Breaking the Rules

Troubleshooters #16

by Suzanne Brockmann

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 shattered their life together—and made the intense bad blood between Izzy and Danny even worse.

Now Eden’s back, and she’s on a mission to rescue her teen brother, Ben, from their abusive stepfather. Even if she and Izzy can prove that their broken marriage is still in one piece, winning legal custody of Ben is a long shot. But they’re not alone: Danny and his girlfriend, Jenn, offer to help, and he and Izzy agree to bury the past and fight for Ben’s future.

As they plan their strategy, Izzy and Eden grapple with the raw passion that still crackles between them—while Danny and Jenn confront new depths in their own rocky relationship. But events take a terrifying turn after Ben befriends a girl fleeing a child prostitution ring. When the young runaway seeks refuge with Eden and Izzy, her pursuers kidnap Ben—and a deadly standoff begins. Now they must all pull together like never before and strike back, swift and hard, to protect their unconventional little family and everything they hold most precious.

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Military Fiction, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

507 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2011

About the author

After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.

Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.

Reviews

[Auntee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 sex trafficking/ child prostitution) right out of the headlines--all made this book a mostly un-put-down-able winner.

The plot revolves around the youngest Gillman, 14-year-old Ben, who happens to be diabetic and gay. (I'm guessing in the future we'll be seeing more of Ben and less of her very popular gay character Jules Cassidy, since Jules already got his HEA). Ben has this awful homelife/schoollife, with a mostly absentee/addict mother, and a scuzzbag, abusive stepfather who wants to send him away to a 'camp' to help him overcome his 'problem'. Nineteen year old Eden, back from Germany where she went to get over the stillborn death of her baby (and husband Izzy), and working as a Las Vegas stripper wants to have Ben live with her. But she needs money to do that (hence the stripper gig).

Ben meets up with a young, homeless 16-year-old Asian girl (Neesha), who's had unspeakable stuff done to her and is on the run from her captors. This friendship brings all kinds of trouble down on Ben and his family, and comes to a head late in the story.

Meanwhile, with our two SEALs (Dan and Izzy): Dan and Izzy are on an op that goes wrong, resulting in a near fatal injury to Dan. Jenn rushes to Dan's side, and the reader sees how much Jenn means to Dan. But plain, average big-girl Jenn still has some doubts about drop-dead-gorgeous Dan, and what he sees in her. Jenn and her self doubts...

Dan...


Izzy realizes that after 10 months of Eden refusing to see him, their marriage is really over. While on leave, he heads to Las Vegas to start divorce proceedings. Imagine his surprise when he sees where Eden is working...and that once again she needs his help. Maybe they could reunite in order to gain custody of Ben? Is it really over between them...or is it just getting started?

Izzy...


The fight to get Ben away from his troubled parents can't be accomplished with just Izzy and Eden--Dan's help is required too. So Dan and Jenn head to Las Vegas and 'frenemies' Dan and Izzy are forced to work together to keep Ben safe. Estranged siblings Eden and Dan must put their differences aside if they're going to help Ben. But helping Ben also means helping his new friend Neesha who has some baddies from a human trafficking ring on the hunt for her. This brings danger down on Ben and the two couples trying to help him. Will Izzy and Dan be able to put their differences aside and come up with a plan when they have to save their loved ones? Will Jenn finally believe that Dan really loves her, and not just needs her? Will Izzy and Eden ever believe what the other one tells them? Or is their reconciliation over before it even started?

Trust, trust, trust is the issue in this story. Eden doesn't trust Izzy. Izzy doesn't trust Eden. Jenn doesn't trust Dan. Dan doesn't trust Izzy. My God, no one in this book trusts what the other person tells them. The Gillman family has to be the most dysfunctional that I've read about in a while. No wonder Dan sometimes acts like a judgmental ass! But Jenn is such a positive, calming influence on him, and I'm glad he could appreciate her--I had no doubt in this book that Dan really loved Jenn.

Eden and Izzy? Smokin' hot sexually, but a big failure to communicate verbally with these two. Neither one trusted the other when they said "I love you". These two drove me nuts! I wanted them to sit down and talk and really listen and for once believe what the other was telling them!

Izzy and Dan? Lots of arguing, lots of rubbing each other the wrong way (as usual). But at the end of the book, you can see these two (with a common goal) came to an understanding, and I can see them as actually being friends! Go figure.

The star/hero of this book was Izzy Zanella. SB put him out there front and center, and he delivered. He's funny, he's irreverent, he's passionate, he's an ass... and he's a great guy. And he loves with all his heart. Yes, he would be exhausting to live with, but your life would never be dull. I think SB did him proud. This was her love story to him, and he shined.

So fans of theTroubleshooters, I think you should like this one. Fans know to expect that SB has her views about certain subjects, and as expected, she works them into the storyline. The writing is vintage Brockmann and loaded with detail and humor. You'll love the calm, steady, Jenn, you'll appreciate the man Dan becomes, you'll marvel at Eden's gutsiness and new found maturity, and you'll root for Izzy to get the HEA that he doubts will happen for him. You'll feel the love that Dan has for Jenn, and you'll tear up when she finally realizes it; you experience the heat between Eden and Izzy and hope that it can translate into something more, and you'll cheer when Izzy and Dan show what Navy SEALs are made of in the exciting conclusion. Your heart will break when you hear the truth about Eden's past, and the unspeakable things that were done to brave Neesha. You'll get the warm fuzzies when Dan and Eden finally reconcile their differences. You'll touch base with Mark and Lindsey Jenkins, and hear from Jules Cassidy. And you'll smile when you realize that Eden/Izzy and Dan/Jenn will be spending a lot more time together raising young Ben. I can just imagine the get-togethers... SB doesn't leave much hanging, except maybe the career paths of Dan, Eden, and Jenn. We might have to wait awhile for that, because this is the last Troubleshooters story for now. I just hope Suzanne Brockmann doesn't forget about these characters when she finally writes Jay Lopez's story. After all, Jay, Mark, Izzy and Dan are best buddies--they have to be in it. For this one? 4 1/2 stars

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 and dramatic like a freakin’ Jerry Springer episode for most of the book. I mean, talk about some seriously f*cked up, dysfunctional people in need of major counseling. Jeez.

