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Jackson Rule

by Dinah McCall, Sharon Sala (Goodreads Author)

4.15 · rating details · 269 ratings · 28 reviews

For powerful emotion and unforgettable romance Sharon Sala can't be beat. This beautifully repackaged classic is sure to delight her long-time fans and attract new ones

Jackson Rule had spent nearly half his life behind bars for murder. Now he was starting over--or trying to. Once he laid hungry eyes on his new employer, though, his resolve to lead a simple solitary life

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Mass Market Paperbound, 353 pages

Published July 1st 2004 by HarperTorch (first published 1996)

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 430)

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May 29, 2011

Saly rated it

Jackson Rule has been released from prison after 15 years. He went in as a 16 year old boy and has spent his youth inside but he has no regrets. Prison released him and his sister from a horrific father and it was worth the price. The only thing he wants now is never to lose his freedom and to see his sister Molly who has spent her time in a hospice with no comprehension of her past.

He finds a place to live and a bike, but finding a job with his ex-con status is difficult. Rebecca is...more

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Apr 19, 2008

Isis FG rated it

Shelves: info-full, reviewed, romance-drama, 2008, z2008-jan-june, author-sharon-sala-dinah-mccall, stars-3

(Actually, I give this 3.5 stars)

I liked the book for the most part, but for some reason, it just didn't completely capture me. It had sort of a slow, lackadaisical pace that left my mind wandering as I read.

But still, I did enjoy it. The characters were good, the premise interesting, and I liked the romance. It just need a little more...oomph...to it for me.

like 2 likes

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Oct 02, 2010

Jacqueline rated it

Shelves: from-the-library, contemporary-romance, convicts-pows, angsty, abuse-as-child

Lovely book. Good strong characters. I loved Jackson, convicted of murdering his abusive father and vigorous in his assertion that he was glad he killed him and would do it again a hundred times. Rebecca is a preacher's daughter who lives by the judge not lest you be judged rule who gives him a job after prison. Her father, the preacher, is a more realistic portrayal of a preacher as a failable man not all goody two shoes as many preachers are written. Even though some of the things that hap...more

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Aug 04, 2010

Patsyann rated it

I read this book and then tried to get into Dinah McCall/Sharon Sala and found that not every book was good. I only kept two Dinah McCall books and this is one of them. I love Jackson Rule. The motorcycle, the hair, his protection of his sister - his love for Rebecca - WOW!!
Best scenes:
- after sex with Rebecca won night he discoverd he didn't use a condom
- when he kneels down and hugs the pregnant Rebecca.
- Jackson's graduation from college scene

ALPHA MALE ...more

like 1 like

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Jul 06, 2010

Keri rated it

Shelves: romance-contemporary, reviewed, sharon-sala-dinah-mccall, 1990s-reads

This is still one of my all time favorite DM books...evah! I read and re-read this book so many times, I had to go buy another copy. Jackson is an ex-con, looking for a job. Is there anyone out there that is going to give him a chance? A preacher's daughter decides that everybody needs a second chance. Once she begins working with this silent, dark eyed taciturn man, she realizes there is more here than meets the eye. Will she give her heart a chance to discover all of his hidden depths? An awes...more

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Jun 01, 2011

Tishke rated it

Shelves: all-time-favorites

Brilliant! A true rare find. I'm not a contemporary romance reader, so I was really venturing out.

I found Jackson to be an unequivocally remarkable character. He has spent the better half of his life in a Louisiana State Prison for killing his abusive father. He was committed and put in the penitentiary general population after confessing the "unspeakable act" when he was only 15. Now 31 Jackson is released into society with one goal in mind. To try and build a life for him ...more

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Nov 18, 2011

Michelle rated it

Shelves: gr-high-recommend, nook-tbr, 4-star, a-bit-of-romance

Sharon Sala or Dinah McCall used to be one of the authors I read, so actually think I've read this book before. And, I had forgotten about this author, so am glad I was able to reconnect.

