BOOK REVIEW - RULE by JAY CROWNOVER - RULE # 1 - SELF PUBLISHED - 5 RULES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN STARS!

By: Jay Crownover
Published By: Self Published
Released : Available now
Details: Digital, Kindle $1.99

RATING: 5 RULES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

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 twins 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.

Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content, language and drinking.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

Rules are rules, but they are also meant to be broken.

'Rule', was one of those books I stumbled across whilst looking for another on Amazon. The cover grabbed me. I then went to Goodreads and had a nose about and found it had great ratings. I loved one reviewer’s enthusiasm. So I bought it . Just like that.

I LOVED this book. What an awesome start for this debut author.

I loved bad boy Rule. He is a tattoo artist, he is pierced in many places * waggles eyebrows * and he is an enthusiastic drinker and gets the ladies without trying. You would think a 22 yr old attractive guy who has girls throwing themselves at him had no problems.

Think again.

19 yr old straight laced Shaw is a thorn in Rules side, the family friend, the girl his family all thought had a thing for his brother Remy.

Think again.

Now with her looking at me all big eyed and swaying unsteadily I knew the right thing to do was fix her up and send her on her way, but then she kissed me and I was pretty sure I forgot my own name. I was too stunned to react at first. I mean I had kissed hundreds of girls and there was always something nice about it, but Shaw kicked nice to the curb and went right into coma inducing.



She was all ice cool hair, perfect pale skin, tiny little waist, and high, touch me, please God touch me, breasts. She had a body made to make men stupid and I wasn’t immune.


There are things even Rule and Rome did not know about Remy and Shaw’s friendship.

I adore Rome, the older brother, the soldier who is home on medical leave. Rome is the buffer, spending time trying to heal the family issues surrounding Rule and his parents, specifically his mother.


“I’m not like you Rule; I’m not twenty two and living life by the seat of my pants. I’ve seen the worst humanity has to offer, in the last four years. I’ve buried more friends than I’ve made. I get out of the Army in less than two years and I don’t know what the future holds for me, so nailing every pretty girl in my path is pretty low on my priority ladder. Right now I want to get healthy, get our family back together and finish this tour up without any more dead bodies. One day you’ll understand.”


Rome is just a great guy all round. He is beautiful, caring and the loyal big brother every family needs. Every friend needs.



Rome winked at me and saluted me with his coffee cup. “Atta boy. Call me if they have you arrested, I will totally come get you out.”



Shaw aka Casper has seen Rule at his worst. She picks him up every Sunday morning and drives him to his parent’s house for lunch, so that she can assure Margot and Dale that their family is together. Shaw is like a daughter to Margot and Dale, but Shaw will not put up with Rule or his parent’s crap. She is pivotal in helping this family try to heal.


He shook his head and pointed a finger at me. “That’s the girl you complain about driving home with every weekend? That’s the girl you whine endlessly about walking in on you when you’re acting the fool? That’s the girl you dodge calls from and avoid like the plague? Geez Rule I never knew you were gay.”


Shaw has her own family issues and she isn’t as straight laced as Rule thought.


She was tiny, an easy foot shorter than my own six three, but had curves for days. She was the kind of girl that guys looked at just because they couldn’t help themselves, but as soon as she turned those frosty green eyes in their direction they knew they wouldn’t stand a chance.



The sub characters were wonderful to read. Ayden, Jet ( Rocker) * waggles eyebrows* , Nash , who is Rule’s bff and roomie and Cora.

I loved Cora. She has spunk and she knows how to handle the tattoo boys. She shoots from the hip.


“I think it’s genetically impossible not to be kind of in love with him, when you come equipped with a vagina. It’s just something about all that angsty, moody swagger he has, that makes you want to cuddle him up and make him feel better.”


The villain is suitably disturbed and a stalker who thinks dad’s position gives him lee way to be the asshole he is.

Learning a bit about the tattooist’s world I found really cool and interesting.

Jay’s story has heart and soul, a bad boy who is learning how to love and stay faithful to one girl, how to reform some of his bad ways without losing that smexi Mohawk and those things that makes Rule stand out. Without losing what makes him so endearing.


“You’re like good whiskey, Shaw. You go to a guy’s head quick and smooth. Last time we blazed through a bunch of good stuff, why don’t we slow it down a little this time?”



“You have to promise to just wait it out until I can find my way back. I need to know you’re at the end of the tunnel, when everything goes black.”



“When I look at you I don’t see anything but you Shaw, you are perfect. I don’t care what color your hair is, if you’re pale or tan, if you have makeup on, or just woke up. All I care about is that when I look at you, you always look back and see me. You’re beautiful inside and out and if you wanted to tattoo all that pretty white skin from head to toe, I would be honored to put it there for you, but if not, I’ll take you all smooth and milky white any chance I get.”

Rule #2, titled ‘Jet’, is Ayden and Jet’s book and I can’t wait for it.

This is now one of my fave contemporary romance reads for 2013. I kicked the year off with Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. Rule is a story about grief and how it can mess a family up. It is also a story about finding love. Finding your place in this world.

I am looking forward to many more works from this author. 

This is some of Jay’s soundtrack for this story. 

Michelle