Adeline is a deeply flawed character whose struggle with her conscience is somehow totally relatable on some fundamental level. Even though I was sure the resolution would go one way, there was always just enough tension to keep me uncertain.

At first it had the feeling of the 50 Shades trilogy due to Jack's almost-aggressive domineering character but the story and writing style kept me engaged. There were enough twists and surprises that I gave up expecting anything and settled in to enjoy the ride. And a ride it was.

I could not stay away from my ereader. This debut novel completely wowed me and it's going to be a title to add to my personal collection.

This was a fantastic afternoon read. I finished it in one sitting.
The plot was great, and the characters are very dynamic. However the side characters faded out of the story very quickly. I almost format that Adalaide got busted by the TA, Declan.
The book had enough romance scenes without it being overwhelming with a hint of spiciness for the smut lovers.

I loved this book, it had all the elements of a good afternoon read. That being said, i did feel like there was some unnecessary things added on which i will NOT spoil because those elements just weren't for me but can be for someone else.

The book is written in third PoV and great for new NA readers, the writing style is great and creates an easy read for the audience.
It's quite a cliche read but that just made it such a great cleanser from the other books i read. Addie has a likeable personality, although at times, i wish she stood her ground a bit more.

Onto my favourite part of this book: Jack 💜 , Jack is portrayed as this cold dude who does not care *sigh* i love emotionally unavailable men who become available for the sake of our FMC, who are also older (22f/38m); Thank you Mackenzie for not making her barely legal. I also love how he *took care* of her ;).
Overall, it's. great read and i recommend everyone to read it a some point in their life.

CW: Mention of suicide suicide (not on page), death of a parent, blackmail, slut shaming.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC for exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed this book much more than I had expected to! I loved the characters; the story was comfortable to read and kept me hooked. I enjoy Maren's writing style and look forward to her future books!

2.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶

My number one concern with this book is that there is no trigger warning in the beginning for anything that’s covered within this book. Suicide being one of them. It’s not until the very end of the book that there’s a page for suicide awareness.

Overall the storyline and the character development was ok. It started off with blackmail, then grooming to be an escort, which then led to an age gap romance. Through the middle I was really debating on DNFing it and I kind of wish I did.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Overall, this was a great book. There was an interesting storyline and a swoon worthy, older, charming male love interest. The protagonist did kind of grate on my nerves now and then. At times she acted quite juvenile, however that may just be me being picky. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this book very spicy. There were a couple of scenes, but they weren’t particularly explicit. If there were a sequel, would I read it? Probably not. However, I did devour this whole book in an afternoon so if you’re one for age gap romances then this is definitely one worth giving a shot.

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

'Rules of Arrangement' by Maren Mackenzie is the story of Adelaide Wright, a 22 year old college senior, who is paid by fellow students to write their papers for them. When Declan, her T.A and blast from the past, finds out about her highly illegal side hustle he blackmails her into seducing Jack Nolan, a wealthy, almost 40 year old art dealer who screwed Declan over. Adelaide enters into a complicated relationship with Jack and begins to question what she's been told with what she experiences.

The book is some sort of blackmail/heist mixed in with a lot of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' vibes (contract and toxic love interest-wise, not BDSM). The novel deals with serious issues surrounding mental health, family, toxic power struggles in relationships and attempted suicide as a sub-plot which I think should have been more of a focus but what was shown was mostly (aside from the toxic power struggles) well-done.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed reading it, there were parts that felt very serious that were not focused on long enough and then parts that were drawn out and had me itching for the scenes to end. It was a very quick read and a good debut novel. I'm interested to see more from Mackenzie in the future and to see how she'll grow as an author.

Adelaide Wright finds herself in trouble when her TA (and childhood fling) find out she's selling papers at their university to pay her hefty tuition. So he decides to blackmail her into helping him get his paintings back from his ex art dealer, Jack Nolan. How will she do that? Well by agreeing to an arrangement with him that involves a contract and lucrative payment of course! Maybe Adelaide won't have to rely on writing papers to scrape by after all. But the cost of losing her heart to someone like Jack? The price may be too much to pay.

