Happiness is not determined by what a person has, but who they are inside. Knox is a man who has more money than he needs, yet he still feels empty. Lexi has nothing to offer, but herself. Dirty Bastard may seem cliched, but some of the best life lessons are. Clare pours out the desires of the heart while speaking to an ingrained sense of humanity. Beauty comes in simple heartfelt packaging.

 

 

Copyright of Night Owl Reviews

I adore figure skating and I liked the previous 2 entries in this series. I ended up disappointed. The inaccuracies bothered me (triple axel anyone?) when it came to Zara and her skating. While what she did at the Olympics was funny, it also would be something unlikely to happen. Then not getting a second chance later? (If she was doing the triple axel, she would still have been very competitive). That aside, I liked Zara. Ty? Not really. I didn't like him. I didn't like his whiny-ass at the beginning. I didn't like how he thought it was okay to get into bed with Zara without asking. (Hey, he was drunk, so I guess he gets a pass? Yeah, no). That ruined the whole romance for me. And I could not get on board.
Now, I liked how the show played out. And I liked the ending. I was pleasantly surprised. Zara does get some respect and redemption.

Dirty Scoundrel - Jessica Clare

The Roughneck Billionaires series by Jessica Clare has taken me by surprise. Dirty Scoundrel added to that surprise for sure!

Now, let me start with my 2 issues with the story. First, the trope is one of my LEAST favorite: miscommunication. Clay and Natalie were high school sweethearts until a miscommunication tears them apart. Now seven years later, Clay wants revenge. Which brings me to my next issue: Clay was an immature douche canoe for the first 30% of the book. He is so determined to get snooty Natalie to beg him for help and then crush her like a bug. Its not attractive.

With those things out of the way, the story got better for me. I loved that Ivy and Clay's brothers had a hand in attempting to help Clay. Natalie is dealing with a lot: her father is ailing, they have no money, and she has given up everything (Clay, college, a life) to take care of her dad. Her dad? Serious douche canoe. Hell, he is kind of a douche yacht! But, he is her dad and no matter what that isn't something she can turn her back on. Despite what Clay thinks of her, she is very kind hearted. I understood Clay's hurt as well (I wasn't thrilled about his reaction). These two made me sad! You realize how much they missed out on because of that one miscommunication!

Throw in Natalie's super strange BFF with the wackiness of Clay's family and you have some levity to Dirty Scoundrel that makes it a mix of heartbreak and joy! The twist near the end completely surprised me and changed the trajectory of the series for sure!

Finally, a note about the narrators of Dirty Scoundrel, Rudy Sanda and Chandra Skyye. I have long loved Chandra Skyye so I know that any book she narrates will be good. Rudy Sanda was a new to me narrator. He has the southern Texas twang down pretty well. I worry sometimes because

 

• POV: dual 1st
• Tears: no
• Trope: miscommunication, fake relationship
• Triggers: none
• Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
• Cliffhanger: no
• HEA: yes

Follow by Tessa Bailey, Rock Chick Reckoning by Kristen Ashley, Axel by Harper Sloan, Kiss Marry Kill by Sidney Halston...then you will probably like Dirty Scoundrel!

 
See full review on The Book Disciple

Dirty Money (Roughneck Billionaires) - J... Link to full review below! Initially, this was going to be a DNF for me because I thought Boone was too stupid to live. Thankfully, I kept reading. He gets better and Ivy is a wonderful character. See full review on The Book Disciple