Another good read by this author. Wonderfully constructed characters with complexity and dimension. Both had damaging events in their lives that formed them into “perfect for each other” lovers. And they finally got there after some mental gymnastics. Suspense and mystery that wasn’t too hard to solve. Worth the read.

4.5 stars

Mia Jennings was playing a dangerous game. Desperation pushed her to do something that would haunt her life. But it’s too late for her to back out and it didn't help that her new boss was determined to break her.

Donovan Stone was as hard and cold as his name suggested. When he saw something in Mia, he wanted to exploit it. His mysterious persona reeled her in but how long will it take until the truth unraveled?

I started this book blind. I had no idea what it was supposed to be about and that is definitely the best way to tackle this one.

When Donovan was first introduced in the story, I thought he was such an asshole. But very quickly I found him to be quite endearing. He was an intriguing character and I like how he chose to live his life.

I'm not exactly a fan of Mia. There were some aspects of her personality that made me want to slap her face lol! Her character did evolved by the end of the book but I just didn't find it as convincing as it should be.

I love the premise of this book. It was something different and enthralling with several characters to keep things interesting. However I did find some parts in the beginning to be a bit slow. I also love the epilogue but I wish the earlier revelation to be more impactful.

Rules of Engagement is a story of pushing oneself to get to the end goal. It would appeal to fans of romantic suspense.

Five years as an executive assistant with a degree in marketing earns Mia a pink slip. She spots an intriguing ad while job hunting:

Get paid to play. Starting bonus of up to five thousand dollars. Only serious applicants need apply.

Mia’s desperation and curiosity cause her to jump in headfirst and pay attention to possible regrets later.

The game is simple. You pick a fantasy. We arrange for the fantasy to occur. All of it will be available for the audience to watch. Only certain games are for participant profit.

◈ I loved the premise of this story and enjoyed the voyeurism aspect from HIS POV, but didn’t connect with Mia or Donovan. She had daddy issues and her thoughts ran on a loop:

I was never a brave person. I was a coward. I was never strong. I was a sheep waiting to be picked off by wolves. I wasn’t talented. I was a waste of space wondering why the universe created me at all.

The very end of the story is where Mia’s behavior and thought process shift. The reader only gets a small peek at her less emotionally fragile side, though.

◈ This story does not contain even a handful of intimacy scenes, but I liked the building suspense, the mystery behind the stalker’s identity, as well as the epilogue.

First I would like to start this review off by saying that Lily White is by far one of my favorite authors of all time. Every single time this woman releases a new I know that I am in for a very well written and told story. She has a way with words that will leave you, as a reader, satisfied. I am never disappointed when it come her books and of course this is the way I felt when I read “Rules of Engagement.” This book kept my attention from start to finish, so much so that I didn’t want to put it down.

I’m going to let you’ll know right now that even though Lily White is known to her readers for her dark books this time around it’s not what you expect but I will say this, make sure to expect the suspense and thrill that you always get from her because she always brings that to her books. You are able to follow the story step by step, the pace was just right. The characters where perfect, I loved Mia, even though sometimes I wanted her to be a little bit more assertive at times and let her inner b@tch come out to play. Then we have Donovan; oh want an ahole he was, but the food kind. You know the ones I’m talking about, brooding, always scowling but handsome as all get out so you have no other choice but to like them. Yeah that kind.

If you are a fan of Lily White I am going to go out on the limb to say you will not be disappointed at all once you’ve read this book.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This was a dark book delving into fantasy apps and the intrigue and temptation behind them. A story of a fantasy app gone wrong and the struggle to pinpoint the one behind all the danger.
Donovan was someone with a tragic past which led him to silence for three years. Mia was a light in his world who also came with past abuse issues. Their love story is one of beauty in overcoming their pasts and learning to love again.
Intriguing story and an author I will look for in the future. 4 stars

This was a book I was very excited to read, and even though it wasn't as dark as I was expecting it to be, I found it completely engrossing from beginning to end. However, the ending felt rushed and didn't live up to my expectations. The big revelation was kind of dull. And here is where the story lost me. Hence, the 3 stars rating.

