Disclaimer: I had to read this in the morning, and then reread it while the sun was still up because as much as I love romantic suspense and criminal procedural shows, I am a huge scaredy cat. So there it is.
I’ve been a long-time fan of Cynthia Eden and Twisted did not disappoint. I thought it was thrilling, steamy, fast-paced and just overall a wonderful read.
I tend to stay away from books with protagonists who are psychic because it’s either very fake… or they freak me out completely. Told you, scaredy cat. What I really liked about this though is that it’s stated early on that she reads people. You know, kind of like profiler. And that this skill has had some very life changing effects on her. There’s just something about that aspect that I really liked, maybe because I thought it was a realistic challenge? I also liked how her ability to read people is the thing she had to prove to Dean over and over again. She doesn’t have multiple psychology or whatever degrees like Sarah (who I think is the next protagonist for the next book AM SO EXCITED FOR THAT) and so it’s kind of a b* to prove your worth in something that’s traditionally academic. Girl that struggle is real, and I enjoyed reading Emma kick ass throughout the investigation. Ah I loved Emma a lot!
Dean, on the other hand, I was left feeling a bit meh about. Maybe it’s how their first interaction went down… but I kind of thought he wasn’t as charming as I remember Cynthia Eden male protagonists to be? I had to reread this book because of that and came to the conclusion, that no it’s just Dean. Which is fine, male romantic protagonists don’t have to be charming all the time. But it seemed like Dean was perpetually cranky haha. And strangely enough, that crankiness worked well in terms of couple chemistry. I loved whenever Emma would tease Dean because he kind of gets confused and stops to reevaluate what’s happening? IDK, but it made me smile haha. In before though, Dean wasn’t a d*bag hero, he was more brash and a little bit cranky. Definitely alpha though.
Before I forget to mention this, there is a bit of insta-lust happening here. I think that’s what made me a bit confused (see part above about me rereading) because I don’t think it worked as well for me as I was expecting it to be? I gotta tone down my book expectations, I know. Once the chemistry and the relationship is established though, things do get a bit smoother because Emma and Dean’s chemistry was pretty much off the charts.
Emma didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. She looked down at the hand on her shoulder. “When a woman runs away from you, that means you need to stay the hell away from her.”
His hold tightened on her. “You and I aren’t done.”
She looked up at his face. Had she really thought the man was handsome? Annoying, that was all Dean Bannon was.
“I need to find that girl, and you’re the only lead I have so far.”
“Then you’re not a very good investigator.”
As for the solving the crime part of this book, I thought it was great! She does tell you who the suspect is, kind of, in the first couple chapters… but it’s not going to be who you expect it to be? I am horrible at talking about this part because I don’t want to spoil anyone, but it’s a good twist! Also, I liked how this book was set in NOLA. I’ve been hooked on NCIS: NOLA so that was just a random plus point for Twisted there haha.
Twisted can be read on its own because she does explain what LOST is and who its members are. Maybe Dean is introduced in Broken just as Sarah is kind of being set up in Twisted? Perhaps, but still,Twisted works on its own.
Also holy batman long review, but to sum it up, I liked Twisted. Maybe not as much as I was hoping it to be, but that may just be I have cray expectations. I enjoyed the interactions between Emma and Dean and thought it was realistic. They’re working towards solving this one mystery but this pesky thing called attraction keeps butting its head and it was really fun to see how they both dealt with it. I loved Emma’s character because she came across as very genuine and sincere and someone who knows what she’s worth and isn’t afraid of letting everyone know she’s good. Which is refreshing and wonderful and we need more of that you know. Dean was okay, I really wished I liked Dean more, but what can you do? The suspense plot was well-written and I really enjoyed watching it unravel and I mean, Cynthia Eden writes great romantic suspense books. I’ll be back for more from this series. And will probably read the first one soon. Maybe when it’s day time.
ABOUT CYNTHIA EDEN
Award-winning author CYNTHIA EDEN writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.