Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. I tried many times to finish the book but it was very long. I liked that it started with action but the main female seemed to ..im not sure if victim is a nice word but she played the victim a lot. I couldnt get too far into it. Sorry.

Lana was the most annoying character ever that used the victim card way too much. Law just kept falling for her bs and that totally turned me off. I wasn't fond of this story.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a short blurb for such a long book. I mean loooong book. Sorry, this is more accurate: loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong book. Writing the first book of a saga is never easy. You need to put on the table enough data to build the world without forgetting the story and the characters. That is if you want to do it right. If you don’t care, just follow the steps of Rule of Law…

Lana is a runaway who staged her death to get away from her family. Her plan was utterly flawed and ended working as a stripper in exchange for the next dosis to relieve her drug addiction. Lana’s trouble forced her to accept being sold to the supervillain of the tale, just to be kidnapped by a less villanous individual: Law. That guy is a mastermind of crime who has plans of his own for Lana. Perfect setting for a love story, am I right? Nothing says “I love you” like being hold against your will…

The book has an amazing start point with several great first chapters: the kidnapping of Lana, the first attempt to escape, the getting the drugs out of her system… How many chapters is that? Three or four? That “overwhelming” number of pages is the sheer amount of the book that is salvagable. The rest, you can make a tidy ball of paper with it and throw it into the closest paper bin you have. I am so disappointed with the lack of story. A waste of really great ingredients that should have been cooked into something much more satiating. Most of the book happens in the same room. A very unremarkable room for the story. The book should have been about Lana’s plan to get away from Chimera, as it was hinted. The plan was formulated, but ignored over and over again. For such an unwilling member of Law’s menagerie, she looks pretty comfortable most of the time.

OK, so zero interest about that part of the story (it never happened…). Law’s side of the plot doesn’t hold any weight, either. We know he has plans for Lana. Super secret plans. Even more secret than the one of the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. Throw as a bone now and then to keep us engaged, please. There is only so much tantrums and muscle descriptions I can stomach in a book. All the rest are just conversations to remind us that whatever Law is doing is the best kept secret in the history of storytelling. And what is finally unveiled about the famous secret plan I can only define as lackluster. I do not mind cliffhangers. I usually love them. But not when the first book is just a long prologue and everything else is pushed to the second one. If you have story for just one book, don’t write two (or more).

The characters are not that bad. They just do whatever they can in that boring setting. We only get to follow the so-called story from the point of view of Lana (even though is not told from a first person perpective), so she is the character that we really get to know. She has a very interesting past, but sadly the story is not properly built on top of it. Law is way more underdeveloped. We only know that he is extremely hot, a mastermind criminal, bossy and a womanizer (or not… that last bit is still unclear). He even makes crime look cool, which is stupid. Apart from that, a couple of details of his past and nothing else. Nothing that makes him a good or bad character. Just an OK-ish one.

The romance between those two is the other big issue I have with this book. Mafia and kidnapping are not my cups of tea for the genre, but I was willing to try and enjoy it. It has been worse than expected. The game of seduction when one of the participants can’t escape the place is just wrong. Yes, the author took good care to avoid any kind of physical raping, but she wasn’t that good about avoiding the verbal one. So many veiled threads. So many comments about Law owning Lana as if she were little more than a toy. So many angry exchanges between the two of them. When the sex happens it feels wrong and awkward. Not a pleasant experience for the reader.

I don’t feel like reading the second book when is out. Yes, I’m curious about how all ends, but I’m also scared that the story will be unnecessary dragged once more.

Wow, this books starts with a heart pounding chapter. I was scared and worried where this might take us.....It was a really different premise and moved at a very quick pace. Very engrossing. Alana is so damaged, you so want her to find herself and Law is such a commanding presence he takes up all the room on the pages of the book. I can't wait for more.

Rule of law is not your average romance. It’s a dark twisted and sometimes a little rough. Alana has made poor choice after poor choice which had lead her to become a stripper, addicted to heroin, and desperate for her next fix. The problem? She’s so desperate she’s sold herself to the highest bidder and he’s nasty, dark, and someone who will make her cravings seem like child’s play.

She’s kidnapped and not sure if it’s for the better. Law is a man of vengeance and information. He knows who Lana is and brings her to his world. Why? More reasons than you can count. He’s not good but he’s not all bad. He’s the one to come to when you have no one else. I can’t wait for the next book.

