Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy in Hard Rules, the smoldering, scorching first novel in the explosively sexy new Dirty Money series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones.
How bad do you want it?
The only man within the Brandon empire with a moral compass, Shane Brandon is ready to take his family’s business dealings legitimate. His reckless and ruthless brother, Derek … His reckless and ruthless brother, Derek wants to keep Brandon Enterprises cemented in lies, deceit, and corruption. But the harder Shane fights to pull the company back into the light, the darker he has to become. Then he meets Emily Stevens, a woman who not only stirs a voracious sexual need in him, but becomes the only thing anchoring him between good and evil.
Emily is consumed by Shane, pushed sexually in ways she never dreamed of, falling deeper into the all-encompassing passion that is this man. She trusts him. He trusts her, but therein lies the danger. Emily has a secret, the very thing that brought her to him in the first place, and that secret that could that destroy them both.
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I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
Being a corporate attorney is all Shane Brandon wanted to do and doing it in New York was a bonus.
Now he is back in Denver trying to save his families company and making it legal but his brother wants to keep it dirty. And with his father dying of cancer and he is not going to just hand over the family business to Shane, he wants his sons to fight over it which is really weird to me. But as his father is dying and Derek is trying to take over the company and keep it with dirty business, Shane wants to make it all clean and legal. The more Shane learns about his father and brother’s dealings, the more he will have to cross that line into the dark to make things right.
Emily Stevens seems to be the one that keeps Shane in the light. But she is a mystery to him. When he asks about her past, she tells him something but is it the truth. When she meets Shane, there is a connection that neither of them know what to do with but can’t deny. When he offers her one night, can they both live with that? Will she tell him about her past and why she is in Denver? Who is she hiding from and will it help Shane or destroy him?
This story is full of lies, betrayal, deceit and corruption and that is just from Shane’s family. Lisa Renee Jones knows how to write a story that will draw you in and keep you hanging on every word until the very end and leave you wanting, no needing more. I can’t wait for more, I need to know what happens between Shane and Emily. So sit back and enjoy another beginning to a great series.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Currently reading….
This one is definitely setting up for the series. Ending ends on the cliffhanger, so I’ll be diving into the next one asap. I love the audiobook.
Wow. I simply had to go straight into the second book this one was so good. Shane and Emily are HOT together. They are both strong willed and fiery personalities that crash together on the page. Their interactions will keep you turning the page. Add in the dynamic at Shane’s company with both his brother and father. The struggle of who will come out on top will keep you reading. Add in the mystery of Emily, who she is, where she comes from, what she is doing will have you diving right into book 2.
Go get Hard Rules while it is on preorder because it is on sale and will go up after the release! I loved reading Hard Rules. Hard Rules is the first book in the new series Dirty Money. I have never read any of Lisa Renee Jones books before and this one had me on the edge of my seat. So much so I couldn’t put it down even while having a migraine. I just read it on the dark screen so it wouldn’t hurt my eyes too much. That is how much I needed to read & finish this book.
I will leave it up to the author for you to read the synopsis. Not only were there some HOT scenes in this book it was full of suspense. This is Shane Brandon’s and Emily Steven’s story. And, Hard Rules ended where you know there will be another book and that book can’t come soon enough! I can’t wait to hear what Emily is hiding!
I received a complimentary copy of Hard Rules for an honest review and I give it 5 suspense filled stars.
*3.5 stars*
I have lots of questions…
The family drama is off the charts in this first of a four part story arc. Shane and Emily’s relationship is wrapped in uncertainty (the back and forth is head spinning!) and suspicion with their attraction to each other offering the spicy, hot wrapping. I liked these characters. They seemed up front and honest in the moment, even as they both were models of contradictions, undecided in quite what they wanted from each other. At the end of the day (or the story) there was a cliffhanger that seemed right at the tipping point of answering so many of the questions I have – gawd, turning that last page was a kick in the reading gut… I have no idea where their story is taking me next, I just know I can’t wait for the ride to continue!
DNF at 30%. Audiobook. This was so boring. And it’s the first of a quartet of books? I’m not sure if the author is just dragging out the intro or what. But I kept finding myself mentally “wandering off”. I honestly don’t care at this point what happens to the MC. I enjoy Grace Grant & Jeremy York as narrators, so I have a hard time pinning it on them.
Intense, hot and full of secrets and intrigue. Gripping and full of twists and turns this plot hooks you right in and doesn’t let you go, though warning this is only part one so you do need to read the whole series. This story shows that family isn’t always what’s its cracked up to be, I definitely wouldn’t want these relatives, more support from staff and friends than them. Enjoyable and easy to lose yourself in reading, sink into the words and just keep turning pages. Loved it.
