Book Review | A Dirty Business – Tijan (Kings of New York Series, Book One)

A Dirty Business
By: TIJAN

Series: Kings Of New York
Book # in Series: 1 out of 2
Genre/Trope: Mafia Romance
Publisher: Montlake
Publication Date: December 6th, 2022
My Rating: ✮✮✮✮
My Reading Format: Paperback Copy

Synopsis:

When Jess Montell meets Trace West at a hockey game, she doesn’t know his name or occupation. What she does know is there’s an instant attraction that’s impossible to ignore—or forget. And forgetting is exactly what she wants to do when she learns he’s not just a successful Wall Street suit but the heir to one of New York’s biggest Mafia families.

The last thing Trace needs is a romantic anything with law enforcement, and parole officer Jess has trouble written all over her. Too bad he likes trouble. Especially when it’s a brunette bombshell with attitude and legs for days.

She’s an absolute spitfire, and he wants to stoke that flame.

Trace didn’t ask for the Mafia life. Jess doesn’t want any part of it. They both know it’s safer to stay away, but the temptation is too hard to resist—no matter how great the danger.

A Dirty Business is the first book in the Kings of New York series written by Tijan. If you are a fan of the mafia style trope, this may just have to be your next read. 

Trace West spends his days toeing the line of morality. During the day, he works on wall street and at night, he carries out his Uncle’s orders. After all, being groomed to one day run the West family affairs is in his very near future, whether he wants the job or not.

Jess Montell works as a parole officer during the day, and at night, she bartends at one of the hottest bars in town. It just happened to be her night of freedom, when she stumbles into a man she should resist, but simply can’t… little does she know, she’s about to cross into unchartered territory when it comes to Trace West..

My Thoughts:

There was a time in this wonderful journey of reading when all I wanted to read was mafia romances. I devoured all the words all day long. It’s been a few years since I last picked up a novel, knowing it would entail a mafia lifestyle. The trope just isn’t for me anymore. I think after reading so many books revolving around this trope, it desensitized me, in a way. With all that being said, I picked up A Dirty Business knowing damn well I was about to read a Mafia romance. The hesitation was there, but the fact that this one is written by TIJAN had me going all in. 

Let’s start with the premise of the novel. As I stated, this is a slow burn mafia romance. Trace West is the heir to the West Family Mafia, while Jess Montell is a parole officer with a few secrets hidden up her sleeve. So you can safely assume, the drama is on point with this one!

Trace West is living in the middle of a double life. By day, he works on Wall Street and at night, he’s carrying out his uncles orders… This man is legit, batman! Throughout the novel, there is one question that lived through my head, will Trace ever be set free from the West Mafia. Will he turn his Uncle’s proposition down and continue working the Wall Street life. Or, will he settle into what the family wants and needs of him, after all he is the heir to the West name. And then when matters couldn’t possibly get any worse for Trace, he goes off and falls in love with a woman on the wrong side of the fence. Falling in love with a Parole Officer is just as bad as falling in love with a cop in his family’s eyes. I felt sorry for Trace, throughout this novel he does everything he can to be the good guy. But his family shit keeps pulling him back in the midst of things. I can’t say much more aside from I loved this man’s whole persona! I loved the fact that Trace West was all male! This man bordered on psychotic levels when it came down to protecting those he loved and cared for. I loved his overbearing ways, but I also loved the glimpses of a softer side we were given. 

And then we have Jess Montell… My heart was wrecked through her backstory. From her falling for a man on the wrong side of the moral scale, to the shit she endured from her mother… I literally wanted to reach into this paperback and give this woman a damn hug! I feel like she seriously needed one! Jess Montell is an independent woman with a very short fuse. Throughout this novel, she is in a constant battle between what is right and what is wrong. I loved the fact that she was twisted up with Trace, he showed her the true meaning of love and what it feels like to be cherished. My heart legit swooned through all of these moments. I loved every moment of Trace and Jess’ relationship.

One reason why I decided to drop a star on my rating, I wanted more information about the painting that Trace was curious about… I can’t go into more, based on spoilers. I feel like it was talked about, but never truly uncovered. Maybe I missed something in my reading.. But I wanted more from this scene. There were a couple other scenes I wanted more from also. Maybe a few flashback moments, maybe a conversation describing the moment… I just wanted a little bit more. 

Overall, I loved the romance between Jess and Trace. I do have to say, the Mafia vibes were strong with this one. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to get into this one due to me not really caring for this trope anymore, but that wasn’t the case. I loved the mafia vibes and the danger along with the deception Tijan brought to the table! I can’t wait to dive into Ashton’s story!! I need more!

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Peace Love and Happy Reading,