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Dirty Beautiful (Dirty Deeds #1)

by Jodie Becker (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 29 ratings · 12 reviews

Book one in the Dirty Deeds series.

Disillusioned by love, Erica has tasted the bitter pill of betrayal and wonders if she’s enough for one man. When a hot guy moves in next door, Erica decides to settle for good old-fashioned lust. What starts out as a simple seduction quickly evolves, and Erica is fast finding out Dylan is dangerous not only to her libido, but her heart a...more

ebook, 197 pages

Published November 28th 2011 by Ellora's Cave (first published November 18th 2011)

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2011 Books to Love

8th out of 35 books — 6 voters

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Mar 27, 2012 Dinjolina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: hero-in-need-of-spermicide, hero-overly-angsty, evil-other-woman, evil-women-give-me-headaches, heroine-with-brain-damage

The book had a bold topic, but the author failed to execute it well.

The heroine was holier-than-thou and the repeating of her goodness of character got on my nerves.
In most books this would have prompted me to like the hero…and ….I just…couldn’t.
Why? For many reasons.

*He does not tell his girlfriend he was a porn star. Ok….not even after she told him all of her secrets. Uhh… he does not tell this to his girlfriend that has cheating and STD issues. Even thou he had lots and lots of unprotected se...more The book had a bold topic, but the author failed to execute it well.

The heroine was holier-than-thou and the repeating of her goodness of character got on my nerves.
In most books this would have prompted me to like the hero…and ….I just…couldn’t.
Why? For many reasons.

*He does not tell his girlfriend he was a porn star. Ok….not even after she told him all of her secrets. Uhh… he does not tell this to his girlfriend that has cheating and STD issues. Even thou he had lots and lots of unprotected sex. Sleazy. It just is. Never mind if he is clean. Or out of the lifestyle. It was just wrong not to tell.
When he is found out, he even goes so far as to state that this had nothing to do with his relationship to the heroine. Eh…really?
The author gives off this overall feel that the heroine should get past this, and I for one am not happy with her for forgiving. Especially considering all the other things that were involved in this porno industry plot line. Like the ex …costar? Lover? What ever.
I call her THE PREGNANT BITHCH QUEEN.
*The hero has no qualms over housing his ex costar, lover and the woman that lied about being pregnant by him. He wants the heroine to forgive and forget another lady living with her bf, a lady that had on and off screen sex with her man. Isn’t that just the most rational thing ever? Btw, he is so in love and all, but thinks it is too soon to move in with the heroine-which she sensibly suggest so his ex could have a place to stay, but still a place that she is not sharing with the hero. So he can not move. Plus, really, his costar/lover/bitch needs a helping hand. How can the heroine not understand this?

Wow. He is one thoughtful mister! Right? Too bad he is NOT thoughtful toward the heroine.
*He almost sleeps with another women after he and the heroine have their falling out, and in this venue the author seemed to want me to applaud that he could not get it up. But he tried. He really really tried. And almost succeeded. Al this without even trying to fight for the heroines affections for more than a second.
What a hero. What a super hero!

So, the whole book was distasteful. Still, the thing that kind of made me want to throw up was nothing of this…it was the happy epilogue.
The hero is now excepted in the community (uh-hu. Real plausible.) But that is not the best thing ever! The best thing ever is the fact that the slutty& bitchy costar ex lover is also now living there! In the every next house! Oh the happiness! And the joy! Look at ass all living in happy la-la land.

God. What a messy mush of poppy-cock.
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Jan 16, 2012 Elaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Erica is a small town elementary school teacher in Georgia. She lives in her Grandmother’s house and apparently has never been anywhere else. She even attended college from home, so she would not have to leave her ailing grandmother.

Dylan, also a Southerner, although he is from Arkansas, has recently moved to this small Georgia town from Los Angeles. He is getting out of “the life” of being a porn star. Of course,, he thinks he is going to be able to keep his past a secret.

