When Maximillian Sanders moved to Greyford, he had three goals: mend the broken relationship with his sister, keep her safe, and get into a division one college, playing hockey. There he meets the girl who breaks his heart and turns his world upside down, and it’s her best friend who helps pick up the pieces.Brook Taylor learned the hard way that in order to survive this ugly world, she needed to … she needed to live by her own rules. Then she meets Max and for the first time, she’s tempted to break them. He’s off limits, and she has a plan that doesn’t include a hot hockey player.
He says he wants her, but she can see the truth in his eyes. She should have just followed her rules and guarded her heart.
Those three little rules were supposed to save her, until she broke them all.
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This is the 3rd and final book in this fantastic series, and what an ending this story is! This is Brook and Max’s turn, and gives a better understanding as to why Brook came across the way she did. These two have a love / hate scenario going on in their journey of discovery and healing. This is a beautifully written story which is an emotional roller coaster throughout, as well as raw, gritty, heartbreaking, and a poignant love story. I highly recommend this gifted authors’ work for all readers.
This beautifully, well-written book put me through a whirlwind of emotions! The characters are sure to pull on your heart strings and you cannot help but cheer them on as they look for their HEA. This is an engaging novel that pulled me in right from the first page and kept me entertained until the very end. The author does a masterful job with character development – demonstrating how both Brooke and Max evolved and gained maturity as the story progressed all while staying true to their characters.
If you’ve read any of the other books in this series, then you know that Max is Jeannette’s twin brother and I was thrilled to get my hands on his book. I absolutely adored Max and my high school self has claimed him as my book bf. He is a popular hockey athlete and his protective nature and huge heart are what I loved most about him. As for Brooke, I wasn’t sure what to think of her at first. She is at times closed off and possesses a prickly exterior, but she completed endeared herself to me as the author revealed more about her. These two and their journey put me through all of the feels.
Rules is a standalone in this author’s Greyford High series, but you will recognize the couples from the other two books. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Rules with its entertaining storyline and likable, well developed characters.
For the complete story, not just Brook and Max, make sure you read book one Lines, and two Habits as this story runs along the same time line as those two.
Brook had three rules;
#1: Don’t form attachments.
#2: Don’t let your guard down.
#3: Do NOT fall in love.
And she broke them all. My heart breaks for Brook and everything she’s gone through in her life. She has known one struggle after another, never seeming to catch a break.
“Life’s a cheating son of a b****, and hope is just an illusion. And sooner or later, the reality will catch up to you and show you just how ugly it really is.”
~Brook~
Max, is almost the opposite of Brook. Rich, comes from a good family that cares about him, and everywhere to go in the future. But, is everything actually all it seems on the surface?
“There is something about Brook Taylor that draws my attention, and no matter how long or how hard I stare at her, there is always something more to see, something more to discover about the girl who holds all her secrets close to her.”
~Max~
These two are almost polar opposites, but couldn’t be more perfect for each other. If only they could see that themselves, and let go of the past enough to move on. So much happens in this book, not only with Brook and Max, but the others as well. It’s so angst filled and emotional that you find yourself invested with these characters and their lives. Brook and Max have more in common than it originally seems. They both have their demons. Their own secrets. Getting anything out of Brook is like pulling teeth, but when you get to know who she really is, you can’t help but feel for her. Max is the same. He seems to have everything, but his demons eat at him daily. The question is, can two damaged people heal themselves and each other before losing what they could have?
Rules is my favorite book in he Greyford High series! Although I have enjoyed all the books Max anc Brook’s story is by far my favorite!
Brook Taylor is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She’s been going to Greyford High but is only trying to get through. Max Sanders is the school’s star hockey player. Brook has three rules she lives by in order to survive her life, but when Max walks into her life she quickly forgets her rules. Max is struggling and hiding it from the world.
Max and Brook’s story is real life struggles that we tend to try and not focus on. In a world so full of awful people we forget that these awful people have children and the things they choose to do affects their children more than they could ever imagine. Brook is made fun of for her clothes being too big or old, she frequently will “skip” lunch at school. But maybe no one really wants to look at the reasoning behind all of this. Her mother is a drug addict, and her father is buying her mother’s silence about who Brook’s father is. Her mother abuses her and it’s absolutely heartbreaking to read, but it’s a true problem in the world.
