Baci sporchi - Dirty Kiss

Cole McGinnis #1

by Rhys Ford, Cornelia Grey (Translator)

Un'indagine di Cole McGinnis

Cole Kenjiro McGinnis, ex-poliziotto e investigatore privato, sta cercando di superare la morte del suo amante, avvenuta durante una sparatoria, quando gli capita un’indagine apparentemente di routine. Investigare l’apparente suicidio del figlio di un importante uomo d’affari coreano si rivela subito un incarico tutt’altro che ordinario, specialmente quando Cole incontra Kim Jae-Min, il bel cugino del defunto.

Il cugino di Jae-Min aveva un piccolo, sporco segreto, uno che Cole conosce da tutta la vita e che Jae-Min sta ancora nascondendo alla sua famiglia. L’indagine porta Cole da ville eleganti e squallidi appuntamenti segreti di amanti fino al Dirty Kiss, il locale dove i ricchi vanno a soddisfare con discrezione i desideri di cui le loro famiglie troppo tradizionali preferirebbero non sapere niente.

Inoltre porta Cole McGinnis fra le braccia di Jae-Min, ma questo potrebbe essere un problema. La morte del cugino di Jae-Min appare sempre meno un suicidio, e il ragazzo appare sempre più un bersaglio. Cole ha già perso un amante per una morte violenta: non perderà anche Jae-Min.

Genres: M M Romance, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Crime, Suspense

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2011

About the author

Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and is a two-time LAMBDA finalist and a multiple Gold and Silver Medalist by the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Book Awards. She is published by Dreamspinner Press, DSP Publications and Rogue Firebird Press.

She shares the house with Harley, a gray tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled former alley cat, and Gojira, a mercurial Tabico as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep of a 1979 Pontiac Firebird named Tengu and enjoys murdering make-believe people.

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said it time and time again but I'm not a mystery lover. I'm just not! I couldn't give a crap who killed whom and I don't love the anxious feeling that romantic suspense gives me. ::shrugs:: I'm a wuss!

But I really liked this one.

This is your typical guy gets injured past what would be humanly possible for most people romance. Cole must have bones of steel because he bounces back from some serious $hit! Jae too. What is in the water over there?

What were my favorite parts? I loved the back-and-forth between Cole and Bobby and Cole and his brother. This book was a home run for me whenever Rhys Ford got to show off her bantering skillz. It had some insanely funny and clever moments that I loved. I also liked that these guys had some real issues to deal with. They each had a lot of baggage, between family issues, money, and jobs, and it felt real to me. Very weighty, very legitimate. I also think that Cole and Jae had some nice chemistry, though the romance was a little rushed for my taste.

What elevated this book from 3.5 stars rounded down to a solid 4 star read was a KILLER narration by Greg Tremblay. He did such an amazing job. I loved his Jae voice (just spot on) as well as his Cole voice. A really smart, nuanced narration that made the somewhat cheesy sex scenes squirm-in-your-seat hot.

Overall, a very nice first book in a series that I can't wait to get my grabby hands on.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Find this review and other like it at My Fiction Nook

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another awesome re-read!!

I don't know why it took me so long to start this series, but I'm very glad that I finally jumped into the Cole McGinnis train. Susan and Elsbeth said that I just had to listen to the audio, so I did both. Reading while listening and damn they were right. This audio was awesome !! I gave this book 3,5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 4 stars for the amazing audio by Greg Tremblay !!



I am a big sucker for mystery/suspense stories, so this book was right up my ally.

Cole McGinnis is a former cop turned PI. Cole is still struggling with the death of his lover, at the hands of his best friend and former partner. Cole hasn't been interested in other men ever since. This is all about to change though when his brother hires him to investigate the suicide of a Korean man (Hyun-Shik).

During his investigation, he meets Jae-Min, a cousin of Hyun-Shik. He feels an instant attraction for the hot Korean and when he learns Jae is also gay, he can't hold back anymore. These two men were damn hot together and Greg Tremblay's narrating made it even hotter !!



Jae and Cole both get hurt, bodies start dropping everywhere and all the while these two men start falling deeper and deeper for each other. But things aren't simple or easy. Jae knows that as a Korean man, he can't come out to his family, without losing them. He is expected to marry and have children. If they find out he's in a relationship with a man, they would cut him out of his life and Jae isn't ready for that to happen. I have to say that even though I tried to understand things from his point of view...he still frustrated the shit out of me.



Cole was awesome though and at times I wondered why he just didn't walk away. Then again Jae certainly had his sweet moments, where he showed how much he cared for Cole.



So why 3,5/4 stars and not 5 ??

Well, this ends on an HFN, which I am fine with, but there were some things that were left open that bothered me. Such as the dinner they were supposed to have with Cole's (asshole) father. I have no idea if this will be in the next book, but I was very curious to find out what was gonna happen. Also, I kind of hated Cole's brother who was supposed to be a good guy. The way he talked down to Cole about him being gay, made me want to smash a chair in his face !!!



This was an awesome start to this series and I'm gonna jump into book 2 right away. Can't wait to find out what happens next !!

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 2 out of 5]

The insta lust/obsession was a huge turn off for me.

I get it. It’s hard to find a romance book where there isn’t an instant attraction involved. But Cole referring to Jae as “baby” on their second meeting was too much too soon. And once the “baby” calling started it doesn’t stop. I have no problem with pet names and endearments. I loved them when I’m reading romance, but only when the relationship feels real. There’s no relationship development between Jae and Cole, so as a couple, they made absolutely no sense to me.

[Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Hmmm...not sure. I wonder if being Korean-American was a benefit or a hindrance in reading this book.

For all intents and purposes, I think I should have loved Dirty Kiss. It's the first fiction, let alone M/M romance, that I've ever seen with a Korean MC. Rhys Ford does a really great job of capturing life and culture of Koreans in Los Angeles/Orange County. I feel like I knew the Kims personally. I even felt it was a bit of an inside joke since 99.9% of all Korean girls are named Grace Kim (a character in this book)!!! The author drops Korean terminology randomly (w/o interpretation) throughout and I wondered if this made it tough for those who don't speak Korean.

There's a great murder plot, likable-enough characters, some action and intensity, some steam...BUT...I was...bored...at times. I didn't connect with either of the lead characters (though I'm intrigued by Cole). And I didn't feel like we got enough of their time together in the book to validate the strength of their feelings for one another. It's one thing to have insta-love, but follow it up with some relationship building. It all felt very loose and lacked substance for me. And, I want to know what the F*CK happened to Rick and Ben and why!!!!! TELL ME!!!!

I enjoyed it enough that I'm interested in reading the second book. I think book 1 is good and the series has the potential to be really good. Just not there yet for me...

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it



5++++++++ stars for the audio



4.25 for the story

I love Murder-Mystery stories and this did not disappoint.

Greg's Voice is heaven on Audiobook earth.



-Our babies will have his voice and they all will be reading to me every freaking day and night.

-The characters were likable, Cole Kenjiro McGinnis and Jae-Min their names first of all, made me giddy every time Greg said them, he even makes the names hot!

-The connection was there from the moment our Mc's met and the sex hotter.

-We had a Cat named Cat. 😂😂😂

-The Mystery was very engaging, the banter was on point as usual. It's Rhys Ford after all.



I had a wonderful time listening to this.

Off to listen to book 2

[Meags · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

A friend warned me going in that Ford’s writing style was somewhat flowery and might not be for me. I took this on board, but I was eager to finally give this series a try anyway, having spent the past few years eyeballing several of Ford’s stories as they collected dust on my TBR shelf.

As it turned out, I did in fact struggle with the prose, particularly in relation to some of the language used and the sappiness of the dialogue (most notable during the awkward sex scenes - "pouting" assholes are a hard no for me). To be fair, it wasn’t enough to make me give up completely, but it certainly distracted me on more than one occasion, to the point that I was scrunching up my face or fighting to control an eye-roll here and there. I feel like this is a really personal reaction to a particular style of writing, and I’m fairly confident most readers won’t be bothered by the kind of “flowery-ness” (as I like to call it) that is present here, so don’t put too much stock in my opinion.

The story was more heavily a mystery plot than a romance plot, which may bother some, but is more than fine by me, because I love a good whodunit mystery. The suicide/murder case MC Cole was working on here, which led him to meeting and falling for/protecting second MC Jae-Min, was satisfyingly intriguing and I appreciated the fact that I couldn’t easily predict who the murderer would be – so definite points for keeping me on my toes until the very end.

However, the insta-feelings that Cole and Jae-Min had for one another didn’t do much to endear me to their new relationship, but I’m hoping with continued character development (across the bigger series) I’ll grow to care for them as a couple.

