Rule #1: Don’t fall in love.As a single dad, my life revolves around my daughter. No complaints…until my ex-wife forces my hand over custody.I needed a cover story. In steps Katharine Morello. My best friend’s sister is ready and willing to be my fake fiancée.Overnight we’re engaged. A temporary arrangement.No sex.No strings attached.No complications.Easy, right?Not quite. The last few months, … complications.
Easy, right?
Not quite. The last few months, I’ve been doing dirty things to her in my imagination. But that’s all they’ll ever be. Fantasies.
Rule #2: Don’t give in to temptation.
Neither of us is looking for a relationship. Been there. Done that. Even drank the Kool-Aid.
So, you see, I can resist beautiful, sexy Katharine. It doesn’t matter she’s hot as f*ck with an amazing personality to boot. All I have to do is NOT touch her.
I’ve got this.
Spoiler Alert…One night make-believe merges with reality. Sparks fly—and burn.
Now I want her. All of her.
Rule #3: See rule #1—don’t fall in love.
Man. Hindsight’s a bitch.
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When Lucas’ ex-wife starts the proceedings to get full time custody, Lucas is prepared for a battle. When Kate, the little sister of his best friend who Lucas’ has also been slightly crushing on, suggests that they pretend to be a couple to help Lucas’ case, at first Lucas isn’t so sure that a fake engagement will work. When he realizes that maybe, just maybe he will get a taste of something he always wanted, Lucas agrees to go along with the deal, but makes sure there are rules in place to protect them both. What happens when the two start to break their own rules?
This was a cute and steamy read! With some drama, naughty bits that were hot, this was a very entertaining book. It was a bit different only getting the H’s POV but not really a bad thing. I give this 4 stars.
Lucas is a single dad to a darling 6 year old, Emma, since divorcing his model wife 3 years ago. Now his ex has decided she should move their daughter to France with her and is willing to go to any length to prove he isn’t stable. Kate has been friends with Lucas for 20 years and doesn’t hesitate to step up for a fake engagement to show the judge Lucas isn’t the playboy his ex is suggesting.
I hated that Emma is the one who gets caught in the middle of Lucille and Lucas battle. Lucas obviously puts Emma’s needs first and works to keep the fighting away from her.
This was my first read by Mika Jolie and what a sweet introduction to her work. This book has fun characters with witty banter back and forth. I love the slow burn of friends to lovers. The author wrote in a fun style with all the rules that Lucas was trying to follow. I really enjoyed Rules of Engagement and will be looking for more by this author.
Wow! This is one of the most poignant, sweetest, and perfect friends to lovers romances I’ve ever read. There is absolutely nothing about this story I didn’t love. Especially Lucas.
After a harsh divorce, Lucas is in danger of losing his full paternity rights to his daughter. When his best friend, Kate, steps in and saves the day, their relationship quickly changes. Written completely in Lucas’ point of view, it didn’t take me long to fall deeply in love with him. He was so heartbroken over his past and so conflicted over not only his present situation but what the future might hold for him. Even though he once played the field, he hasn’t been that man for a long while. His respect for women was evident in his decision making process and in turn I grew to respect him as well.
Without Kate’s view point it’s up to the reader to guess how she’s feeling and where her head and heart are at. Included throughout the story are her blog postings that actually give a good idea of what’s going on with her and although I don’t think I needed that insight, I enjoyed having it. She’s actually a strong heroine and is more than capable of taking things by the reins when needed. She’s also not afraid to say what she wants. That doesn’t mean she isn’t a bit insecure, who isn’t when it comes to love and an uncertain relationship.
This is a relatively fast paced read that never bogged down. I never skimmed and I was completely caught up in the ever changing relationship between Lucas and Kate. The chemistry between them is sizzling and Lucas’ POV was exactly what I would assume a man would think when attracted to a woman, especially a woman who is not only his friend, but his best friend’s sister. The smexy times were off the charts and this author owes me a new Kindle from the melting affect they had on my device.
With a low angst vibe to it, the point of conflict can be seen from the very beginning but how they get through it is entirely unknown. That place in the story is were so much sweet comes in I found myself laughing with a tear in my eye. It couldn’t have been more perfect. And then this author gives us not one but two amazing epilogues and I was left in a puddle of swoony goodness.
I strongly encourage you to check this one out if you like the friends to lovers or best friend’s sister trope.