Dan Gillman is such an asshat, and I think Jenn deserves so much better. I never forgave him for that crass comment he made about Jenn being a chunky consolation prize in Hot Pursuit. I just think in the real world Jenn would probably wake up one morning with a big eureka aha “WTF did I do with my life?!” moment and dump Dan and run back to her career in New York.

I still love sweet, funny, adorable, goofy, and protective Izzy, and I came to care about Eden much more than I had before in this. Was I satisfied with their HEA? For the most part, yes, but it sure was a winding and mighty bumpy road to get there. It’s not my favorite addition to the Troubleshooters saga by any means, but Brockmann’s superior storytelling still kept me transfixed as always, so I’m giving this 4 stars.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eden Gillman has moved to Las Vegas to try to get custody of her younger brother, Ben, from their violent stepfather. She has appealed for help to her older brother Dan who is currently in a hospital in Germany recovering from injuries suffered in Afghanistan. But when that fails, she turns to her estranged husband, Izzy Zanella. Even though Izzy hasn't seen Eden in a year, he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind. Izzy and Eden,Eden Gillman has moved to Las Vegas to try to get custody of her younger brother, Ben, from their violent stepfather. She has appealed for help to her older brother Dan who is currently in a hospital in Germany recovering from injuries suffered in Afghanistan. But when that fails, she turns to her estranged husband, Izzy Zanella. Even though Izzy hasn't seen Eden in a year, he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind. Izzy and Eden, along with Dan and his girlfriend Jenn, band together to help Ben when he gets mixed up with some nefarious criminals.

The 16th book in Brockmann's Troubleshooters series is a little different from the rest. This book was a little more about social issues and family dynamics than the usual terrorist plot. I was happy to see Izzy back with Eden, and Danny back with Jenn. The romance portions of the book were split evenly between the two pairs. The suspense portion really doesn't kick into full gear until the last third of the book. It didn't matter. I enjoyed this story anyway. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

2023 Re-read: I didn't like this book as much this time around as I did when I read it years ago. This time around, I wasn't as forgiving of Dan and some of the stupid things he said and did. I'm sure he loves Jenn, but she deserves better. It took a long time to get to the suspense portion of the book, but I thought it ended up being the best part of the story. My rating: 4 Stars.
along with Dan and his girlfriend Jenn, band together to help Ben when he gets mixed up with some nefarious criminals.

The 16th book in Brockmann's Troubleshooters series is a little different from the rest. This book was a little more about social issues and family dynamics than the usual terrorist plot. I was happy to see Izzy back with Eden, and Danny back with Jenn. The romance portions of the book were split pretty evenly between the two pair. The suspense portion really doesn't kick into full gear until the last third of the book. It didn't matter. I enjoyed this story anyway. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

2023 Re-read: I didn't like this book as much this time around as I did when I read it years ago. This time around, I wasn't as forgiving of Dan and some of the stupid things he said and did. I'm sure he loves Jenn, but she deserves better. It took a long time to get to the suspense portion of the book, but I thought it ended up being the best part of the story. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 Reread
My original opinion still stands but I had a little less tolerance for Eden and Izzy’s miscommunications throughout the story as his everyone around him knew the depth of his feelings for Eden. Why he retreated from that here was less understandable for me this second time around. Otherwise, my level of enjoyment stayed the same but significantly enhanced by the audio performances.

Original Review
This 16th book in the Troubleshooters series is primarily Izzy and Eden's story, where we see both of them do a bit of growing up. Dan Gillman and Jenn LeMay also have their moment but to a lesser extent.

We have an opportunity to delve into the dysfunctional past of the Gillman family and learn more about Eden and Dan and why their relationship is so fractured. Their youngest sibling, Ben, is introduced and is central to them finding a way to create a healthier relationship.

The excitement stems from a relationship Ben forms with a young girl who has escaped from sex slave traders. Izzy and Dan end up having to play team to deal with the men from the organization who have threatened their family. While it doesn't rise to the complex level we've seen in previous TS books, it serves as a mechanism to explore the complexities of Izzy and Eden, which on the surface may sound like an oxymoron.

Both Izzy and Eden's backstories will have you reassessing the two characters and having a greater appreciation for the both of them. You see a side of Izzy that you didn't know he had and understand the underpinnings of his personality. The real transformation is with Dan Gillman, who has appeared to be one of the more shallow characters in the series. It was interesting to see all this develop and culminate at the end of the story.

While Brockmann has intimated this may be the last book in the series, she's left some loose ends for at least one more story. This might be accomplished through the short stories she plans to publish. Let's hope so.

I thought this was a good story, full of humor and sadness. You'll pull for Izzy and Eden and maybe find redemption for Dan Gillman. I enjoyed it and highly recommend the book.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

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!

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 here’s a reminder in case it’s been awhile since you read the last book. From the cover –

Sometime in the not too distant past, the once torrid romance between Eden Gillman and her Navy SEAL husband Izzy Zanella took a drastic cooling turn. Both seem permanently wedded to mutual disdain, but then something happens that changes the chemistry: Eden discovers that her younger brother Ben is the victim of abuse by his stepfather. To rescue him from the tyrant's custody, she knows that she must reconstruct her tattered relationship with the man that she had most cherished. What she doesn't yet realize is the full saving strength of that lovers' reunion.

That’s as far into the plot as I’m going to go, other than to say that the other couple in the story is Dan Gillman and Jennilyn LeMay, whose relationship also ended on a sour note before it ever had a chance to begin.

To be honest, I hadn’t planned to ever read this book because I wasn’t all that sure I’d be able to enjoy it. Honestly, those Gillman siblings left me less than impressed at the end of the last book and in fact, I was pretty well miffed with them both. Eden, even though she was young and immature, seemed very selfish to me, more-so than her age would have excused, and Dan… well Dan was just an ass and there was no excuse for him. There was no doubt in my mind that the best thing for Izzy and Jennilyn would have been to cut their losses, walk away, never look back, and forget they ever heard the Gillman name.

Thank God that didn’t happen, because for me this book ended up being all about the relationships!

I found myself quickly engrossed in the story and while I still had issues with some of Eden’s choices, I have to say that Izzy had more than his fair share of not-too-bright decisions, too. There were many times when I really wanted to yell at them both and tell them that they were too needy, too insecure to be in any kind of relationship together, let alone a romantic one! Fortunately by the end of the book I could see that they truly did love one another and keeping in mind that not all relationships are perfect, but if two people want to make it work, they can. That’s the hope I have for Izzy and Eden.

Now, as for Dan and Jenn - If you read the last book you’ll recall that he had said some rather crappy things about women who are not built model thin, and he said it in ear shot of Jennilyn who is a healthy, attractive, plus sized woman, who he was sleeping with. I was so, so angry. So. Angry. Not because the comment was just about the size of the woman, but because it was about how much easier heavy women are to get into bed and keep there because they don’t have as many options as skinny women do - they're needier and are grateful for what they can get. And I was even angrier than Jennilyn didn’t kick his sorry ass out the door. Where was her pride?? Instead, she gave him the chance to prove himself and at the time I really, really thought she was pathetic. Wow… very few books have touched a nerve with me the way this one scene, in this one book, did. Just thinking about it after all this time sends my blood pressure up a few notches! My point in telling you all this is that because of what took place before, I had a hard time cheering for Danny and Jenn’s happily ever after. I just didn’t get the level of groveling I needed from Dan to prove to me that even though he was an ass back then, he’d redeemed himself enough to deserve such a wonderful, caring woman as Jennilyn. By the end of the book, even though I wasn’t one of their biggest fans, I did find myself happy for them and hoping that their life together would be one of nothing but happiness.

As I said, the only reason I wanted to read this book was to find out what happened with both couple's happily ever afters. The story itself - the underlying plot - was good, but there were definitely times when I wasn't interested in what was happening and skipped ahead to the relationships. I wasn't as impressed with the flow of the story as I have been with past books but still found that I couldn't put it down. So despite the angst, the misunderstandings and the many Too Stupid To Live moments from some our characters, namely those Gillmans, I really enjoyed this book. But, I need to get something off my chest. Here goes:

Over the last several books we were introduced to Jules Cassidy, a gay FBI agent who I adored! Funny, sexy, intelligent… he had all the makings of a great character and I loved his role in the stories, especially his happily ever after which was so well deserved! So what’s the problem? Well, I’ve started to feel like Ms. Brockmann is using her books as a soapbox from which she is lecturing her readers on tolerance and acceptance of those among us who are gay or lesbian. Yes, it sucks that there are still people out there who think they have the right to tell another human being who they can or cannot love. And yes, I understand that they are her books and that she can write them how she sees fit, but there reaches a point when, as a reader, I get tired of being preached to and this has become an ongoing theme in the last few books. Anti-war, racism, prejudice, or save the Abbot’s Booby… regardless of the issue at hand, I feel that musicians, celebrities, authors, and in this case, Ms. Brockmann specifically, would do better to reach out to people other than her devoted fans who have followed the series from the beginning and who have loved every minute of it.

I can only imagine what it would be like to live with so much intolerance and hatred directed at me because I don’t fit someone else’s idea of what “normal” should be, but it’s one thing to promote public awareness by writing stories and scenes in which your characters show us what it’s like, and it’s another thing entirely to beat your readers over the head with it, book after book. Ms. Brockmann, I admire your dedication to this cause that is so near and dear to your heart, but we get it, and we stand with you, however we aren’t the ones who are in need of the constant reminder.

So, now that I have that off my chest, for those who are still with me, I’d like to share two of my favorite quotes from the book. They both come from the hilarious mouth and mind of Izzy Zanella, and are a small sampling of the witty writing that I loved so much in this book.

“You don’t need that information,” Cassidy said. “Unless you can reassure me that you’ll limit your participation to surveillance only.” He cleared his throat rather loudly.

“Cross my heart,” Izzy said, “and if I lie, sweet baby jeebus can poke me in the eye.”

“Fabulous,” Cassidy said, dryly. “I’m completely reassured.”

-----AND-----

“Call me when you arrive,” Dan said, still doing his best imitation of the admiral of the fleet, but then added, “Please.” Probably only because Jennilyn was standing beside him and had given him a nudge. No doubt about it, the woman brought out the non-asshole-ish side of the fishboy.

“I will,” Izzy said. And if Dan could play nice for Jenn’s benefit, Izzy could do the same. “Thanks for calling me.”

There was a pause; then: “Thank you – for helping like this. I, um, really appreciate it, man.”

Izzy hung up his phone, aware that somewhere to the South Satan was ice skating while flying pigs did loop-de-loops overhead.

I’m hoping that the information I heard, that this would be the last Troubleshooter book for a long while, is wrong. I love Ms. Brockmann’s heroes and heroines, the exciting storylines and the truly wonderful happily ever afters that have kept me coming back for more. There are still so many amazing characters waiting to tell their stories, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that one day they’ll get their chance.

