Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement #1

by L.A. Witt

Dustin Walker is still finding his footing after a long overdue divorce when he challenges a pool shark to a game in a bar. Enter Brandon Stewart—funny, friendly… and flirty? And Dustin is… flirting back?

Forget finding his footing—Dustin is swept right off his feet by this sweet, gorgeous man. Suddenly he’s exploring a whole new side of himself and his sexuality, and for the first time in his life, he’s discovering what it’s like to be in a healthy, functional relationship.

But Dustin’s conservative family still isn’t over his divorce, and they aren’t at all interested in accepting him getting involved with a man. As they question him, he second guesses himself. Is this really what he wants? Is he really bisexual? Or is Brandon just attractive because he’s as different as can be from Dustin’s ex-wife?

Whatever the case, Dustin had better figure it out soon, because Brandon’s patience will only stretch so far, especially if he’s being asked to hide in someone else’s closet. By the time Dustin realizes he’s in love, it just might be too late.

This book was previously published, and has been revised, including a new ending.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Gay For You, LGBT, Erotica, Gay

328 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2009

About the author

L.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.

Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.

Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.

Reviews

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5--Terrible Ending--Stars!!

The first 80% of the book was a solid 4/5 star read for me. I'm a sucker for the whole GFY trope. And yeah, the majority of the first 80% were a lot of this...



And a lot of this...



But I really liked Dustin and Brandon. Brandon is bi and Dustin thought he was straight. He's recently divorced and his ex and mom are super controlling. So imagine his surprise when Dustin finds himself attracted to Brandon.

Brandon and Dustin were off the charts hot together. And I was actually pleasantly surprised with how well Dustin handled his attraction to Brandon. No he wasn't shouting it from the rooftops but he was open to the idea.

Until Brandon and Dustin get outed by Dustin's bitch ex-wife.

Dustin....



I just couldn't wrap my head around his thought process. Yes, I get that the whole gay thing was new to him. He struggled with his attraction for Brandon and whether it because Brandon was so different from his ex-wife or because he genuinely liked Brandon? And his family was anything but accepting of Dustin being with a man.

So what does any guy do when he isn't sure if he's gay, straight or bi? Well duh, Dustin sleeps with a man and a woman to see if he feels a connection like he shared with Brandon.



Honestly, Dustin had no problem sleeping with either person and frankly I thought he enjoyed things WAY too much for someone that soon figures out that Brandon is who he belongs with.

Needless to say, that pretty much ruined all of the good in the first 80% of the book.

And yeah, he and Brandon end up back together on the last freaking page of the book.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read Oct 2015 I said I wouldn't read this again because I was afraid it wouldn't hold up to my old enjoyment, but screw it. I'm re-reading for the lover's quarrel angst. And, wow, there is a LOT of sex in this one! Gay virgin sex! Absolutely loved it and the HFN ending. Book two wraps it all up!

Original review

This is a book I ABSOLUTELY loved when I read it many years ago. I have a nagging feeling it won't stand up to my current scrutiny so I have decided to let my 5 stars stand and not re-read it for review.

GFY delight! RECOMMENDED by my 2011 M/M romance reading self.

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 frustrating stars !

I really enjoyed this one. A nice gfy...very hot and sexy. I figured I had hit the jackpot...then came the 75 % mark.

So Dustin and Brandon meet over a game of pool in a bar. Dustin is going through a divorce..he has been seperated from his wife of ten years, for 6 months.
There is instant chemistry between these two...which confuses the hell out of Dustun because he is supposed to be straight. Brandon is out and bi.

This one was heavy on the insta-lust..but damn they were hot together. There wasn't anything akward about the two of them sexually. Eventough Dustin was confused about his feelings...he was all in in bed.

Ofcourse things couldn't stay nice and easy...Dustin bitch ex wife catches the two of them together and outs an already confused Dustin to his very homophobic family (except for his sister). The shit hits the fan and Dustin starts having more and more doubt about why he's with Brandon. I really liked Brandon, and at this point I started to like him even more, because he refused to be stringed along and be treated like a doormat...Go Brandon !!!

