Rules of Survival

** spoiler alert ** I know the review is hidden due to spoilers but I want to reiterate that on here because I spoil A LOT. You have been warned! :DI'm so...fifty-fifty on this book.Cliched. Extremely. Bad boy meets bad girl and they start out hating each other but end up liking each other. Handcuffed to each other, dealing with bad situations that seem alarmingly dangerous but then end up being okay out of luck. I really feel it was luck because as "smart" as the characters seemed to think they were, they weren't necessarily.For example, "Kayla" has trust issues. Trust no one, got it. But the further along the story you get, the less this becomes a rule. I understand that slowly she begins to trust Shaun but dear god, where's the intelligence when she goes to Mick's house and instantly says, "yes, please give me food and drink even though I don't know you." How smart is that, really? Where are those trust vibes at that point? I mean, desperation is a key role in stuff like that. But if I was on the run for my life, I wouldn't just go up to some strange guy's house, enter, and then accept his food without question.Waaaay too predictable. Way too easy to see that Patrick was really her father, that Shaun had the keys the whole time, that everybody she wanted to trust ended up being the bad guy - except in Shaun's case.I will say that she has the romantic suspense going with her. Romance authors love to tease and this book is no exception. Lots of giddy kissing scenes and build up...Only to fall short for the actual sex scene itself. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of the nitty-gritty details, but one page of romance is not enough for me. The scene with her and Shaun in the mobile home/RV thing was sexier than the actual sex scene. I was very disappointed and I was hoping that despite all the predictability and cliches, the sex scene might make up for it and give it a four-star rating. Sadly not.I did like the writing style. Very simple and easy to understand, not to mention easy to visualize. I like her descriptions of things and the inner dialogue. Kayla was a character you could sympathize with and Shaun was good to equal her personality.But anyway, I gave this a three because I thought two was too low. I did like the book but not one of my favorites.

As we know from the book's description, Mikayla "Kayla" Morgan is the only suspect in the investigation of her mother's murder, so she's been evading arrest...or worse...for as long as she possibly can. She already had experience with life on the run, though--even before her mom was killed--and that kind of lifestyle has taken its toll on Kayla. As a result, she decides to return to the scene of the crime and finally find some answers...Who was really after her mother, the notorious con-artist Melissa Morgan? And why were they really on the run for so long?--"I've been running for a year now by myself. I'm tired and I'm getting sloppy. I needed to find a way to end this before it ended me..."Of course, the search for answers wasn't about to be an easy one. A couple of bounty hunters were keeping tabs on the place and interrupt Kayla. This is where we're introduced to Patrick, the bounty hunter that's been after Kayla and her mom for years, and his young protege Shaun. While Patrick is tending to the matter of reward money, he leaves Shaun in charge of their newly captured mark. However, a wrench is thrown into everybody's plans when unexpected company arrives. The two youngsters ultimately end up handcuffed together when Shaun refuses to let Kayla out of his sight, and this is when all the crazy fun begins.--Just because I couldn't see trouble didn't mean there wasn't any. I'd learned that ten times over the hard way.Kayla is only 18 years old and her age certainly makes her vulnerable, but she's also a fighter and a quick thinker in her best moments. Clever. Instinct-driven. Fiery. Afterall, she's been completely on her own, surviving on the rules that her mother taught her.--I'd been forced to take things minute by minute. Less planning and more reacting. I liked it. I liked living in the moment. Needed it. There was a chance this would be the only freedom I would ever experience.I liked the journey she went on with Shaun. With their flirty banter and some of Shaun's smooth lines, I did love having Kayla and Shaun handcuffed together! ;) It made for some light, amusing moments amidst all of the trouble and danger they were in.--I kissed his cheek. "Thank you."--I'd caught him off guard--I could tell--but after a moment, he recovered, lips parting in a devastating grin. He brought his face to mine, stopping just shy of touching, and whispered, "Your aim is a little off. I think you meant to get me several inches to the right."I also started out with a certain opinion of Shaun, thinking I had him all figured out as this arrogant "I'm better than all of you criminals" jerk, but there was a lot more depth to his character. He revealed bits of his past and background to his father-son relationship with Patrick as the story progressed (...and tattoos *cough*). I enjoyed watching him and Kayla slowly open up and place trust in each other. I thought the scenes when their chemistry took over were written so well! They played up the raw attraction, curiosity, and thrill. Pre-tty stea-my.--"Say the word," he growled between kisses. "Say the word and I'll stop."--But I didn't want him to treat me gently. Not really. I wanted something real. Something raw. Bringing my free hand up, I tangled my fingers into his hair and pulled hard. He liked things on the rough side. That's what I'd give him.For me, though, the romance was actually the background story. (Even as good as it was!) Rules of Survival was just more about Kayla's quest for the truth and for closure. I enjoyed that suspense/action aspect of this book. There was a lot going on, but the fast pace was exciting, not overwhelming! Shaun began to help Kayla uncover her mom's history and who the real killer could be!--What else hadn't she told me? Mom had always been my rock. My true north. The doubt seeped in like poison and hurt almost worse than losing her.Although, certain scenes made me question...Could these kids really get out of this mess? (She's 18. He's 20.) It drove me a little nuts when Kayla would get slightly careless or certain details would fly right over her head, considering all of these rules that she had and details that she caught in other high-pressure situations. There were even a couple of instances when her teenage-girl side would show, and I had to roll my eyes...But then, the next crazy thing would happen to distract me, and you know what? This book was still fun to read! There were plenty of twists and turns!--Bad choices. That's what had brought us here tonight. Bad choices had nearly destroyed us all.The ending had a very satisfying "de-mystifying" feel to it. Even though some twists weren't exactly mind-blowing (just a tad predictable), I was still pleased with how everything unfolded. The pace felt right as those last pieces to the puzzle fell into place, and all of my big lingering questions were answered. It really wrapped up the last few years of Kayla's life and felt like her future was truly--at last--a fresh start.--"You don't know me."--"I know you better than you think I do...I've seen you at your worst. Angry and bitter and mean. And I've seen you be brave and stand up against things that would tear most people down. I don't think you're worried about me not knowing you. I think what you're really worried about is you not knowing you."This was a quick, easy, but exhilarating read, with an interesting premise and compelling characters. If you want action and suspense, mixed with just enough wit and sex appeal, Jus Accardo can give you all of that in Rules of Survival! Not too dark or shocking, it was an entertaining take on New Adult!

