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Love Rules
An intelligent, sexy novel about best friends, about settling down and about throwing it all away…
When you fall in love do you follow your heart or use your head?
Thea Luckmore believes in love – the magic spark of true, old-fashioned, romantic love. She's determined only ever to fall head over heels, or rather, heart over head.
Alice Heggarty, her best friend, is always falling in lust – with dashing rogues who invariably break her heart. As yet another disastrous relationship ends, Alice makes a decision. It's time to marry and she knows just the man.
For Thea, Saul Mundy promises to be the perfect fit and Thea finds herself falling in love and loving it.
But though newly wed Alice encourages Thea to settle down and conform, she finds that she's not as keen as she thought on playing by the rules. Alice starts to break them left, right and centre… At the same time, Thea's world, in which love reigns supreme, is shaken to the core.
When it comes to love, should you listen to your head, your heart, or your best friend?
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
85 people are currently reading
700 people want to read
About the author
Freya North
41 books694 followersFreya North is the author of many bestselling novels which have been translated into numerous languages. She was born in London but lives in rural Hertfordshire, where she writes from a stable in her back garden. A passionate reader since childhood, Freya was originally inspired by Mary Wesley, Rose Tremain and Barbara Trapido: fiction with strong and original characters. To hear about events, competitions and what she’s writing, join her on Facebook, Twitter and her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
June 28, 2008
I have just been more and more disappointed with Freya North's books lately. This book actually got me really annoyed and unhappy with life, myself and all the characters in this novel. I thought everyone was frustrating and they should all be miserable forever, except maybe the one person most punished in the end. So, why did I give it 2 stars instead of 1? Maybe I'm a fool but I didn't think it was that awful, given how good a writer North is. She does have a bizarre way with the characters switching to 1st person at odd moments, but she is a smooth writer with a nice tone. This book just didn't hit the mark for me.
May 8, 2010
I didn't have any expectations from this book having never read anything by Freya North before, and was expecting typical chick lit.
However, it was much more involved, with a great storyline and well developed characters. The exploration of relationships was fascinating and thought provoking, and the twist with the character of Saul was something I certainly wasn't expecting!
Based on how much I enjoyed this book, I'll certainly be reading more Freya North novels!
However, it was much more involved, with a great storyline and well developed characters. The exploration of relationships was fascinating and thought provoking, and the twist with the character of Saul was something I certainly wasn't expecting!
Based on how much I enjoyed this book, I'll certainly be reading more Freya North novels!
February 16, 2015
Epic.
I don't know why this amazing book was on my shelf this long. A friend of mine gifted it to me.
I loved it.
I don't know why this amazing book was on my shelf this long. A friend of mine gifted it to me.
I loved it.
June 24, 2015
2.5 stars
December 2, 2021
Love Rules is a contemporary romance.
Thea and Alice are best friends but they have very different ideas about love and happiness.
In this story we follow the lives of these two as they fall in and out of love.
I have enjoyed reading books by this author in the past but this story was hard to connect emotionally with the characters and I was left a little frustrated by some of the action.
Thea and Alice are best friends but they have very different ideas about love and happiness.
In this story we follow the lives of these two as they fall in and out of love.
I have enjoyed reading books by this author in the past but this story was hard to connect emotionally with the characters and I was left a little frustrated by some of the action.
August 16, 2013
I love Freya’s novels – usual light, full of quirky heroines and with recurring themes of intense female friendship and lots of lovely rude sex, they are nearly always on my summer reading list.
In a departure from tradition, “Love Rules” breaks away from her conventional formula of concentrating on a single heroine and instead studies the more complex relationships of four friends – Alice, Thea, Mark and Saul. Alice and Thea are best friends, and following a string of temporary, miserable relationships with unsuitable men, Alice decides that now is the time to get married – to Mark, her best, most supportive, dependable male friend. Mark has always been in love with her and it seems that together their life will be easy – they are independently wealthy, solid in their trust of one another and together, they makes sense. Once the honeymoon period is over, however, Alice begins to thirst for more than what staid, square Mark and their perfect wedding china can offer, which causes issues in her relationship with Thea, who thinks that she’s foolish for risking everything she has.
Thea meets Saul unexpectedly and by chance and they fall in love. However, Saul is hiding something – a dark secret activity which he has partaken in for years – this is really the meat of the story and the skilful way Freya navigates us through the difficult emotive twists and turns is mature and unexpected. Freya utilises her usual storytelling tool of questioning her characters from outside of the story to great effect and although her usual effervescent, chatty style remains in place, this is a more grown up offering, still retaining classic Freya humour, warmth and her natural, realistic writing style but with more power, more oomph.
