This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC -- any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an advanced copy for review! Playing by Their Rules will be available on September 12, 2023. You can also read my review of Falling for Them (Cinderella's Daddies, #1) on my blog, here.
Calista Jayne does not disappoint in this fun new standalone -- when Maisie gets a second chance to win Chance and Ethan over for a very special relationship, she goes in with a clear mindset and a plan that would put war battles to shame. Maisie is such a great character when it comes to understanding her own feelings as well as when it comes to experiencing so many new things as once. I really enjoyed her characterization, and it reminded me a lot of Ella from Jayne's Cinderella's Daddies series.
I loved that we had perspectives from Maisie, Chance, and Ethan -- it made the story become cohesive and the reader does not feel as though they are missing out on certain characters and their thoughts. Jayne really allows readers to understand exactly what is going through everyone's minds as the relationship begins to develop, which makes it all the more entertaining to read.
Once I started reading, I could barely put it down and nearly flew threw the book in one sitting. The pacing of the plot works in the reader's favor, as it makes you feel as if you are going through these new and exciting decisions and moments with Maisie at the same rate as her thought process.
Bradley and Mina made interesting supporting characters, and I loved the relationship that Maisie had with Bradley -- it is a rare find in romance books to have a female lead with a male best friend that does not try to get into a relationship with her, and I found it very refreshing to see such a great dynamic between the two of them. Mina is an entire beast on her own, and low-key felt like a bit of a stage five clinger when it came to doing anything with Maisie -- she really was basically trying to become another version of Maisie and her character definitely added some tension to Maisie's life.
Ethan and Chance were overall great characters that really had maturity behind them when it came to doing anything with Maisie, which once again was refreshing to see in a more taboo romance novel. I love a good age gap romance, and their age difference with Maisie was just the right amount where it was an age difference and not a power difference in the sense that everyone was in control of what was going on in their relationship.
I absolutely loved the thriller element to this book -- much like Falling for Them, Jayne is able to expertly incorporate thrilling, interesting plot twists that compliment the story's relationship without overshadowing the main theme. This was such a fun read, and easily one of my new favorite erotic thrillers. I really enjoyed the pacing of the story and plot development, and the relationship between Ethan, Chance, and Maisie was well-established and overall a great pairing.
This was a super fun read and I will definitely be reading more by the author. If you are a fan of Praise by Sara Cate or Credence by Penelope Douglas, this book will certainly become one of your new favorites. I would definitely recommend Forever Only Once by Carrie Ann Ryan once you read this book, especially if you are looking for a romance book with a touch of thriller to it.
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