Mr. Dirty, Nana Malone

Hot, frustrating, dirty, sexy, sweet, unexpected.  Both characters had hidden parts of themselves that only came out with one another.  They were what the other was missing in their lives.  Each one had desires carnal and otherwise that needed something neither believed they'd ever find and yet with not one, but two unexpected encounters they set themselves on their own path to find everything they were always meant to have.

So we have Nathan, dirty-talking, filthy rich, and sex on a stick.  He's a manwhore who avoids emotional entanglements with the same determination that he goes about business dealings and hasn't failed yet.  When he's faced with his father's indiscretions this time he realizes that he just can't stomach turning the other way anymore.  He's decided to cut ties with him and the business he helped build.  On the eve of this momentous decision he finds himself at one last business meeting.  What he didn't know at the time was that he'd also be meeting the one woman who could turn his whole life upside down.  Their introduction was far from a fairy tale moment, in fact it was pretty sordid.  A failed pick up and a voyeur moment that would live in their memories until their next convergence.

That moment was a tawdry vision that haunted Sophie until she saw the man in the flesh in her own hallway.  But since then it wasn't just that vision that haunted her, it was the endless parade of women, his shirtlessness, his sexy smile, and the many and myriad noises coming from his apartment across the hall, on the rooftop patio, and just about every other place.  It's obvious that he doesn't remember her so she has no problem telling him off for disturbing her, her sleep, and her sanity (she keeps that last part to herself, though).  He's painting a pretty clear picture of who he is for her so when he witnesses her at her lowest and does nothing but try to defend her and then comfort her she's so very confused.  Is there more to the panty-dropping smirk and party boy she sees?

Watching them come together physically is way hot, but it's seeing them create a life together without really knowing it that draws you in and keeps you in their orbit.  Things go really well until there's the big misunderstanding and the way things are resolved leaves me with mixed feelings.  I love Nathan's determination to explain and win her back.  Before that happens, though, I didn't enjoy watching him admit his feelings and then deny them as if he never realized it before when he clearly did.  His relationship with his step-mother is tender and allows us to see a different side to him that is essential to believe the veracity of his feelings for Sophie.

Sophie is inordinately stubborn in her refusal to hear him out.  I can understand being hurt by what she saw but if she loved him as she says she does she should at least hear him out first to determine the best course of action.  Her actions are colored by her past, which is understandable, but she ignores evidence in favor of incorrect perceptions.  Then the thing with Adam was a bit much because she talks herself into doing something she knows isn't right and I'm not a fan of that.

Speaking of her past, I think that if there was a discussion with Nathan about it it could have worked better than the confrontation with her father in the street.  I could see this from a couple sides though.  On the one hand we have the need for Sophie to accept, move beyond, and heal from her past with her absentee father.  Having the confrontation in the street with its outcome takes care of that, yes, but it added an element to the story that wasn't given its due.  It takes care of opening a door for her healing, but on the other hand this could have been done differently or even eliminated completely because while it helps her as a person it actually detracts from the point of the story.  I don't think it adds anything vital to her acceptance of Nathan's pleas and gestures.  If it were taken out we could have just had her focus on Nathan's words, actions, explanations, and how vastly different they are from her father's action and inaction and it would have solved her issue with comparing the two men unjustly.  Random encounters that quickly become slightly combative and then end with the combatants making a date to bury the hatchet don't have to happen for someone to heal from and move beyond their past experiences.  My opinion is that that whole scene was unnecessary.

Overall the story was good, there was good progression in the relationship both physically and emotionally.  We got to know these people deeply.  The only support character I liked was Nathan's mom, the rest were a bit disappointing because I wasn't a fan of their advice and lack of support.  The plot moved along at a good pace and I wasn't bored at any point.  It's definitely worth a read if you like steamy contemporary romances with a feisty woman and a sexy man with a penchant for dirty talk.

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