I liked the book. Now, don't get me wrong, Lana did grate my nerves with the "poor me" bits. I have to say once you get into the read more, it's not so bad. Law is sexy alpha with his own demons. He has an empire and he has done bad things, but you just can't help but to love 😍 him! Lana figured out what she wants. Law is the stubborn alpha male martyr type. Will definitely read the next book. When is that??

I received this ARC from the publisher at my request for my honest opinion. The opinions written here in are my own. Thank you Net Galley!

Lana’s life was on a downward trajectory to end badly; strung out on drugs, working as a stripper, and sold to a Russian mobster for his nefarious purposes. She had grown up with privilege as a Senator’s daughter, but an early tragedy sent her for a tailspin. She is rescued by a mysterious and powerful man who deals in the shady side of life, but also has helped several needy people along the way. The man who wanted Lana is someone Law has spent most of his life waiting to take down so he sees Lana as an opportunity to exact that revenge. Law is quite an enigma: is he a bad man, a dark knight or both?

Lana has a lot of work to do in order to get herself together, shake off the addiction, and figure out her relationship with the man who is keeping her locked up with him. Their relationship is quite a back and forth of between attraction and resistance as these two damaged people are hesitant to take a risk with their hearts.

This is rather a dark romance because of the criminal element and the traumas that both Lana and Law have experienced. Lana is a bit of a drama queen to say the least so it took me some time to warm up to her; but, I like how she pulled herself together given the chance. Law’s dark and dangerous demeanor is compelling keeping me turning the pages to figure what happens next. This story is one of those tales with a to be continued ending so a major issue is not resolved although Lana and Law’s relationship goes to the next level.

What a great read! It's been a bit since I've read one of this authors books, but it was just as great as I remember her being. It's a bit darker, but I do like a dark romance. I can't wait for another in this series!

Originally when I started this book, I did not think it would be a good fit for me. The whole captive turned lover is really hard for me to rationalize. But as I went through the book and the original thoughts about Law was not at all the fact, my thoughts changed.

I found it was well written. The content can be at times difficult to read as there is a lot of violence described.
I much prefer spilt POVs because as of right now I have no idea what Law is going through. Which is why the rating is 3.5.

I may read the next in the series but I haven't made up my mind as of yet.

Law is my favourite kind of hero. He’s broody, alpha, sexy, and a little dangerous. He’s the epitome of antihero. And I am a damn sucker for a dark antihero.

This book is a little darker than previous books that I’ve read by Ms. Tabke, and that was perfect for me. I’m kinda obsessed with darker, slightly twisted romance at the moment.

Lana is definitely a troubled soul, but what I liked about her, was even though she’s had a rollercoaster of problems in her life, she still has an inner strength that is bursting to break free. She has weak moments, but that just made her more real. We all have moments in life that make us feel like that. Sometimes that weakness hits us physically, and sometimes it’s on an emotional level. Lana, unfortunately, had it coming in from all directions. It made my heart hurt for her.

The chemistry was sizzling from the moment they meet. But the author lays the groundwork from that first meeting to let the dynamic of their relationship unfold slowly. It has a lust/hate feeling for a while, but when lust takes over, things become explosive. And thank god for that! The sexual frustration was almost comical.

Theirs is not a traditional “boy meets girl” story. Law kidnaps Lana, and she’s strung out on heroine, so you can see where I’m going with the not traditional thing! But again, the content is darker, and it all works well in this book. I liked the criminal underground aspect of it, because hello...antihero. Yum!

I’m excited to see where Ms. Tabke will take this series. The ending was more HFN than HEA, so I’m hoping we will see more Law and Lana in coming books.

Rating: 4 Stars (A)

slow going but i liked Law. he is earthy and raw and a real alpha man. Lana i get was dealt a crappy hand in life but she is so whiny at times and throwing tantrums it was annoying and make me not like her at all. i'll read the next book but i hope she grows up more

It has been quite a while since I had read a book written by Karin Tabke so I was thrilled to see Rule of Law. It has many of the qualities that I remember from her books in the past. It is a character driven story that has a character finding herself in unusual situations suddenly. She also does amazing world building so that there is a seamless blend with reality and the non-normal.

There are some differences too. Rule of Law is a darker romance than I remember reading written by Ms. Tabke. Also usually I like all of the characters involved in a book by her. I did appreciate Law as the creature that he is but had some difficulty accepting Lana at face value. I can understand how a person could be as troubled as she is. However, she is where she is because of the choices that she made. This did not endear her to me. Realistic portrayal, yes but likable not really. Still there is growth painfully achieved as the story progresses.

