Romance Readers Retreat: Review: Dirty Daddies by Jade West

*****5 STARS*****

Michael takes his job as social worker very seriously. He has always wanted to make a difference and through his work he hopes he makes an impact on the children who end up on his books. Sometimes, though, he feels unsuccessful. Take Carrie Wells. Michael has been seeing her for five months and she turns 18 soon which means she'll be off his books. He is determined to try and help her before that happens, but he has not had much success. She is rash, impulsive and most people call her and her actions crazy. She's moved from foster home to foster home most of her life, never finding anyone willing to put up with her special brand of crazy.

Days before her 18th birthday, she runs away from her most recent and final foster home. She knew they would be throwing her out on her birthday and overhearing what they thought of her, she decided to end things immediately. Michael is beside himself when he finds out she's missing. Her foster parents consider it a blessing, the police can't be bothered, he is the only one who seems to care or be concerned. He knows he cares too much. It's the Carrie Wells effect. One look into those crazy and beautiful eyes and he was a goner. Even his best friend Jack is concerned about him and worried he'd get himself into trouble while he was away on business.

Jack had the right idea, because once Michael finds Carrie, he can't just turn his back on her. He leaves her at Jacks. He tells himself he will stay away from her and just help her find some kind of government housing arrangement. Afterall, his work is too important to risk and his moral compass is too strong to be tested by a girl half his age. When Jack comes home early from his trip because of a bad feeling, he is shocked to find Carrie in his house (a house that lost a fight with a crow she was trying to save). Mike has a lot of explaining to do!

It isn't long before Jack too falls victim to the Carrie Wells effect, but he notices something Mike hasn't quite grasped. Carrie needs help, but it isn't the soft kind Mike tries to give her. She needs someone to lay down the law and use a firm hand to show her that she can push as much as she wants, but not everyone will be pushed away. Mike and him are the perfect people for that job, if he can just convince him to let go of his morality and preconceived notions.

I love Jade West novels. She has a knack for writing insanely hot smut that toes that line of taking things far enough to make you uncomfortable. Dirty Daddies was a bit of a different read for me. I was expecting something filthy without a ton of substance, but this story had a lot of debt. In fact, there wasn't any actual sex until almost 70% which actually worked here because of Carrie's age and the trauma she has gone through during her short life. The slow build up and tension between Carrie, Jack and Mike made everything so much better once they finally crossed that line. Jack was probably my favorite character. I wasn't sure about him at the very beginning, but once he returned from his trip, I was all in for him. He was outspoken, told things like they were and was not afraid to be dirty if that was what the situation called for. Mike was more buttoned up, though Carrie definitely got through his defenses and soon even he was getting in touch with his hidden darker desires. This wasn't your typical run of the mill Daddy book and i highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Rosemary Feil

Some bad girls need a firm hand to keep them in line.

I’m bad enough to need two.

Two older men who can teach me a lesson when I misbehave.

Two hot bodies to keep me warm in bed at night.

Two best friends who can learn to share a filthy-mouthed little brat like me.

After all… dirty girls need very dirty daddies.

***

Carrie Wells is nothing but trouble.

She’s wild and difficult. Not worth anyone’s time.

Carrie Wells is a beautiful little brat. She’s also a vulnerable young adult on my case list.

She’s half my age and totally off limits. I’m breaking every rule in the book by giving her somewhere to stay when she’s out on the streets with nowhere to go. And I’m breaking every rule of friendship by holing her up in my best friend Jack’s house while he’s away on business.

I thought life was difficult enough when I fell for the girl, but it gets a whole lot harder when Jack comes home early and finds a beautiful stranger causing chaos in his house.

And a whole lot harder still when he falls for her too.

He’s the one guy on this planet I’d share my last supper with. I’d share it gladly.

I’m just not so sure how I feel about sharing Carrie Wells.