Dmitry's Closet (The Medlov Crime Family, #1) in Multiculturalism in YA,Fantasy, Sci FI,Paranormal and fun books ;p

May 15, 2013 Jen rated it did not like it

Shelves: not-sexy, the-worst, ebook, interracial-romance, black-heroine, overrated, dnf, cover-wtf, white-hero

In a word: Bad.
Other words that apply: Execrable. Absurd. Shallow.
Rough.
And I mean rough y'all.
To be fair, I kind of knew that going in, but I thought to myself: "How bad could it be?"
Yeah, see below:

He was swaggering around Memphis with a walk that somehow tooted that his big feet may be a definite sign that he was somehow more than blessed in all the right departments. This. Sentence.

The diamonds that Dmitry had given her that afternoon inspired her to also purchase a pair of French lace ...more

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Oct 26, 2011 The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears rated it liked it

Shelves: characters-anti-heroes, e-books-purchased, heroes-who-rock, characters-awesome-alpha-males, wtf-face-palm-moments, smack-heroine-with-clue-bat, genre-interracial-romance, sub-genre-bw-wm-romance, characters-black-heroines, theme-non-traditional-romances

Update: I decided to re-read this while on vacation last week and it was incredibly painful. On the first read I inhaled this novel within a day or two because I was just so fascinated by anti-hero Dmitry. I still am. I still want to hit Royal upside the head with my trusty Clue Bat. But yes, there are absolutely UN-FREAKING-FORGIVABLE spelling/grammatical errors and sentences that had me scratching my head. It's sad because with a decent editor (one who doesn't believe every word is sacred) thi Update: I decided to re-read this while on vacation last week and it was incredibly painful. On the first read I inhaled this novel within a day or two because I was just so fascinated by anti-hero Dmitry. I still am. I still want to hit Royal upside the head with my trusty Clue Bat. But yes, there are absolutely UN-FREAKING-FORGIVABLE spelling/grammatical errors and sentences that had me scratching my head. It's sad because with a decent editor (one who doesn't believe every word is sacred) this could be an incredible book. It's wish-fulfillment on steroids, but in all honesty, I had to re-rate this a 2.5 to 3. The one-star reviewers are correct--if books like this are being showcased as the "best" IR romance (especially IR featuring Black women) has to offer *sigh*, we've got a LOT more work to do. However, this is also what happens when readers of color continue to be left out in the cold when it comes to genre fiction. Black women are HUNGRY to be the romantic heroines who are the objects of single-minded pursuit by a hunky hero. Yes, we're hungry to see ourselves as desirable and that sometimes means we'll grab and hold onto substandard books due to that hunger. And sadly, I believe some authors exploit this.

The original review:

Before I begin this review, I first want to thank Latrivia Nelson for some of the best customer service I've seen when it comes to e-books. I had a problem with the download and within less than 24 hours, she had it resolved AND was willing to refund me the purchase price. I told her that I believe in supporting independent authors and publishers, and that I just wanted the book. Once again, thank you!

Now that I've finally finished Dmitry's Closet, I know why I'm left feeling somewhat anti-climatic. In essence this is a Cinderella story, albeit Prince Charming is the head of the Russian mafia and the body count rivals anything Quentin Tarrantino could ever imagine LOL. Understand that I absolutely hate everything Cinderella represents, which is mainly female helplessness and the assumption that all it takes is a man to make a woman happy.

