Today is my stop during the blog tour for Dirty Tricks (The Burke Brothers #4) by Emma Hart. I share my review of this book with you, an excerpt of the book, some teaser images and a tour wide giveaway.
Title: Dirty Tricks
Author: Emma Hart
Series: The Burke Brothers #4
Rating: 4 stars
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Links:
Blurb:
Chelsey Young’s dad was a rock star. Glamorous, right? But late nights, frequent travelling, and watching endless women rub their bodies against Lukas Young’s in a bid for his attention wasn’t exactly how Chelsey planned to spend her senior year of high school.So when Kye Burke, of the ultra-sexy band Dirty B, sets his sights on Chelsey, she figures the best way to get him off her back is by taking his sexy butt to bed.
But after one night together, Kye has no intention of staying away from Chelsey, especially when she’s kissing him one minute then pushing him away the next. From watching her father, Chelsey knows the rock star lifestyle that Kye leadsโbeing away for long stretches of time, girls throwing themselves at him on the regular, shirtless photos showing up in his inbox ten times a day. She wants no part of it.
Kye is determined for Chelsey to get to know him, the real him behind the rock star persona. But that isn’t so easy when Kye’s schedule will take him away for days, weeks, even a month or two at a time, which is a dealbreaker for Chelsey. Long distance means temptation to stray, and infidelity was the reason her own parents split. She knows it’s not fair to project her own insecurities onto Kye, but some things are unavoidable.
But Kye Burke isn’t Lukas Young.
My Review:
This was my first Emma Hart read though I doubt it’ll be my last. While this is the fourth book in this series it can totally be read as a standalone and the author does a great job of backfilling essential bits of the previous stories. I’m intrigued enough by the other characters to want to check out the previous books.
I really warmed to Kye Burke from the outset. He was sexy, sweet, witty and so caring and protective of Chelsey despite the fact that she regularly blows hot and cold on him. I loved how he didn’t give up on her even when she was downright nasty to him. That’s not to say that he was a walkover – because he most definitely wasn’t. He challenged her and ultimately made her face up to things. Kye is easily the best thing about this book.
Chelsey was such a refreshing female lead. She was an out and out bitch, and I don’t just mean a snarky, sassy type. She was MEAN, but I actually loved it, and she gave me some great laugh-out-loud moments. And it’s not all a facade to hide her true persona though that was partly the case, but she does have an inherent mean streak.
I really enjoyed Emma’s writing style, and she writes superb, sharp, humorous dialogue. All characters were solidly developed, even the secondary characters, and the romance was steamy without being too hot. The book flowed at a nice pace and there weren’t any slow, repetitive, or overly descriptive parts. A nice even read. The plot is very predictable though but it wasn’t a major issue as I think that’s pretty much par for the course with these types of books.
In summary, this was a fab read and I’d highly recommend it to fans of NA/Contemp women’s fiction.
Thanks to Inkslinger PR and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.
Excerpt:
โWhat,โ Chelsey exclaims, โthe hell is that?โ
With a wide smile spreading across my face, I shove my hands in my pockets like a teenage boy and look at her. โA Christmas tree.โ
โAre those . . . penises?โ
โTechnically, dildos.โ
โLike real ones?โ She jerks her alarmed gaze to me.
โNo. Just plastic.โ
She flicks her tongue across her lips. โUh-huh. Why do you have penises across your Christmas tree?โ
โBecause heโs an immature little bastard,โ Leila answers for me.
โYou didnโt stop me,โ I shoot back.
โHell no I didnโt. I cannot wait to see Momโs face when she sees this!โ
โWhen she sees what?โ Momโs voice creeps through the house ominously, and the close of the door after her sounds like the signal that I should run away.
โUh . . . Iโm just gonna go . . .to the store. . . .โ I shuffle toward the door that connects the front room with the kitchen.
Chelsey lifts her eyebrows in amusement, and Dad grabs the back of my shirt so I canโt escape.
You wouldnโt think I was twenty-four. For numerous reasons, obviously.
โKye Burke, why are there tiny penises on my Christmas tree?โ
Her voice is calm. Really calm. Iโm even more convinced that I should run. โMerry Cock-mas?โ
Momโs expression is somewhere between insane amusement and extreme frustration.
โIโm just gonna come back later . . .โ Chelsey whispers, edging toward the living room door. โWhen there are less . . . cocks.โ
โGood idea! Iโll come with you.โ I wrestle out of Dadโs grip and dart behind him, through the kitchen, and into the hall.
Chelsey laughs and grabs my arm, dragging me back into the room. โI said I was going. I didnโt say you were escaping this cock-up.โ
โGreat choice of words,โ Dad chuckles.
Mom pinches the bridge of her nose. โI should have known that when three boys left, one boy would have to make the impression of three,โ she says, mostly to herself. โI should have known that the one who never left his little peep alone at two would one day decorate my tree in cocks.โ
โMom! What the hell?โ I sputter.
โI should have known that his ball-hoarding obsession at six was a sign of things to come,โ she sighs heavily and drops her hand. โAfter all, thereโs one in every boyband. I thought I was ready for this.โ Then, she turns to me. โKye, son, we love you anyway, but I have to ask. Are you gay?โ
Chelsey lets go of me, and laughter rips from her. Leila laughs, too, her book falling to the floor. Dad covers his face with his hands, and Mom just stands there in the middle of the room, her eyes wide. Her hands are now clasped in front of her sympathetically, and the tiny upturn of the right side of her mouth explains it all.
โWell played, Mother,โ I say reluctantly, walking back toward the front door. โWell. Played.โ
About the Author:
By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books.
Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.
Links:
And there’s a tour wide giveaway! For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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