Rules Of Engagement was funny, sweet and just a little bit angsty. When Lucas Bernal needed to fend off his ex-wife and stop her taking his young daughter away from him, he only has one option.
To fool the judge into believing his life is a HEA. Too bad, Lucas doesn’t believe in that stuff anymore. But, he’s in a pinch and when Kate, his best friend’s sister (who also happens to be Lucas’s best friend too) offers to be his fake fiancee, he initially refuses but he’s pushed for time. There’s no one he trusts more with his daughter’s safety and happiness than Kate, so it should be a no brainer.
Right?
He could pretend. For a little while.
But, while it’s meant to be pretend, Kate is actually hiding her true feelings from Lucas. She’s had a crush on him for a long time but he was so oblivious. Things start to change as the spend more and more time together. It’s all so easy and effortless. Plus, Emma loves her. They get on like a house on fire.
But, the real fire in between these two characters. Try as they might, they just can’t fight it. Lines are blurred, then crossed the blown to smithereens and all in the sake of love.
Great story, loved every minute of it, and now I’m off to grab the first two in this series.
Lucas has always known his best friend’s sister, Kate, is off-limits to him. It hasn’t stopped him from possibly being attracted to her or thinking of her as more than a friend, but he’s never made a move on her for obvious reasons. But when his ex steps up her game of trying to take custody of their daughter, Kate takes matters into her own hands, and proposes a fake engagement between the two to help Lucas’ case with the court.
Kate and Lucas are friends, too, not just Dean and Lucas, and she may have always had a crush on Lucas, so when he needs help, she knows she’s just the friend to help him. Serving as a fake fiancée to Lucas should be easy, right? Wrong, because her heart may not survive in its intact state because Lucas most definitely does not see her as more than a friend and his best friend’s sister. She has no idea the feelings Lucas has long held for her. But this fake engagement of theirs is just the trick – their long hidden feelings just might have the chance to flourish now.
I loved Rules of Engagement!! Lucas is downright swoony, and sexy and so damn sweet I almost couldn’t stand it. I can’t remember the last time a hero managed to be both sweet and sexy AND wasn’t a manwhore to boot. Their story is lighthearted enough to not bring the reader down, but it’s got enough substance and heart for those who like their romances with depth, and it’s pretty sexy, too. Just about the perfect romance – heart, heat and love, all with two of my favorite tropes, brother’s best friend and fake relationship.
This book ticks of a lot of trope boxes but doesn’t seem like it’s trying to. It’s basically a single dad, friends to lovers, brother’s best friend book and does all three wonderfully!! I read this book in one sitting it was so good!! I can’t wait to see what else Mika has in store for us!!
There’s a lot to love
On the surface this is a book about a fake engagement, but it turned into so much more for me! Lucas is a single dad trying to maintain custody of his 6-year-old daughter during a nasty fight with his vitriolic ex-wife. Kate is his best friend’s sister. They have been close their whole life, nothing more than friends. Until…well, you know what happens. But it’s also so much more than you think it’s going to be. Told from Lucas’s point of view, you learn his doubts about relationships after his failed marriage, his views on single fatherhood, how much he loves and depends on his parents and his friends. You also get to know Kate through these wonderful little blog posts that give you a glimpse of her thoughts and feelings and it’s an incredible way to give her a voice, I loved it!
So, call this a fake relationship, hot single dad, best friend’s sister, friends to lovers romance and you’ve got it covered. Oh, did I mention the sexy times? These two have chemistry galore! Like I said, there’s a lot to love about this book!
This book was absolutely amazing it had so many tropes wrapped up into one fantastic book. I absolutely loved it
This is a very steamy, sexy story full of chemistry between two best friends pretending to be engaged. This fake engagement is all Kate’s idea to help her friend, Lucas maintain primary custody of his daughter. I enjoyed the story and I really enjoyed the characters, although I was not a fan of the “f” word. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
This book is a friends to lovers romance. Lucas knew that he has to keep his hands off his best friends sister Kate.
But circumstances brought them together.
They couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
I love Kate. Her independance and strong will. She is incredible.
Lucas is a hot New York most eligible bachelor. He is also a single daddy. He would do anything for his daughter. And when his ex wife shows up and wants to take his daughter away from him he does what needs to be done.
