Breaking the Rules (Troubleshooters, #16)

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Breaking the Rules (Troubleshooters #16)

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 2,529 ratings · 288 reviews

Izzy Zanella wasn’t looking for another reason to butt heads with his Navy SEAL teammate, and nemesis, Danny Gillman. But then he met Danny’s beautiful younger sister, Eden. When she needed it most, he offered her a place to stay, a shoulder to cry on—and more. And when she got pregnant with another man’s child, he offered her marriage. But Eden’s devastating miscarriage s...more

Hardcover, 507 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Ballantine Books

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Apr 10, 2011 Shawna rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of SB's Troubleshooters

Shelves: cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, favorite-romance-series, romantic-suspense, suzanne-brockmann, series-troubleshooters, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, 2011-reads, 4-stars, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, contemporary-romance, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, faux-betrothal-engagement, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-alpha‎, hero-brooding, hero-i-wanna-smack, hero-im-gaga-over, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, hero-not-enough-groveling, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, hero-celibate-virgin-virginesque, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, heroine-badgirl-improper-scandalous, heroine-beautiful-bombshell, heroine-curvy-plump-not-stick-thin, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-plain-jane-ugly-duckling, hh-bad-communication-conflict-mgmt, hh-big-constant-misunderstandings, hh-disfigured-injured-scarred-ill, hh-social-class-wealth-matters, hh-exotic-dancer-stripper, humorous-at-times-or-fluffy-fun, i-read-library, married-couples-married-convenience, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, reunions-are-sweeter-second-chances, satisfying-secondary-romance, star-crossed-lovers, steam-2-warm, hh-limp-paraplegic-wheelchair, hh-across-the-tracks, hero-undeserving-of-heroine, heroine-destitute-poor, hero-asshat-award-hall-of-shame

4 stars – Romantic Suspense

I’m a huge Suzanne Brockmann and Troubleshooters series fan, and zany Izzy Zanella has always been one of the most entertaining, endearing characters, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting his story. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite live up to my high expectations, and it’s one of my least favorite books in what has been a mostly spectacular series.

I have to be honest that I’d probably give this an average 3 star rating if it wasn’t Brockmann because it felt overly angsty a...more

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Jun 27, 2011 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: series-troubleshooters, author-suzanne-brockmann, starts-with-a-thru-d, romantic-suspense, 2011-reads, top-heroes, keepers, favorites, library-read, reviewed-by-me, 4-stars, author-on-a-soapbox

Breaking the Rules is the 16th installment of the Troubleshooters/SEAL Team Sixteen series, and from what I understand, it’s going to be the last for awhile. In this book we get two romantic relationships in the making, both centered around a single plot, and no easy feat, that. But in my opinion Ms. Brockmann pulled it off with flying colors.

If you’ve been following the series you’ll know the background of Izzy and Eden’s turbulent relationship and where Breaking the Rules is going, but her...more

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May 25, 2012 Shelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook-version, romance-contemporary, romance-suspense

I have loved 14 out of the previous 15 Troubleshooters novels, but this one, the one I've been waiting for every since Izzy was introduced in the series, is the absolute worst. Into the Fire was not that interesting to me, but at least it had a good plot and good characters, I just wasn't that into it. Breaking the Rules is just god-awful. I don't know whether to compare it to The Jerry Springer Show or a Lifetime movie or one of those ridiculous after school specials that were full of cheese. R...more I have loved 14 out of the previous 15 Troubleshooters novels, but this one, the one I've been waiting for every since Izzy was introduced in the series, is the absolute worst. Into the Fire was not that interesting to me, but at least it had a good plot and good characters, I just wasn't that into it. Breaking the Rules is just god-awful. I don't know whether to compare it to The Jerry Springer Show or a Lifetime movie or one of those ridiculous after school specials that were full of cheese. Really, if it wasn't for Izzy, I wouldn't have even gone past the first quarter of the book. Let's clarify: I really give this book 1 1/2 stars, 1 star for Izzy and 1/2 a star for everything else. Total nightmare.

To start with, I get that Suzanne Brockmann is a proud gay rights advocate, especially on behalf of her son. I love Jules Cassidy, and adding him to the series was a stroke of genius. He's smart and funny and sexy and extremely competent at his job, excellent character all around. I didn't feel he was pushed on me, or that his gayness (if that's even a PC term) was all some sort of promotion of gay rights. He really worked as a great character. Then we get his eventual husband, Robin. A little less believable, but still lovable, and still workable. We get it, it's important to her to show gay people are regular people too. But now we get Ben. Ben who has been introduced to us before, with no hint of being gay, and maybe because he was still too young, but now he's out and he's proud and everyone needs to accept that now, including his sorry excuse for parents, who will never be convinced, thus wanting to cause him harm and send him away to a 'cure-all' camp for gays. As if Ben's home wasn't bad enough, with drug and alcohol addicted parents, now Brockmann has to make them go from horrible parents to the devil themselves, because it wasn't enough with the prior abuse, she's adding more.