Having said that, major kudos to Ms. Nelson for writing such a risky romance. I'm talking about a character as morally ambiguous as blonde, blue-eyed, seven-foot tall Dmitry Medlov, the head of the Medlov Crime Family. Actually, morally ambiguous is putting it nicely. Dmitry Medlov is nothing like your typical romance hero. In fact, Dmitry makes all those so-called "bad boys" this genre is so enamored of look like saints. Some authors attempt to write their heroes as bad-asses, but Medlov is Captain Bad Ass. He's shown at his cold and calculating worst. This man has Russian Mafia tattoos all over his body to prove he's the closest thing to Public Enemy Number One and that making an enemy of him would be very bad to one's health. Nelson doesn't spare our feelings as Dmitry casually shoots his best friend after discovering the man had turned traitor. He is a stone-cold killer, a ruthless businessman and he has no compunction whatsoever that the guns his network smuggles in end up in the hands of criminals, causing death and destruction to the guilty and the innocent alike. I got serious chills when he was explaining to his son Anatoly about the rudiments of the family business. Nelson does a stellar job of not sugarcoating this man or his actions. And yet, there is something compelling about Dmitry, something that kept me reading. Yes, he's a cold-blooded killer and a criminal, but he's savvy and smart. Guns may not ring any alarms, but porn and prostitution always brings the Feds out in full force, so in spite of trafficking in arms, he does have a peculiar code of honor, especially because his mother was a prostitute who was beaten badly by a john. Still, there's more to Dmitry than just violence. He's a flesh and blood character with hopes, dreams, desires and in the end, a need for if not unconditional love, then at least an understanding one. When he loves, he loves wholeheartedly.

The heroine Royal Stone, was an utter disappointment! Gah! She's Cinderella Mark II. Sadly I see this syndrome time and again--romance writers who spend a lot of effort in creating the perfect hero only to commit EPIC FAIL when it comes to the heroines. A character who is both fascinating and repelling as Dmitry Medlov just did not need a fresh-faced, unemployed, straight from college twenty-three year-old virgin. Nothing against virginity, but there are too many instances where these characters just seem stuck-on-stupid. Maybe back in the day a woman didn't know much about her body, but it's really hard for me to fathom a modern-day woman not even knowing where her clitoris is and what it's for. There's sweetly innocent naivete, then there's just "no". Here's the thing: Dmitry is a man who's well-traveled and who enjoys the finer things in life; Royal Stone hasn't been out of her provincial hometown of Memphis. It makes no sense that she's a college educated woman, but seems to know nothing about the outside world or even current events. She's a foster-child who's had a tough life, and while she was determined to become successful, she's just no match as a character for Dmitry, who pretty much dominates the narrative. I found myself far more interested in him and quickly skimming over her parts. She just didn't work for me. Seriously, this was a woman who as a teenager killed a man for raping her sister. Royal cut the ear off of another who tried to sexually assault her. This is a woman who should have some serious trust issues when itc comes to men, especially men like Dmitry Medlov who surrounds himself in so many secrets. Yet within three months she's dropping her panties and giving up her oh-so-precious virginity? Really now! Yes, I get it--that sweet innocence is what attracts the worldly and cynical Dmitry to her, but their relationship just feels contrived. Worse, in spite of having killed a man, she just stops fighting when her own life is threatened by Dmitry's psychopathic brother, Ivan. This was an intense scene and yet I just kept hearing "Someday My Prince Will Come".

The title stems from one of Dmitry's legitimate business ventures, an extremely high-end clothing boutique that he hires Royal to manage, which she does with great success. The tendancy to name-drop high-end couturiers and brand names was a little annoying and in parts read more like a Neiman Marcus catalogue. I get that Dmitry is dirty, rotten, stinking rich--mentioning his $400,000 Benz is just like overkill. Other minor quibbles (at least for me) included Royal's two employees at the boutique: Renee, the "short, dark, petite, neo-soul with an afro" (whom I already know is going to end up with Anatoly) and Cory, who just has to be gay to work in a woman's upscale boutique (though later we find out a lot more about him and it's an unexpected twist). I'm not going to go as far as claiming stereotypes, which I'm sure was not the intent, but that line was pretty darn nearly crossed. On the other hand, Renee and Cory were the only two who figured out what Dmitry's real line of work was. One of many of Royal's face-palm moments was when Dmitry was explaining all his tattoos to Royal. Uh, warning signs? Does the internet not exist in Memphis or something?

