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A review by vlcunning
Rules of Play by Hayden Hall
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is book three of the author’s Saints of Westmont U series and this one features playboy, Patrick, the final member of the trio of friends including Easton and Elio from the first two books in the series. It also includes Shane, a somewhat nerdy guy hoping for Patrick’s cooperation in gathering scientific data for his thesis regarding player’s temperaments in hockey.
There’s no way I could choose a favorite here, I loved both Shane and Patrick. They each had struggles of their own that ultimately helped them see they weren’t alone in their fears—Shane, due to a hockey injury as a teen in which it changed the way he saw himself, felt invisible and unseen, almost unworthy, by everyone around him and Patrick, who felt his only worth was in how well he played hockey. They both broke my heart, I wanted to hug both of ‘em. It kinda made me want to be their own personal cheerleader so they would finally recognize their worth.
This book was a lot lighter than the previous two. Book one, The Edge of Temptation, with Easton, was downright dark (to me); book two, The Cost of Redemption, with Elio, wasn’t a whole lot better but, thank goodness, Rules of Play was much lighter and sweeter, I needed it after the other two. Even though Patrick and Shane stumbled a bit, they were absolutely perfect for each other and made for such a wonderful read. I can totally see myself rereading all three books again now that I know how they ended. The first time, I was so busy waiting for the other shoe to drop that I couldn’t properly enjoy any of them but now I think I’d get a lot more out of them, probably even find some things I missed the first time in my rush to get them together. Which reminds me, this ended in an HFN but I prefer to picture them all loved up in an HEA instead so, with that in mind, 4.5 stars!
I received a copy of this book for free but am voluntarily leaving a review.
There’s no way I could choose a favorite here, I loved both Shane and Patrick. They each had struggles of their own that ultimately helped them see they weren’t alone in their fears—Shane, due to a hockey injury as a teen in which it changed the way he saw himself, felt invisible and unseen, almost unworthy, by everyone around him and Patrick, who felt his only worth was in how well he played hockey. They both broke my heart, I wanted to hug both of ‘em. It kinda made me want to be their own personal cheerleader so they would finally recognize their worth.
This book was a lot lighter than the previous two. Book one, The Edge of Temptation, with Easton, was downright dark (to me); book two, The Cost of Redemption, with Elio, wasn’t a whole lot better but, thank goodness, Rules of Play was much lighter and sweeter, I needed it after the other two. Even though Patrick and Shane stumbled a bit, they were absolutely perfect for each other and made for such a wonderful read. I can totally see myself rereading all three books again now that I know how they ended. The first time, I was so busy waiting for the other shoe to drop that I couldn’t properly enjoy any of them but now I think I’d get a lot more out of them, probably even find some things I missed the first time in my rush to get them together. Which reminds me, this ended in an HFN but I prefer to picture them all loved up in an HEA instead so, with that in mind, 4.5 stars!
I received a copy of this book for free but am voluntarily leaving a review.