Marito Indecente

Dirty Rich #3

by Crystal Kaswell, Isabella Nanni (Translator)

Un milione di dollari per un anno di matrimonio...
Jasmine Lee è nella merda. Riesce a malapena a pagare l’affitto, tanto meno le spese mediche di suo padre. Ha bisogno di soldi, alla svelta, o lo perderà.

Entra in scena Shepard Marlowe. Il magnate dell’informatica ha bisogno di una moglie ed è disposto a pagare. Un milione di dollari per un anno ai suoi ordini. La sua libertà per la vita di suo padre.

È un buon affare. Anche se Shepard è una bestia. È arrabbiato, guardingo, prepotente... e più irresistibile del principe azzurro.

Com’è possibile desiderare un uomo così spietato? Il suo tocco la infiamma. Le sue promesse la eccitano. E quando le fa richieste sconce... il suo corpo la implora di obbedire.

Jasmine può sposare un miliardario prepotente. Ma può finirci a letto senza innamorarsene?

Dirty Husband è un romanzo autoconclusivo su un matrimonio combinato ispirato a La Bella e la Bestia . Ci troverete un miliardario che cova un segreto, un’eroina esuberante, e un livello di sensualità abbastanza alto da sciogliere il vostro Kindle.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, BDSM, Audiobook, Fake Dating

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2020

About the author

Crystal Kaswell is the author of the Sinful Serenade series. She writes steamy new adult romance with flawed characters. She loves police procedurals, tea, and The Hunger Games series. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband.

http://www.crystalkaswell.com/
https://twitter.com/CrystalKaswell

Reviews

[Valentine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hero was a pig during separation.
Fuck off.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It became apparent early on that this wasn’t the book for me. I just never really clicked with it. But I was curious about the deal. Why Shep would pay to marry Jasmine. Why he had to try so hard to convince the board members they were in love.

I’ll admit I skimmed chunks of it and therefore I could have missed something. But I reached the end none the wiser.

What was the deal?
Why was it so important?
Were the board members won over?

I was annoyed that I’d stuck with it and missed the only reason I’d kept reading.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

**I received this ARC in exchange for an honest voluntary review** I'm on the shallow end of the pool here but 40% in & it's DNF for me. Couldn't feel the connection between Shep & Jasmine. They're having to make believe they're in love while in public, which is fine but telling your "fake wife" that you're not gonna touch her unless she begs him when theh explicitly signed a contract saying no sex, yeah that's a problem. Don't understand what she ever saw in Shep in the first place. The parts of the story I was able to get through were just ridiculous. They have a sexual encounter where she's giving him a bj in a coat closet while out at one of Shep's business dinners & afterwards she's feeling ashamed & used yet when they get home, she's touching herself again. Like wtf? The staccato writing style from this author also really detracted from the flow of the story. This story didn't do anything for me nor was it sexy. Big fat no all the way around.

[Cynema · Rating 1 out of 5]

THAT DIAMOND ON THE COVER DOESN’T EVEN CUT GLASS – RIP-OFF

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”- Oscar Wilde.

**LESS THAN ZERO STARS**
I'm outraged and calling out a shameless copycat. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING riles me up like liars, thieves, cheats, copycats, rip-off artists, and plagiarists. Zero tolerance. Even worse, if it applies to authors. W.T.EVERLOVIN’F. is this book? One glance at the cover, title, and blurb, and I immediately recognized it as a rip-off of another book … a duet actually. How did I know? Well, some of us were actually alive way back in 2013 and read the duet series by C. L. Parker: “ A Million Dirty Secrets” and “A Million Guilty Pleasures”. Do I need to explain what the “million” refers to? It's money as the basis of both books. Amnesia didn’t set in for any of us in the 7 year interval. The connection is unmistakable and intentional.

The duet happens to be a favorite of mine which I own and have read multiple times. Kaswell’s covers mirror Parker’s cover(s) with a slight variation in the sole artwork: wedding rings instead of a huge solitary diamond, and a glass slipper instead of pearls. Think that's accidental? I could sooner sprout wings and fly. The design of the cover is virtually the same (the duet books, respectively have pastel blue and pink backgrounds) and the script/font style and design of the titles are identical with Kaswell's at the top of the cover, and Parker's at the bottom. This is no coincidence. Not a case of two authors accidentally coming up with the same cover art concept and layout to a "t", or virtually the same story idea. No. This is flat-out copying. The real word is uglier. Haven't we just gone through this with other authors????!!!!!

