Unfortunately I could not get through this book. I read 20% and it was draaaaaagging. I couldn’t focus on it at all because nothing was happening when I was focusing. The entire first 15% or so was literally one scene from one night, and nothing good came of it to progress the story, while the premises of the story seemed solid, the execution was flawed. So bored. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to try it, but this one is a no from me.

This one is not in any of my usual wheelhouses. I enjoy romance and not typically fade to black. But this book is so well written I was hooked and it pulled me out a slump for sure!! Fantastic read for sure. 4.5 Stars!

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley. I’ve had it for a while and finally got around to reading it. I really enjoyed the premise of this. A con family forced to reform themselves? Honestly it sounded hilarious. There were some funny parts and some good banter, but I just don’t think this one was for me. The romance between Jillian and her bodyguard almost seemingly came out of nowhere to me, but maybe I just wasn’t paying attention. I ended up liking the two of them together in the end though. I also enjoyed that we got Anika’s POV. I felt it was nice to get a point of view from “the other side”. This story does dive into the issue of how far we’ll go for family, even though they may not deserve it. With the right casting this would probably be a hilarious movie. Overall this was a read that kept me interested but was just okay for me.

Fun read about a family of grifters with the MC Jillian returning into the fold fresh out of prison. She enters onto the scene with a bang. There is a lot of drama and intrigue with complicated family dynamics that are unlike anything I have read. Will this ex con be able to steer her family straight?

Jillian Moorewood has been gone for 3 years when she arrives at a lavish family party, stunning everyone- including her family.

The story unfolds like a crime narrative, evidence by interview by backstory through the Moorewood history of schemes, scams, and deception -- and how Jillian tried to save them all by asking to go straight.
In the meantime, her family doesn't want to quit the family business and will stop at nothing to keep going, business as usual. After Jillian's life is threatened, a bodyguard gets thrown in the mix for the reader to hear the revelations and history, as the family fight battles of honesty, loyalty, family, truth, and all the internal battles that come from reluctant growth or permanent stagnation.

Not sure I'd compare it to Knives Out or the Oceans movies but it was a clever mystery with a rom-com lean. Once invested, it was hard to put down.

#arc
#netgalley
#moorewoodfamilyrules

This book was just alright. Some fun similarities to Knives Out but ultimately felt a bit dull at times. Could have done with a bit more excitement to move the story along, fans of whodunnits should enjoy it nontheless.

i had really high hopes for this book! i think the concept is amazing and could be right up my alley. i wish that it had more suspense and it made me lose interest with too much dialogue. it is giving some knives out vibes, which i like!

Jillian has just been released from her 39 months in prison. 39 months she did to protect the rest of her family. However, one of them threw her under the bus to the FBI. Now that she is out, and her mothers estate is in her name, Jillian is determined to get her revenge on the ones that didn’t have her back.

This was a delightfully quirky and fun family drama. Some light scamming, con artist-ing, and full blown revenge. Jillian had me rooting for her from the start against her super crappy family members that wouldn’t give up scamming as she had asked. I read this book in a single night, it kept me turning the pages and was just such a fun read. I’m not sure I agree with the comparison to Oceans 8 or Knives out, so don’t go in expecting that. Go in expecting a super enjoyable family drama.

Fast paced and engaging, this book was a quick read with comedic relief, and a great story line. The family characters were fun, though annoying at times and the main character was likeable!

I think this book is suffering from being categorized improperly via genre, as the basis is great, but not at all what I was expecting going in. Being compared to Knives Out and Ocean’s 11 is a big gamble, plus add in a rom com component and you’ll have readers clamoring to get their hands on this story. However, I found that these exciting comps do Moorewood Family Rules a disservice, as this is really just contemporary fiction with a side of self discovery, because the mystery and romance elements are not the focal point of this book. If you’re looking for a funny, quirky tale with a unique family, this one might be up your alley.

Definitely a fun read though I found many of the characters to be stiff and annoying. The family dysfunction part is mostly new to me as a huge part of the story, however, again, I found some of the characters to be exasperating in relation to the dysfunction. The romance added a nice layer though I felt like something was missing. Overall, something about the whole of the book felt stale .. or just that something more was missing.

Don't hate that I read it.

Reuniting with her family after serving a prison sentence, thanks to one of her backstabbing relatives, Jillian was determined to uncover the traitor and force her family to abandon their criminal ways. As expected, the family was not amenable to these terms, but Jillian wouldn’t give up on them. The real question was why?

I will admit that I as I read this book, I was happy to not be part of a greedy grifter family, but at the same time, I was utterly amused by their antics. I laughed a lot, and I laughed often, but under all the humor was Jillian’s desire for love and stability. I felt this gave the light and fun story a bit of depth. I also admired Jillian’s personal growth. She eventually was able to take a step back and recognize the best choices for herself.

The romantic subplot was a winning one for me. The chemistry and rapport between Jillian and her love interest was fantastic. I loved every moment I spent with them, and I simply cannot imagine anyone resisting the charm of Beck. Overall, this was a rather rollicking and throughly entertaining romp.

Overall I thought the premise of this book was so interesting. However I felt the story was a little repetitive and I wish we got to see or hear about their past cons. Also some of the twists weren't as punchy as I thought they would be. I did love the little romance that was sprinkled in however.

Jillian Moorewood returns home following a three-year stint in prison. Someone in her scheming family set her up to go to jail. She went with an agreement of no more cons. Except now they are claiming they didn’t really agree to anything. With complete control of the family finances, Jillian is demanding that they follow her orders. Problem is that someone doesn’t agree, and it becomes clear that Jillian needs a bodyguard. Now they must figure out how to keep Jillian safe while also getting her family under control and legitimate.

