Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Rules of the Game #4

Rules of Engagement

Rate this book
Rule #1: Don't fall in love with your best friend's brother

After Anders Lindholm lost his wife and baby daughter in a car accident, he knew he’d never find love like that again.

Hockey, routines, and his team are all that have kept him going since.

But as he approaches forty, an injury makes him consider what life after retirement will be like.

And when his teammate, who just so happens to be his best friend’s brother, offers him a helping hand—in more ways than one—it reawakens something in Anders he can’t deny.

Rule #2: Don’t let anyone know the real you

Kelly O’Shea has been in love with Anders since he was fifteen. He’s been hiding the fact that he’s gay for just as long.

He loves his family, but their over-protective meddling is what made him move halfway across the country and hide who he was.

Although Kelly and Anders both agreed it would stay casual, Kelly begins to hope that maybe they’ll eventually be more than just friends with benefits.

And the more time they spend together, the faster the ice around Anders’ heart melts.

But with a playoff spot to clinch, fractures within the team, and overprotective brothers to worry about, Anders’ fear of letting go of the past isn’t the only challenge they’ll have to overcome.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Off-page and non-graphic mentions of death of secondary characters including a child. Grief. Brief and non-graphic mention of suicidal ideation. Talk of homophobia and homophobic slurs.

Non-graphic mentions of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

458 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2022

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Brigham Vaughn

62 books526 followers
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
508 (47%)
4 stars
404 (37%)
3 stars
146 (13%)
2 stars
14 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
Profile Image for Dani.
762 reviews85 followers
April 7, 2023
I'm loving this series but this book was the hardest for me to read, because I have first hand experience of child loss and really have to be in the right headspace to read about it. Thankfully I knew it was coming because it's been mentioned in the previous books also.

I just loved Anders so much, I cried so hard at the cemetery scene because it brought back so many of my own memories - I couldn't not 5 star this one because the emotional aspect was so perfect.

Kelly and Anders were meant to be together and I like how they had a slow build across other books in the series.

This series has actually really surprised me and I've really enjoyed every single book and every couple. I'm ready for the next one and can't wait for Jack Malone to finally get his comeuppance!
Profile Image for Melissa.
850 reviews7 followers
August 11, 2023
This book was phenomenal. I know Brigham was worried about this book, about how people would feel about Kelly and Anders but she has absolutely nothing to worry about! Best friend’s brother/brother’s best friend with a second chance at love feel to it is a weakness of mine and I adored every second with these two.

Kelly has been half in love with Anders since he was fifteen and his brother brought him home. Anders was never interested in Kelly like that and soon met and married the love of his life, Astrid and they had a precious baby girl named Elia. Tragedy struck and Anders lost his wife and baby girl in a horrible car accident. This information was revealed in a previous book. Kelly was there for Anders through it all. He never pushed for anything other than friendship because that’s all he thought he could ever have with Anders, until Anders casually stepped out of the closet as bi.

The roller coaster of events that happens after this and the budding relationship between these two is so incredible to watch unfold. Kelly wants nothing more than for Anders to be happy and healthy and is enjoying the new physical side to their friendship. Anders has a lot of soul searching to do and a lot of guilt related to his feelings for Kelly.

Along with some more team drama centered around Jack Malone, there is a playoff hockey series to win and some incredible chemistry that explodes off the pages. Brigham sure knows how to pull on a girl’s heartstrings and I spent a good chunk of the end of the book I’m tears, but in the best way possible and man can she write an ending that makes you smile with so much love.

I highly, highly recommend this one (along with the whole series because who doesn’t love some sexy hockey boys??
Profile Image for Kaje Harper.
Author 80 books2,596 followers
October 11, 2022
This hockey romance IMO would stand alone okay, although there are a lot of recurring characters in the background. This is age-gap, spouse and child loss and recovery, with some feel-good romance. I loved Anders, who lost his wife and child, and was finally coming out of that darkness. And I liked that he was bisexual, and this wasn't self-discovery, but healing.

There's a little coming out drama, and I appreciated that the casual unthinking homophobia of the past was called out loud and clear for the damage it does. A favorite in this series.
August 22, 2023
3.5 stars. This is my first book by this author. While I enjoyed the story I’m not sure if I would have stayed interested in it if I wasn’t listening to the audiobook. It had a nice plot but was a bit slow.