Obviously, he doesn’t...more Erica is a small town elementary school teacher in Georgia. She lives in her Grandmother’s house and apparently has never been anywhere else. She even attended college from home, so she would not have to leave her ailing grandmother.

Dylan, also a Southerner, although he is from Arkansas, has recently moved to this small Georgia town from Los Angeles. He is getting out of “the life” of being a porn star. Of course,, he thinks he is going to be able to keep his past a secret.

Obviously, he doesn’t really know small towns.

The storyline was one I have not read before and that is saying something with the number of books I read. I found this one to be unique if a little unbelievable. And that is my only real problem with the book. The characters are likable and Dylan’s reasons for becoming a porn star as will as his struggle to return to a normal life are convincing. However, I did have trouble buying that he introduces Erica to his friends in LA, but does not expect them to tell her about the business.

My real issue with the book is Erica and the town she lives in. I found her situation implausible in a number of ways. First, and this is a minor point, she has never seen a beach. This is Georgia, not Kansas, and Georgians go to the beach. No educated person is that isolated.

Which brings up another issue . . . Erica is an elementary school teacher in a small Southern town and when Dylan’s past life is revealed, there are very few repercussions from the townspeople. Teachers are expected to be like Caesar's wife . . . above reproach. There is no way the citizens would have accepted Erica dating, much less having an affair, with a porn star.

Finally, Erica has been betrayed by a previous boyfriend and has strong doubts that she can hold any man. Although, she is upset when she finds out about his past, she accepts that he loves her (eventually) and does not seem to have any problems with the fact that he has had sex with hundreds of women.

As you can see, I have had a hard time getting past the “yeah, right” portions of the plot. The storyline is unique, the characters are likable, and the book is well written. I just wish more thought had been given to the reactions of the characters to the situation.

And one more thing, I have been a teacher in a small town in Georgia . . . and St. Simon’s Island is my favorite beach.(less)

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Sep 11, 2012 Joletta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: laying-around, favorites

Dirty Beautiful by Jodie Becker is the hottest, most unique book that I've read this year! In what seems to be a case of "grass is always greener" syndrome, Dylan is an ex-porn star wanting to live a normal life. He moves to a small town where (hopefully) no one will recognize him. His next door neighbor is a cute, curvy grade school teacher who is the epitome of innocence. Dylan can't help but gravitate toward her like a moth to a flame, but doesn't believe that he is good enough for her. You s...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotic

Dylan has moved from LA to a small town in Georgia to start his life over. Many years ago, with a cancer-ridden mother and no money to pay for her treatments, he moved to LA to pursue a career as an adult entertainer. He became “Drake” and made it as a big time porn actor. But he never felt comfortable in that role, and eventually fled to the small town for a fresh start. He buys an older house and falls back on his carpentry skills to build a new career.

His next door neighbor is elementary scho...more Dylan has moved from LA to a small town in Georgia to start his life over. Many years ago, with a cancer-ridden mother and no money to pay for her treatments, he moved to LA to pursue a career as an adult entertainer. He became “Drake” and made it as a big time porn actor. But he never felt comfortable in that role, and eventually fled to the small town for a fresh start. He buys an older house and falls back on his carpentry skills to build a new career.

His next door neighbor is elementary school teacher, Erica. She notices her cute new neighbor and a flirtation develops. Erica’s last boyfriend cheated on her (which resulted in her contracting a STD, which we will discuss later) and so she is wary of dating again. But Dylan is sweet, and gorgeous and they hit it off. But Dylan doesn’t want Erica to know what he did in his past, but unfortunately it won’t stay a secret forever.

I have a lot of issues with Dirty Beautiful. First, I got so sick of Erica being the perfect, wholesome heroine compared to Dylan who is the dirty, broken hero. Erica seemed to have no faults and during the course of the book was a perfect angel. It drove me insane. Even at one point, when they have sex, and afterwards, they realize Dylan didn’t use protection, this is her reaction:

She looked down at the semen on her and cold dread rose up to choke off her happiness. “Dylan!” He opened his eyes at her rebuke, the guilt written in the way his lips downturned. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

Erica made a sound of disgust and pushed him away from her.

