If there's one author you can trust to write a good hockey romance, it's Elle Kennedy. Many think of her Off-Campus series, which includes The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal. She has since published two follow-up series, which are all hockey romances.
While the Off-Campus series is the most popular, her Briar U series came after, and she's now publishing the Campus Diaries series with Bloom Books. The first book in the Campus Diaries series followed Gigi Graham, the daughter of Garrett and Hannah from The Deal, but the rest of the series focuses on a new group of hockey players.
The Dixon Rule follows Diana Dixon, who is best friends with Gigi, and the romance she has with Shane Lindley. It's clear from the very start that Diana doesn't care for Shane, and as confused as he is, he decides to completely ignore that and annoy her as much as he can. It feels a little bit like when you see a boy teasing a girl and you know he likes her.
While it's the same principle, Diana and Shane take it to the next level in so many ways. The two decide to fake-date for mutually beneficial reasons. Diana wants to get her ex to leave her alone, while Shane wants to make his ex jealous. Sounds like a win-win situation, right?
The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy isn't just fun and games.
While the concept for The Dixon Rule is fun, this book is a lot deeper than the cover might lead you to believe. Diana's using Shane to get her ex to leave her alone is real. He's incredibly abusive, and there are even instances of on-page violence against Diana. It's truly hard to read and stomach at times, so be careful if you decide to pick it up. I want to make sure you're aware of that, as that's something I didn't realize before starting the book.
Diana has that going on, while Shane seems like a fun and easygoing guy. For the most part, he is, but he also deals with a lot of trauma and heartache. Throughout the course of the story, we find out about Shane's relationship with his dad and what happened with his dad's hockey career. Eventually, it comes to light that Shane's dad has cancer, and he passes during the book. If that is a topic you're sensitive to, it's probably best to skip this book. Those were two topics I knew I needed to share before getting into the lighter stuff, so please be careful with yourself if you plan on reading.
The Dixon Rule has so many great romance tropes, but it never feels like it's too much. There is fake-dating, neighbors, friends with benefits, and dislike-to-love. There is so much great banter between these two, and it's just amazing to see their relationship progress and change. Plus I adored how much Shane and Diana showed up for each other. It was just so nice to see and read about.
As long as you're able to handle the topics mentioned above, The Dixon Rule is well worth the read and will set you up for The Charlie Method. The Dixon Rule doesn't shy away from those tough moments, but it makes the romance all the more deserving.
The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy is out now where books are sold.