In spite of the epic heroine fail, I originally gave this book four stars because once I started I really didn't wsnt to put it down. I just got sucked into the violent world of Dmitry Medlov and in spite of his behavior, wanted him to have a happy ending (I just wish it was with a stronger and more vibrant heroine than Royal). I liked the fact that there was no preachy morality or an attempt to redeem Dmitry's character. He is what he is, and the only thing in Royal's favor is that she sticks with her man through it all. I definitely plan to read the entire Medlov series just because the men are so arresting and I find myself enamored of Dmitry and his son Anatoly (though Dorian the explosives expert and Ivan's closest friend would make for a great story too). I really want to skip Dmitry's Royal Flush: Rise of the Queen because I just don't think I can stomach any more Royal. I just hope with subsequent books, the heroines come up to scratch. ...more

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Mar 28, 2010 CaliGirlRae rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite, contemporary-romance, interracial, suspense, fave-authors, best-of-2010-reads, russian-hero

4.5 - This is easily a 5 star story. Ms. Nelson weaves a wonderful love story mixed with action packed suspense and some welcoming surprises along the way.

Royal Stone is tired of job hunting on a hot Memphis day. As she steps into a little restaurant unknown to her called Mother Russia, she has no idea how much her life will change. She comes upon a handsome Russian in an expensive suit playing the violin. Right away, she is entranced by his music and him. He offers her food and some refreshment 4.5 - This is easily a 5 star story. Ms. Nelson weaves a wonderful love story mixed with action packed suspense and some welcoming surprises along the way.

Royal Stone is tired of job hunting on a hot Memphis day. As she steps into a little restaurant unknown to her called Mother Russia, she has no idea how much her life will change. She comes upon a handsome Russian in an expensive suit playing the violin. Right away, she is entranced by his music and him. He offers her food and some refreshments and soon he's offering her a job for her new boutique opening up called Dmitry's Closet. Complete with room and board, Royal can't resist the invitation. She's lived a life from one foster home to another, never really settling anywhere. She takes up the job and soon enters a lavish lifestyle led by the charming, handsome and enchanting Dmitry.

I loved this book. I really liked the fact that even though Dmitry's profession and lifestyle is revealed in the blurb, the story takes its time to reveal it slowly. First we see him as a person, then we see how he treats those around him before the truth about how makes his money is revealed. I love antiheroes especially when they're written with such complexity like Dmitry. I don't think I've read such a compelling character this year since Jon F. Merz's Parallax which features two deadly yet sympathetic assassins in the lead. It also reminded me of Anne Stuart's Ice series although Dmitry is not as cold and calculating (but he does have his moments)! Kudos to Ms. Nelson for writing such a wonderful love story with a side of action and suspense. She really went into the brutal structure of the Russian mob and brought out the reality of it in society along with a heavy dose of the current economic situation. Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres to read and she did it awesomely. I also loved the fact that she handled the love scenes so sensuously. Often IR books nowadays get so crude and short on the emotion that there's no time to really connect with the character but Dmitry's Closet allows you to really feel for both Dmitry and Royal and understand how they see each other through one another's eyes.

As I said, this is clearly a five star story but I give it 4.5 starts due to some grammatical, homonym and spelling errors that interrupted the flow of the story at some points.

Other than that, the story was excellent, the characters were engaging and I'm jazzed to add this to my keeper shelf. I look forward to more works by Ms. Nelson if this is what we have to look for in the future!

This is definitely going on my best of 2010 reads list. ...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Andrea Jackson rated it really liked it

Shelves: inter-racial-romance, covers-great-cover-art, y2013-tbr-killer-challenge, y2013-rrrc, book-in-series, kindle-owned

So much right with this book! Great sexy hero, powerful and confident. Heroine, Royal is a delight a blend of young and eager.

ONly thing that really bothered me was structural things like the weird constant shifting in POV which would throw me out of the story.

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