Changing The Rules

by Charlene Johnson

Party girl, socialite, town slut, whore. Stephanie Xavier heard it all and in the past, she chose to ignore it. She was a Xavier and played by a different set of rules. But those rules were changed by a tragedy she could never forget. Leaving her past behind, she attempts to live a better life.

Craig Bagwell, the sexy owner of the local pub, is part of Stephanie’s past and her present. Craig was determined to control their relationship on his terms and vowed to never let her know how he really felt about her. Rich girls like her didn’t make ideal girlfriends or wives. He knew that firsthand.

Changing her life proves harder to do than Stephanie hoped. Someone in Sterling Wood has other plans. Plans that have deadly consequences.

Unknown Binding

About the author

Charlene is a Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native. Currently lives in Arizona

Charlene Johnson is an indie author and creator of the Circle of the Red Scorpion paranormal romance series and universe, along with the romantic suspense worlds of Raven Ridge (formerly Sterling Wood) and Blown Away. Known for immersive world-building and emotionally charged storytelling, she writes stories where magic walks hand in hand with danger—and love refuses to surrender.

A romantic at heart, Charlene began her creative journey with poetry, capturing the fire of first love, the quiet devastation of heartbreak, and the hard-won beauty of healing. That lyrical foundation continues to shape her fiction, infusing her novels and short stories with rich atmosphere, myth-tinged legends, and passion that burns long after the final page.

Now re-launching her catalog as an indie author, Charlene is breathing new life into her interconnected worlds—refining, expanding, and re-imagining them for a new generation of readers. Her stories celebrate devotion that defies fate, old legends reborn, and the belief that even in darkness, love is the most dangerous magic of all.

Reviews

[Andra Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Changing the Rules is a romantic suspense thriller that is quite predictable, yet it keeps you engaged because of the characters. Stephanie is one of those trust fund-rich girls that you love to hate. She and her BFFs, Celia and Tiffany, are a train wreck waiting to happen. However, events in Stephanie's life bring about an intense paradigm shift. This is when you begin to root for her happily ever after. However, that will not happen until she reckons with her past. Boy, does that past come back at her full steam in the form of murders. Although she is absolved, people still blame her. Stephanie finds her inner strength and her desire to fight for the person she was intended to be. Will her friends follow that same path? She is also rebuilding a relationship with her father, Percy, whose infidelity actions tainted the family name in more ways than one. By her side is her trustworthy cousin Lily, who almost lost her life at Stephanie's mother's hands, and her father and mother Bronson and Eleanore. She also has new brothers in Tony and his clan. Can Stephanie find love and put her past behind her, or will she die trying?!

Changing the Rules has suspense, thrills, multiple homicide mysteries, and a romance that will curl your toes. It is very predictable as I knew in the first couple of chapters who was committing the crimes. The thrills came in as Stephanie tried to figure it out. The book would have received a higher rating for me if it had not been so obvious who was committing the murders and their potential reason as to why. Albeit, the final reveal did divulge more information as to the why than I suspected. I love Charlene Johnson's writing, and she did not fail to provide suspense and hot romance in this book. I look forward to more books from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Books Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Changing the Rules is an enjoyable read. It is romance mixed with suspense and a bit of mystery. I liked the way the rich Stephanie is presented. I liked how she decides to turn her life around. And I think the author did a great job showing that it is not so easy to get away from your past.

The plot is engaging, characters are nicely developed.

I recommend.

Julie,
BooksShelf Reviewer