I'm giving Breaking the Rules 4 stars solely because of Izzy, who I unashamedly adore. There's just something about this incredible Navy SEAL who, despite his physical, mental and emotional strength has such a vulnerable heart. I just want to bring him home and love him forever.

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Cross My Heart Writings and Reviews

Breaking The Rules, Troubleshooters #16, covers about every social situation you can think of as Brockmann continues her campaign of tackling the big issues head on - dysfunctional family, abusive parents, child sex trafficking, prostitution, life as a gay person, religious cult-like interventions, kidnapping, alcohol/drug addictions, custody issues, emotional immaturity, relationship phobia, lack of communication . . . it’s all here.  At times, it borders on emotional overload, but this author (one of the queens of multiple plots) weaves it all into a spellbinding story that kept me turning the pages. 

Family dynamics plays a major role in Breaking The Rules.  Most of the book centers around the extremely dysfunctional Gillman family and the problems that occur when Eden resolves to get her little brother Ben away from their abusive step-father.  The danger level escalates when Ben gets involved with Neesha, a young, homeless girl who managed to escape imprisonment by child sex traffickers.  Izzy steps in to help Eden, resulting in Izzy and Dan having to work through their differences to do what SEALS do – Save the day!

I’ve been waiting for Izzy’s story since he first strutted across the pages leaving one-liners in his wake.  I’ve always felt there was a greater depth to this man who used jokes as a shield.  Izzy can be so funny & flippant, but he’s also smart, protective, dependable, passionate, and so HOT.  The sexual chemistry between Izzy and Eden is like matches & gasoline – explosive!  But the miscommunication between these two is a killer as their lack of trust in each other almost does them in.  The same issue exists between Dan and Jenn.  They love each other – problem is how do they make each other believe it? 

Per Brockmann style, readers are treated to more than one story/romance in Breaking The Rules.  While there were times I wanted to slap some sense into both couples – Izzy & Eden and Dan & Jenn – it was a satisfying journey watching them fumble their way to a hea.  Add in detailed plot lines rich in emotional turmoil, action, and lots of sex and you’ve got another great addition to the series!  A Must Read!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

04/23/2023: My opinions about this book haven't changed much. I do think that Brockmann tried to cram way too much in this plot. The pace was fast and the action at the end was fantastic. Izzy is my man - he can do no wrong and the way he thinks out of the box saved the day.

07/22/2016: I love Suzanne Brockmann and am reading this book with a lot of sorrow, as this is the last of the Troubleshooters series and I've loved every book. It is a little different than her other books. This one doesn't revolve around the Troubleshooters or SEAL Team 16, specifically. It is about Izzy Zanella and the dysfunctional Gilman family.

Izzy and Dan Gilman have a long contentious history which got even worse when Izzy married Dan's sister, Eden. When Izzy saves Dan's life in A-stan, Dan has to reevaluate how he views Izzy. Dan also has make some hard decisions regarding his girlfriend, Jenn, his brother, Ben, sister Eden and his career as a SEAL.

Izzy is madly, insanely in love with Eden, but she is 19 going on 40 with experience no 19-year-old should have. Dysfunctional is mild term when it comes to the Gilman family. She was pregnant with another man's baby when Izzy married her. She lost the baby and disappeared from Izzy's life, running to Germany and a friend there for 10 months. Izzy made countless trips there to try and see her and was turned away by the friend each time. I get the feeling that someone is playing god here with their lives. Eden is back in Las Vegas to help Ben. She needs money, lots of it, and takes a job stripping.

Ben Gilman is 15 and living in Hell with a drunk step-father and absent mother in Las Vegas. He makes friends with Reesha, who is a victim of the sexual slave trade. Neesha was 8 when she was sold and 16 when she escaped and met Ben. She is on the run from these people and Ben wants to help but doesn't know how.

Soap box topics: Human trafficking; reprograming gay camps; illegal immigration.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 college with my roommate Helen overreacting to everything with either a crass comment or tears. It got old then and it's really old now.

Also, while I share Brockmann's politics, there are times in the book where her politics got in the way of the story. I felt like I was reading a speech rather than a novel and I read the books because they're novels, not looking for political rhetoric.

Still, I was nearly late to work in desperation to finish this book. Brockmann's grabs you by the nose in all of her books and leads you around this world she's created. I may get irritated, but I still enjoy the ride.

I probably won't rush out for the next one though. I'll go back and visit Senior Chief Wolchonok to remind myself what Brockmann's like when she's completely on her game.

[peachygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know which is more addictive.. this series or Izzy 😅

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jennifer - The Book Admirer · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. Any time she doesn't get her way, she runs away, often into danger. Izzy deserves better. All she has to do is cry (which happens in pretty much every scene)--AND, Brockmann constantly tells us that Eden is "stoic" and hides her emotions.--um, in what world are you living!?!?!?!! This "woman" bursts into tears every five minutes and then runs away, slamming doors like a toddler.

2. Ben. He was fine at first, but then he started acting all self-righteous, bossing people around and telling them how to live their lives. One of my biggest pet-peeves is when a side character butts into the business of the two MCs, telling them how to act, and it's even worse when it's a freaking KID telling them! What right does he have??? AND THEN, there's the thing he does toward the end: Goes out to get himself kidnapped! The idiot! HE KNEW baddies were after him.

3. The cliches. In 99.99% of romance novels, at least one character threatens the life of the hero - "I'll kill you if you hurt her" etc... Why does that have to be in EVERY book? I find myself waiting for it to happen. Is it in some rule-book?

HOW TO WRITE A ROMANCE NOVEL 101

Step 1. Make the heroine a whiny, I-turn-independence-into-bullheaded-idiocy, immature b**ch.