Max’s struggles although not the same as Brook’s are still there. He’s trying to rebuild his relationship with his sister. He’s the “Golden Boy” and I think like any other he’s struggles with what he wants and what he is suppose to do. There’s a fine line he’s walking and I’m not sure he knew what side he was walking on.
Max and Brook’s relationship was absolutely beautifully broken. They kept their relationship a secret. But like any relationship feelings happen and rules are broken. Their relationship is an emotional roller coaster that gives you all the feels.
Doe delivered an amazing book about a broken love story. True love isn’t hearts and roses, it’s struggle and hard. But at the end of the day you fight for each other.
Rules was the perfect ending to this series!
This book is so incredibly heartwrenching! I mean. All. Of. The. Feels! It does contain some difficult topics, so be prepared. I was totally glued to this story from beginning to end. There is even a bonus epilogue to give you a little more of this beautiful story. The characters are so well written and the layers run deep. It is hard not to fall completely in love with the world of Greyford High.
I have loved Brook and Max since the first time I met them in earlier releases within the Greyford High series and was so excited to find out RULES would be THEIR story.
And WOW… what a story they have!
It’s an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end. Full of ups and downs, heartbreak, love, secrets, lies, deceit, and SO much more.
Max and Brook don’t have a “all hearts and roses” story. They don’t have “insta” love. These two have real love, real problems and real life changing choices to make. This story is packed with emotions from great characters that pulls you in and you feel what they are feeling every step of the way. It’s beautifully dark and wild ride! An absolute must read!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
I would give this book 10 stars if I had the option to!!! I am not kidding when I tell the first time I wrote a review on Goodreads is for this series and all thanks to Anna B Doe to keep me so engaged throughout the series… I read all three books in 3 days cz that’s how eager I was to know what happens in each of their story!!!
This book was the best of all three…the emotions the pain the ups and downs. Oh my God!!! I cried like never before reading this story. The POV of Max and Brook throughout the book was so emotional!!! I loved this book so much !!! And the surprise, wasn’t ready for it though had a small hunch
And the happiest part in this book there was no Diamond
Anyway, I seriously loved this book never thought I would get this attached to characters. Ah!!! Gonna miss all these 6 people +1
I am a huge fan of Anna B Doe’s books! The more I read of hers the more I can’t get enough of her writing!
Rules is captivating! This story is so realistic and raw. I think, in my opinion, this has been the best Greyford High book yet! Brook and Max are just such strong characters, that they are definitely deeming as my favorites. These is so much pain these two have that they have to over come and break their own rules to find happiness. I can’t even form words on how amazing this book is.
I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for more of this series! I definitely recommend this book for everyone, I recommend the entire series!
5 Red Firecracker Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Want to talk about an author stepping up her game? Well, Anne B. Doe just did that with Rules The third book in the Greyford High series.
She has taken the last of these three couples and gave us everything. The emotional highs and lows and that yucky stuff that goes in between have the WOW factor at its fullest. Even though each book is a separate couple and can be read as a standalone, I would HIGHLY recommend reading them in order to experience the full effect/punch that this book delivers. Of course, a book this intense comes with disclaimers that some situations/events are not for everyone.
I just discovered Anna B. Doe and this series and I can’t express the amount of heart, soul, and writing she puts into this series. It just pours off the pages and pulls you into it. So amazingly well written. I can’t wait to go back and read what else she has written.
This is Brook and Max’s story. We have seen them from the beginning and saving them for last is amazing. The storyline follows right along with Lines’s story. Parallel what was going on. It works brilliantly. Weaving of the friend’s stories and how life actually goes.
Without giving anything away, because I don’t like spoilers, I am not going to rehash the story, just that Brook is a mess and her will if falling down around her.
Max can’t find which way is up or down and is trying to make it.
When their worlds collide, sometimes not in the best possible way, firecrackers or explosions go off!!!
A must-read. Loved reading every minute of it.
