4.5 Exhilarating Stars!

“Seems our chess match is far from over.”

SECRETS. LIES. TRUST. DECEPTION. LOVE. HATE. GREED. PASSION. TREACHERY. Those are some of the catchwords that encapsulate BAD DEEDS, the third spellbinding installment in Lisa Renee Jones's highly addictive Dirty Money series! But it only scratches the surface of the EPIC GREATNESS of this ongoing saga as Shane Brandon and Emily Stevens find themselves walking through fire for each other as the battle continues to rage for control of Brandon Enterprises.

However, now it's more than a vicious feud over the family crown that's at stake!

Like with its predecessor, BAD DEEDS picks up right where DAMAGE CONTROL left off, and we are immediately sucked back into the crazy family dysfunction, dangerous mind games, corporate subterfuge, and deadly mayhem swirling around them. Shane Brandon who gave up a lucrative career as a hotshot attorney to save his family legacy from ruin, is still fighting tooth and nail to gain control of the company, and to keep his beloved Emily safe. Which is complicated by the fact that his black sheep brother, Derek, has got the them in bed with the Mexican drug cartel, his dying father, Brandon Senior, is still pulling strings behind the scenes, pitting brother against brother, and Shane has no clue who his friends and enemies truly are!!

But as danger looms, war is not only raging within his family but within Shane himself, between good and evil, dark and light, as he goes to extremes to extricate his company out of the hold of the Martina Cartel! But even as he vows to move heaven and earth to keep the women he is wildly in love with out of the crossfire, one wrong strategic move could prove deadly. She is his port in the storm but can he prevent her from being pulled into the undertow?

GAH! I love Lisa Renee Jones’s words! And each book in this series is even better then the last. This is by far my favorite in the series to date. Her writing is FLAWLESS, the tension PALPABLE, the drama and intrigue HEART-GRIPPING, and the sex SCORCHING HOT! I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout this adrenaline pumping novel, vacillating between joy and despair, excitement and arousal, anger and ecstasy, gut-clenching fear and soul-crushing devastation!

The passionate love affair between Shane and Emily, who is still in hiding from the nefarious Geminis Hacker group, is the touchstone of this book. One of my favorite through-lines in this series is how ferociously protective Shane is of Emily, yet she is NO damsel. She is strong. Beautiful. Confident. And fights as hard to protect her man as he does to keep her safe. Their smoking hot chemistry and torrid interludes are so combustible it’s guaranteed to makes your toes curl, but it's the emotional intimacy between this couple that truly ensnared my heart! We see a deepening love and commitment between this fiercely devoted couple in this book, which is beyond beautiful!

But there are some bumps in the road for them as the danger and family feuding intensifies.

For while up till this point Shane has always served as the moral compass of his devious family, I found it FASCINATING in this book that we see a darker, more ruthless edge to this corporate white knight, which has him walking a dangerous tight rope between righteousness and corruption. Will Shane end up falling prey to the sin and deception he has been fighting so hard against? Do the ends justify the means?? And will his hard earned relationship with Emily become collateral damage? Not saying but rest assured there is NOT A SINGLE DULL MOMENT!!!

Bottom Line: As with all the books in the Dirty Money series, BAD DEEDS is chock full of thrilling action, intense drama, sizzling passion and spine-tingling suspense, and the plot is so complex and intricately layered it constantly keeps us guessing!. But, alas, the wicked Ms. Jones is not through spinning her brilliant web, and this book ends with a SHATTERING cliffy that DECIMATED my heart! And now we will have to wait on pins and needles for the final installment, END GAME which is scheduled for release in January.

Ahhhh, the sweet, torturous anticipation!

***Major Cliffhanger*** Lisa has done it again. Greed, passion, family business gone astray. This is the third book in the Dirty Money Series. As Shane fights for the family business, others want to takeover and destroy its name. Adrian Martina says he wants to go legitimate with a street drug but does he really. With all this in mind, Shane must battle his emotions against his dying father and his brother who wants control. Emily fights her own demons from her past. Together they have an unstoppable bond that is now in jeopardy. I received Bad Deeds from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
As Shane and Emily are getting closer, his family is getting stranger. His parents are pitting Shane and Derek against each other still, but Emily is trying to get Shane to see that he and Derek need to work together to keep the family business in the family.

