Against the Rules was an engaging read with plenty of heat, but I found myself wanting more in terms of character depth. The chemistry between the leads was undeniable, and the spicy moments were certainly well-written, making for a fast-paced and entertaining romance. However, while the passion was strong, some of the characters felt a bit shallow, leaving me wishing for more emotional depth and development.

I enjoyed the tension and the premise, and the story had its moments of charm. However, a stronger connection to the characters—beyond the physical—would have made this book even more compelling. If you’re looking for a steamy, easy read, this one delivers, but for those craving deeper character exploration, it might leave you wanting just a little more.

At 600+ pages this book is long, and I found it a bit slow paced in places. It was also extremely insta love which isn't my favourite. While it was insta love, there was the suspense of when they were going to give in and get together. It did get a bit repetitive towards the end though with the on/off thing going on.

This book does come with some added angst and trauma, which is how I like my romance. I thought the vaginismus representation was done pretty well, there was no quick fix, and therapy and professional help was encouraged. There is also diabetes rep and how a sick parent can affect the children as well. Both characters have trauma from their family lives which made them feel real.

I liked the friendshis and the banter was excellent. Jazz was the star of the show. She was so freaking adorable and I loved seeing her interact with Willow. I did question the reactions of King's mates though. It felt extremely immature.

It's definitely a book that makes you feel a range of emotions, with plenty of giggling as well as spice. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I'm not sure if I'd go back for the rest of the series.

i'm always on the lookout for sports romances that are written by authors of color and feature characters of color, so i was really excited at the prospect of this one! i was a little let down by the lack of explicit reference to the heroine's cultural background. that being said, this is a common pet peeve of mine in most sports romances written by authors of color even if i like the rest of the novel, ie bal khabra's "collide" and "spiral," esha patel's "offtrack" and "overdrive," sookh kaur's "breaking away."

anyways, i did like the character development but overall did find the pacing to be a bit slow for my liking, and wished it was a tighter book.

DNF at 52% (which btw is still 300 pages so)
Sure the concept of this was something I’d usually eat the hell up. Boy on the football team, girl who hates athletes. But please they fell for each other in the first page and every other chapter it’s “ugh I love you so much I want you right here right now” and then “I hate you you’re the worst thing to ever happen to me do not speak to me”. I cannot do 600 pages of that! Chapters were short which is great but genuinely cut it in half it was dragging fr. Hate to DNF a book especially this far in but it is seriously putting me in a slump.

Thank you so much for this ARC! I feel like I have to go back and read the other books in this series because this one was cute! I think it had way too many pages than necessary, but I enjoyed the main characters and their story!

Okay, I´m going to try to keep this review as short as possible. I recieved this ARC a few weeks before the publication date and I really want to thank Bree Hayden for the chance to be a ARC reader for her book 'against the rules´. I got this book in exchange for an honest review so here it is. I devoured this book and rate it 4.5 ⭐️ It was amazing and I loved every moment of it. I´m in love with the main charachters aswell as with the side charachters. I kept wanting to read more (wich made me pull 2 all nighters because I couldn´t put my phone down, wanting to know more) I kept kicking my feet at good parts and really felt the emotions brewing Inside me while reading. The only reason I didn´t rate it 5 ⭐️ is because there were a few moments were I felt there were a few things missing (mostly near the end). Despite that I really enjoyed the story and really got pulled into the book. It pains me to leave Willow and King behind but I´m very exited to read more from Bree Hayden in the future.

MBree Hayden’s *Against the Rules* is a captivating blend of tension, banter, and forbidden romance that kept me hooked from the first page. With a brooding bad-boy athlete and a fiercely independent heroine, this story delivers all the angst and heat you could want—plus a few surprises along the way.


What follows is a deliciously tense dance of push and pull. King, with his quiet intensity and guarded past, is tasked with keeping an eye on Willow, and their chemistry is off the charts. The forced proximity, stolen moments, and simmering tension had me glued to the page. And when they finally give in? Let’s just say the payoff is as satisfying as it is steamy.

Hayden excels at building slow-burn tension, and the banter between Willow and King is sharp and engaging. Willow’s secret identity as a singer adds an intriguing layer to her character, while King’s loyalty and vulnerability make him impossible not to root for. The side characters bring humor and warmth, balancing out the emotional highs and lows of Willow and King’s relationship.

This book had me kicking and screaming, looking at my imaginary audience and gasping all the totally normal things you do when you love a book right… right??
This book is exactly what I mean when I say bring back yearning bring back tension bring back the build up I loved it!!