Individually, I liked Cole’s character a fair amount. He was an affable guy and I was certainly rooting for his happiness and safety from early on in the piece, which is always a good sign. Jae on the other hand was just kind of there. I didn’t connect to him at all and I have to wonder if his lack of POV had something to do with that or whether he was meant to remain a bit of an aloof mystery until future stories. As it were, he just served to be the sexy damsel-in-distress-type character that our hero fawned over throughout. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, he simply didn’t do anything for me… yet.

Of all the aspects of this story, I found myself most intrigued by Cole’s tragic past, and I’m hoping the sequels delve deeper into the details of the events surrounding the loss of his lover and cop partner. I honestly found this stuff more interesting than anything else that was going on in the present story arc and I’ll be disappointed if his past isn’t examined in greater depth in future stories.

Ultimately, this one left me feeling a little flat, but I’m still glad I gave it a go. I know this author and this series have a huge following, which I respect and admire, and because of this I’ll probably end up trying more in the future.

[Xing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

*Audiobook Version*

I'm gonna start this review with a very weird statement: I probably would have liked this book more if I wasn't a gay, Asian (Chinese) man. But I'll go in that sentiment later...

Cole McGinnis is an ex-cop and current PI who stumbles upon a case brought up by a client of his brother's security business. It's during this investigation into a Korean family that our main character stumbles upon the exotic and mysterious Jae-Min. What follows this investigation includes murders, the beginning of a relationship, a nice cast of characters, and the occasional Korean word thrown here-and-there.

Overall, I would say I like Dirty Kiss. Cole is a great main character to get behind (figuratively and literally speaking!), with the whole “tragic past” with scars. Yet he sees hope in the form of one stubborn Korean man and refuses to let go of that light in his bleak tunnel. He's an understanding character that I find very little to dislike – funny at times, serious when it matters, and actually takes the time to talk his conflicts out as opposed to wasting page time with unnecessary avoidance.

In fact, Dirty Kiss has a whole cast of characters I enjoy: Scarlet, the cross-dressing sensation, Claudia, the sassy secretary/mother figure, Bobby, the pervy best friend, and the list goes on. Note how a certain love interest isn't included on that list.

So that leaves Jae-Min. The thing with Jae is that I actually understand him. (Word of warning, I tend to get personal in my reviews!). Let's see: traditional Asian family? Check. The belief that family is more important than the individual? Check. The duty of taking care of the parents? Check. (Been doing it all of my life since I was a kid.).

The idea of a homosexual son in a family? While I can't say my parents would have been as hateful as the Kims, they did feel humiliated and very sad for me as I will never have a traditional family (which is considered the ultimate goal). And even worse: how will relatives react to them having the gay son? So yeah, part of me wanted to give Jae-Min a hug and tell him that I get it. I would tell him that some of the worst mistakes I've made were made for my family's best interests and not my own, and that these decisions have and will continue to haunt me for many years to come. And because I've been there and done that, I would beg him not to be stupid like I was.

And yet, part of me wants to smack Jae-Min over the head and tell him to get the fuck over the whole “duty to family.” Mostly because I've lived through it, and I have this jaded view of “so should he” (which I know is all kinds of wrong, but these are my uncontrollable feelings we are talking about). So yeah, I think if I didn't understand Jae-Min as much as I did (with being a gay Asian man), I would have enjoyed Dirty Kiss more. He was also a little too “damsel in distress” and too quick tempered for my liking as well. I like my fictional love interests to be a little more than a beautiful decoration to look at and with more manners.

Since I'm reviewing the audiobook version, let me make a last comment on the narrator. Greg Tremblay is a fucking voice God. He does such a good job with the voices for Cole and Jae-Min (and everyone else) that I felt compelled to listen even when the story felt like it dragged (which wasn't too often). Seriously, he made a story that I would have found “blah/okay” as a book, and made it “good” as an audiobook. What more can I say?

[Jenni Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read 1/22/16.
******************

Rarely does a book have the ability to surprise me. It's the reason why I don't really like reading mysteries. I always, ALWAYS figure out whodunit way before I ever finish the book.

This book though, shocked me. Here I was, thinking I was so smart to have figured out the perpetrator when something happened to bring me to a screeching halt.

I was wrong.

I didn't know whodunit! I was left with my mouth hanging open and grasping at straws to try and figure out who else it could be. And when they were finally revealed it was the last person I would have ever suspected.

I liked other aspects of this book as well. I really connected with Cole and his dry, almost self deprecating humor. I liked Jae-Min as well. He's no Miki but I really warmed up to him.

