The Rules Book One
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♦BLURB♦
Bad enough Jade Frost’s boyfriend drags her to a boring poker game. Even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round…and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend.
Now she supposedly belongs to the ultra rich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn’t stop him. More like her horrible behavior seems to make him want her more.
When she finds herself starting to fall for him, Jade’s confused. There’s more to Shep than the carefree rich charmer he portrays. No way could he want a serious relationship with her…or could he?
♦EXCERPT♦
“I hate Shepard Prescott.”
“Of course you do. Heaven forbid you’re normal and think he’s hot like the rest of the female population on campus.” Kelli rolls her eyes, flicking her long, perfectly wavy brown hair over her shoulder. I dodge out of the way before all that glossy perfect hair smacks me in the face.
“Do you really think he’s hot?”
The pointed look Kelli sends my way is answer enough.
It doesn’t matter if I think or Kelli thinks he’s good looking because he just is. There’s no denying that fact. But his arrogant attitude and smug personality cancels out the sexiness.
“Seriously. He’s an asshole.” I stare at the back of the asshole’s head. His hair is this streaked golden brown that almost looks like he paid for those highlights, which I really hope he didn’t because oh my God, that would make him even more pretentious. Though I’m sure he received those naturally glorious blond streaks by sailing on his family’s yacht or whatever. Or perhaps sunning himself on the beach during one of the many tropical vacations he no doubt takes.
To say we run in different crowds is putting it mildly. He’s older than me by two years. He’s in a frat and I’m not in a sorority. He’s rich as hell and I am most assuredly not. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for him to know I exist and I’m fine with that.
Really.
“Even his name makes him sounds like an asshole. And his nickname is stupid too. Shep.” I grimace. All rich dudes have stupid nicknames I swear. “Sounds like a dog’s name. ‘Here boy. Here Shep. Mommy’s got a treat for you’,” I sing song then roll my eyes. “Ridiculous.”
“I just bet Mommy’s got a treat for him,” Kelli says, her droll voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Pfft. Please. He wishes.” I wave my hand, sending a cautious glance in Shep’s direction. I may be mocking his ass but the last thing I want is for him to actually hear me.
“You’re on a roll tonight aren’t you?” Kelli sounds bored. That’s because we are bored. Holed up in a crappy little underground poker palace run by the supposedly legendary gambler Shepard Prescott and all of his rich, asshole friends. Our boyfriends brought us here so they could play against Shep and his gambling posse because they have a reputation. As in, they bet big so they tend to win big. But more often than not, they lose. Really big…
Our boyfriends are counting on the losing really big part.
“I can tolerate maybe two more rounds of this and then I’m walking,” I mutter before I finish off the rest of the warm beer in my requisite red Solo cup. Grimacing, I set the cup on the table behind me and heave a big sigh, earning a quick glance from my boyfriend. Pretty sad he recognizes my irritated sighs but we really haven’t been getting along lately so it’s no surprise. He flashes me a tense smile before returning his gaze to the cards in his hand.
“He looks stressed.” Kelli nudges my side with her pointy elbow, making me yelp. Does she sharpen those things or what? “Joel. Look at him.”
I’m looking at him. And she’s right. Joel does look stressed. What else is new? “He’s been wearing that look a lot lately.” Lack of funds will do that to a person. Instead of saving the money his parents gave him at the beginning of the semester to bail him out since he lost his part time job, he went and blew it on stupid stuff. Like that pair of designer sunglasses he promptly lost when he was at one of those lake parties, got drunk and went swimming with them on. In February.
My boyfriend doesn’t always make the best choices.
“He doesn’t have very many chips left either,” Kelli mentions, leaning in close to me so she can see past Shep. But who can really see past that guy? He has shoulders as broad as a mountain. And all that wild does he pay for highlights or not hair that sort of springs up as if it has a mind of its own.
“Good. Maybe that means we can leave soon.” I grab my cup from the table and bring it to my lips only to realize it’s empty and I frown. Not that I want more warm beer but…
“Get her another.” Shep raises his hand above his head and snaps his fingers, his finger pointed backward.
Right at me.
“How the hell did he do that?” I ask no one under my breath, glancing up at the barely dressed girl who’s suddenly standing in front of me, fresh Solo cup in hand outstretched toward me. I take the drink from her with a mumbled thank you and she flashes me a toothy smile before she bounces away.
