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The Rule #1
Three Year Rule: The Rule Series, Book 1
When Elizabeth hired Joshua to build her mountain home deep in the Utah mountains, she couldn't resist the rugged construction owner's charm. Joshua was the complete opposite of Elizabeth's usual suitor field of CEOs and corporate attorneys, being a high school graduate used to working with his hands. This laid-back, sexy man challenged everything she believed. He threatened to ruin her three-year rule she had sold to the world that insisted everyone has a fake or pseudo-personality they displayed to their new lover that hid their inner self and sheltered their secrets. Her entire career was being shattered by a down-to-earth, modern-day mountain man.
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First published August 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
May 24, 2019
Ever read a book and thought that it was something else? That's what I thought when I started to read this book. For some reason and I don't know exactly why but I had a rendition of Pride and Prejudice going on in my mind. Don't ask me why, but I did. Instead, I am reading this book about an author named Elizabeth aka Beth, who writes psychology books and relates relationships to gardening. Her main philosophy though is that at the beginning of a relationship everyone has this pseudo personality - a facade that we put on and it takes three years for that facade to disappear entirely and their true colors to shine through and that's when you realize if you are meant to be. She has prided herself on this, that is until she meets Josh - who is helping her rebuild her uncle's cabin into a home.
Along with her assistant Amy, they settle into life here and both end up in romantic entanglements. However, life isn't all peachy as turns out the girls have a stalker and if they aren't careful, not only will the ones they lose the ones they have come to love but their lives as well. This was one of those comfortable to read romantic suspense novels, and I was reading it has also had a name change with both title and author and is now called Three Year Rule by Alaina Stanford.
Along with her assistant Amy, they settle into life here and both end up in romantic entanglements. However, life isn't all peachy as turns out the girls have a stalker and if they aren't careful, not only will the ones they lose the ones they have come to love but their lives as well. This was one of those comfortable to read romantic suspense novels, and I was reading it has also had a name change with both title and author and is now called Three Year Rule by Alaina Stanford.
August 6, 2014
Was this a romance book?
No, too little emotion, romance and anything that goes with it...
Was this a suspense novel?
There was a villain, but all the why´s were left unanswered...
This was a book, which seriously needed some editing, with characters I couldn´t relate to and which overall was a waste of my time!
No, too little emotion, romance and anything that goes with it...
Was this a suspense novel?
There was a villain, but all the why´s were left unanswered...
This was a book, which seriously needed some editing, with characters I couldn´t relate to and which overall was a waste of my time!
December 9, 2013
The author spends the first chapter introducing the main character as a lady that writes about the 'Pseudo persona' that we think another person wants us to be when we first meet them... and then goes straight to work with that concept. This is the second book I've read from this author, and she seems to have a fascination with - and a gift for - defining the characters once, and then redefining them again. It definitely makes for interesting reading.
I've said elsewhere that I'm not much of a fan of romance - if I can actually see it - but I'm very happy for it to hold the story together, invisibly (which it probably almost always does in the most captivating books). I could push through the few times the romance became visibly exposed, waiting for some more technically interesting action (like the potential explosion when a character reverts from their more palatable 'Pseudo persona' back to their normal, less congenial self).
It was half-way through the book before the book took a thrilling twist... leaving me exposed to some of the romance aspects a tiny but too long... but, once that kicked in, it was worth the wait. It was like boiling a frog - where the creature doesn't notice the cold water gradually warming. I hadn't noticed the gradual increase of pace until about three quarters through, after which time I read the remainder, without putting it down, with white knuckles!
Now I realise this author has another tool in her arsenal - it gradually became the same race against time that I experienced in her 'hypnotic journey' series. It turns out this book has well and truly enough thrills for someone as allergic to romance as me!
I've said elsewhere that I'm not much of a fan of romance - if I can actually see it - but I'm very happy for it to hold the story together, invisibly (which it probably almost always does in the most captivating books). I could push through the few times the romance became visibly exposed, waiting for some more technically interesting action (like the potential explosion when a character reverts from their more palatable 'Pseudo persona' back to their normal, less congenial self).
It was half-way through the book before the book took a thrilling twist... leaving me exposed to some of the romance aspects a tiny but too long... but, once that kicked in, it was worth the wait. It was like boiling a frog - where the creature doesn't notice the cold water gradually warming. I hadn't noticed the gradual increase of pace until about three quarters through, after which time I read the remainder, without putting it down, with white knuckles!
