Review: Dirty Red

Dear Opportunist,

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now, that he's mine I'll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn't ever think about you any more. I won't let him go....ever.

Dirty Red

Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn't. Her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.

Title: Dirty Red (Love Me With Lies ~ Book 2)
Author: Tarryn Fisher | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: December 21 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 265 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Perfect.  No other words for it.
Point of View: 1st person, following Leah

My Rating: 5 Stars

“A woman should never have to fight so hard to be with a man.  He should just want her.”

What can I possibly say about a book that had me seeing red and spitting nails within the first paragraph?  A book whose main character is one of the, if not THE, most disgusting, vile and despicable characters in the literary world.

Have I put you off from reading Dirty Red yet?  No?  Well that is a good thing, because regardless of the fact that Leah is vile, this was an amazing book.  There is absolutely no way that anybody who reads the Love Me With Lies series should be skipping this book.  Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like in the mind of a self-absorbed narcissist?  Yes?  Me too.

“This was perfect.  I was about a ten on the poison scale.  If he needed venom, I could inject it directly into his neck.”

So, I guess you get that I hate Leah?  There is no beating around the bush here. I hate her.  In fact hate is probably too calm of a word to fully express the emotions that I feel when I think of her. However, with all of this said, I am completely fascinated with her.  How easily the lies seem to roll off her wicked tongue.  How calm she is in the face of hatred.  How cool she manages to remain when her insides are slithering around like snakes.  I can not name even one redeeming quality for Leah.

“Maybe the guy loves a good bitch - but you're treading a thin line between attractively bitchy and psycho.”

However, I have to hand it to Tarryn Fisher, there are moments with Leah that I actually felt sorry for her.  Of course these moments only lasted for a nanosecond at the most, but it was there.  And that just shows how powerful her writing is.  Leah is not a character that you are meant to like.  She is the enemy.  The one to hate, to get rid of, to toss to the side.  The fact that even for a few moments I could feel any kind of empathy toward her is amazing.

“I have done a number of things to keep this man.  I have lied and cheated.  I have been sexy and meek, fierce and vulnerable.  I have been everything but myself.”

As with The Opportunist, there are plenty of lies told and even more bombshells dropped.  It is honestly as if the hits just kept on coming.  There was not a chance for me to even consider putting my Kindle down.  This was most definitely a one sitting read for me.  The story is engaging and completely unputdownable.

I have to be honest and say that I can't remember the last time I was this engrossed in a series of books.  It is as if they have taken over my entire being.  They will completely take over your thoughts and the feelings you develop for the characters are very much real.  I can not even describe the love I have for The Opportunist and Dirty Red.  And now... on to Thief.  An entire book in Caleb's point of view.  To say I am excited, is a massive understatement.

“No! I think. I am not the poisonous snake.  Olivia is.  Everything that I’ve had to do is her fault.  I am innocent.”

MORE QUOTES FROM DIRTY RED