I liked Kelly and Anders’ characters. They were really good together. I liked the support they eventually got from their teammates.

I would have loved to see an epilogue and know they actually got their HEA instead of a HFN. And there was a side plot point that was not resolved in this book that I really wished we had gotten to see.

If you are a fan of this author I definitely recommend and would suggest the audio!
Profile Image for Alex (HEABookNerd).
1,963 reviews
February 6, 2024
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT was an emotional read as Anders finds love again after the death of his wife and child 4 years prior. I appreciated the way Kelly always respected Anders' grief and memories and that he never felt threatened by Anders' previous love. Together they make a great couple.

I'm not a big fan of books with a grieving widow so that did affect my enjoyment but Vaughn is such a talented writer and there was still lots to love in this book.

Content Warning: on page grief over past death of a spouse and child
Profile Image for Claire Louisa.
1,762 reviews117 followers
August 22, 2023
I loved Kelly and Anders so much, this was one book I didn't want to stop listening to because I was so invested in their relationship.
I really felt for Anders, he'd lost so much and was still grieving, but I liked that he was open enough to give Kelly a chance despite his misgivings.
Kelly was a great character, I felt his family was overpowering and this definitely impacted him.
Seeing more of Jack Malone's toxic behaviour made me grateful I've already read the next book and know how that all turns out.
I really enjoy this series and love getting to know the players more with each book.
Another great read/listen.
Profile Image for Edga.
1,888 reviews26 followers
September 7, 2023
Kelly has loved Anders since he was 15, but he knows he's going to have a fight on his hands to convince Anders to take a chance on them being together. Anders is not only the best friend of Kelly's over protective brother, but after experiencing an awful tragedy he's certain that he'll never love again.

This is such a well written slow burn story which is, in parts, sweet, endearing, with witty banter,full of tension, respect, turmoil, undeniable chemistry, and true love. Kelly's yearning for Anders, and his despair in thinking that his love is a lost cause is palpable. There's also some homophobia thrown in, which is underlying the story throughout. I can't wait to read the next book in which, I assume, it's going to be dealt with. A thoroughly entertaining and addictive page turner, and an entertaining listen. The narrator does a good job recreating both the MCs and the secondary characters
Profile Image for Littlebookterror.
1,982 reviews83 followers
March 5, 2023
I am probably not the first person to say that can be hard to read a romance where one main character is still grieving the loss of a past partner. And it's also what I consider the problem with this book?
It's hard to believe that Anders actually went to therapy, had a support system, a job he loved and is still that stuck in the past - it just feels weird to, on the one hand, portray him as this grieving man, while, on the other hand, trying to convince of this romance he was receptive to. Both things don't mesh well together.
I did love that was out as bisexual to his wife because while I understand the nature of how these series are structured, there is a lacking presence of almost any queer/sapphic women and queer people in hetero-passing relationships. The book actually comments on this because there has to be something in the water that made all the men queer AND all end up in same-sex relationships.

I also feel Kelly got the short end of the stick. I loved his chapters, his character, his complicated relationship with is family (his brothers) in particular and I feel a little robbed of the character growth we could have gotten. Yes, his overall arc is pretty cool but I don't fully feel like he completely stepped out of his own shadow.
Profile Image for Jenna ✨DNF Queen.
421 reviews50 followers
February 6, 2023
This was lovely in a way I really didn't expect.

It's not easy subject matter - losing one's whole family is pretty damn heavy and I unfortunately have experience with realizing that grief just doesn't have a set time schedule. It's a very personal and complicated thing and I really felt for Lindy. I imagine that some people might the process difficult to see on page and might even find it slow or boring. It wasn't for me; in fact I found the pacing really nice and the way their relationship unfolded very believable.

Kelly was a delight... what a sweetheart and so perfect for Lindy even though - or maybe because? - they were/are so different. This was definitely one of those I've-Loved-You-Forever stories that is, again, believable. Kelly knew what he was getting into, as well as anyone can when someone doesn't have their whole heart to give you. Thankfully it all worked out in the end... Lindy never treated him badly, tried to bend over backward not to hurt him in fact. Of course it still happened, but in a way that helped them grow and come together with maturity. This was best-friend's-little-brother done right IMHO.

