<i>This is what came from stepping outside of your comfort zone. Bad things. Deeply shitty soul-crushing things.</i>

Okay so here's the thing about Scott's books. I am never disappointed. I don't think I've rated a single one of her contemporary novels below a four. Why? Because you get everything you'd expect.. and more. And she does it brilliantly and with class, sass and some ass.

<i>Lumbersexuals were clearly the worst. Truth was, I'd never been especially into beards. At best, I'd been indifferent. Now, however, I outright despised them. Horrible hair frames for lying lips and duplicitous tongues, that's what they were. Loathsome whiskery bastards. Burn them all in a fire.</i>

Despite the total hilarity of book one's premise, TWIST managed to be both understated and compelling and completely relateable. Not to mention ridiculously funny in a quirky awesome way. And I actually ended up liking it better than DIRTY.

<i>Aw, was the poor asshole embarrassed? My heart bled for him.</i>

Alexandra Parks has been communicating with Eric Collins via a dating service website for months; or so she thinks. When she arrives to the Dive Bar to surprise him for his birthday, he isn't the only one surprised. Because he ends up having no idea who she is. And for those of you who remember Joe furtively typing away on a computer in a completely suspicious way near the wrap-up of book one, you'll understand why. Because it wasn't Eric that Alex was chatting with.. but his much beardier, bulkier, brother. A man she is in no way attracted to (at first) and who she absolutely loathes upon discovering the extent of his lies.

<i>People said nobody told the actual truth about themselves on the Internet. Lying to strangers and sharing cat pictures were basically why the World Wide Web had been invented.</i>

But naturally that is where their story only begins.

<i>Not that I'd ever admit it for feminist reasons, but I kind of liked it when he [loomed over me]. Made me feel small and helpless in a way. Though it also put me in just the right position to grab his nuts and twist them.</i>

I loved Alex. She was sarcastic and clever and feisty and full of neuroses (preach, homegirl, I feel you). And I loved Joe, a quiet, intense, beardy bear of a man who unexpectedly comes to Alex's rescue after their disastrous first meeting.

"<i>You sick? You're not looking so hot, but I didn't want to get in any more trouble by saying something.</i>"
"<b>Wise.</b>"

The cautious evolution of their friendship, a bit of a twist (tee hee) on a second chance romance, was so wonderful. Funny, flirty and fantastic. Oh, also hot.

<i>Breathing through a panic attack was hard enough. Breathing through a panic attack while giving a blowjob was even harder.</i>

And of course there is the bevy of colourful characters that make up the town of Coeur d'Alene, specifically those who work at the Dive Bar, with the addition of Alex's bestie Valerie who might actually be one of my favourite supporting characters ever. I loved her background and I loved her loyalty and I all around just loved her.

"<i>You're going to end up like one of those crazy cat ladies with your apartment smelling of piss and regret</i>."

So much happens outside of the Alex & Joe (and Eric) drama and.. it's intense and heartbreaking and beautiful and I was dragged feet first through all those feels. There was also an unexpected element introduced that I didn't, but should've, seen coming that added some additional drama-rama. I did take issue with a bit near the end, right around the making up portion of the story, mostly because.. well.. I felt something should've been addressed but hey. Maybe it will in the final version. Who is to say but Scott herself.

"<i>Yes. You're right, there's no excuse for such a willful act of bastardry and I definitely deserve to be castrated and burn in hell for all eternity. Um. Who did you say you were again?</i>"

As always we had some cameos from the Stage Dive members and that was an added little hoot I quite enjoyed. And once again I'm left with a desire to reread that series. Damn you, Scott, damn you.

4.25 "cockblocked by a squirrel" stars

Great book to continue the Dive bar Series. I found it to be funny and emotional at times. It had me laughing and crying throughout the book.
One thing I enjoyed about this book was how Alex and Joe were really able to help each other out with their issues. Alex really got Joe and vice versa. Even though Joe lied to Alex you still liked him. You even understood why he lied after being introduced to more of Eric.
Alex surprises Eric the man she has been emailing for months only to find out it wasn't him. No not Eric but his brother Joe. Joe has really been the one she's been emailing. Alex can't believe she got her hopes up only to find out she's been made a fool of. But storming out of the bar in the middle of a rainstorm barely dressed wasn't one of her better ideas. Especially when she wakes up sick the next morning only to be confronted by Joe. Alex finally gets out of her comfort zone only to be thrown into Joes crazy life.

