties when he goes out with the band to hang out!! WHY. If he can’t switch out with someone else, then there shouldn’t be down time for David. Mish gets in danger too many times and over little things that could’ve been prevented if David did his job properly and if he had a team to look out for Mish. That kind of got fixed in the end after all was said and done but way too late.
How am I supposed to believe security is David’s job or that he was a war vet if he shows no sign of either? Is he a guy who just handles security of his own or does he work for a company?? I don’t understand anything about David’s actual role in this book besides as a love interest. I think the book would’ve been more enjoyable if he had been introduced to the band some other way. I just grew more and more frustrated reading this book because the band members kept telling him to not feel so down on himself for doing a bad job, but he was very clearly doing a bad job, the poor guy.
This story goes in hard for the found family and diverse sexualities with all the characters. I feel bad for saying this but it almost seemed too forced at times and the conversations about their band family too repetitive and too stilted. I do love the author’s other books, but ultimately this series is not my favorite from them.
***Thanks to the publisher for approving me for this ARC on NetGalley.***
iam's review against another edition
4.0
In the third book of the series, Twisted Wishes are back on tour, better and with more energy than ever. But there's tension - because Mish, the band's bassist, has a stalker, and because the sparks between her and David, the band's newly hired security guy, are undenyable.
What I loved most about Reverb was the strong theme of found family. I adored the interactions between Mish and her bandmates (and their partners, along with their new manager), their easy familiarity, teasing and how palpable the love between them all was. David fit in perfectly despite his loner-attitude, making the found-family-theme wind throughout the entire book.
While [b:Counterpoint|39675785|Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2)|Anna Zabo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524758377s/39675785.jpg|61270805] was very focused on internal conflict and the direct interactions between the two protagonists, here the side characters are more present. We not just get to see the band a lot, but also the crew, fans and more who they meet while touring at a much closer angle than in [b:Syncopation|37648566|Syncopation (Twisted Wishes, #1)|Anna Zabo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515431628s/37648566.jpg|59239397], which I loved!
Both the stalking and the bodyguard thing wasn't too on-the-nose, partly even fading into the background, which fits with the rest of the series and the not always detailed conflict. I didn't mind that much, I had a great time reading!
The trans rep was very well done, with no educational or long-winding explanations. David happens to be trans, which isn't dwelled on, simply a part of him.
Content warnings include: stalking, online harassment, assault (more than once, with the intent to steal, cut hair, intimidate and stab with a knife, sexual assault of a minor), theft, misogyny and misogynistic slurs, sex on-page; mentions of transphobia, death of parent because of cancer,
I received an ARC and reviewed voluntarily!
What I loved most about Reverb was the strong theme of found family. I adored the interactions between Mish and her bandmates (and their partners, along with their new manager), their easy familiarity, teasing and how palpable the love between them all was. David fit in perfectly despite his loner-attitude, making the found-family-theme wind throughout the entire book.
While [b:Counterpoint|39675785|Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2)|Anna Zabo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524758377s/39675785.jpg|61270805] was very focused on internal conflict and the direct interactions between the two protagonists, here the side characters are more present. We not just get to see the band a lot, but also the crew, fans and more who they meet while touring at a much closer angle than in [b:Syncopation|37648566|Syncopation (Twisted Wishes, #1)|Anna Zabo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515431628s/37648566.jpg|59239397], which I loved!
Both the stalking and the bodyguard thing wasn't too on-the-nose, partly even fading into the background, which fits with the rest of the series and the not always detailed conflict. I didn't mind that much, I had a great time reading!
The trans rep was very well done, with no educational or long-winding explanations. David happens to be trans, which isn't dwelled on, simply a part of him.
Content warnings include: stalking, online harassment, assault (more than once, with the intent to steal, cut hair, intimidate and stab with a knife, sexual assault of a minor), theft, misogyny and misogynistic slurs, sex on-page; mentions of transphobia, death of parent because of cancer,
I received an ARC and reviewed voluntarily!
readingwithhippos's review
4.0
Mish is the bass player in a band, and her bandmates are her family. They’ve put in the work for years and are now seeing success and fame, but that all comes with a dark side. After threatening messages appear on social media that target Mish specifically, the band hires David, a military veteran and security expert who is also a trans man, to keep Mish and her bandmates safe. What David didn’t count on is falling for the woman he’s supposed to be protecting (bodyguard trope, anyone?), and he definitely didn’t expect to feel like the band could be his safe haven too. The book maybe could have been shorter with less repetitive inner monologue-ing, but the found family/total acceptance gooeyness made me really happy.
annamalise's review
2.0
i’m sorry but i couldn’t even finish this book. it screams 2015 tumblr with the way every character is an lgbt stereotype and constantly makes sex jokes about not-straight sex. also the f word loses its emphasis when it’s every other word.