What happens when a con man meets an heiress and starts a family? They end up with a family of con artists looking to get more money. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child in that family and is just returning from some time in prison. But now that she’s out she’s done with all the lies and is determined to put her life back together.

This book has a lot of fun things going on - a chaotic family of criminals, a romance with a bodyguard, a strong, sarcastic female lead. Unfortunately, for me it sometimes felt like too much was happening while at the same time nothing was happening. While I did enjoy all the antics, I would have liked a stronger plot rather than just following the family. It was a fun read, it just left me wanting a bit more
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Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Con men, heiresses and dysfunctional families? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, I didn't love this one as much as I expected. It was less action, more squabbling. I kept waiting for something to HAPPEN and it just...never did. It was a fine book, a pleasant read, just not what I was hoping for.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and fast paced read about a complicated and flawed family with a generational dedication to their “family business,” - which is in this case, grift con and fraud! The promotional blurbs compared it to Knives Out, but I think a better comparison would be “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” Each character is fun and dialed up to 11, it made for a very cinematic reading experience.

This one was compared to Knives Out which I LOVE! Unfortunately I did not love this book the same way. Rather than being a rom com as I had expected, this was more contemporary fiction, coming of age. The mystery and romance were not the main themes in this book as I expected. The coming of age story with a unique family was much more the star of the show.

I enjoyed this fun, silly story! It was light and easy to read. I loved Jillian's commitment to her family, but also her commitment to being a better person. Despite this being a bit of a kooky story, I think that it did a good job of highlighting how we can feel tied to our family and obligated to do for them, even when they aren't able to do for us in return.

This one did feel slow to pick up because it only happens over the course of a few days, but once it picked up I found myself much more invested.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an eARC of this story in exchange for an honest review!

This is a fun book about a dysfunctional family of con artists and the woman who went to jail for them but is back and ready to upend the whole family. I would put this as a contemporary fiction with soap opera tones (think family secrets galore, scheming, romantic entanglements) more so than the romance or mystery tags I've seen. Think more Arrested Development than Oceans 11 (I really wanted more heists and grifts and they are very much not this book so avoid my misguided disappointment and you'll like this book so much more).

This book was not what I expected, but in the best way. I loved the multiple POVs, the twists, the backstabbing, and all the crimes the family was up to. All the characters were memorable and well written (and there is a large cast of characters so that's saying something). The book was a fun easy read that had some heart added to the general shenanigans the family was up to (which occasionally get a bit dark, but I would say cozy mystery level). I do felt like some of the twists were overbuilt so then it felt a little underwhelming when they were revealed, but overall the book was a great read.

I loved the closed door romance. I expected it to get a bit spicier, but was pleasantly surprised. The Moorewood Family is not one I wish to be part of, but enjoyed reading. Lots of sarcasm, back stabbing, plotting, and revenge. It was a fun escape from my day to day life.

Moorewood Family Rules by HelenKay Dimon was a delight! Jillian comes from a family of sophisticated con artists. She ends up taking the fall for them, which turns into a prison sentence. When she gets out, Jillian tries again to convince the family to go straight. Their response is to try to get rid of her, this time permanently. Such a funny concept and I loved this book! I can't wait to read more from this author!

Totally fun! I wasn't sure what I was expecting going in, but I really enjoyed this book. The cover is drool worthy and I think I'll have to buy a physical copy for my shelves!

i read this book in a day—and it felt like a fever dream! it was a fun ride, and i think i enjoyed the idea of it a lot more than the execution. ultimately, i had a lot of fun reading!

A family drama with some real wacky, quirky characters. Throw in some mystery and you get a fun read.
I had a hard time figuring things out…..I ended up more confused than anything.
Overall, this was a ok read for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The synopsis of Moorewood Family Rules pulled me right in from the start. This was such a fun read, watching each family member try to overpower Jillian's control but still falling short. I loved the banter!! It was interesting to see Jillian work through her own struggles as she tried to keep her family out of trouble. Although there was a bit of romance, this novel did focus heavily on family dynamics and it was quite refreshing. Usually family become a backdrop for a story but here they are front and center. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Special thanks to HelenKay Dimon and Avon for providing me an ARC copy to share my honest review.

Enjoyable! That sounds so simple but, it's the best word to describe how I felt about Moorewood Family Rules. I simply enjoyed it! It was the kind of book I needed at just the right time!

As the financial guru and oldest child of a con-family, Jillian Moorewood has returned home after thirty-nine months in prison. After being set up and taking the fall, Jillian took a prison sentence to protect her family, on ONE condition...they stop the conning. However, when she returns home, it’s to a family full of con-artists who have only upped their game! To finish what she started, Jillian delivers an ultimatum (with the power and leverage to to it), STOP NOW or LOSE ALL YOUR MONEY. But, her conning family isn't going down without a fight and Jillian is going to need backup to keep herself safe! And, you know...a sexy bodyguard will do just the trick!

Described as having a Knives Out or Ocean's 8 vibe, Moorewood Family Rules had all the family drama, humor, and action that kept me engaged and flipping to the next page! There were so many "Who Done It?" moments, I needed to keep going to find out who actually DONE it! And, the character growth of many family members, especially Jillian was so great! For you romance lovers, Beck the Bodyguard was full of "one liners of support" and a quiet protective vibe and I totally loved him! If you’re looking for something with a fast-paced, intriguing plot with a hint of romance this book is for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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. I went into this book expecting a con artist/revenge story. What it really turned out to be was a family drama. This isn't a bad thing, but it helps to know this in advance to avoid disappointment.

I was expecting a bit more con artist vibes from this book, but it’s really a family drama leaning towards humor.

I personally struggled with the sheer amount of characters and how much back and forth dialogue there was, and unfortunately it didn’t hold my interest.

