Cait’s Review of “Rule Breaker” by Nikki Hall

By: Cait Marie

Blurb

Some rules were meant to be broken…

Soren

I’ve never met someone so determined to mess up her life. Vi Malone is one step away from disaster, and I can’t stop trying to save her. But maybe she can help save me. A couple of weeks posing as my girlfriend would go a long way toward fixing my battered reputation. As long as I don’t break my oldest rule—never get emotionally involved.

Vi

I’ve never met someone so determined to piss me off. Soren Brehm thinks he’s my personal hero because he has something I need, but he can’t solve all my problems with a wicked smile and a spacious second bedroom. Not until I get past his football star façade and realize he sees me, really sees me. I don’t need saving—but maybe I need him.

Review

This is the first book in the Wild Card series, but there is a prequel novella, Game Changer, which I reviewed here. Each book can be read as a standalone, and in fact, I actually started with this one. However, the events of the novella were mentioned enough that I stopped reading halfway through to switch to it instead. I like reading in order, and I needed to know what they were referencing, but you’d be fine jumping in with this book.

I absolutely loved Soren and Vi. The beginning of the book did feel a little off to me when they first met. It almost felt like I was missing something or like I should’ve already known these characters, and now I’m wondering if that’s because I didn’t start with the prequel. It wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong. I quickly got sucked into the story regardless.

Stopping halfway in to read the novella was so difficult because they just consumed me. Their chemistry is immediate, but they refuse to act on it. They’re pretending to date because one of his teammates is out for revenge after she breaks his hand at a party. But they’re so good together that it doesn’t feel fake at all. I really enjoyed seeing their friendship grow through this. Their development together is great.

That being said, the actual story development could have used a bit more work. There was lot of build up regarding their pasts and their families, but then things just never really happened on that front. There wasn’t closure regarding those things, which felt odd.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable, easy read. I would highly recommend it to those looking for a fun, steamy sports romance. There’s not a ton of steam, but there are a few scenes that were all well written. The characters were great and though the story could’ve been expanded a bit more, it was still really good. I read it and the novella in like 2-3 days, which is fast for me right now because I’ve been super busy. I will definitely be continuing the series.