I have read all of Kylie Scott's books and previously I would have said that Lead was my favourite, however, after reading Twist I have a new favourite. I absolutely loved Alex and Joe and their story. The relationship they create and then the real relationship they have to build after Alex finds out the truth was beautifully crafted. The characters are well written and really likeable. I absolutely love this book. I could go on, but I know I will end up giving away spoilers and I don't want to do that. So I will be leaving a much more detailed review on Amazon on release day.

What a tangled web we weave when we try to deceive. A lesson learned the hard way by the Joe the bartender. Pretending to be his brother online seems harmless enough.

Alex has found someone online that she can talk to. What’s the harm in finally meeting him in person? Going by what he looks like in his profile picture the outside matches the personality he’s shown via messages. Or does it?

I found Twist to be funny, sweet and romantic. A nice addition to the Dive Bar series.

Twist is the second book in the Dive Bar series that centers on a group of friends that own or work in a bar. It is loosely connected to the Stage Dive series by the same author but works as a stand alone series.

As the title suggests we have several twists throughout this book and it starts in the first chapter. Joe Collins has been pretending to be his brother while chatting with a girl from an online dating site. When Alex shows up at the bar his deception comes to light and the comedy ensues.

There are many things I really enjoyed about this book not the least of which is the humor. Scott writes some pretty over the top embarrassing moments for her characters but they also seem like things that could happen making hilarious to read about but you still want to cringe a little to think of that happening to you. Alex has many of these moments since she is embarrassed in front of all Joe's friends when she meets him, gets a bad cold, has a bad dinner with his parents and several more that I won't spoil. She takes them all in stride and most of them help her to really grow as a character since she does have some anxiety issues.

I will say this book knocked me for a loop at one twist I never saw coming. I will not spoil it in any way but I will say WOW. It is the turning point of this book and a major plot point (in my opinion) of the series. I was really surprised by it because after reading Dirty I had my own ideas of what would happen in later books but Scott changed that with this one twist.

One thing I did miss in this book was there wasn't as much interaction with the secondary characters of the series. In the first book in this series we meet all the friends and learn a lot about the history of the characters. We spent quite a bit of time at the bar with all the characters but still had plenty of couple time with the main characters. But in this book it mainly focused on Joe and Alex which was nice I just really missed the interactions with the secondary characters (the 'date' at the Dive Bar was really funny) and I would have liked to have seen more.

The ending of the book was a little awkward. Because of the big twist in the last half of the book, the ending had elements that didn't really focus on Joe and Alex. Those elements are kind of brushed under the rug and while we may see more about them in a later book it felt like what I thought would be a big deal wasn't treated as such. I understand the book was about Joe an Alex so if this event (that focused on the secondary characters) was made into a bigger deal I may have disliked that. But I just felt that this event and the characters deserved more than to be so much in the background at the end of the book.

I did really enjoy this book and I will be continuing with the series. If you like lumberjack looking good guys that can't say no and always help everyone then you will like Joe. Or if an anxiety ridden recluse who has no problem saying no and considers the squirrel in the tree outside her apartment her pet then you will like Alex. They are a lot of fun together and bring out the best in each other. I am excited to see what Scott has planned for the next book in the series.

Joe Collins' brother, Eric, asked Joe to set up an online dating account for him. Then Eric lost interest in it and asked Joe to close it for him. But Joe thought Alex, the woman Eric had been emailing, was sweet and funny. So he continued to email her as Eric and they became good friends.

Alex Parks took a big risk and traveled to Coeur d'Alene to meet Eric. But Eric had no idea who she was. Joe, however, was horrified to be found out. Alex felt betrayed.

Circumstances kept Alex and Joe together for a while, and they got to know each other better. A true commitment-phobe, Alex began to panic at how close she was getting to Joe. But was Joe getting close to her?

That's as far as I'll go with the plot, because from here on out there are spoilers. The book ends up being a real tear-jerker, though, for many reasons. It will break your heart. But then it will put it back together again very nicely. There are multiple HEAs.

For fans of the series, there are some answers to the Eric/Nell/Pat situation included in this book.

Enjoy!
***
ARC provided by the publisher. This review is freely given and is my honest opinion.

Aw, this book was adorable! I loved Joe and Alex so much! They truly brought out the best in each other and I absolutely loved the way they pushed each other out their comfort zones! A fun sexy read!

Alex Parks has never taken a risk. She works from home as a graphic designer. When she decides to sign up for a online dating account, she doesn't expect to meet Eric, she just thinks its good fun. She loves their emails, and thinks he really gets her. She decides to surprise him at the birthday party he told her about, but when she gets there, Eric has no idea who she is. Turns out, he signed up looking for a Seattle hook up, but lost interest. All this time it was his brother Joe she was emailing with. Alex is hurt and pissed off. She walks to the hotel in the pouring rain, with Joe tailing her trying to explain.