Even the blurb gives it away: a rich guy buys a woman for a million dollars for a year. Kaswell has a duet as well: Dirty Deal and Dirty Husband. Kaswell's duet also changes the arrangement to marriage. Tomato, tomahto. Why does the woman sell herself? Because she needs money. And there’s even the same motivator of a sick parent to sacrifice herself. That’s like connecting two sentences with a semi-colon and considering the new sentence completely different in context than the separated sentences because of the semi-colon.

The only other slight difference is Kaswell’s hero is an alcoholic and marriage is part of the deal, while Parker’s hero was burned by a woman and wants strings-free sex without relationship complications. Tomato, Tomahto again. This book isn't even well-written. If you doubt any of this, just read Parker's duet. Hands down, Parker’s duet blows this book away. By the ratings, reviewers agree. After all, it was her original idea and story, not Kaswell’s. This isn’t like telling one’s own version of a Cinderella story for instance, this is far too much similarity. This reminds me of Laurelin Paige's new duet Man in Charge/Man in Love and the film Working Girl. Inexcusable to think that books or movies are so old that readers won't notice.

My advice to all authors. Stop writing books if you don’t have any original ideas of your own. If you steal from other authors, you’re not a storyteller. I hear Walmart is hiring ...

[Crystal (Crystalreads2) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow , I have to say this is the best book by Crystal Kaswell. A is second chance romance With steamy chemistry. Jasmine hasn’t seen her ex in years, Shepard her school sweetheart . A dark trouble man . He summons her to his office to offer her to be his wife in exchange for money and to care for her ill father. After some consideration she agrees and with rules including no sex. , and asks why he needs to marry her. This is where the Mystery starts and the emotional roller coaster starts.
I will say after the story starts to unfold and you learn more about Shepard you can’t help but fall in love with him and you want to protect them both .
If you are looking for second chance romance with dark erotica this is for you , I can not express how much I enjoyed this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this on a whim and while I enjoyed the plot, even tho it had been told 1000 times, it was entertaining, flowed well, and was super hot in spots. However, it did have a lot of annoyances that just kind of lost me.

The age of these characters, especially him, let me just say I know a lot of 25-year-old men and they don’t act like that. His character should definitely have been in his 30’s. I had a hard time fitting his actions to this age.

I understand what the author was trying to do about the steeping tea and how it relates to the world and life, but it was extremely overdone. Boring

Digging and waiting for the reason this contract came about took the entire book. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I think it could’ve been managed better than the outcome that was given.

Overall it was a good story. I was fully involved and engaged and enjoyed it. This is my first story by this author and I will definitely read her again.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in the Dirty series and the first that I have read. I liked it. I felt some disconnect from the characters and that could be because I didn’t read the others in the series. It was a good read. It is a second chance romance and those are my favorite types of romance so that made the story enjoyable for me once I got over the disconnect. I will be going back and read the others in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tzelina]

Dnf....😖

[LMR · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Agreed To Take Him As Her "Dirty Husband," & Take Her "Dirty Husband" She Does!
Once Upon A Time they were an item...
Until He Choose to bury His problems IN the Bottle,
Which She wanted absolutely NO PART of,
Sooo She LOST out IN that ultimatum,
And that's where they Parted for several Years...
Until He became Her "Dirty Husband" for practical reasons!
See She NEEDS the Money Her "Dirty Husband" is offering,
Cuz Her Dad's suffering!
Sooo YEAH, She'll Saddle HerSelf with a "Dirty Husband" for a Year...
AnyThing to see to Her Father's Health & keep Him Alive!
HowEver being with Her "Dirty Husband" is Challenging at BEST,
As Her "Dirty Husband" is still Fight'n Demons Haunting & Taunting Him Each & Every DAY!
This book contains BDSM elements & is intended for readers over 18; NOW, if that's not your type of Reading Genre, please don't dip your toes into this book, as you won't enjoy IT. Plus, leaving an unfavorable review, because it's not your cup of tea, is unfair to the author. That said, you know what to Expect... Sooo, if this is your JAM, GO Ahead & One-Click!
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT, an ARC of Crystal Kaswell's "Dirty Husband." I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time... Happy Reading!
My Rating Sytem:
3🌟: I like IT, BUT! There are minor issues... Rating means there's editing issues, needs character development, is too unrealistic, or has some issue– I do not consider it an overall bad rating.
If My Review is helpful to you, please check the box below~ Thank You.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero 4⭐
Heroine 4⭐
Story 4⭐
Writing 4⭐
Steam 4⭐
Romance 4⭐
Angst 4⭐
Secondary Characters 3⭐
Drama 4⭐
Twists 4⭐

