Abrams masterfully pairs the cracking pace of a thriller with the tenderness of a romance.

Full review for Booklist Aug issue.

This is my first book by this author and it certainly won't be my last one. Rules of Engagement is a thrilling and intriguing romantic suspense novel that will keep you glued to the pages right till the very end.

Having never read anything by this author before, I wasn't 100% sure what I was getting myself into and I have to say I was surprised in the best possible way. This story is well-written and intriguing. It hit the ground running and captured my interest immediately. The chemistry between Raleigh and Adam was palpable and lept off of the page. I loved their banter and the pull between them and totally dug the enemies to lovers vibe.

Rule of Engagement is so much more than a romance. It's a story filled with danger and intrigue. It will leave you wondering who is telling the truth and who can be trusted. I loved the mystery, the suspense, and of course, the romance.

All in all, I thought this was a great read and am really glad to have checked it out. I'm looking forward to discovering more books from this author in the future.

This book isn't my type and I'm not going to read it. I'm sorry I asked for it. Maybe next time...

Ok, I liked the plot and idea, but the actual story felt chaotic. I am not sure if it was the writing or editing, but there were many times I felt a bit confused by the story. Things bounced back and forth, and there were a lot of extra descriptors that felt unnecessary.

I also didn’t quite but into the relationship between Raleigh and Adam. They hated each other but were also in love?

Basically, this was just enough to keep me engaged and wanting to know the end. But it wasn’t the best.

This fast-paced thriller/romance is definitely a page-turner, but I found both the hero and heroine a bit idealized and portrayed almost as superheroes. There is very strong chemistry between them, but the way the story is written, with often abrupt changes in point of view, makes it a bit of a challenge to follow what's going on and who is narrating what's happening. On the whole it's decent, but nothing terribly remarkable.

In this volatile cocktail of emotion and intrigue, two U.S. agents of the International Security Agency are reunited to infiltrate a terrorist organization and recover a high-tech device that has fallen into enemy hands. Their cover as a power couple is complex to say the least. Agents Adam Grayson and Raleigh Foster, already have a romantic history, an intense emotional connection that had ended abruptly three years ago during a bombing. Now, back in action and very much alive, this new mission becomes a battle of wills and self-control, as the two close in on the truth. Abrams delivers lots of intense dialog in a plot fraught with danger and deception. Just when you think you know, you don’t know.

Several years ago Dr. Raleigh Foster and Adam Grayson were both ISA agents apart of a mission that went wrong. So wrong in fact that Adam's best friend ended up dead and the fledgling relationship between the two was destroyed as he held Raleigh partially to blame. While Adam left to become the CEO of an environmental technology agency, Raleigh stayed behind to continue pursuing justice on behalf of the United States. Now though, her mentor and partner is dead and the terrorist group Scimitar has stolen lethal technology that could threaten new peace treaties between African countries and the health of the world. The only man who can help her infiltrate Scimitar is Adam and he'll have to pose as her lover. But, can Adam work with the woman he believes is responsible for his best friend's death? Can Raleigh trust a man who walked away in her moment of need? In order to survive, the two will have to overcome lives filled with secrets and make themselves vulnerable to those that could hurt them the most.

I don't typically read romantic suspense novels, but this one caught my attention and had me on a reading rampage. I loved the dynamic between Raleigh and Adam, the tension is instantaneous and just grows more over time until we hit a tipping point. If they weren't two secret agents with orders and rules to follow I would have been more frustrated with their inability to communicate, but it works here. I will say Adam can hold a grudge that has him lashing out a lot and that got a little old...but being inside both their heads you know where he is coming from and why Raleigh plays it cool for so long. It took me a little bit to hit a stride with the changing narrators. I did read an ARC copy of this from NetGalley and hope that in publication, some of the narration changes are cleared up a bit with formatting. By the time you are a couple chapters in, readers will understand the rhythm and each voice is quite distinctive, but it all ran together a bit in the digital ARC I read. Clearer delineation between narrators and a little more spice would have bumped this up a star for me, but overall still a really enjoyable read that I will be recommending.

I was disappointed by Rules of Engagement by Selena Montgomery’s (Stacey Abram) novel. This genre isn’t my usual fare but I’ve read enough to judge that this book does not rise above the pack. The writing is clear, but the plot and the romance seemed rather ordinary to me. Although the book did not hold my interest, and despite my temptation, I stuck with it til the end, which was completely expected. I plan to stick with her legal/political thrillers, the first of which I read I enjoyed thoroughly. However, fans of the genre will welcome Rules of Engagement eagerly.

Stacey Abrams, writing as Selena Montgomery, sets the stage for intrigue and adventure featuring Dr. Raleigh Foster, a top-secret intelligence operative, and Adam Grayson, who blames himself--and Dr. Foster--for his best friend's death. The two are thrown together by the intelligence organization to infiltrate a terrorist group, and as the two work together, sparks fly!

Romantic Suspense with a little more romance than suspense. The story is interesting, both in the past and in the present. I picked this book for Stacey Abrams, but fully understand why she writes under a pseudonym. I think I prefer the Stacey Abrams books.

Romantic suspense is not really my preferred subgenre of Romance, but I think fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy this. I could picture it as an action movie or tv show with a strong romantic subplot. It had action, intrigue, suspense, and a ton of sexual tension. I appreciated that the main characters had history so that this wasn't insta-love, although I wish that history had been explored a little more fully.

Rules of Engagement
by Stacy Abrams; Selena Montgomery
Pub Date: September 6, 2022
Berkely
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Rules of Engagement is a suspenseful romance novel by Stacey Abrams writing under her pen name Selena Montgomery. Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment to me. I found myself skipping the romance scenes, and it was a bit slow for me.
3 stars

'Rules of Engagement' is a suspenseful romance novel by Stacey Abrams writing under her pen name Selena Montgomery. As the book begins at an elite dinner party in Atlanta, we meet Dr. Raleigh Foster who is scoping out Adam Grayson. When they meet, the attraction is immediately mutual and Adam feels like he knows her from somewhere in his past but can't quite put his finger on it. Eventually the reader learns that they worked together on a mission for a secret spy agency on a mission that went south and killed Adam's best friend. Like all good romance novels, their attraction grows as they are forced to work together although they don't trust one another. Immensely readable, this had more romantic interludes than the suspense novels I'm used to reading. This is a highly entertaining book for those who crave suspense in multiple ways as they read..

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
First I've read by this author though I was aware of her reputation as a romance writer.
I was disappointed that the romance/relationship is at the center. While there is plenty of action and intrigue, it all goes back to the romance. Well written and readable, it was still a disappointment.