While they try to keep the business in the family and the family safe, someone is trying to steal the business, but who in the family is helping the bad guys? Mr. Brandon wants Shane to take over when he dies, Mrs. Brandon wants Derek to take over, but then again, who can you trust? And when Shane doesn't want to tell Emily what is going on, she feels like he is hiding something from her.

So, who do you trust with your secrets, your safety, and your life? Emily and Shane will have to learn to trust a few new people and still keep everyone safe.

But holy hell, watch out for the cliffhanger; it is a whopper. I can't wait for more. I need to know how this one ends.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
The struggle with reviewing Bad Deeds is reviewing it without giving anything away. Because this a continuing saga, I don't want to give the plot away. So, what can I say?

Firstly, I loved that the author gives us a little summary of the story and characters so far before the book begins. Very helpful. Secondly, the family drama and danger picks up right where Damage Control left off and the story never eases up or slows down. Thirdly, the story didn't really play out as I was expecting and that is something I loved about it. And finally, be prepared for a killer cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the final instalment, End Game.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and I had thought the last... but it better not be! That was a crazy ride which at the end, had me flicking my screen saying “NOOooooooo, I need more!”

You absolutely need to read the previous books in this series to have any hope of understanding what is going on! And ideally all together – so block out a weekend, or more possibly, and get on with it. There are so many fascinating strands which motor along at high speed, without a doubt keeping up the level of drama. And beautifully woven through it all is a budding romance which has, by this book, developed into a strong, loving partnership with plenty of hot and steamy sex. It is used as an amazing way of communicating between Emily and Shane, and works brilliantly at flagging their state of mind and their unity.

But Ms. Jones... I do hope that you are chained to your desk getting the next installment sorted out in your mind and written on the page... I am still coming down from the shock of it ending where it did. So soon, please, I beg you, soon.

An advanced copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

Okay, I’m going to admit it. I must be the only one that doesn’t think Bad Deeds (the 3rd installment of the Dirty Money series) is the 5 star book everyone else is giving it. I was madly in love with the first two books in this series, (Hard Rules and Damage Control) due to the quick pace, the hot, hot chemistry between Shane and Emily, and the complicated family dynamics and intricate story line; but well, Bad Deeds just moves too slowly for me. Or maybe it was the lack of hotness in the sex between Shane and Emily; or the constant repetitiveness of what was going on, or the over analyzing of the situation. I’m sorry, it just does! Yes, it begins to explain things. Yes, it shows how solid Shane and Emily have become. Yes, it explains more about the complicated family relationship of the Brandon Family and how the Martina Family is intertwined, but this book took me weeks to get through, when the others took hours.

Now with all of this said, it doesn’t mean I would not have read this book. I’m already hooked on the series and can’t wait for the final installment to come out, End Game. And with the fact that Bad Deeds ends in a cliff hanger (yes, it does), it’s all the more reason to read End Game. So I will join the ranks of everyone who is waiting with heavy sighs and baited breath for book 4, I just might not be salivating as much as everyone else.

Bad Deeds by Lisa Renee Jones is the third book in the Dirty Money series and what a roller coaster ride of emotion and suspense. This book is amazing. I highly recommend this book, this series and especially this author. Can’t wait for the next book!!!

Oohhh does this series get even more twisted and insane by the moment! I adore Shane and Emily. Even more in this book. It really solidifies their relationship with each other no matter how crazy things get with them. And let me tell you there is a lot slung their way. Derek is actually growing on me now too which is really tough considering how much I wanted to smack him!
Overall, this book gives you a great indepth feel of what is all going on with this series. The passion is still there. The wit and banter is off the charts. The craziness that happens leaves your head spinning! I absolutely adore this series and am SO looking forward to the next! Which I need... STAT! So if you haven't tried this series, do so! You will not be disappointed!

