| | |  | Books | Home » » Dirty | | | | | | | Description: | | This is what happened
I met him at the candy store. He turned and smiled at me and I was surprised enough to smile back. This was not a children's candy store, mind you—this was the kind of place you went to buy expensive imported chocolate truffles for your boss's wife because you felt guilty for having sex with him when you were both at a conference in Milwaukee. Hypothetically speaking, of course. I've been hit on plenty of times, mostly by men with little finesse who thought what was between their legs made up for what they lacked between their ears. Sometimes I went home with them anyway, just because it felt good to want and be wanted, even if it was mostly fake. The problem with wanting is that it's like pouring water into a vase full of stones. It fills you up before you know it, leaving no room for anything else. I don't apologize for who I am or what I've done in—or out—of bed. I have my job, my house and my life, and for a long time I haven't wanted anything else. Until Dan. Until now. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Megan Hart | | Paperback:
| 432 pages | | Publisher:
| Spice | | Publication Date:
| January 01, 2007 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0373605137 | | Product Length:
| 8.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.14 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.18 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.75 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
| based on 61 reviews |
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81 of 83 found the following review helpful:
Erotica with a plot - what a conceptJan 16, 2007
By Tracy Vest Accountant Elle prefers to engage in anonymous sex and one night stands. It's been over three years since she has slept with a man, and finds herself intrigued with lawyer Dan Stewart, whom she met at a candy store and thought would accompany her home, but merely received a chaste kiss. But when they meet again, she doesn't leave anything to chance. She gets more than he bargained for with Dan, as he agrees to her no dating policy (they have "appointments" instead) and claims that he won't get serious. But soon the relationship is appearing to be pretty exclusive.
But Elle is scarred from a childhood rife with guilt, pain and grief, and a family that doesn't know how to connect anymore. With a mother who could apparently not love more than one child, and an openly gay brother who is shunned from the family, it is no wonder Elle harbors resentment at her mother's constant requests to meet. Can a woman so damaged open her very closed off heart to a man who appears to have staying power?
Hart has done an incredible job of crafting an erotic story with an actual storyline, rather than lots of "wham, bam, thank you man" sex. There is plenty of sex, including a threesome, and most of it graphically realistic (no flowery euphemisms here). A recommended read for those looking for something sensual yet deeper.
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
Well written novel with a dark edge ...Aug 07, 2007
By Zeek
"Book Lover"
I know that Hart's second book is titled Broken. To be honest, it would be an equally apropos title for this one as Elle, the protag, was just that- a broken woman.
Written in first person, Dirty follows a short section of Elle's life starting with an encounter with a man she met at an upscale chocolate store. She's instantly attracted to Dan and, though she's just met him, she agrees to go with him to a local bar.
Elle has no qualms about one night stands- she's had plenty. The sexual tension with Dan leads her to allow him to follow her home. But he leaves her at the door with a brief kiss and no promises for more. Of course she can't get him off her mind and when she chances upon him again, they pick up where they left off. But this time he leaves her with a bit more- a very public, but well hidden, sexual encounter ... and a business card.
Elle wants to keep her distance emotionally, after all- sex is just sex in the end. But Dan won't have it. He's no steam rolling Alpha and though he comes off as dominant in the bedroom- it's only because he knows she wants it. Still, he gently leads her down the path of getting exactly what he wants and, in the meantime, leads her to wellness.
Dirty is not a light read. It has depth to it and it retains a very erotic edge. (Imagine that!)
Elle is seriously screwed up from a gravely dysfunctional childhood and some of her choices really bugged me. I honestly didn't like her ... in the beginning. Oh, I knew early on she had some issues and why she had them, though it wasn't truly revealed until the end, and normally I can empathize. But for some reason she really got under my skin. I think it's because Hart did such a good job of making her seem- cold. Broken people who hate what they do to numb the pain and can't seem to stop, melt my heart. Broken people who show no sign of wanting to change make me want to scream in frustration.
However, later in the story I found an edge of compassion for her because she found hers.
This book won't be for everyone. And honestly, if I was in the mood for a darker read I might have liked it more.
Still, I'm giving it a 4.5 because it truly is a well written novel.
26 of 28 found the following review helpful:
Indulge yourself by getting a little bit DIRTY!Jan 08, 2007
By C. Dionne
"Chrissy Dionne"
Elle Kavanagh lives a successful, primarily solitary life in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She's cordial enough with her neighbors and co-workers but has very few real bonds of friendship with any of them. Even her sexual relationships are just encounters here and there with very few of the men who know her real name. Elle isn't ashamed of who she is or what she's done in or out of bed. She's been perfectly content with life as it is - until now. No one could have guessed that she'd meet a man in a candy store who would change her life.
