This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Aspiring author from Ukraine, Lola Smirnova loves twisting a suspenseful tale through the dark lens of realism around the sexual underworld, so clocked in secrecy and shame. Lola’s work is inspired by real-life events and is meant for the open-minded readers who are not afraid of a little blood, sweat and semen.
Her debut novel Twisted was released in 2014. The book placed as Honorable Mention in General Fiction Category of The 2014 London Book Festival’s Annual Competition.
Whether you prefer to slide your finger across a touchscreen or turn a paper page, Lola’s thrilling tales will surely shock and surprise you, with both its storyline and its literary value.
Now living in South Africa, Lola is about to release her second novel – a sequel to Twisted – Craved, which proves just how many fascinating stories she has to share about the ordinary women in the global sex industry.
You can contact Lola via twisted@lolasmirnova.com
Reviewed by Gary Stout for Readers' Favorite
Twisted, by Lola Smirnova, is a nightmare journey into the life of Julia, a young woman from Ukraine who, struggling for a future, follows her sister's path into the sex trade. In the post-Soviet break-up world, there is little to offer in the way of traditional jobs. Skilled doctors in the state hospitals earn a couple hundred a month, but a woman working in a cabaret, strip club, or as a call girl in one of the nearby countries can earn several thousand. All she needs to succeed is what she was born with and the ability to skillfully size up a client’s needs and perform to his expectations, while trying to stay out of prison. Yet, Julia quickly learns the money comes with a price in violence, degradation, and addiction.
Smirnova takes us on a philosophical and pseudo-psychological pilgrimage through the sexual underworld as Julia, in first person narrative, describes her struggling introduction into a profession where she can ply the only skills currently marketable. Twisted follows Julia’s self-destructive voyage and is often graphic, but not gratuitously so. The sex and violence aren’t there to titillate – they show a world most of us will never see, nor would we want to first-hand. Smirnova doesn’t hold back in her depiction of that underbelly world and the people that populate it, providing a solid backdrop in which Julia acts and reacts. The characters are real, dialog intoxicating, and the plot well crafted. Whether Julia is soaring or plummeting, you are along for the ride because Twisted pulls you in, whether you’re a willing participant or not. Well done!
