4.4 stars

This was my first time reading anything from this author and I can definitely say that I will be reading more from her in the future. I think that is part of the reason that I am loving all things Cocky Hero Club because I am getting to discover new authors.

I was intrigued by this book because I wanted to see how it was going to tie together with the other story. I am surprised at how well it did. I saw the cameo experience showing how they knew each other but in addition to that, I also got to have a whole new world open up. Jude and Rachel were perfect for each other. I liked that even though this technically was an instant love situation according to the time, it didn't feel that way. Instead, I was treated to watching these two develop a friendship and build from there. The innuendos were there but there was also a connection.

The only reason that this didn't rank higher was that I wanted more of an explanation about Ethan and what brought Rachel to California. The meeting up seemed anticlimatic and didn't serve a purpose. I also wanted a little payback to the roommates. That being said, this still was an exceptional addition to this world. Highly recommend.

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Delightful Dealer
5 stars

Dirty Dealer is an opposites attract, temporary roommates, contemporary romance standalone inspired by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Bastard. It's published as part of the Cocky Hero Club world, a series of original works inspired by Keeland and Ward's novels.

And so to my review… this is the first book I’ve read by Kacey Shea and it was a great introduction to her, and her writing. I will definitely be checking out more of her books, especially since I’ve realised she’s written/writing books with characters who got cameos in Dirty Dealer.

Normally in a book, it’s the heroine that I really connect with and root for. Don’t get me wrong, Rachel was a great character. She was strong, sassy and had principles that she wasn’t willing to compromise. She was also happy in her own skin - a lot of the time where you read about a “curvy” girl (which could mean any number of sizes, really) then she’s slightly hung up on that fact. Not so Rachel. She was a confident woman who knew her worth and got hers. She was still vulnerable and I’m always going to love any heroine who ponders whether a new man in her life might be a serial killer. Same, girl. Same.

However, it was Jude that caught my attention and kept it to the end. I love an alpha male - and while Jude definitely had his alpha qualities, he had a fantastically vulnerable side, too. Or maybe you could also call them boyish qualities. His love of lollipops, his almost giddy delight at succeeding at his job and his unashamed emotion in the face of possibly losing Rachel. I can’t imagine it’s easy to write a hero with both the strong qualities we all love, but also having the vulnerabilities that make him believable, likeable and downright wonderful. I loved Jude so. Okay, I might not have loved his name but everything else…

This was somewhat of a slow burn story. There’s lots of build up to our couple finally getting together. It’s not a case of them having to admit feelings - they both know that there’s a connection and chemistry there, as do we as readers. It’s just about timing being right. There are many - many - times where we’re finally about to have the pair kiss, or take things to the next level, when there’s a most inconvenient interruption. I admit to shouting “oh, come on!” at my kindle towards the last of those interruptions. Thankfully, they did come on which made me very happy. And speaking of happy, the scene where Rachel comes across Jude on the couch in the night… well, let’s just say I could have done with that scene being a whole lot longer. Wowza!

As the book is set in the world of Cocky Bastard, Chance and Aubrey from that book do appear in this one, too. I’ve never actually read that book and I didn’t feel that I lost anything from not having done so. I am intrigued to pick up Chase and Aubrey’s own story, though.

This book is written in the first person, present tense, with alternating viewpoints of both Jude and Rachel over 52 chapters. I feel that worked well, and worked well with Ms Shea’s snappy and fast writing style. I was hooked from the first page and was quickly drawn into the story of Rachel and Jude. As I said before, I really loved the characters, the chemistry and the story in general - I even got a few laughs from it. All in all an excellent book in the Cocky Hero Club and an excellent book all round. I look forward to reading more from Kacey Shea. 5 stars and a recommendation from me. ( )