“Look.” Another nudge from Kelli’s pointy elbow—that should be an illegal weapon—before she’s pointing at the wall across from us. There’s a mirror mounted there.
And Shepard Prescott is looking right at us, a smug grin stretching his lips wide, revealing perfect white teeth.
♦4-STAR REVIEW♦
A most unlikely pairing: the rich, handsome manwhore, and the supposed plain girl. Thrown together by opportunity or fate, this poker game will change everything. The first book in this series focuses on one guy in this group of friends who will realize that everything he’s done in his past will become the focus, and it could hurt his chances with what he wants for his future.
Jade is a lot like the normal college girl. She works hard, has a loving family, and has some self-esteem issues, but overall is a normal, sometimes bitchy girl. She was given up as currency in a bet, won by Shep, the gorgeous manwhore, and she refuses to be his. Nope, she does not want him. She doesn’t want to be one of the masses, and she certainly doesn’t even begin to think that she’s worthy enough of being wanted by the gorgeous man. It’s this dynamic that, despite her best efforts, ends up backfiring in her face. Thou doth protest too much, is that the phrase? No matter how hard she tries, Shep works his magic to tear down that wall between them. Jade felt real, like how a lot of women in that situation would be, trying to push away something that you sort of do want, but are too scared to try just to see if it would come back. His stares, his touches, they drive her absolutely wild.
Shepard Prescott is wealth. His parents have it, his grandparents had it, probably even his great grandparents had it. It’s a never-ending line of pure wealth. He’s never had to want for anything, and he’ll never have to. His parents are the typical kind who have no love connection between themselves or for their son. And Shep did what any kid of that upbringing would do–he acted out a lot. And he’s finally come across something that isn’t thrown at him: Jade. She’s completely opposite of his type, and she wants nothing to do with him. Even with his upbringing, Shep carried a very real human quality to him. He was warm, caring, and loving in spite of the coldness of childhood. Sure, at times he was rude, standoffish and incorrigible, but that made him the guy who you love to hate and love to love. He walked both sides of that line, and it made him a lovable character. You wanted Jade to give in, you wanted to watch him seduce her with his hands and his dirty talk.
We have all the ingredients of a typical college-aged romance book, but what really sets it apart is Shep. He felt really down to earth and real, and you completely rooted for him. You wanted him to get the girl, and you watched him accept these changes within himself like a mature adult. It wasn’t angsty to be angsty. It had natural progression within the story of two people who are completely irresistible together. Their first real kiss? Good lord that scene was hot. Ms. Murphy, again, as always, creates an environment where you adore the characters, find the writing easy to read, and feel enough raw passion to really set fire. I am more than looking forward to watching the other guys in Shep’s group find the girl who is able to break through their manwhore ways.
♦SERIES♦
The Rules Series Book Two
Release Date: August 25, 2015
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Stuck spending the summer with his screwed up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant. Electric. Soon they’re spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling…
Lucy isn’t what she seems. She doesn’t live next door—she’s the maid who’s been hired to house sit for the summer while the family goes on a worldwide vacation. If Gabe wants to believe she’s a spoiled rich girl looking for some fun, she can go along with that. After the summer, she’ll never see him again.
They don’t count on running into each other at college. Now Lucy must keep up the pretense of being a rich girl—and it’s exhausting. She knows she’s falling in love with Gabe and she’s scared he feels the same. Will he still care about her when he discovers the truth?
The Rules Series Book Three
Release Date: November 3, 2015
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Newly broke girl Alexandria Asher just wants to live a normal life. After her parents are sent to prison on embezzlement charges, she enrolls in college under her mother’s maiden name and tries her best to pretend she’s someone else.
Tristan Chadwick is everything Alex is trying to avoid. A seemingly egotistical, lazy, rich jerk, she dumps her beer on his head when he comes on to her one night at a party. This only spurs Tristan into action. He loves nothing more than a challenge. And the beautiful Alex is exactly the type of challenge that intrigues him.
Despite her reluctance, Alex finds herself quickly involved with Tristan. Underneath that playboy exterior is a good guy, a sweet and sexy guy who she is undoubtedly falling for. What they both don’t realize is the actions of Alex’s parents are the reason for so much tragedy in Tristan’s family. And when Tristan discovers who Alex and her family really is, can he forgive and forget?
♦ABOUT THE AUTHOR♦
New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She’s a workaholic who loves her job. When she’s not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.
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