Rule (A Marked Men novel #1)
By: Jay Crownover
Rating: 5/5 stars
My Review:
This book hit me like a train wreck and I am not complaining. I thought I would like this book going in, but I didn’t think I would ADORE it the way I do.
This book is raw, emotional, and fully developed in a way that will have you so immersed you can’t see straight. It’s like your drowning in the characters emotions and feeling their pain as if it were your own.
“I know I messed up but I’m here for real now. We’re going to do this and I promise I’ll take care of you as best I can. You’re going to have to be patient with me because I’m flying blind.”
Rule is complicated. He’s not a a fluffy flower on the outside. He’s rude, he’s shameless. He doesn’t care what other people think and he’s not afraid to tell them what he thinks. He’s passionate in a way only broken characters can be – with emotions bleeding out in the most destructive and open way possible without regard or thought to those around to witness the emotional drenched explosion.
Not to mention he is also a tattoo artist.
Enter Shaw. She’s his twin brothers bff. The girl he thought belonged to his brother. Not to mention she’s also his perfect match in every way. If only he would let himself see her as anything other than his brothers property.
Shaw is mad for Rule. Crazy about him. Only she knows he would/ has not ever looked at her that way before. She’s passionate and accepting and stands up for Rule in a way no one ever had before.
“You’ve never wanted to be easy to love Rule and you make damn sure that nobody can ever forget it.”
Also the level of FAMILY DRAMA in this book is crazy. I love the broken family dynamics and how the author wove the story of the grieving family unable to shoulder the weight of the pain of losing someone. Theres a lot of push and pull between family members and I love how Rule is still unabashedly himself despite the criticism from his family and I love how Shaw appreciates him and sees the light inside of him despite his parents repeated attempts to drown out that part of him.
“I’ve never trusted anyone all the time. It’s the people I care about the most that always seem to do the most damage.”
PLUS……The romance in this book is just so good. I love the easiness between the two of them – like they were just halves of a whole and didn’t need to try. The connection between them was effortless. The kind of connection you get from knowing one another intimately for their whole lives. I loved how Rule was impatient, and reckless, and vocal about his possessiveness of her. Rule is the kind of guy who does not like to share and doesn’t give two shits who knows it.
“Opposites don’t just attract they freaking catch fire and burn the entire city down”
I love, love, loved the tattoo elements in this book and getting to see Rule’s creative process!! Both Shaw and Rules friends were also so fun to read about and I CANNOT WAIT to read their stories in the next books!!!! I need them all imediently!!
This was just such a good, classic, full bodied bad boy romance and I loved every part of it – so well done I need more!!! Please read this book I am begging you!!!
5 stars
What do you all think? Adding this one to your TBR? Already read it? LMK your thought below!
-BubblyBooks