Speaking of the parents and how much abuse the Gilman kids had to endure from them, how is it even possible Danny had no idea what was going on in his own brother's house? When he went with Izzy to get Eden out, who had been locked into a bathroom until she decided to give her baby up for sale so her step-father could profit - how is no one thought, hey, this step-father isn't the best guy to be around a teenager. Yes, the parents are bad, really really bad, but how can Danny, Eden or Ben be so great? Granted I don't think they are, but they are painted as kids who survived with no severe issues. So many issues left to be sorted out, I don't buy it being all straightened out at the end. Danny goes from calling Eden a whore throughout two whole books, to feeling sorry for her when he learns the truth? Why did he do nothing to help before if he thought she was headed down the wrong path? He thought she was a whore at 14, who else was gonna tell her not to do that stuff, certainly not their mother. He turned his back on the whole situation. And Eden, well, I think at least she survived as best she could. I felt she grew up some during this, but she's still 19! She needed a lot more growing up before she deserved a book. In the modern age, I do NOT want to read about 19 year heroines and their struggle to find themselves and true love. If I did, I'd go back to Twilight. As for Ben, he seemed more mature than Eden, and at 15, boys have a little more on their minds than preaching about gay rights. So Ben is described as having no friends, except Nisha, he's stuck in a hell-hole of a house with drugs and alcohol all around him, beaten by his step-father, no computer, no entertainment really, and all he's interested in is pushing it everyone's face that gay is okay? That does not sound like a typical 15 year old, especially not one that's been surrounded by abuse, abandoned by his brother, and even by Eden for a time.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I was reading romantic suspense, no? So we have the messed up family, gay rights, not one, but TWO romances, custody issues, drugs, alcohol, hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, now we have to add the child sex slave industry? Really? Because there wasn't enough going on before that? And maybe I'm a little snobby, or maybe it's simple minded, but there are certain things I don't want to read that are happening, implied or otherwise, in a romantic suspense book based on military personnel. A Nisha with a past, certainly, okay, throw her in if you must. Reading in the present about the things Nisha does, present tense, right smack in the middle of the book even, not really sexy. Because there's nothing that will turn me on faster and make me more excited to keep reading a freaking romantic suspense book than reading about a 16-year old Asian girl who looks 12, turning tricks for $5 a head. For bus money. Yep, sign me up!

I could go on and on, but obviously I didn't enjoy this book. So many things left unsaid in this review: Dan's such a ill-tempered know-it-all asshole that doesn't deserve a HEA; Jennilyn is too nice and good for him, except apparently she's giving up her beloved job for a train wreck, so maybe she's not so smart; too short of appearances by too few of the other Troubleshooters; oh, and let's add Lindsey's had a miscarriage, because why not; Eden's sooo beautiful and every man wants to f*ck her or touch her she can't do any normal work, so stripping it is; it's just never ending with this book. The only thing that makes this book even the tiniest bit bearable is Izzy. That's it. And even then, I don't think this book did him justice. He deserved so much more, so very much more. If you like Izzy in the least, then maybe you tough it out and read this book. If you don't like Izzy, or you don't want to see him involved in such crap, skip it, I'm begging you!
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Apr 16, 2013 Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, romantic-suspense, have-in-audio, favorite-authors, listened-to-audio-only, favorites, re-read

Re-read and buddy read with Wendy and Leea!

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Jul 31, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mystery, 2011

I’ve read every book in this series now and I think I can say that this one is not one of my favorites. Not much SEAL stuff in this one, lots and lots and lots and lots of dialogue and touchy feely mush. She left in the sharp language that Dan and Izzy are known for, but she took too much of their other good qualities out to make them insecure and nauseating to listen to. I miss the rough guys who fall in love, but don’t discuss their feelings with each other. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was really good if you look at it as a single book. As the final book for the series (at least for a long while) it was really disappointing. There was no SEAL team 16 or Troubleshooters scenes in this book besides the very first scene. This book focuses solely on Izzy, Eden, Dan, Jenni, and Ben and getting their family dynamic to work. Like I said, on it's own it's a good book, but I was really hoping for a good group book for this final one.

Full review reposted from my Smitten with R...more This book was really good if you look at it as a single book. As the final book for the series (at least for a long while) it was really disappointing. There was no SEAL team 16 or Troubleshooters scenes in this book besides the very first scene. This book focuses solely on Izzy, Eden, Dan, Jenni, and Ben and getting their family dynamic to work. Like I said, on it's own it's a good book, but I was really hoping for a good group book for this final one.

