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Changing the Rules
It wasn’t in the rules...
Elise Webber had it all. Looks, a glamorous job as a TV anchorwoman, a beautiful Atlanta apartment—and the charismatic lawyer, Dustin Chandler. Well, she didn’t exactly have Dustin. Dating was all she could expect from a man who had clearly defined rules where women were concerned.
Elise had been careful not to lose her heart to Dustin. He’d been clear from the beginning that love and marriage weren’t in his game plan. She could just imagine how he was going to react to her latest bit of news. Mr. Hotshot Lawyer was about to become a daddy…
Elise Webber had it all. Looks, a glamorous job as a TV anchorwoman, a beautiful Atlanta apartment—and the charismatic lawyer, Dustin Chandler. Well, she didn’t exactly have Dustin. Dating was all she could expect from a man who had clearly defined rules where women were concerned.
Elise had been careful not to lose her heart to Dustin. He’d been clear from the beginning that love and marriage weren’t in his game plan. She could just imagine how he was going to react to her latest bit of news. Mr. Hotshot Lawyer was about to become a daddy…
- GenresCategory RomanceRomance
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1990
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About the author
Gina Wilkins
380 books84 followersGina is known as: Gina Ferris, Gina Ferris Wilkins and Gina Wilkins. If looking for a specific book please check all names.
Gina Wilkins sold her first book to Harlequin in 1987, and has been writing full-time ever since, publishing more than 90 books for Harlequin/Silhouette. Her books are translated into 20 languages. A lifelong resident of central Arkansas, she attended Arkansas State University, obtaining a degree in journalism. She pursued careers in advertising and human resource development before achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a published writer. The bestselling author is a four-time winner of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers, and has won several awards from the reviewers of Romantic Times magazine. She was a recent nominee for a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
A member of Romance Writers of America, Diamond State Romance Authors and Novelists, Inc., she is a past president of Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas. She is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences, civic organizations and in middle and senior high schools, where she focuses on literacy and goal setting.
Gina and John, her husband of more than 30 years, have raised three “extraordinary” children, two daughters and a son, all pursuing careers in science and medicine.
Gina Wilkins sold her first book to Harlequin in 1987, and has been writing full-time ever since, publishing more than 90 books for Harlequin/Silhouette. Her books are translated into 20 languages. A lifelong resident of central Arkansas, she attended Arkansas State University, obtaining a degree in journalism. She pursued careers in advertising and human resource development before achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a published writer. The bestselling author is a four-time winner of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers, and has won several awards from the reviewers of Romantic Times magazine. She was a recent nominee for a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
A member of Romance Writers of America, Diamond State Romance Authors and Novelists, Inc., she is a past president of Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas. She is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences, civic organizations and in middle and senior high schools, where she focuses on literacy and goal setting.
Gina and John, her husband of more than 30 years, have raised three “extraordinary” children, two daughters and a son, all pursuing careers in science and medicine.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 29, 2018
I really enjoyed this one. We get two career-minded people who do not want deeper intimacy and instead are all about their career and how a surprise pregnancy upends all of that leading to a deeper examination of their relationship which is more serious than they want to admit and their choices. The heroine was raised by a mother who always put work first and drilled the same into her, so we have the heroine in denial for most of the book about her pregnancy, refusing to think about the baby or make decisions like whether she wants to give the baby for adoption. Then we have the hero a lawyer who has rules for relationships. The hero came around much faster than the heroine because he had atleast had good examples of family with his own parents and extended family. Despite being terrified of her pregnancy, he steps up, making sure she is eating right and even quitting his job and moving with her. He is the first to realise he loves her and that he wants the baby and her to be a family and be married to her. The heroine takes much longer to come around but I absolutely enjoyed their journey.
May 26, 2021
Changing the Rules is a sweet Harlequin Temptation from Gina Wilkins. Elise Webber and Dustin Chandler are two career-oriented people living in Georgia. He's a high-powered attorney, she's a news anchor for Atlanta's top station. They've been dating for six months. Dustin is not a marriage-minded type of man, nor is Elise looking for anything more than a short-term relationship. The pair have an active, satisfying sex life and Elise has been diligent about taking her birth control pills. However, as Jurassic Park taught us, life always finds a way.
Elise's pregnancy is a shock to both her and Dustin. Elise was the product of a single mother, who resented being a parent, and so Elise never thought about having children herself. But now that she's pregnant, Elise knows what she has to do. Elise graciously allows Dustin an "out." While Dustin might not be a lifetime commitment kind of guy, he's not an irresponsible deadbeat, either. He has just as much to do with the pregnancy as Elise does and he vows to support her whether she chooses to keep the baby or give him/her up for adoption.
Consequently, Elise quits her job and decides it's better to be out of state and away from the press. Perhaps in NYC or LA a single, pregnant woman could keep her high-profile job in the media, but there were still reservations about such things in the American South circa 1990.
To her surprise, Dustin comes with her, so the two move into a rural neighborhood to play house. They meet new people who are vastly different from themselves. They adjust to having to do their own household jobs, rather than paying laborers to do so. And as time goes by, Dustin and Elise learn that they enjoy living a more sedate, less fast-paced lifestyle. What's more, they genuinely begin to truly care for one another, as their relationship becomes much deeper than just sex.
Will Dustin and Elise realize that being together forever isn't such a crazy idea? That despite their doubts and hesitancy, they can be good parents? After all, these folks are successful, intelligent adults, so why shouldn't they be able to do what millions of people do: pair bond and create a family?
The journey to their revelations is a gratifying trip through Romancelandia. Perhaps these two were just too thick-headed for their own goods, foolishly believing that love and family were for "other" people, not their elite selves. But love is funny that way, as Cupid's arrows affect us all: rich or poor, male or female, young or old, and everybody else in between.
And so Elise and Dustin learn to change the rules of the game because it's much more delightful playing for keeps.
4 1/2 stars
Elise's pregnancy is a shock to both her and Dustin. Elise was the product of a single mother, who resented being a parent, and so Elise never thought about having children herself. But now that she's pregnant, Elise knows what she has to do. Elise graciously allows Dustin an "out." While Dustin might not be a lifetime commitment kind of guy, he's not an irresponsible deadbeat, either. He has just as much to do with the pregnancy as Elise does and he vows to support her whether she chooses to keep the baby or give him/her up for adoption.
Consequently, Elise quits her job and decides it's better to be out of state and away from the press. Perhaps in NYC or LA a single, pregnant woman could keep her high-profile job in the media, but there were still reservations about such things in the American South circa 1990.
To her surprise, Dustin comes with her, so the two move into a rural neighborhood to play house. They meet new people who are vastly different from themselves. They adjust to having to do their own household jobs, rather than paying laborers to do so. And as time goes by, Dustin and Elise learn that they enjoy living a more sedate, less fast-paced lifestyle. What's more, they genuinely begin to truly care for one another, as their relationship becomes much deeper than just sex.
Will Dustin and Elise realize that being together forever isn't such a crazy idea? That despite their doubts and hesitancy, they can be good parents? After all, these folks are successful, intelligent adults, so why shouldn't they be able to do what millions of people do: pair bond and create a family?
The journey to their revelations is a gratifying trip through Romancelandia. Perhaps these two were just too thick-headed for their own goods, foolishly believing that love and family were for "other" people, not their elite selves. But love is funny that way, as Cupid's arrows affect us all: rich or poor, male or female, young or old, and everybody else in between.
And so Elise and Dustin learn to change the rules of the game because it's much more delightful playing for keeps.
4 1/2 stars
May 17, 2022
Bland one dimensional characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews