Some parts were super cute and I continue to like Janna’s writing but this one just didn’t have much in the plot that I gravitate towards. I wanted light and fluffy cute kid moments and we got a few but I wanted them all. It wasn’t a bad book it just really did not appeal to me.

If you like military men with hearts locked up in titanium bank vaults, heroes who like guns, heroines who like ships, and former best friends still in love with each other after one kiss ten years ago, then this is for you.

I was just very taken aback that after they got married, the story didn’t really start. He made a horrible decision and ghosted her for a year and some change. I really thought the story was taking a different turn and then he locked himself up even more and it discouraged me. He didn’t even spend the first year with the baby and that made me SO SAD. Because he was super cute with her down the line but it took too long. I think I wanted something a little lighter.

Plus the villain was unsavory and annoying and I wish the main characters would’ve just talked everything out.

This was a fun story. I loved how tenacious Constance was in trying to pull Jonathan out of his self-imposed imprisonment and back into the current world. Jonathan had his reasons for locking himself away, but Constance supported him and loved him. With intrigue, secrets, and danger attempting to keep them apart, their love proved stronger. I enjoyed the story, though felt it dragged a bit in places, and recommend it.

I received an ARC through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review

This was an amazing book. Constance Lysander grew up an only child but she knew she would be taking over the family business. It was supposed to be Lysander and Son but it ended up just Lysander. Jonathan Sykeston is Constance's next door neighbor and they have been friends since they were little. The War Department had come calling and you don't refuse when you are an expert marksman and speak several languages. He was gone for over 10 years. and it was memories of her that got him through. He was injured and it he has become a recluse. Constance has now reached out for his help and he could not refuse. Now Constance and her daughter Aurelia have moved and the manor has never been the same. The period of adjustment to being married has kicked in. His leg is always in pain, which affects his temper. but patience and love has a way of changing everything. Evil tried to get in but a good swift kick has him waking up to fight for what he loves. I loved the ending!

Best friends in their youth and falling in love, Johathan goes to war as a sniper for England fighting against France. Constance and Jonathan exchange small tokens of their friendship and love. Now 10 years later, he is a recluse suffering from wounds he received in battle, reading Constance journal is the only reason he is still alive. Although even worst than the pain he is in is the rumor that he is a deserter. The only thing Jonathan pride’s himself in his honor and obeying the rules.
Constance is widowed, but finds herself in need of a hero. She is one of 3 wives and her baby is due any day. She sends a plead to Jonathan to marry her so that her child is not a bastard. He honors her request, but has nothing to offer her but his name. With the rumor of a court martial hanging over his head he needs to clear his name first or Constance with be an outcast along with him. So immediately after the wedding he heads home to Regina his dog and leaves Constance in London to recover from child birth.
There are matchmakers, good friends, a reputation to be restored and HEA to be found. Fast pace read, and several laugh out loud parts. I truly enjoyed reading this story of overcoming hardships and finding love.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #RulesforEngagingtheEarl

Such a wonderful story! A young couple in love are separated by war and circumstances. When they meet again, he is a disgraced war hero, facing court martial, and she has been ostracized by society for being married to a trigamist. When she realizes she is pregnant, she reaches out to her old friend for help. Marriage is them only way out for her and her daughter. What insues is pain, heartache and feelings of betrayal. It seems impossible for them to find their HEA. This story keeps you on the end if your seat hoping everything resolves. Worth the read any day.

The is the second book in a series. Three women found they were married to the same man. And they also found he stole their money. I really enjoyed the first book in this series. The characters are well developed

Constance was one of the wives who found that her late husband was a bounder. She was left expecting a baby. Jonathan was her best friend when they were children. She has asked him if he would marry her. She thinks if she is married when her baby is born, there will be less of a scandal.

Jonathan left when they were young to join the army as a sharpshooter. He was superb at his job. But, he was seriously injured and nearly lost a leg. Now he has issues with his limp. He believes that his injury has made him less of a man. He is also being threatened with a charge of treason. He has spent all his recent time sitting in his study and not connecting to anyone except a dog.

I wanted to like Jonathan more than I did.

Constance is capable of running her own business. She is smart and a good manager. The company is her inheritance and her employees respect her and hold her in affection.

