ARC Review: The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC via Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review!

The Bad Boy Rule (Hellcats Hockey #1)
Publication Date: 12 June 2025
Genre: Adult Contemporary Sports Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A deliciously sexy, bad boy/good girl, hockey romance from Amazon Top 20 bestselling sports romance author, Maren Moore.

Lennon

Saint Devereaux has a reputation that precedes him.
Orleans University’s resident bad boy on and off the ice.
And I know to stay far away. Until there’s a mixup and we’re forced to share our ice time.
I can’t stand his cocky attitude, or how annoyingly attractive he is.
He’s the reason the Bad Boy Rule exists.
Because guys like him will break your heart.
But the more time I spend with the hot, tattooed enforcer, the more I realize that being bad… has never been so much fun.

Saint

Lennon Rousseau plays the role of a high society socialite well.
She’s the definition of a good girl.
Valedictorian, president of the esteemed Social Club, a purity pact with her friends.
And I want to ruin her the way that her father ruined my life.
I can think of a hundred ways to dirty her up, and getting her beneath me is the perfect place to start.
I thought she might be the answer to getting my revenge, but now I’m beginning to wonder if she’s the one who’ll bring me to my knees instead.

The Bad Boy rule is a standalone in the Hellcats Hockey series which takes place in the Orleans University world.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Emotional and physical abuse by a parent (mostly off-page), drug and alcohol abuse of a secondary character, toxic familial relationships, chronic illness of a child (briefly mentioned, very minor secondary character), fighting/physical violence (on page), explicit sex scenes (on page)

TL;DR: The Bad Boy Rule is a great start to a new hockey romance series from Moore and I’m excited to see whose story comes next! This was a great hate-to-love romance featuring a good girl x bad boy combination that set my Kindle on fire. Once Saint and Lennon open up to each other and see beyond the personas they’ve perfected for the public, their connection was so good and their chemistry was intense! If you’re looking for personal growth and emotional vulnerability alongside many wickedly steamy moments, plus, no third act breakup then I think you’ll enjoy this romance!

That said, I would recommend checking out the author’s content warnings for the book as it does cover topics that may be triggering for some readers.

Lennon and Saint were enjoyable characters to read about and easy ones to root for. Although they come from complete opposite backgrounds, they have great chemistry and I enjoyed seeing them go from being unable to stand each other to slowly chipping through their barriers the more time they spend together. Lennon’s parents were infuriating and her father was the worst kind of man I’ve had to read about lately, although her mother was no better. She deserved so much better than these parents and it was so great to see her take a stand and not just lie back and continue to take their poor treatment of her. I loved that even though she’s painted as the “virginal good girl” she also had no issues being vocal, standing up for herself, and asking for what she wants (both in and out of the bedroom, lol).

That said, I think Saint was my favourite of the two. His story was pretty heartbreaking (even more so knowing the corporate aspect of it is a reality that many families have faced and continue to face). He’s got a reputation as the aggressive bad boy but behind those walls he has built to protect himself, he has a heart of gold, and he would do anything to protect the person he loves most in this world: his mum. The vulnerability shown through his character, especially during that storm scene, tore me up good. 🥺 I loved seeing the softer side of him, not just with Lennon, but with everyone who meant something to him and who he cared deeply about. He’s a true good egg!

Honestly, I can already foresee that Saint will be a favourite for many romance readers, especially those who love a bad boy with a good heart and a very filthy mouth. 🤭  We know for sure that Lennon was 100% there for the dirty talk and yes, their steamy scenes set my Kindle aflame! Once all the lines are crossed, there are several back-to-back steamy scenes, but it meshes well with the rest of the story and their relationship arc. Their chemistry was undoubtedly fire hot and I loved seeing them together!

Overall, this was a fun new romance from Moore and as someone who has read almost all of her books now, I find she never disappoints and always serves exactly what you’re looking for when you pick up one of her books: a good, fun, and very sexy time!

Have you read The Bad Boy Rule or is it on your TBR?

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