Overall Grade: B-
Tropes: age gap; close proximity; cinnamon roll MMC; “forbidden” relationship; he falls first; friends to lovers
Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s The Law of Opposites Attract series has come to a close with their final book, The Rules of Dating a Younger Man. Throughout this series, their readers have been gifted with the found family/band of brothers trope that tends to be popular. From Colby to Holden to Owen to Brayden, Keeland and Ward have ingratiated their lives into our lives. Here’s the thing about this series, though. This series started strong with Colby/Billie and Holden/Lala’s stories, but the magic of those books feels lost in Owen and now Brayden’s book. With The Rules of Dating a Younger Man, for me, the highlight is Brayden. In their friend group, Owen and Brayden seem the most level-headed and secure of the bunch, but Brayden, especially, is one of the quietest of the stories going into his book. Keeland and Ward draw him as a wildly handsome, thoughtful, humble, kind man. You have no heart if you leave TRODAYM and don’t love Brayden. It’s impossible to dislike him because he cares so much for his friends, the kids he develops prostheses for, and the project of Ryan’s House. Alex, the FMC, cannot help but fall in love with someone like Brayden.
The issue with this book is two-fold: Alex’s journey can be challenging to understand. She is not readily likable because she spurns Brayden at every turn. I found it tiring as it continues for 80 percent-ish of the book. The second issue is their chemistry. Keeland and Ward create more tension between Brayden and Alex than they create their love. Yet, these two fall in love after three weeks (weekends only). I struggled with this inconsistency, making it difficult to believe they were indeed in love. As situations play out, Alex readily denies Brayden for much of the book, even though she allegedly loves him. Again, the credibility of their relationship created issues for me.
Did I love the camaraderie of the friends? Yes.
Did I enjoy their antics and the way they loved each other? Absolutely!
Did I love Alex and Brayden when they finally got where they needed to go? Yep. However, this takes up most of the book and adds a huge helping of frustration.
Do I think The Rules of Dating a Younger Man a fitting end to this series? I’m not sure. I believe this series began strong and lost its magic in the two later books.
As always, however, I adore Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s storytelling prowess, and I will continue to read their works. I’m just not sure I loved The Rules of Dating a Younger Man as much as I wanted to.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 