~3.5 Stars~

Dirty Games is the second book in the Dirty series and follows the younger brother of Alec Drummond, one of the MCs from book one. The Drummond family is an intimidating one, and while you do not need to have read Dirty Deeds to understand this one, that first novel gives you background information on this powerful family of brothers that you will only get a smattering of in this second novel. This is also a spin-off of HelenKay Dimon’s Tough Love series, so if you are familiar with those books, this series will follow that same M/M suspense format.

The oldest brother Alec found love in book one, in book two we skip to the baby of the family, Finn, and I am really intrigued and waiting on book three which will feature the middle, elusive and most mysterious Drummond brother, Griff—hopefully! For a suspense novel to work you have to have a plausible storyline, and I think the author has one with this book. The settings seem well thought out and researched, and I didn’t think once that the sequence of events was unbelievable. It’s a slow burn for this novel, and we get a great deal of extraneous information and plot along with the romance happening on the page. This one is almost, not quite, but almost more suspense/mystery than romance.

Justin Miller is a man honed by his ten years in the army. His seven years working for the Drummond Corporation hasn’t mellowed him much. As head of the firm’s charitable arm, he keeps field operations running from his base in Morocco. He’s harsh, he’s gruff, but if he drops a ball then people could die and that is just not acceptable for Justin. When things start happening to his shipments, the aid as well as the funds to buy the aid then Justin knows he has to call in his boss, Alec, and tell him what is going on. Only Alec isn’t the one to show up, it’s Finn, the Drummond brother who has been the main star of all Justin’s fantasies for seven years. Knowing he cannot have Finn doesn’t stop Justin from dreaming about what it would be like if he could. Justin ends up gobsmacked when Finn goes after him, but Justin has spent so much time believing he could never have a relationship with the man that when it happens, it is hard for him to believe it could be real. Justin’s unicorn walks into his life and, frankly, the man has a hard time trusting that it’s real. I will say, this attitude perpetuated just a teeny bit too long in the story, and it may have gotten on my alright-already nerve. Justin also lashes out a bit as he learns to trust, so take a patience pill in regard to him. Justin has been hurt before, and trusting that Finn won’t hurt him is hard for him.

Finn is the last brother in a powerful family of complete overachievers. He learned early in his life to stake his place on the food chain. He has lusted for Justin for a long time, so when the corporation needs someone to check out missing shipments in Morocco, he jumps at the chance to prove his worth to his brothers as well as Justin. What he finds when he gets there is danger, to him personally as well as to the charity and the people they help. Untangling the web of deceit isn’t easy, especially while falling in love with a man who has more prickles than a porcupine. Finn is a big-picture guy, which is what helps him to look past the small hurts Justin inflicts on him and keep the prize in sight. Honestly, there were a few times I was like, “run away,” but Finn doesn’t and Dimon crafts a satisfying HEA in the end which totally suited me. Finn has a great personality! He is the polar opposite to Justin and brings a lightness to the story that it needs.

The secondary characters all support the main storyline nicely, especially Justin’s right-hand-man, Oliver. As a secondary character, Oliver Jacobsen is well written and the perfect foil for Justin. If he were a real man, he would be in line for a medal of honor for how much he puts up with from the man all while supporting Justin’s work and smoothing the way for him. When things start to go badly between our main characters, something that happens frequently, it is Oliver who brings them back together.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It goes just deep enough into the suspense to keep your interest, and the MCs were multifaceted and real. The settings and the descriptions of Africa and Morocco were fascinating as was the ins and outs of the charitable organizations who work there. I absolutely recommend this book. Was it my favorite of HelenKay Dimon’s writing? No, but it was still enjoyable. It’s an easy read and keeps you guessing as to who the bad guy will end up being. I am looking forward to book three and Griff’s story, rounding out the Drummond brothers.

I’ve read and enjoyed a handful of HelenKay Dimon’s romantic suspense novels, some of them m/f, and some m/m, so I know pretty much what to expect from her; a fast-paced, energetic and steamy story that is perhaps longer on action than it is on romance – which is exactly what I got. Dirty Games is the second book in her current Dirty series of m/m novels, and like the others in this series, it reads like the written-down version of an action movie or TV show; the leads are gorgeous, the action is almost non-stop, the scene changes are snappy, and there’s little time for introspection – and I suspect the degree to which you enjoy it will depend largely on what your expectations are at the outset.