Step 2. Have at LEAST one character threaten to murder the hero for no reason whatsoever.

Step 3. Throw in a stupid kid who acts more like an adult than the heroine, then have him boss the MCs around, telling them how to live their lives (since we all know 15-year-olds know EVERYTHING about relationships and totally have the right to tell adults what to do, since they clearly are smarter).

Step 4. Remember that heroine? Yeah, make sure she bursts into tears in EVERY SCENE! You can't have a strong heroine unless she also has a vulnerable side, aka she tends to act like a 10-year-old. Also, be certain that the heroine's tantrums lead to the hero begging for her forgiveness, even though he's done nothing wrong.

Step 5. If you're going to have two couples, this is what you should do: Make ONE of the men likable, and ONE of the women likable. You CANNOT have more than TWO likable characters. This is important. You don't want your readers to like or relate to the characters.

Step 6. The UNLIKABLE hero, aka Hero #2. Make sure he's an a-hole up until the VERY LAST PAGE. Have him hold onto irrational anger and hatred for no reason. He needs to INSULT his heroine, too, and make her feel insecure. Also, he absolutely HAS to hate the other hero and heroine for no reason. Preferably, have him call the other heroine a whore or slut throughout the book.

Step 7. Let the "other" heroine get her revenge on Hero #2. What you want to do is set it up so she thinks Hero #2 is physically abusive, and have her accuse him of this to his face for extra drama - be sure the whole situation is unrealistic. For example, set the scene up like this:

Hero #2 is attempting to push his heroine out of his path, but then somehow he accidentally punches her in the face. Now, we know that her shoulders are not on the same level with her face, so we also know this is borderline impossible. Perfect! I know I grab someone's shoulders with clenched fists! All the better to GRIP onto said shoulders!

Step 8. Continue the theme of Heroine #1 throwing pity parties for herself, and have this lead to the hero apologizing to her some more. Now, this is very important, so read carefully: It is ESSENTIAL that the heroine come off as ridiculous, self-pitying, immature, whiny, stupid, and ungrateful. AND construct it so your readers are on the hero's side, but then have him grovel anyway. Why? Readers LOVE when books make them so mad they want to rip out their own hair. In addition, have the heroine say something like "You are not allowed to look at me anymore" while screaming at the top of her lungs in one of her tantrums, but ALSO have her boss the hero around to make her a hypocrite, 'cause who doesn't love a hypocrite? AND, have her say "I hate you" to her hero over and over, like a little kid. Remember, make her A TOTAL witch. Have her cry while she's being a witch so no one can get mad at her for said witchiness.

Step 9. Throw in an irrelevent subplot just because you can, and also to add more drama and force the book to be bulkier. Have the subplot be really, really annoying, and have it go nowhere until the VERY end. Make sure each time you switch to the subplot, you essentially write the same scene over and over. For example:

Create a little illegal immigrant girl. Have her evading baddies. Every time she's on the scene, make sure she's either A. running away from baddies, B. running away from the good guys, or C. spying on the baddies. Try to make all the scenes feel the same, and make the girl have the same exact thoughts during every scene, too, because readers like to be bored and annoyed at the same time.

Step 10. Sprinkle in little things here or there that are sure to annoy your reader. Have your likable hero portrayed as the bad guy and your unlikable heroine as the good guy. Have your likable heroine forgive your unlikable hero for everything he does after he says "sorry." Don't have him elaborate.

Step 11. Your unlikable heroine must also be REALLY FULL of herself. She must constantly think about how beautiful she is. Have her dwell on how she can never get a job, because no matter where she works, guys will be pawing her. Have her say the only two places to work are McDonalds or a strip club. No other stores exist. Now, we all know pretty women go to work all the time without getting pawed and having hands stuffed up their shirts, but that doesn't matter because we want this to make no sense. We want readers to be thinking: Well, I'm considered pretty...why don't I have this problem? Or, I know someone gorgeous, why not them? WELL, because NO ONE is as beautiful as EDEN! DUH!

Step 13. Give the unlikable heroine a long, drawn-out, extremely ridiculous sob-story so all the characters will think she's awesome! As a bonus, have every single male character in the book, save for Hero #2 and his little gay brother, be a pervert who forces the heroine into some type of sexual situation. Have these sexual situations be unavoidable and make her be seen as a hero.

Step 13. In the end, have your unlikables both be just as unlikable as they were at the start. Maybe give them a few moments of nice, smart, kindness, but then forget it! They're back to being jerks.

Step 14. Have this book be the last in the series (for now, at least) so that people will already like the series, and won't be able to give it a low rating, since, well, THEY LOVE YOU!

But...really.

Love Izzy and Jenn. Hate Dan and Eden. I did enjoy the book because I love this series and like I said, Izzy and Jenn. Dan had a few redeemable moments, while Eden had maybe one, but all the same it WAS interesting, and there were moments I really enjoyed. Plus, Izzy is hilarious. It so completely annoyed me, though, hence my 101. That being said Brockmann's talent is in creating unique, stand-out characters, whether they're annoying or not. I've NEVER read about characters like ANY of the ones in this book--or this series, for that matter, so three stars for that alone, really, and one more for Izzy. No doubt she's an amazing author and I'll pick up anything she writes in the future. Oh, and despite what I said about the subplot, I do love Nisha. I want to adopt her haha.

I really don't mean this review to be totally negative. It really isn't a bad book.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT DID THE LETTER SAY????

Had to get that off my chest. What did it say? Was it a kiss off? Did it reveal her love? Was it an explanation as to why she acted the way she did? Doesn't Izzy want to know???? Why didn't he even ask?

Anyway, this was a hard book to review/rate. Great story. Fast moving. But it was so angsty. So much sadness. Also, there was zero communication--even up to the end. I hate that.

If this book didn't have Izzy's rambling and joking, I wouldnt have liked it nearly as much. I loved listening to him make jokes about things and I love how he processes things.

The suspense part was not very suspenseful, but it was really sad. Child slavery/trafficing is just a sad topic. I loved Ben.

Dan did grow up and he did prove his love to Jennilyn. However, he's still an asshat. I just didn't really like him.

Izzy and Eden were great to read about. I'm just not convinced of their HEA. Happy for now--totally. But Eden is just a child and she's had such a hard life. We did learn some of her heartbreaking past and it was horrific. She's had no positive life experienes outside of Izzy. I think that's a lot to pin on one man. Especially a man like Izzy, who's not the most grown up man.

Overall, great story. I didn't miss Sam and Alyssa, but I did miss the comraderie of the other Troubleshooters.

Great addition to the Troubleshooters series. Looks like it'll be the last for a while.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally.... Izzy's book! Izzy has long been my number one man from Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series (and with so many wonderful heroes in there to choose from, that's saying something!). I suppose it was inevitable that his long-awaited story was not quite the awesomeness that I was hoping for, but Brockmann is such a wonderful writer that it's hard to feel too disappointed.

Whilst I didn't think Izzy was given quite the opportunity to shine in this angst-ridden story, and Dan continued to be a bit of a downer, the author writes such amazing characters and tight plots that you cannot fail to be entertained. No one writes a military hero quite the way that Brockmann does, and she really brings her men to life. I love that about her books.

I don't think the child sex trade suspense element quite worked for me, and not because of the confronting nature of the topic, but because I always wanted those parts to hurry up so I could get back to the main characters. I loved Izzy and Jen and was happiest when they were on the page. Lucky they are such great characters, because their respective partners Eden and Dan are not among my favourites. And yet, I still really enjoyed it!

I'm so sad that Brockmann is taking a break from this series, and I hope she hears the whispers of these characters calling to her soon - there are still so many amazing stories to be told and I don't think I could ever get tired of these books.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Izzy, liked Eden, Hated Dan, and felt sorry as hell for Jenn for marrying that SOB. This story was frustrating at time, but also nail biting at other times. Bottom line I couldn't put it down despite the many times I rolled my eyes. I'm happy to have read it, but I think SB is doing the right thing by ending this series on a high note.

[TinaNoir · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the only time I have ever DNF'd a Suzanne Brockmann book, but at least I made it through 50% of the book. I probably should have bypassed this book because I heartily disliked Izzy and and Eden as a couple in the previous books and I disliked Danny Gilman's attitude about the whole thing.

This book changed nothing. In fact, it was kinda worse. I thought there would be some growth with Eden but I thought her treatment of Izzy was still bad. And I love Izzy to death but I was never convinced of his great love of Eden and I hated even more how apologetic he seemed.

But beyond that, I was just not interested in the depressing domestic drama with the unrelentingly downtrodden, Hurricane Katrina displaced Gillman clan (complete with an abusive step-father, disinterested mother, and a gay-diabetic bullied brother). Added to that was a weird subplot about a child-prostitution-slavery ring that contributed to the downer vibe.

As I decided to stop reading, I thought nostalgically of the earlier books in the series when the plots consisted of these big, bad SEALS rescuing people from countries that end in -stan, or negotiating to take hostages off a terrorist hijacked airplane. Much more exciting than struggling through the travails of a whiny, immature girl-child.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I apologize in advance because this is more of a rant than a review. But, I figured something out with this book. I started out as a fairly big fan of Suzanne Brockmann's books, but I've been less than thrilled with the ones she's put out over the last several years, and I (duh!) finally figured out why. Her books still have great characterization, dialog, and a good story, but she's done what has killed my relationship with so many fictional authors, and entertainers which is to use her books as a soapbox. UGH! I can't stand that. Even when I agree with their stand on an issue, as I do with story. And I really do appreciate her passion in regards to certain issues. But, when I read a book, watch a movie, listen to music etc. I'm doing so because I want to be entertained. And frankly, I don't find long, repeated paragraphs beating the same dead horse issue in every single book entertaining. We get it already! Yeesh!

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 story itself is adequate although a good 2/3 of the book is devoted to either vast amounts of introspection or dithering about why one character does or does not trust/love another character. Only the last quarter of the book involved any form of real action. This is unfortunate because the central Big Bad - a ring of child prostitute human traffickers - is a real evil that deserves thorough treatment.

And also unfortunately, Brockmann uses this vehicle as a bully platform for her pro-Gay Rights agenda. While I am firmly in the pro-Gay Rights camp, I find being hit over the head with how truly eeeevil anti-gay people are to be a bit tiresome. I do believe that those conversion camps exist and are probably not only vile to the nth degree but possibly even illegal, Brockmann is preaching to the choir. I'd much rather get a dose of see-gay-people-are-normal-and-great via Jules Cassidy or giving Ben a bit more power over his own life.

While I'll always look on the Troubleshooter series fondly as one of the best written and most entertaining in contemporary romantic fiction, I do think the quality of the stories has declined over the course of its run. I'll go back to "Out of Control" and "Over the Edge" and "Flashpoint" for my rereads. This one will probably get dusty on the proverbial shelf.

[Mitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 teammate Danny Gillman’s sister.

Danny (being a total a-hole) thinks his sister is a looser an insults her time every time he see her/opens his mouth, dislikes Izzy for befriending/wedding her and fights with him every chance he gets….But then is called upon to help Eden/Izzy rescue his younger brother Ben escape from his mom/step dad’s cruelty and has to face the realities of life they endured when he left them behind and joined the Navy. His girlfriend Jenn (from previous book) joins in the search too, giving us Izzy + Eden /Danny + Jenn double book romantic pleasures.

