“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” ~ Nelson MandelaA vengeance quest that began twenty-five years ago…Sold to the highest bidder, Alana Conti must fight for her life–and for her soul–when she comes face to face with Law, the mysterious underworld boss who obeys no laws but his own. His touch is commandingly sensual and … commandingly sensual and Alana yields, taking the first steps into his intriguing life of crime and web of carnal promise.
Law’s heart burns white hot but not for Lana–for revenge. The unspeakable crimes committed against his family cannot go unpunished. Senator Conti’s beautiful, rebellious daughter is the perfect lure to draw his sworn enemy out from an island fortress.
As Lana becomes an integral part of Law’s high-stakes world of vice, spies, and global politics, she accepts the reality of her situation: she’s fallen in love with an outlaw who can give her everything but her independence… and his love.
Forced to acknowledge his feelings for Lana, Law has no option but to surrender the one thing she desires most–her freedom…
“Tabke’s edgy and delicious tales hold a top spot on my must-read list!” ~ Sylvia Day
“Karin Tabke blends hot and sexy with edge of your seat suspense like no one else!” ~ Debra Webb
“You can always count on Karin Tabke novels for sultry heroines, naughty heroes, and heart-racing plots. Hands down, my favorite reads of all time.” ~ Josie Brown
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OMG…as soon as I started reading this book I could not put it down. I couldn’t get enough. Law & Lana both have heavy baggage. Yet, they are nothing alike. They have a physical attraction that you could cut a knife through. It is another deliciously hot book by my favorite author, Karin Tabke. For the contemporary romance with suspense reader. If you don’t have a copy, it just takes a minute to order by Kindle &/or print. Go get your copy now and step into Chimera…
It has been quite a while since I had read a book written by Karin Tabke so I was thrilled to see Rule of Law. It has many of the qualities that I remember from her books in the past. It is a character driven story that has a character finding herself in unusual situations suddenly. She also does amazing world building so that there is a seamless blend with reality and the non-normal.
There are some differences too. Rule of Law is a darker romance than I remember reading written by Ms. Tabke. Also usually I like all of the characters involved in a book by her. I did appreciate Law as the creature that he is but had some difficulty accepting Lana at face value. I can understand how a person could be as troubled as she is. However, she is where she is because of the choices that she made. This did not endear her to me. Realistic portrayal, yes but likable not really. Still there is growth painfully achieved as the story progresses.
Best of all there is great tension between the characters with unpredictability in their actions do make this an interesting story whether I liked the characters or not. That has not changed in her stories.
An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is the first in what might possibly be a trilogy. It starts hard and fast with Lana waking up in a van, bound, gagged and vaguely remembering how she consented to allow herself to be bid upon in an extreme auction. I’d like to say that she was coerced or forced even but I’d be lying because Lana is a drug addicted stripper who has reached rock bottom in her attempts to run far away from her past and the comfortable life she has left behind.
Law is the hard, uncompromising man who rules his club and indeed his businesses with a rod of iron. He has his own reasons for taking Lana but does he intend to use her or save her ? One thing he does know is that Lana is a way for him to finally get the revenge he has waited twenty five years for but Lana has no intention of staying his prisoner so let battle commence !
I honestly wasn’t sure when this started if it was going to turn out to be a paranormal story as when Lana first encounters Law she seems to think people disappear and reappear at will ! Upon reflection I think perhaps because she was high at the time it obviously affected how she viewed her situation but yes I did find it a tad confusing. Pretty quickly though it’s obvious that this is a contemporary story that features two very damaged souls who don’t believe in love but can perhaps find hope in each other’s arms. This chemistry and sexual tension was palpable and the author takes her time to explore the dynamic between the couple. When they do eventually give in completely to their shared passion this reader almost felt like cheering ! This book was exciting, surprising and just so good that I cannot wait to find out what happens next and although not exactly a cliffhanger there’s definitely much more to explore .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
Lana was the most annoying character ever that used the victim card way too much. Law just kept falling for her bs and that totally turned me off. I did not finish this book.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/rule-of-law-karin-tabke/
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Such a short blurb for such a long book. I mean loooong book. Sorry, this is more accurate: loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong book. Writing the first book of a saga is never easy. You need to put on the table enough data to build the world without forgetting the story and the characters. That is if you want to do it right. If you don’t care, just follow the steps of Rule of Law…
Lana is a runaway who staged her death to get away from her family. Her plan was utterly flawed and ended working as a stripper in exchange for the next dosis to relieve her drug addiction. Lana’s trouble forced her to accept being sold to the supervillain of the tale, just to be kidnapped by a less villanous individual: Law. That guy is a mastermind of crime who has plans of his own for Lana. Perfect setting for a love story, am I right? Nothing says “I love you” like being hold against your will…
The book has an amazing start point with several great first chapters: the kidnapping of Lana, the first attempt to escape, the getting the drugs out of her system… How many chapters is that? Three or four? That “overwhelming” number of pages is the sheer amount of the book that is salvagable. The rest, you can make a tidy ball of paper with it and throw it into the closest paper bin you have. I am so disappointed with the lack of story. A waste of really great ingredients that should have been cooked into something much more satiating. Most of the book happens in the same room. A very unremarkable room for the story. The book should have been about Lana’s plan to get away from Chimera, as it was hinted. The plan was formulated, but ignored over and over again. For such an unwilling member of Law’s menagerie, she looks pretty comfortable most of the time.
OK, so zero interest about that part of the story (it never happened…). Law’s side of the plot doesn’t hold any weight, either. We know he has plans for Lana. Super secret plans. Even more secret than the one of the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. Throw as a bone now and then to keep us engaged, please. There is only so much tantrums and muscle descriptions I can stomach in a book. All the rest are just conversations to remind us that whatever Law is doing is the best kept secret in the history of storytelling. And what is finally unveiled about the famous secret plan I can only define as lackluster. I do not mind cliffhangers. I usually love them. But not when the first book is just a long prologue and everything else is pushed to the second one. If you have story for just one book, don’t write two (or more).
The characters are not that bad. They just do whatever they can in that boring setting. We only get to follow the so-called story from the point of view of Lana (even though is not told from a first person perpective), so she is the character that we really get to know. She has a very interesting past, but sadly the story is not properly built on top of it. Law is way more underdeveloped. We only know that he is extremely hot, a mastermind criminal, bossy and a womanizer (or not… that last bit is still unclear). He even makes crime look cool, which is stupid. Apart from that, a couple of details of his past and nothing else. Nothing that makes him a good or bad character. Just an OK-ish one.
The romance between those two is the other big issue I have with this book. Mafia and kidnapping are not my cups of tea for the genre, but I was willing to try and enjoy it. It has been worse than expected. The game of seduction when one of the participants can’t escape the place is just wrong. Yes, the author took good care to avoid any kind of physical raping, but she wasn’t that good about avoiding the verbal one. So many veiled threads. So many comments about Law owning Lana as if she were little more than a toy. So many angry exchanges between the two of them. When the sex happens it feels wrong and awkward. Not a pleasant experience for the reader.
I don’t feel like reading the second book when is out. Yes, I’m curious about how all ends, but I’m also scared that the story will be unnecessary dragged once more.