There were a few cringe-worthy descriptions used during the sex scenes but I knew about them prior to reading (I peeked at a few reviews beforehand) so I was able to brush past them fairly easily.

Now I'm off to read book two. I can't wait!

[Rhys Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it. Aren't I supposed to love it? :::pets characters:::

Actually there are things I'd want to explore more but there wasn't space and time. Luckily, I'm planning on sequels.

Thank you for reading Dirty Kiss. I hope you enjoy the sequel featuring Cole's next "assignment" and his continuing relationship with Jae. I don't have a title yet but oh, I have a mystery.

[Amy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read things like "gritty" and "suspenseful" about this book, and they're all true. So is "hot", "sexy", and "fast paced." What a lot of reviewers DON'T mention, however (and they SHOULD) is how frickin' funny it is in places, and how engaging Cole is, and how he's persistent and irritating and fun. Jae is easy to fall in love with-- the analogy of the feral cat was perfect (I have a cat like that--beware stray appendages, they get scratched) and all in all, this was a fun, fast paced, exciting read with a lot of humor and some solid characterization. VERY enjoyable!

[Barbara➰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm late to the game on this series and anyone who knows me knows I don't like dead exes. Fortunately here, it wasn't as big of an issue as I was worried it would be. Rhys is a favorite author of mine. I did feel like this wasn't as "flowery" as some of the other books I've read by Rhys which isn't necessarily a bad thing...just different.

I absolutely loved Cole. He was funny at times and I loved how he was obsessed with Jae. Jae took me a little while to warm up to and I'm still not sure I'm 100% on board with him. I have a hard time reconciling how he is and being gay but still professing his familial duty at every cost to him and his happiness. I hope the further I go, he will grow on me.

I love Miss Scarlett but wasn't crazy about Cole's brother Mike. Something he said to Cole didn't set well with me and he hurt Cole and I didn't like it. I'm hoping he too will redeem himself further into the series.

I have to say, I had no clue who the baddie was. I was shocked and never suspected them.

Overall, it was a decent start to the series and I'm looking forward to more of these two. I really hope Jae is going to come through for Cole and give him what he needs and deserves.

[Anne Boleyn's Ghost · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the throbbing veins (which I find the opposite of sexy because I just think of my grandmother's forehead vein throbbing as she yelled at my sisters and me) to the pouting assholes (Meags, I'll see your "hard no" and raise you a "hard nope.com") to the mewling humans (I have never heard a man or a woman mewl and I hope I never do) to the sheer absurdity (people being assaulted and run off the road and shot yet interested in sex hours later), I shouldn't have liked Dirty Kiss. But I mostly liked it. I think.

I genuinely enjoy Rhys Ford's stories. Unless I'm in a bad mood, I tolerate flowery prose fairly well. And even if I didn't, the exceptional writing, the clever plots, the quirky and off-beat humor would entice me. Ford's stories are engaging, and Dirty Kiss was no different. While more mystery than romance, it nevertheless kept me intrigued. The antagonists in romantic suspense stories are often obvious, but that wasn't true here.

I had a good sense of Cole, former police officer turned private investigator. But Cole's developing relationship with photographer Jae, well, lacked development. Ford's stories often feature insta-connections, and I appreciated that Cole and Jae didn't exchange "I love you's" after four days. But the feelings still seemed rushed and the connection could have been better crafted.

Similarly, Jae was a nebulous figure who didn't feel fully realized. Largely written as an elusive "lad in distress" , he had the occasional aggressive or demonstrative moment and the contradictions were puzzling (and don't even get me started on him omitting critical information during a murder investigation). While I understand readers' frustration with his closeted status, I actually sympathized with him there. Cole admitted that he isn't over his dead lover, and if I were Jae, I wouldn't immediately risk community and familial alienation for him. Speaking of which! Even though Cole repeatedly states that he is not over Rick, I never felt like I knew Rick or their relationship. I'm not a fan of that trope, and I hope it doesn't pervade throughout the series. But I am, of course, curious to learn more about the circumstances surrounding his death.

So although I often rolled my eyes, I still found Dirty Kiss entertaining. And difficult to put down. And I already checked the next book out from the library.

[Heather C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why, oh why did I wait so long to read this book?!
 