I would recommend this to fans of Freya’s work unequivocally. It’s a change of pace for her, but it is a triumph.
In a departure from tradition, “Love Rules” breaks away from her conventional formula of concentrating on a single heroine and instead studies the more complex relationships of four friends – Alice, Thea, Mark and Saul. Alice and Thea are best friends, and following a string of temporary, miserable relationships with unsuitable men, Alice decides that now is the time to get married – to Mark, her best, most supportive, dependable male friend. Mark has always been in love with her and it seems that together their life will be easy – they are independently wealthy, solid in their trust of one another and together, they makes sense. Once the honeymoon period is over, however, Alice begins to thirst for more than what staid, square Mark and their perfect wedding china can offer, which causes issues in her relationship with Thea, who thinks that she’s foolish for risking everything she has.
Thea meets Saul unexpectedly and by chance and they fall in love. However, Saul is hiding something – a dark secret activity which he has partaken in for years – this is really the meat of the story and the skilful way Freya navigates us through the difficult emotive twists and turns is mature and unexpected. Freya utilises her usual storytelling tool of questioning her characters from outside of the story to great effect and although her usual effervescent, chatty style remains in place, this is a more grown up offering, still retaining classic Freya humour, warmth and her natural, realistic writing style but with more power, more oomph.
I would recommend this to fans of Freya’s work unequivocally. It’s a change of pace for her, but it is a triumph.
August 20, 2012
Taken from my blog www.rosiereview.wordpress.com
I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s not your normal chick lit, romance novel. If you’re a sucker for a happy love conquers all story you might feel a bit cheated with this book. However Freya has written in a happy (if rushed) ending. I love her books, they aren’t the easiest of reads, but I think that is what appeals to me. There are some authors I read if I’m having a bad week and need to chill and read a book. But for the times where I feel I need to stretch my mind and imagination Freya North’s books are always a good bet!
I’m making this book, my April book of the month
I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s not your normal chick lit, romance novel. If you’re a sucker for a happy love conquers all story you might feel a bit cheated with this book. However Freya has written in a happy (if rushed) ending. I love her books, they aren’t the easiest of reads, but I think that is what appeals to me. There are some authors I read if I’m having a bad week and need to chill and read a book. But for the times where I feel I need to stretch my mind and imagination Freya North’s books are always a good bet!
I’m making this book, my April book of the month
May 18, 2008
Freya North seems to be the British equivalent to Sophie Kinsella or Marian Keyes. Chick lit with a raunchier edge. I have read this book both in print and as an audiobook.
The book is about two friends, each of whom has a very different view on love. The book chronicles the love lives of each woman, and each takes a surprising turn. The book could be considered outlandish, but the delicate subject matter is handled expertly--by the time you get to the "surprise" twist, the reaction is "Of course that's what's been going on!" rather than "Impossible!"
The book is about two friends, each of whom has a very different view on love. The book chronicles the love lives of each woman, and each takes a surprising turn. The book could be considered outlandish, but the delicate subject matter is handled expertly--by the time you get to the "surprise" twist, the reaction is "Of course that's what's been going on!" rather than "Impossible!"
September 29, 2017
A clever, paced book about love, betrayal and modern relationships. I enjoyed the characters, and the sting in the tail. One of my favourite authors, and it was nice to see something a bit darker and a bit more convoluted. Much as I wanted to hate Alice, of course I couldn't, because I was rooting for that happy ending. The friendship between Alice and Thea is well written, and forms the basis of this book. Highly rec for curling up with a cup of hot chocolate (and marshmallows... and maybe a dollop of brandy!)
January 25, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book even though to begin with, I didn't think that I would. Part of this was because I had just finished reading Jane Eyre which took over a week to read and was a bit of slog. Therefore the complete change in writing style took me a little while to get used to.
At first this sounds like it's going to be a typical 'Chick-lit' tale but it wasn't. I thought the story was unique and it was enjoyable to read. I would definately try another book by this author.
At first this sounds like it's going to be a typical 'Chick-lit' tale but it wasn't. I thought the story was unique and it was enjoyable to read. I would definately try another book by this author.
February 23, 2014
This book started out quite slow, I found Thea's and Alice's personalities rather hollow and annoying - and the fact that Alice is so shocked when Thea does not agree with some decisions she makes is unrealistic - a woman in her thirties should know that actions like those are not favourable.
But it did pick up in the end and it gathered pace. The storyline with what is discovered about Saul was the most interesting - i did enjoy that part. Overall - it was okay.
But it did pick up in the end and it gathered pace. The storyline with what is discovered about Saul was the most interesting - i did enjoy that part. Overall - it was okay.
