I've been wanting to pick up a Lisa Renee Jones book for some time now and am glad I finally did! I wanted to start my 2018 reading list off on the right foot and I think I accomplished that by starting with Hard Rules.

I landed on 4 stars because I wasn't in love with the writing, but I really enjoyed the story overall and am eager enough to pick up book two. The plot and mystery surrounding the characters was definitely intriguing but the writing kind of fell flat for me. I mean it wasn't terrible by any means, and ironically enough, I'm having trouble finding suitable words for this review so I suppose I'll keep it short. I liked the characters, liked the plot, liked the cliffhanger and the writing was decent for an ARC. It was a solid 4 stars. On to book 2.

A fantastic read. Recommended by another reader I read this book and enjoyef it. It will keep you locked in and not disappoint.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a start to a superb, sexy convoluted story! This is a 4 part tale, so don’t expect to have a final resolution at the end of book one. This is the story of Shane Brandon, a man who made a name for himself as a New York city lawyer, but is forced to return home to Denver due to his father’s ill health and so complicated and bad business dealings. He’s been trapped in this mire for over a year when he accidentally meets Emily Stevens in the coffee shop where his conglomerate is housed. The spark of attraction is lit immediately. But there’s such a complex story in amongst all the heat and I loved it. Intrigue, suspense, death and betrayal are only a few of the subjects thrown in the path of their relationship, but they fight through it.
This book was really good and I’m diving straight into the next one.

Awesome new series by Lisa. You won't be dissappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. I would love to read more by this author!

Hard Rules was an okay book for me. I was hoping (and expecting) for more. I feel like Lisa Renee Jones' books are very hit or miss for me lately, unfortunately.

Will update with links to my review in approximately 1 week.

Ohhhh a new series by Lisa Renee Jones! I just had to dive in!! Having loved the Inside Out series I started this baby with a quickness!! And let me just say that Lisa does not disappoint! We get introduced to the yumminess of a man who goes by the name of Shane. Who is very much swoon-worthy. We get quite the ride in book one and I wish I had book two in my hands already because I.MUST.HAVE.MORE!! You will be captivated from start to finish wanting to be able to yell "I want more!!!" So it should go without saying that this is a Must read!!

This is a good book. I just know that this series isn't for me!

WOW oh WOW. This is the first book in the A Dirty Money series featuring the Brandon men. Nothing about this book disappointed except that it ended! This book is about Shane Brandon and Emily Stevens. Shane is trying to take his family's business out of illegal activities and into honest business practices. His brother Derek has other ideas and wants the business to remain the dark.

Enter Emily, the only woman to make Brandon want to be a better man. They have passion but they also have secrets. It's those dark secrets that could destroy everything they have together. Can they find the light and still make their relationship work?

Review being posted on Goodreads and other relevant book retailers. Hot AF story!

I love a great Mafia, suspenseful, mystery read....I had a hard time getting through Hard Rules because while the author spends time developing the characters, I felt that the build up was dragged out too much. I wanted the suspense, action packed read with a side of the hot alpha male. There were some twists that kept in me intrigued and helped push through as I truly felt that as the series continued it would only get better.