Justin Miller is in charge of the on-the-ground operations of one of the charitable organisations run by Drummond Enterprises, the multi-billion dollar agricultural business run by Alec Drummond and his brothers, Griff and Finn. Justin, a former soldier, is ferociously driven and dedicated – nothing goes on at Drummond Charities’ Morocco camp without his knowledge, and he has recently noticed a series of irregularities in shipments in and out which have become a major source of concern. He has his suspicions as to what might be going on, but it’s not something he can – or should – deal with alone, so he has asked Alec to travel to Morocco from his base in Germany so they can work out how to tackle the issue. Unfortunately for Justin, however, it’s the wrong Drummond brother who steps out of the black sedan that arrives at the camp. Alec has sent his youngest brother, Finn, in his stead, and that’s something Justin is most definitely not prepared for.

Ever since he first set eyes on Finn Drummond six years earlier, Justin has been unable to get him out of his mind. Good-looking, sexy, funny and warm, Finn is six foot one of walking sex – except that he’s straight, and in spite of that one brief time years earlier when Justin wondered if Finn was flirting with him, Justin knows nothing can happen between them. Even so, having the object of his deepest desires and oldest fantasies within touching distance is likely to drive Justin up the wall and distract him from the big picture – trying to get to the bottom of the missing shipments, incorrect manifests and incomplete deliveries of food and supplies.

Finn – who is actually bisexual – hasn’t exactly been unaware of Justin over the past few years either, but the guy radiates such dislike whenever they’ve met that Finn has kind of consigned his attraction to the other man to the ‘never gonna happen’ pile. Still, it’s not long before Finn realises that at least part of Justin’s antagonistic behaviour towards him is due to his attempts to mask an attraction Finn is only too happy to reciprocate and act upon.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and this certainly had the potential to be a good one, but while Ms. Dimon has crafted an intriguing and suspenseful plot, the romance is less successful. The author has chosen an interesting setting for her story; the small strip of land close to the border between Morocco and Spain is rife with political and humanitarian problems and Justin has to walk an often precarious line to maintain the status quo. So when it becomes apparent that the missing shipments are most likely being sold/exchanged for arms, there’s a danger that the whole operation could be asked to leave the country. Justin and Finn are desperate to prevent that – so many people in the area need help and have nowhere else to go – so they must work together to find out who is behind the scheme. And with Finn being targeted by those running the arms trafficking ring, time isn’t on their side.

With Justin and Finn thrown so much together, it gives them time and opportunity to indulge in plenty of steamy sex (although they have to be careful as they’re in a country where committing homosexual acts carries a heavy penalty), but while Finn is ready to let Justin into his life and commit, Justin is carrying a chip on his shoulder the size of Wales, and instead picks fights with Finn at almost every available opportunity. Whenever it seems as though a conversation he doesn’t want to have is approaching, Justin retreats behind his emotional shields and throws Finn’s privileged upbringing and status as a member of one of the world’s wealthiest families in his face – and quite honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed Finn for telling Justin where he could stick it.

The suspense plot is the most successful part of the book – it’s interesting and fast-paced (although I did have to ask myself how many times Finn could be attacked and injured and still keep walking!) but unfortunately the romance is not well developed and I found it really hard to believe their relationship went any deeper than the physical. Justin’s pissy attitude continues until almost the very end of the book when he finally, FINALLY realises he’s been an arsehole, apologies to Finn and asks for another chance. Lucky for him Finn is such a great guy, but Finn’s warmth and generosity are such a contrast to Justin’s bad-temper and tendency to lash out when his emotions threaten to become involved that it’s difficult to believe their relationship will go the distance.

I did enjoy reading Dirty Games and it delivered what I expected for the most part; a suspenseful plot, action and steam – but it didn’t convince in the romance department. If you’re following the series, you might want to pick it up, but the lack of a believable romance means I can’t quite recommend it to romantic suspense fans in general.

Grade: C+ / 3.5 stars

*1.5 stars*

I actually didn't like this book at all, but I'm trying to focus on the positives over here.

If you like emotionally stunted characters and books with tons of back-and-forth and repetition, this is the book for you.

I guess my pact to focus on the positives has wavered a bit...

I haven't read much from HelenKay Dimon because I'm not a romantic suspense fan, but the cover of this one looked enticing, so I decided to give it a go.

I'm all for tortured characters with difficult pasts, but Justin really tested my patience. I felt like he was playing silly games for the entire story, and the relationship between him and Finn would take one step forward and then two giant steps back.



