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sandlynn 's review for:
The Rule Book
by Jennifer Blackwood
Jennifer Blackwell's The Rule Book, published in 2016, is a work romance set in Seattle and focuses on a young woman in her first serious job as a public relations/marketing associate. The company Lainey joins manages the online social accounts of various celebrities and is run by the brilliant, young CEO Brogan Starr. As second assistant to the CEO, Lainey is mostly a gopher, but she manages one media account despite the dislike of Brogan’s first assistant who’d like to see her gone. Brogan is a good boss but he also has a ton of rules in the employee handbook, which is referenced in the book’s title. These rules help Brogan to not only run the company but keep people at a distance. Lainey, however, is getting under his skin and can’t keep herself from pushing back a bit. Both Brogan and Lainey have family issues which make them reluctant to get involved, but despite themselves they do begin a flirtation that becomes serious, leading to equally serious consequences for their work life.
I actually expected this story to have more sexual content and was glad it didn’t. To me, it was much more believable for things to go a bit more slowly and build rather than instantly jumping into bed. It’s refreshing in comparison to some other books I’ve read. Also it wasn’t explicit but it was still sexy. Books that include every sexual detail for no good reason other than to titillate were getting kind of boring for me. I’d much rather have that type of detail when it serves the plot. So, hurrah for Ms. Blackwell! The Rule Book had a nice amount of humor as you might expect but also some pretty serious notes, as Lainey’s mother is fighting an illness through much of it (which was a believable reason for her not to risk her job). I also kind of guessed who was the villain of the piece, although I was surprised it wasn’t the obvious person. In fact, there were multiple villains. Finally, I thought the story ended on a very romantic note.
All in all, an enjoyable, quick read. I’d give it a “B” and will look forward to other books by Ms. Blackwell.
I actually expected this story to have more sexual content and was glad it didn’t. To me, it was much more believable for things to go a bit more slowly and build rather than instantly jumping into bed. It’s refreshing in comparison to some other books I’ve read. Also it wasn’t explicit but it was still sexy. Books that include every sexual detail for no good reason other than to titillate were getting kind of boring for me. I’d much rather have that type of detail when it serves the plot. So, hurrah for Ms. Blackwell! The Rule Book had a nice amount of humor as you might expect but also some pretty serious notes, as Lainey’s mother is fighting an illness through much of it (which was a believable reason for her not to risk her job). I also kind of guessed who was the villain of the piece, although I was surprised it wasn’t the obvious person. In fact, there were multiple villains. Finally, I thought the story ended on a very romantic note.
All in all, an enjoyable, quick read. I’d give it a “B” and will look forward to other books by Ms. Blackwell.