I've enjoyed reading this with all my senses. The tension, which never relents, grabs you with no limits, not even at the pause of a chapter. I had to read on, I had to find out what Shane's next move was going to be in terms of strategy or hard decisions. I had to find out how Emily would react, counteract, feel, think and solve. It was all really intense as dangers from all sides were walling them in with not much breath left.

This third book in this series shows Emily and Shane in the thick of many families' feuds. His, hers, and that of a fascinating drug lord, Adrian Martina. I was elated with that man, his sister, and how they both interacted with Shane and his brother Derek. The two brothers are at each other's throats looking for blood but also hinting at an impossible truce given the odds against a drug lord intent on conquering their inheritance by dark means.

I loved the interesting and harrowing paths the couple's relationship was taking. They are closer than ever but their mutual instinct to protect each other puts their bond to the test. And the passion is scorching hot!

An incredibly tough chain of events hurt the characters in every way, shoning their strength and wounding their will to no end. I loved every minute of the sharp scenes and the smart plot, and I ended up suffering with that monstruous, yet masterful cliffhanger. I can't believe I have to wait for an unknown date in the future, whenever it comes about, to find out what happens to these characters. Tough, indeed. Bad deeds, indeed.

Seriously!! I should probably wait to write this review when I'm not screaming at the book and possibly cursing Lisa. How can she do this? I mean I thought for sure we were going to tie up all the loose ends, but no. She leaves the mother of all cliffys!! This was so fast paced and yelled in so many directions you really wanted to see the end. Guess we all wait patiently. if you haven't started reading the series maybe wait until she's through to not torture yourself like the masochist I apparently am.

Book 3, Bad Deeds, picks right up where Damage Control tapered off. Shane is temporarily in control of the Brandon empire while his and Derek’s father tries one last hope in trying to beat his cancer. With Shane as acting CEO Derek fills this is only allowing Shane to further get rid of him, and believe me…it’s not going over well for him. Derek has truly made a mess of things and fixing them isn’t going to be an easy task for Shane. He comes out in this book swinging from page one and the twists and turns are, at times, so dark it’s hard to tell if he and Emily will come out better and in piece.

It’s obvious in this book that Emily and Shane lean on each other; they are each other’s goodness when everything else is shrouded in evil. They are truly each other’s saving grace and it’s amazing to watch! Shane is such a great hero…he is definitely one of my top favorite men of all time. The way he is with Emily will have you gasping for breath and wishing with all hope that Shane Brandon is real!

“I know it’s with her that I will always find me.”
This series is so good; face paced, drama filled and passion rampant. Just a heads up though….there is a huge cliffhanger after Bad Deeds; it left me on the floor in a blithering heap. I loved every second I spent reading this series and the entire series is definitely a 4.5 read for me! I can’t wait for End Game that scheduled to be released January 2, 2018!

I finished this book just minutes ago and I am still entranced by that ending. It was so powerful and at the same time it leaves you with so many questions and unknowns that the need to have the next book in your hands is nearly unbearable. Similarly to the previous two books in the series, this is a fast paced romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is intriguing and so captivating that you would have difficulties stopping for a break.

Emily and Shane's story is one of the best ones I've read in a long time. As I read quite a lot, it is very difficult to find a romantic suspense that can surprise me and reveal secrets and story twists that I won't expect. Well, the Dirty Money series and Bad Deeds in specific, is one of this rare occasions. The masterfully woven story and incredible characters, create a world that pulls you in from the very start and leaves you breathless and so absorbed by it that you can easily loose track of time.

