I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Dirty Talker. I think anyone who read Real Deal would agree that Dane was a little...over the top. I distinctly recall being curious about the woman who would manage to tame the outrageous Dane Murray. I was a little apprehensive going into this because, I'm not going to lie, he grated on my nerves a bit in book one. But y'all? Something remarkable happened here. When the authors decided to give us a book from Dane's point-of-view, we got a very different Dane indeed. A toned down Dane. A multi-layered Dane. Ultimately? A completely irresistible Dane.
Yup, that's right. I loved him. I mean, there were some moments early in the book where I still wasn't sure. But as the authors began peeling away his layers, and as we got more of the spicy, sparky dynamic between him and Ava - I started giving my heart to him piece by piece. He was nothing like what I expected and - against all odds? I crushed way harder on Dane than I ever did on Marcus. Weird.
Dirty Talker did not play out the way I expected - and I mean that in the very best way. It was light and flirty, but it captured my heart in a way that surprised me - and felt so good. I adored Dane and Ava together. They were sizzling hot (as you might expect from a book titled Dirty Talker), but they ran deeper than that. They were sweet and funny and in the end I found myself completely wrapped up, head over heels in love with both of them.
I'm so glad I took a chance on Crazy Dane. If you're on the fence after experiencing him in Real Deal I strongly encourage you to give him a chance. But hold on to your hearts, because this cocksure rogue will steal it in, well, a heartbeat. Don't say I didn't warn you! ~ Shelly, 4 Stars
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Even though I adore Piper Rayne and FLOVE all of their books, I'm honest enough to admit that I was a little nervous starting Dirty Talker. Dane Murray made quite the impression when we first met him in Real Deal and so I didn't really know how he could redeem himself. He was VERY outrageous and crass to put it mildly and I was more or less braced to feel more of the less than giddy feelings towards him. BUT ALAS my friends, The Unicorn Cock Whisperers came through and completely turned this Bad Boy Jackass into Mr. Wonderful. Ava and Dane were so HOT and sexy and their banter was out of this world! I absolutely love their heartfelt and honest romance and did not want it to end!
One main factor that I loved about this book was that it was told in dual perspective. We could finally get in Dane's head and understand where he was coming from! This folks was the main reason why I HEART Dane. He is my main squeeze. Move over Marcus, there's a new Baby Daddy in town and he is M-I-N-E! We not only understand why this commitment phobic man is the way he is, but we see the undying love he has for his son, his own insecurities and vulnerabilities. Don't get me wrong, he wouldn't be Dane without being Mr. Dirty Talker Sex God Extraordinaire, but we see a different side to him we can love and embrace. His connection to Ava seemed genuine, sweet but also steamy! They had a connection they both tried to deny but that's the funny thing about Love - it keeps trying to force you to acknowledge those pesky feelings! Dane had deep facets and it was fantastic to dig deep and see how wonderful he truly was.
I absolutely thought Dane and Ava were fantastic together even more so than Kat and Marcus. I was hooked on this story from the very beginning and smiling throughout the whole story. It was also wonderful to see some familiar Modern Love characters we've missed. All in all, this was an outstanding read and I look forward to Charlie and Garrett's book. 4 stars! ~Ratula
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I need to be honest here. Despite loving everything Piper Rayne has written up to this point, I found myself seriously procrastinating starting Dirty Talker. I honestly just had no desire to read about Dane. Ava though, she intrigued me, and of course I'm a sucker for small towns and interconnected books. So I figured I could get into the world and love it.
No. I struggled still. I just couldn't make myself like Dane, and the early pages weren't helping much. At 20% in, I contemplated giving up. I skimmed over a few more pages though because I did feel as if I needed to know what happened with Ava, and all that talk about cupcakes was right up my alley.
Then something happened. A twist, a turn in the story. A glimpse a little deeper into what was making Dane tick. I fell slowly into their relationship before I even realized it. Almost like they did themselves. At that point I was devouring the pages faster than Dane devoured Ava's "Muff-ins", and even if I was late to the tea party, I found myself very in love with a dirty talking, commitment phobic single dad and his growing up too fast energetic son.
I'm so glad I didn't put this one aside, because it was so worth it for an ending that gave me all kinds of feels. So two stars for the beginning, and five for the ending.
~ George, 3.5 stars