Lisa Renee Jone has done it again!
Now how does this woman keep producing epic novels?
No clue! But I surely buy and read every single one.
“Man Hard Rules” is a fast-paced new series.
With everything from big money, suspense, betrayal and luscious sexual scenes. That will make your toes curl HOT!!! It was wildly thrilling! With a turn in every new direction. God that was fun!
Cliffhanger Alert!!!! Yes, there is one!
Aaaahhhhhh! Can you say cliffhanger? I am dying and twisting in the wind on this one.
Everyone is hiding something. Everyone. There is no such thing as “what you see is what you get” in Hard Rules. Crazy drama, espionage, and too many lies…Mafia, drug cartels, and murder?
When things finally seemed to be going right for “Emily”,she truly winds up in the worst situation. Unraveling her problems seems to be impossible, especially while trying to avoid issues at work. Emily isn’t sure if her new life is worse than that which she left behind.
Add in her bosses…
Unanswered phone calls…
Seriously questionable practices by her employer…
It’s obvious they need some Hard Rules, but is it too late?
I loved this book. I spent the entire book trying to connect the dots. I absolutely love not knowing what comes next, but in this case it looks like I have a wait in my future.
Dirty Money series has me panting for just a little bit more. Like the cartel, it teases you and dangles all the possibilities… I want, no NEED more!
Wall Street meets Sons of Anarchy, I’m expected corruption, manipulation,
dirty dealing, hot alpha males, steamy sex.
I liked Shane and Emily and was interested in how their relationships would evolve but there’s a fine line between alpha and asshat and I think Shane is bordering on it, I couldn’t decide if I liked him or not.
I wanted to like this story because of the comparison to Sons one of my favorite shows, it has a charming alpha male who you pretty much swoon over I didn’t get that from Shane. For me, the first book needs to set the tone for the rest of the series what’s going to compel me to what to read the next book.
This was an okay read for me and the next book needs to blow me away if I’m to continue the series.
~3.5 Stars ~
When I read the blurb for Hard Rules, I immediately knew it would be right up my alley. Corruption, secrets, handsome alpha and someone to root for? Umm….yes, please.
Shane Brandon isn’t like his father and brother. What he sees as a legitimate business for both himself and the world, his family uses it to hide behind all their dirty little secrets full of greed, criminal activity and zero remorse. As Shane sets out to fight this battle of good versus evil, he quickly finds out that in order to survive, you sometimes have to break the rules. Something that doesn’t settle well with him. The only bright light in his life is the one girl that he can’t seem to get out of his mind. Will he be able to push his feelings aside and focus on legitimizing Brandon Enterprises?
Emily Stevens is immediately drawn to Shane as he continues to pull her in with his charm, alpha tendencies and full on sex appeal. The closer she gets to Shane, the deeper she falls. Yet, she’s hiding something from him. Something that very well could separate them forever. Will she expose her secrets, allowing them to fully embrace into a trusting relationship or will it destroy them all together?
I have to be honest and say that the first part of the book moved very slow for me. I actually had to put it down a few times and come back. However, once it did pick up, I became extremely intrigued by the story line. I was constantly trying to guess what both Shane and Emily’s next moves were. I really like these two together. Emily is able to find a way to balance Shane out and to help him focus on his end goal. She is able to hold her own against his need for control and know just how to push his buttons. I love a little push and pull in relationships and we get just a tiny hint of that in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and appreciate the storyline that left us needing to know what happens next. There are enough plot twists that keep you guessing on what’s going to happen next. Especially with the rival between Shane and his brother Derek. And kudos to Lisa for effortlessly making Derek creepy. The way his character was written, I was immediately creeped out by him. I look forward to Damage Control releasing in February so we can find out more of what exactly is going on.
“And you were right. Alone is better, which is exactly how I planned to spend this night. Until I saw you and alone wasn’t better anymore. And now I know why. You want what I want.”
Hard Rules is a sexy, suspenseful, and downright confusing at times, story of family, loyalty, and the ties that bind. It’s the first book in the Dirty Money series, a series that, from even just this first book, is shaping up to be quite the Brandon family saga. Secrets and lies, mystery and intrigue, passion and betrayal…sounds just like all the things to love about a soap opera, doesn’t it?
