Hard Rules (Dirty Money, #1) by Lisa Renee Jones Series: Dirty Money #1
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on August 9th 2016
Pages: 320
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Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy in 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 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.
Lisa Renee Jones pulls out all the stops in this romantic suspense that’s full of intrigue, passion, and power plays.
I instantly got sucked into the story of Hard Rules. I loved the fun way Emily and Shane meet, and I felt an immediate connection with both characters. They easily fall into flirtatious banter, and despite leading complicated lives that perhaps should have them running in the opposite direction, they find themselves undeniably drawn to each other. Shane fulfills Emily’s desire to be wanted, and she makes Shane feel like his happiness is a priority for once in his life.
It quickly becomes clear that Emily is hiding a mysterious past. Her life is one big lie, which makes dating a man who desires trust difficult. Meanwhile, Shane is in the midst of a family war over control of the empire his corrupt father has built. Emily could wind up collateral damage—with both her heart and body in danger.
This is one of those stories where everyone has their own agenda, and you’re never 100% certain who the good guys are. Shane’s family is beyond devious. You might want to grab a bucket of popcorn while reading this so you can sit back and really enjoy every backstabbing, calculating, shocking moment of this messed up family.
As much as I enjoyed the story, there are some shortcomings. Emily’s behavior towards Shane gave me whiplash as the story progresses. She pushes him away and then gets mad when he respects her wishes to keep his distance. She repeatedly runs away from him, but the next scene she’s back in his arms.
Another drawback of the story is that I never really understood why cleaning up his father’s company is so important to Shane. He doesn’t need or desire money and power. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his family. Why give up his own ambition and happiness, and get sucked into danger, for a company he was never even part of? I rooted for Shane anyway because I admired him, but the details about the company’s shady dealings didn’t hold my interest.
The biggest strength in this storyline is the unpredictable and questionable motives of the myriad of complex characters, the unanswered questions about Emily past, as well as Shane and Emily’s blossoming romantic relationship despite all odds.
Hard Rules ends on a cliffhanger. This is book one in a four-part series that follows Shane and Emily. I’m not sure there’s enough plot to continue the story that long, but I enjoy mysteries, and I’m definitely intrigued enough to read the next book.
Recommended for fans of:
Mystery
Romantic Suspense
Family drama
Coffee
**ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.**
Excerpt
My order appears and I straighten, intending to claim my coffee and find a seat, when a pretty twenty-something brunette races forward in a puff of sweet, floral-scented perfume, and grabs it.
“Miss,” I begin, “that’s—”
She takes a sip and grimaces. “What is this?” She turns to the counter. “Excuse me,” she calls out. “My drink is wrong.”
“Because it’s not your drink,” Karen reprimands her, setting a new cup on the counter. “This is your drink.” She reaches for my cup and turns it around, pointing to the name scribbled on the side. “This one’s for Shane.” She glances at me. “I’ll be right back to fix this. I have another customer.”
I wave my acknowledgment and she hurries away, while my floral-scented coffee thief faces me, her porcelain cheeks flushed, her full, really damn distracting mouth, painted pink. “I’m so sorry,” she offers quickly. “I thought I was the only one without my coffee and I was in a hurry.” She starts to hand me my coffee and then quickly sets it on the counter. “You can’t have that. I drank out of it.”
“I saw that,” I say, picking it up. “You grimaced with disgust after trying it.”
Her eyes, a pale blue that matches the short-sleeved silk blouse, go wide. “Oh. I mean no. Or I did, but not because it’s a bad cup of coffee. It’s just very strong.”
“It’s a triple-shot latte.”
“A triple,” she says, looking quite serious. “Did you know that in some third- world countries they bottle that stuff and sell it as a way to grow hair on your chest.” She lowers her voice and whispers, “That’s not a good look for me.”
“Fortunately,” I say in the midst of a chuckle I would have claimed wasn’t possible five minutes ago, “I don’t share that dilemma.” I lift my cup and add, “Cheers,” before taking a drink, the heavy, rich flavor sliding over my tongue.
She pales, looking exceedingly uncomfortable, before repeating, “I drank from that cup.”
“I know,” I say, offering it back to her. “Try another drink.”
She takes the cup and sets it on the counter. “I can’t drink that. And you can’t either.” She points to the hole on top, now smudged pink. “My lipstick is all over it and I really hate to tell you this but it’s all over you too and . . .” She laughs, a soft, sexy sound, her hands settling on her slender, but curvy hips, accented by a fitted black skirt. “Sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but it’s not a good shade for you.”
I laugh now too, officially and impossibly charmed by this woman in spite of being in the middle of what feels like World War III. “Seems you know how to make a lasting impression.”
“Thankfully it’s not lasting,” she says. “It’ll wipe right off. And thank you for being such a good sport. I really am sorry again for all of this.”
“Apologize by getting it off me.”
Confusion puckers her brow. “What?”
“You put it on me.” I grab a napkin from the counter and offer it to her. “You get it off.”
“I put it on the cup,” she says, clearly recovering her quick wit. “You put it on you.”
“I assure you, that had I put it on me, we both would have enjoyed it much more than we are now.” I glance at the napkin.
“Are you going to help me?”
Her cheeks flush and she hugs herself, her sudden shyness an intriguing contrast to her confident banter. “I’ll let you know if you don’t get it all.”
My apparently lipstick- stained lips curve at her quick wit but I take the napkin and wipe my mouth, arching a questioning brow when I’m done. She points to the corner of my mouth. “A little more on the left.”
I hand her the napkin. “You do it.”
She inhales, as if for courage, but takes it. “Fine,” she says, stepping closer, that wicked sweet scent of hers teasing my nostrils. Wasting no time, she reaches for my mouth, her body swaying in my direction while my hand itches to settle at her waist. I want this woman and I’m not letting her get away.
“There,” she says, her arm lowering, and not about to let her escape, I capture her hand, holding it and the napkin between us.
Those gorgeous pale blue eyes of hers dart to mine, wide with surprise, the connection sparking an unmistakable charge between us…
A Note From Lisa
This series will have FOUR full-length books in it. The first four will be Emily and Shane’s story and there will be a fifth fir a secondary character’s story (more information to come soon). I don’t have covers or buy links for these books YET, but I DO have titles and tentative release dates!
- Book One – Hard Rules – August, 9, 2016
- Book Two – Damage Control – February 2017
- Book Three – Bad Deeds – August 2017
- Book Four – End Game – February 2018
I am SO excited for this series to come out, because it is so unlike my other series. I am hoping my readers love it just as much as I did when I was writing it! PLEASE be sure to sign up for my Newsletter (link below). That will be where/how I communicate when these titles, and others, are available for pre-order, on sale or when I have a big giveaway!
About Lisa Renee Jones
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series, which is now in development for a television show to be produced by Suzanne Todd of Team Todd (Alice in Wonderland). Suzanne Todd on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we all can identify with. I’m thrilled to develop a television show that will tell Sara’s whole story – her life, her work, her friends, and her sexuality.
In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is presently working on a dark, edgy new series, Dirty Money, for St. Martin’s Press.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily.
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