Dirty Exes - Rachel Van Dyken

This is the first in the Liars Inc series.

Blair and her friend Isla decide to form Dirty Exes PI firm after Blaine’s husband cheats on her, sealing the fate of their marriage.

When Blair stumbles into her previous boyfriend, Jesse, an NFL player and probably the one who got away, she doesn’t realise just whats at stake, earning her firm the unenviable job of performing her PI work on Jesse and placing her squarely between Jesse and his best friend Colin.

With a few unexpected twist and plot turns, this was a fun read with well written characters and a story line that resonates.

Not going to be my last Rachel Van Dyken.

I will start out by saying I loved everything about this book. A book that made me laugh out loud at the ridiculous situations that Blaire got herself into along with her quirky friends.

After Blaire runs into "The one who got away" randomly she faves the fact that her feelings for Jessie never truly went away....then she meets his best friend Colin. She ends up really liking him too. Now she needs to choose who is the best one for her.

Another great book by RVD that left me wanting more.

When I heard about this new novel by Rachel Van Dyken, I was curious to find out what the author was going to propose to us. I liked the novels I read by her, so how to resist Dirty Exes?

Isla and Blaire both suffered atrociously when they were deceived by their half, so they had an idea: to create a private detective company solely dedicated to revealing cheating. But their new case will change the game. While Blaire is struggling to put aside her childhood love, the one who broke her heart, she faces him again when he becomes her new victim. The feelings come back and he seems very happy to have found her as well. Things get more complicated when the best friend of the latter, a notorious playboy, is determined to make her succumb as well. The advantage? He is not married!

I had a good time with this novel. We understand very quickly that the story of Jessie’s marriage is complicated, that it is not only what we see from outside, and we will discover the story gradually through the chapters. And Colin? Ah what about Colin? I admit that it was difficult for me to decide on him at first. As I said: notorious playboy and it’s quite difficult for Blaire who is not that kind of girl and yet he is intrigued, he wants to know what it could be, even if he knows full well that she has always feelings for his best friend. Besides, if he can trick her while helping her in her investigation, it’s perfect!

It was a nice read, we understand Blaire and her worries. She wants to hang on to a past, to a story that never really ended and yet she realizes that it’s not that simple. She will succeed here to understand what she really wants and to see if the past is still relevant or not.

So. Much. FUN!
I loved book 1 in this new spin-off series by RVD—a must read author to me.
Blaire is the sister of Ian from The Matchmakers Playbook and I just LOVED HER! The funny situations she would get herself into, her internal dialogue kept me smiling throughout. Blaire co-owns a PI firm and her and Isla make it their mission to uncover the men cheating on their women. (The opening scene OMG hysterical! lol) Blaire starts this company with her friend Isla because of circumstances in her own marriage and fighting the wrong and pain caused by extramarital affairs.
And it's all fun and games until Blaire's next case is to expose someone she used to know—her ex, retired NFL player Jessie Beckett who is married to the Queen of all bitches UGHHHH
I was a little conflicted when it came to Jessie because while they only had a three week relationship and he really didn't treat her great, I didn't understand why Blaire compared all men to him... though watching her come to terms with his treatment of her all the while trying to fend off the attentions of Jessie's best friend, basement dweller, snake tattoo, man bun Colin was really eye opening to both the reader and Blaire as she finally realized her worth, what she deserved and who would make her happy.
I was a little nervous that this would be a love triangle and while it was to some degree, there was always a clear winner in my book—a dream of a book boyfriend, someone sexy and charismatic and completely romantic in all the ways—I just LOVED HIM!
Will I tell you who or how it ends? Well, no! Because you should read this book yourself. But can I say I was completely elated with the ending... I had a huge smile on my face because everything that was meant to be happened...
I am very much looking forward to book 2 in this series. Another RVD hit!

I couldn’t help but smile while reading the Prologue and discovering just how much fun this was going to be to read! After finding her husband and best friend in bed together, Blaire forms Dirty Exes with a kindred spirit, catching and humiliating cheaters for other women.