Emily and Shane's love is constantly tested by the demons carried by both of them. But time and time again, they prove that together they are stronger and can overcome everything thrown their way. Until a betrayal none of them sees coming can cost them their lives. The emotions in that moment are so raw and potent that I could feel them as if I was witnessing the scene in real life. You can feel the fear, the pain, the rage so strongly as if you are the one staring your nightmare in the eyes. And that's where the story leaves you. Craving to find out what will happen next. And I can honestly say that the next couple of months until the conclusion of the series comes out, will be pure torture. Because Shane and Emily's story is so addictive that you will need a regular fix to keep you sane :D

As I said before, this is one of the best books I'v read recently. And I hotly recommend it to every romance suspense lover out there. Just keep in mind that this is not a standalone and you have to start from the first book in the series, Hard Rules. I can guarantee you won't regret it though ;)

This review was originally posted at Living In Our Own Story Book Blog. I received an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Finally read the entire book. Realized I had read the first one and was in line to read the second one. I found the book boring. I like a story with my sex scenes. Not ex scenes without a descent story line. Not putting up a review because it will be negative.

When I think cleverly written sexy suspense, I think Lisa Renee Jones. Her Dirty Money series is one that sustains it’s intrigue, all the while building on the seductive romance between Shane and Emily.

Fans of the series will enjoy developments to the story as we see Shane delve deeper into the murky waters he adamantly vowed to avoid, and the temporary or not transformation to his relationship with his family.

As can be counted Lisa leaves us on another high octane moment guaranteeing we’ll want to stick around for the End Game.

QueenZany 5 Star Review
BAD DEEDS
Lisa Renee Jones


BAD DEEDS is yet another stellar book in the "Dirty Money" series!
Where the twist, turns, suspense and that fire that Lisa Renee Jones is known for ignites! Engulfing you, with sultriness of it all! Then having you second guessing it all! Leaving you teetering on the edge of nothingness!
Wracking my brain now!! My mind is still swirling WTF???

BAD DEEDS is a true mix of a mind blowing vortex, sexy as sin and that tyfoon of emotions! Which always has a way of erupting! Making you a puddle of mush! This book will hit you with a Bam!!!
OMG I needed this Mind Caper of volatility in my life!

I am beyond hooked on this series! I've read them all so far, and after this one, the best yet, I am anxiously awaiting the conclusion. Lisa Renee Jones has created a story so entwined and tangled that it's hard to even consider how it will all turn out. I won't rehash the whole plot, but I will say it is a series that absolutely has to be read in order. There is the perfect amount of intrigue, not so much going on that you get lost and can't keep up, but plenty to keep your mind spinning with speculations. I love that you can never know what to expect and that Ms. Jones is not afraid to throw in a shocker...like the ending. I couldn't believe it! Now I'm dying to know what happened! I'm glad the wait will not be long.

Net Galley provided an ARC for honest review.

Sexy, suspenseful and unpredictable. I can't even begin to tell you anything to do with the plot of this book. It will definitely ruin it for you. However, I will tell you that this book made me want to throw my reading device. It made me fan myself. It made me swoon and even made me laugh at parts. I gasped out loud at certain revelations and I could not put this book down. It is my favorite so far in the series and I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Lisa.

My Review
4 stars!
The beginning of this book had a slow but steady pace and then bam a little past fifty percent it just was filled with so much. I couldn’t put it down and had to find out what was going on with everyone. Who to trust who not to, and I actually got to like Derek a bit in this book.

I can’t give anything away but Shane is still trying to protect Emily while also trying to make a deal with the devil. He is smart and on top of what he wants to do but people keep getting in his way.

I am a romance junkie so I would have loved a little more romance between Shane and Emily in this book, but there is no doubt the chemistry is there. I’m glad to have gotten a little romance between Derek and Teresa though.

There is a lot going on with this book and a lot of different characters so I appreciate that we get a recap in the beginning.

I don’t want to say too much but it leaves you with one hell of a cliffhanger. I need the next book today!

As always Lisa Renee can write a great romantic suspense filled with action and leaves you wanting more.

Would you bleed for the one you love?

To save his family empire from the grip of the drug cartel, Shane is pushed to the edge of darkness, forced to make choices he might never make. His father is dying. His brother is desperate to rule the empire and this means war and all gloves are off. His brother only thought he knew what dirty meant. Shane is about to give it new meaning. There is another war brewing though, and that one, is inside him, his battle between right and wrong, light and dark, and in the heat of the night, it is Emily he turns to for escape. Driving her to new limits, pushing her to accept a part of him that even he cannot.

In every one of Shane's seductive demands, Emily can taste and feel, his torment, his struggle to save his family and not lose himself. But he is losing himself, and that is a problem just as dangerous as her secret, that still lurk in the shadows, a threat to the Brandon Family waiting to erupt. No matter where she and Shane have traveled, or will travel in the future, she can't just sit back and watch him become everything he hates, everything he never wanted to become, everything she tried to save him from when she tried to run. It could be their undoing, the end. His end.

This is war, blood will spill, and someone in the heart of the Brandon family will not survive....

Review:

Ugh...January...

That is how long we have to wait for the conclusion of this story.

Be forewarned, this ends on a big cliffhanger!!!

This is the third book in the series and like the others picks up where the last one ended. As more people are added into the machinations to get the Brandon family business, the more the heat picks up. This book is full of sexy, drama, action goodness. More violent than the other books in the series. Seriously everyone has a motive to get a piece of the Brandon business in this book. Emily's past takes a back seat in this book and the couple must work together to help Shane win. I hate to say too much as so much happens in this book and I hate to ruin any one's reading pleasure. I will say if you have been reading this series, you will not be disappointed with the events in this story. Again, these should be read in order.

4.5Stars
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

Holy romantic suspense goodness. I LOVED this installment. My favorite of the series so far! With the cliffhanger the last book ended on, I couldn’t start Bad Deeds fast enough. This book starts off exactly where the other one ended, yet here we really began to see a lot of the players colors unveiled. So very full of crazy suspense, so many layers, Shane and Emily were stronger than ever, and I could not put this down!

The scene in the beginning really set the tone for the book. We got a very good idea of the angles each character was playing. There were threats before, but this time around I really sensed a danger for Emily. Before she had the one from her brother, but now that she was part of Shane’s life and obviously a weakness for Shane, the threat level was off the charts. But not from just one source. I don’t want to spoil so I won’t say what, but there were so many threats against Emily it was crazy. So, like before there were so many aspects and storylines going on, yet they interwove and worked well so so well together and this time they didn’t bore me. I loved every single detail. I was roped in big time.

This book showed such a deep connection between Shane and Emily. It’s been growing, but here, in this installment they were truly one unit. Not without hiccups, of course, but they were stronger than ever. They had (obviously – boom chicka bow wow) a very good physical relationship, but now the small touches quietly spoke volumes. I loved how simple placements of their hand could mean so much. They were so in tune with each other.

The bad guys…oh so very interesting here. I found myself liking every single one at some point or another. I could not always tell if a character was truly a bad guy or about to go on the straight and narrow. I loved that. So well done, Ms. Jones.

Ending…it’s not over!! Fantastic series and I’m dying for the next read!

Rec this? If you love a sexy romantic suspense, this series is a must for your TBR!

Happy reading!

​I was really looking forward to Bad Deeds! I love the way that Lisa Renee Jones has weaved this series. There was plenty of suspense and though we're left with even more questions, we did get quite a few answers to others. Admittedly, the beginning started off a bit too slow for me. I even had a hard time feeling the connection between Shane and Emily which made me question whether I'd end up enjoying this installment of this series. The pacing did eventually get better but I feel like it picked up the most towards the end. I do however love the twist and turns of this book. Lisa Renee Jones definitely put the emphasis on keeping your friends close and your enemies closer in Bad Deeds. Characters that I didn't expect to come together were able to unite for a common cause. Bonds were made that I don't see being easily broken. We got to see a new side to not only Shane and Emily but to supporting characters as well. Bad Deeds does end in quite the cliffhanger that tells me that the next book in this series is going to take us on a wild ride. I can't wait to read the next installment!