What I loved:
 
Cole I loved his 'voice'. He made me sad in the beginning, but he still had a lot of humor.  Plus, he's a horny romantic. *sigh*  He could be a little TSTL at times but he always believed he was doing the right thing.  He was very loyal and deserves a HEA I really want to know more about what happened with Ben and why he did what he did, but I guess we will never really know the truth
 
Jae-Min I wasn't really sure that I was going to like him in the beginning, but he quickly grew on me.  He was just really shy and scared! And I commend him for having such a strong sense of culture and devotion to his family So I hope there is someway he can keep both Cole and his family
 
Neko I don't even like cats but she was a great character. 
 
Scarlet She came across as very beautiful to me and I appreciated her loyalty to Jae.
 
The Opening Scene It was one of the funniest openers I think I've ever read!! Just picture a shotgun-packing-lesbian-leather-granny chasing after a gay PI...
 
The Mystery It really kept me guessing and I never figured out who the killer was until it was revealed.
 
The Pace It was fast with lots of stuff happening from scene to scene.  Everything that happened seemed to be very important and it didn't drag at all...for me. Also, there were a lot of action scenes in between all the sweet, romantic ones. This really is a sweet story, but not too sugary sweet.  Okay, maybe just a little...
 
The Ending It was so frickin' sweet...even though I did have to Google the meaning of a word.  Aww!!
 
 
What I'm confused about:
I'm still not 100% sure who actually killed Hyun-Shik and how they did it. And why 'you-know-who' met him at the club that night...or was that not 'you-know-who'??
 
This ends with a HFN so now I have to impatiently wait for the sequel!

[Darien · Rating 4 out of 5]

April 2018 (Audio Version)

Story: 4.5 ⭐️ s
Narration: 4 ⭐️ s

Still love this one after all these years. Cole is still one of my fave characters ever. His nonchalant don’t give two shits attitude still rocks. All the supporting characters are a riot and I just love how this whole story comes together.

Greg Tremblay does a wonderful job with all the characters and I am officially a fan.

Looking forward to listening to the rest of the series!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.5

Cole McGinnis was once a cop but tragedy led him to leave his the force and become a Private Investigator. He’s mostly alone after losing his lover/partner, and gets his fun catching cheating spouses and lesbian grannies. When Cole’s brother approaches him to do some investigating into a suicide, his whole world goes from boring to life threatening when he meets Jae-Min the cousin of the man who committed suicide. Cole’s life is about to go bat shit crazy.

Seems the suicide might have been murder, and everywhere Cole goes people start to die. He’s getting half-truths from Jae-Min and nothing seems to be adding up. The only thing that is fact is that someone wants to keep him from finding the truth, and someone is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way. Thus begins a somewhat volatile and somewhat lukewarm (On Jae’s part) relationship between Jae-Min and Cole.

Alright, I really did enjoy reading this book and it comes as no surprise that I totally loved Cole being half Japanese and Jae-Min Korean. Seriously, a hook-up like this is what my dreams are made of. There was also a solid story filled with enough twist and turns to grab the reader’s attention. The variation of characters is what makes this book so much for fun me, it had a mix of everything like a one of those crime dramas all mashed into one.

I loved Cole’s voice, though at times, his internal rambling was just too insane in the membrane, but he is memorable and adorable. Jae-Min, love how he’s all-pretty but I don’t really know him. He was just ‘there’ for me though totally hot as hell. I find that these two always seem to find the time for loving when they were both injured. Jae-Min gunshot wound to the head, Cole almost being blown up but all that didn’t slow these men down. They are made of serious strong stuff!

Overall, I love it! Lots of cultural and controversial stuff here about being gay in an Asian family. They really are family orientated, and the expectation can be daunting. It must be tough never to truly be yourself, and I think Dirty Kiss offered a good representation of that. I look forward to seeing Cole and Jae-Min again because the situation felt very HFN (happy for now). I feel there is more to be offered up about these men and I look forward to it. Saranghae Dirty Kiss!

More of my reviews and ramblings at PANTS OFF REVIEWS

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a fondness for LA stories and this is a good one.

Cole is a bullheaded, ex-cop with zero respect for the consequences of his actions which while noble always end up with more than a few whacks. I bet he buys pain meds in the jumbo bottles.

Jae is a gorgeous, sexy siren. And trust me, if you've seen one of these ephemeral creatures you know exactly what I'm talking about. He makes KPop boys sound pedestrian-looking.

Nice little suspense novel with a decent body count. Aside from the killings, the intolerance portrayed here is thick--from family to colleagues it is not an easy road for either. Anyway, the story is a fun jaunt through some LA neighborhoods which always makes me smile.