Recommend - Yes
New author to me - Yes

[Insomnolent Reader °ㅠ_ㅠ° · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I even finish this book? I have so much highlights and questions.

The one thing I hated the most about this book is her being to, apparently, interpret gestures. Examples:
*He chuckles you're too easy and holds up his drink to toast
*I nod about what you'd expect.
* She smiles of course. Turns to the conversation. (Also, what's up with these incomplete sentences. No structure.)
* Starts asking about Ian's type. He holds out his hand sounds like an opportunity.
*When Nick chuckles baby, you're terrible

These are b arely chipping the ice on how she interprets gestures. Fucking annoying. Apart from this, the amount of conversation about tea and steeping tea is a waste of pages. It didn't add anything to the plot. Z E R O!


It's just annoying and there's so many holes in the story.
1) Why does Shep have to impress the boards?
2) What ever happened to the boards at the end?
3) They had history. What happened then?
4) She got wet thinking about this man right when they're about to meet after 6 years of no contact. ????
5) Why does Shep dislike his brother?
6) How did their stepfather get a hold of the company?
7) And so on... Just so much unclarified information but that's not important cause their hook-up is hOt. 🙄 not.

Just terrible writing overall and I fel like the only reason people like this is because of the supposed BDSM.

[Marty Sandvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shep and Jasmine used to be in love but his drinking got in the way. Now years later he offers to pay for her to marry him. Jasmine agrees but can the two of them be together again without falling for one another and will the past end up getting in the way.
I loved Jasmine and at first, was not crazy about her and Shep together. They grew on me as the story went on and my heart broke for Shep unable to confront his past. I was happy though that he was able to fall in love with Jasmine.

[Carol Delmornay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first read of this author. To be quite honest, I don’t really like her writing style. Don’t get me wrong, the story was sort of okay; it had good bones, and I will touch on that in a minute, but the way it has been written seems stilted to me, and that prevented me from making a connection with the characters, both Jasmin, and Shepard (Shep).

Jasmin Lee and Shepard Marlowe were high school sweethearts, but when Shep begun drinking, turning into an alcoholic, Jasmine gave him an ultimatum. Her, or the booze. He chose the booze, and she walked away.

When he reappears in her life 6 years later, it is with the intention of bagging her as a wife, sealing it with a contract for a million dollars, which magically turns into ten million when she balks, without any real information as to what it is that he does for a living.

And because Jasmin needs the money to help keep her father alive, she ends up signing the contract, agreeing to publicly put on a show of love between the pair of them, and one which specifically says, no sex, with the knowledge that Shep will never love her.

A contract is a contract. But Jasmine ends up giving Shep a bj, which makes the contract null and void in any real sense, at a business dinner where they’re supposed to be winning over some board members to Shep’s side, to go against his step-father, Jasper.

Now, the step-father comes in and out – brief appearances, but it’s not really clear what his role is, or what ‘game’ Shep and Jasper are playing for Shep to want to ‘win’. Perhaps that would have been clearer than mud had I started reading this series from book one. I don’t know, and I don’t really have the urge to buy them to find out with the way the author has written this. I had to force myself to read this, and that isn’t what I look for when I read a book. I want to connect with the characters; I want to be drawn into their world; I want to feel what they feel. Not have the sentences like they’re stated, and abrupt, observations. It really was very off-putting to me. Here’s an example …

“I sit in the expensive leather chair. Cross my legs. Smooth my skirt.”

Another thing that irked me are the damn dashes at the end of a lot of sentences. What is with that? Sure, in the middle of a sentence to emphasize something, but at the end? To what purpose? Here’s an example …

“If he wanted to do this to prove he could, to have some hold over me, to win me back---"

The reader knows something is up with Shep, that he has demons from his past, but it’s not revealed until almost the end of their story as to why. You sort of get a suspicion, but it takes forever for them to be confirmed, and by that stage, I just wanted to actually finish reading the book.