Full review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog....

My Review:
This is really a hard book for me to review. I read all of the Troubleshooters books 1-14 in December back-to-back. I fell in love without he guys and gals from Troubleshooters Inc and from SEAL team 16. When I started those books, I knew that S. Brockmann was planning this to be the final book that she was going to write about the teams for a long while and that she was planning to tie up all the loose ends with this one. As a result, I expected this to be a team book with appearances by a lot of the characters from the series.That is not the case- At. All.

With the exception of a few brief scenes at the beginning, this book really only includes our two core couples: Izzy & Eden and Dan & Jenni and teenager Ben. This book centers not he Gillman dysfunctional family dynamics and how this group of five becomes their own little family. Without the whole Troubleshooters world expectations, I would have enjoyed this book a lot. It was just not what I expected or wanted from this final book, but that problem is mine- not the author's.

This book is good, but it is really a different styled book. There is a little bit of suspense coming in the form of 2 1/2 different groups of bad-guys:
1. fanatic church group trying to kidnap Ben to force the "gay out of him"
2. a slavery prostitution ring trying to catch Neesha (friend of Ben's) who has been enslaved by them for 8 years before she escaped
1/2. Dan, Eden, & Ben's parents who are trying to take Ben back, but spend the whole book drunk/high so they really aren't much of a threat.

But with all that, the suspense really falls a bit flat. This book is really about the group of five learning how to live and love each other and redefine their own family dynamic after the disfunction that they have all grown up with.

Taken as a book about family, this book is really engaging. My favorite evolving relationship was between Dan & Izzy. These two guys have been at each other's throats for at least 1/2 the books in the series. It was awesome to see them reluctantly get past that and to start to respect each other. They do finally develop a working friendship- although their cutting remarks and snark remain throughout the entire book and continued to leave me giggling. I actually enjoyed all the repartee between all the characters.
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Mar 24, 2011 Vic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tag-romance-suspense, edition-audible, format-audiobook

Audiobook read by Patrick Lawlor and Renée Raudman.

OK, there were a lot of things to really liked about this book. I loved the Izzy/Eden story line when it was first introduced. That's a bit of quicksand because of the age difference and character experiences. I also loved Jen and Dan's relationship.

I was on the fence with the Izzy/Eden relationship in this book just because I felt it was mostly used as a plot device. Some felt real but I wanted to smack each of them.

I really missed most of the...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Krista (One Love) (Critical) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: march-2011, adult, best-character-s, cont-romance, fave-author, fave-rom-hero, fave-rom-heroine, funny, hero-needs-punching, heroine-i-hate, heroine-i-wanna-slap, heroine-ice-queen, heroine-is-a-villain, heroine-tstl, own-ab, romantic-suspense, suzanne-brockmann, wall-banger, yst, annoying-bossy-kid, 2-couples, heroine-acts-like-toddler, heroine-crybaby

Four stars because it's THIS series, but if it were another series...it would get three stars, max.

1. Eden is an immature, stupid, impulsive child. I expected her to mature in this book. I expected her to beg for Izzy's forgiveness. Instead, Brockmann throws in a bunch of excuses that supposedly let her off the hook. And, Izzy does SO MUCH apologizing to Eden!!! Over and over he has to apologize to her! She does completely stupid things and then he has to apologize to her for calling her on it....more

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Mar 31, 2011 Kris H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense-adventure, final-in-series

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED Eden and Izzy. HATED, HATED, HATED, Dan Gillman for about 3/4 of the book. Seriously, this guy is the biggest a--hole who isn't supposed to be the villian of a story that I have EVER read. That is, for me, the main reason this wasn't a 5 star read. I get that he had some major issues to deal with, and he does redeem himself at the end (I guess), but come on!!! Aside from Dan there are many things to like about the book--action, suspense, romance, sex, completely detestable ba...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Leslie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, rs, contemporary

Izzy ~ Izzy ~ Izzy. Many fans of the popular Troubleshooters series have been waiting for Zanella's book and now it's finally here. But it turns out that Izzy isn't the only hero of Breaking the Rules. Danny "Fishboy" Gillman also features prominently along with his girlfriend Jennilyn May whom he met in the previous novel, Hot Pursuit. Izzy's heroine is the ever young and nubile Eden Gillman, making this a Gillman family reunion when you add in little brother Ben Gillman.

Izzy helped me get thro...more Izzy ~ Izzy ~ Izzy. Many fans of the popular Troubleshooters series have been waiting for Zanella's book and now it's finally here. But it turns out that Izzy isn't the only hero of Breaking the Rules. Danny "Fishboy" Gillman also features prominently along with his girlfriend Jennilyn May whom he met in the previous novel, Hot Pursuit. Izzy's heroine is the ever young and nubile Eden Gillman, making this a Gillman family reunion when you add in little brother Ben Gillman.