Favorite quote:
I’ve been bruised enough times in my life to speak pain fluently.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am announcing here and now that I am in love with Cole. One of my favorite new characters I've read in a while. Fantastic job, Rhys. I hope there is a sequel.

[Marte - Thunderella · Rating 5 out of 5]

***** 4,5 Dirty series stars *****

Audio edition, narrator Greg Tremblay
8 hours 21 minutes

Overall: 4,5
Performance: 4
Story: 5

------------------------
"Saranghae, agi."
------------------------

This is one of my favorite series and characters of all time. I love these books, and by that I mean the audio edition narrated by my favorite narrator Greg Tremblay.

I love Rhys Ford's writing and the characters she has created with this series. Greg Tremblay gives life to the characters with his narration. Each character has his or her own voice.

Cole McGinnis: snarky and slightly sarcastic way of speaking, but with lots of feelings.
Jae-Min's Korean accent.
Bobby's growling one-liners.
Claudia's southern maternal and stern voice, with a "black" tone, if I'm allowed to call it that.
Scarlet's silky Philippine accent.
Mike's older brotherly slightly exasperated-over-Cole's voice. 
And all the other characters that cross paths with Cole in this story.

It's impressive work! 

I've listened to this book and the rest of the series numerous times, so I have lost count. Since I love the so much it's very difficult to be objective when rating them. But on the other hand rating should reflect how I feel about what I read.

I've taken off a half star for this one, though. This is because the quality of the audio is slightly less than the rest of the series. I have my suspicions that Tremblay has gotten a new and better microphone when narrating #2 (or was it #3?). Also, in the next books it feels as if Tremblay have gotten to know the characters, so his narration of them is better, and his narration as a whole is more fluid too. He has this little pauses.when.he.narrates sometimes which can be slightly irritating if you first start to notice them. These are less obvious in the next books.

This is all nitpicking, but it's there so I deducted half a star so I can give full score when the narration is perfect.

If you've read or listened to this and am unsure whether or not to continue the series, I recommend you to continue. When I read Dirty Kiss the first time I gave it 3,5. I wasn't very impressed. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think it's the weakest in the series actually. Fortunately I continued the series and I'm so glad a did. As I said in the beginning of this review, the Cole McGinnis series have become one of my absolute favorite series. I hope you will enjoy the series too. 


#1 Dirty Kiss



#2 Dirty Secret


#2.1 Interview with Kim Jae-Min (read after Dirty Secret)
An interview by Rhys on her homepage. Link


#2.2 Dirty Afternoon with Bobby Dawson (read before Dirty Laundry)
An interview by Rhys on her homepage. Link


#3 Dirty Laundry



#3.5 Dirty Sweets  
Link



#3.6 Dirty Day (short story from LYLBTB Advent Event 2013)
Link


#3.8 Dirty Deeds interview: Catching up with Cole McGinnis (read before Dirty Deeds)
Link


#3.9 Dirty Deeds interview with Mike and Maddy McGinnis. (During release of Dirty Deeds)
Link


#4 Dirty Deeds



#4.5 Dirty Minds (short story done for the Dirty Deeds tour)
Link


#5 Down and Dirty
Bobby and Ichi's story.



#6 Dirty Heart

[Ingie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written August 20, 2014

3 1/2 Stars - Not completely dazed, but happy, hopeful and I want more

Book #1

This is the first part in a recommended series, Rhys Ford's Cole McGinnis. M/M crime in four (soon five) parts.



***********************************************

Contemporary crime M/M set in Los Angeles about
Cole Kenjiro McGinnis, an ex-cop and PI,
and the U.S. Korean, Kim Jae-Min, a future lover.

***********************************************

Dirty Kiss is maybe not fantastic, but a good start to something that I want to follow. This is a style I like.

A slightly tired, worn, cynical private investigator who, with his own narration gives us a good detective story. Here are several (uncontrollably) fun and interesting second characters: Big brother Mike, the best friend Bill, the office manager Claudia and of course the beautiful (future?) lover Jae.

The topic in this first part, with a wealthy young married father's suicide (murder?) in a Korean secret gay club. And with that, the various issues popping up during Cole's investigation and scouting. The difficulties with homosexuality, family feeling, hypocrisy, addiction, etc in the Korean American families and circles. All this and the topic itself, was both exciting, outrageous and interesting.

Some new stuff (the U.S. Korean people's lifestyle etc...) and thought-provoking issues for me.
I unfortunately often fall into the belief that all are now living with values ​​and some certainties regarding freedom, equal worth and more, as we do here in Northern Europe. Here are problems which I assume will come along, and create conflicts and tears, in the upcoming book-parts.

All of us who have read a lot of books in the crime / police / thriller genre with more recognize this. Perhaps not entirely new, but always entertaining. I, at least, want a lot more, and plan to urgently listen to the three following parts about Cole McGinnis and his friends. ~ Next up: #2 - Dirty Secret

The story itself was perhaps not quite in the "hight top leage" (where we have our 'OMG Five Stars' books..) but I assume it will get better and better as in so many romance crime series in this style.

~ Not to forget: it was a funny, sexy, romantic read.

***********************************************

Maybe it was actually the narrator Grey Tremblay who made this so wonderful to listen to. He really has his own style (... his pants, grunts, hacks, hesitating, etc.). But Yay, so freeking sweet and spellbinding this story actually got in the end. I am a new addicted Cole McGinnis Audio's fan by now.

Thanks to my friend Nic Starr who recommended me to try this series.

I LIKE - without doubt already captivated


*******
Rhys Ford's Cole McGinnis series:

...and later

Check also the nice "Whispersync for Voice" price for an audio and a kindle book ($8) for a lot of them.

[Otila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

This is my first audiobook by Greg Tremblay and I enjoyed his voice and how he brought this story to life...BUT. He. Does. These. Pauses. Sometimes. That. Make. Each. Word. It's. Own. Sentence. I found that rather annoying. Speeding it up helped.

As for the story, I love it! This has a great murder plot and since I read it almost 3 years ago, I couldn't remember who dunnit so it was like experiencing it for the first time.

What I especially love is that even though Cole and Jae are each shot, blown up and suffer multiple concussions--all in the span of like a week--they can still go at it like bunnies.

[AliciaJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This remains one of my all-time favorite mm mystery novels. Cole and Jae-Min stole my heart long ago, and still hold it captive.

***I just finished this book for the second time and I have to say it's even better on the second go round. I can't wait to see what Cole and Jae-Min get up to the next time out. Luckily I've learned that there are definitely sequels in the works, so I'm excited about that.***

[mwana · Rating 1 out of 5]

If ever there was a need for the example of a badly written, poorly executed mystery novel, look no further. I want my hours back.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read April 2023

I thought I'd try an oldie again. And while these book will always hold a special place in my heart, I don't think I really like Rhys Ford's writing style. She is so incredibly wordy.

So I won't continue listening to the rest of the series. One book was enough for now.

-------------------------------

The inner musings were a bit much in this at times, but overall I still enjoyed it.

Cole McGinnis is a private investigator, hired to investigate the murder of a Korean man, Hyun-Shik. During this investigation he meets Jae-Min, Hyun-Shik’s cousin. Cole finds himself in the most peculiar situations during this investigation. And he cannot get Jae-Min out of his head. Their paths keep crossing because there is someone who wants both of them dead...

There is immediate attraction between Cole and Jae-Min and I loved how tender and loving they were together.

And I really liked Jae-Min, boyish and sweet, but feisty. And Cole, I cannot express my love for him enough.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of reading about these two. Never a dull moment.

[Vio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much a fantastic book, it pushed all my good buttons. Loved it and can't wait for the sequel.

[Elsbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Narrator - Grey Tremblay

Yep, this guy would be how I picture Cole.



Cole, an ex-cop, now private investigator is hired to investigate the death of a Korean man, son of a Korean buisnessman. He is introduced to the cousin, Kim Jae-Min.



Jae-Min is too afraid to come out as a gay man because of the Korean traditions of a family. Jae is the oldest son and finds himself responsible taking care of his mother and sisters.

Cole falls in love with Jae but they both have issues they need to get past. Cole with the legacy of losing his former boyfriend Rick and work partner Ben. And Jae obviously finding the courage to come clean to his family and be with Cole.

The narrator Greg Tremblay is absolutely awesome in this series.. His voice as Jae is spot on. The accents… and the women voices… He did a great job..

Looking forward to the rest of the series..

Review - Dirty Secret (book 2)

Review - Dirty Laundry (book 3)

Review - Dirty Sweets (book 3,5)

Review - Dirty Day (book 3,6)

Dirty Deeds (book 4) review coming soon...

Down and Dirty (book 5) to be released in 2015!!

