🎧︎A Dirty Business is the first book I have read by the author Tijan. I picked this book up when I discovered the mafia world would be the setting for the story. Yes! Mafia stories are my catnip. It’s my understanding that Tijan is a master at young adult stories. It would seem that A Dirty Business is her first adult romance book and her first venturing into the mafia world. While I cannot make a comparison between her newest release and her backlist, I believe she did a fairly good job with A Dirty Business, which featured a forbidden romance between a parole officer and the heir to a mafia empire.

 

Title: A Dirty Business
Author(s): Tijan
Series: Kings of New York #1
Also in this series: A Cruel Arrangement
Narrator(s): Joe Arden, C.J. Bloom
Published by Brilliance Audio on December 6, 2022
Pages: 439
Length: 11 hours 32 mins
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited, Netgalley
Format: Audiobook, eBook

Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Series Rating:
Heat Level:

From New York Times bestselling author Tijan comes a raw, tempestuous romance between the criminal underworld and a parole officer that paints a thin line between right and wrong.
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.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

 

🎧︎A Dirty Business introduces readers to parole officer Jess Montell and hedge fund manager and heir to a mafia family Tristian aka Trace West. In addition to her job as a parole officer, Jess also works at a nightclub on the weekends. Unbeknownst to her, the club is owned by Trace and his best friend, Ashton. As parole officer, Jess sees the world through a black and white lens. Meaning a situation or person is either good or bad. For her, a middle ground does not exist.

Trace’s job as a hedge fund manager kept him out of the family business. However, with the failing health of his uncle, the man who raised him, and the threat of the takeover of the West territory, he knew it was a matter of time when he would step up to the helm.

Trace and Jess had an interesting first meeting. Their attraction to each from that moment sizzled and popped. Learning she was a parole officer engaged the brakes on his attempt to have her in his bed. However, this discovery did little quench his desires, and it proved too difficult to stay away from her.

Despite sensing the air of danger surrounding Trace, Jess could not stop thinking about him. Then she learns of his connection to the criminal underworld. A discovery which should have the effect a fire extinguisher would have on a blaze. Instead, her attraction to him grew stronger and soon she can no longer stay away. 

Now this story did not possess the darkness and grittiness one would expect from this world. Sure, there was torture and murder, but not a large scale. Neither were the details graphic.

The slow burn romance which developed between Jess and Trace had its share of angst, which came as no surprise given their differing views and affiliation. Yes, there was a lot of back and forth between these two. Then we had Jess trying to maintain a balance with her morals and a relationship with Trace.

I enjoyed the Mafia storyline. There were scenes which had me on the edge of my seat. Also, there were some interesting revelations. Now, as much as I enjoyed the story, two things prevented it from being a five star read. First, the pacing was off in some parts of the story. Second, the ending threw me for a loop. Can you believe it? The story ended on a cliffhanger. I never saw it coming. 

Readers who enjoy the forbidden romance trope set and love stories with heat, family ties to traditions and their livelihood, A Dirty Business makes a great addition to your library. 

 

🎧︎A Dirty Business was narrated by the duo of C. J Bloom and Joe Arden.  Joe Arden I’ve listened to before and really liked – C. J Bloom was new to me. They complimented each other well and I really enjoyed listening at 1.5x speed.

Story Evaluation
Plot	4
Characters	4.5
World Building	4
Writing Style	4
Pacing	3
Cover	4
Narrator (Audio)	4
Enjoyment	3.5
Ending	3
Overall:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2022 Audio Book Challenge
• 2022 Netgalley and Edelweiss