Rules of Engagement
An M/M Hockey Romance (Rules of the Game, Book 5)
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Rules of Engagement
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Narrated by:
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James Edward Jones
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By:
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Brigham Vaughn
About this listen
Rule #1: Don't fall in love with your best friend's brother
After Anders Lindholm lost his wife and baby daughter in a car accident, he knew he’d never find love like that again.
Hockey, routines, and his team are all that have kept him going since.
But as he approaches 40, an injury makes him consider what life after retirement will be like.
And when his teammate, who just so happens to be his best friend’s brother, offers him a helping hand—in more ways than one—it reawakens something in Anders he can’t deny.
Rule #2: Don’t let anyone know the real you
Kelly O’Shea has been in love with Anders since he was 15. He’s been hiding the fact that he’s gay for just as long.
He loves his family, but their overprotective meddling is what made him move halfway across the country and hide who he was.
Although Kelly and Anders both agreed it would stay casual, Kelly begins to hope that maybe they’ll eventually be more than just friends with benefits.
And the more time they spend together, the faster the ice around Anders’ heart melts.
But with a playoff spot to clinch, fractures within the team, and overprotective brothers to worry about, Anders’ fear of letting go of the past isn’t the only challenge they’ll have to overcome.
Trigger warning:
Non-graphic mentions of death of secondary characters, including a child. Grief. Brief and non-graphic mention of suicidal ideation. Talk of homophobia and homophobic slurs.
Non-graphic mentions of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
©2022 Brigham Vaughn (P)2023 Brigham VaughnListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Rules of Engagement
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne M
- 24-08-23
Been waiting for Anders story and I loved it!
James Edward Jones did a great performance. His voice is very enjoyable to listen to and it brought the story to life. He kept a good pace and expressed the emotions wonderfully. He gave the characters distinct voices that suited them well and made it easy to follow the story. I absolutely would listen to this narrator again. Other than this authors previous books I havent heard him before but his tone is very pleasant to listen to. I definitely recommend listening to him.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire Louisa
- 22-08-23
Loved Kelly and Anders
I loved Kelly and Anders so much, this was one book I didn't want to stop listening to because I was so invested in their relationship.
I really felt for Anders, he'd lost so much and was still grieving, but I liked that he was open enough to give Kelly a chance despite his misgivings.
Kelly was a great character, I felt his family was overpowering and this definitely impacted him.
Seeing more of Jack Malone's toxic behaviour made me grateful I've already read the next book and know how that all turns out.
I really enjoy this series and love getting to know the players more with each book.
Another great read/listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- choccygrl
- 30-08-23
Loved it
Brilliant. Loved it. Age gap romance with friends to lovers and best friends brother tropes. Really appreciated Kelly's acceptance of Anders' wife and child within the scope of their relationship and Anders dealing with his grief and realising he can love someone else without feeling guilty.
Narrator: great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ButtonsMom2003
- 13-08-23
This series is so good!
I loved this story and James Edward Jones audio performance was great. It was so nice to see Ander’s finally get to be happy again; Kelly was perfect for him. ❤️
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AL
- 18-08-23
Great story with lots of healing
Story: I was anxiously waiting for Anders’ story and I was not disappointed! Kelly was just perfect for him and Brigham’s writing was as brilliant as always!
Narration: Compared to other books in this series, this one fell a little behind for me. Anders sounded completely lifeless and almost clinical in most of the dialogues. I wish there was more acting and less reading out loud going on.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KR Phoenix @ Books, Tattoos and Tea
- 20-08-23
Heartbreaking yet magical
This story is magic. I'm not even sure how to explain the overwhelming feelings this book creates.
Powerfully emotional, your heart will break for Anders if it hasn't already from his appearance in the series. He's sincere, kind, caring, and passionate. He's a character that deserves love.
Brigham has created a story that is tragic, near impossible to put down and so magically hopeful, you actually get to see the ice of grief melt ever slowly as the story proceeds.
I'm so glad Lindy (Anders) got this second chance at love and Kelly is his perfect match!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ida Umphers
- 08-09-23
Aging and growing
I love that we've gotten to see some older athletes in this series dealing with issues that arise as you age. Here, Anders' injury makes him start to think about retirement. That might have been pleasant had his wife and child still been alive to share it with, but as this book starts its a rather bleak prospect. Until Kelly enters the picture and for the first time in ages Anders starts to feel a romantic connection to another person. Kelly knows what he wants, he just has to give Anders a chance to see if that's what he wants too. These are two great characters and as always in this series there is enough hockey background for the fan but not too much for any reader who isn't one. If you're an audiobook fan, this one is excellent. James Edward Jones does a wonderful job with all the characters and especially with Anders as he slowly begins to connect with Kelly and open up emotionally again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L.D.
- 11-09-23
Love It!
Rules of Engagement is the fifth book in the Rules of the Game series, a contemporary hockey romance series. All the books in this series can be read as a standalones, but I think it works best if read in order.
Kelly, one of the youngest members of the team, has lived and breathed hockey his entire life. His father was a professional hockey player, his brothers were all hockey players, and it only made sense for him to follow in their footsteps. But there’s one thing that Kelly can’t share with his family – that he’s gay. It doesn’t help that Kelly has had a crush on Anders, a fellow hockey player and longtime family friend, since he was 15 years old. Now years later, he finds himself playing on the same team as Anders, and his crush has only grown and bloomed as he has grownup himself. But there are so many obstacles that stand in the way including Ander’s horrific family tragedy and the Kelly’s own secrets.
The book deals with some heavy topics, but I really thought it was done well and brought a depth to the story and romance. I really enjoyed the interaction between Kelly and Anders – they were so sweet together and even though there were moments of pain they worked through the issues and found their happy ever after.
The audiobook was narrated by James Edward Jones who did a fantastic job voicing all the characters. I thought the audiobook production was well done and it was a great listening experience.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vania
- 16-08-23
Loved everything about this book!
Anders and Kelly’s story is a beautiful, emotional one. I loved every single moment of it. The spicy ones, the silly ones, and the heavily emotional ones that often left me a teary wreck. There’s so much to unpack for both Lindy and Kels: loss, grief, supposedly unrequited love and the sense of inadequacy. The book really doesn’t have a dull moment. I love how this team, at its core, is more like a close family, sticking together through thick and thin.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Lesetiger
- 19-08-23
An emotional story
Rules of Engagement is the fifth book in the Rules of the Game series.
I really like the series. This time it's about Anders and Kelly. I was really looking forward to Anders story. He has a sad past and everyone is not supposed to get just one chance in life. But can Anders take it?
As you would expect, the story was emotional. There were many interesting themes like grief, rejection, a second chance at love, outing, of course loving family and hot scenes.
Kelly is a great character, very kind and always supportive. You just have to like him.
I really enjoyed the hockey scenes, could have listened to more of those.
The story was entertaining and engaging.
Narrator James Edward Jones did a great job. I could tell the protagonists apart well, but sometimes I would have liked him to convey the emotions a little better.
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