[Anna Theurer (Anna's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dirty Husband is an entertaining second chance romance that also falls into the marriage of convenience category - two of my favorite tropes. Jasmine is kindhearted and one cannot doubt the fierce love that she has for her father. She reluctantly agrees to marriage with Shepard as she recognizes that he can alleviate the cost of her father’s healthcare. Shepard is a commanding, successful business man with smoldering good looks, but not all is as it seems and his reason behind the marriage isn’t initially revealed. Told from a dual POV, I enjoyed learning about Shephard and Jasmine. The sparks fly between these two so be prepared for several kindle melting moments and be forewarned that there is some light BDSM.

Dirty Husband is a part of the Dirty Rich series, but can be read as a standalone. Admittedly, I have not indulged in the previous 2 books, but the secondary characters alone have moved this entire series to the top of my to-be-read pile. If you are looking for a second chance romance or a marriage of convenience novel with a solid plot, likable characters, lots of kindle melting moments, then you will enjoy this book.

I read an early complimentary version of this book.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even the most broken deserve love and happiness

Jasmine and Shep were high school sweethearts whose relationship ended because Shep is an alcoholic.

He also has demons. Lots of demons that have convinced him he isn't worthy of, or capable of , love. His brother Nick, Jasmine's former boss from Dirty Boss, forced him into rehab. Shep fights his addiction every day.

Now Shep needs Jasmine's help. And Jasmine needs his money because her father is sick.

Jasmine initially wants nothing to do with Shep. He still lights her fire, but she isn't sure she can trust him.

Jasmine helps Shep see things differently. You can feel all his pain. The darkness he feels he is immersed in.

All the feels. Past trauma. Heat. Angst. Happiness. Anger. Addiction. Friendship.

Crystal does all those confused, twisty, turny angsty feels. And Shep and Jasmine's story is no exception.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gladys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pure delight! This is a highly entertaining, steamy read that draws inspiration from the Beauty and The Beast fairy tale. I thought that Jasmine and Shepard were complex and compelling characters the inspired strong feelings in the reader of both the good and bad variety. These two share a poignant and painful history that only adds to the richness of this read. Brimming with powerful, raw emotions, secrets, intensity, drama, tension and sizzling hot passion. This is my independent, impartial review.

[Anjie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Omg I cannot believe how unbelievably long this book was. I felt like it dragged so much. I really didn't need to know that much about steeping tea. I don't really care for it, it doesn't add anything to the plot, to the characterization. It was like okay... waste of a conversation. Tea is always brought up. I get it, I get it, you drink freaking tea. I don't need to hear about it in every page. She talks more about tea than Shep talked about alcohol and he was the one with addiction. Geez.

I felt like Jasmine and Shep didn't really have chemistry or a connection, especially since they dated previously and were in love. And the repetition of whatever his stepfather was holding over him and him not being able to love. It was too much. And that thing that the stepfather was holding over him, I figured it out before it was even revealed. It isn't revealed until like 85% of the book. Which I did not care for. It was dragged out for so long in the book that by the time we finally find out, I was apathetic to it all. (Not that what the stepfather did wasn't heinous, I'm just saying I was over the book by then). I was very close to DNFing this book but unfortunately, I still went through with it.

I think that the book could've benefited with slowly changing Shep, instead of epilogue-ing us and then boom, he's a changed man who can love now. WTF?! She had to beg him to go to their wedding. Sheesh. I also think it would've benefited if the reveal happened sooner than 85%, maybe like 60%ish. I also would've liked it and would've believed that Shep changed if he opened up to Jasmine. I understand that it's hard and all but that would've been a good ending. Him trusting her completely - even though she got a gist of what it was, it would've been good for Shep to vent out all those things and see that Jasmine would love him still and wouldn't see him or look at him differently.

[Anne in VA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't normally rate DNFs, but I want to remember why I stopped reading in case I ever look back. This guy was a total douchebag. I only read a few pages, but it was enough. I have read enough YA romances to know where this is going. I don't know why the newer YA romances always have these rich douchey male characters. It's not attractive to me AT ALL, but maybe I'm just too old and not "woke" enough LOL.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. Jasmine and Shepard had a past. Things obviously ended badly. We later find out that he had a rough time in his past. However, Shepard needs a wife and Jasmine needs money. They start off as pretending but by the end it becomes real. This time they are able to finally get their happy ending.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shep's Story Is A Deep, Dark Pain-Filled Journey. Jasmine's Vietnamese Background Brings A Rich Well Of Material.

