REVIEW: The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy

The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy: Diana is living her best life, with her dance competition just around the corner and juggling two jobs, she is pretty busy. Which is why coming home at the end of the day is always the best part for her, well that is until hockeys very own Casanova, Shane Lindley, moves in next door to her. If having her safe haven invaded wasn’t annoying enough, Shane has decided to make it his mission to date half her cheer squad, well this behaviour just wont fly with Diana, its time for her to lay down the law, the Dixon rules to be exact, to bad Shane is determined to push each one of Diana’s buttons in the process. After being in a long term relationship for so long Shane can’t help but feel a bit lost, which is why when Diana suggests that they posse as a couple to help get her ex off her back, Shane jumps at the idea. Maybe seeing him settle down will give his own ex the push to come running back to him? The only problem with their well crafted plan being neither of them expected to develop some rather real feelings for each other along the way… question now is can these two take their fake relationship and turn it into a real one?

I just loved reading The Dixon Rules, this book was the perfect combination of sports romance, fake dating and a dash of will they or wont they angst. There was nothing not to love about this book, not only was the story catchy and engaging but I also loved all the banter and sass that sparked between Diana and Shane.

Diana was an interesting leading lady, at first she might come across as a bit much to handle but the more we got to know her the easier it became to love her character. For all her tough exterior she was actually a really softie at heart, one of the things I loved the most about her character was her sassy nature. I do have to say my heart really went out to her when it came to dealing with her ex boyfriend, this whole situation just proved what a strong lady she was. Now for our hero Shane, well it was hard to find fault with him. I loved the fact that he was a relationship kind of guy, he knew he thrived with a partner and he genuinely wanted to find someone to share his time with. It was rather interesting getting to see the after effects of a break up from a guys perspective and getting to see Shane realize that the hook up life just wasn’t for him. This only made me love getting to see his relationship with Diana grow all the more, his adoration and respect for her was clear right off the bat and I love getting to see him prove this to her.

Gosh the banter in this book was just top notch! I loved the back and forth between Diana and Shane, these two just had a spark that was addictive to read. I loved that Diana kept Shane on his toes and that he actually really liked this about her personality. While these two might have started out as fake there was absolutely nothing fake about their chemistry or the sparks that bounced off them. There was a really good balance between the steam factor and the emotional build up with this couple that made following them a bit more real and enjoyable. One of the things that I really liked about this book was the that they didn’t really have a third act break up but it was more of a life happened kind of thing and we got to see them deal with the aftermath of this and prove the strength of their connection.

The Dixon Rules is a total must read, this book was the perfect combination of hockey romance meets fake dating. I loved every single moment of reading this book, I can not wait to see who is the next couple in this series!

Book Info:

Publication: May 14, 2024 | Bloom Books | Campus Diaries #2

Diana Dixon has a lot going on this summer. She’s rehearsing for a ballroom dance competition, juggling two jobs, and dealing with an ex-boyfriend who can’t take the hint it’s over. Yet despite all that, she still has plenty of time and energy to tell Shane Lindley to screw off.

Shane just moved into her apartment building and seems dedicated to sleeping his way through her entire cheerleading squad. Sure, he’s a tall, gorgeous hockey player, but he’s messing with her turf. This calls for some ground rules: no parties in her apartment, leave her teammates alone, and—most importantly—leave her alone.

What Diana doesn’t realize is that Shane’s sick of hookups and tired of being on the rebound after his long-term girlfriend called it quits. He wants a relationship. And when his ex comes back into the picture, he pretends he has one to make her jealous…and who better to play the girlfriend role than his sassy new neighbor?

Despite Diana’s reluctance to break her rule, a fake relationship is the perfect solution for her own ex issues, and soon she can’t deny something is sizzling between her and Shane. Something hot and completely unexpected.

And it might just be getting a little too real.