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Dirty Girls #3
Lauren's Saints of Dirty Faith
In this third installment of the popular Dirty Girls Social Club series by NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Alisa Valdes (formerly Valdes-Rodriguez) we find Boston newspaper columnist Lauren Fernandez running for her life from a handsome sociopathic killer, with the help of her two best friends -- and straight into the arms of a hot, mysterious New Mexico cowboy. We also find plus-sized materialistic glamazon Usnavys Rivera laid off and confronted with a downsized bank account and impending bankruptcy as her shopping spirals out of control; and prim and perfect Rebecca Baca discovering her father's secret "other" familiy, while also seeing the passion slip out of her marriage after the birth of her autistic son.
296 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2011
About the author
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
29 books566 followersHello! I'm Alisa. I'm a writer and musician from New Mexico. I got my start writing in newspapers for nearly a decade, and then made the move to novels. I write in a variety of genres, though all of my work tends to have something to do with the things that interest me. Whether I'm writing young adult novels or historical fiction for adults, my stories are alike in that they seek to un-erase erased people, cultures and events, and there's usually something supernatural involved, as well as a general awe and reverence for the natural world. Fairness is important to me. Kindness is important to me. Holding monsters accountable is important to me. I try to write about all of that but also to keep things funny. Lots of labels have been placed on me over the years by a staggering variety of sleepwalking souls, but I don't tend to consider myself within such confines. I had a Near Death Experience in 2015 that changed everything for me. Now I know I'm a spirit living temporarily in a body, like everyone else. So I'm sort of existing, listening to the stories that exist all around us, allowing them to come through me to you. That's all. Sometimes my books sell. Mostly, they don't. Writing's a crap way to make a living, especially in this new era of fascism and billionaires. Ah, well. Keep loving those closest to you.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 5, 2012
I enjoyed this.book for.what it was. I was.a.little.dissappointed by the ending which I felt.was.rushed.and the book had a lot.going on and.only.one.story.got.tied.up. there was a disclaimer at.the.end.that.there.is.another chapter describing a steamy night. (I think I will pass) I didn't buy a romance novel I bought Laurent, usnavys, and Rebecca. I mostly got.lauren who I feel didn't grow as much as I would have liked to see. usnavys (my favorite charachter) lacked any kind of.likability.and there really isn't a lot of development to really explain how.she changed. Rebecca's story.was.interesting.and.a.new.charachter was.introduced who I loved but the.charachter.just.dropped.off somewhere mid book and.is briefly.mentioned.later. there are going to be 2 more books about.usnavys and Rebecca and I hope.more.thought. is.put. into those books because.I really do love alisa and her dirty.girls. I felt.like.this book started.great but towards the.end the story.was.rushed. I will still be getting the next.one but I also have to say.some of.usnavys slang.is Mexican.Spanish.not.how.a.puerto rican would talk disclaimer: I'm not illiterate I'm just trying.to navigate writing.on my kindle fire!!
February 15, 2013
The story was fun--like the other books about Las Sucias. However, the editing was poor and the ending was rushed. I was disappointed.
July 1, 2018
I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but the lack of editing in this one made it really difficult to get into. Rebecca's child switched genders a couple times, and her storyline never really was resolved. Ms Valdes made a great decision to publish independently, but she needs some good beta readers and editors. Hopefully this book was an anomaly for her work.
May 7, 2018
Fun, interesting, goes across a wide span of American cities, places, cultures, ethnicities, classes, and religions. I like the stories of those who have to inhabit multiple worlds and go back and forth between them.
March 25, 2012
Lauren’s Saints of Dirty Faith, the third book in Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez’s Dirty Girls Social Club series, starts out with a bang and keeps moving. Valdes-Rodriguez knows how to interweave multiple plots in a way that keeps the reader turning the pages.
Lauren, fresh from a breakup with Jason Flynn, a Boston detective, is pushed into the subway tracks by a few Irish gangsters Flynn hired to get rid of her. But she lives. With the help of her friends, she flees Boston and heads to New Mexico, hoping to start over.
Rebecca, a wife, mother, and successful career woman, has grown apart from her sexy husband ever since she failed to first conceive, and then deliver through a surrogate, a perfect child. Her high-functioning autistic son fixates on sprinklers, unable to connect with those who love him most. To complicate matters, Rebecca discovers her father’s secret life, complete with half-siblings, whom he has been hiding for over thirty years, including a half-sister, Jennifer, who is infatuated with Rebecca’s husband.
Finally, Usnavys, a big, bold, colorful businesswoman, finds herself back where she started—in the ghetto where she grew up, without her husband, her children, or the money she has become attached to over the years once she loses her job, her house, her BMW, and her picture-perfect life.
How Valdes-Rodriguez manages to tell a thrilling tale of life and death adventure, heartbreaking family drama while documenting the very real lives of those caught in the grips of the Great Recession is what makes Lauren’s Saints of Dirty Faith the best of the Dirty Girls series.
Lauren, fresh from a breakup with Jason Flynn, a Boston detective, is pushed into the subway tracks by a few Irish gangsters Flynn hired to get rid of her. But she lives. With the help of her friends, she flees Boston and heads to New Mexico, hoping to start over.
Rebecca, a wife, mother, and successful career woman, has grown apart from her sexy husband ever since she failed to first conceive, and then deliver through a surrogate, a perfect child. Her high-functioning autistic son fixates on sprinklers, unable to connect with those who love him most. To complicate matters, Rebecca discovers her father’s secret life, complete with half-siblings, whom he has been hiding for over thirty years, including a half-sister, Jennifer, who is infatuated with Rebecca’s husband.