Izzy helped me get through this book. It was so heaped in introspective character musings. I'm all for talking and thinking about your feeling but when I read romantic suspense I expect some action and suspense in with those feelings. There was very little action until the last quarter of the book. What there was, was a lot of Danny acting immature. Jenn trying to get Danny to act more mature. Ben giving lectures on gay rights and sounding like a Junior Jules. Izzy trying to help Eden but keeping his distance while having sex with her, because it's only sex. And Eden taking after big bro Dan and acting immature. Nope, my hopes for a more mature Eden when it came to her relationship with Izzy were for naught. She had her moments but ultimately, I didn't feel like she had grown much since we last saw her in Dark of Night, which in Troubleshooter land, was nearly two years ago.

Izzy and Eden still believe that neither cares for the other except for the physical attraction still between them. Izzy would like for them to have a second chance but Eden wants none of that. What will it take for Eden to realize what a great guy she has in Izzy? Near death, that's what. Seriously, she wants his help but on her terms which is not how you treat someone who has been there for you and done some major helping out for you in the past. As in marrying you so you could have medical care during your pregnancy. Yet, Eden does make some attempts at maturity but she then ventures back into immature, high school drama land when Izzy doesn't do what she wants, she runs off, knowing there are gunman out there, possibly looking for her.

Dan and Jennilyn, what a cute couple. Except for Dan acting like an ass and Jenni coaching him on how not to blow his fuse when speaking and acting rational would go a lot farther. Aside from his good looks and the great chemistry, I'm still not sure what Jenni saw in Dan. She loves him desperately but why? I don't feel like it was ever fully answered. As a couple they too have their moments. They can be down right romantic and you do get that while Dan's initial intentions towards Jenni started out as an extended one-night stand, he has come to truly love her. I do get why he loves her. She puts up with his crap! LOL

The fifth wheel in this family affair is Ben Gillman. Diabetic, goth dressing teen who is also out of the closet. Why does Ben sound so much like Jules? He's 15 yet the way he talks, the words, phrases and lecturing remind me of Jules so much. I understand that Ben has had a less than idyllic childhood and has for the most part, raised himself with some help from Eden, but he's still a teenager.

Anyone who has read Brockmann before is familiar with her stand on gay rights. She makes it clear that she is pro-gay rights through her novels and her personal views. I have no problem with it, in fact, I've come to expect there to be mention of it. In Breaking the Rules I felt it was over the top. We not only got the gay rights agenda but child sex slave rings, religious zealots, abusive parents and alcoholics. I read for enjoyment, not to be lectured to and with far too many issues to focus on, it began to wear on me, leaving me less than pleased with this aspect of the book.

It sounds like I didn't care for the book at all. I had a number of issues with it but there is still that feeling of familiarity. Of knowing these characters and caring about them that keeps bringing me back, no matter how annoying I may find them at times. I do think Izzy was the constant in the story, showing that wicked sense of humor that not everyone gets or appreciates. He is that hero that doesn't like to acknowledge his heroic deeds but continues to do them while making his smartass comments. While I would have preferred more action, I did like the final, big action rescue scenes with the whole gang getting into the fight.

I think Breaking the Rules might have worked better for me had there either been less of Danny or Eden or maybe the actually Troubleshooters from Tommy's TS Inc making some time on the pages. Unfortunately, except for a brief appearance from Lindsey Fontaine Jenkins and some of the guys from Team 16, that didn't happen and the action was at a minimum up until nearly the end. (less)

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Mar 25, 2011 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the series

Shelves: brockmann-troubleshooters, romantic-suspense, part-of-a-series, 2011_reads

Very satisfying. Yes, at times a little too angsty, and somehow the suspense plot to me wasn't all that suspenseful, compared to some of SB's past work, but it was Brockmann, you know? Her writing and the way she expresses her male characters' POV is like no other (except maybe JR Ward). Lots and lots of detail, plenty of humor (although with writing for a character like Izzy Zanella, how can it not be funny?), lots of emotional moments, two passionate yet troubled romances, and a plot (human se...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Germaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: better-than-average, contemporary, favorite, library, military, really-good

Wow! I just finished this book, and I'm exhausted.

It took me about 30% of the book to really figure out what was going on. There are so many characters that I wished the author had given us a Cast of Characters (in order of appearance) list to help us keep them straight.

