Review: The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne (The Dugout #3)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the authors via Valentine PR.

One Davis twin has gotten his happily-ever-after, and it was the twin that you wouldn't have expected to find--and hold on to--love first. Now, it's the other Davis twin's turn, and Decker Davis is going to need to decide if he's going to continue to abide by his self-imposed rules and to stick to the boundaries that he's set out, or finally go after what--or who--he wants and needs. All of it plays out in The Rulebreaker, the third novel in The Dugout, the baseball romance series from the bestselling author team of Piper Rayne. 

Penelope Ripley and Decker Davis have history--more history than most people know. The thirty-four-year-olds were once the very best of friends growing up. A part of that history happens to also involve Decker's formerly estranged twin brother and now teammate, Foster. The single mom (to seven-year-old Hazel) and the third baseman for the Chicago Colts are trying to figure out how to be around each other without things getting awkward, but when you're the daughter of the team manager and the only girl that the rule-following Davis twin has ever loved, it's less about awkward and more about getting complicated.

It goes without saying that I enjoyed the second-chance romance that Penelope and Decker had going, especially with the latter forging a bond with Hazel. However, if I had to pick my favorite thing about this book, it had to be Decker and Foster dealing with their relationship, particularly, all the events that led to their estrangement. I honestly shed a few tears at one point, but hey, after seeing how these twins were in the first book, then taking those first tentative steps in the second, the work they put into coming together and resolving their issues was heartwarming. And again, I must reiterate that Penelope and Decker's story was sweetly satisfying. Piper and Rayne did not disappoint! Five stars for The Rulebreaker.

Release Date: 14 May 2026

Date Read: 08 May 2026

Learn more about Piper Rayne.

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