Breaking All the Rules

by Sue Civil-Brown

In the sunny climes of Paradise Beach, anything is possible ... and the more outrageous it is, the more likely it is to happen! For Erin Kelly, her indomitable friend Mary is a role model, a mentor. So when attorney Richard Wesley III fails to prevent Mary from being declared incompetent, Erin decides to fight him and the courts -- using every devious trick the older woman ever taught her. But for Richard, Erin's outlandish plots may cause more trouble than they solve. Yes, he finds her exciting -- and her sparkling green eyes and fiery spirit make his head spin. And it's true, a little "war" never hurt anyone, especially in Paradise Beach. But although he's secretly on Erin's side in all this, he is bound by the law to do what he must -- even if it costs him her love. But, maybe, it's time for this upstanding citizen to break the rules ...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

For all the crazy things that were going on in this book, the book was actually pretty boring. It probably had something to do with the characters that really couldn't keep your attention if they tried.
and i really HATE it when you have this strong female character who becomes timid after she has sex with another character. I can honestly say that i wanted to put the book down when erin asked rich if she could touch him after they had sex. somewhere in that passage was a statement about how she now belonged to him but that he could still choose whether he belonged to her. That double standard really pissed me off and I wasn't into the book after that.
The writing isn't too bad, so i probably will read from her again, but timid female characters bore me, so I really can't say that i'll read that many more of her books if there is a continuing theme here.

[elstaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, this felt like a mix of Faking It by Jennifer Crusie and the Eclipse Bay Jayne Ann Krentz trilogy, with a soupçon of Carl Hiaasen Florida vibes thrown in.

2.5 rounds up to 3 stars. I really wish this worked for me, but it didn't. It had a lot of elements that I've enjoyed in other books (see above), and there were some parts that I liked, but I felt like the reader being let in on Mary being a plotting, manipulative mastermind from the beginning of the book completely took any stakes out of the plot.

I also definitely felt like I was being pressed upon by the story to love and embrace the manic pixie dream grandma (given that the whole town was in thrall to/loved/respected/feared her), and since I did not, the more I read,the more annoyed I got. The manipulation wasn't cute; I instead felt more, "she got herself declared incompetent, let her lie in the bed she made." Maybe I would have had a different perspective if I'd been introduced to Mary in a previous book, but since this was the first book by this author I've read, I had pretty low sympathy for Mary. The feistiness-sans-logic of the heroine was also on the upper end of what I go for in a book, but it generally felt justified and worked.

The good: this author wrote very specific characters (which is also what evoked Hiaasen for me), and the sex scenes were surprisingly explicit for the women's lit esque cover art and worked in the story. I kind of just want to read a set of short stories about Paradise Beach without an overarching plot that somehow worked exactly according to plan.

Pull quotes:
"Unfortunately, Mrs. Swank was in Michigan for the summer visiting relatives. That meant that every painting hung at a slightly different angle-the preference of Mr. Swank, which he was free to indulge in the absence of Mrs. Swank--but which left the other commissioners feeling slightly sea-sick." (171) incredible no god no master seagull energy

"He shook his head and took another sip of his Irish cappuccino." (192) before I realized this was an alcoholic drink I was very confused

"Dan realized he had been stripped naked. Of course, as an actor, he sometimes had to get naked in front of hundreds of people. This guy was saying he would only be naked in front of him. Which might be a small blessing." (243) well this took a turn (spoiler: it did not)

"She let out that indecipherable shrug that sent her shirt tumbling off her shoulders and down her arms." (284) what.

[Mary Carlson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is pretty senseless and little funny.

[Madison Carnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I think this a pretty lighthearted read with a good plot as well. It’s definitely cute and funny.

[Ann Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always up for a Paradise Island story and this one was just as fun as the others. To see Mary's nephew Linus finally gain control of Mary's island property was a shock but reading all of the antics surrounding trying to help Mary keep her property was a blast. Especially when the antics weren't the doings of the Hole in the Seawall gang. Erin and Richards relationship was refreshing. I loved the pirate and Irish Valkyrie analogies! The "war" was fantastic. I can't wait for the next Paradise Beach installment.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, not compelling in any way. Quirky characters, and a great set up but not enough focus on any character to make you care about them very much. Nice story and great wrap-up, but all I was left with was "who cares"? You have to make the reader care about the characters.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO funny. Her Paradise Beach books *almost* make me want to live in Florida.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a fun read. Insanity takes over a town and brings one couple together. It was a simple and happy story. I truly enjoyed reading this novel.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, quirky characters, but I'll have to agree with what another reader said. In many places the story line just dragged along, and I ended up putting it down for a while. But I did finish it.

[C K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an author that I have read a lot of and have added her books to my 'keeper' book shelf. Most I have read at least twice and some even more than that.