I have not read any of HelenKay Dimon’s novels prior to this one.

This reminded me of Jennifer Crusie’s Dempsey family duology. Sophie’s novel was about her not being a part of the con artist family. This novel was about Jillian trying to stop her family from continuing to be con artists. I loved everything about it. I loved sassy, vindictive, but also wanting to save her family Jillian. I loved Beck, the smartaleck, but efficient bodyguard. The banter was hilarious and was part of the enjoyment. I breezed through this novel in one day because I absolutely refused to put it down.

While Jillian obviously wanted revenge, I found her more compelling because she wasn’t completely hateful. The way she handled the family at the end, after giving them more than one second chance, showed she was the bigger person. I can’t imagine being able to not destroy my family if one of them had just sent me to jail for their deeds. I was surprised about the snitch, and I understood both sides of the conflict.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Let me just start this review by saying.. this is the best book I've read all month. Somewhere between Knives Out mixed with Ana Huang's Twisted Love (the hot bodyguard romance)... I could NOT have asked for a more refreshing read right now. It was exactly what I needed. 😂💪🖤

A SHORT PREVIEW:
When Jillian Moorewood gets out of prison, for tax evasion crimes she actually did commit... she's only got one thing in mind: Revenge. After everything she's done for years while her family couldn't keep themselves together, someone betrayed her and got her sent to prison. Not only does she mean to find out who it was

THOUGHTS:
- Not only did this make me laugh a time or two.. Dimon kept me interested in where the storyline was going without making me think too hard about who was doing what. A little bit of mystery wrapped up in ridiculous family drama was a killer combo!
- There really aren't many books out there like this - where the family drama unfolds in such a deliciously satisfying way, and the characters experience growth just the way they were meant to.
- I think because this one was so fun and different without too many very heavy subjects, it was an easy fast read ready to be enjoyed.

FAVORITE QUOTE(S): -- I had so many favorite quippy British humor-style one-liners from Moorewood Family Rules, but I'm only going to list a few. You just need to read it!

- 'He blinked. “Really?” It made her grumbly to concede and now he was making her say it more than once.'

- '“She wrote him a poem.” Jillian winced when she thought about the awkward lines. “It read like a ransom note.”' - I kid you not, I snorted. This is some sarcastic nonsense I would say about my family's ridiculousness, and I couldn't stop laughing.

NOTES:
- Lauded as Knives Out and Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest - I literally was thinking this reminded me of Knives Out before I went back to review this book! That's such an accurate comparison!
- 🌶/5 -- Closed door s3xual situations, but lots of tension and humorous 'touch her and you die vibes' - but also a mature women's romance which I LOVED.
- One of the few advanced reader copies I read where I will be buying a physical copy ASAP!!
- None of this felt hard to read so no need for CWs IMO!

**Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

This was fun! Reminds me of an adult version of Inheritance Games a bit.

I loved the cat and mouse, the family dynamics and of course the power that money has.

Family drama, thriller, old mansion, family money. Here for it all!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing team for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was less exciting than I was expecting, less funny, less interesting. It was readable as I did finish it but it felt lackluster. There were a lot of subplots that could have really been explored further, and I think it would have been much better if Jillian had accidentally gotten roped into another heist or something. The revenge angle was self indulgent and she didn't even like that plot enough to follow through with it.

This was not my favorite and I’m so sad about it!! I wanted to love it so much and thought it would be similar to Dial A for Aunties with lots of family drama and heists, but this book was mostly just family drama and seemed to be missing a lot of the heists and schemes. In the acknowledgements, the author said it was originally more heist and less family disaster which is what I was expecting. I wanted to know a little more about their lives before Jillian went to jail and really what sent her there. It was still good just a little different than I was expecting.

2.5 stars

This is the second book I've read this week that used a "Knives Out" comparison! I was planning to go ahead and watch the movie, but apparently it isn't available in the US.

I was intrigued by the premise and thought this one sounded right up my alley, but it went to the wrong address!

Love, love the adorable cover and did enjoy the MC. That is where it ends though. After a promising beginning, there was no suspense, too much back and forth chit chat and background history going on with the dysfunctional family, and I totally lost interest.

There is a tiny bit of a romantic interest that develops, but it fell flat. I didn't like the "witty" humor either. It was cringey for me. The plot needed to be developed more and the conclusion was just a head scratcher.

If you enjoy a dysfunctional house/family with some light suspense and a certain kind of humor, it may work better for you.

This was quite a fun romp of a book. There was a crazy family, a twisty (in a fun way) premise, and a short, sweet romance. There were some things that I didn't love about it, but overall it was an entertaining reading experience!

The Moorewood family is made up of con artists, but their leader, Jillian, is back from a 39 month jail sentence after taking the fall for the rest of them, and she's ready to put them on the straight and narrow. With the help of a sexy bodyguard, Jillian has to try to get her crazy family to give up the life of crime.

This book was really engaging. It had a cast of characters that I want to spend more time with. These people were humorous, bold, and often ridiculous. I really liked the family leader, Jillian, and her no-nonsense way of approaching her family. The cousins and uncle were reckless and spunky, but at times had a bit of depth to them. Beck, the bodyguard/love interest was a grumpy, sexy presence on the page. I liked their chemistry. The story itself, while meandering, was lively and fast paced.

As stated above, there were some things I didn't love. First, the vagueness that plagued the entire book. This family is bad at communication and so many conversations started but never went anywhere. Second, I could have done without the sister character entirely because I don't feel like she added much to the book. I didn't like her love interest at all. The cousins and their antics were much more entertaining. Finally, the romance was given almost no time. I also could have used a bit more spice.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours and I wouldn't mind revisiting this family. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.