From the moment Dan Stewart meets Elle he knows there's something special about her. He's got nothing against getting down and DIRTY but he isn't interested in a one night stand either. Dan understands that Elle is uncomfortable with dating. Rather than push to put a label on their relationship he agrees not to date . . . instead they'll do whatever Elle wants. Surely she'll see how good they are together and want more than a sexual relationship with him.
Megan Hart exceeded my expectations when I picked up DIRTY, her newest release. I knew there would be smoldering sex scenes, after all this is an erotic novel, but I didn't expect to become emotionally involved with the characters' lives and want to befriend each of them. Ms. Hart treats us to Elle's personal journey as she struggles with the events of her past and how they've affected her beliefs and attitude in her adult life. I loved Dan's easygoing attitude and the way he's able to accept all of Elle's quirks while making her comfortable just being herself. While the central focus of this book is on Dan and Elle there are a couple of awesome subplots which kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen next. Wonderfully written Ms. Hart.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Good book undone by unsympathetic main characterAug 13, 2009
By T. M. Wheaton
"Tina"
In various places I've seen this book listed as Erotica or as Erotic romance. Interestingly, I have found it neither erotic nor romantic.
The basic storyline is very simple. Elle Kavanaugh is an accountant with a very simple lifestyle. She lives alone, has no friends, has an extremely dysfunctional family and, when she does have sex, it is usually with men she picks up to have one night encounters with. She doesn't like intimacy and doesn't date. The reasons for Elle's very stark existence and refusal to allow herself to connect on a romantic level is pretty obvious even from the beginning of the book.
Then one day she meets Dan in a candy store and he intrigues her. A lot. The two begin a --- I don't want to call it a relationship because that involves a level of engagement that is absent here --- series of encounters. Elle likes to have sex with Dan but pulls away from him when he tries to make it more than the simple "appointments" as they euphemistically call them. In the end, Elle manages to confront her demons and she and Dan get together in a real relationship.
The only reason I gave this book even 3 stars is because the level of the writing was very high. It wasn't a slam-bam erotic novel all sex and no plot. There were some heavy issues in the story that were handled quite realistically. The level of self awareness of the main character was also a strong point in the book. It was written in first person and the "voice" of the character was very vivid and alive and unremittingly cynical.
I feel like I should have liked this book more than I did. It took me a bit to process and I think I am not glowing with praise as much as I should because I simply could not like Elle. Now, I am a cynic myself. I can do 'Bitch, Please..." like nobody's business. And I don't believe that main female protagonists in supposedly romantic novels needs to be Mary Sunshines (I actually prefer them not to be). But I still need to find a kernel of something that makes them likable to me. I didn't find that in Elle.
I could admire her self awareness. I could admire the way she chose to survive her circumstances. I could even admire her unapologetic way she went about her life. But I still couldn't like her. I actually think this is where the first person narration is a big disadvantage. The entire time you're in the head and in the viewpoint of a person who is really in the throes of some major self loathing. How could that loathing not affect you?
The first person narrative also had the effect of making the other characters kinda blind to me. I would have loved to have been inside Dan's or Marcie's (Elle's co-worker and friend from her office)heads to figure out what they saw in Elle that made them think she was worthy of their attention and consideration. It just seemed so one-sided with Dan and Marcie always reaching out, always giving and Elle always taking never reaching back. Even in the end after Elle faces her demons she still can't be the one to take the first step to reach out to Dan. He is the one who comes to her. It was just the final straw for me with this character. I just found her very selfish and couldn't forgive it on the basis of her issues.
I do recommend the book, though, because I do think the writing was very strong. I just couldn't stand the main character
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Enthralling and engrossing (sorry, I can only think of "e" words now)Feb 27, 2007
By Collette L. Rand **I made this comment on a review blog and thought that since I felt so moved as to write a response, I should also post my feelings about the book here.**
Okay, I read this the night I got it. I loved it. I couldn't put it down. In fact, I stayed up way, way too late.
I was caught up in the language of it and I thought it was both highly emotional and erotic. It always seemed to me that although there was so much about Elle that was hidden, mostly by choice, there was so much that we could see about her. The pain, the intense feelings she constantly submerged and I liked her inner thoughts. I enjoyed Dan (quite the alpha man while not exactly typical hero material)-I thought perhaps there was a pinch too much of him always doing the right thing but I liked that he wasn't instantly in love with her or she with him. And the back story/conflict that was woven throughout was well-written and intense.
It was important to me that it wasn't a cheap ending and that they had to work for it. In fact, you could tell that they were still going to have to work on it even though I would describe it as a HEA. There was a lot of emotion and struggle and give and take-much closer to real life than a fairy tale. Only with lots and lots of hot sex. You gotta love that.
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