Hard Rules, told in a dual POV ; besides being a pretty steamy romance drops you into a ruthless power struggle amongst the morally challenged Brandon Family. Shane Brandon a successful lawyer has come home from New York to get his father out of trouble with the Feds and put the Brandon's company back on the straight and narrow . A challenge to say the least when your terminally ill father continually pits he and his not so upstanding brother Derek against each other for final control of the company. Derek unlike Shane seems to want to keep the company on the darker sides, bribes, cartel involvement and crooked board members .
Shane beyond frustrated with the situation relies on his freinds security business to help him navigate the mess, but emotionally he has no support until a chance meeting with the very beautiful Emily Stevens. Shane usually does not chase women but when this one runs, he spends the day thinking of her, amazingly another chance meeting in the lobby of his very own company gives him anther chance Dinner drinks and a steamy one nightstand just what he needs to get his head on straight. Though he is not quite sure he has Emily totally it of his system. The one night is just going to have to suffice since once again she left and once again he did not get her number.
As fate will have it Shane is surprised to see said women sitting at his father's secretary's desk, thoughts of a set up to try and find out his take over plans, but Emily is just as surprised .
Before you know it these two are fully involved with each other but the rest of the Brandon family is bound to try and use Emily against him.
Emily has a secret she is keeping one that is the reason for her being in town, lying about her origins of Texas and one we will not discover in this book, so the twist and turns in the plot only get more convoluted .
As a reader you find herself siding with Shane from the start and with each family encounter for me that commitment only grew. Perhaps the one stem et that brought home just how bad this family could be was Hsanes statement to his mother after a paeticuarlly crazy moment; " No,” I say, facing her again. “Every time I think this family can’t get more fucked up, you all prove me wrong."
To spite the attraction between Emily and Shane and her insistence that she wants to help him, part of you , given her secrets wonders if she really is !
So strap in this series is going to be one hell of ride.
Arc copy Graciuosly provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hard Rules is the first book that I have read by Lisa Renee Jones , I heard nothing but fantastic things about her books but I just never got to read one of her books up until now , so when I got the chance I was just so excited and I jumped into the book Immediately and OMG was this book amazing .

In this book we follow Emily and Shane , I am going to be honest I was sold on these two just from there very first conversation, they just clicked and from that point onward we get to witness the start of the steamy hot unforgettable love story. I love the romance in this book it was sexy , fun and at most moments I was completely wrapped up in there story. Besides the amazing romance , there was just so much happening in this story , I was constantly at the edge of my seat needing to know what would happen. In this book its very important to remember these words nothing is exactly as it seems . There was just so much deception going on in this book you could never really completely trust anyone, the minute I thought I know what was going , it was as if the author said think again and completely blew my mind . I loved Hard Rules it was an excellent start to the dirty money series and if you love all these things in your stories you should definitely get this book as soon as you can .

It's been a minute since I've read Ms. Jones. I loved her If I were you series but have not really read her since. I am loving this Dirty Money series. I read Hard Rules and Damage Control back to back so this review is basically for both books.
I was a tab bit lost with Hard Rules prologue. I was not sure who this was talking, I'm stilll a bit unclear. I am hoping that it is the characters that I assume it is, because if it is my other suspension, well that will make me crazy!
This is an incredibly smart series, the writing is very intriguing. I find myself hanging on to every word when something is about to happen. Sometimes it can get a little confusing with two major storylines going on at the same time. Subplots are happening as well, but by book 2 I had everything figured out. I think. Sometimes it can be too much and you have to take a second and make it all sync up in your brain.
I enjoy Shane and Emily as a couple, a little "insta Love" for me , but it worked . They are trying to make a relationship work with a mountain of secrets shared between them. He thinks he is protecting her and she thinks he is being shady and wants the truth even if it is hard to take. Emily, has absolutely zero room to talk, her baggage is pound for pound tons! Her need to protect or think she is protecting Shane is noble, but unnecessary. This all builds and thank the lord , Ms. Jones did not let it hang and linger on for book after book.
The characters in this series are plentiful, almost too many. But you have a company that is about to lose it's founder and head guy, so people are coming out of the woodwork to lay claim. The war between the Brandon family will continue to come back for more of these books.

*thank you to the author and publisher for providing an arc**

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The first installment in Lisa Renee Jones Dirty Money introduces you to Shane and Emily. Their meeting is quick but they both leave a lasting impression on each other. And Shane knows he can't let her go without spending more time with her, unfortunately she is gone before he has a chance to know her better.But luck is on his side because later that night he sees her again an convinces her to join him for dinner and maybe more.

Emily knows she needs to remain invisible but from the second she meets Shane she is captivated. And when she is able to spend the night with him she gives into the attraction and thinks to herself she can give him a night. But when she tries to disappear the next morning to start her new job, Shane is there to greet her and is not happy.

