Dirty Shame by Selah March [Het Review]

Dirty Shame by Selah March from Amber Quill press is a contemporary romance that breaks the rules. First of all the hero, Dare Daniels, is the star of a hit television show called Vegas Knight. Second of all the 'dirty shame' in his past is actually something that would make a person tortured. Third of all, Dare is a complete womanizer. Selah March doesn't play halfsies with this tale. And, boy, does it pay off. Dirty Shame gets an A from this reviewer and I don't particularly like contemporaries.

The heroine is Joey Fiorello, a struggling actress who applies for a personal assistant gig to pay the bills. Dare is tabloid fodder of Britney Spears proportions; His manager hires Joey in hopes that she can make the oversexed actor tame his libido or at least keep it from the public eye. That becomes difficult when, of course, sparks fly between the pair.

The editing was good which sometimes with Amber Quill books can be iffy. The dialogue is fantastic. I never rolled my eyes once during their verbal sparring, and I usually find romance 'banter' to be mockable at best, Dare sounded like a real guy! Its like Selah March had observed them in their natural habitat. Joey was a tough cookie without being stupid. Feisty and not lobotomized: a mix so rare its like a white tiger in the wild. She did have some quirks that seemed a little unrealistic to sort of crazy. And the fact that Dare was willing to hire even after she explains her behavior is odd, but given his own history, understandable. Joey and Dare were interesting, fleshed-out characters that gave extra spice to their romance and more enjoyment for me as a reader. And, the sex scenes mention condoms. Sorry if that is a spoiler, but it was that realism that grounded the book and made believing that a hunky TV star would fall for a short, buxom assistant that much easier. This is also a suspenseful story, and the mystery part of the story isn't tacked on. As the plot twists and turns, its always surprising, but doesn't come out of left field. I had a few 'Ah ha' moments I pieced together the story. This book is just all around fun!

Selah March has a great voice and her story had its feet on the ground with touches of realism. This book feels like it takes place on Earth instead of Romancelandia. Watching Joey and Dare fall in love is a treat, and the fall is natural, I never felt like the author was writing down to fit romance conventions. This is a 'A' tale, and I can't wait to read more from Selah March.