I found Lily White's writing so intriguing that I'm definitely checking out more of her books.

If you like suspenseful reads with a hint of romance, then this is definitely the book for you!

Rules of Engagement by Lily White is the story of Donovan Stone and Mia Jennings.
Mia is jobless after getting the boot from her job that she was at for a few years. Mia has tried to find another job and with no money she is desperate..although not enough to move back in with her parents. Mia does that a 'job' to enter a game that starts her dark journey with Donovan.
This is a dark thriller type romance that will keep you on the edge of you seat while reading it. Ms. White knows how to write some hot exciting stories for sure!

4.5 stars

Rules of Engagement by Lily White was a great surprise! I am really loving this author’s work. This was a different kind of story and it pulled me right in from the start! One of the things I am loving about this author is her originality.

Mia Jennings is desperate, but how far is she willing to go? Donovan Stone is a dark and arrogant man. He draws Mia in, but what are his intentions? Is he really the man he portrays?
When Mia hits rock bottom, she enters a game that is more dangerous than it is worth. But is the reward worth the cost?

This is a book you just have to read. It is not as dark as some of Lily’s book can be, but it is suspenseful and will keep you guessing. I love Lily White’s writing, I always find it to be superb and captivating. Rules of Engagement had great characters, a unique story and will take you through a roller coaster of a journey!

4.5 Stars

Mia Jennings is no stranger to desperation. Having lost her job, if she wants to avoid returning to her poisonous childhood home... she needs money. Quickly. When she comes across an ad for Dark Realities, she gives into that desperation... and now that she's in the game, she has no way out...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book had me enthralled from the beginning. Entering into the pulse pounding game, layered in rules and intrigue, just when you think you have it all figured out... the rules change and NOTHING is what it seems...

When Mia enters into the game, she figures she can get through anything for the kind of money being offered for the short, yet dangerous time commitment needed. Almost immediately, she realizes what a scary oversight she has made, and she wants nothing but a way out of her most substantial mistake yet.

Mia has been living life afraid of making waves. Being raised by a verbally abusive father, she is most comfortable keeping her head down and avoiding the spotlight. With her bad decisions and then a new boss who loves to belittle her, it's not long before Mia decides it's time to stand up for herself. But, will this newly discovered desire to be strong and assertive be any help to her when someone in the shadows is waiting to make their move...

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

Unfortunately this wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. It involved stalking, but half of the time that part of the story was shoved in the background. Both of the main characters had tragic things in their pasts, but neither of those things were as screwed up as I thought they'd be based on each of their unusual responses to their pasts.

Mia got a pink slip. She had no resources to fall back on aside from going to her parents whom made her miserable. A website dark realities popped up on her computer. It offered to make all kinds of dark fantasies become true. Since she was in desperate need of cash, she signed up to be stalked. The stalking did get creepy at times, as expected. It irritated me that Mia seemed so shocked at what was happening to her. Obviously she didn't take the warnings on the website seriously or until that point in her life she had been seriously disillusioned as to what stalking really was like.

Donovan was the love interest. He was a reclusive rich guy who was mute by choice. I never liked him. He was meant to be an jerk in the beginning, but I never warmed to him like I was clearly supposed to. Although he improved by the end, the pushy somewhat mean side of him remained to strong for my liking. Honestly I spent half of the book wondering why she didn't tell him to get lost.

The suspense part of the story was okay. The mystery was who was behind the stalking. It appeared to be one character for most of the book. At the same time, it seemed way too obvious. I never figured out precisely who it was, but this book only had 5 characters. One was Mia and the other her friend. Clearly it wasn't either of them, leaving only 3 possibilities. The end was okay, but I didn't love it.

