RISK EVERYTHING . . . Holly has taken herself out of the dating game since breaking up with her cheating, thieving ex. She barely notices Marc, who comes into the game store every week, hoping to get her attention. Her friends insist it’s time to take on a new role, to leave Quiet Holly behind and embrace her inner flirt. And on paper, Marc’s great: cute, funny, and a hardcore gamer just like … gamer just like Holly is.
Then there’s Nathan. He’s everything twenty-eight-year-old Holly wants…except he’s also her friend’s father. Absolutely off-limits. But as she and Nathan playtest a new legacy game together, they’re growing closer. The game is complex and intriguing, and there’s no way to know how choices will pan out. What seems like a good idea could lead to disaster…or sweet victory. But in gaming, as in love, sometimes you have to roll the dice and take your chance . . .
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AGAINST THE RULES is the second book of the Gamer Girls series by Laura Heffernan. Heffernan writes such a fun story with all kinds of complications about a young woman getting ready to come back to the dating world after a cheating ex and a broken heart. I thoroughly enjoyed this and worked beautifully as a stand alone and not having read the first book in the series, but of course after reading this I am now a fan.
Holly McDonald falls for the last person she should be falling in love with and that is Nathan Williams, her father’s friend. But Nathan is Holly’s best friend Gwen’s father! This relationship was doomed from the start or is it? Can they keep their feeling from each other?
I adored this wonderful story about heartbreak and loss, and finding the strength to open up to trust and love again. I love a great contemporary romance and this one did not disappoint.
This book was cute like the first one. This one follows Holly and everything that happens after her friends find out about her ex in the first book. Holly has a lot going on, she is a little lost and sad. Never does she think she will have a dream come true when she goes to her best friend’s wedding in Mexico. Things kind of spiral from there, but you will have to read to find out what happens. This book has a fun new game in it, as well as a little romance. It is worth the read if you have read the first book already.
AGAINST THE RULES – The cover so fun and cute! The perfect intro to this book which is the second in the gamer girl trilogy that can be read as a stand alone. Though I am not a gamer, I found this book interesting how the author weaved the testing of a new game into the forbidden romance story line. The characters are believable and at times funny. I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading the third book in the trilogy. Thank you Laura Heffernan, Kensington Publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book and this is my honest review.
Thank you Kate Rock Book Tours, Kensington and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Against the Rules
Gamer Girls #2
By: Laura Heffernan
*REVIEW*
Against the Rules is a contemporary fiction romance centered around gaming and is part of a series. I recommend reading the series in order for background information. Although not a gamer myself, I can still appreciate the story. Holly is a gamer who is recovering from a bad breakup that left her emotionally and financially ruined. She has given up on love, and who could blame her at this point? Life has other plans, however, and Holly finds herself attracted to a regular customer in the store where she works. Worse than that, though, is Holly’s attraction to Nathan. Why? Holly’s best friend is Gwen, and Nathan is Gwen’s dad. Yikes! It’s an odd love triangle but fun to read. Holly is an interesting character. She’s smart but does stupid things. She’s a bit naive/oblivious to some obvious things. I wanted to like her more than I actually did because her vibe is positive and warm hearted. Nathan is the hot older, but not too old, guy. He’s easy to like because his characterization is spot on, and he’s compelling. The secondary characters, i.e. Gwen, etc., are an excellent group whom I would like to hang with sometime. Friendship is on the line. How will Gwen react if Holly dates Nathan? It’s a pickle for sure! Overall, I found this story delightful, unique and engaging. I learned some things about gaming. Against the Rules is especially intriguing and appealing if you are actually a gamer!
What’s not to like about a main character with a love of board games? As someone that grew up before the age of ipads and tablets, board games were a mainstay of my youth and I felt more than a little nostalgic reading this book. Yes, this is a bit of a taboo/forbidden romance because of the age gap between Nathan and Holly, but both characters were so charming, considerate and open that it was refreshing. There was a good balance between conflict and fun, steaminess and sweetness, that’s really important in a good romance story.
I’m totally looking forward to more books in this series. The gamers are quite a group! I love it when an author takes the time to develop the supporting characters so much that you’re interested in them, too.