I loved everything about this book! It had sports, always a bonus, sizzling chemistry and banter! It was such a swoon worthy read!!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

What i loved:
* Adam Russell's commentary
* banter between Willow and King
* the cover
* Willow slapping Elijah

What didn't work for me:
* Did i miss who the hell released King's info to Elijah and sent those anonymous texts? Because your girl really wants to know....
* it was kinda long

I hadn't read the first three in the series but still enjoyed this book. I appreciated the care given to the storylines on sexual dysfunction and diabetes. That said, I wish the characters were aged up to be pro athletes because some of the storylines were pretty extreme for 20 year olds. It often took me out of the story, more than in other college sports romances because they didn't feel that age at all.

Wow my expectations were honestly exceeded with this one. I was a bit wary going in since the page count was a bit higher than your average romance but I can’t honestly think of anything I would have cut out. The storyline gradually progressed with new challenges and relationships growing, it reminded me of a tv show the almost episodic way the characters treated each challenge, etc.

King and Willow, god I love them so much. Is King a bit problematic? Well yeah but he’s a book boyfriend not a real one so we’ll give him a pass. Perfect combo of cinnamon roll and touch her and 🎲. Willow facing her real challenges in her life to learn how to have a healthy relationship with her partner. I’m almost bummed I started the series backwards, not sure the other relationships will hit me the same way. But I’m willing to give it a shot 😊

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

unfortunately this book was not for me. i did not get on with the writing from the start and sadly dnf’ed at 20%. i can see why people would love this book, however it just wasn’t my cup of tea. what i did read, the plot was fun but not my vibe. i am so thankful to have received this arc and wish the author all the success xx

(rating 5 stars as i dnf and cant therefore give a fully informed rating)

Agains the Rules by Bree Hayden is my firs book form this author but i'll give it another try. This is an insta love story with a good character grown but there were a lot happening at the same time. The book became a bit repetitive halfway through and it made me feel less invested in the ending. I felt like 600 pages for this story was way too much and i felt like the book loses points because of it. I felt like the ending was too rushed and since this is a big book it was not great. But it was an interesting read and i look forward to read other books from this author since the writing was very good.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as the publisher & author for an advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

4/5

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. Characters were engaging. I rooted for them, flaws and all. I desperately wanted the FMC to stand up for herself more and find her place. I wanted the MMC to just communicate.

That said, there are some elements that are a little unrealistic. But that is what made the book fun.

I did not expect to love this as much as I do! I found myself giggling almost the entire time. The spice was 🤌🤌 and I love the absolute obsession king has with willow. They're so freaking cute together. Highly recommend!

Also to note- I did not read any of the previous books in the series, but i wasn't lost with any of the other characters.

Thank you to the publishing company and NetGalley for an ARC!

Thank you for the arc but unfortunately this book was not for me. I loved the premise, but the insta-love was too instant. I also had not read the prior books in the series and had a hard time keeping up with the characters/friend group dynamics. The book read more like it was checking tropes off a list than telling a cohesive story.

4.25⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to ARC read!!

Let’s start off with the good stuff: King pining over Willow and being an absolute romantic sap just for her was ~beautiful~. Each character had the perfect amount of depth and back story. The spice scenes were verrryy spicy. Definitely loved the initial banter and slow burn between the two MCs.

I also really liked the growth shown between the main characters and their side characters. I loved seeing the two MCs grow together and get closer with each other and their friends/family. Overall, it was very well written. I found myself smiling at the screen MULTIPLE times. Also, I loved that I could jump into this book without having read the ones before it. But I will say, now after reading this one I definitely will be reading the others!!

Now, for the not so good stuff: The story started to lose me at the end. It felt very repetitive and got boring, where I didn’t feel as invested in the ending as I had in the beginning. I loved the characters, but didn’t need to read 600 pages of them.

King and Willows relationship started of rocky to say the least. I was worried that there would t be much plot to this book but I was pleasantly surprised to find it intriguing, funny, and sentimental. I laughed more times than I could count and ever started to tear up a few times. Bree Hayden wrote a phenomenal sports romance with great main and side characters. If you are into sport romance novels with lots of spice this is for you.

Against the Rules by Bree Hayden is a college sports romance with great tension, banter, and a guaranteed happily ever after. The characters have strong chemistry, and their back-and-forth adds a fun touch to the story. There’s a nice hurt/comfort element that brings emotional depth to the plot.

The book is an easy and enjoyable read for young adult fans of the genre. If you like sports romance with a happy ending, this book is a good pick.