I was expecting a bit more con artist vibes from this book, but it’s really a family drama leaning towards humor.

I personally struggled with the sheer amount of characters and how much back and forth dialogue there was, and unfortunately it didn’t hold my interest.

I think it was mostly my expectations, as the description made me thing we were in for a plot heavy good time and it was very character driven instead.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free e-arc in exchange for my honest review

Moorewood Family Rules was one of the first ARCs I requested for 2023, and it’s one of the ones I was most excited for. Was it everything I hoped it would be? No, but I’m not entirely disappointed because it sure was a lot of fun.

I love grifters. I love schemers and scammers. I love a good con. I really love it when the people who need to be put in check are put in check. I love watching everything about a good con come together, when all the disparate pieces finally fall into place. And this book is like a nice big pot of grifter stew with a side of bodyguard romance.

Therein lies the rub: I wasn’t completely on board with the romantic subplot. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it to a certain extent, but I thought it took away from the main themes of the book and the fun of the plot. I especially felt it took away from the motivations, goals, and power of Jillian, our protagonist. While it didn’t completely take away from her agency, it did give her someone else to hand power and decision-making over to, and that lowered my respect for her as a reformed con woman who is trying to turn her grifter family legitimate. It also made her look a little weak for putting her trust into a man she’s only known for a day or two after all she’s been through. Considering how paranoid grifters and players can be, I found it to be completely out of character for her to just accept this guy as a confidante, no matter how much she trusted the man who hired him for her (that is to say, implicity).

In short, for a reformed grifter who had been burned before by a lover and then burned by her family and gone to jail for it, she’s sure less paranoid than I would be under the circumstances.

The family dynamics in this book are very funny, though, and the highlight of the book. From inept younger grifters in the family who are hiding out overseas for fumbling their schemes, con men who are getting conned, clueless society matrons, slightly off-kilter elderly scheming great aunts who are obsessed with string cheese, and cousins who seem to think the most extreme measures should be the first resort instead of last, there are colorful and unique characters all throughout this book.

This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven and I think that’s what threw me with this book. I think I wanted a little more of the family dynamic and the con plot in the place of the romantic subplot and was disappointed when that didn’t happen. While I felt Jillian needed a friend and someone to talk to, I didn’t think she needed a romance. She just needed an ally from outside the family. I would’ve loved to have seen more interactions and scenes involving the family and what Jillian was getting up to than yet another unnecessary romance.

I do think it’s a brilliant story and a ton of fun, though. It’s lighthearted, bright, and engaging. We all have weird relatives. This story just emphasizes how weird some relatives can truly be.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. Any views, thoughts, opinions, or ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction/Romantic Comedy/RomCom/Comedy/General Fiction

I received a copy for review from NetGalley.

I will start. this off by saying that I read this entire thing in one sitting (mostly). With that being said, this was like watching a car crash. The blurb has this listed as some Ocean's 11 type story and there's a little of that, but mostly this was less about the cons and more about revenge for someone running a con on the main character Jillian. Overall, I didn't really like any of the characters, except Tenn and Patricia. In the scenes they were in they were witty and a nice breath of fresh air. Another issue I had with the story is it was missing stacks. It didn't feel like the stakes were high for anyone except Anika, Astrid, and Jay in the story. I wish there was something more to it, especially with the bang that the story started off with. I also thought the tension between Beck and Jillian was missing something. There was no build up in the tension between the two. They really went from 0 to sexy time in like five pages. It was kind of a turn off for the book. I wish instead of romance it had turned out to be a partnership with the security firm Beck runs.

The whole thing was a miss for me.

TONS of fun. Definitely pick this one up! As a lawyer myself, this was twisty aind binge-worthy. I highly recommend this book for a great, fun summer read.

I devoured this book in a day! It was so fun, so camp, so dramatic and over-the-top, with some sweet moments, and delicious banter thrown in too!

Jillian Moorewood has been in prison after taking the blame for a crime her grifter family committed. Now she’s back and ready for revenge! Jillian has a lot to deal with when she returns home, her uncle and his two daughters are running a con, her cousin, Doug, is MIA after stealing a multimillion dollar car, Aunt Patricia has moved in after a little dust up in Florida, and her sister is dating her ex. Not only does she have to get them all in line for a crime-free life, but someone is maybe trying to kill her. Enter hot bodyguard, Beck. What ensues is hilarious family drama and the craziness that ensues when you con your own family.

I can honestly see myself re-reading this book, and I really want the author to make it into a series! Like, maybe the next book could be about Anika and her quest to find love?? I’m just putting it out there. I’d read it. 👀💅🏼

If you’re a fan of Ally Carter’s Heist Society series, tv shows like White Collar and Leverage, or Sandy B’s Ocean’s 8, you’ll enjoy the criminally fun ride that is Moorewood Family Rules. 💸

I truly enjoyed this book, start to finish. The best way to describe Moorewood Family Rules is DRAMA, but also fun, because I had such a great time with this band of familial misfits. Our man gal, Jillian, was tough and caring, thrilling but careful. I found her compelling through and through.

The development of MC Jillian was fantastic, but it is her Uncle Jay, her cousins Astrid and Anika, her Aunt Patricia, and her new bodyguard Beck that really take the cake for me. Each character was illustrated so well through Dimon's descriptors, through the character's actions and demeanors, through the words they'd spit out at each other. I could feel my own emotions bubbling up for these people, and they're not even real!

Now the small romance between Beck and Jillian...a nice little cherry on top, but ultimately I don't think it was needed! I think the family drama on its own was so compelling and interesting, that I don't think the story really needed this romance. I think developing the backstory about Jillian's previous prison sentence or previous incidents with the family antics would have been even better. But that's just me!

I do wish we could've learned a little more about Tenn as well - Jillian's only family member who isn't in the grifting business. I loved hearing his perspectives when they were there, and I would've loved more!

All in all, this book was charming, funny, insanely witty, and just a really great time.

This is a humorous story about a family who runs cons for a living.
The Moorewoods have been successful and live in a beautiful house with an electronic board to track their whereabouts/cons.

One of the dots was stationary for 8 years, because Jillian was in prison for tax fraud. She’s out now, and she’s angry.

Jillian promised her dying mother, an heiress, that the cons would end, and she’s going to make sure that the family goes straight. She’s got the leverage to do it, which is going to come as a surprise.
Unfortunately, the rest of the family doesn’t agree with this plan, and Jillian ends up with a hunky bodyguard after 2 attempts on her life.

This book is less romance and more women’s fiction. There is romance but it’s not the central story. The characters are well done, and it’s funny. 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was SUCH a fun family drama with revenge and romance and a memorable female main character who gets released from prison and turns the tables on her family of con artists who think they’ve bested her out of the family “heist” money.

HelenKay was new to me author that I am going to have to do a deep dive into their back list. Perfect for fans of Knives out and fantastic on audio too. If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual romcom fare out there I highly recommend this one!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was described as a cross between oceans 8 and knives out - and I can totally see it. It started out really promising, but for me it petered out as the story went along. And the romance storyline felt a little silly and awkward. I did overall enjoy, but I’d say this one you can skip if the premise doesn’t totally blow your mind!

“She’d made an honest deal with them more than three years ago. They all had ignored the terms. Now, if they wanted any money, they would listen.”

Jillian comes from a family of con artists. In fact, her parents met while her dad was trying to pull one on her mom. But she is past ready for it all to end.
When she took the fall and ended up locked away for ‘tax evasion’ - the best deal she could make with the authorities - she made a deal with the family too. The cons were to stop.
On her release she finds that this very much did *not* happen, and so it’s time for her to personally enforce some changes.

This books asked the question - When you’re part of a family of con artists who can you trust?
This is a trick question.
You can’t trust anyone. Ever.

The family dysfunction and over the top antics give this book a feel very much like my favorite under-appreciated series The Spellman Files, just replacing a family of above board private investigators for one of con artists who - although they have specific rules for how to run their own family - feel like all the other rules (and laws) out there are mere suggestions.

It was a lot of fun to read, and even with being able to tell what was coming on some of the threads I still enjoyed the journey. It was interesting to see all the ways the family members worked together *and* against each other to keep Jillian from asserting control. Even better was watching her stop them and put them in their places.

There is a slow burn romance (closed door) with the bodyguard, but honestly it’s not even close to the main focus of the book.
This one is all about the family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and avonbooks for the ARC

I’ve seen other reviews mention that they think this book suffered from the comparisons the publisher made to Knives Out or Ocean’s 8. Unfortunately I think this book just suffers from not being good. It’s clumsy and somehow both hard to follow and overly simplistic. It can’t decide if it wants to be a romance or a heist or an ensemble. The characters are thinly drawn. I just couldn’t get into it and honestly think the fact that I felt compelled to finish it because I’d had the ARC for so long contributed to my reading slump.

What a delightful romp through the machinations of a truly unique family. The Moorewoods, an extended family of thieves and con artists are about to meet their match when Jillian Moorewood gets released from prison after having taken the fall for the rest of the family. Jillian gets an icy reception when she arrives unannounced by helicopter just as the patriarch of the family, her uncle Jay, is about to con his way into a life-changing score. But before she left, Jillian had made the family promise to go clean. And she’s pretty certain that’s not what happened.

From the unforgettable characters, most of whom you really want to love despite their lying and cheating ways, to the repeated attempts on Jillian’s life, this book is a wild ride. Who can you trust when your whole family cons for a living? I highly recommend this book.

Excellent premise, fun characters, but somewhat lacking in execution and plot pacing
I wanted so so much to love this book. The premise of a family of con artists was so fascinating to me, but the story seemed to miss a lot of the opportunities that the premise provided. I expected a bit more excitement and hijinks but was met instead with a bunch of people sitting around a house for several days griping at each other. The characters were likable and I would've loved to see them in more interesting situations. This story just ended up being a lot more internal than what I wanted it to be. I think it has a lot of strengths --- the writing is great, the characterization and growth is done well, there's just a lot to be desired on the pacing front.

Jillian is out of prison and on a mission to fix her family! The only problem is that they don't think being grifters needs fixing and they will fight her with everything they have to keep on grifting. Can Jillian figure who turned her over to the cops and got her sent to prison? Can she survive her family's machinations? Will she end up just not caring in the end?

Jillian has quite a growth curve in this story. She is understandably irked having spent 39 months in jail for crimes her family was committing. Worse, none of them even bothered to see her during her incarceration. I love that she arrived at the family estate via helicopter. From that point on, Jillian shows a real ability to deal with anything her family throws at her and still learn the lessons she needs to learn. I really like Jillian's sister, Emma, and cousin, Tenn. They add a little bit of insight into why Jillian thinks the family needs to be "fixed". Both of them are decent people stuck in the muck with the crazy family members. I can't say that there is a "bad guy" per se but a few people in this book aren't exactly good people. Each person serves a purpose and helps to propel the story to its conclusion. There is romance in the story. I'll let you discover that on your own. It actually happens to more than one character, and it is definitely a feel-good part of the story.

I enjoyed this story. It has good pacing and is well written. By the end, I was really rooting for the characters to either win or get their comeuppance. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is such a fun read – I really recommend it to anyone!

I loved how we have to work out who is genuine, who plans on being genuine in the future, and who is actually in control... so many double crosses, so much blaming others, such a crazy, dysfunctional family – and at the centre, a woman who gave up a lot and still they don't respect her.

The layers are revealed at just the right time to keep the tension at the perfect level, and I could really only wish it was longer!

