Publisher's synopsis: Rules are made for a reason, but some rules are meant to be broken.After dropping out of NYU, moving across the country, and spending the last two years as the co-owner of a successful activewear brand, Mackenzie Jean has decided it’s time to go back to school. Does she want to finish her degree? Absolutely. But enrolling at Michigan State University is about so much more. Somewhere along the way, she lost herself in the fog of her anxiety, and it’s time she rediscovers who she is.
Aiden Fuller is an MSU hockey standout set to embark on his senior season. He’s flying high, all of his dreams within reach, until a seemingly harmless dare from his teammates ends with Aiden staring down a ten-game suspension. Now, he’s terrified he’s on the verge of losing the one thing in his life that means the most to him.
When a chance encounter during Welcome Weekend pulls Kenzie and Aiden into each other’s orbits, suddenly all the rules they’ve carefully laid out for their lives seem to be hindering more than helping.
Can Aiden be a safe place for Kenzie, a place where her mind is at rest and she can simply be? And will Kenzie help Aiden realize he can have it all—the game and the girl?
My thoughts: I absolutely loved the world that Chaperon created in For the Boys and On the Line, and her first foray into a spin-off series was no less of an enjoyment to read. This reader may be over ten years removed from college life (and the young love of college romances), but I still found myself devouring Aiden and Kenzie's ups and downs as they navigated a love neither expected to find.
By branching off into NA/college romance territory, Chaperon was able to take all the things we've loved about her first two novels and add another layer for the main characters to navigate. Having met Kenzie in the previous books, readers already know she's hard-working and driven. Giving her a way to take a step back and have her finish her degree was an excellent plot decision and truly made this book stand apart from the other books in Chaperon's backlist. With Aiden trying to balance hockey, classes, and love, and Kenzie trying to balance an unexpected romance with her past and her future, these two had quite the challenge ahead of them.
One of my favorite aspects of this particular story is how realistic it all felt. There was no point in the story when I had to suspend my belief in order to accept the plot or actions of the characters. Coupled with the three-dimensional characters, it was very easy to imagine all of this story truly happening as it played out in my mind.
Chaperon included some very real parts of anxiety in Kenzie. Readers who experience the same can easily see parts of themselves in Kenzie's mannerisms and actions, and I found those parts of the story to be intentional, unabashedly raw, and very well done. Such representation never felt gimmicky or there just for the sake of tension or plot.
With Kenzie being closely tied to the main characters in both of Chaperon's previous books, it was no surprise to see Brent, Berkley, Mitch, and Lexie make several appearances. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Brent from Kenzie's viewpoint; gone is the golden boy, only to be replaced with the overprotective older brother. There were definitely moments when I questioned my love for Brent Jean, and it's a testament to Chaperon's writing that she can make me feel two completely different ways about the same character.
Full of fast-paced hockey life set against a backdrop of Michigan's colorful scenery, Every Rule Worth Breaking brings Chaperon's hockey romances down to the collegiate level while still giving readers the same steam they've seen in her previous books. Aiden and Kenzie are perfect for each other, and they're a perfect addition to Chaperon's hockey romance lineup.
A huge thank you to Amanda for providing a review copy of Every Rule Worth Breaking and for allowing me to beta read early drafts of Kenzie and Aiden's story!
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Release date: 4/28/23
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: the author
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