Next day, Joe shows up again to apologize, but finds Alex down and out with the flu. He spends a few days taking care of her, and eventually he convinces her to remain friends. She sticks around town for awhile, to get to know Joe and in the process his friends at the Dive bar.

One dark night, Alex, Joe, and his friend are in a car accident and Joe blames himself. He pushes Alex away, not wanting her to get hurt ever again, but Alex can't seem to let go. Joe and Alex butt heads as Alex helps him remodel the upstairs apartments of the Dive bar.

These two awesome people will need to get past their issues before they can be together. And we are talking about Kylie Scott, who brings us amazing love stories. Anyways, the book was awesome, as always, and now the year long wait for the next one!

I really enjoyed this book. There were some places which felt as though the build up was a little bit long but I liked the idea of Joe using his brothers dating profile to speak to Alex. The only thing I think wasn't explained was why Joe stopped contact with Alex but all in all a good read.

Twist


Oh man this book was amazing and beyond words!

So adorable!

Online dating has gone horribly awry for Alex, she finally worked up the courage to meet Eric, the man she been chatting with, in person, only to find he has no idea who she is!

Joe got on his brother Eric's dating profile to help him meet a decent girl, when he replies to Alex's messages he only meant to let her know Eric wouldn't be meeting up with her, but he enjoyed talking with her and kept it up for months.

When Alex walks into the bar and finds out she was talking to joe the whole time she is not only embarrassed but pissed off.

When circumstances prevent Alex from leaving town, Joe takes the opportunity to make the effort to fix their friendship.

Alex has commitment and trust issues and Joe has some deep inferiority complex (his brother was always a chick magnet).

But their story of coming out of their shells and finding each other is adorable and sweet and a lesson on what love should be , even at the toughest times.

My only complaint is Val needed more page time! I want to know more about her and her boyfriend, maybe a short story or something!

To say that I like Kylie Scott would be the understatement of the year. I love Kylie's work. Her heroines are relatable, honest and I've never wanted to smack any of them with a fish ;-) I absolutely LOVED Twist. I finished it in one sitting because I'm an addict and I can't get enough.

Alex was a character that I understood very well. I identified with her in a really strong way. I can't and won't give away much about the story, but Alex and Joe have a connection built on a strong friendship and it's really a beautiful thing to see.

A little angst, some serious steam and definite LOL moments; Twist was a HUGE WIN for me and a definite re-read will be happening.

* Received an ARC from NetGalley

I loved Alex! Sarcastic much, and some of it was pretty funny too. Half the time I don't think that Joe knew what to say or do around her. He is definitely the quite type. Where as the only time Alex was quite, was when she lost her voice.
This is an opposite attracts kind of book. It was perfect.

So this book was hilarious. And I love books that can make me laugh and I end up highlighting a million little funny zingers. This was one of those books. And the best part was that most of this was from our leading lady! Alex was crazy sarcastic and witty, she really made the whole book. Every since her first series Stage Dive, I've been hooked on Kylie Scott. Her plots are pretty unrealistic (which I have a love/hate relationship with - some of it's more towards "oh my gosh this is ridiculous and would NEVER happen" but then it's so nice to fantasize) BUT her dialogue is so so funny and witty.

So this book really focuses on Joe and Alex. Joe.. oh Joe. I was very interested in his lumbersexual bartending skills since "Dirty". I mean come on - it's like Thor was serving them drinks! Don't tell me you wouldn't be all over that!

It hits you right in the face. Poor, poor Alex flies all the way from Seattle to meet her dream internet pen pal and gets humiliated!!! Like oh my gosh - I would've cried and hit the fetal position.

Turns out our LumberThor has been cat fishing on his brother Erik's online dating-account and it was there, that he met discovered our Alex. Graphic designers extraordinaire who also moonlights as a hermit lol. Love her though - and I totally get it. Sometimes people just suck.

Anyways, this was hilarious and full of drama, with very steamy scenes. Go read it.

2.5 stars

I could not for the life of me get into this book. The plot line was odd. I kept thinking this was a crazy way to meet someone!

Woohoo! More Dive Bar action, and I loved it!

4 stars

This book is great twist on the friends-to-lovers trope – a case of mistaken identity that leads to a snarky, banter-filled, yet sweet, sexy, funny, deeply emotional love story that is lots of fun.

This is book #2 in the Dive Bar series, following on from the fabulous Dirty, but it can be read as a standalone – just be aware of character tie-ins.

