The Cromwell Rules

De: Ania Ray

Narrado por: Tiffany Vanlandingham

Lily Cromwell already knows the best way to prevent a life of tears and unnecessary heartache: be the player. She's cool. Calm. Collected. At 27, she's a successful New York City socialite and a software engineer on the brink of a major promotion. Trained by her mother's ten-commandment "Cromwell Rules," Lily has learned how to play the social game so that she always ends up on top. But when she meets Logan, she's thrown off. He doesn't even realize there are certain rules he should follow and, frankly, that's attractive. Nicholas, on the other hand, is just what her mother Anne would want. Can Lily be the daughter Anne's always wanted her to be and have the type of husband she was taught to stay away from? Will Lily be brave enough to rewrite the Rules?

©2019 Ania Ray (P)2025 Ania Ray

A Heartwarming Tale of Love and Women's Fiction

Lily is a software engineer at the top of her game, all thanks to her mother's rules. But what about love, and what happens when Logan, a financier and dancer-extraordinaire enters the scene? As their lives intertwine and fall apart, Ray takes us on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and healing as Lily learns how to live by her own rules.

P.S. the narration by Tiffany Valandingham was a joy to listen to and brought the characters to life!

Enjoyable story and listening experience!

Independent, ambitious woman meet carefree, spontaneous man. Lily and Logan’s story had me hooked from the beginning. Lily is an engineer pioneering a breakthrough program that could save millions while also dominating the dating field. Logan is the charming financier who is healing from his past and dancing his nights away like no one’s watching. Their worlds collide in a happen chance moment that only fate could have orchestrated. From then on, we get to go along on the ride with them while they try to figure out how to make their two worlds work together. This was a refreshing take on romance where the woman couldn’t see past her own toxic defenses in this adorable tale of love.

While the story alone was enough to keep me going, the narrator, Tiffany Vanlandingham, made this story pop. Her voice was lovely to listen to. Bonus points for me being able to distinguish every new character by voice as well. She did an amazing job of creating a dynamic listening experience that made me WANT to keep listening.

I’ll definitely be listening to more of Ania Ray’s books (hopefully with Tiffany as the narrator again!)

Great listen

3.5 ⭐ 0.5 🌶️ 5 🎧

I went into this thinking it was a romance, but it's actually more Women's Fiction. I had a hard time rating it for this reason.... But if that's your genre, I think you'll really enjoy this one.

Lily was a really interesting character. She is really stuck on her mom's rules and needing her validation, and I feel like I would have loved this one more had she figured out how to overcome that earlier (I WANTED MORE LOGAN DANG IT). But it was really such a heartfelt journey and I thought Ania did a wonderful job with the storytelling.

The audio was great. Tiffany Vanlandingham did a wonderful job with this single narrator audiobook. I really loved her voices for both the female and the male characters and absolutely loved this listen. Thank you so much to Tiffany for the advanced copy!

Sometimes You Have to Break the Rules

Lily has been raised to live by strict rules on how she presents herself to society. The rules ingrained by her mother have lead her to believe that her only option is to follow them if she wants to protect herself from heartache or being looked down on by other socialites. However, when Lily meets Logan, he challenges all the rules and she’s faced with dismantling the ones that no longer serve her. The road isn’t easy and she’s faced with multiple obstacles along the way.

The Cromwell Rules is a fun read/listen for anyone who wants to transport to NY and experience the inside of elite social circles. You’ll see why sometimes….you have to break the rules.

The swooniest combo of prose + performance

Ania Ray has mastered the art of binge-worthy prose, but this audiobook did more than just leave me wanting more. I simultaneously wanted to linger in the many beautiful beats and soak up the juicy symbolism. There were some lines that beckoned me to pause and rewind because I HAD to write them down. (Trust me, you'll want the audio and a hardcopy so you can highlight!)

One might think "women's fiction" is synonymous with "romance." Sometimes it can be. And don't get me wrong--there are some dreamy moments in this book that will make your heart melt. BUT, Ray offers so much more. There's a hit-you-straight-in-the-gut backstory and a mother/daughter narrative that had me teary-eyed. This is why I would recommend The Cromwell Rules to romance lovers, literary fiction fans, and book clubs alike.

Ray crafts characters as dynamic as the women who are reading her work. All are so many versions of ourselves in a day--caregiver, partner, daughter, sister, employee, friend, etc. It only tracks that Lily, our FMC, has multitudes as well. She's smart as hell (Female coder! How cool!), she's a socialite, and she dates like it's an Olympic sport. She's also still so very much a young girl missing her father and she hasn't lost touch with her spunky seventeen-year-old self. But ever-present is the adult woman who is desperate for connection with her mother. Lily's evolving relationship with HERSELF will allow readers to buy into the journey. Sure, we get the *cutest* of meet cutes, we get the opposites attract trope, and, mercy, is Ania Ray a GENIUS at witty banter... Yet, it's Ania's attention to detail and the psychology of the character's inner lives that elevates her storytelling.

It was a gift to experience this world through the narration of Tiffany Vanlandingham. My oh my, is that woman a tour de force! If I didn't know any better, I would have thought this book was narrated by a full cast--her voices are THAT good. The distinct difference in cadence, rhythm, and inflection for each character was so beautifully executed. It's safe to say that I will be checking out all of Tiffany Vanlandingham's previous audiobooks and keeping tabs on her future works as well.

In brief, do yourself a favor and check out The Cromwell Rules. The bad news: You're going to get a book hangover. You WILL miss Lily and Logan and Anne instantly after hearing the words, "the end." But, the good news: Ania Ray has two more books in this universe... which are now at the tip top of my TBR!