Now I realise this author has another tool in her arsenal - it gradually became the same race against time that I experienced in her 'hypnotic journey' series. It turns out this book has well and truly enough thrills for someone as allergic to romance as me!
Want to read
August 22, 2013Smashwords freebie https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... 22/08/13
- Thanks, Cam x
- Thanks, Cam x
Read
December 9, 20130 stars. So poorly written. Just glad was free. Why was it even published
March 20, 2016
An enjoyable read, a few errors, I would give this author another try at a later date.
July 11, 2014
The Three Year Rule is by Alaina Stanford. It is book 1 of the Rule series. It is a romance and a suspenseful plot. It is a very good book and makes for a great summer read.
Elizabeth Stewart is a psychologist and a writer. Her last book is based on the idea of each person having a pseudo personality that comes to light during the romance period and may not retreat and allow the true personality come out for nearly three years. She encourages the women who come to hear her speak about her book to wait three years before marrying to make sure the personality their spouse has is one they can live with. At the end of this last talk, she meets her agent, Franklin who introduces her to Joshua Miller who is going to build her home in the mountains. She and Joshua go out for dinner to a bar where she ends up dancing with Joshua and getting more and more attracted to him and they end up in bed. The next morning, her assistant Amy Rothchild arrives with Elizabeth’s dog Charlie. They go to a secluded cabin where they will live until her house is built. Strange and scary things begin to happen at the cabin. Is it kids just trying to scare them or something more sinister?
Joshua and his friend and sheriff Randy Connor are determined to find out what is going on and at the same time protect Elizabeth and Amy. In addition, Joshua has to keep up with the building of Elizabeth’s house and take care of his two children after their mother brings them home. He relies quite a bit on his dog Kilo to protect Elizabeth and Charlie. Will Kilo make a difference? Can they keep the women safe?
Elizabeth Stewart is a psychologist and a writer. Her last book is based on the idea of each person having a pseudo personality that comes to light during the romance period and may not retreat and allow the true personality come out for nearly three years. She encourages the women who come to hear her speak about her book to wait three years before marrying to make sure the personality their spouse has is one they can live with. At the end of this last talk, she meets her agent, Franklin who introduces her to Joshua Miller who is going to build her home in the mountains. She and Joshua go out for dinner to a bar where she ends up dancing with Joshua and getting more and more attracted to him and they end up in bed. The next morning, her assistant Amy Rothchild arrives with Elizabeth’s dog Charlie. They go to a secluded cabin where they will live until her house is built. Strange and scary things begin to happen at the cabin. Is it kids just trying to scare them or something more sinister?
Joshua and his friend and sheriff Randy Connor are determined to find out what is going on and at the same time protect Elizabeth and Amy. In addition, Joshua has to keep up with the building of Elizabeth’s house and take care of his two children after their mother brings them home. He relies quite a bit on his dog Kilo to protect Elizabeth and Charlie. Will Kilo make a difference? Can they keep the women safe?
November 27, 2013
I enjoyed this story but the editing was obvious by red marks and half the time I disagreed with it. My copy had many mistakes in it, too many to bother marking on my kindle.
The author also struggled with inconsistencies. For example, the name of the son changed back and forth throughout the book, then the main character was previously married but later she never married.
The book takes place primarily in Utah somewhere, which was cool. The author never places the characters in a particular town. By the end of the book I was able to pin point a state when previously I thought they were in Idaho or Wyoming.
There is mention of Utah General Hospital which I got a laugh about since there is no such hospital.
The premise of the book is about a psychologist turned author that only believes in marriage after three years of dating. The book goes into her reasons but the characters ability to think like a psychologist bugged me. She came off as a fake. *shrugs*
Overall, the story was okay. I figured out the stalker very early on which was kind of a bummer. I probably wouldnt recommend this book because of the editing problems, assuming they were not fixed in the kindle version, which is my version. If this book is free then try it but dont bother purchasing it from Amazon, it wasnt that good.
Lastly, I hate the cover.
Content: The book is clean, at least in my opinion. There are no sex scenes but the characters become naked. There is one. "F" bomb. There is animal violence and talk of animal abuse.
The author also struggled with inconsistencies. For example, the name of the son changed back and forth throughout the book, then the main character was previously married but later she never married.
The book takes place primarily in Utah somewhere, which was cool. The author never places the characters in a particular town. By the end of the book I was able to pin point a state when previously I thought they were in Idaho or Wyoming.
There is mention of Utah General Hospital which I got a laugh about since there is no such hospital.
