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A review by bookishrealm
Dirty Kisses by Kenya Wright
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a solid start to a new series! There were some really great elements. 3.5 Stars. CW: graphic violence, childhood sexual abuse (not on page)
Dirty Kisses is the first book in the Lion and the Mouse series and it focuses on two characters: Kazamir and Emily. Kazamir is a Russian mob enforcer of sorts who is well known for how dangerous he is while Emily catches his attention and quickly becomes his money washer. One thing that Wright excelled at with this book was her ability to create chemistry and mutual respect between Kazamir and Emily. Their attraction was quick, but Wright created the perfect situations in which readers felt as though Kazamir and Emily knew each other for an extended period of time. It was most fascinating watching Kazamir grow in his respect of Emily. They were put in a specific situation where Emily was able to exhibit her strong skills which let Kazamir know that she was a force to be reckoned with. This only intensified their attraction. Every steamy scene between the two of them was extremely hot both physically and verbally. The book was also fast paced and easy to get through, but the characterization was probably my favorite aspect of the novel. There were even found family elements which, for me, was an interesting element to discover in a mafia based romance. Emily was a strong, confident Black woman that basically handled her business as she saw fit.
There were a few things that I didn't necessarily enjoy about this book including the fact that the big reveal not only threw me off, but it created quite a few plot holes. Don't get me wrong, I think that it will turn out to be an interesting premise to work with in future books; however, with this ending I don't think enough was revealed. It left the reader with more questions than answers and it creates doubts in the validity of the big reveal. I'm hoping that it will be explained further in the next few books because there are quite a few things that Wright could potentially do with that information.
Overall, I thought that this was a solid read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and I'm glad to say that this was my first official mafia romance.
Dirty Kisses is the first book in the Lion and the Mouse series and it focuses on two characters: Kazamir and Emily. Kazamir is a Russian mob enforcer of sorts who is well known for how dangerous he is while Emily catches his attention and quickly becomes his money washer. One thing that Wright excelled at with this book was her ability to create chemistry and mutual respect between Kazamir and Emily. Their attraction was quick, but Wright created the perfect situations in which readers felt as though Kazamir and Emily knew each other for an extended period of time. It was most fascinating watching Kazamir grow in his respect of Emily. They were put in a specific situation where Emily was able to exhibit her strong skills which let Kazamir know that she was a force to be reckoned with. This only intensified their attraction. Every steamy scene between the two of them was extremely hot both physically and verbally. The book was also fast paced and easy to get through, but the characterization was probably my favorite aspect of the novel. There were even found family elements which, for me, was an interesting element to discover in a mafia based romance. Emily was a strong, confident Black woman that basically handled her business as she saw fit.
There were a few things that I didn't necessarily enjoy about this book including the fact that the big reveal not only threw me off, but it created quite a few plot holes. Don't get me wrong, I think that it will turn out to be an interesting premise to work with in future books; however, with this ending I don't think enough was revealed. It left the reader with more questions than answers and it creates doubts in the validity of the big reveal. I'm hoping that it will be explained further in the next few books because there are quite a few things that Wright could potentially do with that information.
Overall, I thought that this was a solid read. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and I'm glad to say that this was my first official mafia romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Child abuse