Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Don’t Mess with the Ex

SERIES:   Rules We Break

AUTHOR:  D.J. Jamison

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  3xx pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 20, 2023

BLURB:

For years, I’ve lived by one simple rule: Don’t Mess With The Ex.

It was an easy rule to follow when Laurence Kensington III was on the other side of the country.

Now that he’s shown up out of the blue to tell me we’re still married? Not so much.

I followed my heart into a whirlwind romance with him once, and it ended in a heart-breaking annulment. Or at least, I thought it did. I don’t know what to think of the news we’re still hitched.

I’ve vowed to never be so impulsive or reckless again. But when he brings me a proposal that will help me achieve my dreams for Granville *and* refuse his entitled family something they want, I’m once more put to the test.

Laurie is as handsome as I remember, and so damn tempting. His sweet gestures, generous spirit, and open heart make it a challenge to stick to my rule.

But then, maybe messing with the ex wouldn’t be all bad. Maybe it’s time to write new rules.

Is it really so wrong to follow my heart if my heart was right all along?

Don’t Mess With The Ex is Book 2 of Rules We Break, a spin-off series from Games We Play, set in the small, quirky town of Granville, where nosy residents meddle in one another’s lives, great friendships are made, and silly innuendos are a way of life.

REVIEW:

When we last left Granville, one Lawrence Kensington III had shown up at a town presentation to announce that he was back to see his husband Hunter Ellis.  Whaaaa?  Seems that Hunter and Laurie had been married 20 years earlier in Massechusetts when Marriage Equality passed.  However, Laurie’s family wasn’t happy about it and forced Laurie to have the marriage annulled.  There were lots of nefarious tricks and manipulations from Laurie’s grandfather of both men.  But it turns out the annulment was never filed and they are still married.

Recently Laurie’s great aunt died and left him her estate.  With the caveat that he be married.  His family of course is fighting this and Laurie needs Hunter to be married to him so he can thwart this latest attempt by his family to control him.  He’s left the family business and is an angel investor.  He also has never stopped loving Hunter.  He was the one who got away.   Little does he know that Hunter actually feels the same way.

Hunter is thrown by Laurie showing up.  He’s never told anyone about their marriage – so the Granville gossips go into overdrive.  His family is quite upset with him as well.  But once the meet Laurie and have a wedding reception and find out what a good man Laurie is, they are sold.  Too bad Hunter and Laurie have agreed to make things look good while Hunter continues to keep Laurie at arm’s length.  However, Laurie is determined to reclaim Hunter as his husband.  For real and forever.  His family has other ideas and does their best to try to ensure that the marriage is a fraud or barring that, attack the people and places that Laurie now considers his home and family.  This time, the Kensingtons may have bitten off more than they can chew 😉

Well this was an absolutely delightful addition to this series 🙂   I loved Laurie and Tucker so so much.  This was really such a fun second chances story.  I also enjoy a good “mature characters” story.  These guys are no longer the rather idealistic 20-somethings who impulsively got married and then had to deal with Laurie’s awful and manipulative family.  They are now “grownups” who need to be in charge of their own destinies.  Even though it took Tucker a little while to see that Laurie was genuine in his wanting to make their marriage work, he realized that he had never let go of his first love either.  This truly was their opportunity to reach for the brass ring as it were.  The town of Granville continues to be a fabulous and hilarious universe for this story.  It’s fun to revisit the folks from previous stories and laugh at the antics of the town gossips and the matchmaking grannies in particular 😉  I particularly got a kick out of how Laurie and Tucker were able to unite as a team against Laurie’s awful family.  But as Laurie found out after being in Granville, they had a whole lot of help from their family and friends.  This was really one grand HEA 🙂  I’m really loving this series and can’t wait for the next book. Highly recommended.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon