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Elisabeth Staab
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By the Rules (Evergreen Grove Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Elisabeth Staab (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 47
See all formats and editions
He thinks I want him because of the rumors around town. Because I think he’s easy. I want AJ, because he’s AJ.

No liars. No suits. Absolutely no straight guys…

AJ Fabin’s list of rules keeps him safe. Since getting kicked out of his parents’ home and attacked by a former escorting client, his rules and his life in the tiny town of Evergreen Grove provide a quiet haven. He may be lonely, and he may stick out like a sore thumb, but the folks like him well enough. When he’s not dodging his old pimp, things are peaceful.

Hayden Price is having a quarter-life crisis. Engaged to a woman he can’t connect to and working a job he secretly hates, he comes to Evergreen Grove to help his mother through a health scare. Returning to his childhood home makes Hayden reevaluate a lot of things, including himself. When he meets AJ and finds he can’t stand the mouthy jerk—almost as much as he can’t stop thinking about him—he has a lot more to change than his career.

To be together, they’ll both have to break all of their rules.

By the Rules is book 3 in the Evergreen Grove series, but reads as a standalone.
Previous page
  1. Book 3 of 6
    Evergreen Grove
  2. Print length
    305 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 19, 2016
  6. File size
    833 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

  • "One of the best romance stories I've read in years." -- Guilty Indulgence Romance Reviews
  • "By The Rules is absolutely the best m/m romance I've read!" -- Fictional Candy
  • "This book is a perfect example of romance at its finest!" -- Joyfully Jay
  • "By The Rules broke my expectations. It is a love story in every sense of the word." -- Talk Supe
  • "The story left me with all sorts of warm and fuzzies." -- I Smell Sheep
  • "If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend you do." -- Book Lovin' Mamas
  • "By the Rules is a powerful tale of discovery." -- Xtreme Delusions
  • "It made me happy sigh at the end." -- Whimsical Nature
  • "Really enjoyed this installment!" -- Viviana, Enchantress of Books

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B018ZZF1BE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (January 19, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 19, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 833 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 305 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 47

About the author

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Elisabeth Staab

Elisabeth Staab

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Elisabeth Staab loves passionate stories and happy endings. Her books have been called “emotionally delicious,” “action-packed,” and “gloriously snarky.” When not writing romance about vampires and werewolves and emotionally wounded boxers (oh, my!), she enjoys date night with her husband, reading with her kids, and marathoning her favorite books or TV series. Keep up with all the latest shenanigans by following her newsletter, stopping by ElisabethStaab.com, or finding her on Facebook and Twitter.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED this one!
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book!

AJ and Hayden separately are compelling. Together... I have never seen so many messes that left me lost - because each one has his reasons! The supporting was also good. Some m/m treats women in particular like a name and a dismissive attitude are enough. Not here. They're not all fleshed out, but the important ones are, lending Evergreen Grove a nice three-dimensional sense. (I suppose, had I read any of the series, that would be even more evident.)

Highly recommended. Because yes they fail at communication, but given their issues? They were always going to have to fight for this.

(There's one startlingly garbled sentence in one of the last chapters (editing is HARD, y'all) but otherwise the formatting's good.)
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Laura Roberts
4.0 out of 5 stars What I Thought
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2016
I’ve not really read many male/male orientated novels. So whenever I stumble upon one, I have to admit, I do start reading with slight trepidation, not really knowing what to expect. By The Rules though….. There was no need. I actually found AJ and Hayden’s story to be completely adorable. Not sure this is how Elisabeth wanted the story to be portrayed, but I can’t help it. I fell in love with these guys as a couple.
Hayden is trudging through life, day to day, living in New York with a fiancee he isn’t really in love with, working for his father, who doesn’t give him an easy ride. When he receives a call to say his mum is ill and in hospital, he doesn’t hesitate to hop a plane to Evergreen Grove to be by her side. A place he hasn’t been back to in years. It’s so strange for Hayden to be back. The last thing he expects is to bump into a stranger, whilst leaving his mums bakery, that he ends up feeling dislike but also attraction towards, another man, and that it could end up turning into more.
AJ has had it tough growing up. Being thrown out of the family because of his “ways”, I suppose being caught by his father, with his business partner in a compromising position doesn’t help. Being homeless, young and alone, AJ is easily persuaded to become an escort. This escalates, next thing he has a pimp. A near death encounter with a client takes AJ away from this life. His saviour, his surrogate Aunt, Mrs Choi. She gets AJ away, buys a motel in Evergreen Grove and they have been there since.
AJ is determined to live a life without love, feeling he doesn’t deserve it, but also, after what happened to him, being seriously hurt by a client, he is scared and follows rules he has set himself to avoid anything bad happening to himself in the future. One of the rules, steer clear of guys in suits. Imagine his dismay when he feels an attraction to all business man in a suit, Hayden. Hidden behind the dislike for each other is something else. But how does that work? How can attraction work right longside dislike, and how do you not realise when it disappears?
I don’t want to spoil the plot of the story by going into too much of a review as it flows and develops as you go along. There is so much to this story though that you don’t want to miss. Some serious character development, colour, unicorns, life changing decisions and suprises, pimps, venturing into new territory, twists…..the list is endless. (The list will also make sense WHEN you read this story)
If you haven’t experienced a romance that is male/male focused, By The Rules is totally the one to pop your cherry. The chemistry between the characers is palpable, but the scenes where Hayden and AJ are “together” are soft. Still great to read though. You still experience the same feelings and emotions that you would from any other romance. The anticipation, the flirtation, the build up, the hope for the characters.
Reading from both AJ and Hayden’s point of view, we hear conflicting emotions, the nerves and fears, the moments monumental decisions and feelings arise, from both sides. You totally feel the warm and fuzzies reading this story, you feel the chemistry between the characters. Some male/male novels I have read before have lacked the chemistry between the two characters. I can appreciate it must be a hard thing to write about. Elisabeth though, has written this story so well, capturing the connection, but also keeping it light and fun.
I found this story to be funny in places, with a ‘can’t help but make you smile’ romance and so easy to read. It’s so smoothly done. I would go as far to say, that it is a beautiful story.
2 people found this helpful
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BOL.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and captivating
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
The story is well developed and written in a way its captivating and never boring. There are no gaps in story or editorial mistakes. This book deserves five star ratings.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet love story
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
I had never read this genre before (M/M contemporary romance), but these characters were very well developed, sympathetic, funny, and sexy. I enjoyed the Evergreen Grove sub-plot, and went on to read Piece by Piece, the story of LeAnn and Ethan. This author has a great sense of humor and sarcasm. A satisfying page-turner with a happy ending. My fave.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
I became invested in AJ's story reading the first two books in this series. I wanted him to find someone to love him as he so deserved. I became so wrapped up in the storyline that I spent the last 20% or so of the book dreading the knowledge that it was coming to an end. This straight girl wanted the story to continue forever.
I
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Donna
4.0 out of 5 stars Love Bytes' Review of By The Rules
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
When I read through some of the other reviews of this book, it was amusing to see quite a few of them mention – “if you don’t usually read m/m books you should still read this one” – or something along those lines. However I’m coming at this from the opposite direction and I’m going to assure you that despite the fact the first two books in the Evergreen Grove series are m/f, if you don’t like to find vagina popping up in your books, you can very safely read By The Rules as a standalone gay romance. That’s how I read it, and I didn’t feel that I was missing out on any backstory from previous books.

I liked AJ instantly. He had depth and he was complex, there were so many different facets that made up his character. I loved the way his voice came across as we heard the story from his perspective. His vulnerabilities were endearing, yet his snark made him entertaining. He has a set of rules that he has created, put in place to protect himself from getting involved with a man who could potentially hurt him. The fact that he operates a run down hotel as more of a shelter for those who need help rather than a business was the icing on the I-love-AJ cake, as far as I was concerned.

Hayden on the other hand, well I was kinda prepared not to like this guy. I thought he was going to be the one with all of the usual “but I’m not gay” relationship issues, but instead that was AJ, and it made so much more sense coming from him. Hayden first presents as a bit of an uptight, serious, non-compromising kind of guy but in fact he’s exactly the right sort of person for AJ. He’s non-judgmental, patient, and most importantly brave enough to talk about feelings!

All of the secondary characters were well developed, even those who haven’t had their story told in previous stories. Mrs, Choi was a particular favourite, because though she’s only in a few scenes, her personality just bursts onto the page. Hell, she picked up an abused, young prostitute and carried him away to safety. That woman has a huge heart and some serious balls.

The chemistry between AJ and Hayden was scorching. The fact that they hate each other during their first few meetings just adds some extra spice to their encounters. Hayden broke through all of the boundaries that AJ had erected to protect himself, and when they finally hit the sheets I may have squealed just a tad. I liked that despite AJ having much more practical experience at sex than Hayden, he was the one who came across as nervous and awkward. The author does a great job of using the sexual relationship between the two characters to further highlight just how damaging AJ’s past was, and how Hayden’s affection is helping to heal him.

I think that most readers will like this story. It’s distinctly mainstream, and by that I mean there isn’t anything that requires content warnings. The angst is low and the awww moments are liberally scattered throughout. On top of that the writing is polished and the story flows at a perfect pace.

I won’t say that I’m going to rush out and pick up copies of the m/f stories in this series, but I definitely hope that we see another m/m romance pop up in the town of Evergreen Grove. Perhaps Deputy Haas could get his happily ever after?

Original review posted at Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

P3
3.0 out of 5 stars By the rules
Reviewed in Canada on September 15, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book took me a long time to finish. It did not make me want to rush back to it after I out it down. The timeline in the book was a little off, the ending was abrupt and the book felt unfinished. This is the first book I’ve read in the series so maybe I need to read book 1 & 2 to get a better feel for AJ and Hayden’s story. I don’t hate this book but I don’t love it either.
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