He didn't think she would see her again and definitely not as his new agent. Derek didn't want anything to do with Nora especially after the fact that she broke up with him cold as ice but as his current agent is recovering he has no other choice.
Nora cannot believe that as a rookie sports agent her first client is none other than Derek Pender, football star AND her ex boyfriend from college. She pleas and pleas to accept her and give her a shot but it keeps going down from there.

Derek and Nora definitely had their pros and cons. Derek was very focused. He wanted nothing more than to be able to be given the chance to play football again. Caring and selfless and looked out for the best of others.
Nora was witty, definitely took the seriousness and put in her own humor. She was able to make everyone smile and likeable. But she needs to be more professional as an agent. She was a strong independent woman and very forthcoming.
Derek and her complimented each other very well as he seemed more serious and she broke the ice any chance she got. I loved them together but I think the story line was very scattered. The Vegas night was just random to me so I felt it was rushed to put in the story. I felt that some of the story seemed out of place.

Summary: Nora Mackenzie finally has the break her career as a sports agent needed. The only problem, her first client is her college ex-boyfriend, Derek Pender. And of course, Nora didn't end their relationship very gracefully so Derek has been holding onto his grudge and he knows just the way to soothe it. Despite his plan to exact his revenge and get her to quit, they end up in bed together, married, after a wild night in Vegas. What will happen between the two of them now that their rule book is out the window?

Dani’s Thoughts: Well this just became my favorite Sarah Adams book!! I loved the history shared between Derek and Nora that even after their many, many years apart has not faded. Accidental Vegas wedding is a favorite trope of mine, and this one did not disappoint, especially once Derek decided to put his revenge ways behind him. It was fun seeing all of my favorites from The Cheat Sheet and how their lives have changed over the last 2 years. The group really was there for Derek to help sort through his feelings, and in turn, Nora was able to have a great group around her as well. Highly suggest reading The Cheat Sheet first, but this can be read as a standalone.

4.5 ⭐️ I love Sarah Adams! She is able to create fast paced books that you can’t put down! The relationship was amazing and I kept coming back to read more about it. If you have read any her books before definitely pick this one up too! I will be continuing to read more.

I laughed. I cried. I genuinely had the best time reading this book! I couldn’t put it down once I started and became quickly invested in these characters and their love story!

Derek & Nora and their relationship are the perfect combination of sweet, sexy, and quirky! While there was a lot of levity in this book, there was depth and emotion, too, which is exactly what I look for in a romantic comedy.

This was my first time reading work by Sarah Adams, and I can’t wait to read more!

You’ll love this book if you enjoy:
Second Chance Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Revenge/Rivalry
Sports Romance
Athlete x Sports Agent
Marriage of Convenience
Romantic Comedy

3.5⭐️

•••

I was hooked from the very first chapter because it ended in a cliffhanger and I couldn’t stop reading. Then this whole revenge plot happened which I didn’t really like, I thought I’d was childish, but thankfully it dissolved pretty quickly.

This book was so funny. It had me laughing out loud so many times, especially at scenes featuring Derek’s friend group, I love them.

Nora and Derek had some of the funniest banter. They have a complex history with each other and throughout the book more and more secrets were I’m revealed and OHMYGOD. I can’t say much without spoiling but when that table side drawer thing got revealed it was just 🥹🥹

Also the Derek’s pants mystery thing was also so funny. There were so many small things in this book that just made the book much more enjoyable.

I need to begin my saying this is my first read by this author, and I absolutely love the way she did her author’s note and content warning. I love that it lets us readers know exactly what we are dealing with and lets us know where to skip if sexy time makes us uncomfortable. This will for sure not be my last book by this author.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes (I must admit I’m a big trope girly). There are so many tropes in this book that are done to perfection. I think all of my favorites were included and not in a cheesy way.

I enjoyed reading from Nora and Derek’s points of view, it always makes the story more emotion filled to me. Nora is so quirky it’s easy to connect to, and they both get so petty it’s hilarious. I loved their banter and their connection in general.

I can’t wait to read this authors back log. Her writing style made it so easy to fly through and enjoy the story and characters. It was such a fluffy read with a bit of seriousness thrown in, I couldn’t help but love it.

I love everything Sarah Adams and have been waiting for this since she announced it!!

Derek and Nora did not disappoint. They dated in college and Derek thought Nora was the one, only for her to dump him randomly and then not see each other for years.

When Derek gets assigned a new agent, he is expecting Mac. Not Nora, his ex-girlfriend who he is painfully still in love with.