I think it was mostly my expectations, as the description made me thing we were in for a plot heavy good time and it was very character driven instead.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free e-arc in exchange for my honest review

Moorewood Family Rules was one of the first ARCs I requested for 2023, and it’s one of the ones I was most excited for. Was it everything I hoped it would be? No, but I’m not entirely disappointed because it sure was a lot of fun.

I love grifters. I love schemers and scammers. I love a good con. I really love it when the people who need to be put in check are put in check. I love watching everything about a good con come together, when all the disparate pieces finally fall into place. And this book is like a nice big pot of grifter stew with a side of bodyguard romance.

Therein lies the rub: I wasn’t completely on board with the romantic subplot. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it to a certain extent, but I thought it took away from the main themes of the book and the fun of the plot. I especially felt it took away from the motivations, goals, and power of Jillian, our protagonist. While it didn’t completely take away from her agency, it did give her someone else to hand power and decision-making over to, and that lowered my respect for her as a reformed con woman who is trying to turn her grifter family legitimate. It also made her look a little weak for putting her trust into a man she’s only known for a day or two after all she’s been through. Considering how paranoid grifters and players can be, I found it to be completely out of character for her to just accept this guy as a confidante, no matter how much she trusted the man who hired him for her (that is to say, implicity).

In short, for a reformed grifter who had been burned before by a lover and then burned by her family and gone to jail for it, she’s sure less paranoid than I would be under the circumstances.

The family dynamics in this book are very funny, though, and the highlight of the book. From inept younger grifters in the family who are hiding out overseas for fumbling their schemes, con men who are getting conned, clueless society matrons, slightly off-kilter elderly scheming great aunts who are obsessed with string cheese, and cousins who seem to think the most extreme measures should be the first resort instead of last, there are colorful and unique characters all throughout this book.

This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven and I think that’s what threw me with this book. I think I wanted a little more of the family dynamic and the con plot in the place of the romantic subplot and was disappointed when that didn’t happen. While I felt Jillian needed a friend and someone to talk to, I didn’t think she needed a romance. She just needed an ally from outside the family. I would’ve loved to have seen more interactions and scenes involving the family and what Jillian was getting up to than yet another unnecessary romance.

I do think it’s a brilliant story and a ton of fun, though. It’s lighthearted, bright, and engaging. We all have weird relatives. This story just emphasizes how weird some relatives can truly be.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. Any views, thoughts, opinions, or ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction/Romantic Comedy/RomCom/Comedy/General Fiction

I received a copy for review from NetGalley.

I will start. this off by saying that I read this entire thing in one sitting (mostly). With that being said, this was like watching a car crash. The blurb has this listed as some Ocean's 11 type story and there's a little of that, but mostly this was less about the cons and more about revenge for someone running a con on the main character Jillian. Overall, I didn't really like any of the characters, except Tenn and Patricia. In the scenes they were in they were witty and a nice breath of fresh air. Another issue I had with the story is it was missing stacks. It didn't feel like the stakes were high for anyone except Anika, Astrid, and Jay in the story. I wish there was something more to it, especially with the bang that the story started off with. I also thought the tension between Beck and Jillian was missing something. There was no build up in the tension between the two. They really went from 0 to sexy time in like five pages. It was kind of a turn off for the book. I wish instead of romance it had turned out to be a partnership with the security firm Beck runs.

The whole thing was a miss for me.

TONS of fun. Definitely pick this one up! As a lawyer myself, this was twisty aind binge-worthy. I highly recommend this book for a great, fun summer read.

I devoured this book in a day! It was so fun, so camp, so dramatic and over-the-top, with some sweet moments, and delicious banter thrown in too!

Jillian Moorewood has been in prison after taking the blame for a crime her grifter family committed. Now she’s back and ready for revenge! Jillian has a lot to deal with when she returns home, her uncle and his two daughters are running a con, her cousin, Doug, is MIA after stealing a multimillion dollar car, Aunt Patricia has moved in after a little dust up in Florida, and her sister is dating her ex. Not only does she have to get them all in line for a crime-free life, but someone is maybe trying to kill her. Enter hot bodyguard, Beck. What ensues is hilarious family drama and the craziness that ensues when you con your own family.

I can honestly see myself re-reading this book, and I really want the author to make it into a series! Like, maybe the next book could be about Anika and her quest to find love?? I’m just putting it out there. I’d read it. 👀💅🏼

If you’re a fan of Ally Carter’s Heist Society series, tv shows like White Collar and Leverage, or Sandy B’s Ocean’s 8, you’ll enjoy the criminally fun ride that is Moorewood Family Rules. 💸

I truly enjoyed this book, start to finish. The best way to describe Moorewood Family Rules is DRAMA, but also fun, because I had such a great time with this band of familial misfits. Our man gal, Jillian, was tough and caring, thrilling but careful. I found her compelling through and through.

The development of MC Jillian was fantastic, but it is her Uncle Jay, her cousins Astrid and Anika, her Aunt Patricia, and her new bodyguard Beck that really take the cake for me. Each character was illustrated so well through Dimon's descriptors, through the character's actions and demeanors, through the words they'd spit out at each other. I could feel my own emotions bubbling up for these people, and they're not even real!

Now the small romance between Beck and Jillian...a nice little cherry on top, but ultimately I don't think it was needed! I think the family drama on its own was so compelling and interesting, that I don't think the story really needed this romance. I think developing the backstory about Jillian's previous prison sentence or previous incidents with the family antics would have been even better. But that's just me!

I do wish we could've learned a little more about Tenn as well - Jillian's only family member who isn't in the grifting business. I loved hearing his perspectives when they were there, and I would've loved more!

All in all, this book was charming, funny, insanely witty, and just a really great time.