They were really hot together, not the least reason being that there was genuine love there. It just took a minute for them to work through the stubbornness and fear and embrace what they could really be for each other.

Since I started with the last book in this series, I already know where the thread-that-runs-through-it ends with this Jack Malone business, but it was interesting to see details on the way that it unfolded along the way.

Also - the Swedish references had me rolling , especially the bits about Aquavit. At Christmas this year someone called it Swedish Paint Remover and we were dying laughing about it because it's true but dammit we can't live without it!!!! I mean, I have Russian friends that look at Aquavit sideways... that'll tell you something 😂😂😂 I definitely maybe probably made Risgrynsgröt today because of this book and I'm not sorry!! Asg! 🇸🇪❤️🇺🇸
Profile Image for Lillian Francis.
Author 16 books102 followers
August 30, 2023
Brilliant. Loved it.
Age gap romance with friends to lovers and best friends brother tropes.
Really appreciated Kelly's acceptance of Anders' wife and child within the scope of their relationship and Anders dealing with his grief and realising he can love someone else without feeling guilty.
High heat.
Narrator: great.
Profile Image for Juniper.
2,939 reviews21 followers
October 2, 2022
Anders and Kelly’s story is an emotion-filled— alternately angsty and heartwarming— take on the friends-to-lovers and brother’s-best-friend tropes. Anders is processing the grief of losing his wife and baby daughter, which for years has left him convinced there’s no room for romantic love in his life. Kelly has had a crush on Anders since his teen years, a secret to be kept from his loving but exuberant and overprotective family, as well as Anders himself, until an unexpected opportunity for a “casual” connection touches off whole worlds of possibility and (gradual) progress. It’s worth mentioning here that this is book 5 in a series, and it’s helpful, for context on character development and the world (bright, vibrant, full of hockey…so.much.hockey) they all inhabit. I think this is probably my favorite book of them all— it’s a heck of a ride (there’s a hockey related plot line, of course, and some added drama from it), there’s a romance with the chance to feel all the feelings, and to ultimately watch good things happen for our really likable main characters, and there are some familiar faces and lovely supporting characters to boot.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Profile Image for loverexreads.
125 reviews20 followers
March 30, 2023
4.5⭐️

Rules of Engagement by Brigham Vaughn is book 4 in the Rules of the Game series.

Uggghhhh I love this series so much and I'm starting to feel like it will be hard to let go of the Evanston River Otters team.

It was so touching to see Anders finally given a chance to continue living and loving after the tragedy he suffered 4 years earlier. I loved how there was a respect from both Kelly and Anders for their respective situations. Anders did not want to hurt Kelly knowing that Kelly was in love with him and Kelly did not want to push Anders knowing that he was still dealing with the loss of his wife and daughter. I enjoyed watching them work their way through all the issues that were in front of them. They were a really good team together.

It feels like Brigham is starting to wrap up some of the story lines that have been going on since the beginning of the series. Particularly with regards to Malone. I can't wait to see how the team will manage to expose to everyone the abject being that he is. I have a feeling he won't go down without a fight.
Profile Image for Janet Hunt.
3,503 reviews41 followers
October 4, 2022
Rules of Engagement is the fourth book in the Rules of the Game series. This revolves around Anders and Kelly. Kelly has had a serious crush, verging into love on his brother’s best friend since he was a teenager. Anders was married but his wife and daughter die in an accident. Kelly is there to help Anders through it all. Their journey is an emotional one and so heartfelt. A lot of previous characters make an appearance. Overall, this was fantastic!! Well written with nice pacing that hooked me.
Profile Image for Jocelyn F.
340 reviews
September 28, 2022
I received an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

I think Anders and Kelly have become my favorite book out of this series... and that's saying a lot because they've all been pretty great!

Anders Lindstrom is a 39 year old future Hall of Fame forward who has been a long time teammate and friend to the older O'shea brothers in Boston. He lost his wife and daughter 4 years ago in a car accident and has never stopped grieving.

