There are books that I read that I know I wasn't 100% into, but I'm extremely invested in the characters. This series is one of them. I felt that ROUGH AND TUMBLE had been a little bit quick, the romance flashy and much too fast, and it didn't jive well with how Molly's personality was written.
...but I still liked the idea of the series. I liked the characters. I was invested enough to want to read Bennett and Gideon's stories.
So when a cover popped up on my NetGalley's 'Find Title' page that had a similar look to another book I'd read, I made no hesitations to request the title.
Sometimes when I read books by authors I don't know, I tend to forget that authors name -- especially when I'm not extremely in love with the book. But I saw the cover and just knew it was a Crystal Green work, and that it belonged to the Rough and Tumble series.
Now, this book is where I'm starting to question my lack of "point-five" ratings. I may just have to change that when I get around to publishing my rating system for all y'all. I've given DOWN AND DIRTY a four... but I also gave ROUGH AND TUMBLE a four... but I liked DOWN AND DIRTY much more than ROUGH AND TUMBLE. So how can I rate both of them the same number, when I felt one was better than the other, that the development and plot was much better in one than the other? That said, maybe R&T (because RAT just looks bad) is really a 3.5 or solid 4, and D&D is a good 4.5? But as I don't work in "point-fives" yet (really, it's because NetGalley doesn't work in a point system, but as every other site does... I guess I'll have to really think this one through)... both R&T and D&D get 4s, even though one was a clear winner in which was better in my eyes.
On the outskirts of Sin City there’s a rough and tumble saloon where the women who are brave enough to enter can mingle with men that are equally magnetic and dangerous. And in this town, no one’s afraid to get a little dirty…
Billionaire playboy Bennett Hughes’ black sheep reputation is well-earned, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting the respect of his family—even if it means tracking down his brother’s gold-digging one-night-stand to earn it. But when Ben finds his intended target to be the opposite of what he expected, his chance at redemption ends in an accidental quickie marriage.
Despite her history, ex-showgirl Liz Palazzo believes in love at first sight, something she thought she experienced with Ben. Determined to put her party-girl reputation behind her, Liz vows to be the best wife ever—even if her husband seems set on keeping their union a marriage of convenience.
But as the sparks fly and their connection grows, Ben starts to wonder if Liz might be the one person who can make him a better man—or if the former bad girl just wants him for his money…
---
We first met Bennett, the rich playboy who leaves his ladies with a Rolex as a parting gift, in ROUGH AND TUMBLE. His fancy, dancy self certainly made me curious -- what would a rich, pretty boy be doing in what I pictured of ROUGH AND TUMBLE? It just didn't make sense.
Through the story, the reader learns exactly why Bennett has chosen Rough and Tumble, Nevada, as opposed to his hometown, where his fancy, three-letter businessman of a father has full reign over what he and his two brothers do -- but Bennett doesn't want that lifestyle.
However, when big brother, Jameson appears in Rough and Tumble, he has a mission for playboy, good-for-nothing, black swan brother Bennett.
I really did love Ben and Liz. I loved that Ben became extremely protective of Liz and her feelings -- even as early as the 'night after' when her face flashes with hurt after the marriage comes to light. I love that he wants to shield her from his family, even when Jameson comes at them, fangs out and all.
I wish Liz were just a little bit stronger. She seems very much a punched kitten, a kicked puppy. All she wants is someone to love her -- but the answer to that is NOT throwing yourself at every seemingly available man. And to move on from Jameson to Bennett so quickly? Because surely, he's the one. The other one, Jameson, who she thought was the one, really wasn't. She seems to be a person who loves love -- I have found that those people typically just need to be in a relationship -- and no wonder; her upbringing hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows. I can understand her need to have someone stick around, but at some point, that is a misguided feeling.
..however, I do see this working out for Ben and Liz.
They were cute.
And like I said, if I had a 'point-five' rating system in place right at this moment, this would be a 4.5 -- but because I haven't quite gotten there yet, a 4 it is.
...but I still liked the idea of the series. I liked the characters. I was invested enough to want to read Bennett and Gideon's stories.
So when a cover popped up on my NetGalley's 'Find Title' page that had a similar look to another book I'd read, I made no hesitations to request the title.
Sometimes when I read books by authors I don't know, I tend to forget that authors name -- especially when I'm not extremely in love with the book. But I saw the cover and just knew it was a Crystal Green work, and that it belonged to the Rough and Tumble series.
Now, this book is where I'm starting to question my lack of "point-five" ratings. I may just have to change that when I get around to publishing my rating system for all y'all. I've given DOWN AND DIRTY a four... but I also gave ROUGH AND TUMBLE a four... but I liked DOWN AND DIRTY much more than ROUGH AND TUMBLE. So how can I rate both of them the same number, when I felt one was better than the other, that the development and plot was much better in one than the other? That said, maybe R&T (because RAT just looks bad) is really a 3.5 or solid 4, and D&D is a good 4.5? But as I don't work in "point-fives" yet (really, it's because NetGalley doesn't work in a point system, but as every other site does... I guess I'll have to really think this one through)... both R&T and D&D get 4s, even though one was a clear winner in which was better in my eyes.