Finally, Usnavys, a big, bold, colorful businesswoman, finds herself back where she started—in the ghetto where she grew up, without her husband, her children, or the money she has become attached to over the years once she loses her job, her house, her BMW, and her picture-perfect life.
How Valdes-Rodriguez manages to tell a thrilling tale of life and death adventure, heartbreaking family drama while documenting the very real lives of those caught in the grips of the Great Recession is what makes Lauren’s Saints of Dirty Faith the best of the Dirty Girls series.
April 4, 2012
This is the 3rd installment of The Dirty Girls Social Club which the 1st book I loved. That book spoke to me in so many ways. It was awesome reading about smart Latina women who weren't the help or couldn't speak English.
I have to say I follow Ms. Valdes on facebook so I knew the book was only going to feature 3 of the the dirty girls. But I still had tiny hope they were gonna be a part of it by ways of a phone call or email but they weren't. To be honest they were slightly mention is passing. .This book focuses on Lauren, Usnavys and Rebecca at the age of 36 with troubles in their relationships, the economy and their family issues. I really liked Usnavy and Rebecca story but felt their endings were too rushed. I wanted to know about Rebecca and her sister meeting each other and Rebecca confronting her father. I also wanted to know more about Juan & Usnavys and see her a lot more humbled. She lost everything, her job, her kids, and her husband. But her character is still one of my favorites. The way she talks and the way she is a no holds bar type of person is great. LOVE HER. But I guess I am going to have to wait for their books.
Now Lauren's story wasn't the one I was a fan of and maybe cause I follow MS. Valdes on FB and I gather she basis this character on herself, and Lauren's cowboy on her own cowboy. I know when you fall in love you think the person you are falling in love with is perfect but thats not reality. But oh well. At least Lauren has found a good man.
Overall I liked the book and and can't wait to read more.
I have to say I follow Ms. Valdes on facebook so I knew the book was only going to feature 3 of the the dirty girls. But I still had tiny hope they were gonna be a part of it by ways of a phone call or email but they weren't. To be honest they were slightly mention is passing. .This book focuses on Lauren, Usnavys and Rebecca at the age of 36 with troubles in their relationships, the economy and their family issues. I really liked Usnavy and Rebecca story but felt their endings were too rushed. I wanted to know about Rebecca and her sister meeting each other and Rebecca confronting her father. I also wanted to know more about Juan & Usnavys and see her a lot more humbled. She lost everything, her job, her kids, and her husband. But her character is still one of my favorites. The way she talks and the way she is a no holds bar type of person is great. LOVE HER. But I guess I am going to have to wait for their books.
Now Lauren's story wasn't the one I was a fan of and maybe cause I follow MS. Valdes on FB and I gather she basis this character on herself, and Lauren's cowboy on her own cowboy. I know when you fall in love you think the person you are falling in love with is perfect but thats not reality. But oh well. At least Lauren has found a good man.
Overall I liked the book and and can't wait to read more.
January 24, 2012
I loved it!! I love how some of the book is set in places I know.. I live in Albuquerque. I just love how Alisa gets the scenery just right! I have enjoyed all of Alisa's books, I recommend her books to any and everyone looking for something new and refreshing to read! I look forward to the next book in this series I missed the other women. I also have to say since I have been reading Alisa's blogs I love how her life and her cowboy mirror Laurens (not exactly but just enough!). Can't wait to read more! I also enjoyed that this book was about everyday life from Usnavy's financial problems, Rebecca's marital struggles and family issues, and Lauren's stalker/killer.. I enjoyed all of it and can relate to all 3 of the women in the book on different levels.
January 21, 2012
I enjoyed this book as much as I did the other Dirty Girls books. Which is to say it had all of the elements of the previous books in this series- it was fun, exciting and a good book to escape into to unwind. I plowed through it in 2 nights, and look forward to the future installments of this series. The only flaw in this book was the annoying amount of typos, mainly words spelled correctly but do not make sense in the context. There were about 20 of them, though i can't say which pages they were on because the book lacked page numbers.
August 21, 2012
It was exciting. Lauren messed with the wrong man and now he's out to kill her, but her girls don't believe her. Usnavys and Rebecca help her anyway because that's what friends do. Usnavys is broke and Juan has left her so she's back at her mom's house. Rebecca's father has another family from cheating on her mother. This book was very entertaining and a real page turner.
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August 20, 2016The next part of Lauren, Usnavy and Rebecca's story stared in the Dirty Girls series. Much more murder mystery and thriller than light chick-lit, this one was good but not as compelling as the other books in the series for me. I did like the chapters from the male's points of view though; it added a good rounded perspective.
August 7, 2012
Lauren is so crazy and that's what she gets - she should know better than that. I hope she finally learned her lesson, dying to read her dirty little chapter - but old fashioned need it in paperback!
August 7, 2016
The story was interesting and I liked that t mainly focused on Lauren, Rebecca and Usnavys. I know that this was self published, but there seemed to be almost no editing. Misspellings, poor sentence structure, etc. detracted from the read at time.
March 8, 2012
What's worse? Her writing books or me reading them?
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April 17, 2018Fun
This was fun read
Love reading about Latina 's like me knowing there are Chicas out there in the world.
This was fun read
Love reading about Latina 's like me knowing there are Chicas out there in the world.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews