Lazy Review: Dirty Promises (Dirty Angels #3) by Karina Halle

Title: Dirty Promises (Dirty Angels #3)

Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Dark Romance/Romantic Suspense/Erotica
Rating: 4.5 Lazy Books


Synopsis:.

Blood. Sex. Revenge.
Being king comes at a brutal price.

Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a brutal price: the death of his sister, Alana. Devastated and wracked with guilt, he turns away from his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. But it isn't until she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, that Javier realizes everything he's lost.

And it isn't until he learns the truth about Alana, that he realizes everything there is to gain.
Blood will spill.
Cities will burn.
Heads will roll.

Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.
And what he wants is raw, ruthless revenge.

Nothing is more dangerous than a man with nothing left to lose.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” 

― William Styron, Conversations with William Styron

My Lazy Thoughts:

This is a dark, twisted romance. There's no other way to describe this book. It will obliterate your faith in humanity and expose you to the horrors of Mexican cartels.

Granted it's fiction. But it doesn't mean it doesn't happen in real life. Or that it's not happening right now.

I've read Dirty Angels and absolutely loved Javier and Luisa there. Dirty Promises is the sequel to their story (I skipped Dirty Deeds since the book doesn't revolve around them) and, boy, what a sequel!

If you thought that Dirty Angels is dark, then think again. And if you thought that Javier and Luisa were already on their way to HEA, then better read this book.

I love how Karina Halle wrote Luisa. She is, by far, the most resilient heroine I've ever read. I was rooting for her until the last page. With all the horrors she went through, you'd think she would be broken beyond repair. But no. Our queen managed to stand back up and fight. She'd endured brutality and humiliation. Yet instead of letting them break her, she used them as a motivation to exact her revenge. And holy crap, what a revenge it was!

Esteban is the real villain here. And I'm glad Luisa and Javier gave him what was coming to him. He fucking deserved it and more.

Now, Javier. I really liked him in Dirty Angels. But he kind of disappointed me in this book. He said he didn't know if he could forgive Luisa. Seriously? In the first place, it was his doing that pushed Luisa to make the choices she made. And while he was grieving over the death of his sister, Luisa was grieving over the "death" of their marriage.

He'd been a cold, horrible husband and she'd been lost and lonely. She could have handled her resentment differently - heck, both of them could have - but she just wanted to inflict the same pain to Javier. She wouldn't have done the things she did, if he hadn't pushed her away. In the end, I'm glad Luisa pointed that out in one of their confrontations.

Funny that despite the brutalities in this book, the infidelity part was the only issue for me. LOL

All in all, I still love this dark, twisted book. Still love Javier and Luisa together. They're a truly phenomenal couple. Especially when they finally faced off with Esteban - fucking brilliant these two!

Clearly, this wouldn't be the last book from Karina Halle that I'd be reading. Highly recommended to those who don't mind reading about graphic violence!