Book Review: Down and Dirty by Rhys Ford

Title: Down and Dirty
Series: Cole McGinnis, Book 5
Author: Rhys Ford
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: January 2, 2015 by Dreamspinner Press

From the moment former LAPD detective Bobby Dawson spots Ichiro Tokugawa, he knows the man is trouble. And not just because the much younger Japanese inker is hot, complicated, and pushes every one of Bobby’s buttons. No, Ichi is trouble because he’s Cole McGinnis’s younger brother and off-limits in every possible way. And Bobby knows that even before Cole threatens to kill him for looking Ichi’s way. But despite his gut telling him Ichi is bad news, Bobby can’t stop looking… or wanting.

Ichi was never one to play by the rules. Growing up in Japan as his father’s heir, he’d been bound by every rule imaginable until he had enough and walked away from everything to become his own man. Los Angeles was supposed to be a brief pitstop before he moved on, but after connecting with his American half-brothers, it looks like a good city to call home for a while—if it weren’t for Bobby Dawson.

Bobby is definitely a love-them-and-leave-them type, a philosophy Ichi whole-heartedly agrees with. Family was as much of a relationship as Ichi was looking for, but something about the gruff and handsome Bobby Dawson that makes Ichi want more.

Much, much more.

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Reviewed by: Crissy

Why I Read This Book: As a huge fan of this series, I have been dying for Bobby’s story. The lifelong playboy met his match in Ichiro in the third book, and even before then, probably since the third book, I’ve wanted more of Bobby.

In A Nutshell: This is a sweet addition to the Cole McGinnis series laden with Ford’s humor and a little action and tension to back it up. It’s definitely a keeper.

The Setup: Bobby is a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of guy but when he meets Ichiro, thoughts of commitment come to mind. Plus Ichi is Cole’s little brother, and the one thing that scares Bobby more than a relationship is losing Cole’s friendship. But Ichi is persistent and he wants Bobby, and Bobby can only hold him at a distance for so long.

What I Liked: Bobby and Ichi. I’ve had a thing for Bobby since the first book in this series. Seriously, he’s a man-whore with a heart of gold and makes no apologies. I loved seeing this side of Bobby. From the beginning we’ve known he’s the guy who would follow Cole into the bowels of hell and back, but in this book we learn the whys of Bobby. Why he cherishes his relationship with Cole so strongly as opposed to the way he uses his boy toys. Why he’s so afraid of commitment. Why he’s afraid to pursue Ichi. And then with Ichi we learn his hang-ups. I’ve liked Ichi since he first showed up, all attitude and tattoos, but there’s more to him. But best of all is his refusal to give up. He lived his life to make other people happy for so long, and now he’s living for himself. And won’t give up. Even if he’s afraid he’ll lose his brother for it.

What I Also Liked: I loved the struggle of this relationship. Bobby’s reluctance to start something with Ichi comes from two different worlds of reasoning – his fear of commitment and his fear of losing Cole. Both are explored in detail. Ichi has a similar struggle, as he’s just united with both of his brothers and doesn’t want to lose either of them. But he’s also trying to be his own man. Their inner struggles set the emotional sphere around this book. Their physical tug of war—will they, won’t they—is what creates the drama. And it is so delicious.

What I Didn’t Like: I’m a little disappointed that this book didn’t revolve around one of Cole’s and Bobby’s cases. I’m so used to this series, as a whole, being suspense and mystery. It’s a fabulous romance, but knowing Bobby and his penchant to get in trouble (mostly because of Cole) I was hoping for a lot of that, but a lot of the scenes that had anything to do with Bobby/Cole trouble were scenes we’ve read in different books, only from a different perspective.

In My Opinion: A definite must read. This entire series is wonderful, but to finally have Bobby and Ichi’s story... I closed the book with a happy sigh.

Memorable Moments:

“Bread always lands butter side down when you’re really hungry, and you’re always fall for the person who’s the worst possible choice for you.”

“Get in. And all of you, sit down and listen. Because we’re not going to be doing this again. Or so help me God, you shall feel my wrath and wish the Lord had given you locusts and floods instead.”

“Everything,” Ichi whispered, reaching over to slide the offending piece of underwear off his lover. “You were everything I was looking for.”

Crissy’s Rating: