Dirty Hearts

Love Kenya Wright\’s stories. This is the next book in the Lion and the Mouse Series. The two main characters are dynamic, flaws and all. I will say this book is definitely a book NOT a stand alone. You have to read the books before to get it and in fact you need to read 2 books from her other series (The Butcher and the Violinist) to really get a lot of the back story of this book. However, if you know the back story and have read the books this book(s) is great, but you know that when you are finished another book is needed for the end the whole series. For that reason you may want to wait for the final book, but if you are like me and can\’t wait, the read this book right away.

So….I\’ve been reading a lot of this author lately. I read Power and thought that was okay. I read Rhapsody and Sonata and LOVE LOVE LOVED both. I read Dirty Kisses and Dirty Love, and loved those too! I was really, really enjoying the Lion and the Mouse romance until this book. First of all, it\’s clearly a money grab. The author already wrote about Emily getting kidnapped and the Kaz/JP conflict in Sonata. I\’m not sure why we need a whole different book that covers it (and apparently book 4 covers it as well, which I will not be buying since I don\’t care to reread the same storyline). Second of all, there\’s zero resolution to any of the plot points introduced. I get leaving an opening plot point or two in order to carry over into the sequel book, but KW left EVERYTHING open. NOTHING is solved by the end of this book. If anything everything is becoming a huge cluster effff of a situation. In my opinion, KW should\’ve wrapped up the animal heads plotline if she was going to introduce the kidnapping plotline. And again, I don\’t even get why we needed a rehashing of the kidnapping. She should\’ve just skipped over it and moved onto the aftermath. Third of all, um……I\’m no longer enjoying the characters. Both Kazimir and Emily. Emily most of all. My god, is she annoying! I understand Emily is fierce and a force to be reckoned with. She\’s introduced as strong, independent and clever in book one. I LOVED that about her in book one. But, come book three, it\’s gotten over the top. It\’s grating how she constantly has to try and turn everything into a competition with Kaz. She\’s overcompensating and trying to constantly prove she\’s tough. Like, we get it, you\’re a tough woman and you\’re no damsel, but at least be reasonable! She\’s hell bent on recruiting random and untrustworthy men into her circle just to stick it to Kaz. She\’s surrounding herself with random men and letting them physically fight her (which, by the way, I have a hard time believing this supposedly small woman as she\’s described is some master fighter so easily and quickly, taking down men double her size and strength). And then she has the gall to get mad whenever Kaz points out he does NOT want these men to hurt her. What sane husband or boyfriend wants men to be knocking around his partner? Yet she acts like this is SUCH an unreasonable request from Kazimir. Not to mention he already stated he\’d train her how to fight himself! Emily is completely unreasonable and hotheaded. If she\’s truly tough and clever, she\’d know she doesn\’t need to turn everything into some huge rebellious competition trying to prove herself. It\’s clear she\’s insecure or feels inferior, which is why she refuses to listen to reason. The thing is, she chose to live in Kaz\’s world of the Bratva, and yet refuses to acknowledge she\’s inexperienced and maybe doesn\’t know everything all the time. It\’s like she refuses to let Kaz lead. Ever. I get it, she\’s an alpha female, but it\’s over the top and to the point it ruins her character. And her ego is entirely unattractive as well. The way she keeps saying things like, \”I\’ll keep Kaz safe!\”, but refuses to understand why Kaz wants to keep her safe is grating. Especially when she may be PREGNANT! I preferred Emily from book one. She was tough and clever, but also reasonable and smart. Kenya has tried way, way, WAY too hard to make her some unrealistic superwoman with zero weaknesses and total superhuman capabilities. As for Kaz…..yikes. Where to even start? First of all, the power Kaz supposedly wields is totally unrealistic. I know it\’s fiction and I\’m willing to pretend for creative purposes that a lot of this is fine, but it got really, really, REALLY outlandish in this book. Between the stuff with the president to Kaz slapping the general and then bragging about owning countries, etc. it got a little too much. Kenya made Kaz way too pompous and powerful it became such a HUGE turn off. Let\’s talk more about this great big ego Kaz has. Like Emily, his ego and self-importance is OUT OF CONTROL. It\’s to the point it\’s not even likable. I preferred Kaz in book one. Yes, he was still cocky and confident, but it didn\’t come across completely cartoonish like it did in this book. Secondly, Kaz\’s huge head makes it impossible for him to actually take his rivals seriously. He\’s not very bright. How he doesn\’t see this is a HUGE weakness is beyond me. For being so mighty, he\’s mighty dumb. How was I rooting for Jean Pierre, Rafael, Eden and the others when this book is supposed to be Lion and Mouse? I\’ll admit, I had a bias going in since I read Rhapsody and Sonata first, but even still, I have liked Kaz and Em in books 1 and 2. They totally lost me in this book to the point that I was ACTIVELY rooting for Jean Pierre to show Kaz he made a grave mistake underestimating the Butcher and French mafia. I definitely prefer Jean Pierre to Kaz…..unfortunately I think Kenya for whatever reason prefers Kaz and Em, which is why she keeps producing all these books starring them and only 2 with the Butcher and Violinist. Either way, this book made Kaz and Em unbearably unlikable for me. After taking a peak at reviews for book 4, it seems it only gets worse. Kaz and Em become MORE unlikable, MORE hot headed, Kaz being dumb and Em being some magical superwoman out to prove she can beat up all the men *eye roll*. I\’m not refusing to buy book 4, but I will read a sample of book 5 and decide if it\’s worth reading more. I\’d love to conclude the Lion and Mouse series, but the author seems to have taken several missteps. After a fantastic books 1 and 2, it\’s VERY disappointing.

I love the storylines, emotional highs and lows, character building, character depths, heart races,and smiles/laughs that this author has created throughout this series!! The writing and editing is top notch with a wonderful flow and smooth read leaving the reader wanting and waiting for more!! I am anxiously awaiting the release of continuing journeys of Kaz, Mysh, and the crew.

I\’ve loved the very first book but wow for this next installment. Its refreshing to see The Mouse (Emily) and the Lion\’s perspective of the events that happened in Paris with the Butcher or the Corsicans. While I loved the Butcher and Eden, Kaz and Emily are my favorites. Although I know the outcome of course I want more of their story and I hope there can be a possible alliance between the Lion and the Butcher. Like wow what both will do to anyone that messes with their woman. If you have been following this series, this is a must read.

Good read from the lion and mouse prospective of the French and Russian War. Left room for so much more.

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