Alex arrives in Coeur d'Alene from Seattle, full of excited anticipation to meet Eric, the man she met online and has been talking to via email for months. They have shared their lives and bared their souls to each other, and she is hoping that her surprise visit to Dive Bar, where he works, is going to be the start of something real for them. However when she arrives, Eric has no clue who she is. After much confusion and a humiliating confrontation, it turns out that Alex has actually been talking to Eric’s brother, Joe. Joe is nothing like Alex’s usual type - for a start, he’s a big, bearded lumberjack of a man, whereas she usually goes for the metrosexual look, and then there’s the fact that he lied to her – for months! Hurt and embarrassed, she falls back on her usual MO and she runs.

Joe never planned on becoming involved with Alex. He got onto his brother’s online dating profile to shut it down for him after he predictably lost interest, he saw Alex’s message, thought she sounded interesting and he replied. When she replied back, he kept up the ruse to keep their conversations going. It became deeper and more meaningful than he ever expected, and with each message it became harder and harder for him to tell the truth. He is truly remorseful and feels terrible for hurting Alex, but now that she’s in front of him, he has no intention of letting her go.


“I know it must feel like you don’t know me, but you do. It was just a couple of details. But the person talking to you, that was me.”


When Alex gets stuck in town, Joe is right there, pushing his way into her life. There is tension and arguing, but though they haven’t actually met before now, these two know each other so well, and the more time they spend together, Joe’s persistence and sweet, generous heart starts to melt Alex’s walls.


All of the spending time together had changed things. Again. God, it was confusing.
I’d crushed on him hard.
Then I’d hated him with the fire of a thousand suns.
Now I liked him and his body far more than I should


The development of the relationship between Alex and Joe is really nicely done. From hurt and snark to banter, teasing, friendship, and then more, it’s natural and believable, and the sexual tension builds wonderfully. I could feel the chemistry between them, and the sexy time is seriously hot! But more than just that, there is a strong connection between them is well established and that makes everything more emotional, creating a wonderful sense of intensity to everything that is happening between them.

But Alex still has walls around her heart. Will Joe be able to convince her to give him a real try? And when tragedy strikes, will they be strong enough to survive the emotional fallout as they deal with heartbreak, doubt, and ghosts from the past?

I loved this book. Like other Kylie Scott books I have read, it’s a great mix of funny, sweet, sexy and emotional, and the romance is gorgeously written. The set up provides a great dynamic between Alex and Joe and I loved watching their relationship shift and change as they fell hard for each other. They have hurdles to overcome, and though there is a bit of angst as they figure it all out, I loved their strength and the obvious growth of their characters as they find the courage and confidence to fight for what they want. They balance each other out really nicely, and the story ends with them in a great place.

And I really enjoyed Alex and Joe as characters. Alex is feisty and full of snark, and her sarcasm is hilarious! I laughed out loud so many times at her antics and inner monologue.


Lumbersexuals were clearly the worst. Truth was, I'd never been especially into beards. At best, I'd been indifferent. Now, however, I outright despised them. Horrible hairy frames for lying lips and duplicitous tongues, that's what they were. Loathsome whiskery bastards. Burn them all in a fire.


She has been through hard times that have left her mark on her, and she has issues to overcome, but I love her strength and courage in doing exactly that as she comes to realise exactly what Joe means to her.

And Joe! *dreamy sigh*. Lumbersexuals may not be Alex’s type, but personally I love them! And Joe is sweet, loyal and caring with a wicked sense of humour and is sexy as all hell. His love for his friends and family is gorgeous to see, and the way he was there for Alex just melted me.

Their relationship is a great mix of fun, lust, affection, and deep emotion. They support and protect each other, and they help each other come out of their shells and live the lives that they truly want, and I love that we got to see that!

Fans of Kylie’s will love the cameo from some of the Stage Dive characters, as well as a chance to catch up with the Dive Bar crew as they involve themselves in Alex and Joe’s lives. I loved catching up with Vaughn and Lydia from Dirty, and there is some significant development for some of the other players – God, I’m hoping we get that story in full!!!

This is a great addition to the series, and a fun, yet heartfelt read. I loved it!

4 stars.

~ 3.5 - 4 Stars ~

Twist was a fun and entertaining read. I really enjoyed this story and the characters that we follow throughout the book.

This book had me laughing, blushing, yelling and even rolling my eyes at times. But it's all these emotions that make it a good book. My only complaint was the direction the author took in the last 25% or so of the story. I felt one element of the storyline could've been left out and was only there to add drama that I personally don't think needed to be there. There was enough going on without throwing this character in the mix ;) Adding that extra drama kind of took some of the enjoyment out of this book....hence the mixed star rating.

