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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Spice: 3 🌶️
Tropes:
- Figure Skater X Hockey Player
- Good Girl X Bad Boy
- Opposites Attract
- Forced Proximity
- Loathe to Love
- Hurt/Comfort
- Pierced Hero
- Virgin Heroine
- He’s Soft Only for Her
This book isn’t just your typical bad boy X good girl romance. Based on the blurb, I expected to read about the playboy being reformed by the good girl, and while that wasn’t wrong, what I got was so much more - an emotional story of overcoming trauma and learning to love and be loved.
Underneath Saint’s cocky, playboy exterior is a man broken by his home life and the weight of his circumstances. He doesn’t do more than one night because he refuses bring anyone else into the chaos that is his life or to let anyone close enough to hurt him more than he already has been. Initially, he comes off as a jerk, but it is impossible to be unaffected by him and his story. The way I wanted to reach in my book and squeeze him tight was intense.
On the surface, Lennon seems like the good girl with a golden life, but that is just a facade. Beneath that perfect veneer lies a lack of control and the pressure to be perfect even if it makes her unhappy. She comes off as sweet and innocent, but deep down there is a fiery side of her that she learns to embrace. She has the kindest heart and loves fiercely, and the way she shows up for Saint is so moving and heartwarming. She is the type of heroine that you can’t help but root for.
When the two of them are forced to share ice time, they instantly loathe one another. But behind that loathing is an attraction that neither can deny no matter how much they try. Their chemistry sizzles, and their banter is witty and had me wanting to giggle and kick my feet. Saint just knows how to get under Lennon’s skin, and deep down, they both like it. The tension and the push and pull between them kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t wait until it finally snapped. And when it did, the spice was 🥵
Both Lennon and Saint have trauma - different levels and different types, but trauma nonetheless. And it is in each other that they find support, understanding, and healing. Saint helps Lennon claim her power and autonomy over her own her life, and she helps him heal and move past his pain. They show each other what it really means to be loved for who you are and without restriction, and it is incredibly heartbreaking, sweet, and powerful.
Maren Moore just knows how to write a book boyfriend, and Saint Devereaux is another example of that. The mouth on that man 🥵, the big heart hidden beneath the hard exterior, and the way he is soft only for Lennon had me melting. When he falls, he falls hard, and when he loves, he loves deeply. The way he supports Lennon, fights for her, claims her, and loves her is swoony and total book boyfriend goals.
The Bad Boy Rule delivers tension, humor, romance, heat, pain, growth, and joy. It is moving, engaging, and entertaining, and I highly recommend it!
⚠️ Trigger Warnings: physical and emotional abuse by a parent, domestic violence, alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, controlling parents/toxic familial relationships
I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. Thank you to Valentine PR for the ARC!
Tropes:
- Figure Skater X Hockey Player
- Good Girl X Bad Boy
- Opposites Attract
- Forced Proximity
- Loathe to Love
- Hurt/Comfort
- Pierced Hero
- Virgin Heroine
- He’s Soft Only for Her
This book isn’t just your typical bad boy X good girl romance. Based on the blurb, I expected to read about the playboy being reformed by the good girl, and while that wasn’t wrong, what I got was so much more - an emotional story of overcoming trauma and learning to love and be loved.
Underneath Saint’s cocky, playboy exterior is a man broken by his home life and the weight of his circumstances. He doesn’t do more than one night because he refuses bring anyone else into the chaos that is his life or to let anyone close enough to hurt him more than he already has been. Initially, he comes off as a jerk, but it is impossible to be unaffected by him and his story. The way I wanted to reach in my book and squeeze him tight was intense.
On the surface, Lennon seems like the good girl with a golden life, but that is just a facade. Beneath that perfect veneer lies a lack of control and the pressure to be perfect even if it makes her unhappy. She comes off as sweet and innocent, but deep down there is a fiery side of her that she learns to embrace. She has the kindest heart and loves fiercely, and the way she shows up for Saint is so moving and heartwarming. She is the type of heroine that you can’t help but root for.
When the two of them are forced to share ice time, they instantly loathe one another. But behind that loathing is an attraction that neither can deny no matter how much they try. Their chemistry sizzles, and their banter is witty and had me wanting to giggle and kick my feet. Saint just knows how to get under Lennon’s skin, and deep down, they both like it. The tension and the push and pull between them kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t wait until it finally snapped. And when it did, the spice was 🥵
Both Lennon and Saint have trauma - different levels and different types, but trauma nonetheless. And it is in each other that they find support, understanding, and healing. Saint helps Lennon claim her power and autonomy over her own her life, and she helps him heal and move past his pain. They show each other what it really means to be loved for who you are and without restriction, and it is incredibly heartbreaking, sweet, and powerful.
Maren Moore just knows how to write a book boyfriend, and Saint Devereaux is another example of that. The mouth on that man 🥵, the big heart hidden beneath the hard exterior, and the way he is soft only for Lennon had me melting. When he falls, he falls hard, and when he loves, he loves deeply. The way he supports Lennon, fights for her, claims her, and loves her is swoony and total book boyfriend goals.
The Bad Boy Rule delivers tension, humor, romance, heat, pain, growth, and joy. It is moving, engaging, and entertaining, and I highly recommend it!
⚠️ Trigger Warnings: physical and emotional abuse by a parent, domestic violence, alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, controlling parents/toxic familial relationships
I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and am voluntarily leaving my honest review. Thank you to Valentine PR for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Chronic illness
The Bad Boy Rule is a quick and easy contemporary read, full of lots of spice and low on conflict. Both Lennon and Saint come from complicated family situations and are trying to make the most of their lives. Will what starts as a fake dating situation turn into more for this good girl and commitment-phobe bad boy? Duh, of course.
Despite the cover, the ice skating and hockey portions of the story are pretty limited, so if either isn't your thing, don't worry. I struggled with Saint for the first bit, but I think that was sort of the point. Even though we didn't get a ton of info on side characters, I can see how there are opportunities for interconnected stand-alones within this world. Some things felt a little surface-level, but honestly, sometimes that's okay.
Thanks to VPR and Maren for an eARC of this book for an honest review!
Despite the cover, the ice skating and hockey portions of the story are pretty limited, so if either isn't your thing, don't worry. I struggled with Saint for the first bit, but I think that was sort of the point. Even though we didn't get a ton of info on side characters, I can see how there are opportunities for interconnected stand-alones within this world. Some things felt a little surface-level, but honestly, sometimes that's okay.
Thanks to VPR and Maren for an eARC of this book for an honest review!
🏒❄️The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore❄️🏒
Bad boy hockey player ✔️
Good girl with a plan ✔️
Enemies-to-lovers tension that melts the ice? ✔️✔️✔️
Good girl with a plan ✔️
Enemies-to-lovers tension that melts the ice? ✔️✔️✔️
I absolutely devoured this book (like I always do when it comes to Maren), and I have zero regrets. It is a sizzling, enemies-to-lovers hockey romance that checks every single box for sports romance lovers - with heat, heart, and just the right amount of trouble.
From the very first page, I was hooked by the fiery dynamic between Lennon and Saint. Saint is the kind of bad boy you know will ruin you (and you’ll thank him for it). And Lennon? Total queen energy in her own right. Watching her unravel and come into her own was so satisfying. They are pure opposites - but when they are forced to share the rink? The sparks are undeniable. 🏒❄️💥 hehehe 😜
What I loved most is that this isn't just a steamy opposites-attract story - it is layered with emotional depth. Their relationship is messy, sexy, vulnerable, and completely addictive.
The Bad Boy Rule is bold, bingeable, and everything I love about Maren’s writing. If you're into good girls falling for the wrong guy (and then realising maybe he’s exactly right 😏), this one is totally for you!
🖤 Read it if you love:
— Enemies to lovers
— Hockey heat
— Redemption arcs & revenge plots
— Spicy spice with heart underneath
— Enemies to lovers
— Hockey heat
— Redemption arcs & revenge plots
— Spicy spice with heart underneath
Thank you so much to @authormarenmoore for sending me an ebook arc to review - I am beyond grateful! 🙏🏻
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3.5⭐️
🌶️🌶️-3⭐️
I loved both Lennon and Saints backstories and getting to know their characters slowly as the book went on! I think I would have liked just a little bit more from Lennon’s to make it round out the same way Saint’s did so well. Lennon and Saints chemistry when they first met was off the chart and I loved their push/pull and banter! And the spice was definitely spicing and well done! I feel like their flip from hate to love happened really abruptly which led to the chemistry in the second half feeling a lot more forced. All in all this was a great, fast read and I’m excited for the rest of the series!
🌶️🌶️-3⭐️
I loved both Lennon and Saints backstories and getting to know their characters slowly as the book went on! I think I would have liked just a little bit more from Lennon’s to make it round out the same way Saint’s did so well. Lennon and Saints chemistry when they first met was off the chart and I loved their push/pull and banter! And the spice was definitely spicing and well done! I feel like their flip from hate to love happened really abruptly which led to the chemistry in the second half feeling a lot more forced. All in all this was a great, fast read and I’m excited for the rest of the series!
I really enjoyed the author's baseball series set at the same university, so I was hopeful I'd enjoy this one too. It was fine, certainly good enough to read to the end and some really good aspects to it (the stuff with both MCs' families was the best part, and I liked the conversations the leads had together when they got real and the banter when they didn't) but overall I felt a little meh once I was done. The main issue was the focus on her virginity and how that was written. I have zero problems with there being a good girl/bad boy trope, even though it felt a little fast for him to totally change his ways. I also have no problem with there being one inexperienced MC who learns from the other, and I thought the descriptions of her first experiences felt right, but the way her virginity was talked about bothered me. The entire concept of virginity and it being something to be given away to someone else, or that someone takes it, or that he pushed/tore through her virginity (you mean her hymen, just say it) feels archaic and patriarchal. In this book especially it felt like using that kind of language went against the whole point of Lennon becoming her own person and going against what her family and father and high society expected of her, of the little value they placed on her. Also, I feel like the author has written a similar trope before and it didn't hit me like this so I found it distracting as I read. I think if I gave star ratings it would be still be around a 3 or 3.5 because I didn't dislike it overall and I'm still willing to try more books by this author, but maybe would bump to a 4 if this while thing had been framed differently.
Thank you Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book is out now!
Thank you Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book is out now!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*ARC Review*
Lennon and Saint are immediately at odds with one another the moment that they learn they have to share the ice. Assumptions are made - of course they are incorrect and must be proven wrong. I loved the fake dating aspect to get back at her father (who is horrible). That really drove them together and it was fun watching them interact. Those interactions and their banter was absolutely top-notch.
This is a slow burn - but it doesn’t feel like it while you are reading it. The chemistry between Lennon and Saint is completely off the charts and once that burn ignites and the final line is crossed, they are insatiable and it is HOTT. I love the way that the two different types of trauma from their dads was handled and how they navigated everything. They were survivors and they (especially Saint) had to learn how to navigate the developing feelings.
On a special note, because I can’t leave him out - I loved Tommy so much! He was an example of the father figure they both deserved and I would love to see more of him. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long time and rereading it a million more times.
Lennon and Saint are immediately at odds with one another the moment that they learn they have to share the ice. Assumptions are made - of course they are incorrect and must be proven wrong. I loved the fake dating aspect to get back at her father (who is horrible). That really drove them together and it was fun watching them interact. Those interactions and their banter was absolutely top-notch.
This is a slow burn - but it doesn’t feel like it while you are reading it. The chemistry between Lennon and Saint is completely off the charts and once that burn ignites and the final line is crossed, they are insatiable and it is HOTT. I love the way that the two different types of trauma from their dads was handled and how they navigated everything. They were survivors and they (especially Saint) had to learn how to navigate the developing feelings.
On a special note, because I can’t leave him out - I loved Tommy so much! He was an example of the father figure they both deserved and I would love to see more of him. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long time and rereading it a million more times.
“ℕ𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕕 𝕓𝕠𝕪. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕦𝕝𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖. 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕪.”
Amazing is the first word that comes to mind. I could not put this down the characters the development the tension and banter had me from the beginning.
As different as these two may seem they have similar experiences in differnt ways. I could not hate Saint for anything he has been through so much and he is honest about who he is. Lennon has finally had the veil removed from her eyes and she is trying to take control over her life and out from under her parents. From the moment they meet they have tension they go toe to toe with each other and they are truly what they each need so when she needs the bad boy to fake date Saint is perfect. As each outing and each time they have to share ice time they slowly chip away at each other. That hurricane scene had me all over the place.
I also love that Maren brought hockey to Louisiana we don’t get that much in hockey romances and as a Louisiana native i am here for it. Cannot wait for more from this series. 10/10
~~What to Expect~~
🏒College
🏒Fake Dating
🏒Bad Boy X Good Girl
🏒Rich X Poor
🏒Enemies to Lovers
🏒Forced Proximity
🏒Hurt/Comfort
🏒Revenge
🏒Hockey Player X Figure Skater
🏒Found Family
🏒No 3rd Act Break Up
🏒Opposites Attract
🏒Reformed Playboy X Virgin FMC
~~Quotes~~
⛸️Saint Devereux is the forbidden fruit the very thing that tempted eve in the garden and I wonder would he be as deadly as I imagine?
⛸️Maybe she’s as much a wolf in sheep’s clothing as I am… or maybe Lennon Rousseau is something I’ve yet to even discover.
⛸️The one and only rule: Don’t fall for the bad boy. Under any circumstance, do not let yourself get caught up in all of his charm. It’s a trap.
⛸️The perfect prey made for a predator to devour with sharp teeth, and that predator is me. I’ll be her villain. I’m the big bad wolf, and the only thing I’m hungry for is the taste of sweet little Lennon.
Amazing is the first word that comes to mind. I could not put this down the characters the development the tension and banter had me from the beginning.
As different as these two may seem they have similar experiences in differnt ways. I could not hate Saint for anything he has been through so much and he is honest about who he is. Lennon has finally had the veil removed from her eyes and she is trying to take control over her life and out from under her parents. From the moment they meet they have tension they go toe to toe with each other and they are truly what they each need so when she needs the bad boy to fake date Saint is perfect. As each outing and each time they have to share ice time they slowly chip away at each other. That hurricane scene had me all over the place.
I also love that Maren brought hockey to Louisiana we don’t get that much in hockey romances and as a Louisiana native i am here for it. Cannot wait for more from this series. 10/10
~~What to Expect~~
🏒College
🏒Fake Dating
🏒Bad Boy X Good Girl
🏒Rich X Poor
🏒Enemies to Lovers
🏒Forced Proximity
🏒Hurt/Comfort
🏒Revenge
🏒Hockey Player X Figure Skater
🏒Found Family
🏒No 3rd Act Break Up
🏒Opposites Attract
🏒Reformed Playboy X Virgin FMC
~~Quotes~~
⛸️Saint Devereux is the forbidden fruit the very thing that tempted eve in the garden and I wonder would he be as deadly as I imagine?
⛸️Maybe she’s as much a wolf in sheep’s clothing as I am… or maybe Lennon Rousseau is something I’ve yet to even discover.
⛸️The one and only rule: Don’t fall for the bad boy. Under any circumstance, do not let yourself get caught up in all of his charm. It’s a trap.
⛸️The perfect prey made for a predator to devour with sharp teeth, and that predator is me. I’ll be her villain. I’m the big bad wolf, and the only thing I’m hungry for is the taste of sweet little Lennon.
I’ve loved all of Maren’s books, but this one hit a little different. I’m absolutely obsessed. I’m a sucker for the broody, gruff, broken MMCs, and I fell head over heels for Saint. Oh my heart hurt for him and his story. He’s a bad boy, he’s from the “wrong side of the tracks,” but there’s so much more to him than he lets people know. I adored Lennon and her determination to finally live life on her own, to figure out what she wants. I loved the tension between these two. I loved that Lennon didn’t just put up with Saint–she stood up to him and saw behind that mask he wears. Both Saint & Lennon have been trapped in a way, more similar than they might appear on paper, and I loved how well they understood each other. I just really really really loved this one so much.
[ARC review]
this is book 1 in a new series, I devoured this story, lennon and Saint were swoony and hott. I very much can't wait for more from this series.
MAREN!!! This one was so worth the wait. I could not get enough of Saint and Lennon!! These two should not have worked together, and it made everything even more delicious when they realized they were exactly what the other needed.
Lennon is seemingly your typical good girl from the right side of the tracks, but she's trying to find herself and take ownership of her life after realizing just how little control she's really had. Saint is the tattooed, broody hockey player who built a brick wall around his heart and keeps everyone at arm's length. When these two meet on the ice after accidentally being scheduled for the same time, they immediately hate each other. Forced to share the ice, their banter was amazing, and the tension was turned up to 11!!
Before long, they come up with a plot to anger her parents by fake dating and attending events together. But as we know, fake doesn't stay fake for long! Both Saint and Lennon have pretty awful dads, and there are some very hard moments in this book, but the way these two came together was beautiful. I loved how Saint opened up to Lennon and wanted to be the man she deserved, and Lennon saw who Saint really was deep down.
I loved this book so so much & these characters. Thank you to Maren and her team for the ARC!
Lennon is seemingly your typical good girl from the right side of the tracks, but she's trying to find herself and take ownership of her life after realizing just how little control she's really had. Saint is the tattooed, broody hockey player who built a brick wall around his heart and keeps everyone at arm's length. When these two meet on the ice after accidentally being scheduled for the same time, they immediately hate each other. Forced to share the ice, their banter was amazing, and the tension was turned up to 11!!
Before long, they come up with a plot to anger her parents by fake dating and attending events together. But as we know, fake doesn't stay fake for long! Both Saint and Lennon have pretty awful dads, and there are some very hard moments in this book, but the way these two came together was beautiful. I loved how Saint opened up to Lennon and wanted to be the man she deserved, and Lennon saw who Saint really was deep down.
I loved this book so so much & these characters. Thank you to Maren and her team for the ARC!