Dirty Tactics
The Dirty Thomas Siblings, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: I love memoirs.

Media Type: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Dates Read: 6/6/21 - 8/11/21
Stars: DNF - no rating

The Characters:

Zachariah “Zac” Quinn:
Reagan Thomas:
Leticia “Letty” Garcia

The Story:

I love a best friend’s little sister trope but these characters did not work for me. I just didn’t feel connected to them. And quite frankly Zac did not do it for me.

The Random Thoughts:

This was a cute read, but it wasn't one of my all time faves. There wasn't anything specific that I didn't really love, but the book was just so so for me. It was enjoyable & I loved the development of the character's relationships, but it was just fine.

Hoooo boy. The brothers were so frustrating also the romance felt so weird and unnecessarily dramatic. For two adults to sneak around for such a dumb reason pissed me off. I couldn't read their interactions without rolling my eyes.

Thank you for the review copy. This book hit the spot, for when I was looking for hockey romance. I am featuring it into a future sports romance podcast episode.

Oh my gosh! This title ticked so many boxes for me - best friends little sister, hockey (!), steamy, diverse characters, ... I was so excited to dive!

I came to a halt real quick once I started though. It was difficult to follow what was going on and connect with the characters. The flow was missing, it felt stilted, and it was just 'off' somehow. I tried several times to get back into this but just couldn't.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me opportunity to read this book before publication date.

Dirty Tactics was a great romance to read during the summer months. It was sweet and a little sexy and perfect to read on the at home patio with a glass of wine. (Why yes, I was behind on reviews in 2020, why do you ask?) Emma Salah kicked off a new series with a pretty good first book that I enjoyed reading.

Here's the synopsis:

Two weeks.
A trial period, in which hockey superstar Zac Quinn will prove to Reagan Thomas—his best friend’s younger sister and the one woman he can’t seem to keep his hands off of—that they can’t possibly date for real.
After all, the Thomas family is the only family he’s ever had. He can’t risk losing them, no matter how much he wants Reagan. She’s too important to him; he can’t let things get weird.
But Reagan has known they’re meant to be since forever. She’s not about to back down now.
If she has to play dirty to bring him around?
No problem.
While this book was fun and entertaining, it wasn't one that blew me away. I kind of thought Zac and Reagan were being idiots when they were sneaking around and giving themselves some silly timeline to get each other out of their systems. Does anyone actually do that? (I know romance novels are not what you'd call realistic but this just seemed a bit much.) I so get that they'd be scared to mess up their friendship but why deny what's right in front of your face? You're attracted to each other and can't live without each other so get to dating!

I did really like the characters Salah wrote. They were a group I could see myself hanging out with and watching the game with a beer or three. I was totally invested in their story, even when they were annoying me, and I enjoyed picking up the breadcrumbs she was leaving for the next book in the series. I also loved how important family is to each of the characters. They have a solid bond even though they had some major pain in the past - Reagan's mom died when she was young and Zac had a really rough upbringing with an abusive dad.

Speaking of watching the game - you could pick any sport and one of Reagan's siblings would be playing. She had brothers in the NHL, MLB, and NFL. I mean, I guess you can find families full of athletes but usually it's one sport. And how come she didn't pick up any sport? Let's promote women's sports, shall we? This wasn't exactly a sports romance though. Zac being in the NHL was just like any other profession and you didn't really get much hockey. And for the love of all things maple syrup, it's hockey. NOT "ice" hockey. I know there's field hockey that's very popular in places other than Canada and I know "ice hockey" is how it's referred to in the Olympics but when it's a romance that is based in the US and promoted to North American readers...drop the ice. We get it. End rant.

This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: "all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!" Which I am SO here for. I read romances because I want a Happily Ever After (or For Now). I want to feel the joy the characters do when they realize they're meant to be together. So I appreciate Carina putting that promise on there because not every romance novel ties things up in neat little bows. There are times for those types of novels as well but sometimes you just HAVE to have a sweet story that ends super happily.

As far as debut novels go, Emma Salah's was a good one. I was entertained by Dirty Tactics and am interested enough to keep reading the series, though I'm not sure I'll be rushing out to read the second book, whenever it's released.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Carina Press/Harlequin, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Dirty Tactics sounded like it would be right up my alley, brothers best friend, hockey playing hero, steamy! Unfortunately I struggled to feel engaged with the plot. I think this was a case of "it's me, not the book". I might try to read this again at another point, but for now it was a DNF

This debut novel focuses on the youngest Thomas sibling, Reagan, who is a sports agent, all her siblings are professional sportsmen. She has always had a thing for her brother's best friend Zac Quinn. For Zac, Reagan's family is the only normal family he has ever had. the product of a hugely dysfunctional family and abusive father, he can't risk losing them, despite his feelings for Reegan.

When Reagan decides she needs to play dirty to win Zac by challenging him to two weeks of dates. However, they are both playing to win! Can Zac hold out against his undeniable attraction to Reagan and her dirty tactics?

Reagan has her own issues with her dad and the men in her family, and I did feel that they didn't really treat her very well.

Quite good

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

She wants him, he wants her too. The only problem she is his best friend little sister and off-limits. There is undeniable chemistry between them like you could catch on fire being near chemistry.

She has two weeks to convince him and he has two weeks to convince her of the opposite. But she doesn't play fair. :) I loved the dynamic between them, the intentional crappy stuff Zay did, that he knew will piss her off, like bringing her flowers. :) But they got frustrating at times too.

It's a steamy story, with a lot of fun parts between. However, I didn't like the flow of the story, and the pacing seems to of at times.

