Rule - Marked Men #1 - Jay Crownover

10:20:00 Victoria 0 Comments

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want—and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

Rule and Shaw have known each other for years. Remy - Rule's twin brother and Shaw's best friend - introduced Shaw to his family when she was barely 13 and trying to escape one hell of a family. From the moment she laid her eyes on Rule, Shaw fell in love and she knew there would be no one else for her. But Rule did not see things this way. He continuously hooked up with girls for one-night stand and he does not give a care in the world what people think his behavior. 

When Remy dies, the entire family is broken. Shaw tries her best to keep it together because this is what Remy would have had wanted. Every Sunday, Shaw picks up Rule and let's say that he is never alone when she comes by and they drive together to his parents' place for a brunch. And every Sunday it is the same thing, Margot - Rule's mother - makes remarks about his behavior, then his dad picks up on him too and it usually ends up in a verbal fight. Truth is, Margot blames Rule for his bother's death and she openly told him that he should have been the one ending up in a box (nice mom, right?). This Sunday, Shaw hopes that it will be different because Rome - Rule's older brother - is back in town after being injured during his time as a military. He has a couple of weeks off to get back on his feet and he wants to help Shaw bring the family together. But what was bad turned worst. 

Now the family is torn apart and Rome and Shaw are caught in-between. Shaw wants to prove Margot and Dale that Rule is worth loving. Rule constantly blames himself for his brother's death and from that day on, he decided that life was too short to live by rules. Shaw and Rule barely saw each other outside of the Sunday's afternoons. So when Rule and her decide they won't go go back to Rule's parents' they think they won't see each other anymore... except that it is the complete opposite. They cross each other's path at every single corner. And slowly, Rule will see Shaw for the woman that she becomes. 

Then all the bets are off when Shaw finds herself drunk and horny at Rule's apartment. And who is he to deny Shaw what she wants? Thinking she had always been his brother's girl, he did not expect to actually pop her cherry. What a shock! What could have been just another simple one-night stand will  become much more. But will they want to see past all the secrets, the lies and the betrayals to be together? Love is never easy but it sure as hell isn't when secrets lie in the dark, waiting to be exposed and caused damages. 

I have to be honest with you. I didn't like this book but I didn't dislike it either. I was not really hooked. It took me a few chapters to fully enter the story. I would have liked to know more about the chemistry between Remy and Shaw when he first brought her home. It has a great importance throughout the book and yet, we never fully experienced it as a reader. 

I have to admit that I was confused at the beginning with the relationship between Rule and Shaw. I really do not understand why they are supposedly hating each other. It made no sense to me. I also did not feel the chemistry between the two of them until that night at the bar where Shaw threw herself at Rule even though all the characters kept saying it was obvious they had been liking each other for a couple of years. It was just not obvious to me.

The whole story was also kind of cliché. You have the bad boy who sleeps with everyone but falls in love with the virgin girl who gets picked up by the mean ex-cheerleader. 

I was slightly disappointed by some characters. Rome was one of my favorite character at the beginning. He wants to protect everyone and he just wants his family to be together. Yet, when secrets are finally revealed he just kept on disappointing me, especially at the end. I felt like he was selfish and hypocritical. Throughout the whole story he wanted his family together and when they are finally making efforts, he wants out of it. I mean "Come on!".
But I think the parents were the worst. Margot openly accused her son of being responsible for his brother's death when she actually wasn't better than him. She kept telling him awful things and her husband just let her. This family was all kind of twisted. 

I think the only character that did not disappoint me was Shaw. She is loyal, honest, sweet, beautiful and she gives without expecting anything back. She did not have an easy start in life as her parents are both... (how do I say this without being rude?...) jerks. And they kept getting worse when they tried to desperately hook her up with the son of a politician who is an actual a*****e who stalks her. Despite all this, she just wants to live her life fully and she wants Rule by her side. 

I was kind of taken aback by the name of the characters: Rule, Rome... I mean, it just did not do it for me.
I also have to admit that usually grammar and editing mistakes do not bother me that much. But here, it kept on distracting me from the story. It was just annoying as hell!