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A review by jackiehorne
Reverb by Anna Zabo
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.