Cover Image: Moorewood Family Rules

Moorewood Family Rules

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Member Reviews

I originally went in expecting only a fun story about a con artist family and the one family member trying to get them to go legit and the hijinks that would inevitably ensue. What I wasn't expecting was sparks flying with her hot bodyguard and the swoony banter between them. This book had banter, revenge plots, family cons, twists, turns, and a little romance thrown in.

This book was so much fun, and it was a fun ride. Over the course of roughly a week, we learn exactly how far family members are willing to go over money, ego, and status (as fake as it may be). There is a family divide and a long history of cons, fraud, theft, and backstabbing.

There is also a reel on our feed of quotes that made me sigh and swoon between Beck and Jillian. I feel like I need a follow-up book just so I can get more moments with these two and to meet Doug, the cousin lost in Europe and a happy ending for Anika.

Give this one a try if you like to laugh, swoon, and see crazy family antics!

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A fun book with a funny, quirky cast of characters.
It wasn’t really my jam but that was just me trying a new book that caught my eye.

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Not what I was expecting and that is fine, but I probably just shouldn't have picked this up. I think the marketing and comparisons they used could have been better to avoid this.

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Jillian Moorewood has long been the voice of reason in her unreasonable, and unlawful, family. After serving a 39 month stint in prison for crimes related to the family business, she is free and enforcing her threat that her relatives go legit or get cut off. Of course, her band of thieving family members is far from understanding and between her murderous great aunt and grifting cousins, Jillian’s hope for legitimacy is waning. When death threats loom, Jillian is forced to hire a bodyguard, but the addition of this imposing and annoyingly attractive new employee gives her an unexpected ally. Jillian is not above resorting to some of the old Moorewood family tricks and uses her relatives’ ruthless nature to her advantage. This is a light-hearted romantic comedy with a splash of Knives Out added for some fun tertiary characters.

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Was intrigued by the description and was not let down! Took me a bit to remember who was who and connected to whom, but once I figured it out, it was an absolutely fun ride.

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The plot of this book sounded promising but the execution left me uninterested in the story. There were so many characters and even the main character was unlikable from my viewpoint. It took too long to build to make me care what was happening to this crazy crew. The romance piece, in particular, felt fairly far fetched..
This one just wasn't for me.

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While this isn't as action-oriented as I expected (it all takes place in the same house and is mostly interactions with family members), it is still a very engrossing and unexpected read. The family drama feels like it will get boring after awhile but it never does--it always feels fresh and interesting. I love watching how the family reacts to the pressure that the main character puts on them. Will they fold? Will they strike back? They are an entire family of con artists, so the surprises are fun and unexpected. The side romance between Jillian and the body guard felt a little rushed at times, but I still very much enjoyed it. The plot itself, again, was pitched as more of a mystery / thriller but in reality this was very rooted in just the family drama BUT, again, I still enjoyed reading and will read more in the series!

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When Jillian Morewood confronts her dysfunctional family after spending 39 months in prison (for what were for the most part their crimes), all bets are off. She's set an ultimatum with a rapidly approaching deadline - no more schemes. But can you really expect a family of con artists to change their ways? And how far will they go to continue the family business?

This book was a fun, quick read for me. With a little bit of everything (family drama! romance! insanely rich, unlikable characters!), I didn't even find myself wanting to take a break. I was invested in the fate of each member of the Morewood family - whether that was because I was rooting for or against them.

For me, the (bodyguard) romance element was not as compelling as the family dynamics. I wish there was a little more focus on the family members we saw less. But overall, I thought this book was enjoyable! Would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the e-ARC.

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From the description of this book - I knew I would enjoy it. Some family drama, a bit of mystery, and a splash of romance.

Maybe it's just me - but I wish there was a bit more drama & mystery & thrill to the story. It was well written, however I think I expected a little more from the story. I liked it, but I wanted to LOVE it. If you are looking for a mystery with no scary elements - grab this one.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This story had *so* much potential but ended up being very different (and far more bland) than what was promised in the blurb.

I'd expected a snarky, fast-paced story with a family full of con artists, but in reality, it was just a family melodrama. I suppose that's where the KNIVES OUT comparison comes from? Still, there's no murder. No real mystery. Just a rich, spoiled, dysfunctional family with no real bite to their bark.

There is a bodyguard romance subplot, but even that felt light on the development side.

I guess I was hoping for more action, more mystery, more at stake. More plot. The story started off promising, but it quickly devolved into a whole lot of nothing. If there hadn't been the mild intrigue surrounding the sisters, I would've DNFed this one. (I maybe should have.)

Such a bummer. I've enjoyed many of HelenKay Dimon's romantic suspenses in the past, as well as her domestic thrillers under her Darby Kane pen name, so hopefully this is an anomaly and the next one will be a winner.

