Crushed

Isabel Jolie

Jan 2022 · The Twisted Vines Series Book 1 · Noctivity, Inc.

About this ebook

What happens when the one you want the most is someone you’ve never met? 

He’s a hunted hacker. 

She’s a bookshop owner and a wealthy heiress. 

Until now, their identities never mattered. 

Their virtual friendship was a haven from real life. 

Until the day he walked into her store. 

He’s on the run from his murderous business partner, hiding off-grid in a vineyard safehouse. He and his small team are building a black ops high-tech security firm because he doesn’t plan to play defense forever. 

On a whim, he pings the location of his long-time virtual friend and discovers she’s close. The plan is to finally put a real face to the avatar. Simple. Easy. 

His identity, and their connection, would remain hidden. 

Of all the things he expected, he never anticipated her. 

A crush. That’s all it is. 

Enemies circle and dark secrets loom. 

His. And hers.

And yet, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.

Crushed is a stand-alone billionaire romance with hidden identities, vigilante justice, and a band of friends on the run from the new-age mafia. 

The first in the Twisted Vines series, Crushed is a standalone romance novel with no cliffhanger. Characters from First Light from the Haven Island series make appearances, as Erik’s twin sister Cali is the heroine in First Light.

See What Reviewers Are Saying…

“Fantastic read and spicy romance.” -Filipinobookworm

“characters are raw, gritty, and real. The story is fascinating, dark, and frightening….in a different kind of way. Absolutely incredible read!!!” -Cheryl B.

“well-written story…. a slow burn, filled with secrets, danger, suspense, twists, mystery, trust, and love, which leads to an entertaining addictive page-turner.” --W. Livingstone

“This book, and especially the ending, all make the bookworm, the gamer geek, and the nerd girl in me “squee!” in delight….suspense held me at the edge of my seat…constantly wondering what would happen next.” -K. Lewendon

Similar to Books:

Luke by M. Malone

Hardpressed by Meredith Wild

Love Hack by Kimberly Dean

Keywords: billionaire romance, black ops security firm, steamy romance, erotic romance, Napa Valley romance, romantic suspense, hacker romance, hacker, thief, rebel, friend, lover, power, control, sexy IT geek, secret hacker, crush, childhood crush, love, action, adventure, sexually, guaranteed happily ever after, love stories, love books, billionaire heiress, vigilante romance, swoon-worthy protective alpha

Ratings and reviews

Not my favourite book by this author Unfortunately I had a hard time settling into this book. I kept waiting to feel a connection to both the story and the characters but felt as though I was being kept at arms length. I was longing to really get to know the main characters but the writing style unfortunately hindered this. It came across as rather choppy and disjointed and I was just hoping for more. I wanted to see things work out for Erik and Vivi but I can't say I really felt much chemistry between them. I was curious to see how it would all work out with the threats that they were facing but would have liked it to have been more suspenseful. This was the first book in the Twisted Vines series and I don't think I'll continue reading the rest of the books. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Vivi and Erik have been friends for over 10 years but never actually met. They are friends on an online game. A friendship has developed between them, but they don't even know each other's real names. With Eric’s skill with cyberspace he's able to find out where she lives. When he walks into her bookstore and sees her, he is pleasantly surprised. Whatever he imagined real life is so much better. But he doesn't tell her who he is. Security is a big thing to him and when he looks around her store he notices she's hardly protected. He feels protective of her and wants to keep her safe even though she has no clue who he is. Eric and his friends are trying to stay hidden because of an ex-partner who was after them. Eric feels if this partner finds him and realizes what Vivi is to him she is in danger just by association. Crushed is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat just waiting to see what will happen next. An enjoyable read.

This book, and especially the ending, all make the book worm, the gamer geek, and the nerd girl in me “squee!” in delight. The suspense held me at the edge of my seat, and I was constantly wondering what would happen next. I loved that we got this opportunity to see why Erik operated the way he did. After reading his sister’s story in “First Light”, I knew there had to be more to him then what we'd been able to see so far. Vivi both was and wasn’t what I expect from a gamer girl. She has the introverted nature, but her family dynamic threw my expectations for a bit of a loop. I adored this pair together. The way they took care of each other and looked after one another made my happy heart sigh. I'm not sure how they'll deal with the shadow that still looms over them however, I'm dying to see what the author brings us next. I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author.

About the author

Isabel Jolie, aka Izzy, lives on a lake, loves dogs of all stripes, and if she’s not working, she can be found reading, often with a glass of wine in hand. In prior lives, Izzie worked in marketing and advertising, in a variety of industries, such as financial services, entertainment, and technology. In this life, she loves daydreaming and writing contemporary romances with strong heroines.

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