I really wanted this to be more knives out and ocean’s 8 esque because I love those movies. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me and I didn’t love it

I gobbled up this book like a bag of Peanut M&M's after a 40-day fast. Would I want to be part of this dysfunctional (dare I say, murderous?) family of con artists in real life? Absolutely not! But, in the capable hands of HelenKay Dimon, and a fictional story I happily immersed myself in, I couldn't get enough of them. These characters are fascinating. Each and every one of them has so many intriguing layers, keeping me off balance, wondering which - and on whose - side they would land. Some are obvious. Others, not so much. All of them keep the story moving forward at a brisk pace, skillfully guided by their creator through a myriad of twists and turns that kept me eagerly flipping pages to see what would happen next. And when I reached the end, somewhere around 3:00 AM? The first thing I wanted to do was go back to page one and read it all over again to soak in all of the clever lines, unexpected detours, and subtle nuances I may have missed the first time through.

Moorewood Family Rules is quirky, twisty, cringey, laugh-out-loud fun. If you've seen Knives Out, it has that same vibe. In fact, the publisher describes it as "Knives Out and Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest." I would agree. This one checked all of my happy reader boxes.

For you romance lovers out there, yes, there's a love interest for the heroine. And he's pretty yummy.

*ARC received from publisher. Fair and unbiased review.

Jillian Moorewood has spent the last few years in prison for a crime she did commit, and the crimes of her family. You see the Moorewoods are a family of con artists and they're very good at what they do.

To save her family, Jillian takes the fall for the entire family on the condition that they go straight, no cons, no crime, nothing, the family is supposed to become upstanding members of the community, now did they? That's the million-dollar question.

Getting out of prison and making an entrance that can only be described as amazing Jillian puts her foot down and lays her cards on the table, the fallout, well let's just say there's more than one moment Jillian could have lost everything.

I enjoyed this book, the family dynamic, the brilliance of how everything was set, and watching how the pieces moved, it was good, but I wanted a more back story, more of the cons, more of how it all started, something that makes you understand how and why they became who they were and why they'd be willing to kill one of their own.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the death of her mother, Jillian Moorewood tried in vain to get her family of grifters to go legit. Things definitely don't go to plan, and the story begins with Jillian returning to her family estate after spending 39 months in prison. But if there's one thing that Jillian knows, it's how to pull a long con. Unbeknownst to her family, Jillian has returned with a few surprises, but she's not fully prepared for how much her family is determined to hold on to the lives they've built. Enter, Beck Romer a security specialist hired to keep Jillian safe from her family. It's hard to know who to trust in the Moorewood household, but Jillian and Beck form a strong working relationship that will hopefully carry Jillian through the upcoming confrontation. That is, if the person who ratted her out in the first place, isn't set on sending her back to prison for good.

I was very interested in reading this book when I found out it would be about a family of criminals and the seemingly one family member who is trying to go legit. I think I was prepared for a lot more scams and cons, these things are all there, but almost in the peripheral. Down to its most basic premise, this story is about a dysfunctional family.

We kind of start the story on the other side of all the cons (although really Jillian's family seems to be in a constant con if not with someone else than with each other). We're seeing this family after years and years of crime. The breaking point for Jillian was the death of her mother. Her mother who, despite everything, loved Jillian's father. She always wanted the family to turn honest. It was her dying wish that Jillian has been trying to uphold when she's sent to prison.

Seeing this family with all the baggage and how they navigate around one another was very relatable. I think we all, at certain times or another, will clash with our relatives (probably not over crime, but still).

The pacing of the book was one that I had to get used to. There's a lot of bantering and back-and-forth between the family and having an understanding of the characters helped pick up on the tone of the story. It's very quirky and it's funny without specifically trying to be just as we see the lengths in which certain Moorewoods are willing to go in order to in order keep up the con. The lies in which they live everyday in order to assure themselves that what they're doing is not wrong.

While not exactly what I was expecting, I thought that this book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the family interactions and I think the whole idea, the thing that this family is really good at, is shattering expectations.

This is a story about a family of grifters and an eldest daughter fresh out of serving a sentence for financial crimes, determined to put her wayward family members on the straight and narrow. I love a story about a family of grifters/con-men and this book had so many things I loved: messy family, sisterhood, hilarious elderly aunt, and a sexy bodyguard. I immensely enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend!!!!!