This is the third book in the Dirty Rich series. It stands alone, but fans of Dirty Deal get a tiny peak at Kat, and Dirty Boss fans get to see Nick and Lizzie during their engagement. 

Jasmine Lee, twenty-four, puts family first. A native Californian raised by her poor immigrant Vietnamese parents, she straddles her Vietnamese heritage and American culture. Tea is a way of life for her - a ceremony of sorts that requires exacting methods. Despite being taught tradition, her mother encouraged Jasmine to assimilate and reach for the stars. On a scholarship at an elite school, Jasmine was barely fourteen when she fell for Shepard Marlowe. The charming young man was smart and from a successful family, so her parents believed he had good prospects and did nothing to discourage the pair. Jasmine and Shep were happy. They had big dreams. But at eighteen she and Shep struggled, and when given a choice he didn't choose her.

Brokenhearted Jasmine lost her mother about this time and decided to attend Columbia in New York, to get away from San Francisco and the memories of her mother and Shep. All went well for a year or so when her father became ill. She had no choice but to leave school, move her father to New York, and get him medical care. To support herself and her father, she has worked as an executive assistant in six offices in the past five years, including a one year stint working for her friend Nick Marlowe, Shep's older brother. It was a shock to see Shep again when he showed up in New York at Odyssey, Nick's company. He wasn't at all like the young man she fell in love with. 

Shephard Marlowe, twenty-five, doesn't have a heart. He runs a venture capital firm and owns the hottest tech company on the market as well as half of Manhattan. He enjoys work - work is easy. His off hours are the problem. A darkness consumes him. He was happier as a functioning drunk, but his brother Nick blackmailed him into rehab. Fresh out of rehab one year ago, he moved to New York. He has to remain clean or risk losing the company, so he resorts to other quick fixes to give him a sense of control. Rumors about his tastes abound.

When Shep saw Jasmine at Odyssey, his body attuned to hers. He needed her, only her, but he also hated the way needing her had made him vulnerable when he was young. His weaknesses are easily exploited, and he didn't need to give the bastard more ammunition. Now he has no choice, though. A new agreement has been signed. He has thirty days to convince Jasmine to marry him and to convince the panel she loves him. 

There are some issues that may bother readers. *Spoilers* First, the timeline of the couple's six years of separation is difficult to follow. Shep began going through many women after rehab - one year ago - but he wanted only Jasmine since he saw her, which is problematic. It also isn't specified when he saw her again, nor when he gave up other women. Next, it isnt clear if Shep spent any time in college. Also, if he owns anything close to half of Manahattan, it would have taken years to wait for properties to come on the market, and more logical that he began collecting when he moved there. Finally, Shep's assistants, Lock and Key, seem to know him well. Did he convince them to move with him from San Francisco? Next, there are a few confusing passages. Finally, there are some seemingly contradictory statements. When negotiating, Shep says kids would be a perk, but at the engagement party he says he can't have kids, he won't consider passing on his curse. Similarly, in one sentence Jasmine considers their agreement to be an eternity with someone that won't love her, then considers it dress rehearsal for a real marriage one day, only needing to stay one year. Despite the confusion, the story is well worth the read. 

Shepard and Jasmine's story is a deep, dark pain-filled journey. After six years, they are thrown together again under articial circumstances, both broken and vulnerable. Shep risks losing everything if Jasmine doesn't pull through, and Jasmine needs Shep's money to help with her father's expensive treatment. But Shep's secrets risk blowing everything up. The couple does earn their much-deserved HEA. Don't forget to download the bonus scene via the newsletter!