Kelly O'Shea is an up and coming defenseman who is Lindy's teammate on the Otters. He made the decision to get out from under his dad's and older brothers' shadows in Boston to go to Evanston. Kelly has also loved Lindy since he was 15.

I loved how freaking brave Kelly was throughout the whole book. He has definitely grown over the entire series from a hanger-on of Malone (who is despicable) to maturing into a man who has empathy beyond his years. How he nudges Lindy out of his grief is beautiful. He was raised very Catholic and was very deep in his closet, but how he found his courage to stand up to everyone was GORGEOUS.

I laughed and cried throughout the book. I fell in love with O'Shea and cheered for Lindy. I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait for Treavor to lock horns with Wade in the next one! The tension in the set up... **Chef's Kiss**
407 reviews
September 9, 2023
Totalmente decepcionada.
Esta historia me tenía tan ilusionada, pero al final no fue lo que esperaba.
En resumen lo que sentí era que se trataba de un hombre que ya vivió el amor de su vida y que tuvo la oportunidad de rehacer su vida con un amigo al que le tenía estima y porque se sentía solo, pero que siempre (hasta el último capítulo) iba a ser una relación de 3.
Quizás hubiera podido aceptar la historia sino hubiera habido tantos momentos donde el protagonista decía lo inmensamente enamorado que estaba y siempre iba a estar de su esposa, pero que nunca hubo esos escenarios con su nueva pareja, se dio cuenta que estaba "enamorado" en 5 segundos, fue un cambio tan repentino que no me convenció para nada.
Y los últimos capítulos fueron muy tediosos y aburridos.
90 reviews2 followers
September 28, 2022
great series

I have really enjoyed this series and it was great to finally read Lindy’s story and see him get the happily ever after he deserved. Kelly really was his perfect match and their story made for engrossed reading. I was unhappy about the abrupt ending but I am keen to read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for fishreads.
500 reviews18 followers
December 28, 2022
This book deals with grief but the story does not manage to capture me in any way in order for me to become even remotely emotionally invested about it.

Themes: dual POV, friends to lovers, brother's best friend, teammates, age gap, hurt/comfort, virginity/first time, NHL
Profile Image for Woodatsi.
371 reviews3 followers
September 29, 2022
Anders (Lindy) and Kelly's story is the one I've been waiting for ever since they appeared in the series. And it was so worth the wait.

Lindy has been focussing on his hockey career and nothing else after the accident that killed his wife and daughter. He's come out as bi to the team in the last book, but doesn't flaunt it around. He's been closing himself off from ever loving again and even from getting close to someone again. But lately he's been feeling really lonely and has been longing for some closeness, for someone to touch and hug him.

Kelly is 17 years Lindy's junior and has been in love with him since he was 15. His brothers and Lindy are good friends and Lindy's viewed as a family member. He's never told anyone he's gay, not even his family. They are Irish and very catholic, so he fears for their reaction if he tells them. When Lindy gets injured during a game, Kelly steps up and stays at Lindy's home to help him in his recovery. During his time there, it gets harder and harder for him to hide his feelings and it seems Lindy has got the same problem. So he proposes to have a sort of friends with benefits thing and Lindy agrees, but makes it clear to Kelly that he can't give him anything more than casual. Kelly agrees and what starts off as something casual soon turns into something more.

Lindy is scared to death though to have to lose someone he loves again and holds back. When he receives a phone call from Kelly's brother whom he promised to always look out for Kelly, he stupidly tells Kelly they need to put some space between them and let things cool down a bit.

Needless to say it doesn't work that way.

I loved that there was no unnecessary drama. Yes they had hurdles to jump and things to work out but all was done in a mature way. I also liked the fact that the 'Malone' issue will finally be coming to an end in the next and unfortunately final book of the series, which will be Trevor Underhills book.

I'm so looking forward to read that one already too.

*I kindly received a copy of this book from the author via Bookfunnel. This is my honest review.*

158 reviews3 followers
August 14, 2023
This is what I call romance!

Rules of Engagement by Brigham Vaughn is the fourth book in the Rules of the Game series and would be read best in order.

I have been waiting for Anders Lindholm’s book since I first heard of him and he has remained a favourite character of mine throughout the series. However, Kelly O’Shea took my heart and locked it away. He was so incredibly sweet and gentle; I ended up sobbing for him.

