“I’m an Italian-Texan woman in a family full of cops. I’m passionate and shoot before I think. You only f*ck with me if you’re stupid.” Photograph cheating spouses. Hand over the evidence. Cash my check. That was my plan when I returned home to Holly Woods, Texas, and became a private investigator. Finding the dead body in my dumpster? Yeah… Given the choice, I think I would have opted out of … would have opted out of that little discovery, especially since all three of my brothers are cops. And my Italian grandmother is sure the reason I’m single is because of my job.
Of course, my connection to the victim is entirely coincidental. Until I’m hired by her husband to investigate her murder and shoved bang-smack into the path of Detective Drake Nash. My nemesis, a persistent pain in my ass, and one hell of a sexy son of a bitch.
Shame he still holds a grudge from that time I shot him in the foot twelve years ago, or we could have something. In another life.
So now all I have to do is avoid my nonna’s blind dates, try not to blackmail my brothers into giving me confidential police files, and absolutely do not point my gun at Drake Nash. Or kiss him. Or jump his bones.
All while I hunt down the killer.
Sounds totally simple—until a second body proves that sometimes things that start as coincidences don’t always end up that way…
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Emma Hart made me fall in love with her wonderful, quirky, cupcake loving heroine Noelle Bond. After I finished the first in the series I immediately bought the rest!
Her characters are so very human; sharing all of our insecurities, doubts, and fears but with just the right amount of humor to keep us coming back.
One of my favorite light hearted mystery series.
I-a enjoyed-a the book-a!!!
My name is Bond…
Noelle Bond.
Twisted Bond is the first of Emma Hart’s Holly Woods Files. This book is a mix of Bond(s) and Agatha Christie. But instead of a British hunk with his swanky gadgets and Poirot with his ‘little gray cells’, we have Noelle and the rest of the Bond family and Nonna!. Yes, I separated Nonna from the Bond family because well, she deserves a separate post for herself!
Oh, oh, oh! and how can I forget DETECTIVE DRAKE NASH!!! *sigh!* The sexual tension throughout the book was so palpable.
From the moment Emma had announced that she was writing a new book that was different from the rest, I literally didn’t expect the complete 180. This is not her typical writing style and I have to say I loved how she executed the story!
I was into the book since the first page and I was completely drawn in the mystery that was THE MYSTERY until it was revealed!
When one reads a mystery novel, you expect it to be dry, sarcastic, black and white with a hint of gray, but what you don’t expect in a murder mystery is sassy remarks, amazing one-liners. I swear Emma Hart is the queen of sarcastic and sassy remarks.
Oh and Nonna! LOVE HER!! This woman just doesn’t deserve a separate mention but also a completely different review altogether!
Noelle is as sassy and sarcastic as her other female characters and Drake, hmm Drake has all the sexy one-liners.
“Another threat.” He whips his handcuffs out and dangles them in my face.
“Want me to use ’em, ma’am?
Yes, please!”
Now, the other reason why I LOVED this book was, unlike other murder mysteries I couldn’t guess who the killer was until the minute it was revealed! And I loved that! For me, a great murder mystery is when it leaves you guessing until the end and even then it leaves you wanting to go back and connect all the dots.
“It’s short and harsh and hot, the kiss is almost bruising in its intensity, and it’s like everything has stopped, the world stilling on its axis. No more ticking clocks, no more wondering about tomorrow or next week and next year. Just now, Here, now. This second. This very moment. This very touch that is equal parts thrilling and terrifying, because no one should be able to make someone feel like there is nothing left in existence but one simple kiss.”
God! The sexual tension between Noelle and Drake was too much. Too palpable. Till the last page, I could just feel the sexual energy between them. But when these two came together it was fireworks! All those, fights, the innuendos, the threats came together perfectly. And mind you there isn’t a lot of sex.
Just one actually and I won’t tell you where!
I LOVED this book and I cannot wait to read and see what Emma has planned for the second book.
5 Stars!
A drama with suspense, romance and lots of twists.
Murder, romance, and sassy attitude. I’ve been reading Emma Hart’s rom-coms for almost a year now and was excited to see one of her older series get a facelift. But since reading Twisted Bond I’m now HOOKED on Hart’s ability to tell a murder mystery that keeps on giving. Meet Noelle Bond; former cop turned private investigator in her hometown, she’s quickly making a name for herself in the world of catching adulterers. It’s a quiet PI life, until a body ends up in her company’s dumpster. And it just so happens to be related to one of her previous cases and she’s ow entwined with the case more than she wanted to be. Add in the the decedent’s husband also hired her to work alongside the police and it causes for some tough territorial investigating.
