REVIEW: Breaking the Bad Boy’s Rules by Reese Ryan

In Breaking the Bad Boy’s Rules by Reese Ryan, drummer Vaughn Reed has inherited a run-down ranch he had worked on as a teen. His goal is to renovate the ranch and use the money he gets from it to fund reuniting his band. He expects his childhood friend to renovate the ranch, however, it’s his friend’s younger sister, Alejandra “Allie” Price, who walks in.

Allie always had a thing for Vaughn, and now that he’s back, she’s realized that her feelings have never changed. Vaughn makes his plans clear to Allie, but she’s willing to still take a chance on him. Vaughn had no plans of staying in Willowvale after the renovations were completed, but will Allie be able to change his mind?

This is the third book in the Dynasties: Willowvale series, each book focusing on a man who receives an inheritance from Hank, who owned the properties the men worked at when they were younger. There are some brief appearances/mentions of characters from the other books, but it can be read as a standalone.

Vaughn is an interesting character. His band imploded because of his divorce from the lead singer’s sister, who had accused Vaughn of doing things he didn’t do. It felt like he never stood up for himself against the allegations, yet it’s never clear why. Allie, however, immediately recognized that Vaughn would never do what he was accused of, yet his friend/bandmate/brother-in-law, didn’t recognize the lies. It feels like he wants the bad back together more for the sense of family that it gave him, rather than the fact he enjoyed playing in the band.

Allie, for most of the book, is a strong character who doesn’t back down from anyone, including her own family. She stands up for Vaughn when no one else does. She believes in him when no one else does. There is one moment though where she isn’t quite as strong, and it felt like a deviation from how she had been for most of the book. It felt like that was thrown in to create a little bit of drama, as most of the book had been drama-free.

There are some things that felt glossed over, which left me with questions. One of the biggest was how did Vaughn and Steven, the band’s lead singer, get back together? Did Steven realize his sister had lied? A big portion of the book was about Vaughn’s determination to get the band back together, but when there’s a chance that it may happen, everything happens off the pages and is just mentioned in a tiny section of the epilogue. Another question I had was did Allie’s family, who had been like a family to Vaughn his whole life, ever apologize for the way they treated him after rumors broke out about him? That wasn’t addressed at all.

Despite being left with some questions, I enjoyed the book overall. With well-written and interesting characters, Breaking the Bad Boy’s Rules is a book romance readers will enjoy.

Book Info:

Publication: November 28, 2023 | Harlequin Desire | Dynasties: Willowvale #3

He vowed never to mix business and pleasure again—but then she walked in.Rock star drummer Vaughn Reed no longer has a band, just a run-down ranch resort he unexpectedly inherited. Transforming it into an upscale getaway could be his ticket to raising funds and reuniting his band. But the top-notch designer he hired—who’s also his best friend’s sister—may be more than he bargained for. Alejandra “Allie” Price is all grown-up and tempting him to break his all-work-no-play rule…until a steamy fling and rumors splashed across the internet threaten his reputation. Vaughn refuses to allow his dream to implode a second time. But will it cost him Allie?