Series Review: The Rules by Monica Murphy

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Fair Game (from Goodreads):

Bad enough Jade Frost’s boyfriend drags her to a boring poker game. Even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round…and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend.

Now she supposedly belongs to the ultra rich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn’t stop him. More like her horrible behavior seems to make him want her more.

When she finds herself starting to fall for him, Jade’s confused. There’s more to Shep than the carefree rich charmer he portrays. No way could he want a serious relationship with her…or could he?

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Favourite Author
Series: The Rules

Crosses over with the One Week Girlfriend Series in Safe Bet

Author: Monica Murphy
# of Books: 4 (Fair Game, In the Dark, Slow Play, Safe Bet)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: May 2015 – January 2017
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Monica Murphy is my go to author for fun but heartwarming New Adult romances. She just writes really good stories that I get into from start to finish. And every series by her is unique in its execution and motivation.

I’ll admit, I picked this series up a little bit earlier than I planned to just because I wanted to read the crossover with the One Week Girlfriend Series in the 4th novel, Safe Bet. And, I needed a lighter series after reading a heavier contemporary novel.

The Plot:

Monica admitted at the end of Book 2, In the Dark, that she isn’t trying to reinvent the New Adult romance genre with these books. They’re supposed to be lighter, fun reads for her readers. And they definitely succeed in that aspect! I just had a lot of fun reading these books! And they definitely brightened my mood 🙂

But what I also liked is that they are toned down in the drama department. You don’t get that petty, soap opera-esque scenarios (like overly jealous girls or “cheating” situations). Instead, the focus stays on the characters as they learn who they are and why they want to pursue their respective relationships. It just keeps the story focused on what matters and I loved that.

The Characters:

I’ll admit, it took me a while to warm up to a few of these characters. In particular, I struggled with Shep and Jade in Fair Game and Tristan in Slow Play. I did warm up to Shep and Jade as their story progressed though. It just took some time to see the deeper side of their characters. Tristan…he suffers a bit from his presentation in the first two books (where he is a total dog) and so he really had to work hard to get me on his side. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed his story.

But Gabe and Lucy’s story stole the show for me in In the Dark! They were perfect! I thought they had the best connection but also the best individual character development.

The Romance:

While the connections are a little insta-love, they do progress into genuine connections. It’s a little more “told” than “shown” when it comes to the writing, but it’s obvious why they all fall for their respective partners.

It’s not too spicy and it’s not too cheesy: it just hits that perfect mark.