September 26, 2017
I like Freya North her characters have depth, faults and nasty traits. They are human and hence they seem like real characters. The book is written from the perspective of four different people and their relationships with each other. I liked the way each character had their own idea of what the rules/parameters of each relationship should be and their actions or reactions to one of the others breaching these rules.
August 10, 2010
I didn't remember any of this book so it was like reading it for the first time. Quiet good. Hated Alice at the start, not really sure why she expected her marriage to be happy when she didn't even love Mark in the first place. Was really really disappointed in Saul. Why did he do it? Why? :(
January 4, 2024
I just couldn't get into this one at all. I don't mind a bit of romance, but hate stories where that's the only thing on the character's minds. I suppose I should have guessed from the title that it might be like that! Not helped by it being set in London, and everyone is young and hip and professional and social, etc, etc - so nothing I could find in common!
September 6, 2013
Sometimes I enjoy a bit of light-hearted chick-lit, but this (my first encounter with Freya North) really was far too fluffy for me. There are promising elements but I found the writing poor and quite frustrating, many of the characters slightly unbelievable, and certain scenes so cringe-worthy I almost stopped reading.
Love Rules centres on Thea and Alice, long-time best friends but polar opposites. After a series of failed relationships with the same (wrong) kind of man, Alice decides it’s time to change her ways and get married. Thea has never been interested in flings and falling in lust, like Alice, instead waiting for her ideal man to appear and give her the fairytale relationship she’s not prepared to compromise on. As Alice settles into life as a newly-wed, Thea meets Saul – who just might be the man of her dreams.
All this happens in the early chapters of the book, and the rest (it’s a fairly lengthy tome) follows the ups and downs of the girls’ relationships with their men and with each other. Alice struggles to adapt to married life and Thea struggles with supporting her through it; Thea allows herself to get swept away and make some major life changes, only to find everything falling apart at a time where she doesn’t have her best friend to lean on.
So the story is fairly obviously quite fluffy and not exactly deep. I don’t mind that in and of itself; sometimes that’s just what you need. But it’s the execution that bothered me, that really amplified the fluffiness and silliness (and not in a good way).
Some thematic or plot aspects bothered me. For instance, these two girls are supposedly as tight as friends can be, relying on one another for almost everything and often prioritising each other over their partners. But this friendship just wasn’t believable to me. It felt much more superficial than I think the author intended. I also found their desire to ‘workshop’ everything incredibly irritating: friends share problems and help find solutions – that’s just talking, not ‘workshopping’. And despite not appearing to have particularly high-flying jobs or moneyed backgrounds, both girls live fairly luxurious London lives that seemed slightly unrealistic to me.
Other things were so bad as to almost be funny. There’s a passage where Thea’s occupation is described without it actually being specified. It’s fairly obvious fairly quickly that she’s a masseuse, but the passage is clearly written to try and make it sound like she might be involved in something far less wholesome. That’s just unnecessary and unsophisticated, and not really funny at all in the way I assume it was intended to be. Likewise, there are numerous bedroom scenes which I had to start skipping over, they were so embarrassingly bad.
I also found the narrative frustrating. Each chapter was supposedly told from the perspective of a particular character, but the author has a tendency to jump out of this and give us a thought, feeling or motivation from another character in the scene every so often. This makes it hard to feel you are actually looking at things from that main character’s perspective, and disrupts the flow. More annoying were the occasional passages where the author suddenly starts speaking to the reader. These aren’t marked out in any way, just slipped in every now and then, and really didn’t work for me at all. It’s a bit too contrived, I think it undermines the story if you need the author to interject and tell you what you should be thinking or wondering about, and it’s slightly patronising too.
On the positive side, Thea’s story has at its heart an interesting dilemma, and one which did make me think about how I might act in her shoes. But it’s probably a bit too drawn out (like the novel as a whole) and so her internal struggles and her conversations with those around her both become a bit repetitive and started to disengage me.
I guess that for a very easy, disposable beach read, Love Rules fits the bill. But I think there are other, better options out there even for that kind of holiday or Sunday-afternoon reading, so I don’t think I’ll be turning to Freya North again.
Love Rules centres on Thea and Alice, long-time best friends but polar opposites. After a series of failed relationships with the same (wrong) kind of man, Alice decides it’s time to change her ways and get married. Thea has never been interested in flings and falling in lust, like Alice, instead waiting for her ideal man to appear and give her the fairytale relationship she’s not prepared to compromise on. As Alice settles into life as a newly-wed, Thea meets Saul – who just might be the man of her dreams.
