While I am sometimes in the mood for a long drawn out romance, most of the time I love short, sweet, and sexy romance novels that I can devour in one day by the pool or snuggled up in bed. Rules of a Rebound by Nina Crespo delivers on that desire in all the right ways.

While not the most thought-provoking book, if you're looking for a fun time with a tiny bit of angst thrown in, look no further. Natalie and Rome clash with sex appeal, and compliment each other outside of the bedsheets, as well. Super likable as characters, and with just enough substance to not make it feel like they are cookie-cutter characters. The biggest clincher is that there is an adorable beagle puppy who is beloved, and I can't resist a puppy, let alone a beagle; I have two of my own at home!

Super fun and super fast, Rules of a Rebound by Nina Crespo is the perfect book for that last beach day, or a lazy day at home. I will definitely be picking up other books by her, including the first in the Breakup Bash series: The First Rule of Hook-Ups!

When I first read this story I had no idea what to expect but it was a really cute story and although I am not a dog lover the dog in the story made it complete. Rome and Natalie had great chemistry from beginning to end. It was like you knew they belonged together and their relationship was better than that of her ex-husband. I really liked this story I thought it wouldn't be great but it was. Nina Crespo's writing style was on point. She gave everything the story needed. Its definitely a read for any romance lover.

I truly enjoyed the dynamic between Rome and Natalie. They meshed really well together and seemed very supportive of each other, both physically and in a friend like manner. I loved their first beginning sizzling meeting. Talk about some serious heat! Did not take long for them to connect. But for me, this is where I started really liking Rome more. He was there for Natalie in whatever capacity she needed him and he was so encouraging of her career. Natalie was very appreciative of all Rome did for her. They just made a great team. And the part where she wrote him letters just melted my heart. Their reuniting was sweet and the epilogue awe inducing. And little Betsy will make you want a little Betsy of your own.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

This is the Second book in this Rebound Series. This couple is steaming hot. As the series says, these women have left bad relationship and go to a Break Up Bash party. Natalie is recently divorce from her husband of two years. It was a bad break up and now she has to share custody of her dog, Enter in Rome, a bartender and former army veteran with a past. These two have instant chemistry. This love story has steamy love scenes and a two lover trying not to give in to it. If you love protect men and cute dog scene. This is your book!

This book was great. First off, I love that the author wrote about three friends finding their HEAs, giving each woman their own book but making the storylines happen simultaneously. A very clever idea. The three women attend a Breakup Bash, celebrating their breakups and the brand new opportunities ahead of them. Natalie is still stinging from her recent divorce. There is no love lost for her ex, but he put her through the ringer. He even demanded shared custody of her dog. She figures a night out with her girlfriends can’t hurt. During the evening she ends up meeting sexy bartender Rome, a man who seems able to ignore every other woman’s come on’s but Natalie’s. They hook up right away, and when there is an emergency with Natalie’s dog they end up getting entangled in one another’s lives. Rome was so sweet and sexy, and Natalie was a strong and intelligent woman. The two of them together were sizzling. I’m really looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
Note: This title was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie and Rome were a great combo. They had chemistry from night one and they meshed outside of the bedroom. I enjoyed getting a bit about Natalie's friends lives and I'm dying for their books now. Rome's past was hard for him to overcome, but I'm glad that he was able to handle things in the right way. This book definitely had some other stories going on in the background that made me want more form Nina Crespo and more from this series. Definitely recommend this book.

This is the second book in this series, and I really think you need to read the first one since it coincides with this one. We have hottie Rome who is working as a bartender on the night of break up Bash where he meets Natalie who is celebrating with her besties Alexa (first book) and Cori. Rome and Natalie have a hot night together that turns into more nights together but due to not speaking there minds, Natalie and her fears and insecurities have some misunderstandings and some hurts happen and end up breaking up, which gives Natalie the weak up that she desperately needed. But does she get Rome back? And what is happening to Cori

The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between

The Sitch: Natalie is at the Breakup Bash with her two best friends, and yes they’re all coming out of bad relationship breakups. Natalia’s ex is your typical douchenozzle who couldn’t handle her success and worse yet, she has to share custody of her dog Betsy because he’s not just a douchenozzle, but a greedy one who wanted a bigger settlement. Rome is one of the bartenders at the club and he’s at loose ends himself, as he’s recuperating from a devastating incident that happened while he was working as a security specialist. He’s used to the ladies hitting on him at the club, but when Natalia the sparks fly from the get-go between these two. One thing leads to another, their relationship goes deeper than sex, and yes, romance happens.

