One of my 2021 bookish goals is to read more series so I decided to finish the Twisted Wishes series. Each book follows a member of a queer rock band and has themes of found family, acceptance, and some light kink elements. I reviewed the first book, Syncopation, in 2019.
Counterpoint
Twisted Wishes’ 27-year-old guitarist Dominic Bradley is bookish, nerdy and (as described by the book) a twink. He suffers from anxiety and is only able to perform as his onstage persona, Domino Grinder. When Dominic meets 36-year-old software engineer Adrian Duran, he has to decide if it’s worth it to keep his rock star persona a secret from the man he is falling for.
Now, look I have said I don’t like secret-keeping romance but….I’m coming around on it a little. Being afraid of trusting someone with your secret is a very real thing. That said, this book really could have been a novella. Adrian and Dom’s quickfire relationship develops in a bubble and aside from Dom’s secret, there isn’t much there plotwise for a whole book. – ★★★
Reverb
Reverb has to be my favorite in this series and I think it works great as a standalone. Our heroine is 33-year-old Mish, Twisted Wishes’ bass player and only female member. She’s been a bit of an unknowable character in the previous books, she doesn’t have much character set up and I liked getting to know her more.
The book opens with Mish in the hospital after having been accosted by a stalker after a show. The band hires David Altet, a 43-year old trans ex-soldier as a security consultant— but everyone really knows he’s there to be Mish’s bodyguard.
The simmering attraction between Mish and David just seeps from the page. This book is heavy on angst and feelings. David yearns for a place with Mish and in the Twisted Wishes family but struggles with the professional ethics of getting too close to his clients. – ★★★★
This entire series is narrated by Greg Bordeaux (aka Greg Tremblay), who is no stranger in the M/M indie romance world. He has such a honeyed and layered voice that goes from deep gravel to scratchy and high pitched. I was curious what he really sounded like and when I listened to his interviews on Big Gay Fiction Podcast and The Klunatics I could literally hear every character in his natural speaking voice.
I enjoyed diving into this world and would definitely recommend it, especially Reverb. Zabo hasn’t published much since Reverb but recently released a book in the multi-author Bold Brew series. I’ve never read a series written by 10 different authors and I’m curious to check out!
