Shane Brandon wants to change the family business dealings, he wants to be legit. No more lies, no more corrupt dealings living only by his own HARD RULES. He has a problem his own brother likes the crooked life and doesn't want to change. Into this world walks Emily Stevens, a woman of sweetness and light, a light that Shane Brandon desperately needs.

Emily finds herself immersed into a world she has never expected to find herself in. She is falling deeper into the darkness that is Shane and isn't sure what she will do. She has secrets that could not just pull them apart but demolish them so completely there will be no going back.

HARD RULES is a sexy, hard hitting read that will leave you wanting the next in the Dirty Money series. Shane is a solid character, a good guy and prominent lawyer and I enjoyed watching him work to straighten up the world he was brought back into. He has an uphill battle before him considering part of the family likes the status quo. Emily was suppose to be a once and done but something keeps him coming back to her. The added tension is, of course, the secrets that belong to Emily, we get into Shane's problems throughout the book but Emily is hiding something. The moments between Shane and Emily are steamy, in fact that is the biggest saving grace for this book. I did find her just a bit irritating at times as she seemed to be a wishy-washy because she keeps talking herself in and out of her relationship with Shane but would end up right back with him. I wanted a little more grit in the girl and knowing her secrets might have had me a little more pro-Emily.

I am afraid that though I enjoyed this book very much, as I do many of author Lisa Renee Jones' stories, at times it seemed to drag. It could be that the pace was slower due to the extra world building and character plotting for this new series. I am hoping that the next book will cover a bit more of Emily's life and maybe give her a backbone. For those who prefer the completed story line and no cliffhangers I must note that HARD RULES ends abruptly with the very interesting line of "And HARD RULES number one is, no more lies."