Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
I think any red-blooded male or female has held the fantasy of hooking up with twins. Maybe it isn’t a fully developed fantasy, but I imagine it finds purchase in the mist of our minds. There is also the idea of identical twins switching and wreaking havoc on the lives of those closest to them. To a certain degree, this twin phenomenon underlies Elizabeth Hayley’s newest books, Misadventures with a Twin.
Zara attends her ten-year high school reunion. She recognizes the man at the bar as Corey, the guy she had a crush on in high school. After some flirting, they remove to her room to engage in adult activities. While “Corey” is taking care of her needs, she cries out his name, and the evening ends early. What Zara doesn’t realize is Corey isn’t really Corey; he is Corey’s identical twin, Colton. After their night together, Zara and “CJ” continue to “hook up” on various occasions, neither of them looking for a relationship. However, over time, Zara and CJ start to grow feelings for each other. Unfortunately, Zara doesn’t know that Colton is Corey or CJ. When he finally admits his lie, their future is placed in jeopardy. Will Zara be able to forgive Colton?
This is my first encounter with Elizabeth Hayley. In general, I enjoyed this romance. There is always something interesting about a twins storyline, although Corey’s role was fairly insignificant in this story. This isn’t a story about twin brothers and one woman, and it isn’t a story of Corey and Colton switching identities. Instead, Misadventures with a Twin is a story about honesty. Colton lies to Zara. What tends to be frustrating about this book is the length of his lie. He has months to remedy the situation, yet he (along with his brother) make excuses for hiding it. Quite frankly, I struggled with their reason. Even more, there were times when I was confused by Colton’s explanation of Zara knowing the differences between him and Corey. I found this to be especially true at the beginning of the story. As the story progressed, I became frustrated with the lie.
Additionally, Zara and Colton’s chemistry seems forced. It took me most of the story to feel any emotional connection between the two of them. They read like hook up buddies, so when they begin to “catch feelings” for each other, it doesn’t have the emotional impact I was hoping for. There was a disconnect between the two of them until the end of the story.
For me, that is where the magic is in this book. There is a moment at the end between Colton and his father that almost brought tears to my eyes. For me, it was the second-best moment of the book. The best moment comes at the end of the romance in the weight of Zara and Colton’s final decision about their relationship. It is there that I finally believed that Zara and Colton are meant to be together. And that frustrates me. I am a reader who requires some emotional connection to the characters, whether this is achieved through humor or drama, I don’t care. And I didn’t feel that for Zara and Colton. In fact, I struggled with the idea that Zara, Corey, and Colton were almost thirty-somethings because they read much younger.
In reflecting on this book, I would say it’s a good read. It isn’t spectacular. For me, it didn’t knock my socks off, and I hate to say any of this because I know that stories are the babies of authors. Misadventures with a Twin is a sexy tale of two people who don’t know that they need love. Intertwined with that basic story is mistaken identity and some quirky characters who seek to tickle your funny bone. Would I recommend it? Yes. However, it wouldn’t be at the top of my Kindle Library.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 