I love this story - it had me smiling, laughing and tearing up. This couple pulled me in and I needed to get to the end to read the happily ever after. Now I am a little sad that their story is over.

I have never listened to James Edward Jones before and he does a good job at narrating Rules of Engagement. Originally, his voice didn’t appeal to me, it wasn’t how I imagined Anders and Kelly would sound. By that I don’t just mean that his voice didn’t sound like theirs, I mean that the way I read an emotion or their tone was not reflected when he narrated the story. This was an initial reaction as I did grow to like his voice and the subtle changes he did when presenting Anders and Kelly’s personalities and emotions. Overall, the narration is great, and I ended up really enjoying listening to Rules of Engagement and James Edward Jones even made me cry with his performance!

Second chances, romance, sports, sneaking around, falling in love, what is not to love with this book? These two are such different characters and are so perfectly matched.

This forbidden romance has took over my mind, heart and soul … it’s full of sexiness, heartache, wit and longing!

*Spoiler* This book does mention triggering content such as death, death of child, grief, suicidal ideation, homophobia, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Plot: 📚📚📚📚
Character rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sexiness: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Feels: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Writing style: 🖊🖊🖊🖊
Narration by James Edward Jones: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Profile Image for Gabbi Grey.
Author 35 books219 followers
August 22, 2023
Anders and Kelly

I don’t read a ton of sports romances, but when I read a good one, I have to share. This was a good one.

To start, I adored Kelly. Oh, a ginger. Be still my beating heart. He’s also a guy who’s in the closet, but not happy there. He’s afraid of disappointing his huge Irish Catholic family, so he’s moved hundreds of miles away. Only to continue living a lie. He meets lots of nice ladies, but he’s not attracted to them. He keeps up appearances so as to not arouse suspicion from his teammates, but he also knows he doesn’t want to live this way forever. He’s barely started his pro career. He might have a good eighteen or so years to go. That’s a long time to live being unhappy.

Anders also tugged at my heart strings. A widower, having lost his beloved wife and precious daughter, he’s continued on with his hockey career because he doesn’t know what else to do. And his teammates have been there to support him all the way. His career is coming to an end. But life has gotten interesting since his best friend’s younger brother has joined the team. He knows Kelly. Has known the kid since the kid was fifteen. Now the kid’s a healthy, hearty, and sexy twenty-four. And straight.

Or so Anders believes.

Just like Kelly’s pretty sure Anders is straight.

But this is an m/m romance, so I trust you can figure out where this is headed.

The execution, though, was what made the story so great. Brigham brought together two guys who need each other and yet she keeps throwing obstacles in their way. Not the least is Anders’ scruples and stubbornness. Good think Kelly is just as stubborn.

I enjoyed the book thoroughly and can’t wait to pick up the next one. I’ll also say James Edward Jones did a great job narrating. I haven’t heard him before, but he’s definitely on my radar for the future. So glad I caught this one.
355 reviews12 followers
August 22, 2023
**audiobook review**

Anders is only just starting to come out of a mountain of grief years after losing his wife and daughter in a tragic accident and finds himself looking at his teammate, and best friend’s younger brother in a new way. He feels confused and guilty not only because he’s still grieving his wife, but because of the significant age gap between him and Kelly.

Kelly is the baby of his huge hockey loving, super overprotective family and has been crushing on his older brother’s best friend ever since he was 15 years old. He watched from afar as he fell in love with and married his wife, when they started a family, and when he lost them. He has never been able to get over him and when they became teammates his feelings only deepened. Despite his feelings and the amount of time they now spend together, Kelly never really believed they would end up together so he is hesitant but happy, and terrified to dream of more, when a physical relationship starts between them.

Kelly and Anders were a story well done. The push and pull of their friendship vs sexual relationship and the happiness/guilt/confusion that Anders goes through as he feels his heart starting to feel things for Kelly while still deeply loving his late wife. Kelly had so much patience and understanding for Anders and what he was going through to where I really wanted to hug him for always putting his feelings last.