Dustin pissed me off pretty bad!!! What does he do to get over his confusion. He goes and fucks another woman and another man, to see if he's really gay straight or bi. What a douchebag. I lost all respect for him and I hated the detailed sexscene with the other guy. I would have been more forgiving if he hadn't liked it that much.

He realises after fucking two other people that he really is in love with Brandon (such a fucking douche !) and goes to Brandon to grovel.

At least he told his mother to back the fuck off....points for that.

Brandon forgives him and they get back together on the last 3 pages. Then the book just freaking ends !!!

Now I know I was pissed at Dustin, but I still want to know what happens next...guess I'll be reading the second book, but I've read in the rebiews that it there is a fast forward of two years. I wanted to know what happens the next day...the next week...They didn't even get to say I love you or anything. The book just ended...sigh

3,5 stars because the ending really sucked and Dustin was a douche ;)

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled to rate this because on one hand, I really enjoyed this book, but on the other hand I hated the ending. I hated the end so much I almost gave the book 3 stars, but I don't want to punish 280 pages of "had me completely hooked" just because of 5 pages of "What? Really?!" So there you go. But this probably would have been 4.5, maybe even 5 stars if not for the ending. So I guess it did get punished a little...

This book was pretty hit-or-miss with my Goodreads friends. I noticed a lot of people didn't like it because it struck them as porn without plot. And that is a fair assessment; I won't argue with anyone who disliked the book because of that. There was definitely a lot of sex. However, I didn't really feel like it was PWP. There isn't a strong storyline here - the plot deals primarily with Dustin coming to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for Brandon. There's not much else. But it is there and it felt real. And the connection between the two characters was undeniable. It didn't feel overly porny to me because I could feel the connection between Dustin and Brandon, and they were so cute together. They were playful and affectionate in addition to being totally horny.
So yes, there was a lot of sex and the scenes did get a bit redundant, but there is also romance and fun in this book. I really loved it.

Until the end. The end was entirely too easy and abrupt and did a disservice to the character of Brandon and the seriousness of their relationship. I was very disappointed. An additional 5 pages to flesh out that last conversation and make it more believable and true to the characters would have been in order. But not every book can be perfect...

[Fatimama · Rating 1 out of 5]

This would have been a 4 star book except for the crappy 10% ending where it really came off as Dustin cheating on Brandon with 2 people (a woman and then a man the next night).

Dustin was so hurt by his ex-wife cheating but then he goes and hooks up with other people while he and Brandon were on a break in an attempt to ‘find himself’ if he is really bi, gay, straight.. also, his half-assed grovel was not appreciated by this reader at all. I really pitied Brandon towards the end.

I enjoyed the book until the very last dumb move.

If LA can edit / rewrite those parts.. this would be a better book (or less wallbanger). I’m thinking this would benefit from a rewrite of the last 15% and get it republished
- remove the cheating parts (yes Ross cheated on Rachel)
- give Brandon the grovel that he deserves from Dustin
- show how they overcome the family issues together
- a cute scene where they get engaged

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what great surprise, I totally loved this book. Haven't read a book in the first person for such a long time and it was really well done - great characters, perfect pacing, and an interesting plot.

[Dawnlxix · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just an ok read. I can only give it two stars because there were quite a few things that annoyed me in this and detracted from the storytelling. First of all, lord knows I don't mind sex scenes but there were way too many and not enough character or plot development until way too far into the story. Also this story contain one of my biggest pet peeves- no prep before the guys got it on with no mention of pain or discomfort, in fact quite the opposite. And lastly, small details here and there were contrived or inconsistent and timelines didn't add up. There is continuous mention of the main character having quite a sexual history but he got married at eighteen and had only been divorced for six months when this story begins. It is inferred that he was faithful throughout his marriage so I'm wondering where all of his sexual experience came from. Any detail given in the story was slight and only served to shore up the narrative and plot elements instead of drawing a complete physical and emotional picture of the characters. Little things like that plus clichéd side characters and not enough meaningful details about the two main characters made this a disappointing read.

[BWT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nick J. Russo has a smooth voice, a cool style, and the ability to make panties burst afire when he starts on L.A. Witt's steamy sex scenes - all of which lends itself to a wildly entertaining listening experience.

Dustin Walker just got out of a ten year marriage to a manipulative, habitually chronic cheating harridan who was basically hand picked by his true harpy of a mother. When he goes to the local bar and pool hall he ends up meeting Brandon Stewart, who's proudly bisexual.

Dustin and Brandon get together and Brandon is everything that Dustin's ex-wife isn't. They get along great, the sex is phenomenal, and they really click. But being with a man is a complete mind blower for Dustin, who isn't sure what this means: is he now gay? Is he bisexual or straight but gay only for Brandon? Then there's the worry of what his family will do once they find out Dustin is in a relationship with a man.

Clearly, I was attracted to Brandon, but that attraction to him—to a man—came out of left field, and it unsettled me. If anything, it was just strange to be reconsidering my sexuality at this age. It was one thing to be confused and bumbling through all of the idiosyncrasies of sexuality at fifteen; it was another thing entirely to be looking down the barrel of thirty and going through all of that bullshit again.

Told entirely from Dustin's POV, I would have really loved to have gotten inside Brandon's head. I also would have really liked the chance to get to know the characters better, instead of spending most of the time in bed...don't get me wrong, the sex scenes are hot and plentiful, but I wanted a little more meat to the story. I know, I know - what the hell, right? I love sex scenes! But there really were too many here for me.



This was an interesting and entertaining book for the first 60%. It has a really compelling premise and I was really keen to explore the bisexuality angle. Though I had some issues with Dustin not standing up for himself with his mother and, again, the constant sex scenes got a little old (I seriously can't even believe I just wrote that sentence!), even with all that I was enjoying it overall...then it all went to hell for me. Cue rage explosion.



Suffice it to say I am more than disappointed with the direction the story took. I'm going to put some points under a spoiler tag - because I don't want to ruin anyone else's good time and not everyone will have the issues I have with what happens.

The fact that Dustin whines constantly throughout the entire story about "am I straight" "am I gay" "am I bi" was repetitive, then boring, and, ultimately, frustrating - YOU LIKE BOYS AND GIRLS - that's the definition of Bisexual, dumbass - get it through your head and get on with it!

The way, once Dustin is outed to his mother (and then his family) by his supposed friend and bitch of an ex-wife, he treats Brandon is appalling.

“It’s not serious, Bill. It’s nothing.” Brandon fidgeted next to me.

He's dismissive of their relationship, and Brandon, and I was cheering when Brandon dumps his ass.



Then, in order to try to prove something to himself Dustin goes out and has sex with first a woman, and then a man. While the sex with the woman was off-page, the sex with the man is told in great detail and ruined what romantic feelings I had left for the story.

Dustin finally realizes after these two encounters that the empty feeling inside means he's really in love with Brandon and goes to him.



To top off my serious disappointment in the direction of the story there is a very short, very unsatisfying HFN ending. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what happened with Dustin's family, and how they dealt with being a couple...but - nada.



Bottom line: for those who like an angstier story with lots of sex, a HFN and excellent narration, you should check it out - otherwise I would recommend giving this one a pass.

Audio copy of Rules of Engagement provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange of an honest review.

This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

************************
Initial thoughts: I feel like Al Pacino in Scent of A Woman...I want to take a flamethrower to this place!!!!

So I should calm down before attempting to write a review.

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. I liked the friendship between Dustin Walker and Brandon Stewart which allowed both characters to grow as men.

Dustin had been married but it was to please his mother. So when Dustin walked in on his wife and one of her lovers, Dustin had to admit that this marriage wasn't working at all. When Dustin goes to hustle pool, he meets another pool shark Brandon. A tentative friendship begins and soon they have a sexual encounter.
This new relationship is everything Dustin's marriage wasn't. But Dustin's mother would never accept his sexuality and that affected how Dustin treated Brandon. The problem is that Brandon has already been someone's dirty little secret and he swore he wouldn't be that again.

Will Dustin choose to be open about his relationship with Brandon and his sexuality or will familial pressures lead him to let Brandon go?

I appreciate the emotional anguish it took Dustin to accept himself and stand up for himself. It takes a lot to go against one's family and even societal expectations even if keeping up a facade is detrimental to one's happiness. I love that Brandon was support but put his foot down when he needed to. He was forgiving but he was also very clear on his desires and expectations in a relationship.

I love that the author manages to balance very hot sex scenes with solid story telling. I didn't feel like the sex overshadowed the characters journey. I was very pleased with the ending of this one.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book... Not only the characters, Dustin and Brandon, are amazing, sexy, hot and have lots and lots steamy sex, but the story is surprisingly captivating by the reality that transmits. Dustin is suffering from a difficult divorce with a controller and evil woman, and he rediscovers his sexuality on Brandon's side. He struggles but it's hard for him to realize that he actually loves a man.

[Aeren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lo leí en español y era malo, pero es que en su idioma original no mejora 😬

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a definite Gay-for-you romance, with Dustin, a guy who has no past attraction to men, falling hot and heavy for Brandon, who is out and bi. There is a somewhat refreshing lack of dithering about the sex - Dustin's attraction is immediate, hot and enthusiastic. There is a lot of sex in this one, and it's pretty well written. I did wish the guys spent more time doing other things. I completely bought their attraction, but the personal and emotional side of the relationship got a bit of a short shrift.

It also loses a bit for the evil ex-wife. She was OTT, and her level of negativity wasn't necessary for Dustin to be sympathetic. I think the writer had an ulterior plot motive in making both ex and mother so unlikeable, but I felt there were other ways to make that work. There were positive female characters too, and negative male, so it wasn't unbalanced but just felt extreme and made Dustin look very hen-picked.

I liked Brandon a lot - he was sympathetic but not perfect, and giving but not a doormat. The banter was fun, and the teasing added spice. Objectively this might have been less than a four star, but it was a hot, fun, fast read that I did enjoy.

[Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful smexy read with the added dimension of seeing Dustin grow into his skin after years of subjugating himself to controlling women.

It is a story of coming out, sweet fetishes, teasing, loving and having the balls to be honest about yourself and your desires. The angst is well balanced and isn't gratuitous...it pushes the story forward...this is a well crafted book with realistic, easy to like characters.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Thanks so much mystery Secret Santa for the gift!

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been putting off writing this review because I knew it would degenerate into a rant about what I don' t like to see in romance novels. It's still going to, don't get me wrong, but at least now it won't contain as many swear words. So, if you want to see my rant feel free to read the spoiler. Otherwise, know that this book didn't do it for me for personal reasons - those reasons are things that I can't stand to see in a romance novel and really don't reflect on the writing style of this book. Overall, if I didn't have such a personal issue with the way the story ended up I definitely would have rated this book higher. I mostly enjoyed the interactions between the two MC's and thought the writing was fairly well done as far as style and pacing. This was my first book by this author so I won't mark her off my list of authors to read until I've had a few more go's with some of her other books to see if what I didn't like in this book is a running theme she uses frequently or a one off for this particular title.

Ok, here it goes....come join me on my soap box, if you dare.....

So the book starts off pretty good. Dustin has been married to the same girl since he was 18. He found her cheating on him via a website - caught her in the act, so to say. He spends his nights in a pool hall where he meets Brandon; whom he is instantly attracted to. Dustin has never been attracted to a man before but jumps in with both feet and the two begin an affair.

A hot and heavy, seriously sexed up affair. These two spent most of their time together in bed. Which brings me to issue number one: I can tell you how many pubic hairs surround my boyfriends penis but not how many rooms are in his house. A wall banger of a good time does not a love match make. This is actually a minor quibble of mine (especially compared to the rest) but used as a major plot device - well, it just doesn't work for me.

Dustin is ashamed of being with Brandon, though; he doesn't want anyone to know he is with a man. Why? Because of issue number two: I have a homophobic bitch of a mother who strangles me with the hold she has on my balls that she's pulling over this barrel. But this story doesn't have just one evil bitch woman character, oh no - it has two! Throw in Dustin's cheating, manipulative, possibly sociopathic ex-wife and you've got a real hum dinger on your hands. The majority of the issues in this book revolve around Dustin's inability to accept his sexuality and the cause of this are his OTT mother and ex. Again, the crazy, rabid, bitch-woman as a plot device is way trite and doesn't work for me.

Well, why couldn't Dustin accept his attraction to Brandon, you might ask. Brandon is an open bisexual who has several discussions on this subject with Dustin and attempts -many times- to help Dustin work toward accepting his sexuality. Brandon is a very strong character who is very supportive and understanding - not perfect but definitely a good guy who is interested in building a relationship. A funny, caring, faithful man, everything that Dustin's ex wife wasn't. So what went wrong? Why, issue number three, of course: I'm confused about my sexuality so I have to sleep around to make sure this is what I really want. And, oh, dear review reader whom I praise for getting this far into my rant - this is where I lost my shit over this book!

The guys have an argument and walk away from each other - not break up, mind you, that discussion never happened, they just walked away from each other. So Dustin takes his happy ass out to the bar and picks up a chick. Now, this episode I could have almost handled. The sex was all off page. If there had been a light bulb moment, an oh my gosh, I can't believe I did that< I really do love Brandon moment, I could have moved on. But did that happen. OH. NO. He went on out the next night and picked up a guy. And this sex scene was full on explicit and detailed. Now, it was hot, don't get me wrong, but when you've spent an entire 250 pages invested in the love of two characters the last thing you want to read is one of the MC's cheating on the other!! Then, then!! Dustin doesn't even have any issues with it. The guy who was devastated that his wife cheated on him had no issues having a with a fight with his boyfriend last week and sleeping with two other people the next weekend. He compares the technique of the one nighter with Brandon, and when it's over he basically thinks - well, I can get it up with girls, I like having sex with guys, guess I'm ok with this. I love Brandon. Guess I'll go back to him.

And then the whole story is wrapped up in like 2 pages with Dustin going back to Brandon and telling him he's "been with a few people" and decided that he loves Brandon and wants to be with him. And Brandon's all, okie dokie, and that's the end of the story!

WTF?? By the last word I didn't even care for a HEA or even a HFN because Brandon turned into a doormat who was going to deserve it when his boyfriend cheated on him again - 'cause that is totally where I felt Dustin was headed given his last actions.

So there you have it,folks. Issue one was a mild quibble, issue two was a moderate irritant, and issue three was a full out rage inducing, hair yanking, scream inducing nightmare that made me shake my kindle like a Magic 8 Ball. I should have heeded the warnings of "outlook not so good".

[Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the playing pool and how they met but I woulda LOVED to see these guys become friends first. Maybe become some pool sharks or something. lol
But they fell into bed and that's mostly where they stayed. (not that it wasn't hott or anything!) I coulda done without all the girl stuff..I get that he was Bi but it pulled me out..oh well, at least I didn't have to hear wet/drippy/creamy etc...
The ending KILLED me!! Seriously that's how you want the last 11% of the book to go..and then no epilogue!
**Bummed**

[M'rella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did love the 25% of the book, all those tiny islands of actual plot in the sea of sex.
The plot bits - 5 stars. The sheer amount of sex ...I can't even rate it adequately :(
2.5 stars and rounding down.

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, i enjoyed it until around 80% of the book when Dustin ruined it for me.. the ending left me hanging i wanted to know more ..

[aksana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Kassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rules of Engagement is likely to appeal to those fans who love a lot of angst to their men and don’t mind the weak ending, which is barely a happy ending at all. The book starts off with Dustin out for a night in a bar and happens to find something incredibly intriguing at the pool table. Although the source of his newfound desire is a man, Dustin is overwhelmed by his attraction to the other man and can’t help acting on it. Thus begins a rather passionate affair which hits a bump when Dustin realizes the social and family ramifications of being with another man. Only after much angst and sexual experimentation can Dustin be assured of his feelings and try to re-start a relationship with the one he desires most.

The story seems divided into parts. The first 200 pages or so are filled with tons of sex scenes, as most of the relationship’s progression happens during the sex scenes. The men learn more about each other and their pasts in short conversations before, after, and pausing from sex. In between the numerous sex scenes are scenes of Dustin with his family and their overt manipulating, homophobic nature. So the reason for Dustin’s coming angst is well telegraphed and allows for a reader to be sympathetic when he does freak out. The last 100 pages are filled with Dustin’s angst filled melodrama as he struggles to find validation from every possible source while denying the obvious and only listening to any negative source. He completely disregards his own thoughts and any supporting characters, only to wallow in indecision and fear for the majority of 100 pages. Clearly, you must love angsty men to not throw the end of the book against a wall.

Thankfully I like such men so Dustin didn’t bother me at first until his characterization gets a lot weaker as the story progresses. Brandon is a strong character and an often dynamic force as his self confidence is tempered by compassion and understanding, although not without his own limits. Brandon’s attraction and desire for Dustin is clear and understandable and the plethora of erotica scenes attest to the hot, steamy sex they have all over the place. I could have done with a few less sex scenes but the saving grace is that each scene does progress the relationship, sometimes just showing another kink and sense of humor, and sometimes exposing flaws and weaknesses. Thankfully the scenes do not become rote and repetitive for the most part.

Unfortunately this does not help Dustin’s character since he spends 2/3rds of the book happily engaging in a gay relationship while telling himself it doesn’t matter what label is placed on his newfound sexuality. Yet as soon as Dustin is outside of his little bubble with Brandon, Dustin agonizes over his sexuality, the label, what it means and how his family will react. He allows societal and family fears to completely overwhelm his own intelligence and renders him indecisive and incapable of action on numerous occasions. Unfortunately even at the end of the book, Dustin still struggles with being unable to express his desire and feelings, thus showing how incredibly little he’s grown emotionally throughout the course of the book. Here the story looses steam and can’t decide where Dustin should go. The book finally ends with a hanging scene, leaving numerous problems unresolved including the huge issue of Dustin’s family, and the happy ending is barely a weak happy for now…maybe.

The writing has a few moments of inspired humor with witty dialogue and some entertaining back and forth commentary between the men. The various secondary characters are forgettable and totally unimportant from Dustin’s family to friends and even the two one night stands later in the book. None of them are important except as a piece of Dustin’s emotional journey to acceptance of his sexuality, which I am not wholly convinced he even accepts at the end. The book is interesting and moves at a quick pace, but could have been tighter with a much better ending. However readers who love a lot of melodrama will go along for the ride without too much frustration. Be aware though the ending is not a strong happy ever after as I’ve said, so especially after the emotional investment the characters attempt, this may be a let down for some readers.

Overall I didn’t mind reading this particular offering but it doesn’t stand out as fabulous and has some considerable frustrations. If the book had been around 200 pages, cut some of the sex scenes, and tightened up the angst to its essential purpose, the impact would have been much sharper. But that’s just my opinion so be sure to check this out and see for yourself.

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could've been 4 or more stars, but the ending just knocked the stars right out of me.

Dustin Walker is about 6 months out of a nasty divorce. He has had some one-night stands to ease his memories, but it's too soon to start anything serious. Until he meets Brandon Stewart playing pool. Dustin has never been interested in, or even attracted to men. But being near Brandon definitely lights his fuse. I really enjoyed their initial interactions. Dustin did not seem to have any angst and just went with his feelings. Once his family discovers that he's involved with a man and they come down on him like a plague of locusts, Dustin starts second-guessing all of his feelings and whether or not he is just rebounding from his ex-wife.

This book really had me engrossed until 91% through the book (as you can see by my status update). I just think that the direction it went was just really disappointing. I didn't think any of that was necessary to help Dustin to work out his feelings. I just got very angry and annoyed. And then the book ended with what I feel was barely any resolution. I know that there is a sequel so that will likely have the resolution I was looking for, but I think even a few more pages of dialogue at the end could have gone a long way.

[Book Binge: Reviews by Melissa DaSilva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so let me start by saying I am so disappointed with this story. It was freaking amazing up to 85% when I seriously wanted to DNF (which would have been the record for latest DNF for me) but I ended up skimming the last 15% because I was so mad.

I am usually fine when MCs are with other characters in the beginning of books (whether they’ve been with the other MC yet or not) as long as it’s before they are actually dating. What I am not ok with is an MC being with another woman and man at 90% whether they were on a break with the other MC or not!

This has just totally thrown me off this book and this author. I wish I had read more of the one star reviews before wasting my time on this story! I don’t know what the first 85% of the book was for if this was just going to happen at the end. The MCs do get back together but I don’t see why! I would not recommend reading this book unless this doesn’t bother you in the slightest.

[L.A. Witt]

Re-released Sept 3, 2019 -- newly polished/edited, plus a 1,400 word extended ending!

[Emma Sea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completely adored the beginning of the book, and the chemistry between Dustin and Brandon was absolutely smoking hot, but I thought the author failed to explore Dustin's self-discovery, and his relationship with his family.

The emotional effect of Dustin's relationship was limited to the last 20% of the book, and I thought it should have started much earlier, plus reached some kind of conclusion; either positive or negative (although I think negative would have fitted in well).

In its place, too much sex! I can't believe I'm saying that, but I ended up just thinking "yeah, yeah, amazing mind-blowing sex; yeah, yeah, hot blow job". I was so grateful when Dustin started having sex with other people so I didn't have to read another Dustin/Brandon sex scene. I was also incredibly grateful for not having to read an m/f sex scene even though Dustin had sex with a woman. Thankyou, thankyou L.A. Witt!

The vast quantity of text allocated to sex scenes meant that Dustin only had a single phone call with his mother and a single phone call with his homophobic brother once they realised he was seeing a man. If the book is about Dustin coming to terms with his sexuality then I would have liked to see more of this effect on his social community. If he gets disowned by his mother forever, I'd like to see that. One fight on the phone does not resolve anything; it's just a fight. Does she slowly come to realise that she'd rather have a son she is in contact with, even if he's gay? And why no response from Dustin's circle of friends, except the one guy who's seeing his ex-wife? And, while I'm moaning, does the ex-wife have to be a sterotypical one-dimensional evil hag? Can't we have some female characters in m/m that aren't either Mary Sues or homophobic assholes?

And, one last thing, WHAT THE HELL!!! No "I love you"????!!!!!! You're seriously going to leave me hanging here with no "I love you"? This is m/m romance; not literature. I feel like a toddler who wants to throw a temper-tantrum and bang my heels against the wall.

So, overall, a nice book, good couple; I just wanted something more substantial.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I've just been on a roll with the okay MM romance reads lately...

This had a lot of potential, but ultimately, it just wasn't for me. A truly excessive number of sex scenes, which might have been okay if they didn't all read exactly the same, with ALL of them ending in anal sex (gay men *do* other things, you know) and the majority with the same character topping. I was just bored and skimmed through nearly all of them. It didn't help that the sexual dynamic for most of the book was just not my personal preference.

I generally liked the emotional build and the characters, but it was a bit more GFY as opposed to a character discovering their bisexuality, and the GFY trope is really not my favorite. I found the ex-wife and the mom to be really OTT in their meddling and harpy-ness, and while I'm sure there are people like that out there, it was just a little much.

The ending also wasn't all that satisfying. Like many others there was something about Dustin having sex with a man and a woman after his break-up with Brandon to "see" if he was Bi that really bothered me. It's not that thought he was cheating or anything, but given that the break-up to me didn't really have much closure, it *felt* like cheating, and it just made me really uncomfortable to read. This was exacerbated by the fact that the big scene where they get together didn't personally feel all that emotionally satisfying, and was relatively short/soon after him fucking other people, so I was just left with a bit of a gross feeling. AND I thought it was really bizarre considering how many sex scenes there were in the book, that there was NO big reunion sex scene after they get together, so literally the last sex we get in the book is the (not explicit) mentions of sex with *not* Brandon. Which I do think was part of my disappointment.

So yeah, I didn't hate this one by any means, but not my favorite read by this author.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star.
The story has a good start and definitely lots of chemistry between the two protags. But there are just so many things not right in the story. From the characterisation to the plot and it just kind of falls apart from the latter part of the story and then has a very rushed ending. Kind of WTF when I finished it...

Apart from Brandon, who is lovely and witty, all the other characters in the story are quite "extreme" and stereotypical... I'd call them: daytime soap characters. Not convincing at all. And the main protag, Dustin, who provides the first person POV, he's just too dense to be real, plus he's a bit of, pardon my Frenc, a douchebag. I mean, I've read many "Gay for You" stories and it can done much better, but this you can't help but want to shout, "dude, you are having the hottest sex ever with a guy. you ARE gay!"

So, the story doesn't really work for me, but I did enjoy the first part of the story (before the accumulated effects of the bad plot and characterisation completely ruined it) and I think she's good writer - technically speaking, so I will still be interested in her future stories.

[Janeylou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sex, sex and more sex , no story ..I can see a pattern here !!!

[Xing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 stars

So gay-for-you type of stories are one of my favorites. It reaches for my inner romantic and makes me think that real life doesn't truly suck.

Unfortunately, Rules of Engagement didn't make my inner romantic sing for joy. It kind of made me cringe. I think the biggest issue I had was Dustin. While I understand he had a painful ten year relationship with a psycho-bitch of an ex-wife, it felt like some of the problems were due to the fact that he was a pushover. A pushover for both his mother and the ex-wife. Not only that, but about 85% of the story's conflict was him wallowing in his sexual identity crisis. A sexual identity crisis isn't uncommon in these gay-for-you type stories, but he was obsessed with labels to the point that it made me cringe. It was the big elephant in the room, and caused so much unnecessary drama and conflict with his relationship with Brandon. I felt like Brandon was more in the category of a 15 year old high school boy who just discovered he liked "boys" AND girls. Not the 28 year old, ex-marine and current personal trainer hotshot.

And then there was his relationship with Brandon. They talked about past exes, played pool, talked about having gay sex. Then they had sex, a LOT (which was a redeeming element to this book). And that was pretty much it. Their relationship felt shallow, and I couldn't even feel myself invested enough to care what happened.

And then Brandon wasn't necessarily boyfriend of the year week. He did some things towards the end that made me raise my eyebrow and rip apart cute kitty calendars in a fit of reading induced rage (him AND Dustin both).

Honestly guys, what's the matter with both of you? And at the story's conclusion, I felt like there were many loose ends regarding Dustin's family that didn't get resolved.

[Ely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the potential to get 4.5 stars from me. The first 87% of the book was great. The plot was believable. The chemistry between Brandon and Dustin was amazing. Witt has the ability to write amazingly passionate sex scenes, scenes that are so intense that you could literary feel your own blood quicken and leaves you wondering if you climaxed with her characters or are just severely turned on. Either way, the ride is great. This is the second book I read by this author and I'm starting to feel like there is a pattern to her endings. Either she leaves a lot of the issues (i.e. Communication) unresolved or the character that was wronged forgives his SO without any hesitation. In Brandon's case, I felt like he was in the right to not allow himself to be a dirty little secret, when said secret was out anyway. Dustin goes off fucks two people, decides okay I'm bisexual and now I realize I'm in love with Brandon (okay I hated it, but I get the need to want to make sure what his sexuality is, but gods I hated it. I felt like I was being cheated on) but after the realization when its time to give Brandon a reason to come back, Dustin chokes and can't even tell him that he loves him... But Brandon forgives him anyway, even knowing he was off bedding a male and female less than a week after the split??? No. That's what bothered me. I felt like Brandon was more than understanding w Dustins problem and for him not to get a solid commitment or a confession of love? I felt he was cheated which in turn left me cheated. The writing is great, the chemistry is off the roof but the problem solving? Defintely needs work. I may change this review and give it 4 or 5 stars if she was writing part 2 because it definitely could use it.

For now I give it a 3.5

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I have this thing where I'm not allowed to play pool. Like, literally my friends start getting a panicky look on their faces when I near a pool cue. And this is surprising because I've only ever played twice. The first time (and I swear I don't even know how this happened) I chipped a tooth, and the second time I smashed a clock face with a pool ball (not on purpose). So, I was understandably put off by the pool-related shenanigans in the first part of this book. But that soon took a backseat and I started to enjoy it. I have a soft spot for gay-for-you stories because I like seeing how authors deal with the sudden shift in sexuality. Some writers go with the: 'I like guys now! Sucks to you, 20-odd years of heterosexuality!' and others are like: 'Gay? I can't be gay. But lemme go stick my tongue down this guy's throat quickly. No homo!'. I feel like this book had believable amounts of angst, but still could have been more exploratory. I also felt that the resolution was a bit forced and abrupt. Some of the characters were just such assholes; the ratio of douchefaces to likable characters was higher than I generally like. However, it was pretty hot (actually maybe a bit too much of the book is set in the bedroom). But in the end, I liked it well enough.