I have been dying to read Rules!! I’m not usually a big YA fan, but I will forever read Anna’s!! Brook & Max have a complicated road to an HEA. I enjoyed watching them go from enemies, to friends, to eventually more. I loved getting to see more of Brook & Max’s inner thoughts! This book is so full of emotions and I absolutely LOVED it! I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but y’all definitely don’t want to miss out on this greatness!!!
WOW, This book is both beautifully written and heartbreaking. I loved it from cover to cover.
Rules as the conclusion of the Greyford High Series and definitely the most emotional. A beautiful high school romance. Why didn’t they make boys like this when I was a teenager?
You need to read all the books in this series to follow the story fully.
Whew, I have been waiting for this book since I started the Greyford High series and I couldn’t be happier with how this book turned out.
This is all about Max and Brooke and it brings back to the beginning of their story so we get to experience every moment that brought them to their forever. And oh what a story it is, their are so many struggles that we had no clue about when reading the other books and I feel like it made me fall that much harder for them.
This book can be read as a standalone so feel free to jump right in but I think you will want to know more about the other characters when you read this one!
FINALLY GETTING BROOK’S EPIC STORY! While I enjoyed the past two books in this series, I really loved the character of Brook and the complexity of her storyline within the background of the other stories and could not wait for her own – and Anna did NOT disappoint! Max originally fell for Lia, but through the course of the year, he ends up becoming intrigued and then developing feelings for Brook instead. While Lia always holds a place in his heart as his best friend, he is realizing that his true feelings are with Brook. We also get insight into Brook’s home life and life outside of the friend group – where we find out that her mother is abusive and she’s experienced additional abuse as a child. My heart broke for Brook throughout the book, and even more so when Max doesn’t reciprocate her feelings back. This was such an epic ending to this series, but I loved every second of it. Something that was definitely unique about this book and series is that all three books run in the same time frame as each other, so it can get a little confusing but to keep that in mind. Other than that, I really loved Brook and her book so much!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
“That’s what happens when you break rules. You get burned.”
Rules is the third and final book in this series, which told the story of Max and Brook. The story started with what happened on previous book. It was also explained by the author that this story happens at the same time with Habits, which was great since I didn’t read that one. However, this can still be read as standalone. Also, if you had read the first book (which I did), you would have already known these characters and the world of Greyford High. This is a contemporary, angsty romance told in dual POV.
“Nobody cares about little white trash girls like me. Some probably think I deserve it. Nobody would come to my rescue.”
“Well, I don’t need them. I don’t need anybody to save me. I’ll do it on my own. I’m fine on my own.”
Brook has three rules that she follows most her life. It has keep her safe from everyone, most of the time. She had a hard life and it taught her to be this strong, self sufficient, closed off person. But ever since she met Max, the school’s hockey golden boy, she has slowly broken those rules.
“But somehow Brook understood it. Without me having to say a thing, she understood it. She knew what to do; she knew how to help me.”
Max may be the school’s popular hockey player but they don’t know he is struggling. He wanted to be the strong one to help his sister and be the perfect son but the expectations were getting into him. Only Brook, the girl who seems to hate him at first sight, could see the crack in his mask. The only girl who could really see him.
What I loved about this was how the characters has matured and developed in this story. They have certainly grown and shown depth of personality as they were faced with one of life’s major problem. The series as a whole was nicely wrapped up but I’d really like to see how they were doing during their college years. Maybe a novella or a spin off will do the trick. Anyway, an enjoyable, angsty read! Loved it!
Rules does a beautiful job putting all the pieces together in the Greyford High Series. All three books are stand-alones but you REALLY need to experience all of them. SO AMAZING!
Brook and Max might be my favorite couple. I have said that with each new book in this series and totally mean it. Sigh. These two took me on an emotional ride. It is crazy how I get choke up thinking about them.
The injustice and horrible childhood Brook experienced makes me want to sob. Her need to harden herself and not trust gets explained as this story continues. Her saving grace was her friends but even that she didn’t trust to last.
Max as the perceived golden boy, shines especially when you feel his love for his twin sister.
Max and Brook have this amazing love/hate thing going, bring a realness to this story. Wink! They fight it but boy are they spicy together.
