Review: Rule by Jay Crownover

Rule by Jay Crownover
Series: Marked Men #1
Published by Self Published on December 30, 2012
Pages: 327
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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I had loved Rule Archer since the first moment I ever laid eyes on him. He was everything I shouldn't want and the only person I went out of my way to not try and please. He only saw me as a brat, and an entitled, stuck up princess but worse than that all he saw when he looked at me was his deceased twin's girl. It broke my heart because as much as I had loved Remy Archer there was never anything romantic between us and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that loving Rule was a terrible idea, my poor heart just wouldn't listen. We tolerated each other, barely and had forged an uneasy alliance until one night I had too much to drink and changed the way we were forever. Suddenly life long secrets were no longer hidden and the one thing I always wanted for myself seemed obtainable as long as I was willing to go through hell to hold onto it.

Shaw Landon was a class act and I had no idea what to do with her. She was tied to my family, tied to the person that was my other half so I tolerated her and her haughty attitude when I didn't have any other choice. What I didn't know was that a short skirt and too many cocktails on her birthday was going to change my outlook on her for the rest of my life. Some people thought I hid behind all my tattoos and piercings, that I tried to distance myself from my dead twin, Shaw saw through it all and wasn't scared of what was underneath. We weren't supposed to be together, weren't supposed to be anything but uncomfortable acquaintances but that all changed in the blink of an eye. Now I had to figure out just how a girl like her and a guy like me were supposed to be in love without destroying each other. Add in her custom made ex and two disapproving sets of parents and the whole situation sounded like it was more trouble then it was worth.

My thoughts…

When you look up the definition for Bad Boy there is a photo next to it. Meet Rule Archer. He’s 100% bad boy and just *sigh* He has it all. Hair shaved on one side this week. The next week he’s sporting a green mohawk. He’s covered in tattoos. He’s got multiple piercings and a bad attitude to boot. He also goes through girls like he goes through socks. To say he has a lot of issues is putting it lightly. Having said this I really liked him. I felt he just needed someone to love and believe in him.

Enter Shaw. Shaw comes with her own set of problems. She’s caught up in trying to be everything her parents want her to be. They try to control her by threatening to withdrawal her college tuition money on a regular basis.

They want her to dress a certain way, act a certain way, and they have the perfect guy all picked out for her. Only problem is she’s not interested in him that way and it becomes a big mess where he’s concerned. When she breaks it off with him he stalks her. This situation brings the suspense element to the story which makes the story even more enjoyable.

Shaw has known Rule and his family since she was a child. Remy, Rule’s twin brother bought her home to his family after he found her crying at school. Everyone has always thought she was Remy’s girlfriend even though that wasn’t the case.

When Remy is killed in an automobile accident Rule’s mother blames him for Remy’s death since Rule was to drunk to drive and called Remy to come at get him. While on the way Remy was killed in the accident.

Shaw tries to keep the peace between the two but no matter what she’s does or says his mother wishes Rule was the son that died instead of Remy and she makes sure Rule knows this fact.

From the very beginning Shaw & Rule bump heads. They act like they can’t stand each other but in Shaw’s case that isn’t the truth. She’s been head over heels in love with Rule since she was 14. The only person aware of the fact was Rule’s twin brother Remy.

I liked both Shaw & Rule from the very beginning and found myself rooting for them. Even though they both have problems they are dealing with they just seemed a perfect fit for each other. Neither have ever been in a relationship before and it was interesting to see how they struggled to be what the other one needed. Shaw loves Rule for who he is and when he tries to become the person he thinks Shaw deserves they start butting heads.

This story is written in both Rule & Shaw’s point of view. I love the way it was written. I was able to experience what both of them were feeling at the time. It only made me love the both of them more.

The secondary characters were very interesting and I was happy to learn that Shaw’s best friend Ayden and Rule’s friend Jet will be getting their own story coming out sometime this summer. I’m hoping Ms Crownover will be writing a story for Rule’s older brother, Rome too. I found him very interesting from the beginning and think he deserves his own story.

The suspense element in this story was very enjoyable. I enjoyed seeing how things played out and think Ms Crownover did an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing on what would happen next.

The sexual scenes weren’t overly explicit but were still hot to read. I think the chemistry between Shaw & Rule was electric from the beginning and I liked the fact that when they came together the passion between the two was steamy.

When I purchased this eBook on Amazon the synopsis had a note that said the version I was about to purchase was *newly edited* and is *all cleaned up and ready to go.* Unfortunately this was not the case. There are words missing where they should be. There are words added where they shouldn’t be. The editing could have been better but I was able to somewhat overlook this fact because this was a really enjoyable read. I loved the characters. I loved the storyline. I loved the suspense element and I think Ms Crownover did a wonderful job writing this story, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

My only suggestion to the author would be to please send it through one more round of edits. I don’t purchase many print books for my shelves but Rule is definitely one I’d purchase if the option was available. I can see myself reading it over again and recommending it to those who love young adult books as much as I do.

One more thing. Although it’s simple I think the cover fits this story perfectly.