A Dirty Business: Kings of New York

Tijan has delivered an emotionally charged romantic suspense that tempted me to do an all-nighter. Unfortunately, I couldn’t because the following workday was foremostly on my mind. But when the level of angst increased, I found myself reading faster and faster to get her every word in before lights out. Her usage of clipped sentences and edgy dialogue added punch after punch to the story; the rollercoaster pacing made me feel like I was holding on for dear life. And I loved every single minute of it! Jess Montell had little idea what was in store for her when she and Trace West set eyes on each other. After doing his homework, he knew he’d have to make an effort to steer well clear of her or, at the very least, tread carefully. Jess learns who this gorgeous well-suited guy is the hard way, realising that there’s a lot at stake professionally and, perhaps, personally. Observing them fight against their inner desires captivated me; their thoughts and wishes for a change in the rules drove me deeper and deeper into their lives. Jess’ job is a real eye-opener. Not only did I love her dedication, her tact and how she treated her hmm—clients for a better word, but her stand-up attitude. Therefore it wasn’t difficult for me to imagine what she was going through. Doing the right thing, she had always done—and now, how would she cope with the thought of having an off-limits relationship, and how would Trace, herself included, deal with the fallout?          There’s no doubt that the supporting characters are crucial for the plot’s flow, and while I could see a twist or three coming my way, I never envisaged how it would all pan out. I adored Trace’s best friend and work colleague—great witty guy banter here, ladies. And I liked that they had one another’s back more. But was it enough when they had ‘family’ breathing down their necks? I applaud Tijan for Jess’ best friend’s character development. Frankly, I didn’t like her that much to start with; but she grew on me, the boyfriend I questioned big time. That is what I like about Tijan’s writing. She evokes every imaginable feeling with such ease you’ll either want to give a character or two a good slapping or hug them to bits.  Tijan cracked the Mafia ambience and supposedly deep family ties, and what I liked most was the importance she gave to the steaminess. Yes, Jess and Trace make sparks fly; nevertheless, abounding warmth will make the most indecisive readers swoon to the moon and back. Without any inkling of a cliffhanger, Tijan’s last words left me speechless. No complaints here since I love on-the-edge, mind-blowing endings. And no need to say much more aside from awarding A Dirty Business five well-deserved stars. Bravo, Tijan!

A Dirty Business is the first book I have read by the author Tijan. I picked this book up when I discovered the mafia world would be the setting for the story. Yes! Mafia stories are my catnip. It’s my understanding that Tijan is a master at young adult stories. It would seem that A Dirty Business is her first adult romance book and her first venturing into the mafia world. While I cannot make a comparison between her newest release and her backlist, I believe she did a fairly good job with A Dirty Business, which featured a forbidden romance between a parole officer and the heir to a mafia empire.A Dirty Business introduces readers to parole officer Jess Montell and hedge fund manager and heir to a mafia family Tristian aka Trace West. In addition to her job as a parole officer, Jess also works at a nightclub on the weekends. Unbeknownst to her, the club is owned by Trace and his best friend, Ashton. As parole officer, Jess sees the world through a black and white lens. Meaning a situation or person is either good or bad. For her, a middle ground does not exist.Trace’s job as a hedge fund manager kept him out of the family business. However, with the failing health of his uncle, the man who raised him, and the threat of the takeover of the West territory, he knew it was a matter of time when he would step up to the helm.Trace and Jess had an interesting first meeting. Their attraction to each from that moment sizzled and popped. Learning she was a parole officer engaged the brakes on his attempt to have her in his bed. However, this discovery did little quench his desires, and it proved too difficult to stay away from her.Despite sensing the air of danger surrounding Trace, Jess could not stop thinking about him. Then she learns of his connection to the criminal underworld. A discovery which should have the effect a fire extinguisher would have on a blaze. Instead, her attraction to him grew stronger and soon she can no longer stay away. Now this story did not possess the darkness and grittiness one would expect from this world. Sure, there was torture and murder, but not a large scale. Neither were the details graphic.The slow burn romance which developed between Jess and Trace had its share of angst, which came as no surprise given their differing views and affiliation. Yes, there was a lot of back and forth between these two. Then we had Jess trying to maintain a balance with her morals and a relationship with Trace.I enjoyed the Mafia storyline. There were scenes which had me on the edge of my seat. Also, there were some interesting revelations. Now, as much as I enjoyed the story, two things prevented it from being a five star read. First, the pacing was off in some parts of the story. Second, the ending threw me for a loop. Can you believe it? The story ended on a cliffhanger. I never saw it coming. Readers who enjoy the forbidden romance trope set and love stories with heat, family ties to traditions and their livelihood, A Dirty Business makes a great addition to your library. This book was narrated by the duo of C. J. Bloom and Joe Arden. Joe Arden, I’ve listened to before and really liked - C. J Bloom, was new to me. They complimented each other well, and I really enjoyed listening at 1.5x speed.

I was pretty hesitant at first. Not all authors get the Mafia stories right but, I have to say that this is it. This was so good. I was hooked. Plus I loved that this was apart of read and listen on KU so I was able to dive in with ease. The storyline was awesome. It was so funny that the moral/righteous guys was the villain and the so called bad guy was actually good. But what a bombshell at the end. I can't wait to read book 2. I would definitely recommend it. Mystery, romance, sort of accepting ones self, enemies to lovers, Mafia.

Yeah, so I really couldn’t put it down! I totally had to keep knowing what was going to happen! And that connection between Trace and Jess, come on! YES PLEASE! ♥️❤️‍🔥♥️ And that ending! 😳🤯😢 On to book two!

I was so excited for this book. But was let down. It is not up to her usual quality. There was so much mystery that it got annoying. I did not know that there has to be another book because if she ended it like that, then it’s the most messed up ending since Ryan’s Bed. So all the cloak and dagger doesn’t make sense. And the uncle never died until the ending shoot outs. Brain cancer would have taken him long before that and his behavior would have been more and more erratic. She did hint at it starting to happen but then he went for months afterwards running the business? I usually chalk this stuff up to creative license. But this time it affected the story and how it played out. And Asher! Now that I am assuming it is the first of a series. I am assuming that she’s going to fix the issue with him and if not his arc will go another direction. So overall all these issues are too much.

This book had a lot of layers to it. I enjoyed the instant chemistry between the two. With so many players in this story, you don't know who to trust.

Too slow, nothing happens, didn't believe the love... it just happened.... nothing special.... just ok... idk... now that I've finished I feel it was a waste of time...

I absolutely love this book and what great start to the year . I have to say this is one favourite book of her . As soon got the chance I literally jumped right in and damn I don’t even know where to start it was so damn goooood . this whole book kept me on the edge of my seat. i was completely eating this story up and don’t want to give to much story away and that's the last thing I want to do. All I can say is that if you're into mafia, then you will certainly love this book! I know I ate it all up!

She take you on a journey that has you wanting and waiting to see what comes next, so it’s always important to me to carve out space in my day because once I start one of her books, it’s almost impossible to put it down ( only for bathroom breaks ).I’m glad I waited for the second part to come out before starting because I would have driven myself mad if I had to wait.Well done Tijan, another winner.

Wie es weitergeht. Tijans Bücher sind immer gut. Klar haben sie einen ähnlichen Aufbau. Die Mütter sind meistens miserabel. Sie sind aber gut geschrieben, spannend erzählt und haben einen unvorhersehbaren Verlauf. Ich kann ihre Bücher nur empfehlen

Wow. The h character is so refreshing. Fierce, smart and in control. No "damsel in distress" here guys!A masterpiece