By the Rules By Elisabeth Staab
M/M GLBTQ Romance
Released January 19, 2016
Self-Published
Series: Evergreen Grove, Book 3
He thinks I want him because of the rumors around town. Because I think he’s easy. I want AJ, because he’s AJ.
No liars. No suits. Absolutely no straight guys…
AJ Fabin’s list of rules keeps him safe. Since getting kicked out of his parents’ home and attacked by a former escorting client, his rules and his life in the tiny town of Evergreen Grove provide a quiet haven. He may be lonely, and he may stick out like a sore thumb, but the folks like him well enough. When he’s not dodging his old pimp, things are peaceful.
Hayden Price is having a quarter-life crisis. Engaged to a woman he can’t connect to and working a job he secretly hates, he comes to Evergreen Grove to help his mother through a health scare. Returning to his childhood home makes Hayden reevaluate a lot of things, including himself. When he meets AJ and finds he can’t stand the mouthy jerk—almost as much as he can’t stop thinking about him—he has a lot more to change than his career.
To be together, they’ll both have to break all of their rules.
By the Rules is book 3 in the Evergreen Grove series, but reads as a standalone.
Reviewed by Jean
‘Life is short, break the rules…
I have no idea why MM romances appeal to me, but they do. Why do men always seem to fantasize about two women together? It’s a mystery I’m not even going to try to answer. Suffice it to say, I enjoy reading about two hunky men and all their maleness (and sometimes not so maleness) being all over each other and in love. Perhaps part of the equation is being able to relate to them even more than I do when I read an MF romance. Rather than connecting with the heroine and ogling, oohing and awing over the hero you actually take the time to connect with the male characters on a deeper level than normal.
In By The Rules you meet AJ, a former prostitute who was disowned by his very prominent family for his sexual orientation. From a very young age, AJ showed signs that he had interests of a more feminine nature. He loved playing with his older sister and her dolls… that is until his parents caught on. Things went from bad to worse on the home front when he was caught with his pants down. On the streets at an early age, AJ was susceptible to the wiles of a cunning pimp. It took one wrong client too many to see AJ running for the hills… or rather Evergreen Grove. Now he lives with his savior, Mrs. Choi and helps manage her motel as the front desk clerk on the night shift and the all around handyman during the days. In his spare time, he helps out in the community wherever he’s needed. So, it’s no surprise when his best friend’s boss, Delia ends up in the hospital, AJ pitches in where and when needed. He’s doing exactly that when he literally runs into Hayden. Hayden is many things besides annoying…
Hayden left Evergreen Grove right after graduation. He couldn’t wait to shake small town living off his shoulders and get on with the business of living. He’s put every moment since living up to his father’s expectations. It’s left little to no time to discover who he is or what he really wants in life. Instead, he has a ready-made fiancee, a fast rising, high-pressure position in his father’s firm and not an ounce of happiness. Now with his mother in the hospital he’s back in Evergreen Grove trying to reconnect with his mom and manage his dad’s business concerns remotely. Things aren’t going well with his mom and it really has him questioning his values and direction. Then there is AJ. The guy totally pisses him off. He also excites the hell out of him.
Hayden has had his moments of curiosity in the past. This is so much beyond curiosity. He feels AJ on a visceral level. If only he could connect with him… but, AJ has some kind of chip on his shoulder that has him pushing Hayden away at every turn.
After a rough few years in the escort business, AJ has made a set of rules to live by. Hayden breaks all those rules. For cripes sake, the man is a suit. If that’s not bad enough the guy was engaged so obviously he’s straight… a big hell no! He has reasons for his rules…
Then AJ’s world is totally rocked off its axis. Not only is he falling for Hayden but his past has dished a major surprise that promises to be life altering. It’s time to reappraise just where his life is headed and if it has room for love.
Hayden, on the other hand, is pretty darned sure just what he needs in life…
By the Rules is a powerful tale of discovery, establishing boundaries, breaking the rules and finding love. I couldn’t put it down. If you like you loving in any flavor it takes, then this is a must read.
♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
By the Rules, Book 3
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Evergreen Grove Series:
At the Stars, Book 1
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Acts of Creation, Book 2
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(Hayden’s POV)When I jogged past the window of Roy’s Gym this morning, I swore I was seeing things. I’ll admit to no one ever that I doubled back and went down Main Street a second time before stopping to stretch my quads. I needed to see this new version of AJ that ran so counter to my previous information about him.
What I knew so far was this snarky, colorful asshole of a kid. This punk with a young face and old eyes who I disliked on principle. Every time I’ve tried to get along, it’s gone sideways. Now I’ve got new information and, as if he’s a guy across from me at the closing table, I’m curious about what’s underneath the rainbow sweatshirt and skinny jeans.
A boxer? A boxer with a chest full of ink. No telling yet if this new information about him is useful, but it’s damn interesting.
I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t a lean chest covered in tribal tattoos and a pair of carved arms. As his friend or coach or whatever walks me into the gym, I can’t stop myself from visually tracing the dark waves and swirls that run over his pecs and down his sternum. This new visual of him knocks the breath out of me like that morning we crashed into each other outside the coffee shop.
When I get close, I can see that the thick ink is uneven in spots. Like someone painted lines over a bumpy road. On his stomach, jagged pink scars snake out from under the blackness, fanning like flames over the ridges of his abs, and disappearing into the waistband on his workout shorts.
I suck in a breath. Something happened to hurt him. That’s the most powerful observation of the obvious I’ve ever managed. But what? Those don’t look accidental. They look like—
“Take a picture, asshole. It’ll last longer.” AJ’s glare actually gives me the shivers. His gloved fists press against one another hard enough to make those lean biceps pop.
I bet I know who he’d rather be aiming those fists at, and it’s not the big guy who welcomed me in the door. “Just surprised to see you without all the bling.”
“And I’m shocked as hell to see you without a ridiculous power tie, but maybe we can all manage to soldier on.” The corner of his mouth lifts into something that’s either a smile or a sneer. He’s actually got a genuinely friendly smile—I saw him use it with my mom—but getting him to pull it out when nobody’s sick must be a rare feat. “So you know how to box or what?”
“I can hold my own.” I grin my ass off in the face of AJ’s responding scowl. Part of me is dying to say more. Negotiating a deal means being able to talk sports. Sometimes it means getting out on the golf course, or the tennis courts, or even being able to go a few rounds in the ring with someone who considers himself a badass.
Never got into golf. Boxing? I can definitely box.
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Elisabeth Staab started hunting mutant hedgehogs back in 1842… Oops, wrong bio… Elisabeth Staab digs coffee, saucy stories, and sexy things that go bump in the night. Once, she ate dinner in a jail and liked it. She lives in the Washington DC area with her incredible family and does her best to juggle life while ignoring the laundry.
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