This author never ceases to amaze me with how she pulls off having laugh out loud moments with scenes about necrophilia and a sick killer with a thing for snakes. I also like how she gives her “bad guys” a moral compass – they never used it but its quite amusing to hear them tell themselves this is soo wrong but yet still do it.

Perfectly Twisted starts off a new CORE series. I’d call them a ragtag group of mismatched people who are so dysfunctional but yet are a great family/team. Lola Tam who we met in Ultimate Prey has been given the position of leading the new group called Above the Law by the founder of CORE and also her soon to be step father. This series takes place in the Florida everglades and picks up after Ultimate Prey but with Shane Monahan as the main hero, who is the brother of Ryan from the previous book.

I have to admit I struggled just a little bit for about the first 32% of the book as the author likes to give us what I am going to call little mini stories/POV’s. We always start with the killer’s POV then move to the main couple’s POV but this time we had the necrophiliac’s POV and at first I just couldn’t see how that was going to tie into the rest of the story. Now even though I couldn’t see the connection yet those POV’s from him were so disturbing I was glued to reading what he would do next. I shouldn’t have worried though cause eventually all three plots converged and everything started to make sense.

When you read a Kristine Mason book you kinda just have to hang on for the ride cause she takes you all over the place before the ride it over. I like that she has no problem writing about some of the sickest things imaginable and also making characters who you wouldn’t typically think of as the good guys and makes you care so much about them. The main hero is a ex con, we’ve also got a ex Russian mafia hit man that has stolen every scene he’s been in since he was introduce a few books back, the hacker, a crazy woman who runs a ice cream shop along with a chop shop and can get rid of a body where no one can find it. Those are just a few of the characters that make up the CORE Above the Law team and I love everyone of them.

Haven’t talk too much about the main couple who is Shane Monahan who spent 7 years in jail for manslaughter and Beth Pruce who is a sheriff’s deputy also going to school for her law degree. When these two meet they had no clue about the other’s past but knew they were instantly attracted to the other. Having a felon and a police officer try and make a relationship work was not easy and plenty of heartbreak was had before the end. Even though Shane was the ex-con I felt like his character was the sanest throughout the book. Poor guy had no clue to what he’d come home.

Great start to the series and cant wait to read Mel’s story and who will be the man to reel her in.
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I’ve read Kristine’s other CORE books and I thought I was prepared for this new venture. She can take a plot, twist it, warp it, throw in a mix of characters that are so out there you can’t help but believe in them, and simultaneously woo you with a romance.

The founder of CORE along with her future step-father, task Lola with putting together her own team. They call themselves ATL (Above The Law) and operate under the radar.

About those characters I mentioned were so out there you couldn’t help but believe in them. This is where the author shines too. Mel works at the ice cream shop. You’d never know she also runs a chop shop and can handle herself in a knife fight. And she’s the go to girl if you need to make a body disappear.

Vlad, ex Russian mob hitman, shows off his pet alligator to the tourists. He really doesn’t have a job, except he does open his mouth and put his foot in it a lot. I feel he purposely used words in the wrong contex. The rascal.

These are just some of them.

Lola and her fiancee, Ryan, using their airboat tours as a cover, wait for their first assignment. It gets a bit complicated when Ryan’s brother, Shane, joins the business.

Freshly released from a seven year stint in prison, Shane is anxious to rebuild his Everglades aircraft tours while taking groups out on tours with the airboat. It’s here that he meets Beth.

Beth is a sheriff’s deputy working her way through law school. She isn’t looking for romance, but there’s something about Shane, the sexy airboat guide, that keeps her coming back for another ride through the glades.

These two have it tough. Shane learns Beth’s a cop. He doubts she’ll want anything to do with him when she hears he’s a convicted felon.

Beth really likes Shane, but she’s hesitant to reveal she’s a cop. Past experience has taught her men don’t want to date a cop.

Shane begins to suspect something is going on with the business. The employees don’t fit in, they don’t seem to really have a job, and Lola and the team decide to clue Shane in, invite him to join them. They could use a pilot.

All of this going on drew me away from the beginning of the book. A snake handling reverend, really a con man. And a man who turns to necrophilia in order to please his girlfriend.

Once three dead bodies are discovered and Beth steps in to investigate, you begin to see the stories converge. So this is where you brace yourself, as the story gets more twisted, more thrilling, more dangerous. Culminating in a shock and awe ending.

The title Perfectly Twisted is exactly what this book is. You could use this title for all of Kristine’s books. That’s how well she weaves her plots, draws you in, and then blows you away.

I discovered Kristine’s books through my sister. She read one of Kristine’s CORE books and was so excited about it. She called me up, raved for a long time, and insisted I read her book.

She’s been waiting for me to finish Perfectly Twisted so we can talk about it. Now that I’ve written my review we’ll be rehashing everything about this thrilling read.

I urge you to pick up this seat of your pants thriller. ( )

Are you curious about the snake on the cover? You should be! I LOVE it.

With each novel Kristine Mason writes, her creativity and imagination shines brighter. Perfectly Twisted is a perfect title for this romantic suspense thriller. I don’t know how Kristine produces such brilliantly written novels that should be at the top of any thriller list, but I am glad to have found her and be able to share her with you. The story is not for the faint of heart and I would highly recommend it to adult readers.

The Reverend uses his position for his own wickedly evil purposes, him and his son laugh at the gullibility of the congregation they serve. The things they do are so horrendous they defy description by me, a lowly reader. I wonder how Kristine comes up with her storylines and makes them so believable.

The Above The Law CORE group operates on the edge, keeping a low profile and dealing with situations that may cross the line. Lola, Ryan, Harrison, Vlad, Mel and Barney walk a fine line but believe in doing the right thing. It’s just sometimes the right thing requires more than the law allows. Each member is chosen for their particular expertise and function as a fine tuned instrument. They are as close as any family could be.

I love Kristine’s ability to make her characters come alive on the pages. I fall in love with her powerful, yet loving male characters. Her male protagonists are to die for and they would gladly do it for their brave and courageous women partners. Her female characters I want for my best friends.

Perfectly Twisted’s romantic couple being spotlighted are Shane and Beth. I feel for Shane who paid for a crime that never would have happened if he wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time. Deputy Beth Price risks her job to be with him. Little does she realize his dalliance with the law is just the tip of the iceberg.

Kristine Mason’s characters are complex. You will find that you either love them or hate them, root for them or root against them, and sometimes pray at the end some of them no longer walk the earth.

After reading Perfectly Twisted, I can’t help but wonder how many perverted and depraved sickos run around at any give time? The question in Perfectly Twisted is how many sickos are operating in the same place at the same time. Is there more than one? Is there a copycat?

The game of cat and mouse is afoot. Who will be left standing?

The sweet and sexy banter has a humorous flavor even during the horror. I never used to be much of a romance fan, but Kristine Mason is one of the amazing authors I have found that I cannot help but let the love, romance and passion wash over me while I swoon and drown in it. The sexual situations read as romance and passion more than just the physical act.

You may have played strip poker, but have you ever played strip scrabble. It is writing like this that elevates Perfectly Twisted to such a high level for me. I love a little humor with my horror.

When I finally found out who the necrophiliac was it made sense, but I am still shocked. I didn’t see it coming. Kristine goes that extra mile of creepiness! We can label this as a horror/suspense/thriller.

Mel has become one of my favorite characters. She carries a knife and knows how to use it. Need a body disposed of? A car or a boat? Just give Mel a call. When I saw Mel’s story is next I was ecstatic. I can hardly wait. Her whole persona spoke to me – she’s a real badass and I want to know her better. I wonder…

If you are a romantic suspense fan of the dark kind, Kristine Mason is an author that MUST be on your reading list and Perfectly Twisted is one of those novels that stuck with me long after reading it. I love novels with serial killers and her writing is so thought provoking that at times I forget it’s not real. I am so engrossed, that I feel a real sense of loss when the last page is read.

I received Perfectly Twisted by Kristine Mason in return for an honest and unbiased review. ( )