Breaking the Rules

Rules of the Game, Book 6

De: Brigham Vaughn

Narrado por: James Edward Jones

Rule number one: Don't fall in love with your agent.

Trevor Underhill is a bottom D-pair grinder. A pest. The kind of player who makes it possible for the talent to score.

Off the ice, he looks out for himself and never trusts anyone but his sister to have his back.

Fresh off an ankle injury and annoyed that his endorsement deals keep falling through, he’s tired of his stuffy, boring agent telling him to clean up his act and grow up.

Love is the last thing he’s looking for with anyone.

Rule number two: Don’t give up on second chances.

Former player Wade Cannon spent years in the closet until his retirement.

Now with a successful career as an agent and an 11-year-old son, his priorities are work and his kid.

After the guy he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with bailed on them, he doesn’t trust anyone to stick around.

When members of the Evanston Otters team come to him for help, he and Trevor wind up working closely together.

Frustration leads to sizzling chemistry and an unexpected connection.

Falling in love with a client could jeopardize Wade’s career just as an explosive discovery threatens not only the Otters’ Cup win, but the very foundation of the team.

Trigger warning: Breaking the Rules includes talk of homophobia and homophobic slurs. It contains non-graphic mentions of sexual harassment and sexual assault and scenes of domestic violence.

©2022 Brigham Vaughn (P)2023 Brigham Vaughn

A great addition to a great series.

So, I had a bunch of stuff I needed to do, clean my kitchen, get to bed earlier, etc. Do you think any of that happened once I started this book?? Nope! Thanks a lot Brigham Vaughn 😉What a wonderful end to a kickass series. I’ve enjoyed every single book in it and am so depressed that it’s already over. This last book gives us Trevor and Wade’s stories. I appreciated seeing more of what Trevor was really like, there was definitely more than meets the eye when it came to him. Wade is super hard working, but he’s also a super dad. They were both protectors that could lean on one another and nurture each other. The ending was superb. I can’t say much else about it without giving anything away, just know that it is awesome. A perfect cherry on top of this series. I’m so going to miss the Otters, but am super relieved it’s not the end of this universe. More hockey from Brigham is to come!
And of course James Edward Jones kills it again. So good.

Justice

Trevor Underhill is a defenseman for the Evanston River Otters a NHL team. This club has had its share of drama and trouble. Trevor is a kind of bad boy of the team. He just signed with a new agent Wade Cannon a single father, former hockey player, with a pre-teen son. Wade and Trevor have a head butting sort of dynamic. The club has another player Jack Malone, who is a bully, cheats on his wife among behaviors which effects the players. This story shows how the players come together to do what is right. It’s full of drama, trauma, camaraderie and love.

Amazing Chemistry

I don’t know how I didn’t review this book right after I finished it but it was so good. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Trevor in this book after some of the ways he was with Malone in the last, but I actually think this one was my favorite of the series. Trevor and Wade had to go through some stuff both together and separately, but together they were stronger than their adversities and they did what needed to be done despite what the media/their jobs said was right. Also, Wade being a terrific father and Trevor not shying away from Wade’s son and actually being there for him was icing on the cake. The shared trust it took for them both to come together and eventually become a family was amazing! And Malone getting his just desserts was epic! I wholeheartedly loved this book and the audio was so good! James Edward Jones does such a fantastic job with these guys that I can’t wait for the next audio to come out immediately after finishing this one! I adore his narrations for this series!

Loved this couple, loved this series

Audiobook Update
Excellent final chapter for the Otters. I’ve loved all the couples throughout the series and was glad to see them all pull together to deal with Malone. I liked the snarky early interactions between Wade and Trevor, which created some good tension. It was nice seeing them grow together despite their complications of Wade being Trevor’s agent. They kept pretty good communication as they were trying to define their relationship- which was refreshing. This was a good redemption for Trevor, I love his journey in this and how supportive Wade was in helping him through the Malone situation. The hockey side of the plot is very well developed and I loved how the author addressed the uglier sides of professional hockey. Excellent, I loved this series and this couple.

Great addition to the series!

