"The heroine goes home to face her past and find love."
Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko
Posted September 21, 2013
Romance Contemporary
Maddie Sawyer is about to have an adventure. Her class reunion is coming up and she is going but she is going as the persona she has lived as ... Kathryn West. That girl is a bestselling author of racy romances, so far from the shy Maddie that it isn't funny. Well Maddie needs help and a sexy biker dude is just the answer. Her plan is to "hire" a boyfriend and ride to the reunion with flair. The RULES OF THE GAME are about to change. Scott Brady, the "blue collar" hunk she picks out has plans of his own after hearing the little beauty's offer. He wants her to pose as his girlfriend in front of his friends and family first. Not a hardship on either side. After a few dates the couple find that they really do like each other. But as the reunion arrives Maddie's secrets come to the surface as she faces the ghosts of her past. Scott, who has a big secret of his own, does the only thing he can. He stands by her, supports her and helps her stand up to that past. But will she be able to believe in him when she finds he isn't what he appears? RULES OF THE GAME starts out as a fluffy, feel-good easy read, but along the way the depth increases until you are caught up in a realistic life drama. Maddie's past has her in such an emotional hold that she doesn't realize that she and her persona are one and the same. I loved how Scott and Maddie got to know each other before hopping into bed, it was refreshing. The secondary characters ... friends and family ... were realistic and added well to the depth of the story. Author Sandy James has put together a book that is funny, sexy, and heart breaking but with the main goal of love standing strong. It shows what readers of romance believe ... real lovers will walk through anything for each other. SUMMARYKathryn West has it allβshe'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 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 faΓ§ade, 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? EXCERPTβNo, not like that, Maddie. Youβre holding the cue all wrong again.β Scott
slipped behind me, pressed his broad chest to my back and put his big hands
over mine. Heat raced through me like an electrical shock. I had never been much good
at pool, but four beers and Scott standing too close sure werenβt helping
matters much. I really should have eaten something for dinner other than the
stale pretzels the bartender had brought with my last refill, but I hadnβt
expected to be drinking so much. Or shooting pool. Or having a gorgeous
man rub up against me. Repeatedly. βLike this.β His hands guided mine to make a perfect shot. βSeven ball in the
corner pocket.β His breath brushed warm against my ear, sending a delightful
shiver racing over my skin. βThanks,β I mumbled as I awkwardly tried to brush his arms aside. Having him
this close had started to wear on my already frayed and very tipsy nerves.
Weβd played several games of pool, and Iβd grown steadily worse. Scott must have seen how flustered I was getting, because he started taking
on a concerned teacher voice and showing me how to make tough shots.
Every single time he touched me, my stomach did a delicious flip-flop. If skin
touched skin, my whole body flushed hot. The guy was turning me on more
than any man Iβd ever met, and he wasnβt even trying. Itβs just the beer. I was still sufficiently sober to know how stupid that excuse was.
Checking his watch, Scott frowned. βI hate to end the evening, but itβs time to
get going. Iβve gotta get up with the sun.β In my dirty little mind, all I could think about was a certain part of his
anatomy that probably also rose with the sun. I gave my head a sobering
shake. Did that mean he worked construction? Didnβt they always start around dawn?
I tried to picture what a rugged guy like Scott did to earn a living. He had to
work hard to build muscles like those. Was he a carpenter? Or a mechanic? I
even pictured him working some highway crew, pounding a jackhammer into
the concrete. I wanted him to pound into something else. Me. BOOK SERIES
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