The premise of the book is about a psychologist turned author that only believes in marriage after three years of dating. The book goes into her reasons but the characters ability to think like a psychologist bugged me. She came off as a fake. *shrugs*
Overall, the story was okay. I figured out the stalker very early on which was kind of a bummer. I probably wouldnt recommend this book because of the editing problems, assuming they were not fixed in the kindle version, which is my version. If this book is free then try it but dont bother purchasing it from Amazon, it wasnt that good.
Lastly, I hate the cover.
Content: The book is clean, at least in my opinion. There are no sex scenes but the characters become naked. There is one. "F" bomb. There is animal violence and talk of animal abuse.
August 6, 2014
I downloaded this book a while back and deleted it without even making it halfway through. The grammar and writing was so poor, I just couldn't get past it. When I saw replies to several reviews that said "all" errors had been removed, I thought I'd give it another try. Nope.
Ms. Stanford is in dire need of an impartial editor. Even a local critique group would be beneficial. I'll go a step further and encourage the author to take some time and read her work out loud. I think she'd be shocked and dismayed at the number of mistakes contained here. At 15% in, I lost count. On top of that, the heroine just comes across as an arrogant, self-important witch.
When I read that Joshua is a "construction MAGNET", I decided to give up. Ms. Stanford, the word you want is MAGNATE. Still hoping she'd learned from other reviewers, I checked out the "Look Inside" of the second book in this series and found a mistake in the very first sentence.
I'll never know if the storyline is any good. I just can't finish it.
Ms. Stanford is in dire need of an impartial editor. Even a local critique group would be beneficial. I'll go a step further and encourage the author to take some time and read her work out loud. I think she'd be shocked and dismayed at the number of mistakes contained here. At 15% in, I lost count. On top of that, the heroine just comes across as an arrogant, self-important witch.
When I read that Joshua is a "construction MAGNET", I decided to give up. Ms. Stanford, the word you want is MAGNATE. Still hoping she'd learned from other reviewers, I checked out the "Look Inside" of the second book in this series and found a mistake in the very first sentence.
I'll never know if the storyline is any good. I just can't finish it.
July 16, 2015
Good fun
This is a really quite decent book looking at how relationships form, how rules have exceptions, & how a romance novel can be about more than just "quivering members". The characters are shown to be fairly three-dimensional, despite the brevity of the piece & the number of characters. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this series.
I would suggest this for people who want some plot in their romance, or who are just starting to turn from general fiction to something sexier.
I absolutely must point out potential Triggers.
Stalking, gun violence, intentional injury to animals, death, violation of property, serial killer, hunting.
This is a really quite decent book looking at how relationships form, how rules have exceptions, & how a romance novel can be about more than just "quivering members". The characters are shown to be fairly three-dimensional, despite the brevity of the piece & the number of characters. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this series.
I would suggest this for people who want some plot in their romance, or who are just starting to turn from general fiction to something sexier.
I absolutely must point out potential Triggers.
Stalking, gun violence, intentional injury to animals, death, violation of property, serial killer, hunting.
June 28, 2014
WOW! This is more than a romance, it's not erotica which I found refreshing. It's a suspense about a self help author who decides to have a fling with a guy who's totally not her type. She begins to fall for him just as a stalker enters her life.
The setting is high up in the mountains with bear, wolves and all the dangerously exciting things the mountains have to offer. The side romance between her assistant and the local sheriff is endearing. He's a widower- I love her comment when she is cautioned about his loss. Read it and you'll love it too.
Well written.
The setting is high up in the mountains with bear, wolves and all the dangerously exciting things the mountains have to offer. The side romance between her assistant and the local sheriff is endearing. He's a widower- I love her comment when she is cautioned about his loss. Read it and you'll love it too.
Well written.
December 18, 2014
I like to finish what I start but I should have dropped this one
I made it all the way to the end and it never got any better. The premise was ridiculous. There were holes in the story that were not explained and there were fabulous twists that couldn't happen in a million years. Wolf packs do not hunt humans in Utah. It's never the local sheriff's job to lure wildlife away from town. You can't attack someone by tricking a bear into breaking into their home. The bad guy turned out to be the first person you suspected! Waste of time - pass on this one.
I made it all the way to the end and it never got any better. The premise was ridiculous. There were holes in the story that were not explained and there were fabulous twists that couldn't happen in a million years. Wolf packs do not hunt humans in Utah. It's never the local sheriff's job to lure wildlife away from town. You can't attack someone by tricking a bear into breaking into their home. The bad guy turned out to be the first person you suspected! Waste of time - pass on this one.