Hilarious escapades catching cheating exes.✔️
Smart, funny and strong female characters. ✔️
Not one, but two hot men. ✔️
Too many laugh out loud moments to count. ✔️

I love how Rachel Van Dyken writes a story that tugs at the heartstrings but with a comedic twist, then adds a guessing game where there’s two amazing men and you have no idea who the female character is going to pick. Decisions, decisions...we should all be so lucky!

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were amazing and funny as hell. I loved all the comical situations that Blaire managed to get herself into. I really loved Colin and how is was not afraid to show what he was feeling and he was so funny. The story line was original and I can not wait for more.

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

So I’ve been sitting on this review for 2 weeks now because it was hard to decide how to write it in a way that I express everything about the story I want but don’t give many spoilers. In the end I choose a way where I give away a tiny minor spoiler which leaves me a bigger room to maneuver.

I love Rachel Van Dyken’s books, her writing style is so clean and crisp and she always infuses her stories with a certain crazy but if you think about it realistic humor, I simply love it. So as most of her books this one is also funny as hell, full of insane shenanigans from the protagonist, relatable characters and a fast paced romance. This was a quick and easy read for me.

The book is narrated from 3 different POVs, Blaire’s, Jessie’s and Cole’s.
The main character, Blaire can be familiar because she is the sister of Ian from The matchmaker’s playbook. I didn’t read that book so for me she was new. Personally I couldn’t sympathize with her at first no matter how much I tried. I hurt for her when we learned she was cheated on but I just didn’t like how she let that event go without any kind of reaction and then became a practically harsh, bitter and vindictive about everybody relationships. She was a bit of a projector; she created a dream version of Jessie after a brief time and she compared everybody to this image and she also projected her bad experience with men onto everybody else. Other than this I loved her, she was crazy, funny, brave and sometimes even daring. Also in the end I loved the choices she made.
Jessie was also hard to like for me and it was strange because he was a great human being in a tight spot. Still for some reason I didn’t like him as much. He was a poser, someone who gave more credit for how others perceives him than how he feels so the situation he ended in is not too surprising. Still he was also lied to, pressured into things he didn’t want. I don’t know I just had a dual view of him and couldn’t decide which one is the real.

There is a situation you can perceive as a love triangle in the book but it’s really not a love triangle just like in Fraternize, another book form the author. The romance side went along the same lines than in that book. I personally enjoyed it.
This was a fun read and I’m really looking forward to the next in the series.

Another great read by Rachel Van Dyken. A story you’ll really enjoy. It’ll keep you guessing throughout most of the book, as well as laugh and swoon. I loved All the characters and I’m hoping for more. I highly recommend this book.

OMG the drama in this book...LOVE! I've never read a love triangle before, but now I want to read them allllll. And you know an author is good when halfway through the book you still don't know who you're rooting for. Talk about going back and forth and wondering if he's really cheating and just wanting to know what the heck is going on. But for real, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I'm so glad Blaire found her HEA. Both Jessie and Colin were special guys and I liked them both for their individual qualities. Who does Blaire end up with? Read this amazing rom-com and find out!!

I absolutely adored this book. It had me cracking up at some of the situations Blaire found herself in and I just loved how fun it was. The book never lost that lightness it had and it kept a smile on my face the entire time I was reading. Cute and fun read!

recieved an arc from Netgalley for an honest review}

This one is tough for me to review. I really enjoy Rachel Van Dyken's writing. However, Dirty Exes fell flat for me in a few ways. The biggest problem for me was the love triangle. I am seriously over them, it's not exciting or nerve wrecking to find out who the female is going to choose.

Let me talk about the main characters that make up the book. Blair was fabulous, down to earth, and I could totally see myself being friends with her. She has a slight anger issue but with what she's been through its understandable.

" That was then. This is now. I don’t even recognize that woman anymore. Now I was successful. I was happy. Well, marginally happy. I was single. Independent. Attractive. I was also in a mom bun. And glorified sweats. I straightened my shoulders and kept walking. Just hold your head high and don’t worry about your messy hair or the licorice hanging out of your pocket..."