But, Jonathan spends most of the book feeling sorry for himself. That got tiresome for me. He was a superstar marksman. He was loved by Constance when they were young, and now he seems to have forgotten all that. But, when he gets his act together he does make an impression

Constance is his best reminder of the fact Jonathan is a good man who deserves to be loved. And his dog would not love him so much if he were not a good guy.

Ms MacGregor is a wonderful creator of interesting characters. Constance, Jonathan, Aurelia, and North are each well rounced characters. They made me smile. This book has romance, humor and a villain who is really villainous.

I received this book from the publisher in the hope that I would write a fair and honest review. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

I love the premise of this series. Three women find out they have married the same man at the reading of his will. The first book was great and this one had some really nice moments. It started off strong and then dragged a bit. I liked Constance, but Jonathan drove me crazy. I enjoy a grumpy hero usually, but he came across as a jerk most of the time. I was also sad that Constance's Aunt Vee was barely in the book after how much I loved her in the first one. Still I'm definitely looking forward to Beth and Grayson's story!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows nicely from book 1 of The Widow Rules where we meet three women who were unknowingly married to the same man. In this one we follow Constance, who was left pregnant amidst the scandal, and who wants respectability for her baby. Her childhood friend Jonathan agreed to marry her.

In the years since they last met, Jonathan was badly injured and has become isolated and bitter. His world is pretty much centered on being miserable. While that annoyed me at times, because he was SO focused and cold, I kind of understood it at the same time. Plus, it helped that at the start of the book, Jonathan gave Constance a lovely speech about the man she should marry - and it melted my heart.

Constance was really the perfect woman for Jonathan - understanding, yet not a pushover.

And, I have to say, for me the English Mastiff Regina stole the show. I own a mastiff, and he's awesome, so of course I totally fell for Regina.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I'm excited for the next one because I want some answers about the overall story arc!

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book but it just felt too long and slow.
Rules for engaging the earl is a second chance romance.
Constance and Jonathon were childhood best friends. Jonathon left for was and constance married another man.
However it turns out she was one of 3 wives now she needs Jonathon to marry her so her child will not be a bastard.
I get what happened to Jonathon in the war and susquently with his commanding officer was difficult but I really didn't like how he acted for most of the book.
I also get that constance loved Jonathon but she just seemed weak and boring.
I might check out book 3 but this one just didn't land for me.

This beautifully written story grips at your heart strings. Jonathan and Constance were inseparable best friends growing up. Then Jonathan rocks their world by going away to war. He doesn’t return until ten long years later, as a wounded and broken shell of a man. Constance is now widowed with a little girl. She seeks his help and protection, asking him to marry her. You’d think they would pick up where they left off. Not so! They are both very different people by then, with lots of sorrow and trust issues in their background. It’s a long road to their HEA, but you can’t help but root for them to figure it out!

I read book 1 of the series and fell in love and didn't have to think twice about picking this one up. And I was definitely not disappointed! Constance and Jonathan were once good friends. They had feelings for each other back then, but then he went off to war. Before leaving he told her not to wait for him, not knowing whether or not he would return. Constance did what he asked and married another and now she is in need of help. She is pregnant and her late husband has left her with nothing with which she can support her child. Jonathan is back from the war, but with him he brings guilt and scars, both emotional and physical. He wants nothing to do with people or society, but when Constance comes to him with a proposal, he cannot deny her and they enter into a marriage of convenience. Those sparks that were once there between them are burning just as strong yet they both have secrets they are harboring and keep their distance under the misguided notion they are protecting each other. Ms. MacGregor did a spectacular job creating these characters. Not by any means perfect, these flawed characters stole my heart from the beginning and I became invested in their story. This was a brilliantly written book and I simply could not put it down. I will anxiously be waiting for the next installment to come out!
I received a complimentary copy from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I absolutely adored Constance and Jonathan's story.

This was an unforgettable exploration of what it means to accept someone with your whole heart. Even when they are flawed. Even when they have disappointed you. Even if they seem determined to push you away. Even if they are convinced they will never be worthy of your love.

The Earl of Sykeston was Constance's first kiss. When they parted ways many years ago, he left for the fields of France. He earned a reputation as an expert sniper and was an invaluable member of the English forces. Jonathan's legacy and future are now clouded by rumors and suspicion, and he doesn't want that cloud to darken the lives of those he loves. So even though Jonathan promised to do whatever Constance asked so long ago, and even though that long ago promise is the reason he married her, he keeps his distance with deception.

