Subject: Max St. James, U.S. Army Sergeant First ClassCurrent Status: On leave after a year in Afghanistan.
Mission: Take some R & R. Check up on a buddy's little sister.
Obstacle: Sophia Castillo. Independent, stubborn...and hot enough to make him forget she's anybody's "little sister"
Max may be off duty, but he still has one last job to do. He's promised to look in on--but not fool around with --his best friend's kid sister. Only once he meets Sophia, all thought of keeping his hands to himself go out the window.
Sophia, however, has different ideas. A recent widow, the last thing she needs is another man telling her what to do. Even if that gorgeous man leaves her drooling in a puddle of lust....
It's a battle of wills. Who will end up on top? Max breaks every rule in the book to keep Sophia in his bed. After all, all's fair in love and war.
And Max is counting on life with Sophia being a little bit of both.
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of more than forty books, Tawny Weber loves writing about sexy heroes, most notably her popular Navy SEALs series. Her sassy, emotional romances are filled with men dedicated to being the best—and women determined to have the best. Tawny credits her ex-military alpha husband for inspiration in her writing, and in her life. The recipient of numerous writing accolades, including Romantic Times Reviewers Choice and in addition to the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists, Tawny has also hit the number one spot on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
A homeschooling mom, Tawny enjoys scrapbooking, gardening and spending time with her family and dogs in her Northern California home.
You can find Tawny on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Army Sergeant Maximilian St. James knows rules. He has lived his life following them in the Army, in his Mother's high society and the ones between best friends. Until he is asked by Rico to go and check on his sister while he is recuperating in the hospital. One look at Sophia and Max knows that some rules are meant to be broken. Ms. Weber does an excellent job of capturing the dynamics created by a large family of brothers with a sister they need to protect, a sister fighting for control of her life and an Army Sergeant wanting to make his own choices without his families influence. I highly recommend BREAKING THE RULES, a really HOT, HOT must read by Tawny Weber!
When Max got into town to check on her for her brother, i swear i felt the sparks here! The twists and turns and shock of the true problem kept me in suspense and loving every minute of this story. Thanks Tawny, you didn't disappoint!
Breaking the Rules broke me into gales of laughter and hilarity from the first chapter and kept me smiling and sighing all the way through.
I’m not kidding. Ms. Weber had me when the hero stepped up to the plate to deal with a heavy four foot artistic appendage that was causing all sorts of problems for the heroine. The one-liners and tongue-in-cheek comments aside, it was terrific to see a man do a good deed despite his knowing how it must look. Max is a dream.
I liked Max even though he was plagued with strict rules and regulations – some of his own making. Yet, he bends when he needs to because he can’t stop certain feelings. He’s determined to be true to himself no matter what. He’s never failed in that regard but in this story, he comes face to face with a myriad of doubts and challenges. He realizes that there’s more to life than walking the path dictated for him by what seems to be a stiff and unyielding family. The wake-up call was meeting Sophia. Sure he tries to resist. Yes, he tries to take control. He absolutely thinks he knows best. I respected Max a lot after Sophia gave him a set down. It’s his reaction to her antics, viewpoints and dilemmas which made him a true hero. Plus I adore his talented toes.
Sophia is a well loved woman who comes from a very big, boisterous and protective family. She’s made choices in her life and she’s born them with class and style but she’s also lost a piece of herself along the way. The story tells the tale at a point when she’s trying to get herself and her life back together. She wants control and independence. However, it’s not easy. In fact, it’s being sabotaged. She’s intuitive enough to realize that if things don’t change, she’s not going to make it. But what is she willing to do to make it happen? What will the price be? And what is it about herself or her business that is instigating such horrid acts against her? It was an eye opening revelation. Oh, did I forget to share with you the reason why she didn’t think her date with Max should end so soon? For some reason, I giggled like a loon when I read that part. She’s so cute.
