Good weekend read. This books is filled lies, deception and love. It doesn't have as much art as you would think but the storyline is good.

This book is great for a casual read. Enough story to keep you engaged but not heavy like some books.

It's a bit like if you were to ready a travel journal. You read for the story not the outcome.

Overall 3.5 stars. Adelaide is a college student paying her tuition by writing papers for her classmates. When a former flame turned TA finds outs, she must enter into an interesting agreement with an older man to keep her secret.

While this was a fun, quick read, it was more romance than mystery or suspense. The more dramatic plot lines, while seemingly dramatic, worked themselves out fairly quickly and easily. Would recommend if you're interested in an age gap romance with a touch of spice and drama.

Only big cons would be the minor suicide jokes after an on page suicide attempt and Jack's hot and cold personality.

Thank you to Net Galley for this advanced copy!

Struggling to pay college tuition on her own, Adelaide Wright creates a little side gig. It pays more than babysitting or blending smoothies off campus. She writes papers on every subject imaginable for a hefty price. And business is going rather well. Realizing this risky service could jeopardize her college degree, Addie keeps a low profile at all times. When Declan, her childhood next door neighbor approaches her for some writing she has no idea her world is about to be turned upside down. Declan, an artist, is also a TA and seemingly knows way too much about the extra cash she is earning. Threatening to turn her in, he blackmails her to help retrieve art that was stolen from him a few years prior. The gallerist Jack Nolan is her target and with Declan’s background information on hand it takes no time at all to weasel her way into his life. Problem is, once she gets to know this incredibly sexy, handsome powerful man, Adelaide cannot resist her burning desire to be part of his world. Literally sweeping her off her feet in a Fifty Shades-like manner Adelaide must find a way to keep Declan at bay, avoid expulsion and repair her complicated relationship with her siblings. Ten Years after the Fifty Shades series someone has FINALLY published a well written version that I simply devoured in one sitting. Well done Maren MacKenzie - we will be waiting for more!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book! Normally I'm not big on blackmail in books but I think the love story of Adelaide and Jack makes up for it. Possessive, rich, older, art dealer meets young, attractive, college student... can you say YES PLEASE!

Highly recommend for those into age gap (not too big only like 10 years), art, and scenes that make you feel emotions a little too hard. This book had me laughing, tearing up, and blushing.

TW: attempted su*c*de

I have no doubt that Rules of Arrangement could be a book many people would enjoy. But sadly, and as much as I wish it were the case, I am not of those people.

First of all, I want to point out that the book is Maren Mackenzie’s debut novel and the writing was really good and pretty solid. It wasn’t too heavy and it was pleasant to read. Although I do believe that some of the dialogues were a little devoid of originality.

I did not like this book. And it’s not so much because it was a bad one. But I spent most of my reading experience frowning for one reason or another. I found myself frustrated, slightly annoyed and a little bit bored a lot thought the story.

As for the characters, I can't say that I loved them a lot either, although I did like Addie. And of course, as a romance reader, I really wanted to love the one in Rules of Arrangement but it fell short. I don't really mind when there's insta love/lust in a story, as long as it's well-written and I can feel a connection between the characters. But I didn't feel much chemistry between Nolan and Addie, and in the end I felt like their romance was rushed, especially at the beginning…

Overall, Rules of Arrangement was pretty disappointing. I liked the idea of it, a lot, but the execution just did not spark much enjoyment in me.

*I voluntarily received this e-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.*

My Fair Lady meets Pretty Woman!!
I couldn't put this down and literally read it in one sitting. I'm already looking forward to more from Maren Mackenzie.
Adelaide Wright is a struggling college student, desperately trying to make ends meet in order to pay her tuition at a costly New England college. She earns money by writing papers for other students, always at risk of being found out, but so far, with only months to graduation, keeping a low profile and a lid on her illegal side job.
Enter Declan. Art History TA who discovers her essay writing game and gives Adelaide a choice: help him recover his paintings from a well-known, ruthless art dealer or he turns her in for cheating.
Jack Nolan is exciting, wealthy, and hot as hell. Her only chance to get close to him is basically becoming his sugar baby. However, they both begin chipping away at each other's armor as they chemistry grows between them and Adelaide starts to question everything that threw her into this "arrangement."
I really liked the storyline of both Adelaide and Jack. It was a sad story that brought a couple tears to the surface but as their relationship developed, it felt natural, even though it was an instant lusty attraction between them.
This was reminiscent of Pretty Woman meets My Fair Lady so if that crossover peaks your interest, this is for you!
Thank you Maren Mackenzie and Marmack Books for this ARC. However, it in no way influenced my review.