Constance never let go of her love for her childhood friend. He has become an enigmatic man she cannot look away from. She wants a true marriage and a true father for her daughter, and is determined to convince her infuriating, intriguing husband that they are each exactly what the other needs. She just has to get past his armor first.

A heartfelt thank you to the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Plot: 5 Stars
Character Development: 5 Stars
Steam Level: 4

We met Constance Lysander in book one of The Widow Rules series, A Duke in Time. As one of the wives of now deceased Meriwether, she was in a precarious situation. Not only did Meri marry two other women, he’d left Constance after a month of marriage and the conception of a child. Not wanting her child to be born out of wedlock, she reaches out to her childhood best friend and her true love, Jonathan, the Earl of Sykeston, for help. She had dreamed of marrying Jonathan for years, but now she desperately needed a husband. Only Jonathan will do.

Jonathan receives a letter from Constance asking for his hand in marriage. While he believes his war wounds will cause distinct problems in their marriage, he can’t deny his Constance anything. So he shows up with a special license ready to marry only to find out the babe has come and Constance was Meri’s legal wife. Therefore, the darling baby girl wasn’t illegitimate and Constance didn’t really need a husband. She still wanted Jonathan to be a husband to her and a father to her child. They go through with the wedding the next day which begins a journey to renew love after such terrible agony life has brought upon their heads.

I was excited to read this novel to learn Constance’s fate after reading the first book in the series. I fell in love with the pessimistic Jonathan from the very start. He was wounded in battle when he was shot in the leg multiple times. He almost lost the leg, but refused to give it up. Now he lives in pain and seclusion on his estate and for his first year of marriage he lives there without his wife and her daughter. I could feel his pain drip from the pages. I also recall yelling at him quite a few times for being a stubborn ass.

There are a few time jumps in this novel, but believe me, they are good for the story. We get to see Constance settled as a mother and her daughter a year into her life. Once Jonathan goes to the whimpering girl in the night, the two fall in love, and the bond of father and daughter begins. It takes Constance and Jonathan a while longer to resolve the threats to Constance’s business and the threat of a court martial for Jonathan, but once they learn of each others secrets, the fight for their love is truly tested.

You know MacGregor wouldn’t leave us without a happily ever after. Jonathan and Constance trek though so much to earn their true happiness. The journey is worth it in the end and I was so thrilled to read another five star novel from Janna MacGregor. If you’re in the mood for a courageous heroine, a surly hero, a meddling butler, a sweet baby girl, missing dowries, and a dastardly villain, Rules for Engaging the Earl is the novel for you. Now that Kat and Constance have found love, I’m eager to read if Beth will be able to find love with a certain Marquess in the next installment of The Widow Rules series.

I received Rules for Engaging the Earl (The Widow Rules, #2) for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It was not a conventional marriage. Constance was left a pregnant widow and now that she has a child, she believes she wants a husband and father for her child. Even though they haven't seen each other in a decade, she asked her longtime friend Jonathan to marry her. Surprisingly, he agrees. Sadly, this marriage does not bring what Constance hoped for. It becomes obvious, there is work to be done. Much work. Can Constance convince this troubled man that she wants to be his wife in every way?

Everything about this story is appealing. The dialogue is often witty. The characters are delightful including the one with four legs. The protagonists are clearly defined. Constance is a strong woman who knows what she wants and deserves. Jonathan is a victim of his injuries and does not feel he is worthy of Constance. The author brings to readers a beautiful and sensitive description of a relationship.

Well plotted and engaging, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A story of love lost and then found again. Deep emotion, strong feelings, angst and hope for healing pull this story into a well penned tale as Janna does so well..

After the first story in this series, I was very interested in finding out what would happen to the other two ladies who had been duped by a scoundrel. Constance was left pregnant after he "husband" died and felt a need to get married right away and she calls on her childhood sweetheart and friend she had never forgotten.

Jonathan had been through so much from the war and felt he could never be the husband she needed. Plus he had a lot of deep wounds and darkness hanging over him.

Such a heart wrenching story that will make you sigh as you turn the last page!