And thus begins this delicious novel that I finished in a single sitting. It's the perfect mix of scandal, drama, and smut that could cure anyone's reading slump! Jack and Adelaide's relationship was tantalizing to watch unfurl, and as they slowly open up to each other it veered from sexy to sweet in a heart warming way.

I still feel a little leery about the age difference (she's 22, he's 38), even though Adelaide is portrayed to be mature for her age. That's the only qualm I had about this novel. Otherwise, it was quick and fun read that was quite enjoyable!

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Marmack Books in exchange for an honest review.

Content warning: mental health struggles, death of parents, attempted suicide (both on and off page)

I was a little worried about how RULES OF ARRANGEMENT was going to go since I didn't love the convenience of the "setup" that drove the plot... or the large age difference between the romantic interests. But, once the story go going beyond that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some good spicy spots and even though this book is full of romance novel tropes, I found that I didn't mind. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read.

This book sounded great in theory. A student earning money by writing papers for other students, is discovered by a TA and being blackmailed into helping him find some paintings.

Sounds sort of heisty, interesting world of high end art dealing and a potential romance with the target.

And while I read this quickly I just felt very let down. The chemistry between Adelaide and Jack was pretty much non-existent. I don't understand what he saw in her and how he got obsessed with her so quickly. If she atleast had some knowledge of art, maybe I could have understood it a little bit. But she was completely clueless somehow, and didn't even prepare for the task by reading up on it.

And heistwise? Yeah, there just wasn't anything happening in that area at all. The story just became bogged down with the lackluster "romance" and I just expected something else.

Sorry, this book just didn't work for me.

This was a fantastically steamy, contemporary story that kept my interest throughout. The characters had depth and each of their flaws were perfectly executed. I found the premise to be interesting and plausible., Maren Mackenzie certainly know her way around a love scene! They were amazing. The twists were believable and everything is tied up nicely in the end. It was a fast read for me because I found it so engaging. I would highly recommend this novel

4.5 Stars

Adelaide gets paid by fellow students to write their papers for them. She’s very particular about how she operates her illegal side hustle, but she’s caught by her Art History TA who also happens to be an old flame. Rather than expose her, Declan uses the information to blackmail Adelaide into wooing Jack Nolan, Declan’s old art dealer who stole his best work. Adelaide manages to get hired by Jack to be his “professional girlfriend,” and while this allows her to get closer to him to find those paintings, it also leaves her open to getting closer to him.

This book had a great plot and great smut. I thought it would be more smutty than it was, but I thought the smut to plot ratio was perfect. The characters were all very dynamic. There were times where I loved and hated basically every character in this book.

I typically don’t enjoy age gap couples, but Adelaide and Jack are part of the exception. Jack assumed Addie to be older because of her maturity, and after learning she’s a 22-year-old college senior becomes both a little skeptic of the relationship but also understanding of her other responsibilities.

I’m knocking off the half star because Adelaide’s roommates fade so severely to the background way too early on. At a certain point in the novel it was only about Addie and Jack that even Declan disappeared and I totally forgot why Addie had become Jack’s “girlfriend” in the first place. I think the character screen time could’ve been balanced better, but overall this book surprised me with how deep it could get. I read this so quickly and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Marmack Books LLC for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for those who love the billionaire meets good girl storyline. I really enjoyed the book and the story plot was great. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed but overall it flowed well and was written nicely. I liked the characters as well. I would be excited if there was a book 2.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adelaide Wright is a college senior who has been writing papers for other people and getting paid for it. It all began her freshman year, but she's doing it because her sister excommunicated her. Adelaide knows that this is an offense that could lead to her expulsion, but it's making her good money. Until her art class TA, Declan, finds her out. But Declan has a plan in mind for himself. If Adelaide can recover her paintings from Jack Nolan, a cut throat art dealer, Declan won't tell her secret. Jack Nolan is a person of power, he's a big name in the art dealing world and he has arrangements with women to be a sort of paid girlfriend for him. Attend big parties, be a pretty girl on his arm, and all things that come with that lifestyle. But chemistry starts to develop between them right when Declan's demands become more and more serious. Can Adelaide deal with the secrets she's keeping?

What I enjoyed most about this book is the idea that we all keep some sort of secrets and that the truth tends to be a gray place. Jack and Adelaide's relationship is one that blooms slowly but feels like a prize. The only struggle that I had throughout the book was Adelaide's relationship with her roommates. I get that it wasn't a huge part of the story, but it felt like they weren't developed well. I also felt the same way with Samantha. However, Adelaide's character development as well as Jack's was a huge part of what made me enjoy the book.

I will note that content warnings should be given for those not looking for sex, suicide attempts, and discussion of past attempts.

It's been a while since I enjoyed a romance this much. This was definitely a page turner , it kept me hooked until the very end. The characters were not flat like some of the recent romance I have read; rather they were well written and totally flawed which allowed for growth and character development. I completely fell in love with Adelaide from her introduction and found myself empathising. Jack grew on me and when he did I was really holding on to both his and Addie's interactions. The writing was easy to follow and the pacing of the plot was done well; it did not feel rushed at all.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book! As debuts go I think this book had some great promise. Maybe the follow through wasn't exactly what I was anticipating. I also think I had it in my head as being steamy romance and while it touched on the romance, it wasn't in the same category as a Katee Roberts, etc. Still good book and will certainly check out writers work in the future.

Addie, a senior in college, sells essays to afford the expensive tuition that her estranged family refuses to pay. When she bumps into her old neighbor, Declan, she thinks he’s just a grad student in need of a paper and willing to pay. Unfortunately for her, Declan’s actually a TA in one of her classes and threatens to turn her in unless she transforms herself into an escort capable of catching and keeping the attention of art dealer Jack Nolan. Her mission: find the paintings that Declan claims Jack stole from him. Addie delves deep into Jack’s world, but it soon becomes a race to see if she’ll find the art before her contract runs out and her educational reputation becomes destroyed.
Sometimes I 100% judge a book by its cover and pick something up just because I think it looks pretty. Thankfully this time around, it really worked out. Rules of Arrangement is gritty and mesmerizing – the kind of romance that had a healthy amount of sub-plot without distracting from the main couple. I also tend to get uncomfortable in escort/contract type relationships, but consent was key here. Furthermore, the novel found ways to surprise me, which I find far more entertaining than the typical ‘by the book’ romance. I’m genuinely looking forward to what’s next from Maren Mackenzie.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Marmack Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Marmack Books for the ARC - my sincerest apologies for the delayed read!

So, I'm going to start this review with the thing I disliked the most, because the rest of the book was honestly good so I'm not sure why it happened. Here goes:

There is a comment near the beginning that suggests Adelaide feels confident because she loses a few pounds from stress. This was fatphobic and wholly unnecessary to the plot, as her body isn't really detailed in weight-specifics other than this one moment. Why should she be more confident with less weight? Why does stress-losing a few pounds make her happy? Editors or the publisher should have caught this - it's not cute and did nothing for the protagonist, the story, or the book. I was reading an ARC copy, so I truly hope in the final draft this came out.

That one (unecessary) moment aside: this book surprised me - I am hesitant to read contemporary romance at all, because I often find it too unrealistic in a non-endearing way. I opted to read this because there is a mystery subplot that carries the story beyond just the romance.

And, I actually enjoyed this! It felt like a (less problematic) take on Fifty Shades of Grey, as this shares a lot of tropes in common (contractual romance, domineering love interest). There are some twists and turns - which I didn't actually love, so 4/5 stars - but they kept me engaged and interested enough so that for other people (with different personal reading tastes) this is probably a 5 star romance read. I was so invested I finished it in a day. I'm going to elaborate on what I didn't love below, so stop reading if you don't want the ending spoiled.

In sum: the book was a lot of fun and I'll probably read the author's next books if and when they come! For a debut, I'm impressed!

(Spoilers below!)

Things I didn't like -

1) Jack's wife being alive, but comatose (it felt crass for him to pull the plug on his wife for a 22yr old, but I'm not into age-gap reads, so I purposefully overlooked my own thoughts here - to each their own)

2) the fact that the answer to the mystery is just that Declan is suicidal. I didn't love the representation of mental illness here.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. It's a well done erotic novel with not only good chemistry but and intriguing plot and very well written. I would definitely read another book by this author.

This cover hooked me immediately it's such a beautiful cover that promises so much and the book definitely delivered on all fronts.
This book was an all-consuming book that was impossible to put down the minute I opened it.