All this happens in the early chapters of the book, and the rest (it’s a fairly lengthy tome) follows the ups and downs of the girls’ relationships with their men and with each other. Alice struggles to adapt to married life and Thea struggles with supporting her through it; Thea allows herself to get swept away and make some major life changes, only to find everything falling apart at a time where she doesn’t have her best friend to lean on.
So the story is fairly obviously quite fluffy and not exactly deep. I don’t mind that in and of itself; sometimes that’s just what you need. But it’s the execution that bothered me, that really amplified the fluffiness and silliness (and not in a good way).
Some thematic or plot aspects bothered me. For instance, these two girls are supposedly as tight as friends can be, relying on one another for almost everything and often prioritising each other over their partners. But this friendship just wasn’t believable to me. It felt much more superficial than I think the author intended. I also found their desire to ‘workshop’ everything incredibly irritating: friends share problems and help find solutions – that’s just talking, not ‘workshopping’. And despite not appearing to have particularly high-flying jobs or moneyed backgrounds, both girls live fairly luxurious London lives that seemed slightly unrealistic to me.
Other things were so bad as to almost be funny. There’s a passage where Thea’s occupation is described without it actually being specified. It’s fairly obvious fairly quickly that she’s a masseuse, but the passage is clearly written to try and make it sound like she might be involved in something far less wholesome. That’s just unnecessary and unsophisticated, and not really funny at all in the way I assume it was intended to be. Likewise, there are numerous bedroom scenes which I had to start skipping over, they were so embarrassingly bad.
I also found the narrative frustrating. Each chapter was supposedly told from the perspective of a particular character, but the author has a tendency to jump out of this and give us a thought, feeling or motivation from another character in the scene every so often. This makes it hard to feel you are actually looking at things from that main character’s perspective, and disrupts the flow. More annoying were the occasional passages where the author suddenly starts speaking to the reader. These aren’t marked out in any way, just slipped in every now and then, and really didn’t work for me at all. It’s a bit too contrived, I think it undermines the story if you need the author to interject and tell you what you should be thinking or wondering about, and it’s slightly patronising too.
On the positive side, Thea’s story has at its heart an interesting dilemma, and one which did make me think about how I might act in her shoes. But it’s probably a bit too drawn out (like the novel as a whole) and so her internal struggles and her conversations with those around her both become a bit repetitive and started to disengage me.
I guess that for a very easy, disposable beach read, Love Rules fits the bill. But I think there are other, better options out there even for that kind of holiday or Sunday-afternoon reading, so I don’t think I’ll be turning to Freya North again.
April 4, 2012
I don't read much chick lit, but I bought this in a bind up for $2.00.
This read like your general book in this genre, but towards the end I realized that this story had suprised me in a very specific way.
There is a major twist involving the Saul/Thea characters (don't worry, I won't give any spoilers; nothing more than what's said in the synopsis). The twist isn't what surprised me, but the RESULT of the twist did. I was expecting things to get wrapped up in a much neater way, because, well, this is chick lit right?
This made me realize that I shouldn't be so judgmental when it comes to books, particularly of this genre. I'm not saying that I'm going to become a major chick lit fan, but I'll probably won't be so reticent to read more of it in the future.
This read like your general book in this genre, but towards the end I realized that this story had suprised me in a very specific way.
There is a major twist involving the Saul/Thea characters (don't worry, I won't give any spoilers; nothing more than what's said in the synopsis). The twist isn't what surprised me, but the RESULT of the twist did. I was expecting things to get wrapped up in a much neater way, because, well, this is chick lit right?
This made me realize that I shouldn't be so judgmental when it comes to books, particularly of this genre. I'm not saying that I'm going to become a major chick lit fan, but I'll probably won't be so reticent to read more of it in the future.
June 10, 2019
I really struggled to finish this book to the point where it became a chore, but I was hoping it would get better over the next chapter, then the next and so on. It didn't.
That makes me really sad to say as I dislike giving negative reviews and enjoy reading all different genres.
I found Alice to be a complete brat and found her husband to be desperate which made me quite sad that he would marry someone who felt like he was her only option at "normal".
Thea was boring and without going into spoilers I just didn't see the point in the majority of the story around her (especially given she is supposed to be the main character).
That makes me really sad to say as I dislike giving negative reviews and enjoy reading all different genres.
I found Alice to be a complete brat and found her husband to be desperate which made me quite sad that he would marry someone who felt like he was her only option at "normal".
Thea was boring and without going into spoilers I just didn't see the point in the majority of the story around her (especially given she is supposed to be the main character).
April 15, 2014
It has some nice catch phrases about love and desire that you will remember long after you read the book, but the story itself is boring, cliché and frankly very sexist.
