A review by keytheelibrarian
Dirty Kisses by Kenya Wright

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 🫶🏾

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