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Changing the Rules  By  cover art

Changing the Rules

By: Brigham Vaughn
Narrated by: James Edward Jones
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Publisher's summary

Rule number one: Don’t fall in love with the coach.

Gabriel Theriault’s been skating on thin ice for the past two seasons with Toronto, but his arrest following an off-ice fight is the final straw.

His only shot at redemption is to start over in Evanston and prove that he still has what it takes to be a pro player.

No more fights. No more drinking. No more random hookups.

Rule number two: The team always comes first.

Years ago, Lance Tate’s on-ice injury ended his career and marriage.

His long road to recovery led to a job he loves as assistant coach with the Evanston Otters, and he wouldn’t dream of giving that up.

Until he meets Gabriel.

The French Canadian is 15 years younger, burdened by too much responsibility, and the most intriguing man Lance has ever met.

He’s also the absolute last man Lance should get involved with.

The draw between them is impossible to resist—even if it could cost them the game they love.

Their only chance at winning it all is to change the rules.

Trigger warning: Changing the Rules includes a supporting character with advancing dementia. Frank discussion about an emotionally neglectful parent and verbal abuse. Use of mild homophobic slurs and brief mention of suicidal ideation (non-graphic).

©2022 Brigham Vaughn (P)2023 Brigham Vaughn

What listeners say about Changing the Rules

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Amazing

I loved this couple and this was a super sweet and engaging listen. This coach/player hockey romance between Lance and Gabriel is beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. I loved hearing Gabriel’s accent, it really enriched the experience. My favorite part of this book is that as a couple, Lance and Gabriel are so united and strong. The tension comes from the complicated situation of being coach and player, but Gabriel and Lance remain dedicated to the success of their relationship. The story was well told, both romantic and intimate - and super hot. I especially appreciated how authentic the hockey part of the story feels. The author tackles some real world challenges facing hockey and professional sports in general. This was a wildly romantic love story with complicated MCs, colorful side characters, a realistic hockey world, plus a beautiful HEA. Highly recommend!❤️

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Gotta love a Qubecois French speaking Hero 😍

Brigham Vaughn's Rules of The Game series is turning out to be very special to me. Although I've been reading them out of order it really isn't an issue; each of them can stand on their own. I also think that each of them bring something to the table that makes them special in their own individual way. I really, really enjoyed following the forbidden age-gap journey of our Heroes - offense coach Lance and Gabriel - the sexy Quebecois French speaking defenceman. The performer James Edward Jones made an admireable attempt at the accent; he did well enough the I still found it swoon worthy. Gabriel sounded and thanks to Vaughn's writing he also felt like a sensual French lover. I loved "Changing the Rules" in it's own way, looking forward to reading/listening to other books in this series...and that Karl (or is it Carl?) Malone 😤! I can almost hear the "Jaws" theme when he's around lurking...causing problems. I hope he gets his!

5 stars - I would listen again

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Love the series

Love this series. Read it out of order but still really good. Can’t wait for the author to come out with another series like this.

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Amazing

I adored this book when it first came out. James Edward Jones does a phenomenal job on the audio. Highly recommend.

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Redemption and Love

Man I thought I was in love with La Bouche and Simon, but Gabriel and Lance blew that love out of the water. I love a good redemption story, and getting down and dirty with Gabriel and what he’s been going through and the amount of effort he put into changing his life and becoming a better person was phenomenal. Watching Lance be there for him, support him and love him despite the challenges to their precarious situation was amazing. They were determined that no matter what happened, they were going to face it together and that’s exactly what they did.

I love this series and it’s secondary cast of characters and watching the series arc unfold while enjoying the couple of focus at the time! It’s a world I would love to live in and be friends with these guys.

I have fallen so hard for Gabriel and Lance that I’m not sure who can beat it, but as always, Brigham has a way of outdoing herself with each new release so maybe next up is newly divorced single dad Walsh and the mysterious figure skater :)

James Edward Jones didnt great job narrating this book, and while he’s definitely not my favorite narrator, he consistently does the story justice and I plan to continue listening to the other audios!

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The Narrator Gives an Outstanding Performance

Hearing narrator James Edward Jones give voice to French-Canadian hockey player Gabriel - the delicious accent and speaking French - was such a treat. He's ranking high on my list of favorite narrators, and made listening to this story an absolute delight.

Bi hockey player Gabriel (30) and offensive coach Lance (49) weren't looking for a relationship, but their "romantic situation" quickly progresses as they fall head over heels for one another. Gabriel is out, Lance is not (though that's not a big focus), and secretly dating has the potential to blow both of their careers apart.

I really enjoyed how kind, caring and considerate Gabriel and Lance are toward each other - it's easy to see why they fall hard and fast - and how the delicate and difficult situation around Gabriel's father's health was handled by the MCs (and the author).

I went into this being new to the series and despite what appears to be numerous recurring characters, I didn't have any trouble following along. This is a story I'll listen to again. I received a free review copy of this audio book and have left this honest review voluntarily.

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Emotional listen

This was a surprisingly emotional one for me. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters better. I do wish there was a little more interaction with Lance's kids especially his son and with Noah and Gabriel. I feel like there was a lot left unresolved there and there were a few other plot point I felt this way about as well but I'm hoping there some resolution later in the series. Overall the narration is done very well and I really enjoyed this listen.

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Great story of redemption.

I read Bending the Rules so I was already familiar with some of Gabriel’s information. I will admit that I wasn’t super excited for his story, but I’m happy to say I was wrong. It is a great story of redemption and I so enjoyed seeing Gabriel grow, shed his burdens, and find true love and happiness. It wasn’t great hearing about his past sexcapades as often as they were mentioned, I understand there being some in there to put in perspective how Gabriel dealt with his pain and that giving up that part of his life was part of his healing process and redemption, it was just a little much at times. Definitely glad he left that lifestyle in Toronto with his past. Lance is a natural caregiver. All he wants is a partner to do the big and little things for. It was precious to see Gabriel’s reactions to Lance’s kindness. They had a kinship in having traumatic brain injuries affect their lives. They had great chemistry, in and out of the bedroom. My favorite moments were when they were showing simple displays of affection to one another and when they were being adorably domestic as well. The hockey was great too! I read the whole thing while watching the Stanley Cup playoffs (and now I listened to it right when they started this year!) 😁 loved it.

James Edward Jones killed it once again. His voice is amazing. I loved his accent and portrayal of Gabriel. Top notch narrating.

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I loved everything about this story!

The first book of this series was so good, I thought there was no way this series could get any better but it did! Gabriel and Lance are one of the sweetest couples ever and I loved getting to see them both find their way to their HEA. One of my favorite things about this story is that both characters are a little bit older in age but also are very responsible, committed people who have other things going on in their life that are important; they don't just have their relationship to worry about. They have real crap going on and have to find a way to work with their partner to take care of their priorities. Maybe this is super sexy romance but it is real and honest and I love seeing it portrayed in a book. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Sports romances are always a must-read for me but this story is so much more than your average sports romance. While the Gabriel's family situation is completely heartbreaking, it was so sweet to see him finally start to open up to Lance and let someone else help him carry the responsibility of being a caretaker for an ailing parent. Lance was such a steady, even character that he could come across as boring but as Gabriel pointed out, Lance's stability was such a positive personality trait that you couldn't help but love him. I loved that Lance was able to mend some bridges with his family and that he was finally in a place where he could be open about who he truly was. The writing was absolutely wonderful, as it always is with a Brigham Vaughn book! James Edward Jones was fantastic on the narration for this series! I loved the french accent throughout the story and felt like they really understood the characters instead of just rereading the book. I can't wait until the next book in this series comes out!

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Very Enjoyable

Changing the Rules is Book 3 in the Rules of the Game series. This is an enjoyable age gap, player/coach hockey romance about Gabriel, a hockey player in need of redemption and his loving coach, Lance. Sometimes it takes a real screw up and move to find where you really belong. Gabriel and Lance are so sweet together and don't want to mess up either of their careers. But Lance is just the person Gabriel needs, in more ways than one. I enjoyed watching the relationship between Gabriel and his father. Though it hadn't been the best Gabriel does everything he can to help his father. This book is wonderful addition to the series and I recommend it. 
Narrator James Edward Jones does an amazing job. Listening to him I really believed Gabriel was French-Canadian. 

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