RATING: C- (2½ stars)

(Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.)

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This wasn’t served well by marketing it as like Knives Out, because I went into it expecting a comment about the absurdly wealthy and humor. But there isn’t really anything of that in this. It was a fine read about a woman trying to set herself apart from her kinda shitty family, but it wasn’t funny and it wasn’t particularly clever.

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"Moorewood Family Rules" by HelenKay Dimon is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that delves into the complexities of family dynamics and the power of love. Dimon's storytelling prowess shines as she weaves a tale of relationships, secrets, and personal growth. The book's relatable characters and authentic plot create an immersive reading experience that resonates with readers. Dimon's ability to capture the depth of emotions and the intricacies of family bonds adds depth to the narrative, making it a compelling read for fans of romance and women's fiction. "Moorewood Family Rules" is a touching reminder that amidst life's challenges, the bonds of family and the strength of love can lead to unexpected healing and renewal, leaving readers with a sense of hope and connection long after the final page.

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I love the cover and premise. The story was funny, entertaining, and slower paced with lots of dialogue. If you're planning to pick this up please know that it reads more literary fiction than mystery, and includes a side romance plot. A bodyguard romance, which was a good time!

There were many characters, as this is a story about a family, and I wish the author gave readers a little more background so that I could feel the uniqueness of each character more. That being said, I did appreciate the growth some characters experienced. Also, I thought Jillian was an awesome main character. Her personality and growth from the start to end of the book make this a worthwhile read.

This was an entertaining story and will work great for readers who enjoy lots of family drama and dysfunctional families. It absolutely made me laugh a few times, and the way the drama unfolded was satisfying enough. I recommend picking this up if you want a lighthearted literary fiction, an awesome main character, a little romance, and a lot of family drama.

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The Moorewood Family Rules has problems - and laughs.
Jillian is the typical oldest - taking the fall and spending months in prison. Determined to get her family on the straight and narrow, Jillian pushes for the family to become legit, boring people.

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Oh man. I was really stoked for this one. The premise and first few chapters had me hooked but then it fell off the rails. It almost felt like each plot point was written by a different person. The love interest was obvious from the start and then still didn’t make sense to me. I really wanted to like Moorewood Family Rules and I do enjoy the premise and I really love Jillian as a main character but it just fell flat in execution. rounding up to a generous 3⭐️

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Moorewood Family Rules he’s a book about a dysfunctional family of con artists. Our main character Jillian Moorewood is out of prison after serving times for crime she did not commit. She comes out of prison giving her family a rude awakening. Looking for revenge in the most honest way. A lot of shenanigans and see you there a lot of dynamic personalities in a family with different specialties. Looking for was a little more humor and I just kind of feel bad for the family by the end. This wasn’t when I was expecting the book but I was satisfied with the ending. Each character seems to change and grow in different ways and that was really refreshing to see. A lot of characters that need it kind of hard to follow but after a while I grow attached to the family.

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A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

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Jillian Moorewood just got out of prison and she's PISSED. Thirty-nine months in the slammer will do that to a woman who took the fall for her entire family, and then doesn't even get a warm welcome back home after she's out on good behavior. But when her family says they won't get clean and leave a life of crime, like they promised, Jillian sets out for revenge.

I was initially drawn in by the comps of Knives out and Ocean's 8, two movies that I absolutely love and are pretty well known for their humorous moments amongst crime plots. The cover is also super cute and made me think of the spy novels I used to read as a preteen!

That being said, this book was not for me. From the first page, I knew the tone wasn't for me, but I tried to stick with it and see if the quirky voice would grow on me. Unfortunately it didn't, and the more I read the more I felt like I was reading a cheesy fanfiction about Ocean's 8 instead of getting a novel version that delivered on the fun elements of organized crime. (Not a sentence I ever thought I'd type, but if you've seen the movies, you know they have a lighthearted tone!) I wanted an ensemble cast that felt well-rounded and stood out to me, but I just got a family dynamic that I didn't really enjoy from page one and never really ended in a way I liked either. I also felt the romance side plot was incredibly random and just thrown in there (and the lines were incredibly cringe-y, the dialogue wasn't my cup of tea at all). This book also seriously struggled with a lot of side-note telling (explaining backgrounds, talking about random things from the past) without any of the fun of being shown these moments.

Overall, I wish that this book HAD been more like it's comps. That's the dangerous thing with book marketing - sometimes the allure of the comp sets the reader up for expectations that just can't be met.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

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Sometimes silly, sometimes snarky, this is a fun book that never takes itself too seriously. This would make a fantastic tv series with the caper-y behavior of the characters and over the top mansion setting.

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This was such an incredible book! I was hooked from the start—really enjoyed the storytelling, I couldn’t put it down and can’t recommend it enough!

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