Publication: 2nd April 2024 – Headline Eternal
Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it’s come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.
Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved-she won’t quit easily.
Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship be the thing to save their careers?
I am addicted to Sarah Adams’ novels: the writing is immersive, the story is always funny, engaging and romantic, and the protagonists are fantastic. The Rule Book is her latest novel and probably my favourite.
Told by both protagonists’ point of view, this is the story of Nora and Derek. They first met in their senior year in college and fell madly in love. Then, one day, Nora broke both their hearts and they haven’t seen or talked to each other ever since, until, eight years later, they meet inside a meeting room: Derek is a NFL football player preparing to go back to the field after a bad ankle injury, Nora is his new agent. Desperate to prove herself to her male workers, Nora needs Derek as a client, but he still hasn’t got over his heartbreak and has no intention to spend any time with her. So, they come up with a series of rules that will allow them to work together and keep their hearts intact. But then, one morning, they wake up in Las Vegas with a hangover and married and, to avoid bad publicity, they agree to pretend their marriage is real with a honeymoon in Cancun. Of course, old feelings resurface, forcing them to face their past and make decisions for their future.
I had so much fun reading The Rule Book. Nora and Derek are adorable together and I loved seeing their relationship develop. Nora, especially, is an amazing character. She is funny, smart, and determined and I loved her colourful lifestyle and humourism. Every day, she has to work to prove her worth in an all-male environment, not letting sexist comments and jabs stop her from reaching her dream.
If you are looking for romance, fun, strong female characters, and adorable and tough male characters, then I can’t recommend The Rule Book – and Sarah Adams’ novels – enough!
A huge thank you to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel.
Sarah Adams was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She loves her family, warm days, and making people smile. Sarah has dreamed of being a writer since she was a girl, but she finally wrote her first novel when her daughters were napping and she no longer had any excuses to put it off. Sarah is a coffee addict, a British history nerd, a mom of two daughters, married to her best friend, and an indecisive introvert. Her hope is to always write stories that make readers laugh, maybe even cry – but always leave them happier than when they started reading.
To learn more, visit: www.authorsarahadams.com or follow Sarah on Facebook and Instagram: @authorsarahadams.
Book After Book 