The story is sweet and wonderful.
I really liked it. The characters are amazing.
I received an earc of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I highly enjoyed this book because it is different than your regular romance novel. It is strictly written in Lucas’s POV and it is so sweet. The only glimpse into what Kate is thinking and feeling we get are through blog posts. BTW, I need her blog to be a real thing. I loved her posts so much. I feel empowered and feel like I may need to be wearing everyday lingerie because she convinced me it will be ok.
Lucas and Kate have been friends for over twenty years. It’s a comfortable friendship that never really lead anywhere. She is after all his best friends little sister as well. About a year ago things changed. They started flirting innocently. Lucas had started to see her in a different light but still would not make a move due to her, again, being his friend and his friend’s sister. Unfortunately for him, Lucas is going through a tricky divorce. His ex-wife is wanting to take full custody of their daughter and take her to France. Lucas does not like this at all since he is the one with the current full custody. In steps in Kate, and a plan to help him keep his daughter with him. Will it stay strictly platonic or will their feelings throw them over the edge into the unknown?
Rules of Engagement is Book 3 in the Platonically Complicated Series by Mika Jolie. It can be read as a standalone. That being said there are a few things in it that reference the previous books. I enjoyed it as is but will be checking out the other books as well. Highly recommend as a sweet read.
I have to say I did not read the other books that go with this series and to be honest I did not know that there were other books that went with this book. So you can read this book as a standalone.
I enjoyed this story but I did not particularly care for being in Lucas’s head. I like it when we get both sides of the story and to be in a man’s head this long is hard (haha). But anyway I did enjoy this story other than that. Lucas does a great job with his daughter and to protect her from her mother- his ex-wife.
Katherine has been Lucas’ friend for years so them two being together is nothing new. But his feelings coming forward is. These two have to learn to navigate those feelings so that they do not lose their friendship in the process of saving his little girl.
My first book Mika Jolie and it did not disappoint. I’m a sucker for a single dad and Lucas was definitely swoon worthy. Kate is independent, bold and not afraid to go for what she wants. Together Lucas and Kate have a ton of chemistry and I enjoyed reading their story unfold as it lead to their HEA.
Friends to lovers is probably one of my favorite tropes and this one is written so well. Not only did we get friends to lovers in this book, but also a fake engagement. Lucas and Kate have been friends for years, until that night when they started to look at each other a bit differently. So, when the one you are longing for is in trouble what else can Kate do but come to the rescue in the form of a fiance! Lines are drawn then crossed and every minute of it was delicious. I had an inkling that Lucas and Kate were going to end up together because there were some serious vibes coming off of them in The Boy Friend. I could hardly wait to get my hands on their story, and Mika Jolie delivered a sweet, steamy read that I couldn’t put down.
Lucas and Kate have grown up together, Kate being the younger sister of Lucas’s childhood best friend. They are also close friends, but the past year Lucas has squelched his desire for more from her. He is divorced, and still harbors guilt over ending his marriage a few years prior. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone else like that so he avoids relationships and vows to never get married again. Kate caught her fiance and her friend together and ended her relationships with both of them in a very public way. Instead of becoming bitter, though, she does want to find The One. She’s been attracted to Lucas for a year now but knows he is dead set against falling in love so she pushes down those feelings and continues being his friend.
When Lucas’s ex-wife uses misconstrued photos to try to blackmail Lucas into losing custody of their daughter, Kate jumps in and pretends to be his fiancee to show he’s in a stable relationship. They agree to continue the charade until Lucas’s court date at the end of the week, then go back to being friends again as if nothing happened. But can they keep the fantasy separate from the reality? Or are they the same thing?
What I liked: Kate is awesome. I really liked her personality, her levelheadedness, and how she wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted. I like how Lucas and Kate are together, too. They are a good match.
What I didn’t like: “Bro code.” Seriously, is this a real thing? It’s in books all the time and it drives me crazy. Not even unpacking all the implications of bro code in regards to misogyny and “not all men” but the simple fact that adult men let some abstract rule saying they can never date their friend’s sister is ridiculous. The conflict resolution seemed a bit anticlimatic after building it up the entire book, though.
Overall: A good read with a great couple, even though things seem to be too easy for them. It’s a feel good HEA story.
I’m not sure how I feel about my first book from Mika Jolie. I do love me a single dad romance. And a touch of the forbidden- hello best friends younger sister. But there was just something that I didn’t connect to.