Shep and Jasmine's emotional journey keeps you hooked until the end. The couple's chemistry is intense and yet subdued as they fight to keep feelings of love at bay. The POV alternates between Shepard and Jasmine, with more from Jasmine's POV. The story is well-written. The plot is complex, unfolding to reveal new secrets. The characters are well-defined. Shep's character - his pain and vulnerability - is deep and complex. Jasmine's Vietnamese background brings a rich well of material that provides the story with a very realistic feeling. I rate this book four stars.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenny Hobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew i think i need to go and cool down!!! This story was HOT!!!
This is the 3rd instalment in the Dirty Rich Series but can definitely be read as a stand alone.
Jasmine and Shep were high school sweethearts but separated after she tells him to choose between her or the drink. Years go by with no contact until he calls her to his office offering her a deal. Money in exchange for her hand in marriage. Jasmine is struggling to pay for her dad's health care so eventually agrees not knowing what his motives are for the sudden desire to marry her after all this time. This story is dark and edgy. Shep is dealing with some dark demons and is so closed off but Jasmine sees past all of that. I really liked this story it's not a typical rainbows and fluffy bunnies love story which i found refreshing. I love Crystals writing style. When she writes what they are thinking it feels like it could be a conversation you have with yourself in your head which makes me feel connected with the characters. The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me as i felt like i would have liked Jasmine to have had a bit more resistance to falling back in love with Shep after how much she was hurt the first time round. It didn't feel like she had many walls up which i felt she would have had after all that had happened. So excited for Ian's story. Keep them coming Crystal :)

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A second-chance, marriage of convenience romance that hits all the right notes.

Shep has been dealt an absolutely horrible hand in life, forcing him to abandon his high school sweetheart and consign himself to a life of pain and sacrifice. Then comes the threat of all of his secrets coming out unless he convinces his Executive Board that the girl who will never forgive him is now in love with him and happily married to him.

Jasmine isn’t about to open her heart to Shep ever again. But, her father’s life depends on the money that Shep is offering in exchange for a fake marriage, with terms to be negotiated. She’ll do anything for her dad, even if it means suffering through an entire year married to the one man she knows can never love her in return.

These two broken people slowly peel back their vulnerabilities and find the foundation of their love, as Jasmine learns that the coping mechanisms that Shep has had to develop over the years line up perfectly with activities she never knew how much she needed. There are plenty of dominance and control issues at play here, but always with an underlying tenderness that really questions just who is actually in control after all.

This story is angsty, steamy, and very romantic. It has well-written characters you’ll care about and not soon forget. The subject matter touches on serious themes of childhood abuse, without directly describing, only alluding to events of the past. The HEA is solid and satisfying, even if the terms of the blackmail seem to disappear without confrontation or resolution. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty Husband by Crystal Kaswell is one of the best books this author has written and possibly one of the best books I have read. The story is comparable to FSOG in overall story but has yet to be seen if the characters will have another book. Dirty Husband is the third book in the Dirty series. This is Shepard and Jasmine’s story. Once high school sweethearts, Shepard is reaching out after six years of no contact to offer Jasmine a deal she can not turn down but are the two capable of not letting there hearts be involved. I hope that these two get their own series or that their story is continues as this book is not the end of their story or at least I hope.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shy Gawerecki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, Dirty Husband isn't going to go down as my favorite Crystal Kaswell book. It's not that it wasn't good because it was. It just also felt like something was missing. The ending felt some what anticlimactic. The epilogue really helped, but not quite enough to fix the fact that every thing seemed to have been resolved too soon.

And I think there was just a little bit of disconnect with the characters and their bond for me. Jasmine and Shep had this great relationship when they were younger, and I get that, but I just never really felt that moment after them coming together as adults in which I thought they had really bonded again. I kind of felt like she spent more time with his staff then him except when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship. It just never felt like their love was truly rekindled on both sides for me.

With all that being said I wouldn't hesitate to read another of Crystal Kaswell's books in future. She is still a fantastic author in my opinion. This book just didn't completely hit the mark for me.

[itsKoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not read much by Crystal Kaswell, just two other books and both fell on opposite sides of the spectrum.
What I have found is the summaries are always enough to make me pick up the book and the beginnings are always good. It is usually somewhere after that it begins to be a bit frustrating or I continue liking it. The summary for this one was good and the beginning encouraged me to continue on but then I couldn't get into it anymore. Shep isn't the most compelling of leads and neither is Jasmine. I understand the proposition and why but I didn't feel the same connection between the two as I did with her other characters. It was as if sex was their only connection even though there was some time spent trying to convince the reader they really do like each other and they will grow into their feelings. I also really hoped for a better resolution but then it just ended and there was an epilogue. I might try a reread to see if I like it better the second time around because sometimes I miss some things but so far it does not look likely.

