Rules of Entanglement

By: Gina L. Maxwell

Narrated by: Holly Fielding

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

Seven days. And seven rules to break...

District Attorney Vanessa MacGregor firmly believes that structure and order are the stuff that dreams are made of. Happiness can be planned - and it starts with the seven rules she’s laid out for her future. But as she’s organizing her best friend’s wedding in Hawaii, all of Vanessa’s best-laid plans are about to meet their match in a wickedly hot MMA fighter....

Jackson "Jax" Maris is focused on surfing, training, and fighting. That is, until he opens up his big mouth and finds himself having to pretend he’s engaged to his little sister’s best friend, Vanessa. When they’re forced to share a romantic bungalow, however, their little charade suddenly takes a turn for the seriously sexy. And while Jax is definitely not part of Vanessa’s long-term plan, he has seven days - and seven naughty nights - to turn her seven-rule plan upside down.

©2013 Gina L. Maxwell (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Hot! Hot! Freakin HOT!

I absolutely loved this book. I fell in love with Reid and Lucy in her first book, Seducing Cinderella. So of course, I instantly fell in love with Jax. The banter that goes on between Jax and Vanessa was quite amusing. Major props to you Gina Maxwell on another job well done! I can’t wait to read more of your work! This story is about Vanessa MacGregor (Lucie’s best friend) who is the firecracker, independent, always in control, and very vocal about everything. She has never had a serious relationship, trying to keep all men at arm’s length. Vanessa has always had a wall around her heart and by creating her seven rules to live by she avoids any signs of heartbreak. Jax Maris is Lucy’s very protective, loving, older brother who practically raised her after a tragic incident involving their parents. Jax and Vanessa’s first meeting at airport was not a very positive one. Vanessa challenges Jax like no one has before and her fiery attitude intrigues him to want to spend more time with her. A deal between the two of them starts a hot and steamy relationship. Jax & Vanessa at times had me snorting with laughter and the sex scenes were deliciously steamy. I really liked learning more about Vanessa's back story.I was easily hooked from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this series.

24 of 26 people found this review helpful

Even hotter than hell! Great read!

What made the experience of listening to Rules of Entanglement the most enjoyable?

The chemistry created by the author between characters was so well achieve.

What other book might you compare Rules of Entanglement to and why?

Before this book I read Real, and I think the chemistry between characters is similar. But Rules of Entanglement is way hotter!

What does Holly Fielding bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her narration is great. She achieves to make all the correct annotations with the voices and descriptions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

OH YES!!!!!!

Any additional comments?

This book can get hotter than hell!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

You are Unlikely to be Engaged by this Book

I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks over the past few years. I read the review of Rules of Engagement at Goodreads and maybe some Audible listener reviews. I must disagree with all reviews. The story starts off with an uptight lawyer, Vanessa, with MAJOR control issues who arrives in Hawaii for her best friend, Lucy's wedding. Lucy's brother Joe arrives late to collect her and Vanessa harangues him about his tardiness and is THEN upset that he wants to carry one of her bags to his car. She has never even met this guy before.
The narration is monotone.
I quit at this point.
Presumedly, beautiful Vanessa is going to get it on with the gorgeous Joe. But really, why would laid back Joe want to have sex with an uptight control freak. I can suspend belief when necessary but really...monotone narration and Vanessa's character makes Rules of Engagement over the top.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Refreshing Listen

Really enjoyed this listen from the get go. Very refreshing to listen to something in the romance category that is a very good story, well thought out and well written, that also had some laugh out loud funny parts too. Do yourself a favor and give this one a Go!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

Loved every single thing from this book! Easy to finish and keeps you entertained every step of the way.

Loved it!!

jax is the perfect book boyfriend, alpha but sweet. And Nessie is the typical girl with parent issues. And, it works really perfect! I have listened to the series every time a new book comes out..Just to revisit. Well worth the credit I used. The narrator is great!

Second time around for a great book I love!!

I read this book when it first came out. When I first got a Kindle and would not put it down. Now I can listen to my favorite books as I'm driving, (which I d I a lot of) and my favorite place , my whirlpool tub. I really enjoyed this entire series but this book really jumped out at me. I loved the lead characters and the banter back m forth between them. I love special names a mZn gives a woman, especially when it sounds so beautiful spoken in a native tongue, come to find out it means crazy woman or something worse. LOL! I love strong women in books, sometimes they're weak or lost and the nan is the hero saving her. Not here, ages a strong lawyer who had s past and he's just there to listen to her. The sane for him, he has a secret he's never told anyone yet after being with her fur 2 days he can tell her because they have a deep connection so fast. With this I can relate , maybe that's why this book means more to me. I net a man who took my breath away. After being in an abusive relationship for 3 years , hd helped to lift me up again. It took a year but he helped take away my insecurities left behind bybtt

Boring and I can't stand the female lead.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Midway through the book and the female lead is so damn annoying I can't stand it.

Has Rules of Entanglement turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

How could the performance have been better?

Yes, she at times as a voice to make me want to fall asleep.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

I just have to feel love between characters and I didn't feel that in this book.

Very good addition to the series :D

4 stars

This was a very good story. I really liked both Vanessa and Jackson. Their story was good and kept interesting by the adversarial start to their relationship.

Vanessa is an attorney and a very controlled woman. She grew up in a very bad home and has a lot of guilt and anger from that time. In college, Vanessa decided (after a night of heavy drinking with tequila) to make 7 rules to live her life by. These were supposed to protect Vanessa from ending up in the same place her childhood had been but really the rules only succeed in keeping her alone.

