Saturday, January 19, 2013

REVIEW: Rule by Jay Crownover

Rule: by Jay Crownover
Synopsis
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 twin's 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.


REVIEW: 3~stars

So much potential it's almost painful...

Comma, period...meet Jay Crownover. Jay Crownover, meet comma and period.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful, intimate relationship between you two, but until then, I'll be your biggest cheerleader. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Jay Crownover is incredibly talented with the unique gift of expressing herself through a great story. Her words are incredibly well written, but the lack of punctuation was like giving me this amazing gift without a way to open it. It was wrapped so tight with editing errors and typos that it made it difficult for me to even want to try. However, I didn't give up. I decided to tear through it because the gift underneath was worth it. The gift of Remy, Rule and Shaw was worth it. "Big brother" Rome was worth it. The perfect sexually charged progression of Rule and Shaw's relationship was worth it. The sexual tension alone...was worth it. So. Much. Potential.

I know what you're probably thinking, "Contradict much?" Maybe a little, but the fact remains...this is a great story.

So how can it be well written, but not? Well, the words she used to tell her story showed amazing talent. The way she told her story...incredible. The actual story...loved! So can you be a good writer, but suck at grammar and punctuation? Survey says...hell yeah you can! That's what editors are for, right? I'm pretty sure if I wrote a book, every single English professor just might simultaneously drop dead. Babies would cry and the Titanic would sink...again!

However, I'm not an author, I'm a reader. And as a reader I have to say...this book just wasn't ready to be read yet. I see so much potential in Rule that if I had the money I would personally invest to have this story edited in the way it should have been. I would pay Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations to design one of her amazing covers.

I usually let grammar and editing slide as long as it doesn't distract from the story, but here? It was one gigantic distraction. However, it was a distraction I was willing to overlook. That has got to say something. It may have been enough to keep me from truly being able to pimp Rule to the masses but not enough to make me, for one second, sorry I read this book. Pull it, clean it up, re-release it, and BOOM! I just wish I had the means (aka the monies) to showcase Rule in the way it deserves to be!

READ ON!

*Like this review on goodreads

4 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more. Awesome story. Editing sucks. Proofread or have a friend read before you publish and charge money for the book. That being said, I look forward to future work because the author has great potential.

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  2. Completely agree, definitely thought it could be 4 stars because I did really enjoy it but the grammar was painful and distracting at times.

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  3. I've had this recommended to me by several people but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I have to say the one thing putting me off is how many reviews I see mentioning the lack of editing. It's a shame because I hear it's a great story otherwise. Good, honest review :) Great blog!

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  4. I couldn't have said it any better! I struggled so hard with this book and rating it because in my head, it was so good! But there was a part about midway that was so riddled with punctuation mistakes I almost put it down. Almost. Luckily it got a little better, at least manageable. Such a disservice to something so great!

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