The book goes on for over 500 pages (Kindle edition) and there was a lot of description and internal dialogue that could have been cut. There are six main characters and in some scenes the author head hops among all of them wit...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books

Let me begin with a caution - there are at least two issues in the series that will make it not a good choice for some readers: The explicitness of the 'romance' portion of Brockmann's writing [though her level of explicitness is moderate] and/or the strong and often central gay characters with romance story lines.

I will make this an inclusive review of the audio version of the 16-book Troubleshooters series. Although there were several different readers throughout the series who were all very...more Let me begin with a caution - there are at least two issues in the series that will make it not a good choice for some readers: The explicitness of the 'romance' portion of Brockmann's writing [though her level of explicitness is moderate] and/or the strong and often central gay characters with romance story lines.

I will make this an inclusive review of the audio version of the 16-book Troubleshooters series. Although there were several different readers throughout the series who were all very good, beginning with Book 7, they were co-read by both a male and female reader (except for Book 12) - Patrick Lawlor (the male reader) was exceptional in creating both the voices and personalities of the different characters in each of the books he read. For the co-read books, the reading was by done by section and not as a reader's theater with Lawlor reading only the male voices and Melanie Ewbanks or Renee Raudman reading only the female voices. For people who have avoided audio books because they think they couldn't keep their mind on the story, I have to say the readers make an enormous difference [of course, no reader could save bad writing]. I am a visual learner rather than an auditory one and have been surprised at how much I love the audio books because the exceptional readers really bring the authors' stories and characters to life.

Suzanne Brockmann is gifted at marrying plot with character development. From her writing, it is evident Brockmann is well read, intelligent, incredibly funny, sensitive, and personally involved in social/political issues. She uses all of those parts of her life, knowledge, understanding of human nature, and beliefs in bringing her characters to well-rounded life.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series as a whole as well as each individual book. Books within the series are longer than many other books (16 to 20 listening hours versus 5 to 11 for most), but the plots are multi-layered (sometimes weaving past and present) - multiple story lines woven like a complex but beautiful braid - and could not be managed within the shorter time frame. As is always the case in a series, I recommend reading it in series order because Brockmann develops her characters over the series as a whole. Even though each book is standalone, the characters are better understood and appreciated within the fabric of the whole series.

I have given the whole series four stars rather than five because, for me, it was an enjoyable and entertaining time spent and not a life-altering experience, which will always be rare and individual.(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Virginia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ultimately a very satisfying read, but had some frustrated moments - especially with Danny! It's obvious that this is the last (most likely) Troubleshooters novel, since there are no obvious loose ends (although there are plenty of well-loved characters who haven't yet found love). I had a hard time putting the book down, even when there times when I didn't want to deal with the subject matter (the sex trafficking, the painful miscommunications, the god-awful Gillman parents, etc.) The two main...more

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May 26, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Izzy, Izzy, Izzy! Yes, this book is as much about Dan Gillman as it is about Izzy, but you have to know going in that Dan is an ass for the first half of the book. Izzy however - how I love that man. I'd read that people thought as a stand-alone book this was fine but it wasn't really "wrapped" into the Troubleshooter series, but I'd disagree with that.

The setting didn't take place in California where the Troubleshooters & Team Sixteen are based, so there wasn't as big of a role from those...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: appealing-characteristic-character, contemporary, part-of-a-series, romance, 2011

Finally! Izzy Zanella's story. But I was a little disappointed. I know that Brockmann plays with relationships, but having a character so young (Eden's only nineteen) is a little disconcerting.
Izzy has had rough times with Eden's brother Danny who is a member of Seal Team Sixteen. The man thinks that Izzy seduced his sister, got her pregnant, and then left her. The truth is, Izzy helped Eden through a hard time, fell deeply in love with her, and has been trying to get back in touch with her eve...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Sho rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This series has been the mustbuy since I got hooked on the first book published in Japanese waaay back when. It has since then grown into a wonderful world where sexy, hunky and smart SEAL/FBI men meet attractive women/men. My favorites are Sam&Alyessa and Jules&Robin. I also miss Max but he seemed be totally lost in the back ground now.

What I like about her books is that the people don't quit meet, fall in love, have sex, get married and live happily ever after in a single book, instea...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Joan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, thrillers

The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that Eden and Izzy have a constant, running battle through most of the book, which I found a little tiring, and the fact that they seemed to be incapable of keeping their hands off each other, even in somewhat desperate situations. What I liked about the book:

1. Tight pacing. I couldn't put this down once I started reading
2. Izzy Zanella -- always one of my favorite characters. And he wears the white hat so well.
3. Jenn -- a no-nonsense, imperf...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Mary Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Brockmann successfully weaved more than a couple plotlines through BTR. She delivered not one, but two HEAs, allowed me to spend some quality time with Izzy, with a touch of Jules on the side. How good is that?