Next we have the boys. Jessie annoyed the crap out of me. He was a bit pathetic and I didn't look forward to his POV chapters. He is in his current situation because of his own choices. He made his bed and now he needs to lie in it. Now Colin 😍 I loved him so much. He was perfect, even if he was slutty in the beginning. Sweet and totally deserving of happiness, he constantly made me swoon.

"Colin was like … the typical bad boy with bad intentions on steroids, from his sharp jawline to his pensive stares. I could even get on board with the man bun, which made him look like a struggling actor just one audition away from a role as a Dothraki on Game of Thrones."

Overall, Dirty Exes just wasn't my favorite Rachel Van Dyken book. Will I read the next one? Yes because she's an auto buy author for me and always delivers at least one character in the pages that I love. Blair and Colin saved this story from being a flop for me.

3.5/5 🌟

Dirty Exes is not what I thought it would be. It was funny, get down to business tying to find cheaters when low and behold Blaire comes face to face with the one that got away. After realizing that she is supposed to be tracking Jessie for "cheating", she enlist the help of his friend Colin. Sparks fly between Colin and Blaire and things are not what is seems. I can't wait to get Jessie's story next.

I was a little nervous about the almost love triangle she created but I loved the way she worked everyone's story out. I always love Rachel Van Dyken and was not disappointed by this book. I I look forward to the next book in this series. Once I finished I quickly looked up the book #2's release date and groaned because I don't want to wait that long.

I'm NEVER disappointed with a book by RVD. She's the queen of the written romantic-comedy, and Dirty Exes is both romantic and hilarious! Blaire and Isla are both so funny and real. They were able to turn heartbreak into a lucrative business...who wouldn't a cheating partner exposed? You'll immediately fall in love with Colin and want to punch Jessie, then you'll want to punch Colin and give Jessie a big hug. Throw in a villain you'll love to hate and you get another fun, flirty and sexy winner by Rachel Van Dyken! I can't wait to see if Isla gets her HEA! *Wink, wink*

3.5☆ Dirty Exes unfortunately just wasn't my cup of tea. It felt a lot like Fraternize and I wasn't a huge fan of how that turned out. I thought the concept was neat and had promise, I just wasn't a fan of the storyline. I liked one guy a bit more than the other and again it didn't go that way. I still like the other guy I just didn't feel a strong connection to him for some reason. I also wasn't a fan of all the secrets and lies that were going on and how long it took to get answers. Plus I absolutely hated one of the characters, as everyone should, and didn't like how they acted or treated another character. And then the actual relationship portion felt rushed and not entirely believable. There were a lot of funny moments and I did still like some of the characters. I still love Rachel and her books, this one just wasn't for me.

This might be my favorite of Rachels Rom Com's YET!

First of all, this book has THE BEST nicknames. SECOND, I already need the second book pronto. Blaire, Colin, Jessie, HECK YES. This book as all the twists and triangle -ish situations and I loved it.



You get the jest of the book with its blurb, if you didn't read the blurb, go do that. I am not gonna sum up the book, thats a pointless review. What I am going to do is tell you that I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I need this to be a movie. Really, it needs to be a movie.

Also, this book has SUCH a great set of characters. If you were a fan of The Bet or any of the other books in the connected series, than you are going to love this! Blaire is a complete hoot. Girl takes after my won heart. I swear if I was a PI, this would be me. #Hotmess Then we had Colin and My Goodness I want him, Please?

But really, I swear some of the scenes in this could have been a movie script.

Also, this TOTALLY needs to be a real thing!

This book was good I did enjoy it the only problem is I'm dying for the next book in the series!! Lol but this is Blaire and Jesse and Colin book, it was written very well it flowed nicely, it was very steamy, little action, some drama, I highly recommend it!! Very good read!! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me! Thank you Rachel Van Dyken for another amazing read!