Best of all there is great tension between the characters with unpredictability in their actions do make this an interesting story whether I liked the characters or not. That has not changed in her stories.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rule of Law by Karin Tabke is an interesting story, but not one to lose focus on, as you’ll wonder what is happening. I say this because I found myself questioning at different points through the story, whether this was a paranormal or not. Some of the scenes lead the reader to believe there are supernatural elements at hand, but the further you read it becomes clear this is definitely a contemporary, and somewhat dark romance. The story itself is fast, action-packed and intriguing, but I did find dialogue and descriptions baffling at times. So, a good story overall, and I look forward to the next in the series.

Antiheroes and damsels in distress can sometimes be so good. In this new trilogy by Ms. Tabke, I'm mixed. Full disclosure, I didn't read the blurb too closely because I'm a fan of Ms. Tabke. I have always enjoyed her romantic suspense. This is not a romantic suspense. I think this is more a dark erotic.

This story is mixed for me because it was a difficult read and yet it was a page turner. For me, it was a page turner because I wanted to learn more about the "dark angel" Law. He is the quintessential antihero out for vengeance. His thirst for dark justice stems from a trauma loss at a young age. Learning about what drives Law is appealing to me. I love these survivor stories and what he does with his drive. It is admirable how he saves others and yet he is still on the "wrong side" of law. He takes law into his own hands and doles out justice where cops and others cannot. Or maybe they do not because they could care less.

The world Ms. Tabke has built is filled with criminal elements that clearly show, human life is not valued by Law's enemies. Law's consortium is hinted about several times yet it isn't full explained. My guess is that more will be revealed in the following book.

So what made this book difficult to read? Lana. It isn't just that Lana is a whiny spoiled bitch. Nor is it because she is a strung out druggie. It's because Lana is stuck in an unending loop of victimhood. This is a pet peeve of mine. I can't stand people who stay in a victim mode. Law and his associates call Lana out for her behaviour. She's erratic and all over the place. Her character is inconsistent which makes me annoyed. She is petulant at times with her temper tantrums. Yet she is focused at other times to "become" more and fight back. Which is she? I'm not sure if Ms. Tabke purposely created Lana's character to be so annoying and such a loser or if Ms. Tabke waffled back and forth to create a damsel in distress. One can only hope that Lana's show of growth near the end of this book will continue on in the next.

From a main character perspective, this book was nearly unrate-able and possibly a generous 1. From the intriguing world building, cloak and dagger plot and the kinky club, I moved it up to a 3 star. Yes, I can be bribed with kinky sex and a hot alpha male. Let's just hope Lana doesn't turn him into a pussy. This dark erotica is recommended to readers who revel in "the complicated" status.

When I first started reading Rule of Law by Karin Tabke I wasn't sure if I was reading PNR or CR especially since I am aware that this author has many PNR stories. Well it didn't take long to realize it's a Contemporary Romance. The book starts out with a bang and I was thrilled but unfortunately it took a major nose dive for me and I honestly didn't like anything about it. Lana is the worst h I have read in sometime and ruined my enjoyment of this book. She's a junkie who has major family issues and is responsible for her current situation. She involved herself in a situation and honestly I had no sympathy for her. Law was ok, he didn't impress me and neither did his relationship with Lana. The story ends with a HFN and I don't plan on continuing.

This book is the first in what might possibly be a trilogy. It starts hard and fast with Lana waking up in a van, bound, gagged and vaguely remembering how she consented to allow herself to be bid upon in an extreme auction. I’d like to say that she was coerced or forced even but I’d be lying because Lana is a drug addicted stripper who has reached rock bottom in her attempts to run far away from her past and the comfortable life she has left behind.
Law is the hard, uncompromising man who rules his club and indeed his businesses with a rod of iron. He has his own reasons for taking Lana but does he intend to use her or save her ? One thing he does know is that Lana is a way for him to finally get the revenge he has waited twenty five years for but Lana has no intention of staying his prisoner so let battle commence !
I honestly wasn’t sure when this started if it was going to turn out to be a paranormal story as when Lana first encounters Law she seems to think people disappear and reappear at will ! Upon reflection I think perhaps because she was high at the time it obviously affected how she viewed her situation but yes I did find it a tad confusing. Pretty quickly though it’s obvious that this is a contemporary story that features two very damaged souls who don’t believe in love but can perhaps find hope in each other’s arms. This chemistry and sexual tension was palpable and the author takes her time to explore the dynamic between the couple. When they do eventually give in completely to their shared passion this reader almost felt like cheering ! This book was exciting, surprising and just so good that I cannot wait to find out what happens next and although not exactly a cliffhanger there’s definitely much more to explore .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair