I've been meaning to read Anna Zabo's Twisted Wishes ever since the first book came out but as with so many things on my TBR, it did not happen until more recently. On the positive side, this meant I got to read the whole trilogy and what a wonderful reading experience it was.
This is rock star romance at its finest. It's queer and kinky and centered around some of the most intriguing characters you'll ever encounter. The series builds on itself in some lovely ways, while also providing a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at life for musicians on the road. The band is on the cusp of stardom when we first meet them.
Syncopation follows Twisted Wishes front man Ray Van Zeller in the aftermath of a heated confrontation with the band's old drummer. But the new drummer Zavier Demos, and incidentally Ray's high school crush, doesn't make things any easier.
In Counterpoint, lead guitarist Dominic “Domino” Bradley is one thing on stage and an entirely different persona off it. When he meets computer programmer Adrian Doran at a restaurant, he's Dominic, quiet and unassuming, and Adrian has no idea who Dom really is.
Finally, we end with Reverb, centered around bass player Mish Sullivan and her new bodyguard David Altet who is charged to keep her safe from a stalker. Only Mish doesn't think she needs a bodyguard in the first place.
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Syncopation - 5 Stars
I’m a big fan of Anna Zabo’s books and I cannot believe it’s taken me this long to finally start the Twisted Wishes series. But in good news, I can confirm I absolutely loved the hell out of this story.
Ray and Zavier start out antagonistic toward each other, in part because of an incident when they were in high school and in part because they are wildly attracted to each other but cannot act on said attraction for reasons. We, of course, know they’re going to give in and I fully enjoyed the ride leading up to that moment and thereafter.
This is a deliciously angsty story with fascinating insights into the lives of musicians. Music is almost its own character and I loved how it infused every page. Ray has synesthesia and I’m always interested in how this affects creatives and loved seeing how this factored into how he wrote songs.
It was also interesting to think through the logistics of being a musician and how even once a band is signed, there’s no guarantee of success. Syncopation really delves into the potential roadblocks Twisted Wishes faces, most particularly due to their awful manager Carl. It was so hard to watch the way Carl treated Ray, especially when I could not figure out why he would want the band to fail.
Ray (gay) and Zav (pansexual) are so good together as friends and as lovers. The introduction of BDSM into the relationship made perfect sense. The scenes were steamy and very mindful of consent. Another interesting layer to their relationship is Zavier being aromantic, which I haven’t seen much before in the romance novels I’ve read. Zabo does a good job of providing a thorough explanation of aromanticism that stayed true to both characters and what they needed. (However, I'm not aro so I can't speak to the representation. Corey has another perspective about the aro portrayal that’s worth reading.) The story as a whole is very respectful of different sexuality and gender identities, something that’s important to the band and to their fans. It was lovely.
I tore through this book and loved it start to finish.
CW: bullying, gaslighting, depression, anxiety, reference to abusive ex, ableism, Spoilers (highlight bracket to see): [career sabotage by abusive manager, roofied drink, allergic reaction, hospitalization]
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Counterpoint - 5 Stars
This series continues to astound me. I loved how this explored Dominic’s persona as Domino and how it helped him feel safe on stage, especially as that contrasts to how he felt safe with Adrian. The dichotomy of Dominic vs Domino and Dom’s struggle to know which side of him was real was so compelling. This does a great job of delving into Dom’s mental health and showing how Adrian can support him but that support only goes so far. Dom still has to do the work of healing himself. Even so, he and Adrian were so lovely together.
From the moment they meet at the restaurant, I was hooked. Their relationship and the kink had such a well-paced evolution. Adrian was so patient with Dominic. They are such good men and so good together, even as they’re dealing with outside stressors. Once Dom is able to tell Adrian about his music and the band, a whole other side of him opens up and even though they have to weather a major storm together, the story came alive in a new way, filled with hope and restoration.
Bonus points for Adrian’s amazing home library.
CW: past death of a parent, anxiety, panic attacks, reference to past homophobia, estranged family relationships, workplace hostility/sabotage
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Reverb - 5 Stars
Mish was so vibrant and fierce and lovely. One of my favorite heroines in a while. She came to vivid life on the page and I could picture her so clearly, from how she looked to how she took on each new challenge. It was so interesting to watch how intensely she advocated for herself and how much she resisted anything that could potentially make her be seen as weak, beyond the band needing a bodyguard and extending to asking for help from friends. Given her history, this made complete sense. But the band needs each member and they’ve each taken a turn needing more than the rest and it was good to see them surround and care for Mish in this story.
David was a wonderful hero. He’s trans and former military, a bit of a loner. He’s drawn into the Twisted Wishes circle almost immediately and has a sense of friends and family for the first time in a while. I loved watching how this affected him. And I especially loved watching him navigate his relationship with Mish. Bodyguard romances have their fair share of power dynamics and ethical issues and I thought this did a good job of navigating both.
I just love this whole band and wish I could hear their music for real. The concerts just sound like the best thing ever. But more than that, I love who they are to one another and what their music means to the queer community. I also found it interesting that each book in this series featured a pansexual character, two of whom are band members. They’re just a lovely found family and I adored every time the whole band had a scene together, including the pool scene. I’m curious if the band manager will ever get her own story! It was fun seeing her more of her here.
This was really good but it also really stressed me out with the stalker storyline. I had a sneaking suspicion of who Mish’s stalker was but I was so worried about how it would all play out. See the content warnings for spoilers if you need to. Overall, this was handled in a way that still empowered Mish. But because of the heavier dynamic (or maybe just because I’m a woman and therefore could easily put myself in her shoes), it felt different and more serious in tone compared to the first two books in the series. That’s not a bad thing and I think it helped that Mish is such a force of nature. I could lose myself in what was happening between her and David no matter what tension lay beneath the surface of the stalker storyline.
Highly recommend this whole series.
CW: stalking, reference to war/military, reference to past character’s allergic reaction and subsequent hospitalization, reference to past manager’s bullying, threats of violence, theft, death of parent (cancer), harassing emails, misogyny, trans and queer microaggressions, Spoilers (highlight bracket to see): [stabbing, hospitalization, reference to attempted child sexual assault]
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