The truest advice in life for happiness, marry your best friend. Though their marriage had a very rocky beginning, having their friendship at the heart of it gave them an endearing strength. Jonathan & Constance truly grow on your heart. When a persons self-worth is damaged it can be so hard to feel deserving of love. This is the battle that Jonathan has to face as he battles all the doubts he gained after the wars. Despite his love for Constance, he can’t help but try to push her and everyone else away. Thankfully, Constance’s strength and will are stronger than his and she proves love repeatedly. The shining light for me in this story is of course' the butler. I have always said the butler is the most underrated character in a romance, Mr.North’s love and loyalty for Jonathan is heartwarming. He is more of a father, uncle figure who not only cares, but guides and knocks sense into him when needed. His outspoken devotion had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. This was a lovely story, with heat, passion and undying love & devotion.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is the second book in the 'Widow Rules' series. I am really loving this series! The first book brought us the story of three women unknowingly married to the same man, later after his death discovering which marriage was legal. This next book brings us the next love story with all three women, Katherine, Constance and Beth having become best friends and family supporting one another.

We see the story of Constance and Jonathan begins as having grown up together being good friends promising to be there for one another. Now, ten years later, she is desperate for his help. Jonathan is told that Constance needs him and he arrives to help her.

After being injured in the line of duty, he has withdrawn from everyone to his estate. But when Constance asks him to marry her, there is no way he can refuse. But this marriage will not be what Constance had in mind. Jonathan will not be the man she remembers. Constance will do everything in her power to bring him back.

I really liked this story. It can be a stand alone but the first is so good as it sets up for the series wonderfully. Constance is a strong character but filled with love you can't help but root for her to get everything she desires.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is the second book in the delightful Widow Rules series that features three women who were all married to the same scoundrel, at the same time! Constance is the second widow of Lord Meriwether; however, in the previous book the group discovered that first marriage wasn’t legal and never consummated, so Constance is the actual widow. While that may make her unborn child legitimate, she still has no money and no father for her baby.

Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston, and Constance were best friends growing up, but after his time away with the military and his permanent disability, Jonathan has secluded himself from the world. When Constance asks that he marry her, he cannot say no, but he plans to keep her far away in order to protect her from his past and a dismal future.

Rules for Engaging the Earl is a delightful friends-to-lovers romance. The story is a journey of healing both physical and emotional scars. Jonathan and Constance both hold heavy burdens in their hearts. She was married to the wrong man who brings shame to her and her baby. He is physically injured and worries about a court-marshal. Together they find the strength to forgive themselves and heal. I enjoyed watching the pair grow close, especially when they would make mistakes and have to rebuilding some of their trust. It helps that they knew each other long before and were once so close.

I love that we continue to see the support of the found-family of the three widows; how they love one another and continue to help each other. I enjoyed seeing the group get closer to solving the mystery of what did Meriwether did with their dowries.

In the end, Rules for Engaging the Earl is a fun story. I enjoyed just sitting back and taking it in. I loved seeing the romance develop and watching the pair heal from their scars.

My Rating: B+

This story had the most unusual premise.The heroine is about to give birth to his cheating husband's baby.The said husband is not only dead albeit has more wives .Baffling ,isn't it. It gets interesting. The wives form an unlikely friendship.
Now our Strong heroine Constance needs a husband as per society norms, enters our hero Johnathan ,her childhood friend.
So many tropes we have friends to lovers, beauty and the Beast, marriage of convenience.
Some situations were outright funny some heartwarming.
The Bond and chemistry between the leads was amazing.
That fall in love gradually and beautifully.
Both the characters were immensely likeable.
Loved this story .

The second book in The Widow Rules follows Constance Lysander, the first wife of the philandering Lord Meriwhether. Constance and Jonathan , Earl of Sykeston, were childhood friends. They lost touch when Constance married and Jonathan went to war. They reunite and are married, but all is not well. The Earl was injured in the war and doesn't leave his home. After the wedding he hides from Constance, but his butler writes her a series of letters that keeps the romance alive. You are rooting for them both to find the love they shared in their youth. The book does a good job of weaving in the romance, along with Constance's business interests and her search for the dowries that her late husband took when he married her and the other two women. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book and seeing the final wife find her happiness.