This was the first book in the Dirty Thomas Siblings and was the first book I have read by this author. It was well written and had a good storyline. The characters were so perfect for each other and it was so easy to cheer for them to have their happy ever after. Zac couldn’t help himself when it came to Reagan even though he tried since she was his best friend’s sister. Reagan wasn’t above fighting dirty to get Zac to realize they were perfect for each other. It was funny how Zac planned his dates to show Reagan that she didn’t want to date him. Lucky for him she figured out what he was up to.

Dirty Tactics is Salah’s first book in The Dirty Thomas Siblings series. Let me start off by saying this is not just a best friend’s little sister romance. It’s also an interracial, friends to lovers, and sports romance. I enjoy these genres, I really do, but there needs to be something to set it apart from the crowd, something that makes this one stand out and be remembered. You know, when someone asks for a recommendation in a particular genre, there are those that automatically come to mind and those that don't. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad story by any means. It did hold my interest and I liked the characters - it just didn't have that special something to make me think about it down the road. Then we have the steamy fun. The story is steamy, which is certainly not a problem, but there were elements that weren't consistent, or at least they didn't feel that way to me. As I understand it, this is Emma Salah's debut novel, and while I was left somewhere in the middle about it, the author does have talent and I'll be interested to see her growth in future books.

This was my first book by Emma Salah and it won’t be my last! This book grabbed my attention right away! I couldn’t put it down!! If you love friends to lovers books you will enjoy this one! I can’t wait for the second book!

*I received this as an eARC from NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a review copy*

This was a fun friends to lovers, slow burn romance. I am so happy I picked it up finally because I was really needing a bit of a lighter read. I had been reading a lot of dark romances and it was time for some fun stuff.

I am not always a fan of Friends to Lovers. It can be hard for me if one person pined too hard over the other or if they have been in love with the other for too long before anything happens. However, I do also have a big soft spot for books with friends of the family becoming more. There is just a little bit more danger and angst when your family gets involved. You could end up losing so much more than a romantic interest.

Zac knows he could really mess things up if he dived into a relationship with Reagan all willy nilly. But the attraction is more than he bargained for.

This was a fun read and I am excited to see what is to become of the rest of the family members.

There's something about seeing the Harlequin logo that has me one-clicking, ready to indulge in a great romance. And this author definitely brought me that. This story really got to me.

This was a very fun and quick read. Despite the angst caused by both Reagan's and Zac's past, there was still plenty of room for lighter moments and quite a lot of steamy scenes. The author managed to give her main characters a lot of depth in only a few short chapters at the beginning, and then expanded them into fully realistic people. The side characters were okay. Since this was the start of a new series I'm assuming we'll get to see more of those characters in later instalments, and I'm already looking forward to their stories.

Wow... just wow! This was the perfect fun summer read. It's an easy read and I couldn't put it down. Great range of characters and their storylines, apart from being a sexy erotica the narrative voice is so relatable. I'm impressed that this is a debut novel, and I'm really excited to follow the characters in the next book! Areal gem for the genre romance.

Are you looking for a super steamy, brother’s best friend/professional athlete hero romance? Look no further! Dirty Tactics is exactly the book you need.

Reagan grew up as the youngest of five kids and the only girl. When she was 15 she was kissed by her brother’s best friend Zac. For the ten years since there’s been tension between them but they aren’t willing to try dating - it could get way too messy if it didn’t work. Zac is so close to their family and her brother. But ignoring it isn’t working any more either.

This was mostly a fun read and at times reminded me of a sexier version of How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days. There are also some heavier topics covered (see content warnings below). I didn’t love the heavier parts as much but I’m really looking forward to reading more from Emma Salah!

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for the advance reading copy!

CW: domestic violence, maternal death in childbirth, alcoholic parent, abusive parent

Reagan has always had a crush on Zac. The issues were she was younger, and he was her brother's best friend. Zac spent a great deal of time at Reagan's home because his father was abusive. So, she was able to see him a lot. While out one night, he saw her, and she expressed her feelings regarding her own parents. Reagan became emotional, and the next thing she knew, Zac kissed her.

Ten years later, she saw Zac at a party. From there, they were able to eventually express their feelings for one another. Reagan's brother was upset when he found out they were together.

This story was very steamy. Zac and Reagan definitely had chemistry, and the relationship was believable.
*I received a free copy, but I am voluntarily giving my honest and unbiased review.

If you like forbidden romance and sports romance look no further because this book has both.

Dirty Tactics features Reagan and Zac who have grown up together. Reagan is in love with Zac who is her brothers best friend and teammate. Zac doesn’t want to get together with Reagan because he doesn’t want to break his promise to his best friend but there is something about Reagan that keeps drawing them back together.

This is the first book in a new series by Emma Salah and I am super excited to keep up with the Thomas Family. Throughout the book we were exposed to other members of the family and given a little back story on each. I’m excited to see the rest of the Thomas family find love.

The book was super sexy and had some graphic sex scenes. If you are not I for that please do not read it. But the chemistry between Reagan and Zac was fire and you can tell how it jumped off the pages.

Thank you to both Netgalley and Carina Press for the ARC of this book!

I received a complimentary copy of Dirty Tactics in exchange for an honest review. I couldn't wait to get started on this book. I love stories where the main characters meet when they are younger and reunite later. This was no exception.

There were definitely pros and cons, but mostly pros. I loved the plot, and the scenes were great. What I didn't care for was some of the flashbacks were not well established, and would randomly appear in the story. When I first began the story, I wasn't aware that Zac and Reagan had been participating in random make out sessions for years. It wasn't clear why this time it was any different.

I also didn't care for the "game" play. Reagan and Zac agreed to date for two weeks. Zac decided to provide perfect but bland dates to prove that Reagan didn't want him. Reagan and her friend saw Zac's plot, and they developed a plan to make Zac want her even more. It all felt like a high school plot gone bad.

I neither loved nor disliked this book. For me it was neutral read.