Publisher: Kensington (July 26, 2016)
Series: Motor City Royals, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Ezekiel "Zee" Chase has a complicated past. Born into a family whose wealth grew from the seedy world of big-time crime, he ran away as a teenager and made a home for himself on the streets of Detroit. By day, the mechanic works at a local garage. But by night, he throws down with the best of them in Detroit's gritty underground fighting scene. With all those muscles, he's never had trouble with women--until he meets one who challenges him to the greatest fight of his life. . .
Tamara Eliot is a hardworking corporate high-flyer who appreciates the finer things in life, from her expensive perfume to her designer handbags. More than anything, though, she likes to be in control--and when Zee explodes into her life, she feels anything but. He's the definition of a bad boy: brash, fiery, and of course, irresistibly hot. And there's a darkness about him that keeps her coming back for more. As Zee takes Tamara deeper into a world she never knew existed, she just might prove to be the one opponent he won't be able to dominate--at least not without some pleasurable convincing . . .
Tamara Eliot is a hardworking corporate high-flyer who appreciates the finer things in life, from her expensive perfume to her designer handbags. More than anything, though, she likes to be in control--and when Zee explodes into her life, she feels anything but. He's the definition of a bad boy: brash, fiery, and of course, irresistibly hot. And there's a darkness about him that keeps her coming back for more. As Zee takes Tamara deeper into a world she never knew existed, she just might prove to be the one opponent he won't be able to dominate--at least not without some pleasurable convincing . . .
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Reviews of Ashenden's Previous Novels:
Talking Dirty with the Player (#2) -- TBQ
Billion Dollar Bachelor (#1) -- TBQ
The Billionaire Biker (#3) -- TBQ
My Review:
Tamara appears to be the typical “rich girl”, so what’s she doing in the wrong part of the city? Zee shouldn’t be thinking about her, and he definitely shouldn’t be letting her into his world. While Tamara originally went to Royal Road with a friend who was taking a self-defense class from Zee, she couldn’t resist the allure of the sexy, rough-around-the-edges man. What was supposed to be a one-time walk on the wild side (read: sexy-times in the backseat of his car – more on that later) turns into something more. Tamara just can’t stop herself from coming back to Zee for more: more freedom, more personal adventure, and yes, more sexy-times. J
First off, the aforementioned car sexy-times? UNF. That scene was extremely hot. And while I know sex in a car is rarely as sexy as it sounds in fiction, this particular scene didn’t read like a cramped and awkward tussle in the backseat. It was just . . . yessss. Sexy snippet ahoy:
Her hands spread out on the leather and she began to shove back against him, meeting his thrusts with her own. He laughed, a low, dark sound that had heat prickling all over her again, her sex clenching tight around him. "Fuck, yeah. You like that, don't you?"
"I can't . . . I don't . . . "
He leaned forward, reaching for one of her hands where it clutched at the seat and pulling it away. Then he pushed it down between her thighs, guiding her fingers to where he was seated deep inside her, hot and hard as steel. "Feel that, pretty girl? Feel me there?"
Her own wetness was against her fingers and she could feel where her flesh met his, and some dim part of her was telling her to pull away. But she couldn't because his hand was over hers and he was holding her there. And somehow that was exactly what she wanted.
He kept her hand there as he moved, so she could feel him as he thrust. Then he guided her fingers to her clit and pressed them down. "Touch yourself," he whispered roughly in her ear. "I want you coming all over my cock in the next five seconds."
It took her about ten, but by then neither of them was counting.
Zee is such a dirty, rough hero, and I loved him for it. So did Tamara, obviously. He didn’t play nice with her – though he was never an ass, don’t worry! He was simply blunt about what he thought and what he wanted, he took his own pleasure but always gave her exactly what she needed.
Tamara was great, too, and I felt for her as she struggled to break free from the chains of expectations her family has weighed her down with. On top of that, Tamara suffers guilt over the death of her brother (it’s a bit complicated and I won’t give it all away), and despite the circumstances that lead to his death, she blames herself. So do her parents, which doesn’t help her, either.
"So you see, you're not the only one with ghosts. You're not the only one who's trying to balance things out. You're not alone, Zee."
But she and Zee can connect over this, as Zee is also suffering some guilt from his past, in the form of a girlfriend who was killed because of him. Zee’s been running from his past for years and thought he might have finally been free until his father pops up again. One wrong step and his world could come crashing down, his friends and even Tamara in danger of meeting the same fate Madison, his ex, did all those years ago. He’s tried so hard to keep himself disconnected, even from his closest friends, because of that very threat looming overhead, but he can’t deny that Tamara has gotten under his skin . . . and perhaps into his heart.
"A lot of women like me."
"If you do say so yourself."
"Hey, it's a fact." He leaned back against the booth seat, fixing her with those silver eyes of his. "But it's not me they're looking at. It's this." He bent one arm, his biceps flexing in a way that had her mouth going dry. "The muscles and tats. The fight shit. That's all they want." His voice was casual, as if it didn't bother him. But she remembered how he'd been in the bathroom, when she'd touched him gently. How it had made him uncomfortable. She didn't think that was because he didn't want it.
"You are a fighter, it's true," she said carefully. "But that's not all you are."
It was never meant to be anything more than physical, and even then just the one time, but Tamara keeps coming back for more. The thing is, it quickly grows into more, even if Zee doesn’t want to admit to it yet. There’s a scene after their second (or was it third?) time together that was very sweet and intimate, as Zee comforts Tamara, draws her a bath (which, let’s be honest, is both a sweet and sexy thing for a man to do!) and gets her to start opening up to him a bit. He doesn't really open up to her yet, as far as telling her about his past, but he does allow her to offer him something he's never allowed himself to want: tenderness.
If there’s one minor complaint I have, it’s the rush to love at the very end, and especially the sudden appearance of a ring. But all in all, this wasn’t enough to break the book for me, and I was otherwise very happy with it.
Dirty for Me is a hot read about a rough man running from his past and the woman trying to break free from her own, and I’m sure it’ll appeal to many readers. I really liked the supporting characters as well, who will obviously be getting their own books: Gideon, Zoe, Rachel and Levi. And since it’s Ashenden, I know I’ll enjoy their books, too. Levi’s story is next, and I’m lucky enough to already have an ARC on my Kindle, which I hope to get to in the next few weeks.
4 STARS!
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I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.
*Note: The quotes used belong to Jackie Ashenden; TBQ's Book Palace does not claim them. Any mistakes or typos in the quotes are my own fault.
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Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!
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