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 60%.

Rhys Ford obviously has a hard-on for Asians. We have a Japanese-Irish American as our MC and narrator, with his much more Japanese-looking brother. We have a Filipino ladyboy. We have a plethora of Koreans. And a cat with a Japanese name, Koneko-chan, owed by our Korean love interest, Jae-min. Oh, and lets not for get that 50% of the Asians are associated with a gay Korean brothel, because that's not Asian fetishization or anything. And then lets thrown in a few random Korean words with off-the-cuff meanings used liberally throughout the whole book.

On top of that, you have vapid characters, a boring plot, Cole whining about an incident that happened 3 years ago that is referenced so often you feel like you must be reading the second book in the series, not the first.

This puts me at 3 DNFs from Rhys Ford, so I think I can safely say Rhys Ford doesn't deliver stories in a fashion I find palatable.

And the sex scene... well, I'm sure there is more than one, but I haven't made it to any others. I think that I wouldn't have found it so odd to read if this was told in 3rd person, but since it is written in 1st person, these thoughts are presented as 100% Cole. Cole refers to his penis as "my sex", "my heft", "my shaft". He refers to his cum as "my seed"We get stellar lines like this :[...]the pressure of my heft against the nearly too-taut skin of his rectum.. We go from waxing poetic reference of Jae-min's "velvet heat to clinically referencing "his rectum. I skimmed so much of sex scene, it's a wonder I didn't thrown in the towel there.

And then then is the "baby"... or should I say "agi"? Be it "baby" or "babe", it drives me nuts. "Baby is used 49 times, and only about 5 of those times are in reference to actual babies.

For a book and series that has such a high rating, I would have expected at least moderately interesting characters and a somewhat intriguing plot, but this book just doesn't deliver on any front.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Dirty Kiss when it first came out in 2011, before the sequel was written and before I joined Goodreads. I didn't remember much about it (except for the kick-ass Claudia and evil kitty) but I gave it 3 stars. I decided to re-read because of all the excellent reviews for the last book in the series Dirty Heart and refresh my memory.

I realized I gave Dirty Kiss 3 stars because of the HFN ending and the fact that there were so many loose ends that needed to be tied up. I didn't know about a sequel then, so I was obviously disappointed. But even knowing that the series is now complete, I am going to stay with my 3 stars.

I really did enjoy Cole and Jae. They share incredible passion and are very likeable characters, but the mystery in this story left me cold. It was frankly quite confusing and with the people in the story having full Korean names, full American names and a plethora of nicknames and slang names, I was fucking lost. The second book Dirty Secret was even more confusing and the mystery even less interesting to me.

While I really want to know how these two reach their HEA and I would love to know the full story of Ben and Rick, I'm going to stop at book 2. The series just isn't enjoyable enough for me to continue.

I will happily put this one on my everyone liked it but me shelf and am thrilled so many have loved this series.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just going to keep things short here again...

Ok, we're in s & s mode here (short & sweet) It's by Rhys Ford and narrated by Greg Tremblay. That's about as good as it gets in my world. I loved the book the first time around (Original Review: Dirty Kiss), I loved it just as much...actually even more this time and I'm now on to book #2 Dirty Secret.

If you're looking for a new author or a new audio series I strongly recommend 'Cole McGinnis' it's seriously good stuff...e-book or audio it's all good...definitely recommended.

Update: Sept. 10/18 - just needing a little comfort food and when it comes to audio books nothing works better for me than Mary Calmes or Rhys Ford and if the narrator's Tristan James or as in this case Greg Tremblay than it's all golden for me so this is me having a little comfort food binge...carry on.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so lovely when people use their culture to justify being horrible to others. All they have to do is say 'it's our cultural thing' and most people are immediately uncomfortable to continue. This book made me so angry.

That being said, I think Dirty Kiss is a very good beginning of a series. It's not boring, it introduces a very interesting cast of characters struggling with not so unique issues. I love the main character Cole McGinnis. I want to know more about him. I love Jae-Min. It breaks my heart when I think about him.

The mystery is pretty good; one of those where anyone could be guilty with an added bonus of a whole new level of homophobia.

[Irina Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hinted at depths it didn't reach.
Not realistic at all.
A lot of discrepancies.

I don't even know what to say. Very very disappointed.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two bedraggled MC's limping towards the finish line


Poor guys - the author threw everything at them, covered them in bruises, showered them with bullets and other.............. but they made it through - no worries :D