The side story of the disgusting snake that is Jack Malone continues, and things get worse. I can’t wait to finally (hopefully) see him get what is coming to him in the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook.
Profile Image for Sheena.
614 reviews11 followers
September 28, 2022
THIS is the story I've been waiting for since the first time I met Lindy. He's always been such an intriguing character, I've been dying for him to find a little bit of happiness because if there's any one of these guys that deserve to find some, it's Anders Lindholm. I was perhaps a little concerned that the story wouldn't live up to my expectations but it did, and even exceeded them because I adored this story.

I've said before I know nothing about hockey, and even after reading this entire series to date, that still holds true. I feel like I've spent a lot of time with these guys by now though and got to know them a little. This story made me cry, unashamedly so (even though I was sitting in an airport at the time and had to wipe those tears away). I cried for Lindy because the whole thing was just so beautifully written, I was right there with him and Kelly.

Urgh, I'm trying not to gush too hard but failing, I see. I loved the development of Kelly and Lindy's story, these two are just so utterly perfect together. I also really liked the underlying story of trying to combat the attitudes in the league, and not gonna lie, I have been waiting for Jack Malone to get his comeuppance too and I hope, in the final book, it comes to him.

I can't recommend this book, and the series, highly enough. The whole thing has been a joy to read and I'm sad the next book is the last but I have faith it will all be wrapped up tightly.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Profile Image for ButtonsMom2003.
3,094 reviews28 followers
August 13, 2023
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5

This series is so good!

I loved this story and James Edward Jones’ audio performance was great. It was so nice to see Ander’s finally get to be happy again; Kelly was perfect for him. ❤️

The above was short and sweet for Audible because they don’t seem to want me to leave longer reviews. I also want to say how emotional this book was, it gave me all kinds of feels. When Anders tells Kelly some of his memories of his wife and baby daughter it was so touching. When he finally admits that he has feelings for Kelly, I felt it in my heart.

Kelly has been in love with Anders since he was young, before Anders got married. Anders is Kelly’s brother’s best friend so he’s spent a lot of time around him over the years and his feelings have only gotten stronger. Helping Anders after he gets injured gave Kelly the perfect reason to spend time with him.

When Kelly came out to his family and let his father and brothers know how much he’d been hurt by comments they made about gay people over the years – that just about broke my heart.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this audiobook and I’m anxiously awaiting the final book in this series to come out in audio format.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
Profile Image for L.D..
1,578 reviews1 follower
September 11, 2023
Rules of Engagement is the fifth book in the Rules of the Game series, a contemporary hockey romance series. All the books in this series can be read as a standalones, but I think it works best if read in order.

Kelly, one of the youngest members of the team, has lived and breathed hockey his entire life. His father was a professional hockey player, his brothers were all hockey players, and it only made sense for him to follow in their footsteps. But there’s one thing that Kelly can’t share with his family – that he’s gay. It doesn’t help that Kelly has had a crush on Anders, a fellow hockey player and longtime family friend, since he was 15 years old. Now years later, he finds himself playing on the same team as Anders, and his crush has only grown and bloomed as he has grownup himself. But there are so many obstacles that stand in the way including Ander’s horrific family tragedy and the Kelly’s own secrets.

The book deals with some heavy topics, but I really thought it was done well and brought a depth to the story and romance. I really enjoyed the interaction between Kelly and Anders – they were so sweet together and even though there were moments of pain they worked through the issues and found their happy ever after.

The audiobook was narrated by James Edward Jones who did a fantastic job voicing all the characters. I thought the audiobook production was well done and it was a great listening experience.
Profile Image for Brie_reads.
734 reviews26 followers
October 29, 2023
I really love the constant support in the Otters team and the friendship between Anders and Kelly. A long crush, friends to lovers, moving on story.

