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amayagirtman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall, this book was alright. The plot twist was kind of lame and there was an unnecessary point-of-view, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
keytheelibrarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
after months and months of pushing this book down on my tbr, i finally started the lion and the mouse series by kenya wright. immediately (like, IMMEDIATELY) it reminded me why i took a break from mafia romances. they move too fast for me, often sacrificing depth for plot coverage. i prefer to sit in scenes of books rather than moving swiftly between them, but that's a personal preference.
now, most mafia books are lengthy series where you find out more about the characters as you read but still. i feel like the conflicts in this book were glossed over and resolved quickly without much thought or effort. i found the book to be predictable, but that didn't take away from the plot for me.
i absolutely adore emily's character, though she's not my favorite (hey xavier 🤭). she's a smart, bad ass, who definitely can handle her own. i would say she met her match with kazimir, but i think it's actually the other way around. kenya wright did a great job making the book a mafia romance and not a romance mafia. while there was attraction and spice, it did take backseat to the...family business.
i rate "dirty kisses" a smooth 3.4 ⭐s. it didn't move anything in me but not every book has to. i've said it before and i'll say it again: i love a good mid book and this is pretty mid. it's not uncommon for later books in a series to show up and show out so i'm definitely not using this to generalize the series. starting "dirty love" now 🫶🏾
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
beckyray14's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is another book that I wished was longer and finished in one part. I currently don't have the mental fortitude to read the 2nd book and continue the story. It was good but it wasn't bad. This book is a little too dark for me, the themes, the character trauma, etc. So upon finishing it I just felt mental fatigue and exhaustion meaning I wont read mafia romance for a while. I liked that it was an interracial romance and that it felt written by a black woman.
The plot twist I didn't see coming. i had guessed that the Tinder Killer was Maxwell, I saw no clues that it would be Emily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
The main character goes through trauma that involves sexual assault and there is a murder mystery under plot in this book.anaya_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It wasn’t great but sure was entertaining
P.S- maybe missing some content warnings cause it took me a minute to do this.
P.S- maybe missing some content warnings cause it took me a minute to do this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
jack_be_nimble's review
This book was just too violent and twisted for me. Not what I want out of a romance novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
bookishrealm's review
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
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