When Mia Jennings unexpectedly finds herself in great financial trouble, she made a rash decision to participate in a dark fantasy game for the sign up bonus.

"Rule №1: Do not enter the game unless you intend to finish. Once accepted, there is no escape."

Signing up for a stalker fantasy, Mia quickly realises that the money does not compare to loosing her sanity.
On top of being on edge, looking over her shoulder and afraid of her own shadow, her new boss, cold and rude Donovan Stone, proves to be of an even greater challenge.

I do not want to delve too much into the story afraid of giving away the ending.
Lily White did not disappoint, again. I just love reading her books. IMO this was not a dark book but I did had a ominous feeling throughout the story keeping me engaged.
It wasn't until the end that I realised that there was no explicit sex, but please do not let that put you off.

I highly recommend reading Rules of Engagement

What would you do for money?? Well, Rules of Engagement is going to make you question your morality at what would you do for money when your down on your luck?

Hell yeahhh...Lily White has a new book releasing and I am all over that!!! Mystery Thriller..ummm even better!! Rules of Engagement had me wanting to smack somebody while reading!! lol

Mia has found herself down on her luck. She doesn't want to have to go back home to mommy and daddy to get help living out on her own. She has lost her job and has been surfing the web looking for job opportunities, she comes across an add:

"Get paid to play. Starting bonus of up to five thousand dollars. Only serious applicants need apply."

She is like, woahh this could be helpful, but there is a set of rules to this job opportunity. She reads over them and was thinking to herself, what the Hell, can I do this? The money is sooo good so she picks one of the choices she thinks she could live with if she took this job. Ohh lord, you just wait and see what she has gotten herself into. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat wanting and needing to know what is going to happen next.

To top it off, she does end up getting an interview for an administrative assistant position. Y'all this is where I wanted to hit someone..haha I will be vague, but she does take the job and ohh shit I hated her boss!!! Shaking my head back and forth this guy was such a dick!!! He would push poor Mia's buttons All Day...Every Day...but she hung in there, what else could she do, she was broke as a joke!! lol I can not wait to see what y'all think about everything she has gotten herself into. insert evil smile here

I gave Rules of Engagement 5 iScream Cones. I know I didn't really give much in my review but I want you to experience the Cray Cray'ness of this freaking book. All the sneaking around dark corners, mean bosses, this online job opportunity she signs up for as well. So much going on and such a great read as usual by Lily White. She is always a one click from me. Just lover her!!

Lily White honestly can do no wrong in my eyes! Her books always make you feel and allow you to escape into an amazing story. Whatever the genre she will pretty much stop your heart and consume you. That is exactly what we got with Rules of Engagement. Honestly to just call this an office romance is a crime as it was so much more!!

Without giving away ANY spoilers, we open the vook to find Mia down on her luck. With no job prospects on the horizon, she decides to take part in a game where the danger is all too real. Mia and Donovan were sexy, addicting and their banter was out of control. But when a dangerous stalker sets his sights on Mia, who can she trust?

Gahh!! I loved this book. Donovan was so MEAN at times which I loved. You could tell he had so much hidden pain and his emotional detachment was his way of dealing and coping with it. Likewise, I loved that the author showed us a compelling journey of Mia's evolution in finding her own strength. And that ending OMG!!! Lily White really knows how to shock the eff out of you. Good lord was this book fantastic!

All in all, this book was another amazing hit and I cant wait for more from this author in the future!! Bravo! 4 stars!

***5 ‘The Rules’ Stars***

Having only read one other book by this author (The Director, which was all kinds of WHOA!) which I absolutely loved, I was more than ready to dive into anything she created, so when Rules of Engagement was announced I pounced and was like most where I thought it would be a dark romance, I mean read the description, not a difficult conclusion to come to, but when Ms. White set the record straight by saying that it wasn’t a dark romance, but romantic suspense I was even more intrigued and all I have to say is Ms. White did NOT disappoint in any way. From the slow burn romance between Mia and Donovan to the mystery/suspense that had my head spinning and how it all played out in the end this book was everything I wanted it to be.

