I have enjoyed every Larking Rose book I've ever read, and I'm so glad she's back from a writing hiatus. Even though this is an enemies-to-lovers story, it didn't feel formulaic at all. Even after they had sex the first time, they still dislike each other but they can't seem to stay away. I liked their chemistry and the sex is hot. I'm looking forward to her next book.

3.75 Stars. I didn’t find anything new here that knocked my socks off, but I liked it. It’s a good book and very readable. It has a nice quick flow that had me finishing in one sitting. The best way to describe this book would be steamy non-traditional romance.

I was surprised to realize I have never read a Larkin Rose book before. I own a few of them, but just never got a chance to read them. She has been around for a while. It looks like she took a 4 year break and is now again writing full time. I’m happy about that since this book has peaked my interest enough to read more by her. Her writing style reminded me a bit of Ronica Black. They both write steamy books that don’t always follow the more traditional romance lines. Of course I’m comparing after only one Larkin Rose book, but style wise they do remind me of each other.

As I mentioned this book is not a traditional romance. Both women are looking for no strings sex. In fact one seems to really dislike the other. I thought the chemistry was really good. Even with the bit of bad blood these two women were hot together. Maybe it was the opposites attracting thing going on, but it really worked. The sex scenes were very steamy and it’s not a book you want to read on a break at work.

If you are looking for a steamy read, then this book is for you. There is nothing new and groundbreaking here, but there is plenty of chemistry and good sex scenes. I will absolutely have my eye out for Larkin Rose books in the future.

Gin has been contracted to write a series of articles using her dating and buddy system as the basis of her experience. There are not many good experiences but it’s the only way she has to pay the bills while she figures out how to save the service station her grandfather left her. She’s probably not in the best space to be dating considering she hasn’t really dealt with her break-up. Firefighter Carmen is exactly the type of woman she is attracted to but also represents everything that caused her heartbreak.

There is so much anger mixed in with the erotic that makes this so different from a standard romance. It’s raw and gritty and the fiery, bitchy aura that surrounds Gin is weirdly attractive. Their chemistry and dislike for each other is off the charts. Gin’s desire for women who are heroes borders on fetishism and I find that it moves the story out of the realm of realistic romance and more into erotic fantasy. It means that I no longer have expectations of total plausibility and the characters are freed up to be a little over the top. But I also liked that their story and interactions took place over the course of months rather than weeks or days.

I’m an unashamed fan of Larkin Rose. I enjoy her writing and I find that the characters stay with me long after I’ve finished the novel. I remember them and their story without having to re-read the blurb and unfortunately I can’t say that for a lot of what I read. I loved the pace of ‘Breaking the Rules’, the wild emotions and the connection the characters had with each other, both the main and secondary characters.

This was over a four star read for me and I’m almost inclined to push up to a five star rating because, after a four-year hiatus, Rose has returned to writing full time.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I’ve been a fan of this author for a long time now so I was very excited to discover she’d written a new book after a very long break. Sadly, the novel didn’t live up to my expectations. I found Gin to be a very unlikeable character - she seemed obsessed with “heroes” to the point that her actions didn’t come across as normal adult behaviour. I liked Carmen as a character and couldn’t understand why she would be interested in someone like Gin. The insta-love felt unwarranted as the characters hardly got to know one another until more than halfway through the book.

With the author's literary background and the cover, seeing that this book was available, I did not hesitate to leave the rest of the books I had in the queue and I started to read it without hesitation.
This is one of the fetish authors for me, since my first readings lesbian themed were her books, Radclyffe's, Kallmaker's, Melissa Good's, ... So I have her a little mythified. I have read all her books even though so long ago, so I did not put them in my GR reading list, but I have very good memories of all. And now after four years, according to the publicist, she returns to offer us a new story and, as I said, I couldn't want to waste any time to reading it. And what could happen after such expectation on my part? Well, I liked the book but not as much as I wanted.

Gin is a skeptic woman in relation to love relationships, especially with women in uniform, because of a girlfriend who broke her heart. Carmen is a firefighter who don't considers herself able to offer a stable relationship, so she only believes in fast and short sexual intercourse. A misunderstanding brings them together and from there, the book goes round and round to why any of them don't want to pursue a relationship that satisfies them sexually, but both seem afraid to take beyond.

One could expect that with two hot and gorgeous main characters who feel such an instant and unstoppable attraction, the book will be full of a lot of sweating and sweltering scenes. And there are some of them but quite not enough for my liking. And because of this and the repetitive denial that both women carry along the book, a promising story results just a ok read. And I'm a little bit disapointed.

But in no way can I give this book a low rating or stop recommending its reading, if only for old time sakes.