Was an interesting enough read with some unexpected twist, but on only got 3stars, in my opinion because of its rushed ending. the story was all built up to be over too quickly and it felt rushed and unfinished, like you had ran out of paper.EPILOGUE NEEDED! I do hate an unfinished story, and this book is sadly one of them. I need an epilogue, and its quite clear this story needs one too.

Great twists and turns and some you don't see coming! We'll worth a 1 click, a very enjoyable book.

Kayla is a strong, determinate, lonely girl. The only thing she wants is to find her mother’s murderer and clear her name. Her childhood was not a normal one, they were always on the run, never been more than 6 months on the same place. Her mother teaches her how to survive in the world. Kayla has no family, no friend and she doesn’t know how to use brawns, so she uses her brain.Shaun is a bounty hunter, he’s hot, sexy, strong and have control issues. His childhood wasn’t perfect, far from it and that’s why know he use his brawn and not his brain. He was “adopted” by Patrick Tanner, another bounty hunter.Patrick Tanner is the one who search the Morgan’s girls since the beginning. He has a problem with Kayla’s mother.The relation between Kayla and Shaun is interesting, Kayla don’t trust anyone and Shaun trust Patrick. Finding themselves stuck both, they are going to learn to trust each other. Shaun is cocky and of the blow the dialogues are rather funny sometimes, especially that Kayla has a talent for repartee.The story is well build and Jus Accardo knows how to captivate us. At the beginning, we ask ourselves a lot of questions and the answers will come to the end of the book. Like who is Mick ? Who is Jaffe ? What is it between Tanner and Kayla’s mother ?I like the evolution of Kayla, at the beginning she’s a lonely girl who follow her mother’s rules without complaining and as one goes along she learn to stop following rules, stop making plans and trust Shaun. Kayla feels alone and she has a need to be surrounded but she also knows that the way to go will be long.I like this book, the story is original, the writing is good, the cover is awesome and if you like Hot boy, Independent girl and action you will be served.The story is tell from the POV of Kayla.Thanks to Entangled Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.