Serial Review: Twisted by Mora Early

Serial Saturdays: On the occasional Saturday, I review a serialized series (a series that is released in parts that would normally make up a whole novel) to see if the series is worth keeping up with or worth buying all its parts. Here is this week’s offering:

book2 book3 book4

Synopsis for Twisted Arrangement (from Goodreads):
All Emma wanted to do was retrieve her family’s heirloom watch. The watch that her ne’er-do-well younger brother lost in a poker game to dashing Hollywood producer and renowned ladies man Joshua Owens.

The only problem is, in order to do so, she has to sneak into a masquerade ball at Joshua’s mansion… a ball she she helped plan in the course of her job as a party promoter – a job she could lose if they ever found out what she was up to. But her job will be the least of her worries when an encounter with Joshua threatens to turn her entire life upside down.

Series: Twisted
Author: Mora Early
# of Books/Parts: 4
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Short Stories, Serialized
Heat Rating: warm then hot in book 2-3
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Date: June – October 2013
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Why I Picked it Up:

This book was for free on Amazon a little while back and that’s where I grabbed my copy. At first I didn’t want to read this book because I figured the “twisted arrangement” had something do to with BDSM–I mean it just screams (no pun intended) that genre when you look at all the facts. Rich playboy. CHECK. Naïve nice girl, CHECK. An arrangement made to protect her family, CHECK. It basically has all the makings of a serial erotica novel BUT that isn’t what we get.

The Plot:

This book (and the rest of the series) is truthfully nothing but vanilla romance which I was extremely thankful for because I really enjoyed these books quite a lot. Actually, it reminds me of a modernized Regency novel where the hero and heroine find themselves in a similar situation and have to find a way to satisfy both parties involved.

The storyline borders on unrealistic but I can attune that to it being fiction. I think it’s cute in its approach and not overly farfetched so that makes it enjoyable.

The Characters:

First, I liked the characters. While they did play into some stereotypes, I really liked Josh and Emma. They both have great hearts and I like the attraction that is between them. It isn’t just a lust thing as they do make a connection between their personalities and it’s easy to see them together. Emma wasn’t annoying to me (I could maybe see how she would get on the nerves of some people but I think I am similar to her in a lot of ways so she doesn’t irritate me) which is also a big bonus.

The Format:

I really wish this was one full book. I’m happy that I discovered this series after all four parts were published because if I had to wait for each part, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. Serialized eBooks are not my favourite trend for this reason (among a few others) so I recommend grabbing them all (or be prepared to get all 4) within the same time span. I will say that I appreciate the length of each book as they average almost 100 pages per part so I never felt overly giped that I was paying more than it was worth.

Originally the series was supposed to only be 3 parts but Ms Early extended it to the 4th which I think was a good idea (though I haven’t read part 4 yet!). I would have been very disappointed in Part 3 if that was the ending!

Series Rating: 4/5

A fun and cute series that has likeable characters. The only downside is that it is a serialized series but when you have all the parts on hand it’s like reading one longer novel. Those who like contemporary romances with a bit of a spin will enjoy this series.