Even though Sophia’s sense of humor and silliness is complimented with Max’s own, there is still a dramatic external conflict that haunts Sophia. Ms. Weber did a good job of making me think like she wanted me to. To accept the obvious culprit for all of Sophia’s troubles so when the great climactic confrontation occurred, I was truly shocked. I’d written off the villain’s initial reactions in the story as a simple snotty attitude. What it ended up being about was human feelings – as simple and as complicated as that. I was astounded at the lengths the villain went to in order to accomplish the goal. And Sophia’s reaction was not what I expected either. It endeared her to me and believe it or not, I found more reasons to say, ‘aww” and smile at a moment in time where books usually have the villains get their justifiable comeuppance without sympathy or pity.
Secondary characters are few but memorable and Sophia’s assistant is a delight. I enjoyed the dialogue throughout this story and I feel it’s one of this book’s strong points. I felt the pacing was brisk and I was completely entertained. The happily ever after was perfect for this tale. What it ended up being was a beautiful, emotional compromise with a delightful wrap up at the end that simply warmed my heart.
Breaking the Rules is total romantic entertainment with a hero and heroine I really enjoyed getting to know. I don’t think Ms. Webber missed a trick in bringing her characters to life for her readers and I had a great time. Who knew an art gallery could be so chaotic and fun?
#TawnysHotHeroes This was a great book, I loved it! Sergeant First Class Maximilian (Max) St. James was the EOD squad leader and was at the hospital with his good friend Specialist Rico Santiago who i injured on a mission that Max lead. Max is feeling guilty and Rico uses that to get him to visit Rico's sister Sophia when Max goes back to the San Francisco area to see his family. Rico tells Max that Sophia needs help and he wants Max to check on her. Max stops at her art gallery and is bowled over with her beauty. One of his rules is not to get involved with his buddies' sister, but he thinks he may have to break this rule. Sophia is coming off a marriage where her husband dominated her after living with a domineering father and brothers. She is not in the mood for Max to come in and try to take over her life. Max has always been the type to be in charge and get things done.
Max comes from money where his mother rules the roost. His father was a general in the army, but has passed away. His uncle who is also a general in the army has taken over as the male head. His uncle wants him at the Pentagon in a higher position. Max wants to stay in the where he is. He has conflict with his mother and his uncle, but tries to keep the peace. Sophia is stubborn and wants to learn to be in control of her life.
There are so many funny scenes that had me laughing. I didn't want to put the book down, but wanted to finish it. Of course once I finished the book, I wanted it to go on! I encourage you to get the book, you will be glad you did.
If you are a fan of Ms. Weber, you won’t be disappointed and if this is your first book by the author, you will become a fan forever.
Breaking the Rules is part of Harlequin’s Uniformly Hot series. In this one, our main characters are Max St James and Sophia Castillo. Max is an Army Sergeant on leave. One of his men, Rico, recently injured, asks him to check on his baby sister. She’s a widow having problems with her art gallery. Sophia, is struggling not only with her gallery, but has to deal with her step-daughter who is contesting the will. Max , though a total alpha male, is also perceptive, caring, respectful and wants to help Sophia, though he can also be a “bulldozer” in his actions. Sophia, is an independent , strong woman who after having to deal with her over protective brothers, is NOT willing to just be a wallflower woman. As any good book by this talented author, the sparks fly, the story has substance and you fall in love with both of these individuals. I promise you will be glad you took the time to read their story.
This book was gifted by the author for an honest review.
This story is another fun and engaging read from this author. Sophia and Max take readers on an adventure. Sophia is in the mists of a battle over her late husbands estate and is trying to regain her art gallery's classy reputation but someone does not want her to get that back and now her brother has sent Max to help her. Sophia does not want any help she just wants to fix it all and move on with her life. Yet it looks like she may need Max's help after all but that is all she wants and Sophia plans to keep it that way but Max may have plans of his own.
I quickly found myself immersed in Max and Sophia's story. I loved the banter and the interaction between the characters. Their story moves at a good pace and the characters are well fleshed out. Sophia and Max make a nice couple. The two compliment each other nicely and watching their relationship begin to take shape made for a good read.