[Jerrica (Mrsmar10Reads) Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What we try to hide

She was his first love. Jasmine and Shep, from two different worlds but fit like a glove. His drinking drive them apart, but his drinking was to hide his pain. An unspeakable pain. Now he needs her and to be honest, she needs him too. 1 year, a marriage, and 1 million dollars. Sometimes even when it's just a contract it's actually real.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine's father is sick and she is struggling to come up with the money to pay for his medical expenses. Then someone from her past contacts her wanting to talk about something. Shepard has struggled with getting sober it takes being blackmailed into almost losing everything to get him straight. He contacts Jasmine because he needs her and he'll do whatever he needs to in order to get her to agree to help him. Shepard offers her a million dollars to marry him and act like they are a happy couple and she has to stay married to him for a year. When she hears about the cost for the new treatment for her father she knows that she has no choice but accept the deal with Shepard. Its not long before things from their past have things heating up between them again. Will Jasmine stay married to him after the year is up? Can Shepard see that Jasmine is what he needs in his life?

This is a great story once I started it I couldn't put it down. The chemistry between them is blazing hot. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to any book lover.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SBee Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

★ A second chance to steep their love ★

—>>> Alone, struggling to care for her father with a very poor diagnosis on a too-slim assistant’s salary, a man from Jasmine Lee’s past comes back with an offer which gives her everything on a silver platter…her at his beck and call as his wife 24/7 for one million dollars. But Jasmine has no choice, she has to swallow her pride to save her last parent, no matter how slim the chance, if only to buy more time to spend with him. Six years has been a long time since they parted ways, and Shepard Marlowe is even more devastating than he was when they were teenagers. He is frank when he states he cannot give her love at the end of this arrangement, but there is at least one consoling thought:

"Good girl," I say. Her pupils dilate. She likes the term. A lot. I'm going to have fun with her. Too much even. The rest of this might be a mess. I might not know who the twenty-four-year-old Jasmine Lee is. I may not know her head or her heart. But I know her body. I know how to give her exactly what she craves.

But this fierce girl is not going to fall for him again, because saving her father was her primary goal:

This time, I'm not getting the wrong idea. He can have my body. And I can have his. But that's all it is. Love isn't part of the equation.

The heat in this story builds to red-hot levels as they both reach for each other, each struggling to deny what they feel emotionally, complicated by threads of the past deliberately left tied.

[Serenechaosnyc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is supposed to be an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and I suppose I can see it. Jasmine is forced to tolerate Shepard because she needs the money to care for her sick father. However, really, Shephard and Jasmine were high school sweethearts so there's a past there. Jasmine broke up with Shepard was an alcoholic. He's not now and he's rich and successful but he has a secret. The secret is not revealed for the majority of the book but I thought it was easy to guess. It made Shepard definitely much more sympathetic to the readers and I was looking forward to them getting their HEA. Note, this is super steamy with sub/dom themes (fanning myself) and it was overall, an enjoyable, fun book with slightly dark themes. I give it 4.5 stars.

i borrowed the ebook from KU and requested and received the audiobook for review. In terms of the audiobook, I really liked Lance and Grace overall. I thought that their voices for the opposite sex were a little unnatural (but still, that has to be the most difficult part of the job) and sometimes I had difficulty determining who was speaking but in general, they did a good job with telling the story. (I really appreciated the author's note at the end, by the way)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine and Shepard were each others everything in high school they were madly in love, but Jasmine had to walk away when he chose alcohol over her. Shep had demons haunting him and this was the only way he knew how to handle them. Now 6 years later Shepard needs Jasmines help. He needs a favor, he needs her to marry him so he offers her a great deal of money. Jasmine's father is really sick and she can't afford the treatments so she agrees to marry him. He tells he is in not capable of love and he will never be able to return her love. Can Jasmine eventually break down the walls that Shep has built around himself to show him that he is worthy of love?
Just when I think Crystal's writing can't get any better she brings us a story like this! Dirty Husband isn't just your typical alpha male book, it's about a man trying to overcome something that has happened to him in his past that he wants to stay hidden. He is a broken man and at first I didn't think I was going to like Shep, but when you realize where Crystal takes you with his story you will fall for him. And man her endings will just melt your heart just a little more.
I was honored to receive and ARC copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.