Book Description:
Reality with Blane isn’t as epic as the fantasy she imagined, and the truth sends her spinning straight into the arms of the man she never knew she’d always wanted.
West Williams has been friends with Lily since the day she moved into their building and he saved her armoire from a swift, sudden death by staircase. Their friendship has always been easy, the boundaries clearly defined. With neither of them willing to risk their relationship, they’ve drifted happily through the years as companions, never considering more.
That is, until they do. And that realization changes everything.
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25447439-with-a-twist?from_search=true&search_version=service
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1fDmlQv
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1CC0Vx3
Our Review:
Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
***ARC received for an honest review***
I was first introduced to Staci Hart through her Hardcore series which I absolutely loved. I have to admit that series caught my eye because of the amazing covers and once again, I love the cover that Staci has chosen to adorn With A Twist. Once I find an author that I love I don’t tend to read blurbs, I just dive in and that was the case with this, so I was pleasantly surprised that this was a contemporary romance. This book also ticked a lot of boxes for me, I am a sucker for friends to lovers and I love romantic comedy and this was the perfect blend for me, we had the anticipation, the friends, the eureka moment, humour, heat and just that feel good factor that leaves you with the warm and fuzzies at the end.
Lily was a ballet dancer for the New York ballet and was a beautiful character inside and out. She didn’t have time for relationships due to her working and training schedule and she always felt that she was missing out, however, her dancing was her world and their was no way that she would compromise for the sake of a man.
“Your feet are the only visible sign of your love for ballet. Every mark, every callus and wound is a symbol of your pain, of thousands of hours of sweat, blood and work. You call them ugly. I call them art.”
West was a teaching assistant for a professor of English Lit, he was hoping to be accepted in the Doctorate programme. Not only was West super smart, but again, we had another beautiful character, both inside and out. West had always filled his time with meaningless relationships and I use that term lightly, more like fuck buddies. He was not interested in long term and was more intent on finishing his studies than anything else.
Lily and West had a great friendship, even though they were the opposite sex they told each other everything, watched meaningless TV together and had the most open and hilarious conversations. But even in the beginning they were like an old married couple. The only people that couldn’t see it were Lily and West.
“You make sense. Like, I see the two of you talking or touching, and it’s just right…you make your own magic, like you run on the same frequency. How is it that you haven’t been attracted to him the whole time?”
These two had firmly friend-zoned each other, both fearing the loss of their friendship over a relationship, although for the longest time, neither one of them saw the other as a potential romantic interest. It takes for Lily to find a boyfriend to drive West into actually realising and admitting his true feelings, both to himself, his friends and eventually Lily.
“…she’s blinded by his douchesparkle.”
My only niggle with this read was that for the majority of the book they were friends and were working through other relationships or their own issues, I would have liked a bit more of them as a couple. However, I see the potential for the other characters in this book to have their own and I am hoping that we will see more of Lily and West through these.
“Baby, I’ll eat brussel sprouts for you.”
The secondary characters in this book had a huge part to play and none were superfluous to the overall content and flow of the book, they were all pivotal one way or another and Lily and West’s close circle of friends were more family than friends. It was this familial friendship that really gelled these characters together and had you rooting for all of them throughout and it is also this character connection that endears them all to you.
“May your endings be happy and your habits be bad.”
As I said above, this was perfectly balanced with friendships, love, drama, a little angst but most of all a huge dose of Staci Hart humour. It is this that keeps those pages turning and for me made this a book that I read in one sitting. I really hope Staci Hart develops this series further as I want to know more about all of these characters going forward. Also, at the end of the day this man has a beard, a man-bun and he reads and watches the Notebook too, so what more could a person want…
“Part of me wants to do something horrible to pay her back, like put magnesium in her water bottle so she’ll shit her leotard during rehearsal, or at least get a solid shart in.”
About the Author:Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.
From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.
www.stacihartnovels.com
https://www.facebook.com/stacihartnovels/timeline
No comments:
Post a Comment