Book Review: Playing By The Rules by Imelda Evans

Title: Playing By The Rules
Author: Imelda Evans
Release Date: September 16th 2013
Publisher: Penguin Book Australia
Imprint: Destiny Romance
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Kate Adams expected to return home from Paris with a ring on her finger. Instead, her French boyfriend, Alain, breaks up with her right before she leaves for Australia.

Unwilling to show up at her high school reunion desperate and dateless, Kate asks her best friend's brother, handsome Josh Marchant, to pretend to be her fiancée.

Josh has always had a soft spot for his sister's friend and happily takes on the role. And as they spend time together, the lines between fact and fiction blur and they're soon struggling to remember it's all just an act. But will the arrival of an unexpected visitor shatter the illusion they've created?

My Thoughts

Playing By The Rules is a little more vanilla than my usual read, but that being said, I quite enjoyed it. It was easy to read, well structured, and had interesting elements of deception, lust and jealousy that had me laughing out loud at times.

Kate is believable and real, if slightly whiny. She's also a little too insecure and self indulgent for my tastes but likeable none the less. Kate has her life planned out and can't handle it when those plans are turned completely upside down, in desperation she enlists a fake fiancée, maybe he can help put things right.

Josh comes across as a bit of a softie, he was often easily swayed and pushed around by Kate. I do prefer my leading men with a bit more backbone; but he has a long standing crush on Kate and can't resist the chance to get closer to her.

What ensues is not a new scenario in romance books, but it is what it is; an entertaining and escapist read.

Overall, I really enjoyed Playing by the Rules. It's a well written, strong story with interesting main characters and situations. A great lazy Sunday afternoon read, it gets 4 stars from me.