Kathryn West has it all–she’s a confident, bestselling author living it up in New York City. Too bad she doesn’t actually exist, and is only timid Maddie Sawyer’s pseudonym. Determined to attend her high school reunion with a man right out of one of her racy romance novels, she plots to find a sexy bad boy who’s up to Kathryn’s standards.
She finds Mr. Perfect shooting pool in a biker bar. He’s … bar. He’s a blue-collar hunk who just happens to look great in leather. But the mysterious Scott Brady has some rules of his own: he won’t agree to her deal unless she poses as his girlfriend in front of his family and friends first.
As the reunion nears, Maddie tries to maintain her carefree façade, knowing she’ll soon face some old ghosts. She’s torn between her growing attraction to Scott and the nagging feeling that he’s hiding something important. Will she still want him when she finds out his secret? What about when he discovers hers?
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RATING 4.5 STARS
Rules of the Game, by Sandy James, was first released in 2012 but is now being re-released with a brand new cover. I was so pleasantly surprised with this book. I ended up loving the characters and flipping the pages to see what would happen next. I especially fell for the hero I’m about to introduce you to.
Madalyn (Maddie) Sawyer grew up in Pottsville, Indiana. She was awkward, bookish and shy. She always had a knack for stories so it was a natural progression after college to move to New York and become an author. Now she is thirty three years old and is a well known romance author writing under the name Kathryn West. As Kathryn, she was sassy, confident, and always won the hero. Not like Maddie at all!
Maddie’s high school reunion is coming up. It will be difficult to face her past but Kathryn wouldn’t blink an eye. So, Maddie tries to grasp Kathryn’s courage and heads out to find the perfect date to take with her to the reunion. In a biker bar, playing pool, there he is, wearing a leather jacket, the perfect bad boy to show off to all of her old classmates that made her life miserable. Only once she makes her offer to Mr. Perfect, he has an offer of his own. He’s changing the rules of the game.
Scott Brady aka Mr. Perfect, is every hero in every one of Maddie’s romance novels. He even rides a Harley. She’s not sure what he does for a living but she is convinced it’s some type of blue collar job. But Scott has his own ideas. He wants Maddie to pose as his girlfriend so his family will stop trying to fix him up. Sparks fly between these two and it’s obvious that a connection is happening. Scott wants more. He wants to try to date. Can Maddie even dare to hope that things might work out?
The reunion, though, is more than either of them bargained for. Maddie is faced with every bad memory she had tried to lock away. But through it all, Scott is by her side. At the same time, Scott is still being elusive about what he does to make a living. Why is he being so secretive?
This started out so adorable between these two. They were just so cute together. As I said, they shared a strong connection and I loved it. As things progressed, I fell more and more in love with Scott. This man! His patience, his kindness, his hotness! Maddie had a LOT thrown at her in a very short time but I have to admit that I got a little frustrated with her and how she handled things with Scott.
This was sweet, fun, sexy, and also deeper than I thought it would be. These two are put to the test in a very short time. Will they be strong enough? Or will Maddie’s crazy life finally scare Scott away? I hope you’ll pick this up and find out the answer.
I enjoyed Sandy James’ Rules of The Game for the most part. It held my interest. I really enjoyed how Scott dealt with a number of issues that came up in the story. Maddie on the other hand I’m not so fond of. There were so very many times I wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. I understood many of the emotions but who would have thought a best selling author would be so closed mind. Her behavior was that of a 3 year old brat most of the time. It drove me crazy. Apart from a couple instances, she was totally self-absorbed and biggoted. Ugh.
I’m glad I have read other story by Ms. James and know how very good she can be. I don’t believe I’ll be re-reading this any time soon.
I recommend for 14+ and mature due to sexual and violent subject matter including rape. Also for tolerant personalities.