You would think a PI would work well with the police, but Noelle has a hate-love relationship with one Detective Drake Nash. Dark, mysterious, and rude as can be…and he’s also hot as Hades. Begrudgingly these two have to end up working together when a SECOND body ends up at Noelle’s feet. It looks like someone is trying to pin murders on our PI but digging in to her past cases. Drake, while fighting his own attraction to Noelle, has to decide if she’s a suspect or an ally to the department. But as much as he’d like to throw her in handcuffs (oh yeah!) he has to work with her and not against her to stop the murders happening in their town.
This is definitely a romance steeped in mystery. While Drake and Noelle fight their attraction the entire book #slowburn, they focus more on solving the case than finding their next fix. I felt like it was the perfect combination of fiction/murder mystery with the right amount of romance. Not too much to drown out either of the main character’s goals, but enough to make you swoon and hope the two will just bone already LOL. I know I’ll want the rest of the series on my TBR soon because I’m loving this dynamic!
This one took me a little bit to get into, but I really enjoyed it when I did! Emma Hart is one of my go-to authors, and I’m glad I read this one. Great story, crazy grandma and amazing characters!
Oh my word, I loved this book!!! It was so funny add in that element of mystery and danger and you got one great book!!! And I am so happy to hear that this is a series and I get more!!! Drake and Noelle are the perfect pair!! Then add her three cop brothers!!! I have a feeling this series is going to be just as good as the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich because it’s got that type of flavor. So if you liked that series I can guarantee you are going to love this series and I’m only on book one but I love Emma Hart’s writing!!! So I highly recommend this book!!! – By Tina
Can you say a murder mystery is fun? Is that too weird? Possibly disturbing? Well, whatever, because this one is. The heroine really is a heroine; she can take care of herself and does. She owns all that she is…well, everything but the proper name for what she feels for Drake Nash. Noelle is a spitfire, in that she spits fire at anyone who thinks she can’t handle herself or her business. The way she commands respect is straight-up bitchy but so badass that I’m equally annoyed and charmed by her. Honestly though, I think I love her.
There were so many tangled webs in this one that had me questioning everything. Even after having a feeling who the villain is, I still questioned that maybe, just maybe, the culprit would be a surprise. The way all the pieces were brought out kept me mostly guessing until it turned out that my gut was right. Their reasoning, however, was a bit of a predictable shock because it was a pretty cliche reason for doing what they did and a surprise that it was so neatly wrapped up. I found that quite unsatisfactory, especially the level of brutality heaped on the bodies, as well as too simplistic. One person tied them all together in a way that worked, but it was just too neat for all the crazy that surrounded the circumstances everyone had to wade through.
In regards to the romantic aspect of the book, I was bothered by the expressions of hatred that dominated Drake and Noelle’s encounters. The incredible chemistry and the explosive nature of their “discussions” was palpable and aside from Noelle owning how she felt about his hotness, for them to keep things in the realm of maintaining their hate-on for one another was disappointing. While I understand that it’s difficult to get multiple books out of one relationship to “balance” the homicidal surprises, I don’t think the level they took it was healthy or all that enjoyable after a while. I was loving their banter, bickering, wit, and sniping…until it was apparent that it was never going to end. I’m hoping they express some softer, more tender feelings with honesty and true introspection in the next book because if we keep up with the hate for another whole novel before we get to the happier feels? Can’t say I’m thrilled with that prospect.
It was the family that made this book hilarious. Their dynamic was chaotic, humorous, supportive, and incredibly special. So many moments of heart and love balanced by typical sibling competition and teasing. I’m absolutely coming back for more so I can get more of them. I’m also incredibly curious how things with Noelle’s office will come together too. There’s a ton to love about the direction of this series and I’m more than willing to go along for the ride at this point.
Twisted Bond was a great mixture of Emma Hart humor with classic who-dun-it. I love a good mystery, and I love even more a mystery where I can’t predict the killer/ending.
So let’s list all the good things Twisted Bond brings to the table:
-strong heroine
-good mystery and plot twists
-off the charts sexual tension
-good side characters (including sassy best friend)
But it does have some flaws. The “witty” banter can feel OTT (talking about you, Nonna!) and the hate/love leans more towards hate at times. But overall, Twisted Bond is a fun read that keeps you thinking, trying to solve the mystery.