This book was so good. Derek was making Nora jump through all these hoops hoping she would quit as his agent, but a drunken night in Vegas changes everything. When they wake up married, they decide to save her job and get a handle on the press they’ll stay married for as long as it takes. But the longer they stay married, the more they both realize it’s what they want.

Will they be able to come out unscathed? Or will it end in heartbreak all over again?

OUT NOW!!!!

This was the first book that I got through NetGalley! I was so excited since I love Sarah’s previous books and was not surprised by how great this one was also. I read the whole thing overnight, I went to start the book and by the time I finished it was 3 am but I just didn’t want to put it down. I’m a sucker for second chance romance and witty characters like Nora. Their silly banter had me excited to keep reading. Definitely a feel good funny and quirky book that has you rooting for them from the start. Can’t wait to see what Sarah Adam’s releases next!

Omg to die for!! I loveeee Sarah Adams work so much! This just fed the addiction and now I need more!! If you haven’t preordered your copy yet, you better RUN to get yours now!

4.75 Stars— cheers to a spicy Sarah Adams book because it’s exactly what I was hoping for. Sarah’s books are always heavy on the com in romcom and this book continues an amazing connected series that does just that.

Nora and Derek are college sweethearts who broke up. Fast forward to Nora, going professionally as Mac, just realized her first client as a full-time agent is Derek. I love that Derek tried to hype himself up to “ignore” her or get over her. It was cute, funny, and felt so realistic. I loved how cooky Nora was. I know she is a ton of fun.

The pining/mutual fumbling through a drunken wedding was banter perfection. I also loved watching how their marriage was a turning point for them in being honest with each other.

Another Sarah Adams classic.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

The Rule Book has:
- second chance romance
- grumpy x sunshine
- forced proximity
- sports romance (NFL x Agent)
- fake(ish) marriage
- dual POV

Nora and Derek were such an enjoyable couple.
A perfect spring romcom!

what a lovely book! i adored sarah adams' the cheat sheet so getting to meet the sharks again, read more of their dynamics, and watch derek's story unfold was such a treat. the second-chance romance trope is one of my beloved favorites and it's done phenomenally here. nora and derek's relationship was so interestingly written. the raw emotions they felt were written in a way that felt real. it almost felt like nora, derek, and the rest of derek's friend group were actual people and i was watching it unfold myself. nora and derek's personalities were so different from each other's' but simultaneously found a middle ground, which made their relationship shine. some of the parts did draw on for a little longer than i'd like (and the back and forth on the relationship did bother me, personally) but by no means does that completely ruin my enjoyment of this book! i've truly missed this group of friends and i was so excited to see more of them (and now here i am hoping for a second-gen series of sorts). thank you to netgalley and and random house publishing group for kindly providing me with an arc!

I have to say, The Rule Book really surprised me. I feel like these two were so relatable and their story could be almost anybody’s story.

Nora and Derek dated in college and their breakup was less than ideal. Basically, Nora broke his heart and that was that. It’s a classic case of the right person at the wrong time.

The two are thrust back together years later when Derek is set to make his return to professional football after a devastating ankle injury. Who ends up being his new agent? Yep, Nora.

Can these two figure out a way to work together to get Derek’s career back on track?

Thank you so much to Penguin Randomhouse and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nora and Derek had the perfect relationship in college, when out of nowhere Nora ends it leaving Derek bitter and broken hearted. Nora regrets what happened back then and has always wondered what could have happened is she had not ended things with him. Years later both are doing what they love, he is a pro football player and she is a sports agent. Nora is finally given her big break, signing a famous athlete. Unfortunately for her Derek is the athlete that could launch her career and help her prove that she has what it takes. She is determined to make it work, and prove to him that she is great at her job despite their past. Derek on the other hand is going to make Nora’s life a living hell until she quits!! Along the way there is some excellent banter, competitive hi jinx, an accidental marriage and a lengthy rule book that the couple must adhere to.

This was a really fun read. I have always enjoyed Sarah’s books but they are always just a little too sweet and too perfect. This one had a lot more to it. I enjoyed the couples chemistry, the sexual tension, their friendship and all of the hurdles that they faced. It was written so well and had so much more depth than her other books.

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Ballantine eARC
I am heartbroken to be writing this review because I just really didn't like this one by Adams, and I've absolutely loved her other works. 😭 For starters, I did enjoy the woman sports agent aspect. I love seeing women in the sports world. I liked how Nora fought for Derek to get him the best endorsements possible. I'm also a fan of sports romance because I am a woman that enjoys watching sports. Nora's one liners, though, took me out of the story. At first, I thought it was funny, but by the end of the book I wanted more emotional depth and less deflection from her. Derek's payback in the beginning felt immature and made me not want to root for him. I thought the depth of emotions were good, but I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. Everything here should've worked for me, and I am so sad that it didn't. I am still excited to see her on tour in St. Louis. I am hoping hearing her talk about the book makes me appreciate it more. I will still be auto-buying because I love her work and know that the issues with this one are mine.

Football star Derek has suffered a major injury and is staring down rumors his team might dump him over it, so losing his agent at the same time he’s trying to boost his image and rehab is ankle was not ideal. Good news - he has a referral to potentially great new agent, less good news - surprise - it’s his college ex girlfriend Nora aka the one who got away.
Nora needs this deal in order to cement her place in the agency, in a business that is not particularly supportive of women. She’s more than ready to work towards convincing him to make this work for them.

As awkward as this could be, they do agree to try working together. In the spirit of moving past their history and keeping things professional they make a notebook of rules to keep everything on the up and up.
But as everyone knows rules are made to be broken (and that’s when things get interesting!)
The first big “whoopsie” being an accidental drunken wedding when they travel to Vegas to shoot ads for a new endorsement. You’ll have to read for yourself to see where it goes from there!

It was great seeing the other characters from The Cheat Sheet again, and how their lives are progressing. Even better how they all choose to go about helping.

This was a great second chance romance, a case of the right people at the wrong time the first go round finally finding their way together. I am a sucker for mutual pining, and they were off the charts with it. I also love a fake relationship, this one escalated to marriage. And, well maybe it wasn’t fake so much as accidental? But there’s still the time where it isn’t real like they’re letting on, so I think it qualifies.

An argument can be made that the story is predictable. The pining so obvious on both their parts so obvious it should have been visible from space, let alone by the object of said pining. And it such an easy guess what the mystery item in his nightstand was.
But guess what? I don’t even care.
Even when a happy ending is a given, it’s still delightful watching how they get there.

This was exactly the lightness I needed after a couple heavier reads, and I can absolutely see myself reading the duology again when I need another pick me up

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the arc!

Oh my goodness! I absolutely loved this adorable football romance!

When Nora’s given her first chance to have her own client as a sports agent, nothing prepares her for that client to be her college ex-boyfriend, the talented Derek Pender from the L.A. Sharks. And to make matters worse, he hasn’t gotten over how she abruptly ended things in college. With her career hanging in the balance, she’s determined to make a professional relationship work with Derek, even when it’s evident that he’s making every effort to get her to quit. She has no idea that Derek never got over her, and is now torn between wanting to be with her and never trusting her again. A crazy night in Las Vegas leads to a rollercoaster of events that force them to reckon with their past and face the possibility of a future.

Nora’s personality is endearing and full of spunk. She knows who she is and what she wants, and I loved her throughout the book. I also enjoyed how she and Derek interacted throughout this novel. The reasons for their breakup are realistic, and their banter throughout the novel is genuine. As a former educator, I loved the dyslexia rep in this novel. It’s so often overlooked, and I’m glad that it was brought to the forefront in this novel. The romantic tension is fantastic and well-paced.

Overall, I highly recommend this book!!!

Read if you love:
-sports romance
-football
-enemies to lovers
-dual POV
-second chance romance
-(accidental) marriage of convenience
-open door (one bed)
-dyslexia rep
-solid friendships

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine | Dell for this eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by Sarah Adams but won’t be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed The Rule Book! Nora cracked up me up during the whole book. I loved her quick, witty personality! The way she didn’t give up really spoke to me.

I liked getting the duo point of view. Getting into Derek’s head with what he was thinking and feeling made it easy to like him. To love him!

A cute, heart felt story that I would recommend!

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

I'm surprised I wound up enjoying this so much as the early chapters were not promising. Because here's the thing I'm starting to notice about BookTok sensations - there seem to be a lot of romances with very adult content but YA-style writing. Here there was a teenage Dear Diary quality to a lot of the narration that I found incredibly grating.

Fortunately the two leads have stellar chemistry and a really nice depth to their relationship development that overshadowed any traits I found obnoxious. Move over fake dating - fake married is the new trope to beat.

What a cute and quirky story! I’ve always enjoyed Adam’s books, and she creates such fun dynamics between the characters. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure this was going to be a win initially, I didn’t enjoy the initial interactions, but once I got a few chapters in I completely binged the story! Loved Nora and Derek together, and the progression of their second chance, plus all of the wonderful friends and side characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!