Dirty Deal is funny, sweet, with the right amount of sexiness, and it’s a total page turner. I was immediately sucked in with the initial humor and drama of this sports/nanny romance and couldn’t get enough of the main characters.
At the start, we find Axel, the charming professional hockey
player, doing what he loves to do, which is to annoy Nora, the sweet but sassy
neighbor. That day Nora is in the throws of mourning her beloved Stella, a
houseplant that represents her goals, and Axel’s packages have been delivered
yet again to the apartment Nora lives in that’s owned by her boss/relative. Fed
up, she gives him five minutes to come get his stuff out of her apartment, but
just as he’s about to go pick up his boxes he’s met with a very pregnant woman
from his past. Turns out, Axel’s about to be a single dad, since the mother
wants nothing to do with neither the baby nor him. Two days later, Axel still
hasn’t picked his stuff up, and Nora is seething. But, just as she’s about to
lay into Axel about not following through and being disrespectful and whatever,
she finds him with his brand-new baby, Otto. Given that Nora’s boss is moving
to another country leaving her jobless, and Axel is in desperate need of a
nanny immediately, he hires her for what’s supposed to only be a month to care
for little Otto. From there, we see how they deal with all the things that come
with caring for a very unexpected newborn and how their relationship goes from
Axel loving to get a reaction out of Nora and her being less than tolerant of
him to something much more.
I love, love, love Axel! He starts off as an irritating jock
but almost right away turns into just the swooniest character. I mean, what’s
not to love about a hunky athlete turning into a doting dad? He’s adorable, hilarious,
and charming. He so completely wants and needs Nora around, and those feelings
manifest in some of the sweetest and hottest of ways. And Nora was such a
perfect match for him. She doesn’t put up with his shenanigans but gives him
plenty of grace when he needs it, especially given that he so quickly and surprisingly
becomes a father. As the oldest of a very large family, she’s used to dealing
with children but is now living out in the world trying to make a life for
herself outside of her family. I like that she’s tough and has goals but is
also a touch naïve and has issues with her family, since for so long she was
expected to help out as caretaker by her mother. It all made her seem more
relatable.
For me, Dirty Deal is about two people trying to find their
way. Both Axel and Nora are making huge transitions in their lives, and they’re
doing it together. Axel’s life has just been flipped upside down, and Nora is
struggling to find her place outside of her hometown and away from her rather
oppressive homelife. I loved seeing how they maneuvered life together with baby
Otto and their undeniable chemistry. They’ve got so much stress and drama in
their lives, but together they make sense of it all.
Sweet and funny but sexy too, I couldn’t get enough of Axel
and Nora’s story. I can’t wait for the next book in the Slayers Hockey Series!
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