Breaking the Rules: A Novel [Hardcover]

Well first of all let me mention, if you haven't read at least the past 4 or so novels of the Troubleshooters series, this is not the place to start. You will be lost and constantly thinking "Glehk - who are these messed up people and why on Earth should I even care?" And "Why in the world does that big girl put up with that total butthead anyway? Run Jenni! Run!!!"

The first 75% or so of the novel is completely bogged down in various forms of Gillman family dysfunction and the ways it has totally messed up the Gillman siblings - Dan, Eden and Ben. There are readers who enjoy angsty books and chapter upon chapter spent analyzing the ways parents can damage their children, with fists and with words. They are probably going to rate this book much higher than I have. I really can't say I'm one of them and on more than one occasion I almost put this book down for good.

I'll be honest, when I read my Navy Seals I really don't want to spend hours reading about them sitting around with tears in their eyes and talking about their feelings and how they've been victimized by society. Why is Dan such a jerk? Why is Eden such a slut? (excuse me, exotic dancer) Why has young Ben painted his finger nails black and is now walking around like a Marilyn Manson impersonator? No. Not for me, at least not from this author, because frankly - Brockmann really doesn't do this type of plot all that well. The characters are too one dimensional and stereotypical. These books she puts out anymore - it's like they don't even have characters. They have ISSUES which pose as characters.

I want ACTION. I want hi-jacked planes, romps through a jungle to escape the bad guys. I want thwarted terrorist plots and a couple of explosions. In other words, I want Suzanne Brockmann the way she USED to write.

In the final chapters the author seems to remember that she's supposed to be writing Romantic Suspense, and the suspense part of the story finally kicked in with kidnappings, rescues, shoot-outs with the bad guys and those Navy Seals finally doing what they do best, making our hearts pound. It really was almost enough to salvage the book, but take my word for it when I say this is no Over the Edge (Troubleshooters, Book 3) with Terri and Stan.

If you don't want spoilers, don't read this review...

Okay, I have loved Suzanne Brockmann for years. Have bought all of her books in hard cover etc. So, like most of the other reviewers listed, I was looking forward to this book.

So what happened to this story???

My problems with this book are as follows:

1. As so many others have stated more eloquently than I can, there were wayyyyy too many issues in this book. Each issue deserved a novel of it's own to do it justice. I won't say any more than that, as it has been talked about in other reviews.

2. The whole Ben story line left me cold. The whole "pray away the gay" just got to me. I have been a Christian for years and while I am saddened to admit there are certainly many people, who profess to be Christians, who seem to have a real problem with homosexuality, there are also others who don't. I know of many more who care very much about homosexuals, who don't judge them, who sincerely want them to lead successful, loving, productive lives, who believe that God loves them as they are. I would like to have seen at least one such character included to balance out the storyline. (Intolerence comes in many forms, SB. I'm not sure you aren't spreading some intolerence of your own by these type of storylines.)

3. Also, as someone who has been a social worker for over 20 years, I was horrified to see how Child Protective Services was portrayed here! Lots of misinformation in this book about how Ben would have been treated if CPS had gotten involved. Did the author do any research into how social services would treat such a case? No agency I have ever worked for would have treated it the way she stated. I personally think SB owes an apology to hardworking social workers everywhere with this portrayal.

4. I am so very tired of being preached to by this author about gay rights. Enough of the soap box, already! She seemed to be preaching about EVERYTHING in this book. Ugh.

5. I also have a real issue with SB talking about how "big" Jenn is. Really? The average woman in America is a size 12-14. Jenn is not quite a size 16 and she's tall, so no doubt she carries that weight pretty well on a tall frame. I love the character of Jenn and she could be a size 22 and it wouldn't bother me. She's smart and funny and caring. Her size just doesn't come into it for me, but the author keeps referring to it which I didn't get at all.

6. Also...so every man in America wants to victimize Eden? Really??? She really can't find any work other than as an exotic dancer? Sorry. I just didn't buy it at all. And I, too, feel like she was just "too young" for Izzy.

There was so much I didn't buy about this book that it would take too long to list.

My deepest disappointment is that I didn't feel the author did justice to herself, her characters, or to her fans with this book. Storylines were short shrifted and I just didn't find it engaging or satisfying.

I wish you luck with your future endeavors, Suzanne. And I thank you for the enjoyment I've had in the past with your other books. I'm just sorry this one didn't work for me.

I love Suz Brockmann and her books. I appreciate that she is very pro-gay, more power to her. But she has yet again gotten on her soapbox & preached to us in this novel. I just want to enjoy her story w/o being fed a public service announcment the whole time. It's getting a bit tiresome.

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