What I like about this author is her weaving of Christian values throughout her stories, without getting "preachy". I really liked this particular book. It wove the theme of "pay it forward" into a story about second chances. Her characters have heart and are realistic, for the ...more

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Dec 28, 2010

Selcas rated it

Jackson Rule has just been released from prison after 15 year sentence for murdering his father. However upon his entry back into society, he finds his life stonewalled and rejected by society. Until he meets, Rebecca Hill, a preacher's daughter who believes in forgiveness and despite her own doubts and fears offers Jackson a job. This was a very heart warming story about overcoming the odds. Also an interesting exploration on the power of forgiveness of others and yourselves.

I enjoyed...more

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Jul 27, 2011

Diah rated it

Shelves: ebook, beta-hero

Ceritanya standard, mungkin. Makanya saya kasih empat bintang aja.

Tapi entah karna saya lagi mood baca, benar-benar bisa menyelami perasaannya Jackson. Betapa putus asanya dia pengen berusaha menata lagi kehidupannya, benar-benar mulai dari nol. Betapa dia peduli banget sama kakaknya yang jadi motivasinya dia untuk memperbaiki hidup.
If I were him, I'd doubt myself a bit.
Setelah apa yang dia lewati, nggak heran kalo dia jadi lebih sensitif dan kurang percaya sama orang.
...more

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Dec 04, 2010

Ridley rated it

Shelves: contemporary, paper, read-2010, 2-star

This was a disappointing read for me. I had been super excited to read it based on the unusual pairing of a preacher's daughter and an ex-con, but as I was reading it I could swear I heard the story's squeaky little voice begging to be heard from under a mountain of plot and bland telling.

Andrew Jackson Rule, newly released from Angola prison after serving 15 years for the murder of his father, heads to New Orleans to start putting his new life together. After walking into town when ...moreThis was a disappointing read for me. I had been super excited to read it based on the unusual pairing of a preacher's daughter and an ex-con, but as I was reading it I could swear I heard the story's squeaky little voice begging to be heard from under a mountain of plot and bland telling.

Andrew Jackson Rule, newly released from Angola prison after serving 15 years for the murder of his father, heads to New Orleans to start putting his new life together. After walking into town when a short run-in with a woman at a country store causes him to miss his bus, he sets himself up in a dingy apartment in a bad part of town. Now 32, he's determined to keep his head down and work hard to make a living for himself and his mentally ill sister. He buys an old Harley from a junk shop and sets out to find himself a job.

Just outside the city, Rebecca Hill runs a garden shop and nursery, with her father's friend as her lone employee. Looking for an additional set of hands around the place, she'd taken out an ad in the newspaper. When the man who had saved her from falling into traffic outside a country store walks in to apply, she's intrigued by the gruff stranger. Even after he divulges his history, she decides to take a chance and hire him on, remembering her preacher father's exhortations to judge not lest ye be judged.

So I think your average romance reader can predict how the story goes. They'l be wildly attracted to each other. He'll push her away boorishly because he thinks he's not good enough. The preacher father will disapprove of Jackson then have a crisis of faith over being judgemental. She'll be feisty and martyr-like, becoming more and more enthralled with him the more he withdraws. Circumstances will change, some sort of truth will out and the HEA bursts onto the scene.

But, whatever. I don't necessarily begrudge a formula. I read Harlequins by the milk crate. What I do begrudge is a formula plainly told to me. I don't like being managed.

What McCall failed to do was make her idea for a story come to life. She was constantly telling me what people did and what exactly they were thinking. Lest I ever wonder what anybody might be thinking at any point, she liberally hops from head to head to let me know. No character is spared, no matter how ephemeral their presence.

As a result, the plot is just so obvious. I had started to wonder early-on if maybe he'd be a virgin, since he'd been in custody since he was 16. No sooner had I wondered than I was informed on page 35 that he wasn't.

The memory of his fifteenth birthday and an older and obliging woman who'd lived in a trailer near theirs came swiftly, along with the lessons she had taught him. By the time he'd reached sixteen, Jackson had been well-versed in the ways of making love.

Right then, we'll just have to take her word that he's a great lover. He also had a comfortable bank balance sitting around from when he was working at a grocery as a 14 and 15 year old. Could she have contrived any more obviously to fit him to the genre standard for heroes?