When is it only the man’s responsibility to make sure he is wearing protection? Erica had no idea until she sees semen on her that he wasn’t wearing a condom? I think not. That kind of attitude does not appeal to me at all. Plus we learn Erica had contracted a STD from her last boyfriend. And SHE has unprotected sex with Dylan? Double standard anyone? Erica acted so judgmental and I’m not sure how I was suppose to like her after that.

Further, at this point in the story, Dylan has not told her he was a porn star. And yet he goes ahead with unprotected sex. Later we learn he had lots of unprotected sex as he filmed his movies. Although he was tested and is clean, this doesn’t sit well with me at all. This just screams sleazy. Man up and tell her you were a porn star so Erica has a chance to make educated decisions about her physical relationships.

Another quote in the book made me cringe too. Erica thinks:

If she did make love to him, her heart would be bound to him. A failing in her nature. She could never separate sex and emotion.

Yet, we know Dylan is a porn star and obviously has had lots of sex. I feel like we are being forced to recognize how good and wholesome Erica is, who must have love with her sex as opposed to Dylan who has emotionless sex. It is so stereotypical and really grated on me as I read the book.

Later in the book, Erica’s ex-boyfriend comes back to cause trouble as does a fellow porn star of Dylan’s, both of which felt like a weak plot line. This one did not work for me at all.
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Jan 05, 2012 Alisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 3.5

Quick Take:
The intriguing premise of Dirty Beautiful delivers quite well on its hints of the balance between love and lust. The male protagonist was the real draw for me--so much so that I would have loved to have seen more focus on his past struggles, which are referred to frequently in the book but not deeply explored. Overall, there's plenty of sexy and sweet, with a likable cast and promising plot threads for future books.

Review (Originally posted at Book Lovers Inc):

How does a po...more Rating: 3.5

Quick Take:
The intriguing premise of Dirty Beautiful delivers quite well on its hints of the balance between love and lust. The male protagonist was the real draw for me--so much so that I would have loved to have seen more focus on his past struggles, which are referred to frequently in the book but not deeply explored. Overall, there's plenty of sexy and sweet, with a likable cast and promising plot threads for future books.

Review (Originally posted at Book Lovers Inc):

How does a porn actor find love? Dirty Beautiful is a rather straightforward bit of romantica (erotic romance) from Jodie Becker, one that addresses that thought. I’m completely new to this author, but I must say that liked what I read. I dug her premise of an adult film actor trying to escape his past, finding love and acceptance instead.

The main character in this book, Dylan Marsden, is just a ball of sweetness. Okay sure, so he was a porn star. But he got into the industry due to financial hardships, and while he was good at it—damn good at it, thankyouverymuch—it never fulfilled him or gave him joy. As such, he escapes the “biz” and moves into a fixer-upper house in a sleepy Georgia town. His hope? Forget the past and live a quite life. Enter a sweet and affable local woman, Erica, who’s everything Dylan never knew he’d want, but who’s already been hurt by a previous lover’s infidelity. How ever shall the two see eye to eye? The main dilemma in this book basically involves a small bit of information that, if revealed, might ruin whatever romance and acceptance that Dylan and Erica were building. In this particular case, I understood and bought into Dylan’s reticence when it came to revealing his past life. I also understood some of Erica’s insecurities and emotional scars.

This book presents a convincing portrait of a sleepy Southern town (notice I didn’t say accurate—being a city girl, I have no clue what small Southern towns and must therefore leave that evaluation for small town folks). The cast of personalities that populate this town are charming (or, in the case of the antagonist-for-now characters, compelling), some of which would make for great recurring characters.

This story has plenty of steaminess; seeing as how one of the main characters is a former adult film actor, it almost goes without saying. ^_^ But again, there’s a layer of intimacy and sweetness that makes the material so much more compelling. In fact, I think the author does the first- and second-base descriptions best (which is to say, she’s great at steaminess even when not being explicit). ^_^ For a book whose premise is about sexuality, this book does sensuality quite well.