Jackson (aka Jax) is a good guy and a MMA fighter. He’s had some success in his career but got a late start because his parents died when he was 18 years old and he had to take care of his 13 year old sister, Lucie (the heroine from book #1, Seducing Cinderella). Once Lucie was off to college, Jax went to start his fighting career but because of the load of responsibility he had to shoulder at a young age, now that Jax was free he tended to shy away from responsibilities (outside of his career). He’s had some short term relationships but nothing that ever worked for long term.

Vanessa shows up in Hawaii and is supposed to be getting picked up by Jax. He does pick her up but not until she’s been left waiting there for an hour. When he does show up he flashes some charm and no apology and expects her to be ok with it. This gets Vanessa’s dander up and she tells Jax off and wants nothing to do with him (as shirking your responsibilities is against one of her rules). Jax is surprised to find that Vanessa is such a strong willed woman and doesn't seem to be susceptible to his charm. When Vanessa tries to blow Jax off, he doesn't like the thought of not seeing her except at the wedding and he says the first thing that comes out of his mouth…that they have to masquerade as Reid and Lucie because of the reservations and wedding planning rules since the resort the wedding is at is very exclusive. Lucie has a bug and is too sick to travel, which is why Vanessa is there early (to set the wedding up for Lucie) but no one told Vanessa anything about these restriction but she’s willing just to help Lucie (although lying and saying she’s Lucie makes her break another one of her rules, no lying). Jax starts feeling guilty about lying to Vanessa and intends to tell her the truth but the longer he’s with her the more he finds that he wants to spend more time in her company. He’s sure if he tells her about his lie, she’ll be pissed as hell and never talk to him again so he takes the easy path and let’s himself put off the truth.

Jax and Vanessa spend some time setting up the wedding but also end up spending some time together. At first things are a little stilted between them but Jax starts learning Vanessa and her reactions and by paying close attention, he finds he is able to find ways to get to her. At first Jax was a bit of a jerk (mostly just to get a rise out of her and get her out of her safety zone) but as they spend more time together, Jax shows his sweet side and he shows her the island and some of his favorite spots. The attraction between them grows until they finally strike a deal (although Jax isn't thrilled about it) to have a 3 day fling and after that they’ll go their separate ways. Jax is fine with taking things further between them but he is determined to get her to realize they have something good that should extend past the 3 days. During the 3 days they have their ups and downs as they get to know each other. Vanessa has some problems because Jax makes her break all of her rules and she finds that maybe they’re not as all important as she always thought. She realizes that she’s fallen for Jax as the 3 days are ending. Jax has spent the 3 days trying to show her how much they have between them and how much he cares. He sets things up to tell her the truth and things are looking good but a call from Vanessa’s sister messing things up. Because of drama with her sister, Vanessa freaks about Jax's lie and things go to hell. Jax and Vanessa are both a mess as Vanessa is upset about Jax’s lies and Jax is freaking about Vanessa being gone. There are a tense couple of days but Jax manages to make things right with Vanessa (in a beautiful best man speech that turns her rules around on her) and they make up and start their HEA.

This was a very enjoyable story. I really liked both Vanessa and Jax (although I wasn't sure about Jax at first). Once again, this story didn't have an action story line but the romance story line was interesting enough that I was fully engaged until the end of the story. I fully intend to read the next book in the series (I've already bought it). I’d recommend this book. Thumbs up. :D

LOVE ME A ROMANCE WITH AN MMA FIGHTER!!!

Wow, first impressions can be tough!!! For Vanessa McGregor, beautiful red-head with the great body, quick wits and sharp instincts, she was immediately taken aback by her best friend's brother Jackson "Jax" Maris whom she had heard so much about. But, in their initial meeting at a Hawaiian airport, well Jax kind of blew it by responding in a blasé manner about his tardiness. And, this is one gal who is an attorney by career and feisty in personality that you don't want to mess around with!

Jackson is an MMA fighter who falls under the category of "swoon-worthy" with his interesting tattoos, charisma and good looks, but even his good looks couldn't get himself out of a ruined first impression. So Jax, inspired by the moment, concocts a fabulous, little plan to find his way up close and personal with Vanessa for a whole week! Whoa!!! And, what a week it turns out to be!

I enjoyed the banter, the chemistry, the great sex scenes and the sweet moments, alike. The background of both characters added an extra depth and dimension to the story. It was also so beautiful to see Reed and Luci together again, and experience their wedding! Whoa….lovely!!!

Overall, Jax and Vanessa's romance is marked by definite challenges because Vanessa is so closed off. Sometimes, I even felt like the work Jax put in to win her heart was tedious and exhausting, but, bless his persistent and introspective heart, Jax pushed through!! And, who doesn't love a persistent man???--Especially a hot MMA fighter.

With two strong, independent leads, I suppose their HEA was to be expected. It's not my favorite type, but it's an arrangement that has promise and is well on it's way toward "forever." I have to say, I LOVED the last part about Jax addition to his tattoo….so tear jerking!!!!

Narrator: At first I thought Holly Fielding was a little monotonous and bland, but then I got used to her and felt as though she added a nice feminine touch…..I'm trying to be positive here!!! :-)

JAX

Where does Rules of Entanglement rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 10

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jackson

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Jackson takes Vanessa to the waterfall his most favorite place

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

mma fighter & the attorney

Any additional comments?

lovely little read