Unfortunately, the whole of the book's character development is engineered in this bloodless sort of way. Jackson's goodness is displayed by saving Rebecca from two bizarre near-rapes, performing CPR on his co-worker, romping with a homeless shelter full of woefully undeveloped plot moppets and so on and so forth. Since it's all just told to me, I felt rather beaten over the head with it. "Yes, I get you, he's the hero and has a heart of gold. Can we get on to giving these people personalities yet?" Unfortunately, talking to 15 year old books does not yield results, and the characters ended the book the shallow plot vehicles they began.

I'm not sure why I was so turned off by this book when so many people list this as a favorite. I can see the potential, and I'm more than aware of what the author was going for, but the propensity for telling and the over-obvious symbolism completely prevented me from connecting to the characters. What a shame.(less)

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Jan 11, 2008

Nancy rated it

Shelves: romance

Very heartwarming and satisfying. Even though the criminal justice aspect of the story didn't ring true for me, Jackson Rule was a thoroughly enjoyable read!

like 1 like

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Aug 13, 2011

Sara rated it

Shelves: romance

This was actually a fairly suspenseful romance. Although there was no immediate crime involved, there was a bit of a back story that came out as the story progressed. Man is completes his sentence for murdering his father. Man seeks employment and ends up working for the very woman he happened to save from harm on his first day out. (Naturally, they strike sparks off one another.) Man continues to do fine, helpful things for people around him. Who is he really? A remorseless killer or a go...more

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Dec 09, 2011

Anna rated it

Shelves: contemporany, romance

Jackson killed his abusive father at sixteen. Now, after fifteen years he is trying to build a new life. Rebecca, a preacher’s daughter and owner of a garden shop, is going to help him.

The premises of the story are good, but the author doesn’t take advantage of them. Jackson, once he is out the prison, is an angel: he keeps saving lives, first Rebecca’s and after of two little boys, and the other Rebecca’s employee. He is absolutely devoted to his sister, who isn’t able even to see hi...more

like 1 like

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Feb 22, 2011

Pixelinchen rated it

Shelves: romance, romance-contemporary, ebook, hero-eth, prison-dungeon, hero-too-good-to-be-true, ebook-ebooks-com

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. -----Achtung Spoiler-------------
Jackson wurde ni seiner Kindheit von seinem Vater mishandelt bis er ihn schließlich nach einer besonder üblen Prügel mit 16 Jahren erschoss. Dafür wanderte er 15 Jahre in den Knast. Seine Schwester Molly verlor den Verstand und kam in eine psychiatrische Klinik. Als er wieder frei kommt, versucht er sein Leben in den Griff zu bekommen, um Molly zu helfen. Er findet Arbeit in einer Gärtnerei bei der Pfarrerstochter Rebecca. Sie stellt ihn ein, obwohl sie sei...more

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Jul 19, 2010

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of tortured heroes

Shelves: owned-copy, slightly-more-challenging-july, mainstream-contemporary-romance, imprisoned-ex-convict, favorites, bad-reputation, sigh-worthy-hero, celibate-or-less-experienced-hero, heroine-i-loved, angsty-read, good-life-lessons, tortured-hero, starcrossed

If you are looking to read a book with a hero who has really, really gotten a bad break in life, look no further! Poor Jackson. He went to prison for fifteen years. He was sixteen years old. I cannot imagine how that must have been. Only to serve his time and go out into a world where few people are willing to look past what they think he is: ex-con, murderer, trash. I like to think that a person should be given a clean slate in life. I guess that doesn't really happen in real life. I don'...moreIf you are looking to read a book with a hero who has really, really gotten a bad break in life, look no further! Poor Jackson. He went to prison for fifteen years. He was sixteen years old. I cannot imagine how that must have been. Only to serve his time and go out into a world where few people are willing to look past what they think he is: ex-con, murderer, trash. I like to think that a person should be given a clean slate in life. I guess that doesn't really happen in real life. I don't want to get into my beliefs about the criminal justice system, because I don't think anyone wants to hear them. But, I will say that I think a person who serves their time and is willing to live an honest life, should get the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, that's harder than it seems. For people generally take things at face value, and let their fears and suspicions rule them (I am not excluding myself from this).

I was surprised at how narrow-minded and judgmental Rebecca's reverend father was. I do realize that many Christians (but not all) are true to this portrayal of Reverend Hill. They are goody-goody and never miss church, but do not show their true beliefs through their actions. I was glad that Rebecca tried to live true to his teaching and her faith, and she called him on his hypocrisy. And Reverend Hill is forced to search his own heart and realize his own actions do not show what he preaches and believes.

In contrast to Reverend Hill, Rebecca and a few others were willing to give Jackson a chance. In fact, Rebecca was more loving and understanding to Jackson than he was to himself. He had a huge case of self-hatred! It was hard to deal with at times, but given his awful childhood and the fact that he spent almost half his life in prison, I could see why he was this way.

The cynical reader would probably find Jackson's continued shows of goodness a bit too much. Let's count:
1)Saves Rebecca by pulling her out of the path of an oncoming vehicle, and fixing her truck which had overheated for free.
2)Saves his next-door neighbor child from his abusive father, and later from a fire
3)Does CPR on Pete (a coworker and friend of Rebecca) when he has a heart-attack, thus saving his life.
4)Reads to, spends time with, and counsels young children who live at the shelter where he volunteers.
5)And there's a big whoozy, which is a major spoiler, so I won't say, but I'm counting it.

This wasn't an issue for me. I liked that his actions showed what a good person he was, even though people assumed the worst of him. He was very innocent in many ways. A sweet boy who had been weighed, judged, and found wanting, and given no first or second chances in life. This book made me cry a few times. I'm the kind of girl who likes to believe that people are good and good things happen to good people. Deep down, I'm an optimist, which is why I do like feel good romances (disguised as deeply angsty and sad romances with deleriously happy endings). So, this book did not fail to impress me. I know that some people will find this book too sappy. I can't speak for them. I loved this book, and I wanted to give Jackson a big, huge hug. I'm glad that he has Rebecca and other loved ones to do that for me.(less)

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Oct 15, 2010

Ruby rated it

Jackson Rule is definitely a bitter sweet lazy day easy must Read. A excellent source of any True Romantics constant cravings of love & an totured Hero doesnt hurt either..mmmmgood..yess indeed..makes for a quite nice recipe...;O) . A great storyline that looks into the window of harsh painful realties some of lifes hidden truths.

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Jan 25, 2012

Mo rated it

I must say this was a truly beautiful story. I loved it. Have never read this author before but will be checking out her other books. Jackson and Rebecca - fantastic. Won't rehash to storyline but will just highly recommend it. Read it non-stop in one day!

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Jan 23, 2010

Gamatst rated it

Shelves: contemporary

It's been a long time since I read this book but I remember loving it so much that I went on a Dinah McCall / Sharon Sala glom and found several others by this author that were also very good.

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Dec 26, 2011

Loralee Lillibridge rated it

This book is one of my all time favorites! I bought it when it first was published and re-read it at least once every year.

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Nov 13, 2011

Jennie added it

Shelves: take-me-away-books

Another filler book to clear my mind. This one was extremely cliched.

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May 15, 2009

Cassildalouis428 rated it

I didn't know that I could fall for a book until Jackson Rule.

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Aug 11, 2011

Gianthogweed rated it

Shelves: contemporary, het, contemporary-het, novel-novella

Come on, even less! The right measure here is completely unknown.

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Mar 19, 2010

Jewels Saldua rated it

I want to give more than five stars. I lurv this! :)

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Aug 28, 2011

Angela rated it

Shelves: contemporary-romance

one of my favorites!

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Nov 27, 2010

Sylvia rated it

Shelves: contempoary-romance, adult

4.5 Stars

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Nov 06, 2008

Dawn rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys romantic/suspense novels.

Recommended to Dawn by: I read all of Sala/McCall's books.

Another great read from McCall/Sala. Filled with steamy romance and a sexy bad boy/hero.

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Apr 25, 2008

Cathy Droste rated it

Enjoyed it. It's one that I re-read. I really like the characters.

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Aug 12, 2010

M.J. Fredrick rated it

I liked the epilogue very much, but hated Rebecca's father.

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Feb 10, 2012

Weezie Payton marked it as to-read

Feb 09, 2012

Michelle rated it

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Dinah McCall is a pseudonym for author Sharon Sala.

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