Twist is the second book in Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar Series. This is a series of standalone novels. I haven’t read book 1…Dirty yet, but I don’t feel I missed anything by reading the books out of order. The main characters in this book are different from Book 1. There are reoccurring characters but Kylie does a great job filling in the blanks when needed. This isn’t the first book I have read by Kylie and it won’t be my last. I truly enjoy her writing style. She always gives us a great cast of characters and storylines that keep the reader interested. This book is told solely from Alex’s (heroine) POV. I would’ve liked to have Joe’s POV in there too so we could get his feelings on a lot of things in the story, but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the book.

In this book we follow Joe and Alex. Joe is a bartender who works at The Dive Bar. His brother Eric co-owns the bar with some other people. Eric signed up to do online dating but then gave it up and Joe was supposed to close his account, but that is until he reads Alex’s email. Alex is a graphic designer from Seattle and kind of a recluse. She doesn’t like taking risks or putting herself out there, in fear of rejection or getting hurt. So when she gets an email from “Eric” (really Joe) she writes back. Starting an online friendship. Then Alex gets an idea to go and meet “Eric” in person. Well you can probably guess she was quite surprised to find out Eric had no clue who she was and that the person she had been opening up to was actually his brother Joe. Will Alex be able to forgive Joe?? Can these two start over and form a strong and lasting relationship?? Read this fun and enjoyable read to get those answers.

So if you are a fan of Kylie Scott’s books or just looking for that fun and entertain read, then you need to read this book. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

What a great addition to whats looking like a fantastic new series by the lovely kylie Scott.

I read Dirty the first in the series when it came out and absolutely loved the balls off it!. So my expectations were pretty high coming into this one. Now I will say Dirty will forever be my favourite I don't think it can be topped however Twist is coming up pretty close.

Alex and joe are so opposite it's hilarious!. Their first meet occurs when Alex decides to finally meet up with the mysterious <b>Eric</b> she's been emailing with for months. Poor girl did not know what was about to hit her but she was sure to be in for a giant surprise. I laughed more than I probably should have.

Alex is definitely an introvert with sass. She doesn't like people in any sense, she doesn't trust at all and really just works and stays in her house though she doesn't have a problem with the occasional hookup. She is hilarious though!, super witty with some cracking comebacks. I really enjoyed her personality I found her to be be realistic and definitely someone I could relate to which helped me like her all the more.

Joe is a strange one because he comes across all broody and the silent type yet he's a big people pleaser. He does everything for everyone else regardless regardless or wanting to or not. I really enjoyed him and how sweet he was with Alex and how apologetic he was. Although he was broody he had no problem admitting he was in the wrong and tried fixing it. I did get frustrated with him when he all of a sudden went cold on her. I understood the reasoning behind it but I felt he dragged it out a lot .. however he did make up for it in the end so I guess all is right in the world.

I liked their relationship together. The back and forth banter, the chemistry in and out of the bedroom was palpable and even though to me they were extremely opposite they definitely fit together perfect. I enjoyed the side characters although I found them to be not as involved as they were in Dirty. All round the story is pretty seemless and has you sucked in from the first chapter. There is a little of everything from humour to super tragic sad moments. Family drama to happy endings and more. It's a great story set at a good believable pace and I definitely enjoyed it and can't wait for more. I'd love to here Patrick and Nells story I have a feeling it would be a heart wrencher. I also can't wait for Eric's story because I know there's more than meets the eye with him for sure and especially after certain events in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to others!.

I kindly received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one gave me all the feels. I loved this book hard. Joe is legitimately perfect-but not in a way that is annoying. Alex was complicated but real. I love this series. Can't wait for the next one.

Twist (Dive Bar #2)
Kylie Scott
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I loved this book until about 80%. I don't do spoilers so I can't explain but let's just say everything gets out of control and I was struggling to finish the story. This book can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the previous book, and it did not affect the story.

Alex has caught a catfish (like the MTV show). She went to meet the man of her dreams to find out he didn't know her at all. Even worse he's nothing like the person she thought he was. Joe Eric's brother is the catfish. He doesn't look anything like his brother. Alex is super pissed he lied to her, and she didn't want to forgive, but she needs his help. Can they be friends? The more she gets to know him the more she realises you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance. He may not be her usual type, but she can see the appeal.

4 stars out of 5. The first 80% was 5 stars worthy, but the rest just didn't do it for me. This book has a happy ever after ending.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review thanks to Netgalley*

Paperback £6.99 or Kindle Edition £2.99, 288 pages
Expected publication: April 11th, 2017