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492 reviews for:

Platonic Rulebook

Saxon James

3.85 AVERAGE


I liked the dynamics between Heath and Griff. My least favourite thing about this book was Felix, he was such an unlikeable character in both this and The Dating Disaster.
funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Griff and Heath have been best friends for years. Griff is going through a divorce so he moves out of the family home and into a cabin on the property he and his soon to be ex run a sort resort.

Trying to get Griff out there and finding a few hookups leads to Heath taking them to a gay club. Griff is bisexual, but never really had the chance to explore that side of himself since he married young.

Somewhere along the way Heath and Griff start hooking up. Their hookup lead to more, but the men are cautious about how they are around others since no one else is aware of the true details behind the split and divorce. 

Griff and his ex separated after their son, Felix, went off to college, but won't tell him until he comes back home for break. So things have to be handled carefully so word doesn't get back to Felix.

This was another great book in the series and I'm ready for more.

Felix was a dramatic little shit when he flew back home unexpectedly and things came out. Yes, he had the news of the divorce thrown at him, but still.

I learned about docking this morning while listening to the book at work. Good thing I Googled it on my phone!

Griffin • Heath

- ear tug
emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

Platonic Rulebook by Saxon James is the second book in the Divorced Men’s Club series. Griff’s romantic future has been on hold since he and his wife decided to end their marriage once their son Felix is off to college. He is now able to explore his bi-sexuality in a way he never has previously and is relying on his friends in the DMC and best friend Heath for guidance. Heath has always been there for Griff and finds this new chapter of Griff’s life something else he can help with. He never expects his help to change their friendship forever and that the consequences could be life changing.

Griff has been waiting to explore the other side of his sexuality since he and his wife decided to mutually end their marriage. He has always relied on Heath so when this new experience starts to overwhelm him, his best friend is there to support him. Griff never expected getting back out there would be so difficult for him and clings to Heath even more. The two men transitioning into this new stage of their relationship felt fluid and when they allowed themselves to cross the line it was steamy to say the least.

I don’t want this to end here. I don’t want to walk away from this. I know all the reasons why we shouldn’t, but would it be the worst thing in the world to be selfish for once?

Heath has never questioned his platonic love for Griff and always laughed it off when people didn’t understand. He never once thought about it being more but once they cross the line from friends to lovers all those little moments between them seem like so much more. Because he has always been so involved in Griff’s life they are able to seamlessly move from friends to so much more for each other. But as simple as it is for the two men to embrace this new aspect of their relationship they know others may struggle with the significant changes ahead.

He’s … the kind of gorgeous that makes me smile without thought. He’s stability. Being around him settles all of me, even if we’re not doing anything. I love the moments we joke around and flirt, but sometimes the quiet moments between us are even better.

This was one of the lowest angst books I’ve read in a long time. James continues to endear you to the men of the DMC with Griff finding he’s just not meant for hook-ups and looking to his friends for guidance. There were some lovely moments of sweetness and steam but I felt like the problem that the MCs faced was resolved so promptly that I felt like maybe I missed something. This in no way will stop me from continuing the series because I want to see the other members of the DMC find their HEA.

3.5 stars for Griff and Heath embracing an entirely new aspect to their bromance.

The thing I was most excited for about this book was Felix's cameo <3

Griff and Heath were definitely cute and I'm a sucker for the friends to lovers trope. I thought it was interesting how neither one really looked at each other more than platonically even though they had been friends for a while.

Some parts felt a bit dragged out and repetitive but then again I'm not a divorced man with a family now having the hots for my best friend so maybe the same conversation being had multiple times is more likely to happen than I think it is lol

I love Saxon James though so I am very excited to read Budding Attraction!! Also! The Art and Joey scene in this book made me way hype for their book which I'm guessing will be book 4???

In book one of the series we met Griffin and Heath. They are the best of friends. After a long marriage that has fizzled, Griffin has found himself single for the first time since his teens. He is now in his 40’s. He expected that he would be excited for hot hookups and exploring his bi-sexuality. Instead it all feels daunting, and so unlike him. His long time best friend is there to support him in his launch into the single world. I loved the anticipation of Griffin’s launch back into the single world. And the variety of emotions he feels because it is a whole lot of change for someone, especially someone that likes consistency.
Heath is excited for his best friend to explore his new single life. But Heath’s life isn’t without some big changes, too. He has been looking after his mom after his father’s death but distance presents challenges. And maybe a bigger change is in order for him. Heath is one of my favorite characters in this group of friends. He is funny, playful, so caring, and very take charge. This man can run the motel that Griffin and Poppy own and operate. I am a little jealous that Griffin gets to be his best friend.
Heath and Griffin had such a solid friendship that stemmed from years and years of memories and trust. And when the line was crossed their connection was combustible. So stinkin hot. The connection that these two have is so evident on every single page, and not a soul that meets would doubt that they are meant to be together. They are such an epic pair and complement each other in so many ways. I know I said it before, but it deserves to be said again; their physical chemistry was so stinkin hot.
Be on the lookout for little breadcrumbs that Saxon gave her readers throughout this book because they are incredible. She really left readers wanting more and more of not only this friend group but all of her cast of characters. (Ahhhhem, Felix I am looking at you!!!) If you are a fan of friends to lovers, MM, small town, a great friend group, workplace romance, and adorable couples you need to pick this book up today!

3.5✨
Their relationship was so easy and natural it just flowed perfectly.
The ex-wife was extremely emotionally mature and there was overall no drama. I think that's why it's not 4✨for me, I just wanted a little more action I guess
emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into this not realizing that it's connected to the Franklin U series by this author and it just cemented my love for Felix so much.  He's such a fun character in his own book but in this book he really get to see him become the character that he is. 

The relationship between Griff and Heath is hysterical and adorable. As children they decided that they would tug it each other's earlobes when they wanted to show each other affection but weren't comfortable. I think this is just the sweetest thing and I wish more books would use things like this. 

There were some holes though that I cant ignore.  Griff and his ex-wife poppy have been separated for a year and are getting officially divorced but Griff is understandably afraid of telling his son about this. They agreed to hold off telling Felix until he comes back for Christmas break after his first semester at college so that he can have an entirely happy semester which would give them a trial run at living apart. While I don't exactly agree with this I understand it but what gets me is that Griff is bisexual and has known this since he was a teenager but has never told Felix bc they were "afraid of confusing him"  There's no explanation for why Griff didn't tell him when he was 16 or 17 or even before they took him to college.  There's also no justification for the idea that telling children about their parents being bisexual is confusing to them when they're old enough to grasp the concept of sexuality generally. 

  Felix comes out as gay in this book and he's afraid of his parents reactions even though he admits he knows they're not going to hate him if Griffin had just told him that he is bisexual.  And then it's not explained. He left his child to agonize for who knows how long because he didn't want to explain the meaning of a word??  I find it highly irresponsible and frankly kind of mean.  When Felix comes home on a whim to tell his parents that he's gay he not only finds out that 1) his parents have been separated for a year 2) have been on other dates 3) his father is bisexual 4)his father is dating his godfather all in one day.  And then his parents have the audacity to tell him that they need him to get over his feelings and emotions about all of this new information because they basically don't want to deal with it.  It came across as incredibly callous to me especially because we've been hearing from Griff throughout the entire book about how much Felix means to him and how devastated he would be if Felix wasn't OK with everything that happened to express his emotions or process anything before they start trying to guilt trip him into acquiescing.  I didn't even realize this bothered me so much until I started writing this.