James Edward Jones does an outstanding job of bringing this story to life. I have absolutely loved this series! BREAKING THE RULES concludes the RULES OF THE GAME series and I loved it just as much as the rest of the series!
I was so pulled into their love story. Wade is a single dad, and Trevor's agent. And neither of them have had a relationship in a long time, if ever. But they didn't really fight it as they fell in love. And I enjoyed every minute- also Trevor was good with Wade's kid.
The chemistry between the two is wonderful and little by little Trevor starts to believe in himself and in the possibility to be happy.
I loved seeing them get their HEA.

Fanfreakingtastic

I enjoyed this listen so much!! I have been waiting for Trevor “The Undertaker”’s story. I am thrilled with who his partner turns out to be! Also I am so happy that toxic player with the Otters gets what he deserves also!

Another Great Narration!!

I love the emotion that a good narrator puts into the story, and James definitely hit that with this book narration! The story itself is fantastic and the addition of a great narration just adds so much to it.

Time to say goodbye to the river otters

3.5 for Trevor and Wade, 4 stars as we close out a series long storyline.

I’m sad we’ve come to the end of our time with the awesome and fun team that is the Evanston River Otters but I am so happy that the secondary story involving Jack Malone is finally wrapped up as it has been a long time since I’ve hated an imaginary person that much.

Trevor and Wade are agent/client with a contentious relationship at the start of the book before a late night working together takes a turn. While they were sweet together, Wade’s son is a scene stealer whenever he was around and I found myself like Wade more because of his son. I enjoyed getting to know more about Underhill as much of the series he was talked about but hardly seen as he recovered from an ankle injury. My favourite part of this book was finally seeing Malone get what he deserves. I am excited for Charlie’s spinoff book after a little teaser near the end as we jump back to the Toronto Fisher Cats.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

Old wounds are stirred and soothed by a new love

Trevor doesn’t get coupledom, having no interest in dating. His bad boy reputation gets him in enough trouble that he’s not getting any endorsements, and his agent, Wade, tries to get through to him but it takes awhile.

After his friend Jack Malone gets in trouble and Trevor sees what a big jerk he is, he wants to bring him down. He agrees to pretend to be friends to see if he can trip him up, to no avail.

The investigation Wade is doing also takes a lot of work, so Trevor offers to help. Clashing turns to kissing, and though neither of them see it coming, they see something in each other.

Finally, after Trevor has to give up on trying to catch Jack, he and Kelly witness him hurting his wife. They come to her aid, but she’s obviously afraid. It triggers Trevor about his own past, and he reveals the abuse his Mom suffered and how they had to escape.

When Carlie reaches out to Trevor, he and the rest trying to catch Jack make a plan for her to get out. It goes deeper, with blackmailing that made the team owner protect Jack, and both are made to face the consequences.

I found this book about a third too long, with too much time going back and forth with no results about the Malone issue.

It was also unfortunate that when the team found out about the abuse they were shocked, as if it’s a rare occurrence, while the statistics tell a very different story. I understand it’s meant to convey they care and would have acted sooner, but it seemed too unrealistic.

However, I loved the way the coach and the team are willing to take risks to get a terrible person off the team, and eventually, get him charged. I also like the way the deniers are handled, because again, false reports happen much less often than it’s believed.

Overall it’s a good book, but could use some tightening up in the plot. The audiobook was well narrated and the story didn’t seem as long, so that’s a benefit of listening to the story.

I received this ARC for free, and am pleased to provide an honest review in appreciation for this book and the audiobook.

Intense Relationship!

This final romance was intense and full of emotions and fire! Trevor definitely has an attitude as we know from previous books. He is reckless and from the outside not a super likable guy. So glad we finally get to see the Trevor underneath it all. Wade is a single father who is a very hard worker and proud of becoming the agent that he is. Trevor and Wade butt heads, and then a kiss leads to some serious let out your frustration's steamy encounters. Neither one of them could seem to stop and I liked that it was a pretty even playing field with these too. Both growing, changing and figuring out what they really need. Loved Trevor with Wade's son Branden. James Edward Jones has been a stellar narrator for this series. He fits these guys! Very happy with this series finale!