Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann

[jmc_bks]

Using a Groupon gift card ($10 for $20) and my B&N discount, I bought a copy of Brockmann's Breaking the Rules at lunch time today.  I ended up getting change back rather than paying any more, so counting the cost of the Groupon, the book was $9.84.  Not bad for a hardback, and less expensive than the $12.99 sticker price for the ebook.

I may reread the book and write a full review.  Or not.  I don't know.

There's nothing wrong with the writing and Brockmann knows how to keep readers turning the pages.  (Caveat: Brockmann uses the phrase, work it, hard, which I hate.  It just irritates me.)

But once I was finished?  Eh.  The utter disregard for state and federal law, Constitutional law, criminal procedure, all of it was kind of ridiculous.  And the lack of consequences for everyone who engaged in criminal behavior in pursuit of their own version of justice seemed inconsistent with the attempted realism (via some pretty ugly subplots) in other areas; everything was all wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end without any serious professional or personal ramifications for anyone.  I didn't really believe in either couple's HEA; figure one or both will be divorced before five years are up.  Frankly, at least one person in each of the couples is damaged to the point that I wouldn't wish them on anyone before significant therapy.  And the age difference in one couple (19 and 30) seriously skeeved me.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't notice the legal stuff: possibly not being American is helpful with that. I actually really enjoyed reading the book - stayed up way too late - but afterwards, I thought it failed as a romance. It's not that I need everything to be sweetness and light, but a book that features a child who has been comprehensively abused and who is then put into the position of having to kill to protect herself - you can't find it an emotionally satisfying read. And, as you say, that was only one of a number of grim subplots. (And, while I'm carping, I did wonder how far 4 blocks is in real money. Seemed unlikely that a bomb blast would knock someone off their feet if they were any distance away.)
However, I liked Eden and Izzy in whichever book it was, and I liked them here. And I did enjoy the non-harrowing parts of the book: if it had been just the five main characters trying to co-exist in an Odd Couple kind of way, I'd have been perfectly happy.


Marianne McA

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Hi, Marianne McA.

You've put your finger on the problem of the book for me: it failed as a romance, even as it entertained me otherwise. The poor abused girl (her name escapes me at the moment) and her situation, I've been wondering about her and mentally comparing her subplot to that of Gina's in Over the Edge. Somehow, her situation seems worse than Gina's and using her as a subplot seemed more exploitative to me, maybe because of the characters' relative ages?

Four blocks for me locally is about .36 mile away. Given the buildings (brick and wood construction, no more than 3 stories tall, residential) in those four blocks, it would take a *massive* explosion for a bomb blast to knock a person off their feet at that distance.

An Odd Couple sort of book might have suited the issues that they already had to confront, I agree.

[kate rothwell (from livejournal.com)]

I felt bounced around by it. Too many simultaneous stories--and she's usually pretty good at that. And old Izzy growing up and getting serious is believable but I don't have to like it. He was so obnoxious and fun.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Bounced around, that's a good way to put it. The simultaneous story lines didn't blend well until the end, and even that felt kind of strained.