"Rugby or the love of his life - which will he choose?"
Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted July 30, 2019
New Adult | Romance | Romance Sports
The Murphy brothers have a big problem. They should be the heirs to the family pubs, a multi-million dollar corporation except for an unusual clause in their father's will. They all must marry for any of them to inherit, and their marriages must last a certain amount of time. The other brothers Connor and Jack are happily married but time is running out for Sean, the rugby player of the family, who hasn't had the time or know-how for romance. He certainly doesn't want to be the DIRTY IRISH who lets his family down, but what can he do? He was dating one woman who just wants to be friends and the other is a friend, who doesn't think of him that way. Leah arrives in Ireland and is working at one of the Murphy's many pubs as a bartender. She needed a time out from her life after finding her boutique business partner and her boyfriend together. She and Sean have a game playing relationship, so when he tells her his woes of no woman she offers to play matchmaker. Trouble is there is something about the feisty Latina woman who intrigues him more than any he has ever known. Why would that be? DIRTY IRISH is a funny, lively romance that will have readers feeling as if they are in Ireland and hearing the music of the voices. Author Magan Vernon did tend to use a lot of Irish (or is it Gaelic) curses and endearments that would have been nice if there was a glossary to help with pronunciation and identify the meanings. The story building is great, and though this is the third of the series, it is easily read alone. The characters are realistic to the point where readers can really see them in their minds and either wanted to yell at them or cheer them on. Sean is a bit single-minded in his quest for his rugby life, and it was only when he was about to lose Leah did he realize what was more important to him. Leah was a bit gun shy but also sassy and perfect for drawing Sean out of his shell. Man does not exist by Rugby alone, not if he wants to keep a multi-million dollar business in the family. She is very business savvy, but when it comes to Sean, she didn't understand him or see what he really felt until it was almost too late for them. If you love a man with a sexy Irish lilt to his voice, a sassy heroine, a sweet romance with a few bumps and dips, misunderstandings that do get resolved and an amazing happily ever after then DIRTY IRISH will fit the bill. SUMMARYMy life has revolved around the two things I've always loved: whiskey and rugby. Now the marriage clause in my Da's will has me putting both on the back burner if I want to save the Murphy's Pub empire and find a wife. As the last brother to get married, I need a little help, and that's where my sister-in-law's American best friend, Leah, comes into the picture. She could use a little Irish luck after the deceitful things her ex did to her that brought her to Ireland. With her take-no-shite-attitude, she's just the type of girl to help me find a wife. That is, if I can remember she’s the matchmaker and not the match.
EXCERPTNow, here I was, with a new beginning and purpose.
The position with Sean might not be my dream job, but it gave me the chance to find something closer to it. To figure out what I was going to do next.
After picking up a sandwich from a nearby café, I continued to stroll the streets of Dublin, looking in storefronts and people-watching the businessmen who walked by.
I pulled out my phone and, like a glutton for punishment, looked through the dating app I’d loaded, where I’d posted Sean’s magazine cover photo as his profile picture.
A lot of random women and men were already sending messages and some very lewd photos. How the hell did they even know if this was the real Sean Murphy before they sent a picture of their goodies? Geez…
Okay, maybe dating sites weren’t the best bet for him, and I’d have to try something else.
Groaning in frustration, I decided to put the dating app to the back of my mind, like I’d been doing with everything else in my life, and open the word game app that I’d been playing.
Normally I just played random bots, but there was one name that made me smile as an opponent, even if I wouldn’t admit that to him.
Sean Murphy played the word whizbang for 76 points
What the hell? Was that even a real word?
I opened up the messenger on the same app and sent him a reply.
Leah: I feel like you’re just googling random words to see what will work.
His response was quick—and smart-ass.
Sean: Whizbang, according to Google, means a resounding success. Like I am at this game.
Leah: *Eye roll* Good thing you still have Google. How else would you score any points, since I know for a fact this game doesn’t take slang?
Sean: Find that out trying to use some American lingo? Like gotten? Why do people still use that anyway?
Leah: Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a pain in the ass?
Sean: Every day of my life.
I may have been snarky in our conversation, but I found myself smiling as I stared down at the screen.
It was easy to get lost when it came to talking to Sean.
So, lost I could forget that he was my best friend’s brother-in-law and my new boss who I was supposed to be finding a wife for. He had a future with rugby and the company.
We couldn’t be anything more than friends and in a business relationship.
No matter how much he made me smile.
BOOK SERIESMurphy Brothers STRAIGHT UP IRISH
#1.0
โข February 2018
 IRISH ON THE ROCKS
#2.0
โข September 2018
 DIRTY IRISH
#3.0
โข June 2019
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