Playing Through Every Choices Book, In Order (Part 79: Rules of Engagement, Book 2)

Hey! Today we continue to try and fulfill our nana's tasks as our siblings attempt to do the same.

Next time, we wrap things up, claim our ring and our money, and finally let this cruise come to an end (until Book 4...)

Link to previous reviews: https://www.reddit.com/user/stresseatingdog/comments/sj3s3m/all_choices_reviews_megapost/

Rules of Engagement, Book 2

M/C(s): Heather, Jess (party sis), Nicole (nerdy sis), Alex (brother)

Love Interest(s): Leo, William, Dean

Favorite Characters: Jess, Nicole, Leo, Dean, Alex, Elena, Mira, Blake, Carter

Least Favorite Characters: Mallory, Trent, Paolo

Rating: 7/10

Review:

I feel like if this series was remastered, and given the modern treatement of GOC and customization, I'd be able to say I absolutely love it. Right now, I can merely say I like this book.

M/C is an actual player - three men proposing to her over a rather short amount of time? She's got game, and I love it. William's workaholic thing was rather annoying, but I still have to say that I like all three LIs pretty decently. It's hilarious to me that the two LIs you don't choose literally disappear at the end of the book, and have no reaction whatsoever. I went for Dean, by the way. I usually go for Leo, but for some reason, Dean really drew me in this time, and I wanted to go for something new. I like his sprite, and he's sweet, although M/C is way too quick to gloss over his whole thing with Violet and Trent. M/C is also way too quick to gloss over Leo and Madeleine. I really wish M/C had more of a backbone lol.

Jess's storyline in this book is sweet. Her pregnancy scare setting things into perspective for her is neat. Mira is a fun new character, and I really like her dynamic with Jess. Blake is lovely, and I kind of feel bad for Carter lol - he really gets shafted in terms of screentime. Mira doesn't actually become an official LI for Jess until the next book, I think, but I think this book sets up for that well.

I know I complained in the previous review, and I still have my gripes about Alex. However, him and Elena are admittedly pretty cute, and I like how she makes him stick to his morals regarding the billionaire's case. For forcing me to play as a straight guy, it's a pretty good storyline.

And then there's Nicole. Her plot with Audrey in this book is probably the reason most have such strong opinions on Audrey. Nicole's internship with Blair Hall makes her realize she doesn't want to end up like Blair - a workaholic who shuts out her family. That's sweet and all, but did we really need all the Paolo stuff? Then we get to the Audrey situation. See, Audrey is mad at Nicole for...leaving her to go to this life-changing internship she'd been incredibly excited about. Nicole chasing after Audrey and groveling is mildly annoying. I get that her leaving without a goodbye was pretty wrong for Nicole to do, but Audrey is also acting as if Nicole owes her so much. Not my favorite storyline, but I'm glad it's probably the one with the least screen time in this book (post-internship).

Trent completely disappearing after the fake marriage is annulled is pretty weird. You'd think the guy would start scheming more or something. Mallory is incredibly detestable in the screentime she gets in this book, but at least that means we can get Violet's redemption arc! Mallory snitching on Jess and calling Alex/Elena into question is infuriating, but I do suppose we need something to have conflict in Book 3.

Overall, this book does better than the first one by having more modern Choices features (more hairstyles, clothing, the closet, better pacing and diamond scenes), but like I mentioned in my intro, I just sorely wish it were truly modern. Someone commented on the last review that the book was based on some of the writers' lives - if true, that's really sweet, and the family dynamic is one of the highlights of the series. I'm not saying I can't play non-GOC books, or enjoy hetero romances, lord knows I've played through many, many of them throughout this review series. I just wish sometimes that the non-GOC books were the exception, not the majority. However, this book is still quite enjoyable at its core, and I appreciate it for what it is.