Rule (The Marked Men, #1)

by Jay Crownover

[Cocktails and Books]

4.5 stars

I loved Rule Archer. There is nothing hotter than an angsty, tattooed bad boy with a mushy center and Rule is all of that in spades. There are times where you want to smack him upside the head, but then you look past all his BS and find it's nothing but a smoke screen to hide his hurt and need to be loved for who he is.

If there was ever a heroine for a book that seemed like the most unlikely match up for someone it was Shaw Landon. She was the seemingly good girl bookworm who did whatever she could to make everyone happy. And while part of Shaw was a good girl, there was a part of her that wanted to let go of the nonsense with her parents, Rule's family and just be loved by the only man she's ever loved and surround herself with her group of friends. But for Shaw, getting what she's always wanted meant having to deal with the misconceptions of what her relationship was with Rule's brother and finally taking a stand for herself and for Rule. Part of taking that stand also meant taking a stand against Rule and not letting him effectively push her away because he had a hard time dealing with his feelings. Despite how much she loved him, she didn't always make the wisest choices when it came to pushing Rule, but she figured it out eventually.

For Rule, he spent the majority of his lifetime living by his own set of rules. And when his twin died in a car accident, he let his family's inability to deal with the grief be piled on him. It was fair, but he figured since he wasn't the "chosen" son, he would live up to every bad misconception his parents had about him. He took that animosity out on Shaw, because he saw her as an extension of his parents. And poor Shaw having to witness Rule at his worst was pretty bad, especially since she was in love with him. Rule does finally realize there is something special about Shaw and he tries his hardest not to screw it up, but as always, when our bad boy hero claims he's going to eventually "fuck it up" he does and in spectacular fashion. Rule knows what he faults are and he doesn't apologize for them, but he does make a conscious effort, especially after he realizes the depth of his feelings for Shaw, to try to be a better person. In the end, Rule discovers that the only person he needs to forgive him is himself and to let the only person who ever truly saw him love him.

This was a truly surprising read and the start to a series that I will anxiously follow. We're introduced to the Marked men and discover they are all a bit like Rule in same way, shape or form and a group of guys I can't wait to read more of.