The problem with a book like this is that you need to go in blind, which means I have to be vague. So, here we go. I evolved in my feelings towards Mia, and Donovan, as the book progressed. I didn’t necessarily love them in the beginning, but I found the fascinating ~ which when it comes to me is actually a good thing. I enjoyed watching them dance towards and away from each other ~ in this instance the push/pull didn’t bother me because of who they are when I first met them ~ but in the end I was more than satisfied with what happened between them.

As for the suspense aspect of the story. It had me all kinds of twisted up in my head and going sideways and after a certain point I just had to stop trying to figure it (actively, because once the brain starts spinning things around for an answer it won’t stop) and wait until all the pieces were exposed and put together in the end. But I swear if I could have done the whole nail biting thing and not ruin my lipstick I would have because even I was starting to feel anxious as things progressed and did let out a heavy breath at the end

Am I totally satisfied with how things ended up? Yes and No. There are certain things I would have liked more of simply because there are still a few things that I want to know how they worked out. But when I look at the story and what the focus of it really was, I can’t say I’m disappointed. It was intriguing and intense in the best of ways and I was kept on my toes throughout the entire book. As for the whole “Is this a dark romance?” issue, I can guarantee you that it isn’t.

So, if you like a good romantic suspense that will keep your brain spinning, then this is definitely the book for you!

Three inch high heels were not invented by a woman....

This is my first book I have read from this author, and dang is she goooood! I love a good romantic suspense and boy did Lily deliver!

This story of Mia and Donovan is amazing, with twists and turns and just when you think you know what's going on, you get a smack across the face and an "A-HA" moment! Just what a good suspense should do! 

The romance between these two characters is phenomenal! Literally no spoken words are needed to see this relationship develop between the two of them!  The push and pull between Mia and Donovan was electric and and so sensual! To see the character development and how Mia came into herself was fantastic! The angst of Donovan will make you want to love him harder!  I will never think of hand holding the same way again! 

This story will keep you guessing until the end! I cannot wait to see what this author has in store next!

Man oh man do I LOVE this author. Every book I have read by her has been fabulous and completely different from the last and this one was no different in that regard. It was probably the tamest book I have ever read by Lily but I was sucked into this story from the first word and I skipped lunch so I could read it straight through. I was just SO SO good.

So deets...I will be a little vague with this review. I don't want to give anything away that would spoil the plot. The writing was FANTASTIC. The pace was perfect. The plot was engaging and kept me turning the pages. The mystery aspect was well done. I am usually fantastic at sherlocking out the baddies in these type of books, but this one led me on a merry chase. I kept waffling between three people and it wasn't until very near the end I settled on one. Was I right? Well, I'll just keep that info to myself. Like I mentioned above, this was a very tame book sex wise. There isn't any, to be honest, and the little bit of action we get is rather PG. Don't let that put you off though because the story was amazing even without the sexy times. I didn't find this to be very angsty and there was no OW/OM drama. It had a good cast of secondary characters. Some play bigger roles than others but all of them added some nice depth to the overall story. I wouldn't mind seeing a couple get books of their own.

Both the main characters were likable and well developed. At first, I wasn't sure about Mia, she had a very "woe is me" attitude that made me want to smack her. But I soon came to like her character very much. I loved seeing her grow into her own and overcome her past. Donovan. Sexy, brooding and silent Donovan. What can I say? I ADORED his character. He was just an a$$ but you could just see this underneath that a$$hole facade was a decent guy who had his own past to come to grips with.

Last, it was all wrapped up in a good (not great) ending. And here is where it lost a half star for me. The ending felt a little anticlimactic regarding the "stalker" plot. I am not sure what more I wanted, but it all just seemed to be wrapped up a tad bit TOO easily. In any case, even with that tiny issue, this was still an amazing book, and yours truly is giving this one two HUGE thumbs up.