Thursday, April 27, 2023

Review & Giveaway - - Moorewood Family Rules

Moorewood Family Rules: A Novel
by HelenKay Dimon
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: April 25, 2023
Reviewed by PJ



One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two kids…and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from that meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependable one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she’s out and she’s more than a little pissed.

Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They all claim they didn’t really agree to Jillian’s previous go-legit-or-else ultimatum before she went away. They viewed it as a “suggestion” then ignored it. So, business as usual. But Jillian is done with the lies and fakery. She demands the whole messed-up crew clean up its act, and this time she’s not kidding—she has the leverage to make it happen.

Problem is, her life is in shambles, but with the help of a great aunt (crooked but loveable), a bodyguard (who is a nice surprise after three years in prison), and a few allies (all working undercover), Jillian starts to put her life back together. She kicks out a few mooching relatives living under her roof, sets limits on everyone’s access to the money, ducks from their various attacks, and sees if that bodyguard is maybe interested in sticking around for a while. For the first time, she’s Jillian Moorewood, her own woman, and she’s ready to figure out who she is. 


PJ's Thoughts:


I gobbled up this book like a bag of Peanut M&M's after a 40-day fast. Would I want to be part of this dysfunctional (dare I say, murderous?) family of con artists in real life? Absolutely not! But, in the capable hands of HelenKay Dimon, and a fictional story I happily immersed myself in, I couldn't get enough of them. These characters are fascinating. Each and every one of them has so many intriguing layers, keeping me off balance, wondering which - and on whose - side they would land. Some are obvious. Others, not so much. All of them keep the story moving forward at a brisk pace, skillfully guided by their creator through a myriad of twists and turns that kept me eagerly flipping pages to see what would happen next. And when I reached the end, somewhere around 3:00 AM? The first thing I wanted to do was go back to page one and read it all over again to soak in all of the clever lines, unexpected detours, and subtle nuances I may have missed the first time through. This is one I know I'll be reading again. It checked all of my happy reader boxes.


Moorewood Family Rules is quirky, twisty, cringey, laugh-out-loud fun. If you've seen Knives Out or Glass Onion (A Knives Out Mystery), it has that same vibe. In fact, the publisher describes it as "Knives Out and Ocean’s 8 meets The Nest." I would agree. 


I don't know if Dimon plans to write any more books in this vein but I can guarantee that if she does I'll be first in line to buy them. Moorewood Family Rules is one of the most entertaining books I've read this year. I enthusiastically recommend adding it to your summer reading list. And, for you happily-ever-after romance fans, yes, there is a love interest for our heroine. And he's pretty yummy. 


~~~~~~~~~


Because I've gushed so much about this book and want to share it with everyone, Avon has very generously offered a print, trade-size copy of Moorewood Family Rules for today's giveaway. So, tell me...



Have you read anything by HelenKay Dimon?


Do you enjoy twisty, quirky stories that bring the suspense but also keep you laughing?


Have you seen any of the movies referenced above?


What's the most entertaining book you've read so far this year?


One person, randomly chosen, who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, April 29 will receive the print copy of Moorewood Family Rules


*U.S. only

*Must be 18








15 comments:

  1. I haven't read anything by this author, but this book sounds fantastic, I love books that make me laugh out loud and forget my troubles. I think the most entertaining book that I have read do far this year has been Remarkably Bright Creatures!

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  2. I have read Helen Kay Dimon books and think that she is extremely talented. This book would be greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Your review was excellent. A quirky and twisty book that gives me great entertainment is wonderful. I haven't seen those movies. My favorite and most entertaining book that I read this year was The Grandmother Plot.

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  3. This book sounds unique and is a delight. I have read several HelenKay Dimon books which were extremely well written. Suspense and quirky is perfect for me. An entertaining novel that I read this year was The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie.

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  4. Thanks for the terrific review. You have made me want to read this book...and get to know this new to me author. There are actually 2 books that are most entertaining for me so far this year - it is a tossup between them - A Wreath of Red Roses by Karen Baugh Menuhin and A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball by T E KInsey - Both are mysteries which made me laugh. Any books which make me laugh are always gonna be high on my list.

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  5. This sounds delightful and like its the perfect summer read. Adding it to my TBR pile!

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  6. I love her books. Sounds like such a fun read!!

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  7. I read HelehKay's novel Under the Wire, which is along the same vein. Excellent stories.

    Susan in AZ

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  8. I've loved a few Helen Kay books! This one sounds perfect - I love when there's some comedy mixed in with the serious suspense!

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  9. I haven't her books lately but I have enjoyed them in the past. I love quirky, funny stories! This oone sounds like a really good one that I'd enjoy. Thanks for the chance to win this one.

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  10. I’ve read her Harlequin books and loved them !! I can’t wait to read this book

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  11. I think I own a few of Helen Kay Dimon's books because I heard her speak once and was impressed. But sadly, I don't think I've read one yet. This one sounds fantastic! The most entertaining book so far for me was a toss-up between Killers of a Certain Age and, believe it or not, Kelly Ripa's Live Wire.

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  12. I haven't read Any of Helen Kay Dimon's books yet, but I know she has quite a backlist.

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  13. This sounds so fun! I haven’t read anything by this author before but I’m definitely going to be checking this one out based on your review

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  14. LuckilyI’ve read several of her Romantic Suspense category romance books.
    I have watched Oceans 8 and Knives Out.
    I do like books that make me laugh.
    This year I discovered the work of Erin Nicholas. I laughed a lot while reading 4 Weddings and a Swampboat Tour.

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  15. I have not read Helen Kay Dimon's books before but this one sounds fun. When I think of quirky the 2 authors that come to mind are Jennifer Crusie and Marianne Stillings. I read Marianne's books ages ago and I still remember them as being fun.
    I have watched all the Oceans movies and both Knives Out movie and loved them all.
    I do like books that make me laugh. Laughter and romance are a great combo in my opinion!
    I just read My Bodyguard by Katherine Center and was pleasantly surprised. I'm going to get ahold of her backlist.

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