I liked friends Kate and Lucas. They were both very set in who they were and what they wanted in life. And secretly crushing on the other. I enjoyed that the story was told almost completely from Lucas’ point of view. Getting inside that mans head and heart was a treat. His thoughts about his best friend’s sister were purely platonic until they weren’t. And when things between his ex heated up, it was sweet and savvy Kate to the rescue.
At times it felt like the conflict between Lucas and Lucille was forced. Their marriage had been over for years. Other times the animosity seemed so real that I didn’t know what the next stinging jab would be. But the plan to throw Lucille off her little spite game, while rushed and predictable threw them both for a loop.
The sex (holy geez was there a lot of it), but more importantly, the feelings. Lucas and Kate, realized- almost too late just how deep they were in it. Overall, Rules of Engagement was ok. There was just enough to keep me reading and maybe go back and read the earlier books in the series.
So sooo good! 5 BLAZING STARS! What’s more swoon-worthy than a single dad, doing everything that he possibly could to keep custody of his daughter and his best friend’s sister, who cared enough, to step up to pretend to be his fiancée, during an upcoming court battle with his ex.
Lucas had a huge attraction to Kate. It was hard to tell the difference between lust and love. Lately he had been struggled with his feelings on what love was supposed to be. He wasn’t excited about falling in love with anyone. After-all he had tried it before and failed, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Kate his best friend’s (Dean from The Boy Friend) sister. He had tried to denied his feelings for Kate, because of the bro-code, until he couldn’t ignore it any longer.
“She’s so beautiful. Wanting her is fantastic and terrible at the same time.”
“So much at stake.”
You definitely don’t want to missed watching Lucas going down that slippery slope.
A story told from the male POV. I loved that Lucas’ voice was similar to Dean’s, yet different. He wasn’t as cocky and arrogant as Dean. He was mature, so damn sexy, level-headed and hot! We got to know Kate a little better through the blogs she wrote. I fell in love with her voice from the very first time I read her blog. As hot and appealing as Lucas was, I found that I was drawn to Kate. I really admired her confidence, her energy, her positivity and the way she embraced life.
If you are looking for sexy heat, sizzling chemistry, seduction, swoon worthy moments and epic drama, then this is the book for you. You’ll find everything you want, right here, in this delightful must-read story
Mika Jolie did it again! Rules Of Engagement was an appealing and amazing read! HOT! HOT! HOT! It is a standalone. The second book in the Platonically Complicated Series. I would highly recommend it to everyone! Thank you Mika Jolie for writing and sharing another amazing read. You nailed it!
This was one of the best friends to lovers books I have ever read! Kate and Lucas have been friends for over 20 years. As the single father of a young girl, he is in an extremely tense relationship with his ex-wife. When the situation becomes critical they take drastic measures. As with in the past most pretend relationships between friends they end up revealing their real feelings. While the basic premise of this story is familiar, the way the author has told this story is unique and fresh. As the story says Kate is “confident, sassy and a little badassy.” This quote says it all about this story— great read.
I loved this friends to lovers romance story. Lucas and Kate have been friends for a very long time and never crossed that line. Lucas is a hot single dad was top priority is his daughter and making sure her welfare comes first. Kate is always there and willing to help in any way she can.
What can I say about this book?!? I absolutely loved this book. I loved the chemistry and attraction between the both of them and how they had a friendship before anything else. The more that I read this book the more that I knew I didn’t want this book to end. Lucas stole my heart from the very beginning and some of the scenes were smoking hot!!!!
This book was a really nice surprise, you get three wishes in one !! Fake Fiance ! Best friends Sister. And Single Dad!! And whoops there goes my heart!
Men and babies, yeah hes a caring, loving dad, who adores and will do anyting for his daughter. Fake Fiance, when you come to an agreement with the one woman you have been crushing on for over a year and She is your best friends sister!! Does this romance even have a chance to get started???
I kinda loved that this story was mostly told in males pov, both Lucas and Katherine have been burned by love and. Neither of them are looking for love, both have independant successful lives and have been friends since childhood. This is a sweet steamy love story without huge drama and i loved wathing their love come to life. I can promise you will have lots of smiles, lots of wanting to knock heads together and lots of sweet romantic moments to melt your heart