Painful dialogue full of hurtful words and jabs (something I don't like in real life OR romance) didn't help things. Just a lack of chemistry, a lack of emotional development from the characters, and a story that failed to wow me. Bummer.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Suspenseful, Angsty and HOT!

Dirty Games is the second book in HelenKay Dimon's The Dirty series but it stands alone and you won't feel lost if you haven't read book one, Dirty Deeds. (It's a great book though, and I highly recommend it.)

Dirty Games didn't hit me as hard as Dirty Deeds did but I still loved it. Justin Miller is in charge of handling a humanitarian effort for Drummond Charities in Morocco. Finn is the youngest of the Drummond brothers and he's been sent to Morocco to help figure out who is stealing supplies sent to the humanitarian effort.

Wow, Justin has to be one of the biggest jerks I've read in a long time. He has been lusting after Finn for years but Finn always seemed to have a girlfriend and Justin doesn't do straight guys (he doesn't know that Justin is bi.). Finn has also had a thing for Justin but Justin has always seemed to dislike him.

I'm going to disagree with a lot of other reviewers who seemed to think that Justin was just too much to deal with and didn't like him at all. I think the point was to see just how bad he could be and yet still be redeemed in the end. Since this is a romance, it's no spoiler to say that all ends well but boy did Finn have to work hard to get Justin to admit there is something serious between them.

The chemistry between Justin and Finn is hot and so is the sexy time when they finally get together. This book touched on my emotions and made me cry for some of the things these two go through. I love the way Ms. Dimon ended this story. Even though he's not mentioned much, I hope that the middle Drummond brother, Griff, gets a book of his own.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

I wanted to like this one more because I really loved Finn and I liked the plot that surrounded the two but Justin drove me nuts! He was a jerk for so much of the story that I just never really liked him. I thought that Finn put up with too much of his crap considering how little time they actually spent together. The push/pull or hot/cold just went on too long in my opinion and I found it frustrating.

However, I liked the action and the suspense plot. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters and I like the brothers. I'm intrigued with the third brother and so I will continue this series. So while this one wasn't my favorite I'm still a fan of HelenKay Dimon and this series.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/M Mystery Romance
Triggers: Attempted murder

Finn and Justin have a history and not all of it's good. With miscommunications, overprotective brothers, and someone stealing supplies, there are a lot of issues that these characters have to weave their way around.

Finn is trying to make his own stamp on the family business. He wants things to succeed and knows that despite the strange tension between him and Justin, he is intrigued by Justin all the same. As soon as Finn starts digging into the issues that Justin presented, strange things follow.

With Finn looking like a target, Justin can't help but be cautious with him. Despite his long-time crush on Finn, Justin also knows that his job is very important to him and he doesn't want anyone to jeopardize it.

Finn and Justin have a love-hate relationship. Preconceived notions and poor communication skills mar their relationship. But when the chips are down, both will have to fight for their relationship and the continuation of the project that is so important to both of them.

I hope that there are more to come!


Sarah – ☆☆☆
Part action, part romance, part political intrigue, this story about two men who find each other while racing to figure out who is trading their charity supplies for weapons has some entertaining moments.

Readers will recognise Finn as Alex’s brother in the first book. Finn has pulled back from the business side of his family’s organisation to focus on its charity work. I found Finn likeable, if a little bit bland. At times I think he puts up with a little bit too much emo crazy from Justin.

I really found it hard to like Justin. His anger at Finn is confusing and feels unmerited. His hot/cold emotional dysregulation makes him seem more like a hormonal teenager than the head of an important international charity.

For most of this story, Justin and Finn are either arguing or shagging and it drove me mad after a while. I found the action scenes more engaging than the romance but there aren’t enough clues before the whodunnit reveal, which I found annoying.

This isn’t my favourite of this author’s stories. I enjoyed the setting and the Night Manager style premise, but I really didn’t engage with the romance and I wanted to be able to engage more with the action.

This is the second installment in the Dirty series. It is a MM romantic suspense with lots of suspense and intrigue. The author has chosen a wonderful setting of a Moroccan refugee camp for this series which is unusual for a romance book. I really have enjoyed this series, and this installment kept my interest peeked from the beginning. The main characters have a really tumultuous relationship which is interesting to see unfold. Add into that the suspense of gunrunners and kidnap attempts and it is a great story. It kept my interest peeked with no idea who the bad guy was until the very end. Loved it!

This is the second book in "The Dirty" series and the author continues with storylines that are well written, plots that are well planned out and characters that are so well detailed which makes her books very enjoyable to read!

Justin Miller, ex–Army grunt working for a charity in Africa.
Finn Drummond, the baby in a family of sharks. Viewed by some as a “useless rich boy”. Family funds the charity that Justin is managing.

The shipments of essential supplies are missing and/or short of items. Are the goods being used in exchange for guns? Who is trying to kill Finn? The chemistry between Justin and Finn is off the charts. Justin has had his eye on Finn for years, but he thought Finn was straight. Finn is openly bi-sexual, but he is a one person at a time lover. This book is filled with gunshots, bombs, staged car accidents and kidnappings. Non-stop action and the heat level is 10.

It took me a while to warm up to Justin, but in the end I felt his pain. Finn was just lovely.

I haven’t read Dirty #1, Dirty Deeds, but I never felt lost. This book can totally be read as a stand alone.

4 Stars
The book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

The one person who stood out to me in the first book in this series, Dirty Deeds, was Alec’s youngest brother Finn. I kind of expected his story to be the last in the series, because that’s usually the case when I fall in love with a character. So color me surprised when I discovered that the second book would feature Finn and give him his HEA. YAY! No waiting!

Unfortunately, I can’t say this book really worked for me. I didn’t hate it, but I really didn’t love it either. And it all boils down to the prickly, argumentative, distrustful, jump to conclusions about EVERTHING Justin. I did not like Justin from the moment he was introduced in the first chapter and I never warmed up to him. Maybe because he remained an asshole right up until the bitter end.

Let me backtrack a bit… The second book in the Dirty series by HelenKay Dimon features Finn Drummond, youngest brother from the billionaire Drummond family who run an agricultural business. Finn wants to run the charity arm of their business, which is why he answers a summons by the man who runs the operations on the ground on a small strip of land between Morocco and Spain. That man is Justin Miller. He was expecting Alec Drummond to show up, but instead gets Finn, which is a huge problem because he’s had a thing for Finn since the moment he clapped eyes on him. His other problem is that shipments are going missing and he believes that they are being traded for guns. He needs someone to help him figure out what is going on, but he can’t work with Finn.

The book opens with Finn arriving at the charity’s main complex and meeting with Justin and from that first meeting right up until the very last chapter Justin is rude, argumentative and disrespectful. If I was Finn I would have fired him and sent him home in the first ten pages of the book. Regardless of what you think of Finn and all his money, dude you work for him COME ON. But for some reason Finn puts up with his crap and even falls into bed with the guy. I don’t know why. They have lots of arguments and lots of sex. It’s not until the last 4% that they talk and decide they are in love and want to be together. By that time I was mentally exhausted, still disliked Justin, and did not believe the sudden love words.

I did like the setting, mystery and the action scenes. I felt like I understood what was going on much better than in the previous release. I kind of suspected who the bad guy might be, but there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. That is what kept me reading, even when I wanted put my Kindle down. The romance didn’t work for me, which is sad because I was truly looking forward to Finn’s story. Final Grade-C-

Favorite Quote:

Justin’s eyes widened. “Let me get this straight. You thought we’d fuck and I’d become nicer?”
“No, because it was sex, not a miracle.”

I absolutely loved Finn in the first "Dirty" book, so I was excited to read his story. Sadly, this second book in the series left me disappointed. As far as the story goes, there is plenty of action and intrigue, but whether it was just this book or I don't remember as much about the first one as I thought, I had trouble getting into this one. In the beginning, I felt a bit like I was being thrown into the middle of a story rather than the start. That aside, things did start coming together on that front and made for an interesting storyline. However, the romance between Finn and Justin just didn't feel very romantic. Justin's on and off, hot and cold was enough to give a person whiplash. He was like a lovesick puppy one minute and being a complete jerk the next. Plus, there's the added info of a past fling with Finn's brother which added nothing to the story in my humble opinion - other than a bit of an ick factor. I did still like Finn, but got a little aggravated with him being such a pushover with Justin. I spent a good deal of this story hoping that Finn would get tired of Justin's antics, give him a much needed attitude adjustment, and just walk away. That, in itself, doesn't say much for what was supposed to be a romance. So, while I did enjoy the first book, this one leaves me undecided about whether I'll check out whatever is next for the Dirty series.

I really wanted to like this book. I love action packed romances where the high octane drama helps to fuel the development of the relationship. Unfortunately this book was not that. The attraction was an extremely unlikely one sided instalust that somehow turned into one sided instalove that supposedly lasted several years. I’m sorry but normal people don’t try to get rid of their “undying” love for someone by sleeping with that person’s brother and if they did, they’re unworthy of that person in the first place. The book has other major flaws beyond the emotionally abusive Justin, namely the mystery, which was poorly executed and unbelievably convoluted. I can’t recommend this read but I believe that this author will be able to improve her craft with later books in this series.

5 Stars
Received ARC in exchange for an honest review

New to the M/M genre

What a great story really loved Justin & Finn together.

There were so many personal obstacles for both of these characters. Making their eventual road to a HEA together all the more meaningful. ...

Entranced with this story from the first few pages ..Great read !!

Loved this book !!

Dirty Games by HelenKay Dimon is the second book in the Dirty Series. I enjoyed the action packed suspense and the romance between Justin and Finn.

I have really enjoyed some of HelenKay Dimon's books in the past. In particular, Mr. and Mr. Smith, is one of my favorites. I like how she adds a real story to her romance novels. The romance is set in a mystery or a thriller or some other type of plot which always makes the story more interesting to me.

Dirty Deeds is book 2 in her new Dirty series. It can be read as a stand alone, but like all books in a series, there is some background revealed in book 1 that is only mentioned in book 2. I don't think missing book 1 would have a big effect on enjoying book 2.

This is a good story. It has strong elements. Justin and Finn are solid characters. The situation they find themselves is riveting.

Justin heads a refugee camp on the border between Africa and Spain. He works for Drummond Industries. Finn Drummond is one of the three brother owners. When shipments start to go missing or fall short, Finn heads to the area to help solve the mystery.

Justin is a loner. He's been dealt some tough hands in life and now prefers to keep everyone at arms length. Only his best friend, Oliver, knows of his secret, years long crush on Finn. Justin is determined to keep Finn at arms length to protect himself from any possible heartache.

Let the fireworks begin. :-) Man, Justin could be such a jerk! Finn seemed to have the patience of a saint.

I enjoyed the story. However, I thought that too much of it was "told" instead of "shown". There was a lot of information dump that prevented me from connecting with the feelings I needed to invest in the plot. I also had a bit of a problem with the POV changes. I often didn't realize when one man had stopped talking and the other had taken up. Some switches were so abrupt that I got confused as to who was talking/thinking.

It has the makings of a good story but the execution is lacking polish. It made it difficult for me to truly connect with each man's struggle. However, I did enjoy reading Finn's story and now I'm curious if Griff, the other brother, is next.

I've really enjoyed previous novels by HelenKay Dimon and this one was no different. Dirty Games centers around Finn Drummond and the head of a charity in Morocco. Shipments aren't arriving as necessary so Finn comes in to help investigate. Dirty Games had a little bit less of the mystery as neither one of the main characters is actively involved with the CIA. I enjoyed that though as we got to see more of the relationship between the characters develop which is one of my favorite parts of a book with a romance involved. If you're a fan of previous books in this universe I really think you'll enjoy this one. If you just enjoy a watching a relationship with flawed people develop I think you'll like this one too.

I really enjoyed Finn and Justin's story. Helenkay is fast becoming a favorite in this suspense, M/M genre. She writes beautifully about an area of the world we don't often find in romance novels. The mystery and suspense kept me riveted while giving us the steam we love to read in these kinds of books. Justin has a massive chip on his shoulder and giving in to his attraction is just not in the cards. He was really beginning to tick me off because his attitude toward Finn overwhelms everything he does. Little by little, however, we begin to see where he is coming from and we also begin to see the cracks in his armor. Finn is just who he is and he makes no apologies for how he lives his life. Will Finn finally give up each time Justin pushes him away or will Justin finally let down his walls and allow another person to finally care for him. I found this story intriguing and satisfying.

There's a lot to like about this book. It has sarcasm, suspense, mystery, romance and brotherhood. Yes, it's a M/M romance but it's also a tender sweet story that grows on you. Justin is a bit older than Finn, less secure in his feelings because of his past but definitely a manly guy. Finn, the wealthy businessman, self confident and strong willed is there for Justin in many ways. It took a bit to get to the nitty gritty suspense but then things took off quickly. If you enjoy an edge of your seat exciting book, grab this one. I requested my copy from Netgalley and wrote my review voluntarily.

As much as I liked the first book in the Dirty series, I couldn't make myself like this book. It seemed rushed with Finn and Justin's romance forced. I liked Finn fine, it was Justin that left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I thought, like Alec, that he was going through the Drummond brothers. I thought that the substory line was interesting and I was surprised at who the bad guy was. I am looking forward to reading book 3.