REVIEW: My Rules by T.L. Swan

In My Rules by T.L. Swan, Rebecca Dalton could not be more thankful for her great group of friends, who all happen to be her neighbors on Kingston Lane. One person in particular, Blake Grayson, has been a godsend after her breakup with her husband John a year ago. He’s the best friend she’s ever had. And that’s why Rebecca is a bit freaked out when she starts looking at Blake in a decidedly different way–as a man, not her bestie. There’s no disputing the fact that the pediatric surgeon is gorgeous. But he’s a player when it comes to dating. Definitely not what Rebecca needs after the disaster that was her marriage. But when Blake offers to coach her when she enters the dating field again, now that might be useful. He can weed out the sketchier guys and make sure she’s safe. It’s just too bad Rebecca spends each of their double dates wishing it was her and Blake together instead of the guy sitting next to her.

“This isn’t what I thought my life would be,” I whisper. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this. I don’t want to be a divorcee.”
“I know,” he says softly.
“And you’re completely right. I am a train wreck.”
He smiles against me. “I may have exaggerated the train wreck part…but in my defense, you did call me one first.”

Blake has pushed aside his insane attraction to Rebecca for too long to even remember now. He knows that what the good as gold kindergarten teacher needs is some self-care and friendly advice when she begins dating again. Even though it nearly tears him apart, Blake goes out on the stupid double dates, watching Rebecca flirt and smile at another guy. Pretty soon, he has to admit he can’t stand much more. He knows it’s time to either make a move or distance himself from her for a while. The worst part, though, is worrying about losing their friendship if Blake admits his feelings to Rebecca. It’s something that means the world to him. But after watching his best friend Henley find true love with Juliet and seeing them build a future together, how can he not want to at least give that a try with Rebecca?

‘I put my lips to her forehead as I hold her. She’s warm and sensual and feels perfect in my arms. Like a luxury that I could never afford. With my lips resting against her skin, I close my eyes and pretend that she’s mine.’

The second book in T.L. Swan’s Kingston Lane series, MY RULES, had all the spicy friends to lovers goodness a reader could want. Add in some hilarious dialogue, nosy neighbors, and more time with the previous book’s couple, and Swan has herself a solid follow up.

“Baby…I haven’t even started with the things I’m going to do to you.”

You can count on T.L. Swan to bring the drama, the laughs, and the heat in her books. MY RULES kicked all of that up a notch and took things in an angsty direction I wasn’t expecting–although I should have, knowing how much she loves to put her characters through their paces! I think it will be readers who love over the top arguments and theatrics who will lose themselves in Rebecca and Blake’s romance. I was definitely engrossed in it from the first page. Particularly because even if I don’t like a choice or action one of them makes (Blake!! Twice!!), I know that Swan is setting them up to eventually get to the right place to be able to handle the situation better. And that growth in her characters? It’s everything.

Close friends and neighbors, Blake and Rebecca had the kind of simmering attraction and special bond that meant every one of their friends just knew they would end up together. They were the only ones who couldn’t see it. But perma-bachelor Blake and good girl schoolteacher Rebecca about a year past her marriage ending were afraid to step out of the friend zone. And for good reason. I thought they were so much fun together as friends and could see why they wouldn’t want to lose that. Over time, though, no matter what they did, their attraction only grew. It got complicated. (Of course) And it didn’t look good for a while, but Swan pulled in those sweepingly romantic scenes we all love with just enough heat and levity to make it work perfectly.

MY RULES can be read as a standalone but I think reading book one, My Temptation, first would be best so you can get the full dynamics of the crew that lives on Kingston Lane. And oh my word were they an eclectic, fun bunch of people. Blake and his friends/neighbors Henley and Antony together were ridiculously entertaining through the entirety of the story. But that teaser ending! Antony will have his turn next, and it sounds like he’s going to have an emotional roller coaster of a time.

QOTD: In a series where books are connected, do you like running jokes or part of a storyline that continues in each one?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: September 17th, 2024 | Montlake | Kingston Lane

Lover meets player—by the bestselling author of the Miles High Club series.

It started with a list.

Tired of meeting nightmares, I decided to study the dos and don’ts of dating.

And who better to help me with my master list than the king of red flags himself?

Blake Grayson—neighbor, friend, mischief maker, and player extraordinaire.

He knows how to spot a playboy from a mile away. He is the prime example, after all.

So when he offers to help me avoid Mr. Wrong by sharing what to look for, I have no choice but to take him up on it.

We start a game.

He will become my wingman, and I’ll become his.

He coaches me through my singledom, while I go on his journey of play.

We double-date, eat ice cream at midnight, and laugh.

Boy, do we laugh…

But while I watch every woman he meets fall madly in love with him, I stumble across a major I know exactly why they fall.

Because I can feel it too.

His charm is intoxicating, and damn it, the man is addictive as drugs.

But it’s not happening. I won’t let it.

I’m not that gullible young girl anymore.

Blake will never settle down, and I know in my heart he’s not the man for me.

I have one go at this second chance of happiness, and I am not going to mess it up.

This time, I play by my rules.

Even if he won’t.