Rule Breaker

Wild Card #1

by Nikki Hall

Some rules were meant to be broken...

Soren

I’ve never met someone so determined to mess up her life. Vi Malone is one step away from disaster, and I can’t stop trying to save her. But maybe she can help save me. A couple of weeks posing as my girlfriend would go a long way toward fixing my battered reputation. As long as I don’t break my oldest rule—never get emotionally involved.

Vi

I’ve never met someone so determined to piss me off. Soren Brehm thinks he’s my personal hero because he has something I need, but he can’t solve all my problems with a wicked smile and a spacious second bedroom. Not until I get past his football star façade and realize he sees me, really sees me. I don’t need saving—but maybe I need him.

Genres: Sports Romance, Sports, Romance, Fake Dating, Football, College, College Romance

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2022

About the author

Nikki Hall is a smart-ass with a Ph.D. and a potty mouth. She writes happy ever after stories with found families, sassy heroines, and strong men who love their women hard. Coffee makes her happy, messes make her stabby, and she’d sell one of her children for a second season of Firefly. You can find all her contemporary sports romance books at www.nikkihallbooks.com.

Reviews

[Dora Koutsoukou · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🏈 💘💘⭐️s

A very sweet and light sports romance read.
Soren and Vi were wonderful characters, level headed and determined.
I would have liked more depth and there were definitely opportunities for further development.
Thanks to Beeg for bringing this series to my attention!! 🥰

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fake dating college football trope with a guy who ISN’T a playboy??? *gasp* Never thought I’d see the day. And he’s also sweet, will ruin someone’s life who messed with Vi, and talks about his feelings towards her freely. Soren is a goddamn dream boat. 🧎🏼‍♀️

[Neelakshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.57⭐

Three years of standing strong on my own demolished by a cocky football player with a soft heart.

So fucking cute i cannot digest healthy relationships oh lord run a car over me.

plot:
Vi got into a fight at a party which led to her bestfriend Eva calling Soren so he could sneak her out of the party.
Soren and Vi decide to fake date so he could protect her from the guy from the party and can get rid of his parents wanting him to leave his back for a moment.
The lust was already there and the roommates lines were blurred and voila they're in love.


Fake dating +
Sports Romance +
Actual healthy communication from a man +
He calls her a good girl and lord it was mwah mwah and
A heroine thats got a backbone
= Such cuteness

She grinned. “That depends. Am I going to have to carry you up the stairs to the apartment?”
I lowered my mouth to her ear. “I’d crawl up those stairs if it meant getting you alone.”

Was it the best? Nope.
But nonetheless a very easy read.

Also I'm EYEING all these side couples 👁️👄👁️

[Kenzie Oster · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute story that feels typical for a football romance.

While the story had some cute moments, it felt fairly predictable.

Generalized Spoiler Checklist:
1. Fake Dating due to extenuating circumstances where he gets to play whit knight for her and she helps with his horrible parents

2. His horrible rich family - oh no! They want him to get a degree!

3. Her secret loss that she finally confides to him about - cue the swoon moment.

4. The secret threat he has to solve and their unyielding attraction that turns fake dating into real dating

5. Her brothers show up for about 2 pages total after we reference them as big bad wolves. And they do nothing…. Nothing mind you!

So many chances for this book to me a bit more complex but it followed the algorithm to a T. Too long to be a simple day read. But still cute if you need simple in your reading diet.

[Beeg Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new author for me and I quite enjoyed her writing. I like a strong yet vulnerable heroine like this one. He's a worthy hero and they work well together.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this series!
Not only does Nikki give me another great book, but she chose to make it fake dating as well.
Which, as you may know, is my all time favourite trope!
I adored watching Soren & Vi try not to fall in love, while totally falling in love.
Swoon.
Excited to read the next book.

[staci ❥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

soren can get it anytime ;)
-
second read: solid 4 stars. love soren and vi. 💞

[Mia S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute!

It’s was a good one! Medium on the smut but it’s there, and of course everything has to come with drama but really a cute story. No dark though which it so could have gone- but that’s just my preferences coming in so if looking for a dark romance this one doesn’t go evil, mean at times for sure with judgmental families, well there has to be that with football come on! Still good!

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1\2
Trope: fake relationship
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

This was my first book by Nikki Hall and I really liked it. Its perfect if you're looking for something that's fast-paced and a little on the shorter side. The MMCs were great and had a ton of chemistry. Definitely an author I'll keep in mind in between heavier reads.

[Melanie Cummins]

This was SO boring my god

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I’m gate-keeping Texas now, because this just pisses me off.

You couldn’t have done less research on a location if you tried.

October in Texas is still hot AF. This whole “chilly, need to wear my fleece leggings if I’m going to be outside” would be you having a heat stroke by noon. Literally called a mild, sunny day “a rare fall day for North Texas.” It’s rare bc it’s usually in the high seventies and eighties in November around here. And then that bit about “In North Texas we got our fair share of snow but usually not until after Christmas.” Are you calling the panhandle North Texas???? North Texas does not get a lot of snow. Maybe once a year, twice tops. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?! If you set this in the panhandle, you would need a plane ride to get to Dallas, not drive an hour!!! Where is this mythical section of north Texas you keep referring to???? Where Dallas has woods and acreage and estates and it only takes an hour to drive to what I have to assume is meant to be Amarillo?!?!

Soren is a rich boy from Dallas. I assure you, he is not. Dallas is not Dallas, Dallas is one tiny part of a huge area with a lot of surrounding cities. I assure you he may be from Highland Park, South Lake, maybe even Ft Worth, but he is NOT from Dallas with his family living on an estate with acreage. And he “doesn’t have an accent”? It’s Dallas…? Dallas is not the country, and has a somewhat neutral tone compared to us northeast Texans.

Vi is from “East Texas 4 hours away.” Is that Houston??? Are you talking Piney Woods? Did you even bother to look up some east Texas towns to throw out there??? She says something about her family being “on the other side of Texas.” If you’re in Dallas, you’re in North Texas. If your family is in east Texas, they are not AT ALL on the “other side of Texas.” Did you look at a map before you made this statement? WTH?!?

I don’t even care what happens in this book. Yes, my Texas pride is this strong and no, I don’t care if that shouldn’t be what I judge this book on.

I am also tired of these characters from rich families who want to turn their backs on generational wealth and secure jobs in the family business to pursue their passions. Be realistic. Even if you’re a Z and have infinite possibilities, are you turning your back on this kind of money??? I don’t think so. But if you are, you’re dumb. The end.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake dating + sports romance = chefs kiss 👩🏼‍🍳🤌

I loved Soren and vi together and I’m really rooting for mac and Eva. I was not expecting the whole debacle with the coach but I’m glad he got what he deserved. Karma definitely isn’t his boyfriend ( live laugh love Taylor swift 💗) Anyway it was pretty good and they’re super cute together. See you soon babes. You know you love me, xoxo gossip girl 💋

[Cindy ✩☽♔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, mostly drama-free sports romance with a dash of spice 🌶️

[Toshita · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you know me by now, you know I picked this book up because of the fake dating. And it delivered. Honestly, the romance was probably the only part of this book that delivered because it had some plot holes that made no sense. It also had some weird descriptions where a character was described one way and then later was described another way. For example, the author stated that guys AKA the MMC had it easy because they could shower in 5 minute because they didn't have to deal with hair, shaving, and moisturizing. Then a few chapters later all of a sudden Soren has long hair. Like what? Where did that come from?

Plot holes are going to be under the spoiler tag: Soren's parents wanted him to finish his business degree and the deal was that they would continue paying for his house and school. My guy is a senior in college meaning he's been in college for 4 years and he redshirted his freshman year which means he's actually been in college for 5 years. Most college majors are 4 year programs, some are 5. He should be in his last semester. So what difference does it make if he's declaring for the draft? The draft is in the spring anyway. he can finish up his last semester and then be drafted and that way he has a degree which he can use after he's done playing as a football retirement plan. Somehow the book made it seem like the minute you declare for the draft, you're done and you can't ever go back to school. There are literal players who finish up their degrees while playing professionally.

The other thing that annoyed me was that the main conflict of this story kept referring to things that had happened in the previous book which I haven't read so half of the conflict resolution didn't even make sense to me. I get that you're writing an interconnected series but there's a limit to how interconnected you're allowed to make it and I feel like this crossed a line. Either that or this isn't the first book in the series as Goodreads says and I just jumped into the series with a random book in the middle. Which I have been known to do but goodreads and amazon both list this book as the first. Anyway, overall an okay book, I may end up reading other books in the series but we'll see.

[stani ♡ (in the biggest slump oml) · Rating 3 out of 5]

could've gone deeper with their connection but it was an okay read

this is a he falls first fake dating forced proximity, doesn't need saving fmc and still tries to save her anyway mmc sports (but like 5% sports lol) romance

a little fast paced and there wasnt a lot of resistance to their attraction and feelings. i shouldve read the novella because the characters were just vomitted on page 1 as if i know them already

[madi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to stop listening to instagram recommendations

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read on my Oasis. Love a ESR (easy, sexy, romantic) SPORTS story. New to me author too.

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars ☆☆☆☆

Do you like slow burn romances involving athletes and fake dating? If so, this will totally be your next favorite book. There's lots of banter and sexual tension, it'll take your breath away.

Vi and Soren make a great couple. They both have hardships back at home but they both work through it all beautifully. Vi is a tough personal trainer and Soren plays football. You wouldn't expect them to get together, but they're perfect for each other! I enjoyed this novel.

safety:
no virgins
no OM/OW
no cheating/sharing
HEA ♡

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

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had good humour and I liked the characters. I liked Soren, he came across as caring and protective, but not macho over protective, he knew very well Vi could look after herself and respected that. I liked that about Vi too, the book pretty much opens with her pysically putting a man in his place.
Also liked Vi's brothers and wonder if they'd adopt me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

boy rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
book rating: ⭐️⭐️

[Kylie Rudsinski · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasnt even worth a star. Poor development of characters. If you want a good sports romance smut book read “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like the book, story-wise it had a lot of promise. We me Vi through Soren's prospective and without any backstory she was abrasive and frustrating in her "independence" to the point where I couldn't help but think she was an angry bitch. Later we learn some stuff about her desire for controlling all situations but not enough where I think her personality matches with it. She complains about her overprotective brothers, who eventually show up and provide nothing but loving support. A bit is mentioned about them kidnapping her and causing her to almost flunk out of college and for such a bit plot point, nothing comes from it. It's mentioned a handful of times in passing and as a reason she doesn't get along with her brothers but my feelings are either explain a lot more or don't make this a thing at all.

Apparently there's a novelle prequel that discusses the drama between D, Nadia, and the coach. The drama is mentioned multiple times but only as "this thing happened and we've since moved on from it." Considering one of these characters has a major plot point to Soren and Vi's relationship, giving a paragraph or two of backstory would have been useful at progressing the story. The amount of sentences used throughout the book could have been smushed together in a way that actually moved the story along vs rehashing unhelpful plot points.

For as much as Vi's family causes her personality to be independent, unable to open up, unwilling to ask or accept advice, and holding secrets from everyone around her, they make an appearance for half a chapter. Soren's family, who doesn't care about his football player and only want him to get a degree, are shown multiple times and all we learn about them is they're rich and had a son to keep the family business running. So little of their conversations are shown for the amount of times they're mentioned that I didn't understand their rash reasons for their behavior in the second half of the book

Spoilers: while Colt seems to be a bad guy throughout, out to destroy Vi for a 30 second interaction in the first chapter, the actual bad guy is mentioned in passing throughout with no character development. We don't actually met him until the final chapter as his confesses his diabolical plan that doesn't have enough context behind it to explain why he behaved the way he did. The resolution happens with a time jump where everything is magically better in what feels like a max of three sentences.

Again, I wanted to like the book. But a full 24 hours later I'm still thinking about how I would have edited the book differently to make the blueprint so much better.

[Lucile *:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

♡ Tropes:
• Fake Dating
• Forced proximity (roommates)
• Sports romance
• Dual POV
• Spicy

♡ This book was really really good!!! I loved reading about Vi' and Soren's story, how they both broke down the barrier of the other. They both have difficult path and it was so beautiful to see how they were present, supportive and listening to each other. I just wished there was more about Vi's past as we only see some glimpse (way more less than Soren's), but it didn't bother how much I liked reading about their love story. And the plotwist ?! I didn't even thought about it and, after I read it, I felt kinda dumb as it was so obvious. I absolutely enjoyed reading their story and this bonus epilogue?! Yes, yes, yes!!! It was sooo damn cute!

♡ I'm running into book two, I NEED to read Parker and Riley's story!!! (And book two isn't even out yet but I am already impatient for Chloe and Noah's book!)

[Book Life With Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a delicious little treat!

Man, when I unknowingly stumbled upon Nikki Hall I was not expecting to fall head first into a captivating trap with Rule Breaker, the first book in the Wild Card series, but boy did I fall and what a journey it was!

Soren and Vi are instantly captivating characters and I loved anything about their storyline—well maybe not Soren’s parents but you’ll have to read to decide for yourself on that one! But seriously, this story has it all. Explosive heat, angst, drama, a touch of suspense and of course the love of a game with delicious sexy players and fierce heroines that capture your attention right from the start. I can’t wait for the rest of this series—especially Mac’s story!

[Kayla Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was an okay time. the relationship felt kind of like insta love, which isn’t my favorite. i will say that i think it would be beneficial to read the novella that comes before this book (i haven’t) because it jumps right into this friend group, and so many names are thrown around. it felt like coming into a movie theatre late because u had to pee & thought u could make it back before the movie previews ended, but ultimately failed. i had a hard time believing that the person responsible for the third act conflict would actually ever happen, but i guess this is the world of fiction lol. i did love that the couple rooted for each other constantly.

[Vallsykes · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I like that the hero is a protector hero. The heroine is an opposites attract for him, but they have some alright banter and they sweetly become each other's person.

The conflict, in the end, was lackluster for me, and the story almost became monotonous to the point where I put it down. Then I ended up finishing it sometime later.

It wasn't a bad story, but it didn't keep my interest either. I think because the characters were not fully developed and initially, the situation promised a more menacing conflict, hence the reason for the hero's protection and this couple's close proximity. Yet, the threat doesn't really factor in heavily until the end of the story, in a haphazardly thrown together way.

A fuller review to come if anything ends up living rent-free in my head about this one.

[CassDamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

I read this bc it was only a 3 star rating on here and I was like wow why are the ratings so subpar and I’m still not sure. Like I’ve read way worse rated way higher, I guess this author just didn’t pay for good reviews lol

Anyway, it was a lighthearted easy sports rom com. Fake dating trope. A little side drama that didn’t get enough attention, also a lot of what seemed like great side characters. Would’ve been nice to see more of them. There was so much potential to incorporate vi’s brothers but nope we didn’t get them til the very end.

[Kim Gauger · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story

A cute story that starts this series. The rich football player who is going against his family’s wishes, the girl who gets into a bit of trouble in a party and he is there to help. These two are fire together and I loved their story. Heat, and chemistry are overflowing in this book. I wanted more! Loved this.

[Maddie Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy fun read!

[Leah Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! the build up of their relationship, the writing and everything else. I'll be honest, I did not expect that plot twist though! I loved it through and through.