Review ~ Rule: A Marked Men Novel by Jay Crownover

Rule by Jay Crownover
Also by this author: Jet, Rome, Nash, Better When He's Bad, Rowdy, Better When He's Bold, Asa, Better When He's Brave (Welcome to the Point, #3)
Series: Marked Men #1
Also in this series: Jet, Rome, Nash, Rowdy, Asa
Published by William Morrow & Company on May 7, 2013
Genres: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense, New Adult
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Sometimes opposites don’t just attract – they catch fire and burn the city down.

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.

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~ Karen’s 5-Star Review ~

I want to give you a little background about what inspired me to read Rule by Jay Crownover. A short while ago (January 2013) my fellow blogger Michelle, mentioned a book that was getting horrid reviews because of the editing.  (By the way my entire life is a run on sentence). Michelle had also heard that the story was really good and she wanted to set up a Fan Chat with the author Jay Crownover. Michelle told me that the book was with a new editor, who was making copy edit revisions.  So, Michelle set up the fan chat and when the book came out newly edited I bought it. But honestly my to be read (TBR) pile is huge and grows by the minute. So, there Rule sat gathering virtual dust; as he was on my Kindle. I read a lot about five books am week, some for reviews, and some as back ground leading up to the book in a series I am going to review. January and February have been very busy series reading months, as three series I had never read each had new books coming out that I wanted to review. Two other series I needed to re read as they also had books coming out I needed review. To say I have been a busy little reader would be a understatement. I also had the various stand alone books to read, and re read books before our author fan chats. I am the Boy Scout book blogger, be prepared is my motto.

So early Saturday morning, pseudo Friday night, before our fan chat, I sat my fanny down and started to read. My fanny didn’t even noticed it was numb from all the sitting as I was mesmerized by the tale of Rule.  If you contact my fellow bloggers, don’t; but if you did, you would find out I am grammar challenged. Dyslexia is a hard task master, and like I said before my life is a run on sentence; brain works too fast.  So, when it comes to grammar me know the rules, but me no see the words correctly to make rules make sense.  (Yes I realize the me’s should be I’s. I was making fun of myself, or is that Iself. If you didn’t get the joke re read it.

Okay back to Rule, the story is by far one of the best I have read this year. The characters are authentic, and flawed; but are living the best  they can, real life drama and all. Crownover, goes between the points of view of Rule, the main male character and Shaw the main female character. She gives them both a voice that is unique, powerful and taut with emotion. Unlike some authors when they right in first person, Crownover’s writing is not like journal entries, there is no put A slot into B slot writing in this novel. Crownover knows how to set a scene in first person and have the characters react and interact to one another,  while at the same time the reader is privy to the characters inner thoughts and emotions. Not all authors know how to write a good first person narrative and Crownover doesn’t just write a good one she writes a compelling and complex one,  using two engaging characters.

Too many times scenes and dialogue are omitted by authors trying to give the reader all the inner most angst of a character. Crownover’s talent shines in her dialogue writing. Rule has some of the best lines I have read in a book. Even the characters inter monologue is fresh and appealing. Can you tell I love this book. If not look at the neon sign blinking to your right. “Lover Karen Loves Rule”.

On to the character of Rule and Shaw.

They both have their own demons and their demons are compounded by those of their parents.    Neither one fits into the role that their parents have tried to put them into. Rule is independent to the extremely a guy who plays by his own rules, and is very comfortable in his own skin, tattoos piercings and all.

Shaw on the other hand is not comfortable on her own skin. She actually isn’t that comfortable in her life, because the poor girl is living for everyone else; and not herself. Shaw is a people pleaser, her parents, Rule’s parents; he wants and her needs come secondary to everyone else’s.