The Good
This story has heat in spades. Rome and Natalia’s chemistry is palpable and their Firsts (meet/kiss/love scene) are fuego. This is an ONS that turns into more, and the way their relationship develops felt organic to the story and I never doubted that their sexual chemistry was strong. Consent was integrated seamlessly into their scenes, and I did believe in the conflicts they had some depth to them and could be overcome. However...

The Bad
Both Natalie and Rome had some good backstory that would have made for great, emotional scenes. Unfortunately, they really don’t happen on the page. The big conflict that drives the inevitable estrangement didn’t quite stick the landing. All the elements were there, but they were only delved into on the surface, resolved very quickly and they moved into an HEA. I actually appreciated that the epilogue didn’t end on quite the stereotypical note, but there was not enough time spent getting there, at least on the page.

Everything in Between
I absolutely like the beginning of the story, because it set up the trio of books. I love seeing a scene from different perspectives, and the potential is there with each book. I haven’t read the first book, but it wasn’t necessary to read it to enjoy this one.

The Bottom Line 3.5 stars
I enjoyed Natalie and Rome’s romance, even if I wished for more emotional scenes delving into their past than what actually plays out on the page. This is a fun romance though, and part of a series concept that I like, so I would read more about the Breakup Bash and more from Ms. Crespo.

**ARC provided by Inkslinger PR via netgalley for review**

What do you do when you’re newly divorced and very single? Have fun, crazy, no-strings rebound sex.

“Excuse me, bartender. I’ll take an orgasm.”

Light and steamy, Rules of a Rebound is fairly low on the drama and high on the romance as Natalie and Rome’s one-night hook-up rolls into the next day and the next day and the next...you get the picture.

“Nothing complicated. Just the two of us enjoying each other.”

Whilst it did go through a bit of a lull for me around the halfway point, overall this was an easy, enjoyable, quick read and Natalie was a woman after my own heart, happy to get her hands dirty and more than capable of dealing with what life throws at her, but not too stubborn to accept Rome’s help when it’s there for the taking. And when you throw in a cute puppy dog who is as smitten with Rome as her owner, then you’ll get no complaints here.

3.5 stars.

This is my first book by this author and I found it to be a fun, steamy read with just a sprinkle of drama thrown in. The pace is nice and the story flows well, aside from a tiny lull somewhere around the middle. I liked the characters and found myself really rooting for them. I will likely go back and check out the other books in the series.

the breakup bash is the party that keeps on giving when it comes to sexytimes for alexa, cori, and natalie. in rules of a rebound, natalie is looking to move on from her ex-husband dorian. she's got a pet to share custody of, a job to kick ass at, and a new home to make her own.

when she meets rome, the bartender at club escapade, she figures one night of steamy sex is what the doctor ordered. but when her home is broken into and he helps her through the ordeal, things get complicated. she's not looking for a new relationship. and rome is on the same page, isn't he?

he's got his own baggage, but he's also not interested in being natalie's rebound guy. he likes her, everything about her. and if he could stop worrying about his past failures, maybe he'll find a way to move forward with his life, instead of treading water all the time.

rome and natalie are exactly what the doctor ordered for each other, they balance each other out and make each other stronger. it's a steamy, romantic read with characters who are super relatable and likable.

**rules of a rebound will publish on august 12, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (brazen) in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Rules of a Rebound. I really like how the two main characters Rome and Natalie had there own strong personallity. Rome and Natalie seems to have a great chemistry even with their own past holding on to remind them.
I found the book a good and easy read! I found this to be a five star read!

Rules of a Rebound is another engaging story by Nina Crespo and easily read in one sitting. Natalie Winters and Rome Collier are fabulous characters and provide readers with an entertaining story about second chances and living life to the fullest. While Rome tends on the protective side, both characters have strong personalities and complement each other perfectly. A wonderful and well-written storyline will keep readers engrossed till the very last page.

When Natalie got married three years ago she thought she had met her Prince Charming but he turned out to be a frog. The divorce is finally final but the devastation of having joint custody of her beagle Betsy was what hurt the most. While celebrating with her girlfriends she can’t help but be attracted to the bartender and believes that one nigh with him is just what she needs.

Rome is working as a bartender for a friend as he is still trying to deal with the regret and guilt from his last job. When he meets Natalie the chemistry between them is electric and he wants more than one night but he knows that he will need to be patient to convince her of that.

What starts out as a rebound develops into so much more but if they are to have a future together they must first deal with their pasts.

An interesting concept. This book was a super steamy read, with an interesting storyline and well developed characters. My first read by this author, I look forward to checking out more of her books in the future.

Natalie and her friends go the "Break Up Bash" to have fun and celebrate Natalie's divorce. She celebrates all right. She celebrates with Rome who is the hunky bartender who smiles and charms all the other women but never hits on them. He sees something in Natalie that just does it for him. It was only supposed to be one night, never supposed to be more for Natalie. She's determined to focus on her career and that's it.

Rome though starts to consume her thoughts and their one night turns into so much more. Rome also has personal things going on. Will they be able to keep their relationship going while dealing with their personal issues or will it be too much for these two?

This series is funny and steamy, totally can't wait for the next one!!

Love is never too far when you’re not expecting it. Natalie seemed to enjoy her new status as a celibate after her failed marriage but when she crossed path with a sexy bartender, Rome who was too charming for his own good, all the rules of a hookup were thrown through the window.

I enjoyed reading about these two who weren’t looking for a relationship but surprisingly matching, without even trying. It was hot and sweet, with a first encounter that could put a room on fire. Even if they were going very quickly into a relationship (both were totally avoiding the real issue), it worked greatly, with some personal issues to overcome before getting their HEA.

I could feel the connection beneath the physical, and more understanding the other than no one else. At some point I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Rome was such an understanding man, trying to win over a woman who wasn’t willing to give her heart for now. Not being the rebound guy.
Natalie wanted a fresh start, her career was her priority and she was determined to show that she could handle it. I could understand at some point after the rough divorce she’s been through but she was so stubborn not to listen to her heart for once.

The main characters had a great chemistry, there were some steamy moments that showed perfectly how these two match, sensual at times and so sweet and cute as well. I enjoyed reading their story, how it progressed to the real thing.
Fun and sexy!

Steamy story. Sweet. Easy read.
Natalie and Collier... they hooked up while she’s at a rebound bash after a terrible divorce. Their relationship was slam-bam (in all senses); very sudden, unexpected and then they were in a relationship neither planned for. There were nods to both of them having historical issues but they clicked and they jumped into it. Overall sweet story with hot sexy moments that steam up the pages.
Their historical issues were the only major conflict holding them apart. Sure there were job stressors pulling at both of them, but not enough to keep them apart. I kept waiting for a “bad guy” or something big to tear them apart but it didn’t show up. That’s not necessarily a disappointment, just a comment. It means this isn’t an angsty high-feels read, but it’s super cute with good characters and overall easy.

A copy of this book was provided by Entangled via NetGalley for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rules of a Rebound is a notable romance novel. Rules of a Rebound by Nina Crespo is book two in her Breakup Bash series. This novel is a standalone, as are all the books in the series.

Natalie Winters thought she had it all when she met and married Dorian Hall. Just three years later she’s in the process of getting a divorce.

Former security specialist, Rome Collier, is working as a bartender at a popular local club to distance himself from the ghosts of his former career.

Natalie and Rome meet at the club where he works when she attends the club’s popular Breakup Bash event. They immediately begin to trade sexual banter. Attraction and great sex overcome their good sense, and they begin a temporary casual relationship. They both develop feelings for each other but are hesitant to risk beginning a committed relationship. Rome doesn’t want to be Natalie’s rebound guy, and Natalie doesn’t want to jump into a relationship so soon after her divorce. They’ve both broken the “rules” governing rebound relationships. Will they overcome their personal reservations and admit that they could have something meaningful and fulfilling?

The author subtly introduces race but it’s not a part of the story. In fact, it’s so subtle that you might miss it if you aren’t paying close attention. This is an honest and true romance. It’s about relationships on every level. It’s also about emotional growth, forgiveness and self-awareness. This isn’t a book about interracial relationships. It’s a book about relationships, period.

Rules of a Rebound is a beautifully crafted novel. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all lovers of romance. There is some explicit sexual content that may be offensive to some readers.

My thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Rules of a rebound is my first book by this author and it's probably going to be my last. I thought the concept of this story was very fun and sexy. Rome was a great book boyfriend and the smut was very sexy. However I couldn't connect with Natalie's character. But I believe that is because of the writing style, it's very hard for me to create connections when the book is written in that perspective. Plus I couldn't get past all the unnecessary character development of inconsequential co-workers, friends, etc. This makes the book read as if the story between Rome and Natalie wasn't strong enough to stand on its own without a backfilling the characters. I am giving it 3 chilli peppers because some might be ok skipping full chapters to get to the smut.

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you!