My impression of the Main Characters:

Izzy: The irreverent and steadfast hero. He attempts to protect his heart by reminding himself, repeatedly, that this reunion with Eden has a purpose and an end-date. Sure, some of the angst could have been avoided with a few honest conversations early...more Brockmann successfully weaved more than a couple plotlines through BTR. She delivered not one, but two HEAs, allowed me to spend some quality time with Izzy, with a touch of Jules on the side. How good is that?

My impression of the Main Characters:

Izzy: The irreverent and steadfast hero. He attempts to protect his heart by reminding himself, repeatedly, that this reunion with Eden has a purpose and an end-date. Sure, some of the angst could have been avoided with a few honest conversations early in the story. However, as wickedly funny and smart Izzy may be, he is also a (ahem) “healthy” 30 year old male in love and lust with a very attractive 19 year old Eden. His loyalty to her (and Dan and Ben for that matter) and take no prisoners attitude, rank Izzy as my favorite TSI hero.

Eden: Somewhat desperate and, dare I say nurturing? Eden had to be hard as hell for Brockmann to write. She is relatively young; a level of immaturity/instability is expected. However, as her past unfolds and we learn of the tragic events and endless streams of abuse from various family members, it’s easier to understand the whys and hows of who she is and the decisions she’s made. Her dedication to Ben makes her character even more admirable.

Danny: God, SB did such a great job with this character. He’s so totally unlikable, yet I still found myself rooting for and cheering him on. He proves that he is indeed trainable and with a lot of help from his stalwart partner Jenn, he may even succeed at being human at some point in his life. There were some “aha” moments for him, that may seem simplistic or unrealistic, but with a character like Dan, sometimes a good “head bash” is really all it takes.

Jennilyn: Strong, smart, levelheaded and in love with a man whom she fears may need, but doesn’t really love her. Jenn was fleshed out in Hot Pursuit; without having that background, the significance of her true character would have been lost on me. She’s the calm in the storm, with the ability to reach Dan when chaos hits and tempers flare. Jenn’s overabundance of humanity begins to rub off on Dan and that can only be a good thing.

Ben: A survivor with quick wit. With the emotional and physical abuse, loss of loved ones and life threatening disease, this 15 year old has survived more crap than most people in an entire lifetime. And he still has hope. He forms a tentative friendship with Neesha whom he sees as more lost and alone than he is. There are many opportunities for Ben to shine in this story, and he does.

Neesha: So courageous. Her story is tragic, her character so well written, I could actually see her fighting, running, hiding and aiming. Brockmann is not afraid to broach hot topics and Neesha’s storyline is no exception. Her reactions to events and the introduction to each person in Ben’s life were, in my opinion, spot-on.

Not all loose ends are tied up in this installment, which gives me hope for another TSI in the future.

I expect a lot from Brockmann, with BTR, she delivers.
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Apr 01, 2011 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, romance-military

As usual, Suzanne Brockmann is so very easy to read. Her writing always goes down so smooth, like a well blended chocolate milkshake.

But also as has been the case with her last few installments of the Troubleshooters series, this book provides an uneven read. Some characters are fantastic (Izzy, Ben, to a small degree - Eden) and others are either completely annoying and irredeemable (Danny Gillman is NOT a hero) or basically useless (Jennilyn is TSTL for putting up with Danny the Tool). The st...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I think this review will piss off some die hard Brockmann fans, but I didn't LURVE this book the way I'd hoped to. I love Izzy's sense of humor but I found the whole lot of them to be emotionally immature throughout most of the book. I can accept that they all had reasons for emotional immaturity (and Eden's only 19), but that doesn't mean I have to want to read about it. I read contemporary romance because I like to read about adults, not because I want to remember what it was like to be in col...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Lhenry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-in-the-series, exciting-finsh, explosions-and-gunbattles-galore, favorite-hero, great-cast-of-characters, hh-can-sing, read-many-times

Loved this one. Izzy is one of the best characters in romantic suspense. I loved in particular how both Izzy and Eden grew through this story and in fact from their story arc that started in Into the Fire. Also growing up is Dan, a somewhat unlikeable character who turns out to be a good guy too. Minor characters Ben and Neesha are both delightful, and inspiring kids who don't give up in the face of some terrible events in their lives. For all the characters a ot of the unhappiness and angst com...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Gladys (glad4twilight) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: military-romance, my-fav

Amazing! Congrats to Izzy for taking first place in my all time best inner dialogue!! Izzy/Gillman are at their best in this book with the comments and fists flying they are a great duo to read. Eden is fantastic with her lies and drama she just takes it to new heights with the amount of lieing she does. Each and every one of these characters plays their role perfectly and I love how Suzanne Brockmann makes these characters so realistic all of them with flaws that make them that much more loveab...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Marie Ealing rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm going to try to make this review as spoiler free as I can, but maybe, just in case, don't read it if you don't want to know anything about the book, even vague references to the plot.