All kinds of revelations occur as you travel down this story’s telling. My heart breaks several times and I want to hurt a couple characters that don’t deserve the amazing children they have.
Love how all my questions are answered in this book. So worth the wait, tying all the Greyford stories together. Definitely 5 star worthy. Happy Reading Everyone! XOXO
Wow, how can I do this book justice with just words?? The amount of emotions this book evoked is more than I can even begin to express. I fell in love with these characters. Brook and Max were so real, so relatable; the heartache and disappointment they endured was heartbreaking.
I loved the multi-person POV writing. You get to experience each situation differently because you are reading both sides of their story from their point of view. Feeling what they felt and why they felt it helped me better understand their pain and fear because I was right there with them experiencing their highs and lows each page along the way. I kind of didn’t want this story to end because I am going to miss each one of these characters, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a book hangover after the rollercoaster experience this book put me through.
Its been a while but this book has definitely been worth the wait , Maximillian & Brooks story will have you heart in pieces at times , more for Brook than Maximillian , sorry Max . Independent , strong willed & fiercely protective of her heart , only her best friend really gets past her barriers but Maximillian slowly worms his way past them & shes got to decide if she can trust her feelings & more to the point trust him. You will get more from this book if you read the other two , Lines & Habits but if you are good at reading between the lines you could pick it all up but honestly you would be missing out . This book starts with two people with their own idea of what they want / don’t want from their last years at Greyford High & what the get is somewhat unexpected for both
First and foremost; Lines & Habits, books one and two, do need to be read before reading Rules. This story will be a bit confusing if you don’t read them in order. Yes, it is a different couple in each book, but they each build on the other. Starting from the beginning of their senior year, we watched as Max and Jeanette come in as the new kids. Max started the year trying to get close to Lia, but we saw how that worked out. Then it was Jeanette and Andrew’s turn, and we got to see the drama unfold first hand. Now, its finally Brook and Max’s turn and boy did this story give us drama. I swear the surprises and twists just kept coming in this story. Rules had some really dark moments and I didn’t think things could get darker after Habits. It really was hard to remember that these were high school kids dealing with the issues that were thrown at them.
With some really good naughty bits, loads of drama, a bit of danger and violence; this was a page turner that did not disappoint. That is until we got to the ending, but then Anna B. Doe proved she wouldn’t leave us hanging and it got better again. I give this 4.5 stars.
Rules by Anna B. Doe is the third book in the Greyford High Series and boy was it a good read. This story looks at Maximillian ‘Max’ Sanders and Brook Taylor’s story and boy is it a story! If you have read the previous two books in this series, you’ll have come across Max and Brook and what has been going on in their relationship.
Brook is one of those characters who steals your heart as she has been through so much! In the previous books we only got an inkling of what was going on. Well in this one, everything comes out and it leaves you shocked to the core of how strong, vulnerable and scarred she is after all that she has been through. You also find out why she has kept everything to herself.
We also see the struggles that Max has gone through, not only with his sister, but also wanting a girl he can’t have, being interested in a new girl who is totally cool and cut off to any type of relationship and also to new secrets that come to the forefront. He’s just a really sweet guy and there were moments of true heartbreak and vulnerability for him in this story.
Overall, this book packs a punch, probably greater than the other two stories did and it leaves you breathless and hoping that both Brook and Max will get the happily ever after that they deserve. Anna B. Doe has a way of punching you in the gut with her writing yet makes you want to continue reading to see what happens! A totally binge-worthy read!
ARC received for a fair and honest review.
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
Max and Brooke
I had no idea what to expect from Max and Brooke. While reading Lines and Habits, I had a feeling that something might be building up secretly between them, but this was way more than I expected. What becomes of them between the pages of Rules tore me apart and slowly put me back together.
Max and Brooke both have past issues that attribute to how they perceive themselves to the outside world. When together… they slowly brink the masks down and show themselves to one another.
” You made me break my Rules.” “And I’d make you break the all over again just to have you in my arms.”
Full of emotion and a perfect way to end this series. Yes, I recommend reading!
Rules:
#1: Don’t form attachments
#2: Don’t let your guard down
#3: Do NOT under any circumstances fall in love