Everyone in Shane's life lies to him and he thinks that Emily is just a pawn too. Will she be able to convince him otherwise while keeping her secrets at bay? Or will she let fear of her past convince her to run?

If you're a fan of Lisa Renee Jones, then her new series "Dirty Money" should be on your must-read list. "Hard Rules," the first book in the series introduces the main characters Emily Stevens and Shane Brandon. Plus the plethora of supporting cast that you will also love.

And because this is Lisa Renee Jones we are talking about, expect lots of sexy scenes that can get you hot and bothered. But, more important, expect a storyline that will hook you line and sinker from the first page.

Set in Denver, Colorado, "Hard Rules" revolves around the rich and powerful Brandon family whose business empire includes trucking, pharmaceuticals and hedge funds, just to name a few. And they did not get rich by being meek. Arrogance is a family trait and they are not afraid to bend the rules at times, but not break the law outright. But, does that assumption still run true?

Harvard-trained lawyer and a rising star in a Manhattan law firm, Shane had to go back home to Denver to help his family get out of a legal mess. And though he had done his job, Shane found himself staying instead of returning to New York because he felt that his family needed him.

Then, it became more complicated when he met Emily Stevens. Shane knew that Emily had her own secrets, but their attraction to each other cannot be denied. Of course, Shane had his own secrets, too, so who was he to judge?

Everything was going well, that is, until, all those secrets caught up with them. And now, it did not only threaten their relationship. It also threatened their freedom, even their very lives.

An exciting read as always; something that we have always expected from Lisa Renee Jones. She did not disappoint! "Hard Rules" grips you from beginning to end. It's Rated M for Mature due to sexual content.

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To be honest, I am not really sure how to start this review. I am rarely without words after finishing a book but I've found that that happens quite often with Lisa Renee Jones' stories. She grabs my full attention from the very beginning of each book and doesn't let me relax until the very end. And Hard Rules is not an exception. The masterfully woven story will keep you at the edge of your seat till the very end. And once you are done, you will simply crave more. More of the suspense, more of the hotness, more Shane and Emily. Simply more Lisa Renee Jones.

Hard Rules has everything a romantic suspense lover like me craves: danger, betrayal, hope, sizzling hotness, emotions and all that is sprinkled with love and romance. The two main characters, Emily and Shane, are incredibly strong individuals who fight for what they believe in. They are independent and none of them is looking for a relationship until they land eyes on each other. In truth, Shane and Emily being together just complicates things and makes them more dangerous for both of them. But once they have a taste of each other, they simply can't stay away. They both have secrets and past that can destroy them. They are in the middle of a family war that is anything but civil and by the rules. But with Emily's help, Shane continues to fight for his beliefs and his family's legacy. Even if the people he needs to fight to protect it are his own flesh and blood. And this is just the beginning of the war and the gloves are still not completely off...

It's been a whiles since I've read a good romantic suspense. But this story has it all: danger, fast paced action that will leave your head spinning and an incredible love story between two people that find each other in the middle of a family war and so many secrets that can destroy them both. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen in the second book, so I am immediately diving in :) And if you love this genre as much as me, this is a book you don't want to miss. I guarantee it. Especially considering Shane is one of the hottest BBFs out there ;)

This review was originally posted at Living In Our Own Story Book Blog. I received an ARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. I absolutely loved this first book in the new series Dirty Money by Ms Jones. I have read several of her series including the In and Out series and Careless Whisper series of which the second series I was given the opportunity to be an ARC reader of. So when this new series fame out I knew I had to read it. I could not put down the story of Shane and Emily. This book has it all, drama, suspense, mystery and betrayal as well as an intense love story. Shane and Emily both come from similar backgrounds. Both trying to do what is right and both trying to escape a past that doesn't seem to let them go. Emily more than Shane is trying to escape that past. Shane is trying to stop his family from danger brought on by outside forces. They must both learn to trust one another. The other characters of this story are just as captivating as the main characters. I can not wait to read the next in the series. I am on pins and needles to see how this story is going to unfold. This first book may have ended with a cliffhanger but it wasn't to bad.