Shane Brandon- the lawyer, the good son, the one who plays by the rules and does things by the book, has returned to Denver to help turn the family business around. Actually, “turn the family business around” is not quite accurate- he’s there to make sure business is, and stays, on the up and up. He’s in for a fight not only with his brother, but with his father as well, both of whom have no problem straddling, and more often than not, crossing the line into some shady situations. At times it was hard to understand exactly what was happening- how the dots were connecting. There was so much going on I honestly found myself a little lost at different points in the story. The prologue had me intrigued right from the start, but then it seemed either I got off course, or the story did, at least as far as what was happening with the Brandon family empire. I never quite figured out how the prologue related to the rest of the book. And that could just be on me, and maybe I need to go back and read that part again.
What I really enjoyed the most about Hard Rules is the relationship between Shane and Emily. They started with a “meet cute” but from then on nothing about their interactions was cute…and I’m so okay with that! These are 2 lonely people who just, luckily, happen across each other, at a time when both could really use some human connection. Things heat up pretty quickly between them, but that’s not all there is to them. They’re both very intelligent, and Emily is able to hold her own with the very alpha and dominant Shane. But Emily is a mystery. As much as she opens up to Shane there are still things she’s hiding- she’s got secrets that so far she’s not comfortable sharing, and that may be just what ends these 2 before they can really begin.
And can you say holy cliffhanger?!? That ending has left me with more questions than answers! And I need answers, desperately!
This book was just ok. The story was interesting, but I felt that not enough things were revealed in the story to put me on the edge of my seat. I think it could have definitely done that had bits and pieces of the big picture been revealed. But I’m still confused as to what is going on with this insane family. I did like both the main characters. There is a lot of chemistry between them and enough secrets to have me dying to know what each of them are hiding. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with this series, we will see.
The Brandon Family empire has been dealing on the illegal side of things far too long and as the heir to the family business Shane Brandon thinks it’s high time, they make the move to start doing things on the up and up. But his plan to take their business to a more reputable side of things is met with a lot of adversity from his brother, so in order to get his way he may have to dabble a little on the crooked side of things to get it done. At the same time he happens upon a beautiful and oh so tempting woman in a coffee shop that he just cant seem to forget, and soon finds himself embroiled in a passionate little affair with her… and the darker his life gets, the more he depends on her to become the only bright spot in his life… his saving grace!
Emily has found herself in danger, and after meeting Shane Brandon she knows he is the only man who can help her, the only one she can trust to keep her safe. As danger settles in, the closer she sticks to him, and the more time she spends with him between the sheets, the passion they share in mind blowing, and something she has never experienced before. She is becoming addicted to him, but she also knows she can’t let that cloud her judgement or stray her focus..
This thrilling little introduction to Ms. Jones new series, was off the charts sexy and oh so suspenseful… I can’t wait to see what she has in store for these characters next!! The minute Shane appeared on the page I knew I was in trouble, he had me hooked and willing to follow him to the ends of the earth, move over book boyfriends there is a new sheriff in town!! If you like your fairy tales packed with smoldering between the sheets action, and spine tingling suspense then I highly encourage you to consider picking up a book by this author, she is a true master at her craft!!
I enjoyed this book a lot. It is the perfect suspense filled read that will leave you wanting more. The Brandon family is all about power, lies, deceit, betrayal, revenge and control. You have a father putting son and son. You have a son trying to do the right thing by save the family company the right way and the other doing anything and everything he can to gain control of a company by any means necessary. Their mother is doing whatever she needs to do to come out on top just like everyone else and no one in this family seems to have any regret when it comes to this business. They are only family by blood, but when it comes down to it that’s all they will ever be. No one is safe and either their in it to win it or they will become collateral damage in the process. I loved everything about this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next because this book ended with a cliffhanger and I truly need to know what happens next.
This book is the start of the series Dirty Money, these books cannot be read as stand alone issues because it contains a BIG cliffhanger, no HEA, lots of drama and suspense and the next book picks up right were this one ends. There is some characters you will hate and some you will love, this series reminds so much of The Shades Of Gray…
Shane Brandon is the younger brother of two and he is a lawyer with morals. His entire family is at war with one another and do not trust each other. Shane wants to clean up the family business and get rid of the dirty dealings going on within the divisions. He has a corrupt brother, Derek, who wants to keep the company dirty and bring a drug cartel into the mix. Shane works hard to stay good but he has to become bad himself to fight the evil. Then he literally bumps into Emily Stevens in a coffee shop, a woman who he is immediately attracted to and wants to own sexually. Emily has secrets herself but she soon becomes the only thing that is keeping him stable.
Emily Stevens is on the run and has secrets and it involves family as well. She trust no one but soon learns she can trust Shane and him her but with that trust brings danger. The chemistry has now turned into love but there is still secrets that cannot be revealed and if the truth comes out about her it could destroy the both of them.