October 3, 2014
Love in the Mountains
I don't usually read or like anything with mystery or suspense, but I got into this book and couldn't put it down. I did have a suspect of the "bad guy", but I didn't get it right. Good book. I didn't give the book a five star because it was a mystery, and as I said, I don't like them. If you do, Ms. Stanford is a very good author. Maybe you should give her work a try.
I don't usually read or like anything with mystery or suspense, but I got into this book and couldn't put it down. I did have a suspect of the "bad guy", but I didn't get it right. Good book. I didn't give the book a five star because it was a mystery, and as I said, I don't like them. If you do, Ms. Stanford is a very good author. Maybe you should give her work a try.
September 8, 2013
I liked this book. There were a couple of points in this book that I wanted to strangle Beth, but she redeemed herself nicely. I figured out part of the twist early on, but not the full thing. This has a little bit for everyone, romance, suspense, sexy talk (no real sex scenes which was a bit refreshing for me compared to what I have been reading). this is a great read.
September 1, 2013
Good reading, love the characters and the ending was great. It actually took me by surprised, which is great. Love how "clean" the book is, without lots of sex scenes. While reading it you could tell someone had checked it for spelling mistakes. However, it's a good reading.
October 3, 2013
i loved it!!!..I loved how they all looked after eachother!! I was nervous on a few parts but I liked the suspense! don't always go by stats because not everyone is the same it what I got out of it.. Don't always be scared of how things flow.. life is already crazy enough
October 22, 2013
I really like this book. I wish there could have been a little bit more elaboration in certain parts. There were also a handful of grammatical errors, but overall this is a good read. It's suspense with just the right amount romance and mystery.
October 13, 2014
Really sweet
A self help author that is about a 3year rule to really know a person before marriage falls head over heels in love with her contractor that is building her home. She has a stalker that spices things up. This was a good book.
A self help author that is about a 3year rule to really know a person before marriage falls head over heels in love with her contractor that is building her home. She has a stalker that spices things up. This was a good book.
June 5, 2015
I am positive the only reason I continue to complete most book is read is solely based on my liking of the hero if the book, if it all depended on the heroine then I would not have completed most of the book that I have read. This book is a perfect example of that.
August 17, 2014
Good read
Good read
Enjoyed the plot line. could have been a little longer. I would and will read other books by her. The only reason for just three stars is something that happened at the end.
Good read
Enjoyed the plot line. could have been a little longer. I would and will read other books by her. The only reason for just three stars is something that happened at the end.
October 7, 2014
An enjoyable night time read with a little spice to keep the temperature rising! I liked the plot and the pace which kept me interested whilst I thought the back story was well conceived and thought out. I also like the premise behind the story.
October 30, 2014
I found this through one of the promoted review sites and have to say I really enjoyed it. I read it in several sittings and found it easy to follow and well thought through. I haven't read any other books in the series yet but they are now on my wish list!
November 1, 2014
I really thought this stalker was after Beth. I didn't see that one coming. I like how their best friends got them to talk again when Beth refused to see Josh. Poor kilo got shot. This sounds like its going to be a great series.
January 11, 2015
2.5/5.0
The humor of the opening paragraphs is quickly set aside as not fitting with the entirety of the story.
Read full review in the 2014/2015 Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
The humor of the opening paragraphs is quickly set aside as not fitting with the entirety of the story.
Read full review in the 2014/2015 Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
December 6, 2014
This is a nice little romance with appealing characters who overcome hang ups to find happiness. When you throw in a stalker bent on murder the tension ratchets up quickly. If you like romance you'll love this one.
December 28, 2014
AWESOME book I loved it and can't wait for more
This was an awesome book I loved it out was full of mystery and suspense and is normally not a book I would read but it attracted my attention and I'm very glad for it.
This was an awesome book I loved it out was full of mystery and suspense and is normally not a book I would read but it attracted my attention and I'm very glad for it.
September 23, 2013
It was a good book. A lot of grammar & punctuation mistakes but I can get past them. Very exciting at the end, eventhough I guessed what the twist was early on...great freebie.
September 23, 2013
Great quick read. Enjoyed this and loved all characters.
October 14, 2013
Good book, worth it. Not much to complain or talk about with out spoiling it, my only issue was spelling and grammar errors. Other than that I LOVED it!
October 14, 2013
Cute, short, good book. I don't have anything to complain about besides grammar mistakes. Other than that I loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews