Amazing read that had me hooked from the beginning. With a dysfunctional family and brother against brother, Shane will do anything to control his family's company and make it that it's not corrupted. When Shane meets Emily the instant attraction they have is off the charts but Emily has secrets of her own. I can't wait to read what is going too happen next.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is the perfect suspense filled read that will leave you wanting more. The Brandon family is all about power, lies, deceit, betrayal, revenge and control. You have a father putting son and son. You have a son trying to do the right thing by save the family company the right way and the other doing anything and everything he can to gain control of a company by any means necessary. Their mother is doing whatever she needs to do to come out on top just like everyone else and no one in this family seems to have any regret when it comes to this business. They are only family by blood, but when it comes down to it that's all they will ever be. No one is safe and either their in it to win it or they will become collateral damage in the process. I loved everything about this book and I can't wait to see what happens next because this book ended with a cliffhanger and I truly need to know what happens next.

OMG I am in Love with this new Dirty Money Series by Lisa Renee Jones. Hard Rules was a brilliantly written story with great characters. Emily is running from her past and ends up in Denver Co to start fresh where she bumps into Shane Brandon at a coffee shop. She grabs his coffee by accident and since that happened it was a instant attraction between them. Shane is a excellent lawyer who had a bright future and lived in New York till he had to bail his family out of a bad legal situation and is now back in Denver. He is working in the family business because he wants to legitimize it and take it away from his corrupt brother Derek. His father Brandon Sr is ill with cancer. I don't want to give much away because this is an incredible story full of twists and turns, action, excitement, passion, emotion, lust and hot sexiness. You just have to read for yourself. I could not put it down once i started i finished it in one day. I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book provided by netgallery. I can't wait to read the next part of this series and see how Shane and Emily end up.

Jones' characters remind me of a Newton cradle. (Steel Ball Desk Toy) When one has a problem or needs a solution the other swings with an answer. Shane Brandon is a savvy lawyer who has come home to clean up the family business and keep it healthy while his father is struggling with cancer. A mix up in a coffee shop brings Shane in contact with Emily Stevens. This duo so burdened with darkness find light in each others' eyes. This is the first in the Dirty Money series that has a mild cliff hanger but many interesting auxiliary individuals. Best bet on Jones' books is to have them all tucked away on your kindle and read one into the next. "A copy of this book was provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read and my comments here are my honest opinion."

I requested the first book in Lisa Renee Jones series and loved the blurb so much I immediately requested the other two. The covers are great and just different enough to catch the readers attention. These darker contemporaries are huge with our library patrons right now and this series is already much requested. I'm already working on a display for when the third book comes out.

My final words reading Hard Rules were, "Oh my gosh" and we're quickly followed by "Come on!!" Not because the book was bad, but because it was the last damn page and it was a doozy of a cliffhanger. I was almost speechless for a few minutes after finishing. Hard Rules was such a great book, impeccable storyline, amazing characters, and so well written. I can't wait to read the next book!

I've read a few of Lisa Renee Jones' books, namely The Secret Life of Amy Bentsen series, and loved them. Which is why I flat out bought the first book in this series sight unseen, but wasn't able to get to it until now. Man, I hate it when there is a great book on my bookshelf that I can't get to until later down the line, this is one of those great books. It's filled with mystery, suspense, great characters, and a lot of hot, steamy love scenes that leaves you wanting more. This book grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go until the last OMG word! Shane and Emily are two characters that you absolutely fall in love with, there's always that certain something between them that leaves you wanting more, and this book definitely leaves you wanting more. Definitely a cliffhanger, so be sure to have the second book ready to go. Loved every page and can't wait to find out the mystery behind this screwed up family Shane has the unfortunate displeasure being apart of.

Hard Rules is a suspenseful read, but I found the first half to be too slow... Things definitely picked up towards the end, though, and I'm happy to have the next book already on my kindle!

Hard Rules had characters with so many secrets it almost made me dizzy! Emily and Seth met by chance, and Emily was on edge from the beginning. They met again the same day, after Seth finished work, and he persuaded her to have dinner with him - and then he brought her home with him. Their attraction was hot and instant, and for the first part of the book, that was the main part of the story. Attraction, seduction, secrets, and lust.

The slowness of the first part of Hard Rules made my mind wander a bit, but one the pace sped up, and more was happening both between Seth and Emily, and between Seth and his family and work colleagues, I got hooked. Especially because Seth was back in the family business after having gone to New York to become a hot shot lawyer. Which, apparently, was exactly what his family and the business might need. Even if they didn't necessarily want it.

Emily's secrets stayed her own, as even in the chapters narrated from her perspective didn't really shed any light on what was up with her. Apart from danger, mysterious phone calls, and Seth. Hard Rules was a solid first book in a series, and as I said above, I'm happy I have the next one to read straight away. The dual narration from both Seth's and Emily's point of view worked well, as did the present tense that brought me into the middle of the action and everything that was going on.

Oh My Goshhhhh… when is the second book coming out??

I was provided an ARC for review through NetGalley and the author… thank you SO much!!

This is a new series from Lisa Renee Jones, and it does not disappoint! What a fantastic storyline, full of passion and intrigue. From the very start of the story, I was drawn in, wanting answers… I couldn’t put it down! It does end on a cliffhanger, but it also left me smiling, as it ended in such a way that actually made me happy for a cliffhanger. That makes sense, right?

Shane and Emily have so much chemistry right from the get go… undeniable, sizzling chemistry! There are secrets, there are submissions, there is suspicion, there is trust, there is mistrust, there is loyalty, there is backstabbing, and there is tons of hotness!

Absolutely a five star read!

This was my first Lisa Renee Jones book and I was not disappointed. I found myself captivated by the characters from the very beginning. There was enough going on in the story to make it feel fresh and exciting, rather than another typical romance read. I really enjoyed the amount of details throughout the entire story. It made the book easy to follow and I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance. Highly recommended author!

This is a well-written story. Clever! Clever! Clever!

Good versus evil is the theme of this story. A family at war is never a good thing. The Brandon's are by far one of the most messed up family I have ever read. Actually three out of the four are complete wackadoodles. All except Shane. This is the son who gave up a promising law career in New York to come home to clean his family's company of dirty money. His older brother has other ideas. Alliances are made and battle lines are drawn early on in this story. Shane realizes that in order to banish the bad, the good has to become bad. While waging this war, he runs into Emily. Sweet unassuming Emily. Or is she...her character is shrouded in secrets that slowly unfold. The relationship between Shane and Emily is what keeps this story interesting. It kept me reading. Shane is swoon worthy and hot Hot HOT!

While Lisa's other books were filled with physical action, this one is filled with verbal action. The action it lacks with guns and violence is replaced with a well placed turn of phrase. The mafia book quotes added intrigue to this story. I can't wait for the second book.

Let me start by saying that I love reading Lisa Renee Jones. This is the first book in a new series. It seems through almost half the book, I had a very hard time picking it up and continuing. I like Shane and Emily so not sure why it was slow going for me. This is a blistering hot story, but the plot was lacking for me. The cliffhanger ending does have me curious enough to read book two.

love Lisa Renee Jones's books but this was not one of my favorites of hers. I started and stopped it several times, reading other books in between, before finally committing to finish it. The main characters Shane and Emily were likable enough, and the premise of the story had promise but I just didn't love it. Instead of the cliff hanger making me want to "one click" it on Amazon, it left me feeling like I missed something. I actually went back and reread the beginning to see what I might have missed. Will I read the next book in the Dirty Money series? ...Probably because I normally do like her writing and am hoping the sequel brings it home.

*This book was an ARC given to me by the Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was awesome!! Intrigue,. The Mafia. Emily and Shane were FANTASTIC!!

Good read, the story keeps you wanting and you don't want to put it down because you have to see what happens next.

Its been a while since i read anything like this so i was super excited and when a book is described as Wall Street meets Sons of Anarchy, i couldn't wait to delve in and meet the men of the Brandon Empire.
Shane is doing everything he can to fix the corrupt company and making it a fully legal business. His brother has different ideas, he sees the money in lies and corruption, so with the two brothers fully at war, Shane was not expecting to feel a spark when Emily accidently takes his coffee. Emily doesnt want to go for dinner with Shane, not when she has a secret and its the only reason she was even near him. However sometimes hearts rules the head and the couple ground each other so as they begin to fall deeper into each other, Shanes family war gets deeper and Emily is battling her own fights.

Hard rules was a good read however i feel like despite reading it, i didn't massively get anywhere - i feel like i met the characters, discovered a bit of background and watched the development of Emily & Shane, but plot wise i feel like i didnt get much out of it. However , i feel that if i moved on to book two i would get more out of it, its almost like book 1 was setting the scene. The chemistry between Shane & Emily was explosive though and that makes up for the few short comings i felt the narrative had. I would happily delve into book 2 because i really want answers and to see where its actually going.

Hard rules sucked me right in! I just couldn't put my kindle down. I had to keep reading. The suspense was killing me as well as the angst. I usually don't read suspenseful books, but I loved this one! It's kept me on the edge of my seat. Literally! Shane meets Emily at a coffee shop and is hooked. There relationship is full of deceit, secrets and lies. This was my first book by Lisa Renee Jones and now I am going to have to read the rest of her books!

Note to self that reading books that have cliffhangers are a terrible idea if the next book isn't out yet. Thankfully this time the next book was released. Time to dive into the next one.

Sin. Scandal. Seduction. Secrets. Salacious.
Could the day get any worse? Shane just did not know what the hell was going on. I must admit that this was a bit more than I was expecting but that was the good thing about it all. I was full of assumption when I went in to this book. I am so happy that I picked it up and continued reading. Shane was oooooh my. Shane got me. The one thing that took away from the book was by the end I still was not sure the deal with Emily. I was not completely sure that I liked her enough to care what was in her past. But at the same time Shane. Whatever she was hiding would affect Shane.

Shane’s family provided enough edge on, in your face drama to keep the book going all on its own. Until you remember this was supposed to be a romance also. That was when you had to accept Emily as the other half of this couple.

Full of insta-love, tropes, and cliches, this was not a romance I enjoyed, I disliked both main characters and felt they were the same as hundreds of others in the romance genre. Nothing really made them stand out or be unique.