And yet, believe it or not, I wish that there was just a bit more focus of Dylan’s former life as an adult film actor. Granted, the book is supposed to focus on the various perceptions others have of him, but he spoke so much about the love-hate relationship with the industry that it would have been interesting to see more of the internal struggles he’d endured (or didn’t perhaps) while he was an active actor.

Also, I have to admit that the book wasn’t without some truly cheesy bits (“Her house would smell like Willy Wonka’s because she couldn’t get the willy she wanted.”) and some subplots that didn’t resonate with me.

When I initially finished Dirty Beautiful, I didn’t know it was part of a series, so I was scratching my head as to the unresolved plot lines of some of the cast. But lo’ and behold, this is only the first book in a series, which I imagine will be about some of Dylan’s actor friends. I see on Jodie Becker’s website that the next book will feature Max, one of Dylan’s former colleagues. Do I plan on picking that next book up? You bet!(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the tenderness in the character interaction in Dirty Beautiful. When I first started to read it, I couldn't conceive of a teacher and an ex-porn star falling in love but, by the end of the book, I saw how deeply Jodie Becker went into the make-up of each character and revealed their secret yearnings for a better life and true love. I liked the scars beneath the surface of the hero and heroine and how they each worked to overcome them. Despite the implications of the title, I found this s...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Heather in FL rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-i-own-it, elements-erotic-smut, z-from-elloras-cave, elements-romance, mix-m-f

I have to admit. There is a preconceived notion about porn actors. They are objectified and it's hard to remember that they're people with hopes and dreams of their own. In this one, Dylan has decided he's had enough of being a porn actor. His only living relation, his sister, won't speak to him, because she thinks Dylan didn't attend their mother's funeral because he liked making porn more. Which was totally wrong. Dylan made a lot of money making porn, but he now thinks it's slowly killing him...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Karla Doyle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I gobbled Dirty Beautiful up in one day, reading whenever I could squeeze in minutes here and there because it was so engaging. Very well-written with characters I loved and totally rooted for. Dylan was so much deeper than I expected (given his history) but still flawed enough to make him a perfect romance novel hero. And the steamy parts were awesome. I'd recommend this book to anybody who enjoys hot, contemporary romance. Can't wait for the next release from Jodie Becker!

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Mar 01, 2013 Dawn Martens rated it 2 of 5 stars

Dylan was kind of a scuzzbag hey.. Like, he LIED to her, and when she finally found out, he expected her to just accept it.... um no.. PLUS, he didn't really even fight for her.. what kind of pussy just lets her get away... retard.. So in the end, it left Erika to fight for him........ stupid.

And Ruby, why on earth did Erika not punch her in the face?!?!

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Nov 15, 2012 Annette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotic-romance, curvy-heroine

If you believe in love and redemption you will love this book. Sexy but still very romantic. This is the story of Dylan a former porn star who moves from L.A to a small town in GA. He meets curvy and sexy Erica a school teacher and his next door neighbor. This story has humor, romance and hot steamy sex.

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Jan 20, 2012 Suzan Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books

Dirty Beautiful is a wonderful read, with a clever plot, and engaging characters you want to root for. This debut book has a level of depth you don't expect and gorgeously written scenes that just jump off the page at you. Looking forward to more from this author!

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Nov 19, 2011 Cid Tyer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books

You wouldn't think a book about a former porn star would be anything but kinky and crazy. Jodie's done an amazing job at humanizing Dylan and bringing his life choices into perspective. Loved the book, like, let me read it a few more times L-O-V-E.

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May 05, 2013 Lynn marked it as to-read

Shelves: porn-star

May 03, 2013 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, erotica-2013, may-2013

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Shelves: wish-list

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Shelves: plus-size

Mar 01, 2013 Jennifer Tovar rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: kindle-book

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Shelves: comptr-nook, romance

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Dirty Beautiful (Dirty Deeds #1)

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