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Review

4 “Unicorn girl” stars

Dirty English was the first book I have read by Ilsa Madden-Mills and it won’t be my last. It is considered “a modern love story inspired by Pride and Prejudice” and was entertaining from the start. It is about love, friendship, strength, forgiveness, and moving on, and was a solid 4-star read!

Elizabeth Bennett comes from the wrong side of the tracks, and in high school, she was betrayed by her boyfriend. Broken hearted, she locks away her heart and vows to never let another man betray her.

Clarity happens to all of us when our heart jumps ship, and mine was no different.
Something dark slithered around inside me, crawling into the crevices of my soul and suffocating it. Everything I’d believed about myself … about who I was … about love … unraveled, turning into something dark. Dirty.
Love is a knife that cuts out your heart piece by piece, feeding it to the boy you love.

Two years later, Elizabeth is beginning her junior year at Whitman University and she is still trying to put the past behind her. She does not allow men into her heart and she has a set of rules when it comes to the opposite sex. One night stands are her thing and she is set on keeping it that way.

Moving into her new apartment, she notices her new neighbor likes the classics, and figures him for a book nerd. First impressions are not always correct and we see how wrong she is when she meets Declan Blay at a frat party she attends with her best friend, Shelley.

Declan is intense, smart, British, and known as “Whitman’s Sexiest Man on Campus.” Declan is an underground fighter, nicknamed Dirty English, who puts his earnings towards his dreams. However, his dreams do not align with the goals his father has for him causing a large rift between them.

When Elizabeth discovers that her new neighbor is Declan, it seems she can’t get away from him. He shows up everywhere and as they get to know each other, their attraction intensifies and the sexual tension grows. Even though Elizabeth would love to be more than friends with Declan, she can’t ignore her rules and the pain in her heart that is a constant reminder of her past. Eventually, they can’t avoid the pull they have toward each other and they succumb to their desires, sharing one hot night.

I wanted sex on a mat in an un-air-conditioned gym with a hot as hell British guy pounding into me, no matter the consequences. Fuck my silly sex rules. I wanted him.

Declan wants to be more than a one night stand, but can he convince her to give him a chance?

There are outside forces surrounding Elizabeth and Declan that don’t allow for an easy relationship even when things may look promising. The past has a way of reappearing when you least expect it, complicating everything.

I really enjoyed this story and the fact that it was written in dual POVs. Even though there are heavy themes, there were plenty of funny moments that lightened the mood and the banter between Elizabeth and Declan is great. They are not only wonderful together, but are great characters individually.

I loved Elizabeth and my heart broke for her. She went through so much and I was proud of how strong she was. She was a true survivor. Elizabeth was also hilarious and getting to see inside her head was a hoot.

I watched him move away, his lithe frame moving with the easy grace of someone used to holding back power like a sexy jungle cat who prowled around and took what he wanted …
I’d like to pet that jungle cat, rub his silky fur and make him purr …
I slapped myself mentally.
Jungle cat? Make him purr? What was wrong with me tonight?

The only thing I wish is that she didn’t push Declan away a much as she did when it was obvious that Declan was serious about her. However, when she finally decided to take the chance on love, I loved that she went all in.

Loving Declan was like the rain storms I loved to dance in. Crazy and unpredictable, sometimes turbulent, sometimes gentle. I didn’t know if I was going to be struck by lightening, but one things was for sure, I wanted him anyway. Fighting and all. Somehow we’d make it all work.

I loved Declan and how wonderful, supportive, and protective he was with Elizabeth. I loved that he was passionate and his love for Elizabeth was fierce.

She was my queen and I wanted to be her king. I wanted to sit at the throne of her body and love her forever, but it wasn’t just about sex, although that had been over the fucking moon. No, with us it was about two broken people who looked deep into the eyes of the other person and just—meshed. Call it fate or destiny or just plain old karma, but whatever it was, the moment I watched her dance in the rain, my heart had known, only it had taken my head a while to catch up.

I also loved Dax. He was a fantastic addition to the story, and I loved his relationship with Declan and his friendship with Elizabeth. I am so excited for his upcoming book, Filthy English, and can not wait to get my hands on it. He is an interesting character that is often misunderstood and I can’t wait to see what is in store for him.

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British Bad Boys