A lot of sizzling M/M heat in this one and a pretty good story to go along with it. It's very well written, nicely paced, and characters that are intriguing and well developed. All this make this book a very enjoyable read.

To everyone else it would appear that Justin and Finn hate each other. Truth is they are both intensely attracted to each other. When they first met Finn was with his girlfriend so Justin just assumed Finn was straight and he had no chance at all. He has no idea how wrong he is!

There is a bit of mystery in this one and the exotic setting of Morocco gives the relationship between Justin and Finn a bit of forbiddance. I highly recommend this one.

Bummer.

I was looking forward to Finn's story. I don't know what I expected from the baby of the family but I feel like I didn't get it. I don't feel like I ever really got to know Finn truly.

Justin. Justin. Justin. I just never really warmed up to him to tell you the truth. He was really angry and carried that to the bitter end it seemed. I didn't like it. I was over it. Let's move on. I wanted Finn to move on and that is not how a romance should read.

I did like the action and the adventure.

Overall I am enjoying this series, I feel pretty invested in it even if I'm not loving it.

One more brother to go!

I liked the humanitarian/goodwill aspect of this book. I didn't have a lot of knowledge about this area, and reading this book prompted me to delve a little deeper into the issues there. So it was interesting that way. But the characters.... I didn't care for either Justin or Finn. The back and forth, the nastiness, just didn't do it for me.

I love romantic suspense. This was a stellar read and had the right amount of steam and suspense to keep me interested. I love a cranky hero and Dirty Games had that in Justin. He was the quintessential "get off my lawn" he and Finn had palpable powerful feels.

Not sure why but I could not get into this book enough to finish it. Sorry not her best work.

I usually adore this author's books. This one didn't work for me though. I will continue to read this author's other works and I'm sure I'll love them as much as I always have.

Not fantastic but not entirely terrible. Frankly, I disliked both Justin and Fin and their good guy/bad guy routine got old, real quick. The only redeeming factor was the humanitarian plot.

Really enjoyed the previous book in this series, and was hoping for a similar outcome with a new storyline this time. But this book had much wider emotional swings, that just kept happening over and over in a way that became offputting and not so fun to read. After the fifth or sixth time of "surely he can't actually be a good / nice person," you stop rooting for them, and think maybe it's time for this to just stop. Really enjoyed the general premise of this story with the goodwill work of the organizational offshoot of the Drummonds. Just wish for less drama.

HelenKay Dimon has become a must read for me. Her books have a real setting that is thoroughly researched. Dirty Games is full of intrigue and action. Justin has a hopeless crush on his boss, but is it really? Throw in some smuggled weapons and two hard-headed men, mix with some hot chemistry and you have a gripping, can't put it down story. The characters and the setting were very vivid. Secondary characters really fleshed out the conflict. The pacing was fast and the dialogue clever. It's a smart book with lots of heat. I highly recommend it!

In all my previous reads by this author (two, I think? both sorta connected) I enjoyed the chemistry and connection between her characters and relied on that element to carry a story, or plot, that I either didn't enjoy or couldn't follow all the way through. But DIRTY GAMES broke that trend; I really disliked the characters, and their conflict, but at least mostly enjoyed the more straight forward plot surrounding hijacked supply chains and arms weapon distribution.

"<i>Let me get this straight. You thought we'd fuck and I'd become nicer?</i>"
"<b>No, because it was sex, not a miracle.</b>"

Okay, I didn't dislike all characters, but Justin? We were still dealing with his jump-to-conclusions, act-like-an-asshole, shtick riiiight up to the 94% mark. I shit you not. The back and forth over this attitude, this distrust, when he was the one more emotionally invested in the potential for a relationship with Finn, youngest of the billionaire Drummond brothers, was just.. painful. Frustrating. Irritating. Excruciating. He one hundred percent ruined this whole read for me.

"<i>Believe it or not, I'm not interested in impressing you.</i>"
"<b>Good, because you suck at it.</b>"

The mystery surrounding the culprit double-dealing, stealing from the company and supplying forces with weapons, though, was handled well. Lots of red herrings, but like other aspects to the story and characters, there was a lot of repetition that dragged things out. There were a few funny lines hidden amongst the brutal bickering (and it <b>was</b> brutal, full of not-cutesy arguments) but it really didn't feel like the characters acted their age; and definitely didn't act as would befit their experiences or positions. Honestly, the whole read was a bit of a slog for me.

While I've never <b>loved</b> these books, after yet another experience of mixed feelings -- and then some -- I don't think I'll be continuing on with this series.

1.5 stars

Hot and steamy! All thatbi would hope for even if I wanted to throat punch one of the main characters for being an ass most of the time.

Dirty Games is the second book in the Dirty series, which follows the Drummond brothers. While I have not read the first book, Dirty Deeds, there was enough background in Dirty Games that I did not feel like I was missing anything.

This book features MCs Finn (the Drummond brother) and Justin, an employee of Drummond Charities, and is set mainly in Morocco. Justin runs the the charity at a camp site in Morocco that provides needed food, medicine, and other services and supplies to refugees. Justin is prickly and runs the camp with an iron fist. But that doesn't mean he isn't caring. He uses his own money to obtain supplies and services for the people who may not qualify through the charity but are in immediate need. When he notices some discrepancies in shipments, he sends for help from Alec, the eldest Drummond brother and Justin's boss. Alec sends Finn, "the wrong brother", to assist Justin in investigating the matter. Justin is immediately displeased, to put it lightly, and the two clash from the moment Finn sets foot on the camp site. Finn resents Justin's hostility and lack of confidence in his ability to handle the matter.