I have to be honest, I was a little scared about this book; I mean, when you have so many expectations about a book, is more likely that you are going to be disappointed, and this one was in my top five of “most expected books ever”! While I can’t say that I’m disappointed about Izzy’s book it wasn’t my favorite...more I'm going to try to make this review as spoiler free as I can, but maybe, just in case, don't read it if you don't want to know anything about the book, even vague references to the plot.

I have to be honest, I was a little scared about this book; I mean, when you have so many expectations about a book, is more likely that you are going to be disappointed, and this one was in my top five of “most expected books ever”! While I can’t say that I’m disappointed about Izzy’s book it wasn’t my favorite.

The plot was alright, I actually enjoyed it, but maybe you should at least read the previous book Hot Pursuit. I can’t lie and say that I loved it, for me this plot cannot be compared with those of the first Troubleshooter’s books, which are amazing and are some of my favorite books (specially Over the Edge that, let me tell you: Is the best Romantic Suspence book ever).

The story of Neesha is devastating- to think that this is something that really happens in the world makes it worst-. I would have loved to see what happens to Crossroad and maybe see Jules kick some homophobic ass, however, Ben is an excellent substitute. This brings me to the next part: the characters; oh, how I loved Ben! He is 15 going on 30! Funny, good-looking and with a huge heart, he has the potential to be a hero and to have his own HEA.

When I met Jenni in Hot Pursuit she instantly became one of my favorite heroines, yet in BTR she sometimes seemed like a different person. She is not the same woman that told Dan in HP that to prove his love for her he should leave, maybe this is because she just went through a stressful experience with Dan but still, I was expecting this great gesture from Dan, and certainty not what we got. On the other hand, Dan remained truthful to himself, the way he reacts when he discovers the hell that Ben and Eden went through and how he takes it all, is definitely Gillman, and when he said to Izzy that he prefers “Lean on me” I almost cried because, finally, finally! Someone –besides Eden- gets Izzy. They don't become friends overnight but they sure give each other a break.

Izzy Zanella. After Sam, he is my favorite hero in the Troubleshooter’s world. He has grown up so much in the past books that I was expecting I little bit more of him in BTR, and Suzanne gives us some of this in parts of the book (the scene at the beginning when he goes to visit Eden at her new workplace is so sad and at the same time so true! I was tearful when I was reading it); but then he starts acting as the Izzy from Into the Storm, not the man that loves Eden desperately; oh well, maybe this is his way of dealing with all that is happening. His sense of humor remains so dark and politically incorrect that I couldn’t help to fall in love with him all over again (and that says something about me I’m not sure I want to think about).

About Eden I have to say that I love the way she takes control of her power over men, she finally stops looking at herself as a victim and starts to take responsibility of her actions. I found her backstory a little overdone, but I understand that’s the reason she uses sex as a weapon.

And yes, I found the book to be a bit preachy in some parts and that got on my nerves, maybe she should have been more subtle about it, but I understand that some topics are close to her heart and I get her need to make a stand about it.

I’m sure going to miss the Troubleshooter series, we have to wait I don’t know how many years to read more about them, that’s why I was expecting a little sneak-peek (like a “two years later” or something) but I guess that we can’t have it all. I’m giving this book a 3 because even when I couldn’t stop reading it, it wasn’t what I expected. Nevertheless the whole series remains as my favorite and I absolutely love Suzanne and her work. If you want to read this book I would recommend you to start from the beginning of the series: “The Unsung Hero”, believe me, you are going to have a wonderful time reading it. This is a book for fans of Suzanne Brockmann and the Troubleshooters series in general, if you love Suzanne’s writing, you sure are going to love it.

Romance Around the Corner
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Mar 24, 2011 Jennifer - The Book Admirer rated it 3 of 5 stars

