<i><b>"It's time for some rules."
"Rules? What rules?"
"Hard Rules. And hard rule number one is, no more lies."</i></b>

I love that Lisa Renee Jones has given us two amazing characters both fighting for what they believe is right while dealing with the darkness of their pasts.

The book captivated my attention right away! There are so many secrets and lies that I can't wait to see what happens in Book 2, Damage Control. Hopefully we get to find out more about Emily's past and what/who she is hiding from... Even the Prologue has secrets and hooked me in and then I am so curious what happened to Theresa?!?!? Well off to read to hopefully get some answers and more of Shane & Emily!

<i>*An ARC was generously provided through NetGalley.*</i>

Awesome beginning to a new series. Story line was well written and the characters...OMG! AMAZING chemistry between Shane and Emily.

Meet Shane Brandon. Golden boy to the Brandon Enterprise; returned home to save his family's name from sure destruction. Amidst the drama of his family's war he literally runs into Emily and is struck dumb by his want for her.

After a second chance meeting in the garage, the two spend a night together thinking that to be the end. As fate would have it, she's his father's new assistant and Emily's put herself smack dab in the middle of Shane and his brother's bid to win over their father's favor.

Ok I will admit....book one was TOUGH for me. There was A LOT to take in as far as plot and characters and the twisted web that they weaved. It took a while but I was able to lead my way through it all. I wanted to like Shane more than I did...but he was a bit too controlling for my tastes. I could see parts of his possessiveness as being sexy but with Emily's drastic reactions I found myself put-off. Additionally, Emily's flip-flop attitude towards what she wants with Shane was so hard to follow.

In the end, a twist from Jones was able to still leave me wanting more and had me going for book two.

A really great start to the series.
Longer review coming in book 3.

Hard Rules
Dirty Money #1
Lisa Renee Jones
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent read!! This was sooo good. I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what was gonna happen next. Of course it leaves you hanging in the end wanting more. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. If you like your books with drama, lies, deceit, and of course some sexy romance then this one is for you.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

What a rollercoaster of emotions this book was! Man I couldn't put it down!

I love this book series!!!! I enjoy every single character. It is amazing how things come together. Worth the reading and time

4.5 Stars Hard Rules is a powerful, engaging start to the Dirty Money series.
Passion, danger and intrigue this story has it all, Emily and Shane are compelling characters and the well written storyline and cliffhanger ending had me reaching for book 2.

Hard Rules is a great start to this new series. Shane and Emily's chemistry is apparent from their very first meeting, and it never abates, only grows stronger. Emily is running from something, or someone. She has secrets she can't allow to be exposed, so when she meets Shane, she vows to keep him away from her and any possible damage he can do to her defenses. But, as it's wont to do, fate has something else in mind, and they meet again and are soon swept up in what very obviously won't be kept to just a one night stand.

Shane is fighting to keep his family's empire from crumbling, but it's really difficult to do when no one in his corrupt family can be trusted. Not his father, whose health is failing, not his brother, who's bound and determined to become even worse than their father, and not his mother who's manipulative and cunning while trying to keep her husband from inciting his sons to compete with each other to the death. When Emily gets caught up in his family drama, he tries to keep her out of it, but she's determined to keep herself in it, to help the man she's falling for.

But, when Shane finds that she's not who she is portraying, what will he do? Will he finally sweep her out of his life like he tried to do already? Or will it not matter because their chemistry can't be denied?

I really like Hard Rules and am excited to delve deeper into Emily and Shane's story. I understand there will be 4 parts, I hope I can last that long to find out what happens to them!

Shane is a man trying to save his families empire from the corruption his father and brother propagate. Emily is a woman with secrets, hiding from something she's not willing to share. Their unexpected encounter could endanger them both in different ways, but their attractions is too strong to deny. This was an excellent novel! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters and the crazy plots that they find themselves in. Wish I had known that it was not a complete story and continues in another book though.

Shane Brandon will do anything to protect his families empire. He had to make the hard decision to return home after leaving a prosperous career as an attorney. Dealing with the jealousy of his brother after returning home he makes a plan to do what he can and meets Emily. He knows that she is hiding something and Shane will find the answer to the questions that begin to consume him. Can he deny his hunger for her when there are secrets than remain between them?

A successful lawyer, Shane Brandon is the only Brandon man with a moral compass. Determined to save his family's business and to keep his father and brother away from jail, Shane will do whatever it takes to make his family's business dealings legitimate. Too bad his brother Derek is set in perpetuating the corruption that is embedded in the family's empire. When an unexpected encounter brings Emily Stevens into his life, Shane finds himself wanting more than to save the business. He wants to save her. To possess her. To make her his. Emily needs the job she landed at Brandon Enterprises. As Shane's father's assistant, she is in a strategic position to help Shane achieve his goals. But her past and secrets keep her from getting too close to the man she is falling for. Trust is something Shane doesn’t give easily. But he trusts Emily, until it all comes crashing down on him. The first installment of the Dirty Money series, reveals just how twisted a family can be. When power and money speak louder than love and blood; betrayal, deceit and lies become ever present. And knowing who to trust becomes a necessary survival skill. An intense, fast paced, intriguing romance that will leave readers craving for Damage Control.

"Blood divides as easily as it unites, especially when money and power are involved."

From the moment I read: Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy... I knew I had to read this book. It was my first Lisa Renee Jones experience, so I didn't know what to expect from the writing and that stuff. But fortunately, I didn't have any problems there.

Hard Rules was slow paced. And that was one of the problems I had with this book. For me, a mafia/crime book needs to be fast paced, it can have all the secrets, lies, betrayals you want, but if it doesn't give me an adrenaline rush, our relationship is not going to work.

While the plot of the story was brilliant, it was the execution of it what kept me from completely enjoying the story. The author seemed to go round and round, and at some point, it was a little exhausting.

I get that this was just the beginning and that the story only started to unfold on the pages of this book, but for me, the result was an unexciting book.

I didn't fall in love with the main couple. I like them, but love? Not happening, yet. The ending, cliffy, plus the mystery surrounding the main characters are interesting enough to pick up the next book. Hopefully, this was just a taste and the best is yet to come.

I received this book from NetGalley. I've been a Lisa Rene Jones fan for a looong time, I've read all of the Walker Security series, Amy Benson series, and Careless Whispers. I've made it most of the way through the Inside Out Series, I'm choosing to saver that one. So of course I jumped at the chance for this newest series, Dirty Money. I must say that the Brandon family is dysfunctional with a capital D. Shane is a Smokin' hot lawyer who is trying to do the right thing, and keep all of the family business deals on the correct side of the law. Emily Stevens crosses paths with Shane the morning of her job interview, and ultimately ends up as the secretary of the elder Mr. Brandon. She's got a lot of secrets of her own, that are not revealed in the first installment of this series.

Shane is a high-powered lawyer who is trying to legitimize the family business however he must do it alone as his brother is trying to thwart his plans and his father is happy to watch their struggle for control. Emily is new to town and is trying to make sure that her past doesn’t catch up with her.

A chance meeting at a coffee shop exposes a chemistry between the two that is too strong to deny and leads to a one night stand however one night is not enough.

When Shane finds out that his father is her employer, a coincidence that neither was aware of, it causes him to question their relationship but their connection to each other overrules everything but will it also bring trust?

Loved the suspense, twists, betrayal and chemistry. This is a great start to the series and it does end on a cliffhanger however the good news is that the second book has been released and can be read right away. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I wasn't going to read this series, because the synopsis did not really grab me by the throat, but am happy I took a chance on Shane and Emily. The sex is there (of course as always with LRJ) but the element of danger, betrayal, scheming, and all kinds of shenanigans is palpable. There are two mysterious prongs in the plot. The first is that of Emily and who she really is, and what she is running from. The second is that of Shane, his brother, Derek, his dad and his mother. The sleuthing in this book is superb. I was hooked from start to finish.

I don't want to rehash the plot, but it was swift, sweet and superb. I do recommend this book. I would liken it to when I started reading 'Rebecca's Journal', and how Sara became engrossed in the story of this lady she has never met.

Hard Rules is the first instalment of the Dirty Money series by Lisa Renee Jones.

Shane Brandon, a corporate Harvard graduate, is summoned home by his ailing father to save the only legitimate scrap of the family empire that's left from the corrupt clutches of his brother Derek who is deeply involved with the cartel.

Emily is hiding secrets and has relocated to NYC to escape her past and start over. She meets Shane in a coffee shop and the chemistry is instant and undeniable. A second-chance meeting leads to a hot one-nighter which develops into a deeper connection neither wanted or expected. Jobless, and to Shane's surprise and utter disdain, Emily accepts an assistant position working for Shane's detestable father. So what exactly is Emily's angle?

This book was just mediocre for me. For starters, there was no hook. Usually this type of genre opens up with a steamy encounter to bait you before diving into the backstory, but there was nothing, nada. No encounter and not much backstory. The coffeehouse scene was hardly titillating. By about 25%, it started to get better and there were a couple scenes that were steamy but it didn't last long and started to drag on and become repetitive. On the whole, this book had no verve or appeal. I rate it 2.5 out of 5 stars. I can say quite confidently that I won't be reading any more of the upcoming books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: July 22, 2017. Novel Publish Date: August 9, 2017.

4 1/2 Stars! This is the first book in the Dirty Money series and it does not disappoint!

Shane and Derek Brandon have been pitted against each other by their dying father ... as to who will take over Brandon Enterprises. Derek wants to follow in his father's footsteps and continue running the company on the illegal side of the business, while Shane wants to turn the company over to be legitimate. But with which brother does their mother's alliance fall? Shane doesn't trust anyone but his long time friend Seth ... that is until Emily.

Emily Stevens has her own secrets and cannot trust anyone. All she knows is that after Shane and her meet accidentally in a coffee shop, she should stay away from him and not drag him into to mess of a life. But when she ends up being Shane's father's secretary ... they cannot deny the sparks that fly between them and they start an affair that they both know can't last.

There are so many twist and turns in this book, it is hard to keep up ... but you just have to keep turning the pages to try and find the answers to all the questions. Only to find out that this mystery continues into the next book and I can't wait to start reading it.

I received a copy courtesy of St Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Received from Netgalley. Luckily I received along with the next book so I don't have to wait!

Wow there is a lot going on in this book. This is the first in the series of a continuing story. Sometimes I had a tough time keeping up but that kept me intrigued. So many lies, so much betrayal. The characters are wonderfully developed as one would expect from a Lisa Renee Jones book. Shane and Emily have serious chemistry and really heat up the pages. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more of it in Damage Control.

Received an ARC for my fair review for netgalley. It has been along time that I have read A Lisa Renee Jones book, and while I kind of enjoyed it, I had to make myself sit down constantly, it didn't grasp my interest really fast like I like. We meet Shane Brandon who is trying to make his families business legitimate, and to take over from his corrupt brother, but there was so much backstabbing going on in that avenue, with his father, mother, friend, you did not know who to trust. Then we have Emily Stevens who is also a complication, she is not who she seems to be, but Shane doesn't know that first. It was mysteries and it was intriguing, but I found there was just so much stuff going on, however that said, I am pretty sure, I will read second book, because of the cliffhanger.