Reverb by Anna Zabo

Narrated by Greg Boudreaux

I’ve been really enjoying Anna Zabo’s series about the members of the rock group Twisted Wishes. When we first met them in Syncopation, they were on the verge of making it big, and by the time of Counterpoint, their position as one of the most famous bands around had been cemented. Reverb finds the group about to go on tour once again, this time as a headlining act, and now it’s the turn of bassist Mish Sullivan to get her happy ever after.

Beautiful, confident and talented, Mish has always seemed like the glue that has – on occasion – held Twisted Wishes together. She’s not had an easy life, having lost the mother she loved dearly to cancer when she was in her teens, but she’s moved on and made a successful life for herself with the band, who are her family. But the sort of fame she’s now enjoying brings problems of its own; over the last few months, Mish has been receiving threatening emails from an obsessive fan who is clearly stalking her. She’s tried to play it down, but when she’s attacked by a (different) fan wielding a pair of scissors (wanting to cut off a lock of hair) Ray Van Zeller decides it’s time to step up their security and hires ex-military martial arts expert David Altet as protection for them all – but really, to act as a bodyguard for Mish.

Mish isn’t wild about the idea at all, but Ray won’t take no for an answer. She hasn’t – so far – seen any of the threats being made, and when, on David’s first day, he suggests that perhaps she should see them, so she can see why her bandmates are so concerned, he immediately goes up a notch in her estimation. And goes up still further when he shows himself perfectly capable of matching her in a verbal battle of wits. The fact that he’s very easy on the eye certainly doesn’t hurt either.

It doesn’t take long for David to realise he’s in serious trouble. Mish is gorgeous, thoughtful, sassy and smart; in short, she ticks all his boxes and then some – and very soon, it’s clear that the powerful attraction he feels is mutual. He’s very well aware that becoming romantically involved with a protectee is unprofessional, and he’s concerned that becoming involved with Mish could adversely affect the way he does his job because he’ll be too focused on watching her rather than watching out for her. To his surprise, Ray, Zavier, Dom and Adrian all seem totally cool with the idea of David and Mish together; they can see how happy he makes Mish already and believe that his personal interest in her will make him more effective, not less. But David’s concern on that front doesn’t go away; he holds himself to a pretty high standard, and is always thinking about how best to protect Mish and worried about their personal relationship affecting his ability to do that properly.

Mish and David are well-rounded, likeable characters, and although their romance moves fairly quickly, the author does a good job of creating a strong emotional bond between them, whether it’s through their banter and shared interests and ideas, or in the bedroom, where their sexual compatibility only serves to strengthen their connection. David is a trans man, but that’s never dwelt on or subject to long-winded explanations (which is as it should be – David is David and he happens to be trans). It’s clear that he’s had issues with partners in the past, but also that he knows who he is and is comfortable in his own skin, and his confidence is very attractive. He’s more than happy to follow Mish’s lead in the bedroom, and I loved the way they learned about each other together, talking about their preferences and not taking anything for granted.

Another big part of the story – and this is true of the other books as well – is the found family element, which I really liked. David’s reaction to the way the other band members welcome him into their inner circle is really touching; he’s been so used to being alone that to find himself so readily accepted comes as something of a shock, and listening to him realising he’s found a home with these people was lovely. But for David, who has fought to be himself his entire life, the thought of being ‘subsumed’ into someone else’s life or identity is a real fear, and one he’s going to have to face if he’s going to find a way to be with the woman he loves.

Anna Zabo does a good job showing how differently a woman in Mish’s position is treated compared with her male counterparts, how the media feels free to question her sexuality (she’s very open about her queerness) or to criticise her clothing choices, and I loved that Mish stands her ground and refuses to be anyone other than who she is. But this leads me to the least successful part of the book, which is the stalker plotline. Other than bringing David into Mish’s orbit, it doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose; there’s no real sense of peril or menace associated with it (other than in a couple of scenes late on) and the pacing of the story is fairly slow overall. And while I like the found family aspect of the whole series, here, it’s pushed really, really hard and becomes repetitive quickly, as does Zavier being presented as all-knowing and Mish thinking she needs to protect everyone. It’s all a bit excessive.

Greg Boudreaux returns to round out the series and does another fabulous job with the narration. At first glance it might seem odd to have a male narrator for a book with a lead female character, but if you’ve listened to the other books, you’ll already know that his portrayal of MIsh is superb and that her slightly higher pitch and softer timbre is suitably feminine while at the same time conveying her no-nonsense, kick-ass personality. His interpretations of Ray, Zavier, Dom and Adrian are completely consistent with their appearances in the other books, and they’re easy to tell apart from each other and from the various minor characters who crop up in the course of the story. David’s mid-tenor-range voice is easy to identify, and the banter between him and Mish is perfectly timed – something which is also true of the sex scenes, which are hot and sexy without being over the top. As always, Mr. Boudreaux’s performance as a whole is wonderfully expressive and emotionally nuanced, and he never fails to impress me with his ability to really get into the heads of the characters he portrays.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Twisted Wishes series and am sorry to have reached the end. Although Reverb isn’t my favourite of the set (that would be Counterpoint), it’s an enjoyable and emotionally satisfying finale and the whole series is highly recommended.

Caz

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