This is everything I love about books and Emma Hart wrapped up in one lovely bundle! I seriously dig the characters… Noelle is my absolute favorite. She’s a kick ass detective who is Italian and has all the insanely Italian family members to prove it. Of course the family is packed with cops too… strong male cops… I’m really hoping they are in the other books because I love them all right off the bat!
Add in Drake Nash… the sexy blue eyed detective that she can’t stand the site of, partly because he’s so insanely attractive she immediately turns into a sex kitten… with all the rubbing and purring you can imagine! LOL ok, so I’m being a bit odd there but really, she can’t stand him, he can’t stand her. But you could drown in that sexual tension! I loved them together. They had me laughing so hard!
I’ve been reading Emma Hart’s RomComs for the last 4 years or so. I’ve never read this series; I just started where I found her and kept on trucking. But this just shows me that she’s been writing gold for ages! Twisted Bond has the classic Emma Hart humor we all know and love. But she gives us some suspense and mystery none of her other books have… and seriously, I love it even more for that! This was a really quick read for me. I enjoyed the storyline and all the characters! I know I’m going to have to read them all now!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Think I’m the other way around when I just went to read the last book in this series first before I started the first one. I loved that one and now reading in order 🙂
I’m so glad I did ‘cuz I absolutely loved this one. Loved reading this story, how it plays out and especially the banter between Noelle and Drake! If you are looking for a read that not only has suspense, laughter and getting that not-too-avoidable-romance, you need to read this! More than 5 stars for me!
This is a cute mystery. I found the characters fun and interesting. I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.
Drake obviously doesn’t know that it’s rude to bring up inappropriate matters, “his smile grows. “Noelle,” he murmurs, “not ten minutes ago, you had your legs wrapped around my waist and your tongue in my mouth. Little late to be worryin’ about personal space, don’t you think, cupcake?” I really think Noelle and Drake are perfect for each othr they egg each other on but really it’s sexual flirtation, “Noelle, trust me, babe , you did effin’ do it. But that ain’t what that call was about.” Don’t look down, Noelle. Whatever you do, don’t look down at his pants. I look down. Holy ***t. I really did do it. And now, I do really want to do it.” I really enjoyed this book, I think it’s going to be another great series and Emma is showing us her talent for mystery and romance mixed in
WOW! Emma Hart is pure genius!
Whilst the main story line of this book is quite dark, Emma has an amazing writing style to balance out the darkness with amazing humour!
Noelle Bond is a feisty and independent private investigator. Her three brothers are cops at the Holly Woods police department. They all have a great sibling bond and all look out for each other. With an Italian heritage, her Nonna makes no point in hiding her distaste for Noelle’s job and the fact that at 28 years old, she is still single…..
Drake Nash is the hot Detective that works with Noelle’s brothers. He also happens to be the lead detective on a murder case, that seems to involve Noelle. With dead bodies seemingly appearing on her properties and her home and office being broken into, the case becomes personal. For both of them.
See….. Drake and Noelle are HOT! Their sexual tension is unreal! Emma writes it so well. You really feel it as you are reading it. Every time there is an innuendo, a brush of the hands, a fight between the two; you hold your breath hoping that this is the moment they get together!
I won’t lie…. I did get a little squeamish at the beginning with some of the details of the murders; but as I said at the beginning of this review; Emma quickly backs it up with humour.
I have never highlighted a book so much, as I have done with this one. There are hilarious quotes galore that I just kept sharing with all my reader friends.
I can hardly wait to read the next instalments!!!
Twisted Bond has everything you want in a good mystery and even has a strong female P.I. with her own business. There are lots of twists and turns with dead bodies turning up on her property. Who is the killer and why are the bodies being dumped on her property? There’s a love interest. No, wait. There’s a lust interest with a handsome detective.
Even though it was a murder mystery, it had me chuckling throughout and even laughing out loud a few times. I did like the tough, strong heroine but didn’t like her obsession with cupcakes. Also, the constant mention of how many guns she carried and how good she was with them was tiresome. The secondary characters were great and really helped move the story along. Nonna added comic relief with her search for an Italian husband for her spinster granddaughter (who was 28).
I was very surprised to find out who the murderer was in this suspenseful story.