Rules of Play: Nerd/Jock MM Romance (The Script Club, Book 2)

AHHHH YES…I LOVE adorable scientists!! Lane Hayes’ Rules of Play, (The Script Club #2/KU), is just the perfect SEXY HOT, funny, brother’s best friend, bi-awakening, sweet read! We met George, the genius who absolutely has no filter and wears capes as his shield, in the first book of the series, Following The Rules (KU), and I could not wait to read his story. George has had a crush on Aiden, the straight?, ex-jock, for years. They have known each other for basically their entire lives but definitely do not run in the same circles. George and Aiden independently have issues they need assistance with and agree to help each other out. What ensues is a delightful, friends to lovers read that had me smiling, laughing and taking much needed smoke breaks! (SO HOT) I love how Aiden accepts all of George’s quirks without question and George’s insatiable need for Aiden. ”I’d never had a lover who was my friend too and I had to say, it was so damn…nice.” *SIGH* Once again, Lane’s top notch dialogue makes you feel like you are sitting right there with these men as they surprisingly find themselves in love. Filled with great secondary characters, I am loving this series and can not wait to see which genius is next!! The premise of this series is a group of genius best friends whose goal is to experience life outside of their bubble while trying not to be too awkward at the same time. Each book can definitely be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend them both! SO MUCH FUN!!

Full disclosure - I read book 3 before this and thought that was my favourite... I was wrong; this is my favourite!(FYI- the books can standalone, but they do have characters from the other books, so reading in order is helpful).George an Aiden had a mutual, but hidden crush on each other. I enjoyed how it was portrayed in a funny, bantery (that's a word, right?) way. Aiden always had a soft spot for George, not really understanding his attraction to him, but enough for him to sabotage a potential dating opportunity for George (in the past). They made a good team, especially with how supportive Aiden was of George's cape-wearing quirk. Lovely, funny and sweet story!

The wonderful thing about this series is how easily you can relate to the man on the cover, and then bring up all your wildest fantasies to imagine what the other guy looks like. In this case the cover is a bit deceptive because George the Geek is not really portrayed in the book as really open and adorable as he is on the cover--after all, he does tend to wear a cape everywhere he goes.But his counterpart, Aiden, his brother's best friend and supposedly straight baseball star, is more difficult to handle, but we get over it quickly because the two of them are so opposite in size, outlook and nature that we can't wait to see how author Lane Hayes pulls off this romance.And she does, with aplomb and delight, leading me to believe this is a series worth pursuing.

It's good but Much the same story as the previous books. Perfect jock is in the closet. Relationship ensues gloriously until Nerd finally throws a bomb into it and breaks it off because jock is in the closet. Yet nerd insists that jock must come out of the closet for himself. Of course Jock immediately comes out not really for himself but because he lost the nerd and wants him back. Seems like all the books are like this.

-Simon continues to be a gem, as usual-The plot point where George broke up with Aiden bc Aiden needed to “come out for himself” tbh didn’t make sense bc didn’t Aiden then come out bc he wanted to be with George??? Which he was going to do anyway??? I guess it’s bc George couldn’t continue the way it had been and Aiden wanted to wait to come out and become official, but also that’s off bc Aiden kept saying in his inner dialogue that he wanted to be official ASAP?? It just didn’t sit right w me.-I liked George a lot at first and I didn’t STOP liking him but…. Idk it just felt like all his nuances were glossed over in favor of focusing on Aiden’s bisexual awakening which is kind of a been there done that plot point for me. I just think George could’ve been developed better. He was leagues better than Topher in that regard but by far not perfect-Newton is a king and deserves everything. He’s my official favorite character

If you're looking for a low angst love story, this is a good one. If you're looking for two people who love and support each other's eccentricities, this is the book for you! Lane Hayes writes with humor and is a great story teller. Highly recommend.

I loved these two characters and they were so good together. There were a couple editing issues but that was all and nothing major. I did find the whole "bro-crush" thing a little confusing but I think I understood it better towards then end when Aiden and Simon talk. These two things is the only reason this isn't 100% 5 stars for me. The story is great though with incredible steam and funny moments.