It completely undermines feminism, as the female characters may appear strong and modern to a reader who isn't paying much attention. But this a sad depiction of women living in a clearly patriarchal rape culture type of society, where "men are men" becomes and acceptable excuse and guilt is relative according to the gender.
Just.... No.
It completely undermines feminism, as the female characters may appear strong and modern to a reader who isn't paying much attention. But this a sad depiction of women living in a clearly patriarchal rape culture type of society, where "men are men" becomes and acceptable excuse and guilt is relative according to the gender.
Just.... No.
March 23, 2014
One word: Heavy. In what exactly? Love and sex. It was more than what I was expecting in a light chick-lit read. There was more philosophising about love than I felt I had the mind set to deal with and more stark sex than I had the stomach to handle. I think I would've liked it better if I knew what I was getting myself into but my misguided expectations feel unsatisfied. At least I know what to expect the next time I come across a Freya North novel.
January 20, 2015
It was my first time reading Freya North books. The ending was amazing. I could not bare the thought that Thea would forget Saul and she didn't so I am happy and content. I was all the time afraid that this might be another hash bash of brain washing women that men can behave as such and its ok because THEY ARE MEN and modesty is only expected from women. I am so happy that I didn't waste my time reading such a book as Love Rules is exactly opposite to that.
December 23, 2007
Love rules:
1. Its not who you love its how you love?
2. You come to Love not by finding a perfect person but by seeing a imperfect person perfectly.
3. Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
4. Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
There are lot more but i dont beleive in them.. :):)
1. Its not who you love its how you love?
2. You come to Love not by finding a perfect person but by seeing a imperfect person perfectly.
3. Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
4. Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
There are lot more but i dont beleive in them.. :):)
October 16, 2012
when i read this book at first thought aww how sweet, but where is book going to go? but what i love the most about it is that is wasn't a happily ever after book it was real and it deals with subjects matters that are real and relevant with in relationships and it about accepting and understanding people limits and morals.
January 25, 2013
Very good. Totally turned around by the end in a way I didn't expect. Raised some interesting questions and offers many points of view, but some of the behaviour here is just off.
It's definitely not a light chick lit and deals with some quite dark themes. A few people here behaved so badly I wished a way worse ending on them!
It's definitely not a light chick lit and deals with some quite dark themes. A few people here behaved so badly I wished a way worse ending on them!
March 18, 2013
This book was easy to read. A bit dull in parts, a bit of frantic re-reading the previous page again in parts... as I think all good chick lit books should be, and it wasn't too fluffly. With regards to getting inside the characters heads, it was a bit too much tell and not enough show, but it was easy enough to read that it broke my dry spell in reading, for which I am greatful.
January 19, 2014
I thought this was going to be a light and fluffy chick-lit read - how wrong I was.
It tackles some deep issues around Love and Fidelity, and the differences between men and women.
I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters. And, without wanting to give anything away, I felt their emotions really strongly.
A really good read
It tackles some deep issues around Love and Fidelity, and the differences between men and women.
I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters. And, without wanting to give anything away, I felt their emotions really strongly.
A really good read
September 1, 2013
**SPOILER** in this review!!
I really liked this book at the beginning, as I thought it tackled some quite challenging themes around monogamy and fidelity. However, I was disappointed at the end to find the character of Thea eschewing love in favour of conforming to what 'polite society' deems right and wrong. I found it a bit twee and moralistic, when it could have been so much more.
I really liked this book at the beginning, as I thought it tackled some quite challenging themes around monogamy and fidelity. However, I was disappointed at the end to find the character of Thea eschewing love in favour of conforming to what 'polite society' deems right and wrong. I found it a bit twee and moralistic, when it could have been so much more.
January 10, 2010
Loved it. Slow at the beginning as the author introduces the characters but worth the patience of the reader to hang in there. Its a well written novel explained as the story unfolds with care and feeling. My first book from this author and I was not disappointed.
June 30, 2013
Having read a number of Freya's books over the years, I was most disappointed by this one. I found the story somewhat predictable and felt that it dragged out for at least 50 pages longer than could have been necessary. I won't recommend this to anyone and am glad to be able to give it away.
June 30, 2013
Slow to get going and had to flick back to the beginning to find out who Mark was. Hated the double standards and felt there was unnecessary repetition an labouring of the moral issues. However parts were very readable and overall better than average
July 26, 2013
A hard slog of a book which probably could have been a lot shorter but seemed to waffle on. I only kept going as I quite liked Thea. Not light, not fluffy and very difficult to read. Didn't like the way it kept changing perspective either. Wouldn't recommend this book, sorry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews