Breaking the Rules

Emma Harte Saga #7

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Forty years ago, the world was introduced to Emma Harte. Now meet M, a new woman of substance guaranteed to win our hearts all over again. A new era has begun…

When those you love are threatened, there’s nothing you won’t do to protect them… you’ll even resort to Breaking the Rules.

Following a terrifying encounter in the quiet English countryside, a dark beauty flees to New York in search of a new life. Adopting the initial M as her name, she embarks on a journey that will lead her to the catwalks of Paris where she becomes the muse and star model to France’s iconic top designer Jean-Louis Tremont.

When M meets charming and handsome actor Larry Vaughan they fall instantly in love with one another. Soon they become the most desired couple on the international scene, appearing on the front cover of every celebrity magazine, adored by millions. With a successful career and a perfect marriage, M believes she has truly put the demons of her past to bed.

But M’s fortunes are about to take another dramatic turn when a dark figure from her past, someone who she thought she’d never see again, is back and determined to shatter M’s world forever.

From the chic fashion capitals of London and Paris, to the exotic locations of Istanbul and Hong Kong, Breaking the Rules is an enthralling story of love and redemption, secrets and survival from the bestselling author of A Woman of Substance.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook

529 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2009

About the author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American best-selling novelist. Her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, was published in 1979 and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. She wrote 40 novels, all bestsellers in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Reviews

[Tilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like I'm going to shoot myself. I cannot not finish a book, so I'm still going, page 276 and no, it is not getting better.
My issues are plenty... Considering it is set in this day and age, the characters and their dialogue is completely ridiculous! No one thinks or talks like these people.
She kept trying to make the main character, M, the model, seem smart and 'well bred', but instead made her seem pretentious and unbelievable... Not to mention none of the supposed facts about her life / career make any sense.

Why did I pick up this book.. I needed a third for a waterstones 3 for 2, and based on the summary, I stupidly thought M sounded a lot like myself. I was wrong.

[Maryann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was hands down the worst book I've ever finished. (I can count on one hand the number of awful books I couldn't finish, so I'm not all that picky).

I got this at a used book sale for about 50 cents and I overpaid. Let's start tearing this book apart!

First off, the premise: a woman has a terrifying experience in England so she runs away to New York City, uses an alias and becomes a supermodel. Yeah, no one will find her now (rolling my eyes).

Next, she goes by "M". Just one letter. Yet over and over again she tells people her name is "Marie Marsden" and in school everyone called her M&M so she shortened it to M. Stupid!

So this supermodel resembles Audrey Hepburn, but she doesn't want to overdo it so she fixes herself up to look like "half an Aundrey". This is so freakin' idiotic and is repeatedly stated in the book to the point where I wanted to puke. I can't imagine that a 23 year old in 2007 had any clue who Audrey Hepburn was anyway.

The most glaring problem with this book is that nobody has a personality, or they all have the same personality (or is it non-personality?). I never got to know M, Larry, Geo, or anyone else because there was no character development whatsoever. I can't believe Barbara Taylor Bradford is a best selling author! Does she honestly think Americans go around saying things like, "that would be splendid, darling". Um, no.

The repetition was exhausting. I never want to eat chicken soup again after reading half a dozen times in the first third of the book about "chicken in the pot". And Good Lord, if one more person in this book drank pink champagne I was going to throw the book across the room. Honestly, who the heck drinks that nasty stuff? Does the author honestly think that's what rich people drink all the time?

Stupid, stupid, annoying book. I only finished it so I could see how bad it was. Save yourself the aggravation and skip this one.

[Melodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been following Emma Harte and her descendants for many years now. I was fascinated by and loved A Woman of Substance and all the books that came after. But life moves on and I thought the saga was finished. So when I saw this pop up, I was tickled. More excitement with the Harte clan!
I don't know if I have outgrown BTB's writing style or if I have outgrown the Hartes. But this book left me flat. The first part of the book follows "M",grand-daughter of Emma, as she strives to make it in the tough world of modeling. The second half of the book picks up the rest of the family's goings on. There is romance and intrigue and family squabbles.
I struggled to finish the book and breathed a sigh of relief when I turned the last page. Enough said.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this was a new Barbara Delinsky book at a quick glance-over - didn't realize it was Barbara Taylor Bradford until I started reading it.

I don't think I've read Bradford before, and I quickly realized there is a reason for it. Perhaps her earlier books are better, I don't know, but Bradford is not a strong author. Her characters and her dialogue are very weak; almost childish sounding at times. Every main character is beautiful; every main character falls in love with another beautiful character - it was like eating a piece of cake with way too much icing. The pacing of the book is strange - the first half of the book is spent getting to know the main "main" character, M, a beautiful Audrey Hepburn look-alike, delving into her background and present. Then, quite abruptly, with only a little foreshadowing, the book goes into an entanglement of black sheep family members who are out to get everyone. Almost like Bradford started the book as a romance novel but her agent told her she needed to include some mystery and intrigue so halfway through she threw some in the mix.

Wouldn't recommend it although for readers who like fluffy books they might well enjoy this author.

[Mindee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible. It started out good and got my attention, then it went about 50 pages of nothing. I almost just stopped reading it (which I should have) but I hate not finishing a book I start. Then something else interesting would happen and I thought, Okay, now it will pick up. Boy was I wrong. Their were so many characters that the author would go into detail about for 20 pages or so, and then they weren't in the book anymore. The book is over 400 pages and in the 300's or so it introuduced new characters. Seriously? I liked the topic of the book and it could've been a good story, but it was so poorly written, with lots of filler. Don't waste your time with this book like I did.

[Pat Jorgenson Waterchilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #7 in the Emma Harte series by one of my favorite authors.
While not as good as her other books in the series, the reader enters the world of the Harte family and learns through narrative and backstory the connections to all the characters. While a bit wordy and overly romantic at times, I did enjoy Ms. Bradford's final novel in this series. As always looking forward to other reads from Ms. Ms. Bradford.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desperate for a fresh start, M moves to NYC where she models and meets Larry, the love of her life. But can they overcome their issues?

After 5-star loving books 1-6 in this series, I was a bit disappointed by this one. BUT, I have to add that perhaps my tastes have changed since I read them 15 years ago. The storyline was good but the conversation seemed stilted and unnatural. Plus, too many characters fall madly and deeply in love with their ultimate soulmate at first sight.

Location: New York City, London, and Paris

Audiobook

[Phyllis Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Either I've become a more discerning reader or this author's writing has significantly deteriorated. I always enjoyed the Emma Harte stories and felt they were very well-written. However, this novel seems far removed in quality from most others I've read by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

"Breaking the Rules" is a very contrived story, written with extremely stilted, simplistic and trite dialog. The story doesn't flow with ease as do Taylor Bradford's other novels. M is the professional name chosen by the mysterious young woman who moves from London to New York with designs on becoming a famous fashion model. It is clear to others that she comes from a privileged upbringing, but she keeps her background under very tight secrecy. When M meets the famous actor, Larry Vaughn, it is love at first sight for both of them. As they begin their life as a couple, they learn of each other's families and of the many problems that might exist because of them.

The main part of the story revolves around the development of M and Larry's relationship and the portrayal of their families and their familial relationships. It is basically a story of fluff, with a slight bit of intrigue over who M really is. Perhaps a fun read for a lazy summer vacation at the beach, but not much more than mindless reading to pass some free time.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled giving this 3*. At most this is 2.5*. This is the weakest sequel in the 7 book Emma Harte saga. The plots are disjointed and contrived. The characters you have been invested in barely in it. Who is M and what is her connection to the Harte's? It would have been best if this had not been published as a Harte book and kept it as single novel of a romance of someone called M and an actor called Larry Vaughan. It just did not gel together for me. I felt from the revelation of who M really is that the plot just unravelled and everything was rushed. It lacked the essence of the Harte family, not just Paula's children! Where was Winston and Emily? Where was the Kallinski's? Just the mention of Julian's death and then the rush to Linnet's romance? Just not believable and so obviously contrived. I did not relate at all with this book. The best bit the end of the Ainsley Nemesis. Or is it as Angharad is still alive? I was so disappointed with this book as a reader I have along with many others invested in the Harte Family and I feel this book did the saga a disservice and should have ended in the previous novel Just Rewards.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Years ago, I read Barbara Taylor Bradford's first trilogy of books about Emma Harte and her family. I loved them! 'A Woman of Substance' in particular was fabulous! An epic, gritty and passionate family drama of great depth, full of characters you really cared about. It's a novel I'm really fond of and have dipped into many times over the years. And so I'm sad to say that this latest Harte instalment is very disappointing. I shouldn't have been surprised because I've read the other recent Harte books too and they were just the same. It's as if they've been written by someone else. 'Breaking the Rules' is the story of Emma's great granddaughter and her ambitions to be a supermodel. A good half of the novel is, for want of a better word, boring. It perks up a little bit when the family is threatened by an enemy from the past but not much and it all ends in a very anti-climactic way. The whole novel feels shallow,the plot is virtually non-existent,the characters like cardboard cut-outs and the dialogue very false. It's such a shame after what's gone before. I don't understand it.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a young woman flees to New York after a terrifying encounter in the English countryside, she reinvents herself and embarks on a journey that will lead her to fame, love, and good fortune.

But just when everything is finally coming together for her, the mysterious "M" is about to encounter a dark figure from her past--a psychopath with deadly intent who has vowed to shatter her world forever.

As we finally learn M's true identity and understand the complex dynamics of her famous family, we are intrigued by her history and captivated by the unfolding drama.

Will M find the strength to overcome her past once and for all? And will her unusual family dynamics give her the courage to fight?

What seemingly began as a fluffy, fashion story turned into a mystery, full of conspiracies and dramatic intrigue. We find in "Breaking the Rules" another masterpiece from the beloved Barbara Taylor Bradford.

[Sonja Crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weak ending

The last 4 books in this series were a disappointment. The action moved in jerks, there was a lot more about fashion, the decor of rooms and how each of the women was “a copy of their famous great-grandmother”. The “threat” of the shadowy man just… fizzled. The menace promised never got beyond a hint. The tension and struggle that they obsessed over for 2+ books just vanished. These 4 books could have been edited more effectively into 2 tighter plots with less gushing over the stunning beauty of the women and reducing the blather about the priceless antiques etc.
one star for nostalgia for Emma Harte and A Woman of Substance, and the other for returning to this family. It’s just a shame that these last books don’t live up to the first three.

[Bookish Enchantment (Katherine Quirke) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit if I was actually reading this book I would have quit. However as I was reading it as audio book I found it was at least palatable and I could zone out whilst listening whilst I worked.

The story was rather lame and did not really give anything of substance until just over half way through. I have never read books from this author before and I am sincerely hoping that this is not the style of all her books. Yes she has a massive following and judging by the reviews I may be standing quite alone.

If you want a book that is a little bit more captivating or even chewing you best avoid this one. It just is ho hum.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know quite what to say about this book. I was bored for the first two-thirds of the book because everything seemed to just go right for everyone in the book. Though that may sound odd, when every new character that appeared I was looking for something sinister about them because it was just weird that there wasn't any conflict in the book.

The story wasn't bad, but it was all a bunch of fluff and I probably would have been happier spending my time reading another book.

[Abbie Meyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an awful book. I made it to Chapter 38 and I couldn't follow it any longer. The first 25-30 chapters are completely boring, unrealistic and full of filler writing. Once the book FINALLY gets into the "mystery" part it becomes extremely hard to follow. All of a sudden, a million new characters are thrown into the storyline! Many of them had little to no purpose. This is the first book I have read of Bradford's and I am not very impressed.

[Lissette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read all of the Emma Harte books.....and I've enjoyed them all mostly due to the very strong women characters. But I have to say I did not enjoy this one. I felt the story never developed. It was more of the same thing......The strong woman character was not there. It was disappointing.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I read this! It was all kinds of awful. Such a shame, as "A Woman of Substance" was actually a good book . . .

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have often wondered as I read this series why I kept reading it. Few of the main characters were people I particularly liked, the dialogue often felt wooden and I am not a person into fashion and home decorating which get pages upon pages of descriptions in the series. The action was overly melodramatic more often than I liked and last but not least Bradford was cavalier with many of her characters—developing them and dropping them, i.e., Philip Amory and Evan Hughes—and left numerous loose ends and also made some noticeable continuity mistakes. Despite all that I kept reading wanting to know where things were going and wondering when and how uber-villain Jonathan would get his comeuppance and how (though psychopaths and sociopaths are born as Jonathan is characterized in book 4 on. Initially he is presented as in that way but merely devious, narcissistic and egotistically greedy).

This novel felt particularly disconnected. The Emsie aka M bears no likeness to the 17-year-old horse-loving, dreamy introverted, socially awkward and studious girl we hear about and catch glimpses of. In the previous two books. Last we saw her she was doing homework and alone at Pennistone Royal though we got no mention of why she was not off at school like her younger brother whom she relied on in times of crises to protect her and take charge. That book ends 15 months after it starts in Jan 2002, so it ends in spring 2003 not 2002 as the book states. So in March 2006 at the start of this book she cannot possibly be 23. The young woman we are presented with is a Linnet clone in character and with an aspiration to be a model, the antithesis of both her interests at 17/18 as well as the reason she ran away to New York City—the need to hide from the Bad Thing. The anonymity of her family and her for the first third of the book felt bizarre, as did her family calling her M rather than Em when they are revealed and reunited. Not only is the family not mentioned by name but there is no mention during the New York and Paris chapters that her family has huge stores and hotels in both places. Nobody is acting in character and the death of a young major character 2 years earlier felt random. Finally the end felt anticlimactic especially because Jonathan did not seem to know he’d lost everything. The loose ends like the minion who actually did the dirty work for the Boss is never dealt with nor his wife and little girl. So many major characters are ignored. Oh and I researched it. 3rd degree burn scars cannot be totally eliminated only lessened with painful skin grafts. Rant done.

[Aly Kruger · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best part of this story was the end. Honestly, this was very disappointing. I loved A Woman of Substance and so when I found this at a thrift store near my house, I was thrilled. I loved Emma Harte's story and I was excited to see her family line continue.
No offense to anyone who enjoyed this book; you do you and that's why there are so many different kinds of books. But seriously, do yourself a favor and skip this read.
I am SO DONE with the perfect characters and how perfect they look and act all the time, the "darling" that was used 123649298972 times in this book, and the endless telling and not showing of events taking place. Also, BTB can't write spicy or action scenes to save her life. These made me want to throw up. I felt like I was reading some of my 8th grader's writing with the monotonous sentences that never changed.
Part three was the only segment of the book that had any plot that help my interest (I'm sorry, I'm not a fan of the "half-Audrey" and "pink champagne" nonsense). I liked getting to see Ainsley (finally) and meeting other characters besides the perfect as can be leads in this story.
One complaint about Part 3 though; where was Larry?? He just dropped off the face of the book. Considering M about had a heart attack when she didn't hear from him for a few days, it seems like she would have mentioned him at some point. Just me? Okay....
This might be it for BTB for me for a while. Honestly, the only reason I finished it was because I hate not finishing books. This one was tough though. Read at your own risk.

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Barbara Taylor Bradford novels. In my opinion, some are better than others. "breaking the rules" was one of her better novels. The only reason I gave it four stars versus 5, was because it did drag at times. The main character, "M", is mysterious with several secrets. She ventures to New York in hopes of becoming a fashion model. There she meets a famous actor by the name of Larry Vaughn. Their attraction is instantaneous. Her adventures take her to the capitals of Paris and London. However, some of her secrets are impossible to hide. Will she find true happiness and fame, once her secrets are revealed?

[Debra Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read A Woman of Substance and Hold the Dream back in the 80s (High School/College years) and loved those books. Don't know if I have matured as a reader or Bradford has lost her edge . . . but this was simply awufl. Blah, Blah, Blah . . . there is so much wrong with this book, characters are flat, everything works out for them despite all the drama, unnecessary whininess, abd so so far-fetched. I felt no connection, empathy,or caring for any of these one dimensional characters. Finally, Bradford, please don't try writing anything sexually explicit . .. all I can say is simply UGH and Cringe!

[Judy Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first 30 chapters were so unnecessary! Bradford could have, and should have, condensed these long-winded chapters down to one or two, and then elaborated the storyline when she brought back all of the characters from the Harte saga. One of the main characters from the previous book, Evan, isn't even in this book! Whatever happened to her, and her twins? While I enjoyed the last few chapters, it took hours and hours of reading to even find a member of the Harte family. I don't like to bash, but I say, "Don't bother with Breaking the Rules."

[Mari Pacheco · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one made me a very confused reader. At half way into it, I had to kept checking if it was really part of the series. Not one character had appear and the plot, although fascinating at first, didn't made any sense. I couldn't keep my interest and the second half took some effort to finish.
I was disappointed to end the series in such low note, and I can't recommend this book. But I highly recommend the first and second on the series: both five stars and on my favorites list!

[Jane Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear, this was rather a silly book. The characters seemed pretentious and quite unbelievable - the main character calling herself M was annoying and not really necessary. This was the last one in the Emma Harte series and you eventually discover that M is Paula’s youngest daughter Emma and what happens to her and her family and friends as the dastardly Jonathan Ainslie tries to wreak his revenge. However I enjoyed most of the other books in the series so didn’t mind too much.

[Judy Tipton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, okay

This book starts out as interesting, but I was completely confused to how it was linked to the Harte family saga. About half way through it started making sense and the rest of the book was good. Not my favorite in the series since there are several bloopers that a good copywriter would have caught.

[Susan Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story starts with M a young English woman in New York trying to make it as a top model. If you’ve read the previous books in the series, and paid attention, you’ll be able to work out who M is in the Harte family. The clues are there.

Full of glamour and love affairs and intrigue this book draws together many of the story lines to leave us with a happy ending for the series.

[Bet]

Now I remember why I haven't read BTB books in decades. The youngish characters speak and behave as if they are in their 60s. Everyone is rich, beautiful and talented, or, at least, on their way to fame. On the positive, unlike some romances I've read recently, the characters aren't overwhelmed by telling a lie, and have no problem being joyful when evil characters die.

[Elainel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent writing!

It's an amazing talent that so skillfully weaves together different stories for all the characters! Very few writers have a fraction of the talent. I can't predict what's going to happen, though I can with most authors. Wonderful job Barbara Taylor Bradford!

I've also lost count of how many authors try to use new, big words and do it wrong.

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book no stars. I made it to page 30 and then shut the book. Life is too short for bad writing. I mean the main chick is called M. And just the way the characters talk to each other...? Are we 12 or older? I mean grow a pair. Note to self: never finish this book.

[Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out so promising with characters I could really relate to and like with a hint of mystery and all of the sudden the book turned into 3 different kind of books in one and all over the place. The beginning and the end did not even mesh.