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS
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First of all I love Suzanne Brockmann and I have all of her books from this series, but after waiting so long for this next installment of the series to come out and reading it, I was very disappointed. It lacked the passion that a romance should have, the characters didn't have has much growth as I was expecting them to have considering this is the last book for a while. I know a lot of people were/are against Izzy and Eden, but I really liked the idea of them when re...more CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS
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First of all I love Suzanne Brockmann and I have all of her books from this series, but after waiting so long for this next installment of the series to come out and reading it, I was very disappointed. It lacked the passion that a romance should have, the characters didn't have has much growth as I was expecting them to have considering this is the last book for a while. I know a lot of people were/are against Izzy and Eden, but I really liked the idea of them when reading past books. However, in Breaking the Rules they just got to be so tiresome. Izzy really loved Eden that I believed, but he spent a lot of their time together saying that she should stop lying and just be honest with him when in fact he should have done the same and forgo all of the internal debate that he had with himself and just flat out said how he felt. Eden left because she couldn't deal, fine, but then she jumps in his lap the first chance she gets as what? A thank you? They skimmed over their issues that drove them apart to begin with and instead just said they loved each other and then everything was fine in the end, which was not believable. And Eden, I was very sad to find out that she did not have much character growth that you would expect after all that she has been through. She was still lying and manipulative. I would have liked to have seen her more grown up and have learned from the past instead of still using sex to get what she wanted instead of talking things out. I liked that we learned more about her past but then it became too much I thought with everyone wanting to sexually assault her. There was her friends boyfriend when she was 14 her sisters husband, Greg trying to touch her, Richie and the camera guy, the men that work at Burger King always touching her rear when she tried to work there, enough already. And speaking of her sisters husband, that seemed to come out of nowhere, I think if the author was going to have her be violated by another person than she should have just stuck with Greg, her sister's husband was barely mentioned in past books and in this one it was like he was used as a throw in predator to show that she is even more of a victim than she was before. The plot of the story was pretty much them constantly looking for Ben. I wish she did more with the human trafficking story line and less with people wanting to turn Ben straight. Eden and Dan's relationship was mended too fast. He was too mean to her for too long to believe the truth so fast when he didn't want to listen before. But I do like his character he grew the most out of everyone I thought and I really did believe that he loved Jenni. I wish the author dedicated a few pages to give us a glimpse of what things are like for them into the future especially since she isn't writing the next book in the series for a long time.

Over all I give the book 3.5 stars. It could've been really great but it just wasn't.(less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Riana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: seal, military

I'll go with Norma and ask about that letter I was hoping to be found and be full of explanations...
This story's one among those which bring the toughest subjects.
I also agree to say there was also all that sadness that flowed while I was reading Ben's, Eden's and Neesha's despair, knowing that these ugly childhoods exist and so little can be done...
Izzy was great but I would have loved to 'see' him happier for a little more time...
Thank you Suzanne for this book.

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Apr 21, 2011 Sueij rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was, as are pretty much all of Suzanne Brockmann's books, interesting and well-written and exciting and delightful to read. It wraps up two couples' stories that were left hanging (Dan & Jenni and Izzy & Eden), and Brockmann has said this is the last in the Troubleshooters Inc. series (so that she can go write some other stuff she's had brewing).

While it was very good (and I read it twice before returning it to the library), I don't think it was her best. All I can figure is that be...more

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May 07, 2011 Cindi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm actually pretty disappointed in BTR. I felt the suspense-part of the book didn't even get started until pg. 300. The first part of the story was all about publicizing the author's opinion about sexual orientation being genetic vs. a choice (which I agree with but didn't quite want to read so much about). I did not really see much character growth among the quartet until the very end and I'm still not convinced Danny-Danny-Bo-Banny ever did grow up. I also did not feel like this book was deli...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Mitzi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: writer-suzanne-brockmann, heat-3-boiling, heat-4-sizzling, genre-romance-suspense-mystery

I highly recommend this series to those that love hot yummy heroes meeting their one true love (including hot love scenes) combined with a suspenseful and adventurous plot.

Wow….this was an exciting roller coaster ride!!! I’m sitting here in awe of the whole book….just finishing it a few minutes ago. I just loved seeing Izzy (be my man and sing me a tune, please) from a previous book reconnect with Eden (a prego young woman he helped out by marrying but fell in love with) aka his Navy Seal teamm...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Nelungwe rated it 1 of 5 stars

Was this written by the same author as Over The Edge??? I waited so long for this book, and all I can say is thank GOD I got it from the library!! This was not at all an action/suspense/romance as much as a mushy and in your face about Gay rights book. I have no problem with books having a social message, but when they beat you over the head with it, it gets to be a little much. Gilman's character was completely unlikable, and the only sense I got of his girlfriend/wife was that she was big (thi...more

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About Suzanne Brockmann

Suzanne Brockmann is the author of nearly 50 romance and romantic suspense novels, including her wildly popular 15-books-and-counting Troubleshooters series. She also wrote the popular Tall, Dark & Dangerous series for Silhouette Intimate Moments.

In her free time she likes to sing and do volunteer work. She is a proud member of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) as well...more

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Quotes from Breaking the Rules

“Go fuck yourself!—Dan said genuinely pissed off.
Izzy---I’ve found that I’m a little shy for such blatantly public display of self-affection. Besides, I like to be wined and dined before I have my way with myself. I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy.” — 11 people liked it

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Breaking the Rules (Troubleshooters #16)

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