Review: Dirty Angels by Karina Halle

Dirty Angels by Karina Halle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 to 3.5 stars!



Sorry, Javier fans but I didn't love this one.

It could be because I had such high expectations of the book. Or maybe because Javier's character became too watered down that it's almost unrecognizable -- and this is coming from someone who've read only one book (On Every Street) from the Artists Trilogy -- or what. Honestly, I can't seem to put my finger on why this just didn't wow me but I will try.

I have to say, there were flashes of his ruthless personality and twisted sense of humor throughout the book but it was sparse and inconsistent. He was floundering especially when compared to Luisa's character who just outshone him in the badass department.

Don't get me wrong, I love a badass heroine but not to the point where she outshines the hero. And Luisa definitely did outshine Javier.

***Warning spoilers ahead***

The whole drug lord thing was laughable. I mean, this was a drug cartel but most of these guys were just holed up in their "hideout" twiddling their thumbs, playing medieval torture, and waiting. I would have been okay with waiting. But then he had absolutely no BACK-UP PLAN whatsoever if their original plan fails. And it did FAIL. In epic fashion, in fact. Luisa had to take up the slack and go back to her husband.

I had to wonder, how in the world did this guy became a drug lord again? And they way he asked the DEA for help? WTF? I wish he would have gone commando on Salvador's ass but he didn't.

Oh well. 

***End of spoilers***
[The whole drug lord thing was laughable. I mean, this was a drug cartel but most of these guys were just holed up in their "hideout" twiddling their thumbs, playing medieval torture, and waiting. I would have been okay with waiting. But then he had absolutely no BACK-UP PLAN whatsoever if their original plan fails. And it did FAIL. In epic proportions, in fact. Luisa had to take up the slack and go back to her husband.

I had to wonder, how in the world did this guy became a drug lord again? And they way he asked the DEA for help? WTF? I wish he would have gone commando on Salvador's ass but he didn't.

Oh well.
(hide spoiler)]

But more than anything else, I was pretty bored and kept putting the book down. It wasn't until 65% or so did the story pick up. The first half was just Javier ruminating about his own ruthlessness and badassery. And I can't believe how many times I was reminded how stylish Javier was or what kind of jeans he's wearing, his suits,etc.

I did enjoy the tension between Este, the Doctor and Javier but for the most part, they were underutilized. The same can be said for Salvador. The torture scene helped a bit and the way Javier went about dispensing his own brand justice was great but for the most part



Still an okay read and many Javier fans will doubtless love this book but I wasn't that impressed. Still 3 to 3.5 for me because of Luisa and the last 20% where the action really picked up. But the rest was a bit meh for me.