The option of writing papers for money in college was available to me. I'm not sure if this book makes me sad or glad I didn’t. Ms Mackenzie has crafted an excellent and riveting story of tension that keeps your eyes on the page. Adelaide is a very familiar character to this generation; while most of us haven't written papers for money or entered into questionable contrats to survive, most of us have dealt with paying for college, student loans, and the terrifying future after you graduate. Her choices may be “wrong” to some, but one of the themes of the book is did she really have a choice at all; the lesser of two evils.

Now to the less existential part. The tension, the romance, the chemistry! It was truly simmering in the pages. Fake dating trope has to be one of my favorites and this plot embraces it while finding a fresh take. While the spice is certainly spicy a lot of the tension is not lust based; but on both Jack and Adelaide needing emotional support and not believing the other is open to that. Damn contracts. This could have been a typical fake dating romance, and there is nothing not lovely about that, but underlying themes of modern class inequality, sibling struggles, and mental health elevate Rules of Arrangement.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a scandalous, drama filled, engaging read - look no further! I devoured this in a single sitting and while certain aspects of the plot were predictable, I wasn’t expecting the level of investment I felt for the characters and definitely found myself surprised at some of the twists the tale took.

I would definitely pick up more from this author in the future.

This book was so interesting. For most of the story I found the characters to be quite tedious but the writing was so great it kept me hooked in the story.
I liked seeing how the characters developed throughout the story and found by the end I was invested in their lives.
There is limited spice in this book but it is peppered through.

It took me a minute to get into... but I was intrigued by the middle of it. At first, I wrote off the love interest as cold and unlikeable but I guess that is the point. Very happy I stuck with it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Refreshing story with a dark, spicy romance!

The introduction is what really hooked me to this book.
A few pages afterward, however, the story started unfolding and the tone became more serious.

I liked Addie. She seemed to be a strong and resourceful character. It's totally different with Declan, though. His actions made me uncomfortable to the point of considering DNFing this.

The writing is also good, but I wished it to be a bit shorter. I feel like having over 600 pages for the plot is too long.


Thanks to Marmack Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my first ARC. I couldn’t have started off with a better book.

This was a quick read with lots of twists and turns. I found myself loving Jack and Adelaide’s side of the story and was hoping nothing but the best for their relationship.

This book was a fun read and I once I got started it was hard to put it down!

A fun, easy, romantic escape

Adelaide is a college student who writes papers for other people to help pay for her college. She is caught by someone from her past and is blackmailed into having an affair with Jack, an older wealthy man.

This surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I liked Adelaide and I liked Jack. I liked the struggle they each had - is this a real relationship, what does the future hold, etc. You don't read from Jack's point of view, but you can tell from his actions how he is feeling - or you think you do.

There is a LOT of sex in this book. It is well written, but I admit I skimmed some of it - I read for the relationships.

I really liked this book. It is perfect for one of those mindless, reading escapes. Curl up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and a glass of wine and enjoy!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, which did not impact my review.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I got absolutely lost in Rules of Arrangement. It’s a story of old lovers and making difficult decisions. The main female character, 22 year old Adelaide is so relatable. She is doing her best to get through College.

When her childhood boy next door waltzes back into her life, everything is changed. Pursuing his lost art collection from Jack, a
charismatic art dealer is his only goal. Little does Addie know she is about to be pulled in to a front row seat.

A whirlwind of lies, secrets, and trysts. Rules of Arrangement keeps you on your toes.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this book!

To be perfectly honest, I can see why some readers would be interested in this book! It is fast-paced, scandalous, and sexy with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked! Although, I was not overly into this book. And I think I would attribute this to the characters, not the writing style itself.

I did not feel like I could connect with Adelaide and Declan infuriated me until the very end and Jack was just a meh character for me. I did enjoy some moments and my rating is based solely on the end where the characters somewhat redeemed themselves in my opinion ( or maybe I just felt more favorably towards them at this point ? ).

If I did not force myself to finish this book out of pure spite, I believe I would have DNF'd after 5 chapters due to Declan's treatment of Adelaide and the very off-based inner thoughts of Adelaide that had me a little irked to keep reading. These moments still occurred throughout the book, that made other reviewers stop reading, but again I did not want to DNF, no matter how much they put me off.

Maren Mackenzie's debut work is great, for the right audience! I just was not in that category, though I did have some fun reading towards the end when all the plot points begun to happen!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I’m bias because I actually live in Connecticut, but I love this story and the woven tale composed of thrill, romance, and mental health. Adelaide is such a lovely character, I was rooting for her from day one. I was also wildly surprised with how much I loved the family dynamic and felt it to be realistic (aside from the NFL boyfriend aspect)! Recommending this to all my friends for when it comes out.

𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔
Adelaide Wright has a secret. For the past few years of college, she has been scraping by financially by writing papers for classmates. Ethical? Maybe not. Necessary? Yes. Now with her graduation just months away, Adelaide thinks she’s in the clear, until her TA Declan discovers her secret and threatens to tell the Dean unless she makes an arrangement with him. The arrangement? Adelaide must help him get back his paintings from renowned art dealer Jack Nolan. With no other choice, Adelaide agrees. But as her arrangement with Declan forces her to get closer with Jack, she begins to question whether he’s really all that Declan described him to be and how she can disentangle herself from the web of lies she finds herself in and come out unscathed.

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
I really loved this book. It’s been a while since I read a romance book where I’ve found all of the characters to be dynamic, engaging and realistically flawed. Adelaide is a real standout character for me. I loved how smart, assertive and stubborn she is. But I also loved how beneath this hard exterior, her vulnerability feels genuine. Her chemistry with Jack is electric and I loved getting to watch them and their relationship develop.

There was some great spice in this book, where the characters were not only physically present but emotionally present, making these scenes very impactful.

Mackenzie’s writing is beautiful and flows effortlessly. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC! This book came out on 2nd Feb, 2022!
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Review:
Adelaide Wright basically writes other students' assignments and papers for cash and when a former childhood friend catches her in the act, he blackmails her to infiltrate Jack Nolan's inner circle in order to get back his paintings but Adelaide soon realised Jack isn't the heartless monster she was told he was .
I actually liked the story even though it seemed cliché at times. The writing was good and the characters had depth. I appreciated that the romance wasn't the only thing the story focused on. Loved the family relationship and how the story focused on this as well especially estrangement. We see Adelaide struggle with independence after having had a toxic relationship with her sister and we see her sister's POV too!
Not gonna lie but I liked the family dynamics a lot more than the romance. Also, Jack had his own secrets so this read was very exciting. I enjoyed reading this!
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Thanks to netgalley for the arc of this book. It really hit me by surprise. I LOVED this book. I was first iffy because i'm not a fan of age gaps more than 10 years but i couldn't help loving this couple. it was also a story like i've never read before. The plot was so intricate and it kept me hooked.

So I read the first chapter of this book and couldn't really get into it so I took a break. Then I started it again and couldn't stop myself till I was done. IT WAS ADDICTING. I was reading a very interesting book at the same time but I completely abandoned it when I started this. WHEW.

The writing style got me hooked honestly. It was flowing and easy to tag along. I usually read a book for the characters but the characters had no depth and they weren't likable. The only thing I like about Jack is his bank account and the only thing I like about Adelaide is Jack. So believe me when I say I really liked the writing style.

Adelaide was VERY annoying. She was writing essay papers for money and she was such a drama queen about it. Like girl, you were selling papers, not contracts that could possibly start a nuclear war?! Seriously, she was writing people's HOMEWORKS but she was acting like she was selling their kidneys. She needed to calm the fuck down.

Now, this portion of my review will involve spoilers because I need to rant. Read at your own risk: In Maine, she had no right to go through Jack's stuff like that. NO RIGHT. He didn't owe her any explanation about his WIFE IN A FREAKING COMA, they weren't dating or anything? Just because it looked like they MIGHT date doesn't give her the right to act this way? It was obvious he was involved with a woman before, I mean duh? Adelaide shouldn't have been sniffing around if she wasn't ready for answers. PLUS she needs to stop acting like a victim when she only came into his life to steal from him, come on. If someone has to apologize IT'S YOU BITCH. Also, he took you to his most important place, the place he feels most vulnerable about. He was supposed to have a life with his wife in that house and he didn't take anyone there due to that BUT YOU. IT WAS SPECIAL. AND YOU JUST FUCKED IT UP? YOU COULD'VE AT LEAST LET THE MAN EXPLAIN TOO. I AM PISSED. Reading this book in one sitting got me through many emotions but my ANGER towards Adelaide is a whole another thing. Don't get me wrong, Jack is a dipshit and annoying and kinda misogynistic if you ask me BUT he didn't deserve THAT kind of judgment. Anyway.

One more thing, Declan should just crawl back into whatever hole crawled up from and rot there. I'd say he should go to hell but I don't wanna feel bad for Satan himself. (Don't pull the "Ooooh but he was sick!" card, most serial killers were sick but we don't get them off the hook, do we? And I am SURE he would hurt someone if he wasn't stopped.)

Now that I'm done ranting, I'd like to talk about the main reason why this book gets a 4-star rating instead of 5. Flat and unseasoned characters, is one thing. The supposedly strong woman character dropping everything because of a man is another thing. Adelaide didn't give a rat's ass about her 'best friends' or her grades after Jack came into the picture. Yes, he is rich and all that but you should never make a man the center of your universe and depend on him. You, of all people Adelaide, should know better than to be dependent on someone and be let down because your needs weren't convenient for the other party. Learn something for once.

Okay. I am calm. Go read this book. (By the way on the spicy scale, I'd give this book 2.5 out of 5, if you are wondering.)