*I received a copy of DOWN AND DIRTY via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher: InterMix (10/21/2014)
Series: Rough and Tumble, book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:
On the outskirts of Sin City there’s a rough and tumble saloon where the women who are brave enough to enter can mingle with men that are equally magnetic and dangerous. And in this town, no one’s afraid to get a little dirty…
Billionaire playboy Bennett Hughes’ black sheep reputation is well-earned, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting the respect of his family—even if it means tracking down his brother’s gold-digging one-night-stand to earn it. But when Ben finds his intended target to be the opposite of what he expected, his chance at redemption ends in an accidental quickie marriage.
Despite her history, ex-showgirl Liz Palazzo believes in love at first sight, something she thought she experienced with Ben. Determined to put her party-girl reputation behind her, Liz vows to be the best wife ever—even if her husband seems set on keeping their union a marriage of convenience.
But as the sparks fly and their connection grows, Ben starts to wonder if Liz might be the one person who can make him a better man—or if the former bad girl just wants him for his money…
---
We first met Bennett, the rich playboy who leaves his ladies with a Rolex as a parting gift, in ROUGH AND TUMBLE. His fancy, dancy self certainly made me curious -- what would a rich, pretty boy be doing in what I pictured of ROUGH AND TUMBLE? It just didn't make sense.
Through the story, the reader learns exactly why Bennett has chosen Rough and Tumble, Nevada, as opposed to his hometown, where his fancy, three-letter businessman of a father has full reign over what he and his two brothers do -- but Bennett doesn't want that lifestyle.
However, when big brother, Jameson appears in Rough and Tumble, he has a mission for playboy, good-for-nothing, black swan brother Bennett.
'Bennett Hughes had a bad habit of courting trouble. Sometimes it came in the form of five-card draw in the back room of the Rough & Tumble saloon when he had a few beers under his belt, a woman on his lap, and too many chips on the table. Sometimes it came during a Cristal-fueled escapade like the one that’d been captured by the paparazzi once when he and a young pop star had been celebrating her latest platinum record and they’d accidentally stopped traffic up on the Vegas Strip as she’d tossed her clothing at him, piece by lovely piece.
Come to think of it, most of Ben’s problems usually did arrive with curves in all the right places, smelling like sweet perfume and regularly breaking his heart.'He was supposed to find the girl and get her to sign a non-disclosure agreement; seems easy enough, yes? But oh, no. Instead he performs the ultimate faux-pas and marries her.
'Ben must’ve gone extremely pale, because Kat stopped jesting.
“What is it?” she asked, laying her hand on his. Even Gideon had gone motionless, like he was on alert.
Ben shook his head, a cutting laugh coming out of him. “You know how I was supposed to fix my brother’s situation with Liz Palazzo? Let her know that she was in some trouble for stealing his money and then keep her quiet about it?”
Gideon finally commented. “You accidentally left her in the air vent.”
“Not quite.” Ben gestured to himself, sick to his stomach all over again. “Meet the man who married her.”
At first, neither Kat nor Gideon said anything. And why should they when Ben had just told them the biggest joke in existence?
Ben tried to lighten up the room, even if it was darker than hell. “Someone say it. ‘Wow, Ben, you were an idiot before. Congratulations on surpassing that and creating a new category of asshattery.’”'But when discussing it with Kat and Gideon, a thought occurs -- rather than showing the world what a mess Bennett Hughes is (because let's face it, the world is already well aware of Bennett's short comings when it comes to his family), perhaps he should make a 'go' of it, at least for a year.
I really did love Ben and Liz. I loved that Ben became extremely protective of Liz and her feelings -- even as early as the 'night after' when her face flashes with hurt after the marriage comes to light. I love that he wants to shield her from his family, even when Jameson comes at them, fangs out and all.
I wish Liz were just a little bit stronger. She seems very much a punched kitten, a kicked puppy. All she wants is someone to love her -- but the answer to that is NOT throwing yourself at every seemingly available man. And to move on from Jameson to Bennett so quickly? Because surely, he's the one. The other one, Jameson, who she thought was the one, really wasn't. She seems to be a person who loves love -- I have found that those people typically just need to be in a relationship -- and no wonder; her upbringing hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows. I can understand her need to have someone stick around, but at some point, that is a misguided feeling.
..however, I do see this working out for Ben and Liz.
They were cute.
And like I said, if I had a 'point-five' rating system in place right at this moment, this would be a 4.5 -- but because I haven't quite gotten there yet, a 4 it is.
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