ARC Review + Release Day Blitz: Dirty Angels by Karina Halle

   

“DIRTY ANGELS was a book I had to read straight through.  Karina Halle still holds the power of drawing me into a story with a pull so strong that no matter how much it may make me cringe, I have to see it through the end before I can come up for air.” ~ Under the Covers

There is a certain appeal in reading a book about a hero that is bad but redeemable.  I know some people love reading about that lost cause bad boy because they want to see that hero grow and have redeeming qualities and maybe even change for the good.  And although it is true that sometimes I like that too, I also want the characters to stay true to themselves.  Some of those bad boy have redeeming qualities.  Some don’t.

Javier Bernal falls in that second category.  He is bad to the bone and in no other terms he’s a psycho.  There was no way I could wrap my mind around the fact that he might turn good.  Sorry that wouldn’t work for me.  He’s bad, he should stay bad.  He’s not mushy, he shouldn’t turn mushy for a woman.  And that’s what Karina Halle delivered.  For that, I’m immensely happy!

So let’s talk about the love story for a second.  Javier’s heroine has to be able to live in his world.  A good girl can’t cut it.  And although Luisa was good, she was broken.  By life, by circumstances, by her past and her present.  A woman who has had a rough life.  Seemed she fit the bill perfectly.  At times though, I wondered if she was just a little too broken.  Was there a point that she couldn’t quickly rebound from?  I thought that point was reached…several times, but she pushed through and came out strong.

Javier and Luisa have a most unconventional relationship, but I expected that.  Javier is totally possessive and protective of her and although crazy at times, it was very hot to read.  There is something to be said about his explosive passion.  Javier definitely had me panting more than once in this book with his dirty talking and rough love making.  He’s intense, loves hard, lives hard.

Their connection was pretty quick, almost instant.  No slow building to their attraction and almost head first into love even though this is not a lovey-dovey love at first sight.  Javier stays true to who he is until the end.  He doesn’t have to say I love you.  He knows how to show it.  In his own way.

So you might ask me why this is a 3.5 star review?  That just means I enjoyed the book but I have some issues with things.  Mainly one big concept really.  And that is DETAILS.  I know Javier is bad.  I get that.  I don’t need the gruesome details of his badassness shoved down my throat.  I don’t need the goary details of torture and death.  I get that he needs to do those things.  It doesn’t even bother me that he’s the hero and he’s doing it.  I would’ve rather have a limit where after that was reached those scenes faded to black.  I guess that’s my own limit, but give me all the dirty details of a sex scene and don’t hold back on how dirty and descriptive you want to get.  But don’t apply that same concept to violence.  I felt like that was just adding violence into the book for the sake of shock to the reader.  And if you are into the story and into Javier’s mind you already know what he’s capable of.  I at least I did, I got him.  I didn’t care for all that extra blood.

DIRTY ANGELS was a book I had to read straight through.  Karina Halle still holds the power of drawing me into a story with a pull so strong that no matter how much it may make me cringe, I have to see it through the end before I can come up for air.

Favorite Quotes:

“You are my enigma,” he said gruffly.  “But I never leave anything unsolved.”

Did he keep a length of rope on him at all times?  Probably.  That and a knife.

“I look good on your skin.”

Purity had done nothing for me anyway.  It was better to be dirty.

“What I really want is for the bad girl to come out.”

“That’s it,” he grunted, “fucking scar me, mark me, make me bleed.”

“Just don’t grow a mangina.”

*ARC provided by author

 

 

Excerpt

“You’re a very dirty man.”

“Filthy,” he corrected me. He smacked my ass lightly, causing me to jump. “Oh, that’s just fucking beautiful.”

He did it again and again, not enough to hurt but enough to sting. Each time, he licked the place where his handprint would have been. Then, with one hand he gently pried my ass cheeks open. I couldn’t help but cringe.

“You need to relax,” he whispered. “This won’t hurt. And I’m sure you took a bath this morning, didn’t you?” I murmured yes in response. “Then you’re clean and you have nothing to worry about. As for me, I’d take you anyway I can. It’s all exquisite to me.”

He was right. He was filthy.

“Relax, Luisa,” he said again. “Relax.”

And so I tried.

The first contact from his tongue made me shudder. The sensation was so entirely new to me, but what wasn’t at this point. Yet his mouth, lips, tongue, were all warm and wet and gentle and I found my body immediately relaxing into the steady motion. I pushed aside all thoughts about how impure this was. Purity had done nothing for me, anyway. It was better to be dirty. It was better to take what you could. It was better to embrace your lustful, needful, animalistic side because that was the side that lived.

 

 

DIRTY ANGELS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads
DIRTY DEEDS: GoodReads
DIRTY PROMISES: GoodReads

[about-author author=”Karina Halle”]

 

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