Experience the drama and feel the sizzle in this addictive Dynasties romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Joanna Rock.
She’s strictly off-limits. That’s never stopped him before. And he always gets what he wants…
Rebellious rancher Weston Rivera knows saving April Stephens during a blizzard at his luxury retreat is risky. But it’s not nearly as dangerous as the desire blazing between them. After all, Weston is a prime target of April’s current financial investigation at Mesa Falls—and he’s hiding secrets. Now their searing passion is melting the lines between business and pleasure…even as it threatens Weston’s entire world.
Family loyalties and passions collide in the Mesa Falls The Rebel The Rival Rule Breaker Heartbreaker
From Harlequin Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.
Joanne Rock is a USA Today bestselling author of over one hundred works of popular fiction, including domestic suspense and romantic suspense. A frequent speaker at regional and national writing conferences she enjoys giving back to the writing community that nurtured and inspired her early career. She has a Masters degree in Literature from the University of Louisville and has taught fiction, film, and writing at the college level. When she's not writing, Joanne enjoys travel to gather new ideas.
Rule Breaker by Joanne Rock is the third story in her Dynasties: Mesa Falls series, and features an intrepid financial investigator looking for answers and the rancher who can provide some of them – and something more. It’s a standalone romance, but continues an overall series plot.
April Stephens has been hired by Alonzo Salazar’s heirs, brothers Marcus and Devon, to track down the money Alonzo made when he wrote an anonymous book about a celebrity family. That book had consequences for many people and brought attention to the Mesa Falls ranch and the men who run it.
Weston Rivera is one of those men, a rancher and former student of Alonzo who wants to protect the memory of his mentor and also some of the events that happened while he and his fellow students were teenagers – events he fears April will discover in her quest to find out more about Alonzo. But he can’t deny that keeping April at arms length isn’t exactly what he wants, intrigued by the smart and savvy beauty despite how her investigation could cause him problems. Can they find a balance that will give April her answers, and enable them to explore their feelings for each other?
I’ve been enjoying this series and the uncovering of all the mysteries that bind the men of Mesa Falls! The story does a good job of explaining what has happened before, enough that a new reader could start with this one and know what’s going on, but I also recommend the previous series books which are equally interesting and entertaining.
The story starts with a ‘forced proximity’ a.k.a. trapped in a blizzard trope, with April having gotten caught out in a storm in the mountainous terrain near the ranch and Weston, a volunteer search and rescue member in addition to his ranching duties, having gone to her aid. This enables them to develop a close bond, one that lets them explore their mutual attraction and leads to some sexy and passionate love scenes.
Both Weston and April have secrets that are slowly revealed to each other as the story progresses. For April, it’s the challenge of having a mother who is a hoarder, a woman whose mental health is at issue and for whom April feels ultimately responsible. For Weston, it’s the events that happened when a group of young friends went out on an unauthorized outing from school and lost one of their friends to mysterious and troubling circumstances. That death has weighed on him ever since, and the secret has bonded his group of friends who run the Mesa Falls ranch. And then there’s Alonzo’s missing money, the reason for April being at the ranch and looking into the relationship between Alonzo, who stayed at the ranch after retiring from teaching in between mysterious trips (some of whom involved Weston’s aunt), and the students running the ranch now as adults. It all adds up to intrigue and drama that is entertaining from first page to last.
There are still some stories to be told with the other Mesa Falls owners and Alonzo’s secrets are still unfolding. April and Weston, once they share their secrets with each other and admit that they want more then just a short term fling, get their happy ending. I’m looking forward to reading what comes next!
This is book 3 in the wonderful series Mesa Falls and I just love this series. Every book so far has a gorgeous guy in the family and then he is going after the girl for several different reasons. This book was a page turner for me as I just can't read this series fast enough. Joanne hit a grand slam with this!
Joanne Rock knows how to stir up trouble, suspense, and heat. The passion in this novel was hot. The characters' instant attraction could be felt on every page. Things were just heating up between the rancher and financial forensics investigator. I loved how each protagonist had something happening or happened in their lives that was troubling them and also how they were willing to share it with each other. They were hesitant at first but slowly they peeled away their layers and shared everything. The romance was done perfectly. I felt attached to the characters emotionally. They won over my heart. A rancher who is loyal and protective with deep secrets that haunt him and a woman whose mother has a decline in health. I found it entertaining, heartfelt, and sexy, too. Joanne Rock's latest book, Rule Breaker, will break the mold for all contemporary romance novels. It goes beyond just a sexy thrill. It is deep, engaging, and left me never wanting to leave Mesa Falls.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
“Rule Breaker” is book 3 of Joanne Rock’s Dynasties: Mesa Falls Ranch miniseries and features Weston Rivera and April Stephens.