Add in the sex slave trade plot…(Ben’s young foreign friend Neesha) that also needs rescuing and wow…this book is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.

I’ve just recently discovered/read this entire Troubleshooter Series over the last couple months, so Izzy/Dan’s relationships with Eden/Jenn’s are pretty fresh in my mind from previous appearances. (Many of the characters from this series are involved in more than one book) and I loved seeing them get their HEA. I may be biased, but I’m giving this book an A. I truly love it!!!

[Nelungwe · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 (this was said so many times, it got really old!) I don't think justice was done to Izzy who had been a great supporting character in the other books. Random events from Eden's past (Katrina) were thrown in and didn't seem to fit. In my opinion, the action was too little too late. I was reduced to skimming, just to get through the book. Ms Brockman has written so many great books that I almost found it hard to believe she penned this one.

[Jennifer Probst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am crazy about Brockmann's SEAL team, and adore Izzy. Unfortunately, I just never warmed up to Eden, but the story is still great and I don't think I ever read a bad book by this author. Dan is another SEAL I felt lukewarm about for some reason - but there's some great action.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, maybe.

This one was my least favorite in the series, I think. Too much angst, too predictable, and too crowded with plots.........

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start with non spoiler generalities. Then I'll separate some spoilerish things below.

In general the book was well written with good pacing. The dialog was good as I've come to expect from SB. Both Izzy and Dan kept their male distinctive voices. This is of course not a stand alone novel and should not be read without having read at least the last 2 books before this one.

I feel a little bit let down after reading this book. Is it because I expected too much? I don't think so. Suzanne Brockmann can really rock my world with her writing and I continually reread novels in both of her SEAL series. The book is much more character driven than action driven. It is not nearly as suspenseful as others in this series. It's pretty much a book about people working things out. It's also quite a bit preachy about how gays are people too. (I expanded on that much more below if you want to read some spoilers.)

I think the biggest thing I had against it was that it lacked any "grand passion." There weren't any really big emotional moments in it.

Izzy has been my favorite character throughout the Troubleshooters series. I kind of think he deserved a better heroine than Eden. She was too young for him. Even though there was a bigger age difference between Max and Gina, (Breaking Point) it seemed to work better because Gina was much more adult. And there was passion there. Gina vehemently wanted/loved Max. Max was all angsty in love with Gina. Lots of passion. Maybe if Izzy and Eden's story had played out over several years instead of 8 months to allow her to grow up more I might have liked it better.

Danny was such a complex character throughout the series. I think he did deserve Jenni and she was great for him but he didn't really have room to shine here. I would have liked to see him have his own book.

SOME SPOILERS BELOW: I don't give away any action plot points just some thoughts on how relationships played out / were expressed. Still there's your warning.




Izzy spent most of the book not trusting Eden and thinking she was just using him so he just thought "fine I'll 'do' her until she leaves. I might as well get laid since I'm going to get hurt." I guess it lacked that 'never give up' component that I've seen in other SB heroes and I certainly expected from Izzy. So that Navy SEAL tenacity was just missing. Eden spends most of the book thinking that Izzy just wants her for sex.

We did get a much more in depth look at Eden's background and what made her the ways she was. So a few more years of growing and she would have been a much more interesting character. There's a much bigger difference between 19 and 30 than there is between say 25 and 36. When they did finally trust each other enough to accept the other loved them, the scenes were very short encompassing a few sentences, maybe 20 all told. They were pretty rushed also, mixed in the action scenes.

That's not a lot of emotional payoff for the reader who has stuck with this particular story for 4 years and 3 books. I think it's valid to expect a little more since in real life, when people figure out they love each other, there is usually a compulsion to go over the issue and past happenings with each other while applying the filter of the new understanding. There were also a few elements that were left dangling which pertained to their relationship during the time they were apart that seemed as if the author didn't know what to do with ideas she had set up in other books so basically glossed over them.

Danny and Jenni's story ended here also. I felt like they were given short shrift. Their thoughts and emotions were left up to the reader's imagination quite a bit. There were moments that I really enjoyed for example when Danny tells Eden that Jenni is training him to be human and kisses are his reward for doing that right things. Danny is still an ass but he does learn. Jenni is pretty much a cipher/straight man throughout the book. Here again, there was a lack of passion. I think we needed to see a bit more of the thought processes of the two of them. It was more implied than shown. Danny keeps proposing and Jenni keeps turning him down and you're pretty sure that Danny knows he loves her and you're also pretty sure that Jenni thinks he is only proposing because it's convenient. But I don't want to have to guess. This story line lacked the emotional punch it had in Hot Pursuit, the book where they met.

Danny and Izzy bury the hatchet. Parts were realistic and parts were a little too easy/magical.

There were two suspense plot lines here. Neither of which was particularly suspenseful. I know that SB can write better suspense. (Into the Storm) The bad guys were not developed well enough to make them truly scary. Just the fact that there were two suspense plot lines going diluted the story in my opinion.

Eden and Danny's little brother, Ben, was an interesting character but I think SB used him too much as a bully pulpit about how to treat gays rather than letting him shine as an individual. He seemed to have a lot of spunk and intelligence but he never really got to use it. I think he should have been shown using that intelligence rather than using most of his page time to spout the gay pride party line. I realize than part of the plot involved this anti gay camp and that's fine if that was the main thrust of the suspense but it really wasn't. It just seemed to be in there to 'teach' us neanderthals about gay people. The child slavery thing was more suspenseful and Ben could have used his ingenuity to help with his friend Neesha's dilemma. That's really were I expected the story to go and I think he could have been a strong element there. But instead, I was taught again about being sensitive to gays. In my opinion, there was too much emphasis on Ben being gay. I have three gay cousins and a transsexual cousin and worked for several years for a lesbian small business owner. Being gay/lesbian is not a major topic of their conversations on a daily basis. Their strengths and weaknesses are not based on their gayness. I liked Ben, I loved Jules, perfectly happy to read about them, but I'm not a gay basher and I'm a little bit tired of being preached to.

Maybe SB needs to write a Young Adult novel about Ben and just stick to heterosexual relationships in heterosexual romance novels. I think she could do a great job in a YA about Ben as long as the fact that he was gay wasn't the whole of the story, just as it isn't the whole of a person. If being gay was just a fact and the story was about Ben himself who seemed so real and resourceful when he was not spouting the gay party line.

Bottom line. I waited a long time for this book. I'm glad to finally have it. It wasn't as good as it could have been but it was certainly not a bad book. So definitely read it if you've read the others.

[Christi Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous ones IMO and quite disappointing.
This book was longer and frankly the first part seemed overstretched - the characters did not do any major development, they just kept arguing with each other, the plot started to set in place but it could have been done more efficiently. It was also very dark, especially with Neesha's experience recollection. The more I read about the way Jenn and Dan's relationship evolved, the less I thought it would last and the way they both took life-changing decisions without thinking them through and even though a few hours before they would have opposed those convinced me it would not.
It's been pointed out by many reviewers already, but it's true the pro-gay and anti "gay-straighting" camps proselystism was way excessive and totally missed its point because of that; any new mention of it started to irritate me to no end, even though I essentially agree with the message, but I don't like to be repeated it 10 times and in simplistic terms, as if I were an idiot. And frankly the "horror" of what Ben went through spending one night cuffed to his bed in the center, but without any in-depth brainwashing session because he did not even spend day hours there, can really not be compared to 8 years, 3 months and a few days from 8 to 16 yo used as a prostitute for sick adults and I did not get that clear feeling reading the book that Ben's experience was not really horrific, though it might have got much worse .
The last third of the book got much better from the big family confrontation onwards, the pace of the story increased, the characters were faced with the other lies or misinterpretations and learnt to change their preset opinions and thus to start growing. But then everything got solved and the story ended very quickly with quite a few topics remaining open.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last summer I read the Troubleshooters books 1-15 consecutively and I was obsessed! I love the world that Brockmann created and I wanted more of it. Well, Breaking the Rules was not what I wanted. I judge a romance book by whether the hero is someone I would want all for myself and Breaking the Rules has not one but two heroes and they did absolutely nothing for me. Izzy was one of my favorite secondary character in past books but he and his estranged wife, Eden came across as horny and immature; they seem no different than the teenagers I teach and when I read I'm trying to escape the teenage angst I'm surrounded by not immerse myself more. With that being said, it's ironic to admit that my favorite character of the book was Eden's teenage brother, Ben.

In previous books Izzy was a great secondary character who was charmingly obnoxious but I realize now I enjoyed his scenes because they were balanced within a more exciting plot led by characters who were more mature. With him taking center stage in Breaking the Rules, I just found him just obnoxious.

Hero number two, Dan, I never liked. I disliked him when he was lusting over Sophia for several past books, and then I loathed him for his treatment of Jenn in Hot Pursuit. I just don't buy Dan and Jenn as a couple and it's not because Jenn isn't considered beautiful, it's because she is too good for him. I picture herself waking up a few years from now and saying, "What the H have I done? I gave up my career to marry a self-centered, know it all."

Breaking the Rules was a 2 1/2 stars for me and I think it is smart that Brockmann is taking a break from the series because she needs to refind her greatness that she showed in past Troubleshooter books, especially the early ones.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 I was extremely disappointed in this book, I requested it at the library before it was released and waited impatiently to read it and for what?

Maybe it is a good idea she closes out this series, because it is going downhill fast. If you enjoyed the rest of the Troubleshooters series, and I recommend it to anyone reading military romance, thriller, suspense filled books, then you may want to read this to keep up with the happenings in the characters lives.

I not sure what I hoped to get from this book, but I didn’t get anything more than a few wasted days reading, but maybe my tastes have changed. I just didn't like some of the way the characters reacted, it seemed out of character for them. Some of the story was heartbreaking and yet you could see how characters from other books were coming to help. Brockmann does a great job of bringing characters back from other books. I will miss this series, but even if she writes more I may be finished after reading this one. I would have reviewed it earlier, but I just kept pushing its scheduled date back for other books.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number one reason to like the book: Izzy
Number two reason to like the book: Izzy
& number three: Izzy
Oh! & how can i forget Izzy!
yes the book was a bit melodramatic, but it had Izzy in it & i don't know how much more you can ask for.
I am in the group that hates Danny and thinks that Jennilyn is too good for him, but there's not much i can do about it. I can just hope that she leaves him in the future or somehow deals with this belief that he's too good for her because the opposite is true.
Brockmann brought up a number of good ethical issues in this book. Nothing was more problematic than the whole beat-the-gay-out-of-you camps. While i am not a gay rights activist, I do believe in equal rights for all people and the whole camp thing was very disturbing to me.
The other thing is the sex slaves issue, which continues to be a problem in today's world. The emotions of escapes sex slaves isn't something that I have ever thought about and I was glad that brockmann brought it to my attention.
While this book is a work of fiction, Brockmann brings real life issues into the stories and really makes you take a look at your personal beliefs.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eden and Izzy, Jenn and Dan. Nice to see them get their HEAs. Another gripping and fast-moving addition to the series. Had a pretty nasty glimpse into a misguided and fanatical group trying to force gay teens into turning hetero. Eek. Also a very nasty child pornography/ sex trafficking ring got sprung along the way.

I really like this series. It's intense and sometimes I have to take a break from reading it, but I love the characters and I'm always drawn back to it.