{"id":10841,"date":"2016-08-09T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=10841"},"modified":"2017-01-23T18:44:25","modified_gmt":"2017-01-23T23:44:25","slug":"new-release-and-arc-review-hard-rules-dirty-money-1-by-lisa-renee-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=10841","title":{"rendered":"New Release and ARC Review: Hard Rules (Dirty Money, #1) by Lisa Renee Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"

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BLURB<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy\u00a0in\u00a0Hard Rules, the smoldering, scorching first novel in\u00a0the explosively sexy new Dirty Money series from New York\u00a0Times bestselling author Lisa\u00a0Renee Jones.<\/div>\n
How bad do you want it?<\/div>\n
The only man within the Brandon empire with a moral\u00a0compass, Shane Brandon is ready to take\u00a0his family’s business dealings legitimate. His reckless and\u00a0ruthless brother, Derek wants to keep\u00a0Brandon Enterprises cemented in lies, deceit, and corruption. But the harder Shane fights to pull\u00a0the company back into the light, the darker he has to become. Then he meets Emily Stevens, a\u00a0woman who not only stirs a voracious sexual need in him, but becomes the only thing anchoring\u00a0him between good and evil.
\nEmily is consumed by Shane, pushed sexually in ways she never dreamed of, falling deeper\u00a0into the all-encompassing passion that is this man. She trusts him. He trusts her, but therein lies\u00a0the danger. Emily has a secret, the very thing that brought her to him in the first place, and that\u00a0secret that could that destroy them both.<\/div>\n
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Find Hard Rules<\/em> on GOODREADS<\/a>!<\/div>\n
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NOTE:\u00a0SPECIAL $4.99 EBOOK PRE-ORDER PRICE! It will go up\u00a0to $7.99 shortly after release day so\u00a0be sure to get it now!<\/div>\n
The print version of HARD RULES will have a bonus alternate POV scene and is on sale for\u00a050% off on Amazon (subject to change)!<\/div>\n
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\u00a0BUY: eBook<\/div>\n
\u00a0Amazon US<\/a> |\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon AU<\/a><\/div>\n
B&N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google Play<\/a><\/div>\n
iBooks US<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks UK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks AU<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks NZ<\/a><\/div>\n
Buy: Print<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Amazon<\/a> |\u00a0B&N<\/a><\/div>\n
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Other links found on Lisa’s\u00a0WEBSITE<\/a>!<\/div>\n
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REVIEW<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 stars!<\/p>\n

Hard Rules by Lisa Renee Jones is the first book in her new Dirty Money series. It is also the first book I have read by LRJ and it will definitely not be my last. Hard Rules is a steamy read full of mystery, deceit, and power struggles that grabs your attention and doesn\u2019t let you go.<\/p>\n

Shane Brandon is a successful attorney in New York City and has recently returned to Denver in hopes of taking over the family company, Brandon Enterprises, when his father passes from his failing health. He has his work cut out for him because while he is trying to get the company out of illegal activity, his brother, Derek, wants control of everything and has every intention of continuing the illegal dealings that have been going on for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlood divides as easily as it unites, especially when money and power are involved.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The hostility between brothers is not the only turmoil within the family. Mr. Brandon Senior is terrible and enjoys the competion between his sons. Dying has only urged him into forcing the issues between Shane and Derek, and though he says he wants Shane to take over, his actions appear to favor the bad son. Shane has enough on his plate and is not looking for anything else to add to it\u2026until he meets Emily.<\/p>\n

Emily Stevens is beautiful, smart, and quick-witted, and she is full of secrets. We hardly know anything about her. She is running from something, but from what we do not know. She is carrying guilt and we can\u2019t understand why she shoulders it. She harbors secrets she refuses to reveal and has a number of lies she has to keep up with.<\/p>\n

I want the life I was supposed to have, and it hits me that in the last few months I\u2019ve become a victim, no because of what has happened to me, but rather, how I am dealing with it.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When Emily first meets Shane, she is intrigued by him but knows she shouldn\u2019t get involved. But with his peresistence, she finds she is longing for a night where she can forget who she was and who she is now, and he may just be able to do make that happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s how this is going to play out; Whatever, or whomever, is tormenting you can\u2019t have you tonight. That\u2019s what you need to know. Not tonight. Understood?\u201d
\n\u201cYes,\u201d she breathes out. \u201cPlease.\u201d
\n\u201cYes and Please. Remember those words and my name because I\u2019m going to make you say them over and over again.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Something draws them to each other and fight it as they may, they have a connection there is no denying. But even if they want each other, it may not be the best thing for them.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s a drug I could easily call an addiction when I don\u2019t have addictions, and at the time I\u2019d be nothing but poison to her. That\u2019s the problem for her and me.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In a blink of an eye, what starts out as a one-night stand becomes so much more. He wants to protect her while she wants to help him. They find they are more alike than they thought.<\/p>\n

We are one in this moment, two people lost and found in each other, both of us fighting a battle the other understands in ways no one else can.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Neither fully open up to each other and then we are left with a cliffhanger that has us second guessing everything. There is only one truth that matters – there can be no more secrets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for some rules,\u201d I say.
\n\u201cRules?\u201d she asks, her voice quavering. \u201cWhat rules?\u201d
\nI grab her and turn us both, pressing her against the counter, my hands caging her in. \u201cHard rules. And hard rule number one is, <\/i>no more lies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I really enjoyed Hard Rules. I liked both Shane and Emily, and I thought the sexual tension was well written and the chemistry was hot, though I could have done without the back and forth of whether they should be together or not.<\/p>\n

Emily is a complete mystery. Though she seems fragile at times, Emily is kickass at other times. I love how she handles her boss and stuck up for herself. Shane was sweet and sexy, though he has a quick temper that popped up when he doubted Emily. I still liked him though and loved that he wanted to protect her from the shitstorm that is brewing in the Brandom empire.<\/p>\n

I loved the mystery and the suspense especially toward the end. I think the plot is well developed and there are so many questions we are left asking. Who is Emily Stevens? What is she running from? The prologue threw me for a loop in the beginning and I am glad I got a little insight on who it was about but there is so much to learn about everyone that I can not wait to see what happens next.<\/p>\n

Overall, Hard Rules is a great start to Lisa Renee Jones\u2019 new series! I loved that it was written in dual POVs and I can not wait to continue with Shane and Emily\u2019s story. I need answers!<\/p>\n

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*ARC generously provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A NOTE FROM LISA:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

Hard Rules (#1) <\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0iBooks<\/a> |\u00a0B&N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/a>\u00a0| Paperback<\/a> | Audible<\/a><\/p>\n

Damage Control (#2)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon CA\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0| iBooks<\/a> |\u00a0B&N\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Kobo<\/a>\u00a0| Paperback<\/a> |\u00a0Audible<\/a><\/p>\n

Bad Deeds (#3)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0| iBooks<\/a> |\u00a0\u00a0B&N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a>\u00a0| Audible<\/a><\/p>\n

End Game (#4)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy: \u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0| Paperback<\/a>\u00a0| Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

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*Check out the\u00a0Poison Kisses<\/a><\/em>\u00a0series, <\/em>a spin-off\u00a0featuring Shane Brandon’s right-hand man, Seth Cage.<\/p>\n

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I am SO excited for this ries to come out, because it is so unlike my other series. I am hoping\u00a0my readers love it just as much as I did when I was writing it! PLEASE be sure to sign up for my\u00a0TEXT LIST (link below). That will be where\/how I communicate when these titles, and others,\u00a0are available for pre-order, on sale or when I have\u00a0a big giveaway!<\/div>\n
XOXO,<\/div>\n
Lisa Renee Jones<\/div>\n
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"LisaNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly\u00a0acclaimed INSIDE OUT series, which is now in development<\/div>\n
for a television show to be\u00a0produced by Suzanne Todd of Team Todd (Alice in Wonderland). Suzanne Todd on the INSIDE\u00a0OUT series:\u00a0Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual\u00a0world that is filled with\u00a0intrigue and suspense. Sara\u2019s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we\u00a0all can identify with. I\u2019m thrilled to develop a television show that will tell\u00a0Sara\u2019s whole story – her\u00a0life, her work, her friends, and her sexuality.<\/em><\/div>\n
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In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful\u00a0titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET\u00a0LIFE OF AMY BENSEN\u00a0series, both spent several months on a combination of the\u00a0New York Times\u00a0and USA Today\u00a0bestselling lists. Lisa is presently working on a dark, edgy\u00a0new series, Dirty Money, for St.\u00a0Martin’s Press.<\/div>\n
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by\u00a0The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas\u00a0Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa\u00a0was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.<\/div>\n
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Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her\u00a0at\u00a0www.lisareneejones.com\u00a0and she is\u00a0active on Twitter and Facebook daily.<\/div>\n
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FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0GOODREADS<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TEXT LIST\/NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/h4>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  BLURB Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy\u00a0in\u00a0Hard Rules, the smoldering, scorching first novel in\u00a0the explosively sexy new Dirty Money series from New York\u00a0Times bestselling author Lisa\u00a0Renee Jones. How bad do you want it? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[95,9,29],"tags":[59,442,441,48],"class_list":["post-10841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mystery","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-dirty-money","tag-lisa-renee-jones","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Hard-Rules.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-2OR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}