We met Weston and April in “The Rival” when April was trying to corner Weston to get answers to her investigation into Alonzo Salazar on behalf of Alonzo’s son, Devon. In "Rule Breaker", Weston has answers, but not to April’s questions. The secrets he holds can damage more than his reputation, but all the owners of Mesa Falls, not to mention the ranch itself. We dive deeper into these secrets as Weston and April share their lives, what made them into who they are today, and how they try to protect their hearts while falling in love anyway.
I absolutely loved the storyline of Weston, along with the other owners of Mesa Falls, and their connection to Alonzo Salazar. We also meet Gage Striker and Elena Rollins as Elena threatens the secrets behind Mesa Falls Ranch. We’ll get their story next in “Heartbreaker”.
Mesa Falls Rule Breaker is the third installment to the Dynasties: Mesa Falls series. Weston Rivera, one of the prominent owners of Mesa Falls, is tall, sexy with a touch of ruggedness that makes him oh so attractive. While overseeing the operations on location at the Mesa Falls ranch, Weston is determined to protect the integrity of the ranch, its owners, and the legacy of their mentor Alonzo Salazar. He is doing a great job until April Stephens, a financial investigator hired by Devon Salazar, arrives on the scene.
April is professional, thorough, and good at what she does. She is on a mission and determined to find answers for the case at hand, even if it means getting closer to Weston Rivera to uncover the truth. She knows that there is more to what he is willing to share. Determined to trace the revenue generated from the tell-all book, written by Alonzo Salazar, she will leave no stone unturned. But there is a small delima, Weston is fine and attractive. So attractive that his very presence when near is becoming more of a distraction.
The chemistry between the two is a combustible explosion waiting to happen. If you play with hot firey flames long enough, you are bound to get burned. Keeping their relationship strictly business gets tricky as they both try to hold on to secrets and protect the integrity of their jobs. In the mix of their intense attraction, they find that they have a thirst that only the two of them can quench. Secret, lies, and uncovered truths heat up the pages of Rule Breaker, creating a suspenseful, sizzling hot read. You will not be disappointed with the newfound discoveries uncovered by further digging into the past and leading up to the next book in the Mesa Falls series.
I love how each book flows from one to the other and up this time we have April who we meet in the previous book The Rival who has been hired to track down where Alonza Salazar may have spent money. Weston wants April gone before she starts to dig up painful memories from the past but he is fighting his attraction to her as well so good luck with that! I loved how April and Weston end up getting up close and personal just when he thinks he has got rid of her and all the friction and frustration as well as attraction that comes out of that event. When they decide to stop fighting and see what happens, you just don't expect both of them to have such a haunting past or burden to carry now and it brings you closer to them. I can't wait to see what happens next in this series especially as Gage and Elena seems like they are going to be like fire and ice!!! 😍
Secrets are unraveling! With RULE BREAKER, the next book in her Dynasties: Mesa Falls series, Joanne Rock delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding Alonzo Salazar's life and riches. This book centers around Mesa Falls part-owner Weston Rivera and the forensic expert sent by Devon Salazar to find out where his father's money was spent.
Weston has been a mystery since the first book in the series. We've been able to read through him enough to know that he has secrets ... we just didn't know what they were and this book unravels some of them in a heated way.
April is on the ranch to uncover secrets, but she never expects to have such a heated attraction to the man she suspects of hiding things.
I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys powerful sexual chemistry with a lot of secrets and mystery to unravel. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!
Rock nails this latest book in her continuity series. She answers enough questions while still bringing more to unravel. April and Weston are a perfect match, even as they fight their attraction. While it is always more fun to start at the beginning you can jump right into this book without any previous history. It’s the perfect antidote for a cold winter afternoon.
I really enjoyed Rule Breaker by Joanne Rock. It is the third book in the Dynasties:Mesa Falls series and definitely worth reading if you love romance stories with cowboys, family secrets and drama. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this wonderful series!
I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.
A sexy thrill! There is lots of deama and is veryengaging, and left me wanting to go to Mesa Falls." -two people who make up their own mind on how far their relationship should go without communication with each other. 5 stars, Love Harlequin books!
4.5 stars rounded up! This romance is so swoony…even little things like how he *carefully* sweeps her hair to the side when helping with her coat, because he doesn’t want to mess up her hair. Loved it, and I’m loving this series by Joanne Rock (one of my fave Harlequin writer’s)
She is here to investigate the man he admired. He should stay away from her, but it's not that easy. Wonderful story, great characters. Love April and Weston.