Infidelity Rules - by Joelle Babula (Paperback)

About the Book

After a disastrous romantic past, restaurant sommelier Quinn exclusively dates married men. Along this food-and-wine-soaked wild ride, she faces her demons, contends with her mistress status and tests the patience of those she loves the most.

Book Synopsis

Quinn has rules.

No single men. No expectations. No chance of getting hurt.

As a sommelier in Washington, D.C., she's spent years building a life she can control. Wine is predictable. People are not. Her relationships have expiration dates, and her heart remains firmly off-limits. Quinn's system works beautifully.

Until it doesn't.

When a man walks into her life and makes her question everything she thought she wanted, Quinn finds herself pulled into unfamiliar territory. The more she doubles down, the harder it becomes to ignore the truth: the rules that once protected her may now be standing in her way.

As her carefully curated world unravels, she finds herself moonlighting as a reluctant "Love Coach," navigating a best friend's whirlwind engagement, and drowning in feelings she has absolutely no interest in having.

She engineered her life to avoid exactly this. She was so very close to pulling it off.

Warm, wickedly funny, and brimming with sharp banter, unforgettable friendships, and excellent wine and cheese, Infidelity Rules will sneak past your defenses. Before you know it, it's a novel about grief, self-discovery, and the courage to let go of the stories we tell ourselves to stay safe.

For readers who enjoy emotionally rich contemporary fiction with humor, heart, and characters who linger long after the final page, Infidelity Rules is a deeply satisfying reminder that sometimes the rules we live by are the very things holding us back.

Top 100 Notable Books 2025-Shelf Unbound Indie Book Competition

Review Quotes

Maxy Book Awards Runner-Up - Best Romance & Women's Fiction

Top 100 Notable Books 2025-Shelf Unbound Indie Book Competition

"Mouthwatering romantic fare for foodies and wine connoisseurs featuring an irrepressible hero." -Kirkus Reviews

"Told with humor and heart, Infidelity Rules is an honest and open look at the other side of marriage. The story will leave an impression on you and the wine and food pairings will have you swooning." -Lyn Liao Butler, Amazon bestselling author of Someone Else's Life

"Like the perfect wine pairing, Quinn knows how to find the right bottle for every occasion-but when it comes to love, she's always reaching for the wrong glass. As a talented sommelier with a penchant for unavailable men, she's convinced she's better at tasting notes than reading hearts. But when an unexpected romance arrives at the most inconvenient moment, she must decide if she's finally ready to let herself fall. Witty, charming, and brimming with delicious flavors, this is a story to savor." -Nicole Meier, author of The Second Chance Supper Club and City of Books

"Infidelity Rules is a delicious escape. The complexities of love and wine pair for an emotional journey alongside characters navigating broken hearts and moral dilemmas." -Audrey Ingram, author of The River Runs South

"Libraries seeking top recommendations for leisure reading steeped in realistic scenarios, thought-provoking self-analysis, and conundrums that feel true to life, will find it easy to recommend Infidelity Rules for its many revealing and compelling moments of discovery." -Midwest Book Review