Reasons I Recommend:

1) It’s awesome to see how with Noah’s words, Zane and Ryan have brought their team together

2) Anders’ dealing with his unimaginable grief was beautifully done and

3) I need more about Malone! As much as I hate that guy I am starting to worry!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quote: Any of you who are gay or bi-or whatever the fuck you are — have the support of the team. Anyone who has a problem with it, you can get the fuck out of here too."
"Uhh, is this a good time to mention that I'm bi as well?" Underhill said.
"It absolutely is not but thanks for letting us know." Daniels gaze swept around the room.
"Anyone else while we're at it? I'd like to get this out of the way."
One of the rookies held up his hand. "I'm kinda questioning things but there's a guy outside the team I'm already-
"Great. Put your hand down, Bennett," Dan-iels said. "That everyone?"
They all nodded.
"Fantastic. Now, can we get the fuck out on the ice and think about hockey?"
"Yes, Coach!" they all shouted, tapping their sticks on the floor.
"Good. Now go win us a game." 🤣

#briereads #brierecommends #2023goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #mmromance #fiction #hockeyromance #rulesofthegameseries #brighamvaughn @brighamvaughn
223 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2022
I loved this book! It made me cry and smile. This is the story of Anders Lindhom, a 39 year old hockey player, and Kelly O'Shea, a newer hockey player and the younger brother of Ander's former teammate and best friend. Kelly has had a crush on Anders since he was 15 years old but always thought Anders was straight. He was happy to be his friend and teammate and be their for him as support when Anders lost his beloved wife and daughter a horrific accident 4 years ago. Kelly has recently found out that Anders is bi, and Kelly finally tells Anders that he is gay but fears his Catholic family's reaction. Anders is surprised to realize that he is attracted to Kelly, and they begin a friends with benefits relationship that soon turns into something more. However, they each have personal issues they have to deal with. This is a great story of finding love again. It is also about finding the courage to begin a new relationship and overcoming the fear of possibly losing your new love. I love how we got to see more into Kelly'slife and family issues that make him who he is. I also like how Kelly respected Anders love of his wife Astrid and daughter, Elia, and how the book showed that you can love again without diminishing the love you had for deceased partner.
Profile Image for RE Reader.
955 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2024
I'd give this 3.5 stars rounded down. I liked Kelly a lot, but Anders ... well, he was rough to be around. Honestly, if I could just look at Kelly's perspective and story, I would've given this 4-4.5 stars easily.



Thus, I loved Kelly, and I read this mostly for his character.

Note: We all have our own ways of dealing with saying good-bye (for now) to those we love. And I think that when we read books which portray that challenge in a way that we can connect to, it really works well -- but the opposite is also true. So my criticism here is simply that I couldn't really connect with this approach, so I found it frustrating rather than encouraging. Others will mostly likely have a completely different reaction.
Profile Image for Heather Duff.
1,095 reviews29 followers
September 25, 2022
This was a lovely story full of emotion. Two teammates, one at the beginning of his career, and the other nearing its end.

They’ve known each other for much longer than that though. Anders is also best friends with Kelly’s very overprotective brother. Kelly has been there through the years that Anders was married to the love of his life, had a daughter, and when he lost them both tragically. He loved him when he was 15, and he loves him still.

As Kelly struggles to sort out whether or not he’ll ever have a chance, and Anders is struggling with accepting that it’s okay to love again, all the while worrying about Kelly being outed, and Anders contemplating what he’ll do when his career is over.

There are plenty of emotions in this one, but it’s beautifully punctuated with humour and light moments. And of course plenty of steam (Kelly’s been waiting a long time, he’s not going to waste a second!).

I highly recommend Rules of Engagement, but also all the stories of this very queer hockey team. Their paths aren’t always easy, but it’s always worth it in the end.

4.5 Stars
Profile Image for Jeanette Buck.
301 reviews12 followers
September 29, 2022
I love hockey books and this one was so good. I thought it was a bit different to many other hockey books I have read. Quite often they are often based on banter and flirting, admittedly a lot of them are college based. I thought this was different. It was really emotional and beautiful written.
39 year old Anders is understandable still deeply affected by the loss of his wife and daughter four years ago. He plays on the same team as his best friend's younger brother Kelly who is 23. He has been in love with Anders since he was 15. Anders is openly bisexual but Kelly is in the closet. They have always been close friends and Anders knows Kelly has a crush on him. When Anders gets injured Kelly moves in to help him and he never really leaves again. They become intimately closer and although it starts as a fwb it quickly becomes far deeper. Kelly helps Anders move forward without forgetting his past and he helps give Kelly the strength to come out. It does come with ups and downs but also lots of sweet moments. I absolutely adored this book 💜
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.