The Dirty Series by Cheryl McIntyre - 4.5 Stars!!

The Dirty Series by Cheryl McIntyre

Four & a Half disconcerting stars

Getting Dirty (Dirty #1) Blurb - Three. This is my number. It’s the exact sum of reasons I continue to go on.

One: To strengthen my body. Make it strong. Make it a machine. Make it so that what happened before can never, ever, happen again.

Two: To help others find their own strength so that what happened to me, what happened to my Olivia, doesn’t happen to them.

And three: My favorite—to find the bastards that took my life away and make them pay for what they did.

This is what my life is now. A dead man, inside a scarred body, living only for revenge.

Playing Dirty (Dirty #2) Blurb - My need for power came to me by accident.

The need was real. It was overwhelming. It was consuming me.

So we played a dangerous game of trial and error. What I could handle and what I couldn’t. It became apparent fairly quickly that I couldn’t handle much. But I liked this game because I controlled it.

Talking Dirty (Dirty #3) Blurb - I had no idea when I met Linken Elliot that he would be capable of doing this to me.

I was perfectly unhappy, living my miserable existence before he came along. I was fine humping strange men’s faces in dirty bar bathrooms. I was comfortable living like a hermit and drinking myself into oblivion.

I. Was. Fine.

Now I want things. I want him.

Fighting Dirty (Dirty #4) Blurb - I wake up to a warm body draped along my side. I smile as the foreign feeling of happiness radiates in my chest.

Everything comes rushing back as Rocky’s scent fills my senses.

Not Olivia’s.

My happiness bursts like a broken dam. Not because Olivia isn’t here. But because as I realized it was Rocky’s body against me, I still felt satisfied. Because I didn’t feel the misery of Livie’s loss.

Because all I can feel now is shame. My first instinct wasn’t to miss Liv. It was to enjoy Rocky.

Staying Dirty (Dirty #5) Blurb - “What I did today… I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t know how you can stand to touch me."

“I’ll never stop wanting to touch you, Link. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one I want to touch for the rest of my life.”

The Dirty Series is a five part Novella Series written by Cheryl McIntyre, as I’ve read them all one after the other I’m going to review them as a whole rather than each instalment on its own.

Ok so Christ this series was not at all what I was expecting!!!

The good bits...

·         I love how unexpectedly edgy this series was!!

·         Holy Linken!! Christ talk about dark I kinda love this anti hero.

·         I love Rocky something about her really drew me in.

And the not so good bits...

·         This book made me a little uncomfortable; it definitely skirts the line between ok and really, really not ok.

Christ this book took me by surprise and I will be honest after the first instalment I did think god do I really want to carry on reading this?

I’m so glad I did because even though this book is incredibly dark and unsettling it was also kind of hopeful.

I struggled with Link, on one hand he is the survivor of a horrifying attack and he teaches women to defend themselves to try and ensure that what happened to his girlfriend never happens to anyone else. But he is also a man that is single mindedly searching for vengeance and is happy to exact that justice by taking the life of the four men who raped and killed Olivia.

And here is right where this series becomes uncomfortable!

We are taught that murder is wrong, now whether you are religious or not I think everyone has heard the commandment that states Thou Shalt Not Kill (or something along those lines). This is ground into us from a young age that to hurt someone is bad to kill someone is the ultimate sin.

But Link kills one of these men and he helps another to kill himself and to me his actions feel justified!!!

This series deals with an incredibly difficult subject matter; Link is stabbed 18 times his girlfriend is gang raped and then stabbed to death and her body is doused in bleach to prevent the police finding any evidence. God even typing it makes me cringe, this is defiantly not a happy, smiley romance, this book is uncomfortable, it makes you feel uncomfortable but for some reason that’s also what’s brilliant about it!

Links actions made me feel bad but I was also cheering him on, I agreed with him they should have to suffer, they should have to pay for their actions!!

I love Rocky the poor girl is an absolute mess but she is dealing with her life after she was raped as best she can. Rocky did everything that you are supposed to do to play by the rules she went to the police and reported her attacker and unfortunately justice was not served for her.

What she went through almost makes Links actions more acceptable, Rocky went to the police, her rapist was arrested but then he was found not guilty.  I will be honest I kind of wanted Rocky to get some vengeance on Garrett too! This series made me feel like a bit of a monster, I wasn’t upset that these people wanted to take justice into their own hands, I supported them, I relished in them getting control of their lives again and I think that might make me a terrible person, but if you read this book I’m willing to bet you feel the same way too!!

I felt like the connection that Rocky & Link feel is borderline unhealthy but they are a small amount of light in an otherwise dark, horrible world. I felt a sense of relief that they found each other, two broken souls who can help mend each other.

I was completely sucked into this series and these characters; I felt abit robbed at the end because I need the reassurance that they are going to be ok.

It’s rare that I engage so much with literary characters that I actually feel empathy and sadness for them but Link & Rocky are the absolute exception to the rule. If you manage to read this series and not feel something for these characters you are a hard, hard person.

I loved this series but I hated it as well it has seriously made me question my moral compass but it’s also made two characters that have edged their way into my soul. I think its beautifully, disturbingly brilliant!!