Underneath all that tension is reciprocated attraction. The passion both feel for each other manifests in scorching sex. While they continue to bicker at each other, they also develop real feelings beyond just physical attraction. It doesn't help that they have a history of sorts from six or so years ago that neither will admit to the other. When Finn finds himself in danger over and over again, those feelings can't be denied.

Set in the backdrop of a country under political strife, these two men learn to navigate the tricky bureaucracy of being gay (Finn & Justin) in an unwelcoming climate and being tantalizing bait for kidnapping (Finn) while fostering a romance that, even in a perfect world, is hampered by their own personal baggage.

What worked for me was the setting of the book. I enjoy reading stories that take place in foreign countries, mostly because I get to learn something new about a place that I mostly likely will never visit. I also enjoyed the suspense. Just when I thought things were going smoothly, the author threw in a curve ball.

What didn't work for me was Justin. He's way too angry and down right mean to Finn, even when they seem to call a truce. I get that he has some major chips on his shoulder that make him extremely wary and his first instinct is to push people away, but I felt like he was way overdone. Finn, however, was very much likable, and I feel like he deserves someone better than Justin.

Overall, despite some flaws I had with one of the main characters, I did enjoy the suspense and the setting.

Justin Miller knows Finn Drummond is off limits and out of his reach. If the woman on Finn's arm when they met hadn't told him that, Finn's brother Alec had unquestionably made it clear Finn was in love with his girlfriend and, consequently, off the market. Knowing Finn is unavailable and straight doesn't keep Justin from wanting the man. When even hooking up with Finn's brother doesn't help take the edge off his attraction, he uses the only other weapon in his arsenal to keep Finn away from him--his anger.

Finn has worked hard to prove that he knows what he's doing in business and to be the kind of leader that the charity arm of his family's company needs him to be. When Justin asks Alec to come find out why some of the supplies have gone missing, Finn insists on going instead. It is going to be his responsibility and nothing Justin throws at him is going to change his determination, not even the intense dislike Justin has for him.

If you've been reading my reviews, you may know that I was lukewarm about the previous book in this series, <i>Dirty Deeds</i>. I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I did like Finn, who was introduced in <i>Dirty Deeds</i> and I was curious to see where the next book in the series would go.

Well, Dear Reader, let me just say that I was not at all lukewarm about <i>Dirty Games</i>, not even a little bit. <i>This</i> was precisely the read I was looking for in the last one. <i>This</i> one had me staying up so late that my eyes were watering, but I fought through every yawn to finish before I went to sleep because I had to <i>know</i>.

Justin is so scared of his attraction to Finn, even more so when he finds out that Finn is bi and not straight, as he had previously assumed because now he fears loving and losing.

I will say that Justin is stubborn, and it started to wear on me. However, as I would get ready to yell at him for being an idiot he would either make a step in the right direction, or his right-hand man would yell at him and say all the things I wanted to say.

There were a lot more guys in this than there were women as is typically for m/m romance, but I'm pleased to say that it at least made sense considering the environment--the actual place is fictional, but it's a believable tumultuous area where women would be discouraged from working. The women they do have in the story, make sense and are unique from each other and have different strengths, which I personally appreciate. And while each woman has people in her care, neither of them comes off as "motherly." I can't say enough how much I appreciate that.

The tension between the characters is marvelous, and the tension in the plot compliments the characters' chemistry nicely. The logistics, in my opinion, worked better in this one than in the first one and it made for a stronger, more immersive story.

There were a few places where I got a little frustrated with Justin, but overall, both characters had my heart, and I was invested in their story.

<i>Dirty Games</i> is exciting and engaging and hot. It is probably better if you read <i>Dirty Deeds</i> first, but you can read <i>Dirty Games</i> on its own.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This series keeps getting better and better! Cannot wait for the next book. Also want to know more about how the brothers and doing. So far this has been my favorite book in the series.

This is an enjoyable M/M novel with a lot of action and intrigue and an unusual setting (a charity working to relocate refugees in Morocco). The two main characters have history and chemistry but have never gotten together (for many reasons) until they are forced to cooperate to find out why supplies are disappearing. This brings them into contact with kidnappers and gunrunners and also makes them face the strong attraction between them. Although the second book in a series, I read this as a standalone.

DNF so will not be rating or reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

When I got this book for review via Netgalley, I wasn’t aware it was a m-m romance. I usually go for m-m-w if there’s man on man action. It wasn’t much different than any other romance, but it was harder to connect to the characters being a straight woman. I think if you like man-man romance with some action and intrigue, then this is a good book for you. Very well written with great characters.

Justin has had a hard life and has always been attracted to Finn Drummond despite the fact he is rich and everything he typically despises. When Finn ends up in Morocco helping Justin investigate shipping issues, they find it hard to fight their intense attraction.

Overall, it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it. The romance was steamy, the mystery itself was ok. It felt like the mystery was strictly used to move the romance along and the two stories didn't blend together as well as I would have liked. Despite being second in the series, it can be read standalone. You won't feel like you've missed out.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Amazing!

Heart pounding emotional intensity with a huge dose of suspense. Another winner from Ms. Dimon. I can’t wait for more!

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

HelenKay Dimon knows how to write a fast-paced book! This one was no exception. The focus of this third book of the series is the third Drummond brother. The back story is that Justin, a rough and ready guy with a heart of gold, has been carrying a torch for years for Finn, the rich boss who is less untouchable than he seems. The plot moved along well and things exploded, pun intended. Totally fun to read.

I didn't give it more stars though, because as a romance the emotional content was a little thin. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but there was a lot more telling the reader what the characters felt rather than showing. There were no swoony moments, for the reader or the characters. Minor complaint, I didn't feel like both characters grew and changed, just one stood around and waited for the other.