This is book #2 in the Gamer Girls series and Holly McDonald’s story. In book #1, Holly found out her fiance, Lucas, was cheating on her. He was also running a pyramid scheme and now he has been arrested. Holly agreed to fully cooperating with the Feds in exchange for immunity since she had no idea any of this was going on. With having her assets frozen and not being allowed to work in her field of IT for 18 months while she is on probation, Holly is working at Game On!, the local gaming store and living with Gwen’s dad, Nathan. It’s fun working at Game On, but Holly is having a harder time living with Nathan because she has always had a huge crush on him. So what if he is 15 years older than her….she is still very attracted to him….problem is is that he is her best friend’s dad!
Nathan Williams has been single for a long time. Being a single dad, Nathan always put his daughter, Gwen first. Now that Gwen is grown she keeps pressuring her dad to date. Too bad Nathan is attracted to Gwen’s friend, Holly, but he could never act on that because it’s so taboo and what would his daughter think.
While everyone is in Mexico for Gwen’s wedding, a drunken Holly and a drunken Nathan hookup. They both realize that they are attracted to the other and figure “What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico!”. Too bad that is never the case!
When Nathan and Holly spend more time together test playing their friend Shannon’s legacy game, parts of the game spill over into real life. It will take a huge leap of faith for these two to decide if they want to go after their happy ending and risk losing Gwen or just decide to keep things platonic. A fun twist to the story throws everyone into a tailspin but in the end, Holly and Nathan get their perfect happy ending.
I just loved this story. It was such fun and such a forbidden type of romance but the author handled it wonderfully. I also loved the way the playing of the game was woven into their lives. It sounded like such a fun game to play, too! I really enjoyed both of the characters. It was easy to see how Nathan and Holly were drawn to each other….they had so many things in common. Overall I am really loving this series and can’t wait to read Shannon’s story!
Sometimes Rules Gotta Be Broken. In this continuation of the Gamer Girls trilogy, Heffernan brings an interesting board game concept to the story even as the game itself takes a bit more of a backseat as a driver of the overall story. Instead, the game of love takes a much more central focus in this story, and this particular game is truly excellent. Very much recommended, and I can’t wait to read Book 3!
I was excited to get this story in my hands and wasn´t disappointed at all. I´ve loved Holly from the first book and again she showed her beautiful personality. She would struggle and almost throw her chance for happiness for her best friend. But at least in the end she was able to make the right decision for herself, not for everyone else. I was hoping just for this outcome since I read the first book in the series. I would say this story can´t meet everyone´s satisfaction but for me it was greatly written book with wonderful characters.
I haven’t read the first book but I do felt like I was missing something that important.
It’s a well written age gap story that has an interesting mix of characters and romance.
I was immersed in the story from the beginning because Molly it’s definitely a great heroine, a woman who is easy to relate to and her story can be of any friend of ours.
Nathan is a great man that loves his family and life but will still stand for himself to find his happiness with his choice of woman and not his daughter’s .
The secondary characters are pictured so well that I definitely want to read their story in the next instalment.
I’ll recommend this book to all my readers friends.
This is the second book in The Gamer Girls series.
In the last book (it’s not necessary to read, but it does give you a little background to take you into this book.) Holly finds out her fiancé had been cheating on her, and he’s stolen money from her, so she dumps him….
But that has given her confidence a huge knock, so she retreats Into the shop she works in (a gaming shop)
After her friends (Gwen and Shannon) convince her to go out and have a little fun, she plucks up the courage to go out, but with whom?
Nathan is her best friend’s dad, so she shouldn’t be looking at him, but there is something about Nathan that appeals to Holly, and once they start playing this new game, she sees him a whole new light. (And to be honest, she’s always had a little crush on him)
Marc is Holly’s indecisive game customer (but is that to get Holly’s attention?) he comes in and they discuss the games. When he finally plucks up the courage to askHer out, it’s via text (but it’s the modern world and dares are now arranged that way, I suppose?)
And after a couple of disastrous online chats, Holly needs to get out into the real world and date (can’t do it all online)
So …… who will Holly choose? And what about the cheating thieving ex? You know somewhere along the line he’s going to make an appearance. Will she be sweet talked into letting him back into her life?
I’ll have to be honest, I liked this one, but not as much as the first book (She’s Got Game) the characters bounced off of one another, where in this book, I don’t get that same feeling.
I did like the game thought at the beginning of the chapter, but not sure I needed to hear so much about the Game they were playing.