Lane Hayes has done it again! This book is fantastic from the very first chapter and sucks you right in. George and Aiden both made me want to know more about them, and the deeper we went with each, the more I loved them, both apart and together. And by the way, can I punch Hank in the face? That man truly deserves it! Highly suggest this book, or anything by Lane, really. Her books don't disappoint!

I loved the pairing of these 2 very different characters.. George is flamboyant, frequently changes his hair colour and easily attracts both men and women (Maybe because of the Cape he likes to wear!)Aidan is a mechanic working for his Uncle. He has always identified as straight but his friend's quirky brother George has always fascinated him. Suddenly Aidan is questioning whether he is straight after all, with the attraction he is feeling to George.Funny, well-written & I love both main characters!

Same as book number 1, I had a great time reading this one. Both Aiden and George were adorable and super cute together!

“I fell in love with the guy I’d had a crush on for years. His friendship, trust, and his appreciation for all things weird were a gift I cherished everyday.”This was a sweet and sexy brother's best friend / friend's to lovers romance. Both Aiden and George have always had a thing for each other growing up around one another, the only difference is that George has always known his own feelings but Aiden couldn't quite put his finger on it as he identified as straight. Never mind getting hot for George or getting real jealous of other's having him.This was such a cute romance. George has his moments of awkwardness with social situations and his social battery dying (hard same) where Aiden has his own insecurities with the direction of his life and having stability. But I think they truly meet these needs for each other so wonderfully. And nothing can really stop these two and their connection not even themselves. Even though Aiden is George's brother's best friend, George and Aiden also have their own friendship there and I think it really adds to their chemistry.Lane Hayes does seem to fall into certain stereotypes real easily with the whole gold-digging women. You know the whole fluttering eyelashes, chest rubbing up on biceps kinda deal. Boring. Look, it leads to a moment of grumpy jealousy which I'm a fan of but it seems a bit of a pattern and I'm not going to lie every time this particular stereotype comes up my eyes roll so hard. It's not as bad as it could be at all but it's still there.The friends and other things got a bit more page time this time around which I liked but going off this series, the author seems to just get straight to the point with certain things so other elements are an after thought so I'll just have to get used to that.I enjoyed this a lot and also really liked Topher & George talking about their new dynamic. While I didn't think George was being too awkward with him, I appreciated them talking about it. Also I loved Asher and his matter of fact ways. Excited to find out what's happening with him for sure.Also, Also, f*** Aiden's homophobic uncle.

George and Aiden were just as amusing and fascinating a couple as the first two, with their own cliches and twists and a great journey to bring together!George is very much quirky but has had to tone it down a bit for the working world. He also is having difficulty finding the right balance of friends and colleagues working in the slightly cutthroat scientific field. When he inadvertently angers his boss for interacting with a girl the guy likes, George not only needs to lie about his own romantic state but also agreed to help out his boss. Luckily he won't agree to any sort of creepy setting up and lying about it or anything, just a sort of social interactions playbook to help the guy out. The only thing is George needs help both with girlfriend boyfriend and with the playbook, so he seeks out help from Aiden. Aiden is his brother's friend and a mechanic, so when George's track dies and Aiden helps out it all just sort of makes sense. And from there things turn into playbook making, tutoring, fake dating, and it all just builds.Aiden is the type of guy who acknowledges that being with a man is new and different for his sexuality, but isn't afraid to explore a genuine interest. There has always been interest there for Aiden but it changes and grows as he spends more one on one time with George. For George, he has always had a crush on Aiden but knew it could never go anywhere after their childhood interactions (read; embarrassing childhood moments). Working together as adults changes that though it is still a tricky journey as they figure out whether they are faking it dating, what their interest means, and how family factors into it all.This series continues to bring both the heat and the heart and I can't wait to see what the next book will bring!

Aiden has known George since they were young, since he’s friends with both of George’s brothers.George’s vehicle is in need of some major repairs, and Aiden is a mechanic. The repairs are costly, leading them to barter, with George helping Aiden with his baseball stats course.They talk a lot, and their attraction is off the charts. But George won’t give it a real chance, until Aiden makes it clear he loves him and wants to be together without hiding from anyone.Great story, I like this series with quirky geniuses.KU