Breaking The Rules is steamy, original, has it's funny moments, mystery, drama and romance, of course. Max and Sophia both have strong personalities and chemistry they can't hide. If you like Hot sexy guys, then he's one you'll love. He also has a caring personality, you'll be swooning if you like the alpha male kind of hero, perfection. Sophia's a heroine who wants her independence back and it might be hard with a guy like Max, or at least she thinks ;) They both have rules they don't want to break, but they eventually realize some rules are meant to be broken. Max has decisions to make regarding his future and also helps Sophia solve her problems, a mystery, and I honestly didn't figure out who the culprit was til the very end. I think I was too mesmerized by Max...
There are a lot of aspects that I like about this book. I like that she's a woman trying to hold her own. She's working hard to achieve her dreams even though it seems like the world is trying to make sure that doesn't happen. The erotic art angle was a nice little twist on the norm. It was nice that hero is good friends with the heroine's brother. This was more glamour girl than I am used to in my romances. Usually women in the novels I read don't wear stilettos. And they definitely don't think in terms of using feminine wiles but I still like the story. The only thing that bugged me was some of the descriptions of the heroine fell into the saucy Latina stereotype. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but I do know that it took away some of my enjoyment of the story.
This is the 14th book in the Uniformly Hot series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. I recommend reading series books in order for better understanding.
Sophia & Max meet under less than typical circumstances. He promised her brother he would look in on her. She is sick of being babied by another brother or friend.
Max just wants to pay his brother in arms back by doing a simple favor. How did he know the sister he was to check up on was seriously hot? His attraction aside, she needs him.
This was an amazingly hot and sexy story! I love the banter. The pages literally sizzle there is so much chemistry. Really fun read. Great addition to the series too.
***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review.
Breaking the Rules is a fun steamy read with good humor, a little mystery, and some spicy romance. I loved that both Max and Sophia are strong yet caring. Max's sense of humor is delightful and I found myself smiling quite often throughout the book. Although it's not a very long story it's still well filled out and I was super happy with the happy ending. The last few lines had me seriously swooning!
" In her mind's eye, she snapped a picture of this moment. Of their future together. She wouldn't need to analyze it though. She knew it was going to be amazing."
* Insert contented sigh here *
** I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. **
The story has laughs, steam, secrets, and heartbreak.
This is Sophia and Max’s story. Max was asked by his best friend to check on his little sister. Just check not to touch. But temptation might prove too much for Max. Sophia lost her husband and does not need a man ordering her around. Can Max bend her to his will? Or will a seduction be in order? What if she only needs one man in her life and she just fell into lust with him? Can these two come to an understanding or will Max have to walk out on her?
I was able to connect with the characters and the story was a great read.
I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next story from this author.
I love all books by Tawny Weber except this one. I just didn’t feel the characters of Sophia and Max. Something was missing in this book and I’m not sure what.
Usually Tawny has a way of drawing me into her books but this one I kept putting it down and I finally just made myself finish it. I was so disappointed in this one. Book #2 of this book is about Sophia’s bother and it’s a short story and it was so much more interesting.
Usual romance of hot military guy with good friend's younger sister. Twist here is that the guy is the privileged one, from old money, who wants nothing more than to make the service his life. But, oh, those pesky meddling families!
In this case, also some pretty weird happenings at the gallery being run by the lady. An OK story but not a nail-biter.
This book was good. I liked that there was a bit of a twist at the end. I liked how it was a best friend's sister romance. But I was a bit confused at first about how Sophia's brother was saying that his sister was off limits and then he told his sister that Max was good for her. I didn't catch the sense of joking in the writing. I would recommend this for any one who likes a military romance.
This was a fun, quick, steamy read. I loved the scene where the hero & heroine meet. I won't give any spoilers, but it was funny, original and the second reason I'll read more of Ms. Weber's books. The first reason is that I love her voice.
3.5 Stars - Breaking the Rules is an adult contemporary/military romance by Tawny Weber, and part of the Harlequin Blaze Uniformly Hot! series. The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell!
two strong main characters who are funny, witty, real, sarcastic at times, stubborn and also grow and learn about themselves as they learn about each other.
Very sexy book. It had good mystery elements to it as well, and the art gallery setting was classing. The heroine, Sophia, was a strong, likable character.
Interesting I learn a lot of things a character of morals and salute for the bravery soldiers greater respect. Romance Kilig factor and I hope to be able to read your other stories. God bless!