Book Info
Paperback, 304 pages
Expected publication: June 5th 2018 by Skyscape
ISBN 1503954374 (ISBN13: 9781503954373)
Series Liars, Inc. #1
Other Editions (3)
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


They’re serving up some red-hot revenge. A sizzling series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel van Dyken.

Blaire has never quite gotten over Jessie Beckett, the ex–NFL star whose kisses were hot enough to ignite the entire Eastern Seaboard. When he chose work over her, Blaire was left brokenhearted. Why else would she have married a skeezy two-timer, just to divorce him less than a year later?

Now Blaire is getting even by becoming one half of Dirty Exes, a PI firm fully committed to humiliating cheating jerks. If only the new jerk she’s been hired to uncover wasn’t Jessie Beckett himself.

Exposing Jessie isn’t going to be easy, especially when she still daydreams about his sexy smile. Further complicating matters is Colin, Jessie’s best friend. He’s gorgeous, a little bit cunning, and willing to help Blaire get the inside scoop on Jessie—for a price.

Now caught between two men—one totally right and the other totally wrong—Blaire will need to decide just how much she’s willing to risk…and whom she’s willing to risk it for.


My Thoughts


One of my all time favorite movies The First Wives Club is the first example of Exes getting even with their cheating,conniving,lying husbands and it tops this story for revenge.

That being said author Rachel Van Dyken took a romance story and made it unique and noteworthy for readers who enjoy characters that are not only vulnerable but also snarky and easy to relate to for most of us, happily married or not.

My biggest complaint was the fact after all those years apart Blaire found herself still unable to let go of her past with Jessie and instead embrace a chance for true happiness with a man who not only is super sexy but is also totally tuned into her.

(view spoiler)

However in the end everything worked out for the best and set up readers for the next book which should be an even more interesting setup than this first in the series and I hope to get a chance to find out when and if it comes available for review.

Not one I loved but sure liked it a lot.

[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I wasn’t expecting this. I enjoyed this book, it was funny, cute, sexy & kind of frustrating. I laughed out loud at many of the uncomfortable positions that Blaire found herself in. I also found myself sad & frustrated with Jessie for his guilt over his marriage ending. Colin was a sexy sidetrack that did good for Blaire. I was totally shocked by all the damage that Vanessa caused & was sad that she never took responsibility for her behaviour. I was happy to see Blaire’s ex & his girlfriend’s shock when they find out who she’s with now. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. I hope that there will be a book for Jessie.

Blaire and her friends formed their private investigating firm Dirty Exes with the intent of catching cheaters in the act, and helping the significant others who hired them exact their revenge. The ladies know a thing or two about cheating, having been on the bad side of it themselves and they know the hurt and humiliation that is associated with it, so if they can offer their clients any solace with their work they are willing to do all they can to make that happen. Even if it means spying on a man that they once dated themselves... as soon as Blaire learns that her newest client is none other than Jesse Beckett, the man who broke her heart years ago, she has her reservations about getting involved. He may have broke her heart, but he was a good man, and she can't imagine him doing the things his wife is excusing him of, or could he?

When she sets out to get her spying on, she winds up meeting Colin, a friend of Jesse's, who promises her that Jesse is the golden boy she has always known him to be, but after seeing a few questionable things Blaire has her doubts. So, Colin offers to help her out, as long as she agrees to a date... now she must decide just how much she is willing to risk to get her information!!

Dirty Exes is a humorous, steamy and heartfelt page-turner that is sure to win the hearts of romance readers, and leave them harboring a serious crush... Colin and Jesse were downright irresistible!! As soon as I read the synopsis for this one I was in, with the mention of two men vying for one woman's heart, I knew that would lead to an story line filled with heart squeezing angst, some swooning inspired by two alpha's going head to head with their claim-staking, and a lot of toe curling smooth talking meant to sway her decision... and boy was I right! I thoroughly enjoyed this one, the story line kept me engaged the whole way through, and the characters left me excited about return visits... can't wait to see what is in store for them next!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.