The Rule-Breaker

by Rhonda Nelson

Published by: Harlequin

Heather’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars 

Subject: Ranger Eli Weston Current Status: On leave Mission: To honor his fallen friend—and protect his secret Obstacle: His fallen friend’s ex, who’s off-limits…and off-the-charts sexy!

Ranger Eli Weston always does the right thing—even when it means defying orders. Now he’s back in town to help with a memorial in honor of his fallen military buddy. This time it’s not just about what’s right. It’s about ensuring that a secret never comes to light. A secret that only he and his friend’s ex-girlfriend know…

Clothing designer Shelby Monroe has always felt an illicit something for Eli. But when the two find themselves working together to ensure the media never discover the truth about the town’s fallen hero, temptation unfurls…hot, wicked and irresistible. How far can they bend the rules before they break?

Uniformly Hot!

The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell.

Book Savvy Babe’s Review:

I have to admit that I was first drawn to this book because of the cover.  I saw the nicely sculpted man candy cover (what can I say, it caught my attention)  and immediately read the book blurb and decided to read and review The Rule-Breaker.  The Rule-Breaker is a quick read, but there is depth to the story that pulled me in.  I wound up enjoying this contemporary romance.

The Rule-Breaker has a small town setting where everyone knows everyone and there is a strong sense of community.  Eli Weston is a soldier returning to the town to help with a memorial for his best friend, also a soldier, who died while deployed.  Eli is full of guilt over his friend’s death, for the way he died and his feelings for his friend’s former fiancé.  Eli is not alone in his feelings of guilt or attraction, Shelby has her own share of regrets and guilt.  Shelby and Eli have a strong attraction between them, but they struggle to sort out their tangle of emotions and their sense of duty to a fallen loved one.

I appreciate the complicated emotions throughout the Rule-Breaker.  Dealing with a death of a loved one is difficult, and when attraction is mixed in, it gets complicated.  I felt for both Shelby and Eli, who each have their own hang ups to overcome.  The pair is a good match though and I understood their connection.  The book is a shorter read, so the romance is not as hashed out as I might have liked.

While there are serious emotions in The Rule-Breaker, the story had humor and tenderness to help balance the story out.  Shelby is a cute woman with an unconventional pet and her work partner and friend, Mavis, is a hoot.  Mavis has a little romance of her own in the story which brings a more light-hearted feel to the book.

The Rule-Breaker is a good read, the characters are easy to identify with, the setting is amusing and fun, and there is more to the story than fluff.  Readers who enjoy small-town stories, contemporary romances, or quick reads would likely enjoy this book.  I would read more from Rhonda Nelson in the future.

P.S.  It never hurts when the book covers are as enticing as this one

Happy Reading!