The Cromwell Rules

By: Ania Ray

Narrated by: Tiffany Vanlandingham

Lily Cromwell already knows the best way to prevent a life of tears and unnecessary heartache: be the player. She's cool. Calm. Collected. At 27, she's a successful New York City socialite and a software engineer on the brink of a major promotion. Trained by her mother's ten-commandment "Cromwell Rules," Lily has learned how to play the social game so that she always ends up on top. But when she meets Logan, she's thrown off. He doesn't even realize there are certain rules he should follow and, frankly, that's attractive. Nicholas, on the other hand, is just what her mother Anne would want. Can Lily be the daughter Anne's always wanted her to be and have the type of husband she was taught to stay away from? Will Lily be brave enough to rewrite the Rules?

©2019 Ania Ray (P)2025 Ania Ray

A Heartwarming Tale of Love and Women's Fiction

Lily is a software engineer at the top of her game, all thanks to her mother's rules. But what about love, and what happens when Logan, a financier and dancer-extraordinaire enters the scene? As their lives intertwine and fall apart, Ray takes us on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and healing as Lily learns how to live by her own rules.

P.S. the narration by Tiffany Valandingham was a joy to listen to and brought the characters to life!

Sometimes You Have to Break the Rules

Lily has been raised to live by strict rules on how she presents herself to society. The rules ingrained by her mother have lead her to believe that her only option is to follow them if she wants to protect herself from heartache or being looked down on by other socialites. However, when Lily meets Logan, he challenges all the rules and she’s faced with dismantling the ones that no longer serve her. The road isn’t easy and she’s faced with multiple obstacles along the way.

The Cromwell Rules is a fun read/listen for anyone who wants to transport to NY and experience the inside of elite social circles. You’ll see why sometimes….you have to break the rules.

Annoying FMC but Chef's Kiss to the Narration!

As someone who devours audiobooks, I know that a narrator can make or break a listening experience. In the case of The Cromwell Rules, the performance absolutely makes it.

The Narration: A Solo Performance That Soars
The standout feature of this advanced listen was undoubtedly the narration. Tiffany Vanlandingham delivers a truly moving performance. Despite being a single narrator handling a full cast of characters, she managed to give distinct voices and emotional weight to everyone. Her storytelling pulled me through the entire journey, elevating the material and keeping me engaged even when the plot itself felt like just an "okay" experience. It’s a testament to her skill that the emotional beats landed as hard as they did.

As for the story itself, the FMC and her mom annoyed me. Be warned—if you have sensitivities around controlling parental relationships, this might be a tough listen. The dynamic between Lily and her mother is intense and, frankly, triggering at times. Watching Lily struggle under her mother’s thumb was a source of real frustration.

If you are strictly reading for the plot, the frustrating family dynamics might dampen the fun. However, if you are an audio-first consumer, Tiffany Vanlandingham’s performance is worth the credit. She brings a level of empathy and nuance to Lily’s internal struggle that might have been lost on the written page.

Great listen!!! I recommend!

Enjoyable story and listening experience!

Independent, ambitious woman meet carefree, spontaneous man. Lily and Logan’s story had me hooked from the beginning. Lily is an engineer pioneering a breakthrough program that could save millions while also dominating the dating field. Logan is the charming financier who is healing from his past and dancing his nights away like no one’s watching. Their worlds collide in a happen chance moment that only fate could have orchestrated. From then on, we get to go along on the ride with them while they try to figure out how to make their two worlds work together. This was a refreshing take on romance where the woman couldn’t see past her own toxic defenses in this adorable tale of love.

While the story alone was enough to keep me going, the narrator, Tiffany Vanlandingham, made this story pop. Her voice was lovely to listen to. Bonus points for me being able to distinguish every new character by voice as well. She did an amazing job of creating a dynamic listening experience that made me WANT to keep listening.

I’ll definitely be listening to more of Ania Ray’s books (hopefully with Tiffany as the narrator again!)

The narration is 🔥

This is Ania Ray’s debut novel and it was intense! The relationship between Lily and her mother Anne (whom she keeps calling by her first name throughout the book) is so dysfunctional and toxic. Lily is strong willed though and is holding her own. Following along Logan and Lil’s story was a cute read though.
The narrator Tiffany Vanlandingham did her thing with this book! I love her voice!