4.5 stars!
Straight Up is the third book in the Twisted Fox series, and I think my favourite yet. You get a glimpse of the chemistry between Lincoln and Cassidy at the end of Shaken, and I was intrigued by where their relationship would go, but their story wasn’t one I expected, one of friendship and coming to accept your past won’t dictate your future. It can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading Stirred first.
Lincoln and Cassidy both work at the Twisted Fox, with Lincoln a bartender and Archer’s brother, and Cassidy a new waitress. Both have dark moments in their pasts which they don’t want their futures to be defined by, and as the newbies in the group, strike up a friendship. From the start, Cassidy has made it clear she’s attracted to Lincoln, dropping not so subtle hints about their wedding and future hypothetical children, and Lincoln jokingly goes a long with it. But they have way more in common than they thought, and once they start opening up to one another, it’s clear that those flirty jokes are leading to more. But when someone from Cassidy’s past reappears, and begins threatening her, will she trust Lincoln enough to let him in on all her secrets, and will that be enough to keep her safe?
Lincoln and Cassidy both had moments in their past that neither of them were proud of, but accepted the consequences, either because they were deserved or because it was easier than fighting the repercussions. But because of that, they understood each other on a level that not many others did, even their families, and it meant that their initial friendship felt so much stronger and more genuine, because there was no judgement. Their friendship was such a solid foundation for their relationship, it made their connection seem so much more real because they knew each other back to front before jumping all in, warts and all.
Lincoln was loyal to a fault, and sometime that got him into trouble, with the law and those he loved. But he was so caring and kind, he knew when to just be there for Cassidy and when to fight to keep her safe, even if that wasn’t what she wanted. He tried to deny the attraction he had to Cassidy, blaming it on their age gap, but really, he didn’t have a chance fighting those feelings, and Cassidy wasn’t about to let him anyway. He just wanted to move on with his life, and he found someone he could do that with in Cassidy.
Cassidy too wanted to move on from her past, even though her future wasn’t the one she wanted. But she made the best of the situation she was in, and in the process met a man who would love her for her and who she really cared for. She didn’t trust very easily after being betrayed by someone so badly in the past. Although she was hesitant to put all her trust in Lincoln, hiding behind jokes and flirting, she soon realised she could trust him, because no matter what, he always did what was best for her.
It was so fun revisiting past characters, not only from this series but also the Bluebeech series too, especially seeing how Cassidy’s family all interact with each other now they’ve all settled down. It’s clear throughout all of their books that they are close, but the scenes in Straight Up only solidified that.
Straight Up isn’t as angsty as Shaken, but there is a suspense element which keeps you hooked in a different way over the will-they-won’t-they of a hero and heroine. It had all the steam, drama, and romance that I’ve come to expect with Charity’s writing, and some lovely light-hearted funny moments too. The Twisted Fox series keeps getting better and better, and after the bombshell dropped at the end of Straight Up, I can’t wait for Finn and Grace’s story in Chaser next!!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. *