After the great ride that was Dirty Billionaire, I was a little concerned that March's sophomore entry into this series might come up lacking. Silly me; part two moves our story along nicely.
Our heroine, Holly, has left her new husband, afraid that he doesn't realize how important her career is to her. Creighton isn't happy about this turn of events and sets about retrieving his runaway bride. In the course of reuniting - or not - we learn more about both partners, we see some bad things happen that turn out to be not so bad, and we realize that both of the main characters are experiencing some similar feelings about their situation. The writing is smooth and emotional, the sex is insanely hot, and both characters are well-drawn.
There's a but at the end of that last sentence.
I try very hard not to give away plot points, not to spoil stories, and not to ruin the book for anyone. However, I feel the need to explain why I gave Dirty Pleasures four stars, when I wanted to give it five. So, without giving away too much, here you go:
There are tried and true tropes and tricks in every genre of writing, including romance. Some are great and really make the story better. Things like having your hero lose something that matters to them and have to fight to get it back. Sometimes a pregnancy scare can fit the bill, or an ex-lover showing up. There are, unfortunately, some little things that I dislike very much in writing. This book contains three of them.
1. I am not big on cliff-hanger endings. I knew going in that this book would have one, though, so that's not my biggest issue here. I also know that March will give me a fantastic climax to the story (much as Creighton does for Holly so often) and a satisfying, happy resolution to things. So I can live with the cliffie.
2. Miscommunication can work well in a story. However, when the lack of understanding occurs because one character won't shut up and let the other offer an explanation, or when one assumes that what they think is what actually happened and won't listen to anything else... it makes me nuts. I realize I'm not explaining this well, but I think most of you know what I mean. Maybe you were late for dinner because you decided to have a go at the blonde in your office, which is what your business rival told me, or maybe you just held up in traffic due to a 2 car accident; assuming my version is correct, and refusing to let you tell me what happened, and then blaming you when the relationship isn't working? No. March employs this particular ploy and in my opinion it detracted from the book.
3. Why is it that no character is ever honest about their feelings until it's too late, or almost too late? I don't get it. This is not March's fault as it's part of the plot, but it makes me want to tear my hair out! I hate this particular trope and I wish she'd found a way to write this story without using it. That said, it's effective as heck.
None of which is a criticism of Meghan, because the woman is a fabulous writer. I love her work. I'm just being honest here.
Read Dirty Pleasures. It's a good story. Don't let my own personal preferences deter you. Holly is still head-strong (even pig-headed at times), as is Creighton. The pairing is fun, the naughty bits are very, very naughty, and the writing is excellent. Besides, you want to be ready when the conclusion to this series, Dirty Together, comes out!
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