Helpful Score: 3
I've been waiting for Izzy's book since Into The Storm. Granted, since then we had an Izzy-centric storyline in Into the Fire and I was among those who was not feeling the Eden love. Hot Pursuit showed us an Izzy who was coping with losing Eden. The common theme of these 3 books re: Izzy is his integrity. Yes, he's loud and irreverent. He can be obnoxious and oblivious, but the man has heart and depth. In Into the Storm, he goes UA to help find Tracy, knowing the trouble he will be facing. In Into the Fire, he marries Eden and rather than take advantage, he tries to woo her, because he loves her and thinks she is special and wants her to believe that, too. In Hot Pursuit, he turns down a blatant come on by an intelligent, beautiful woman because she isn't Eden. I LOVE Izzy. So my expectations were pretty high for Breaking the Rules.
I'm not good at plot summarization, so I am not going to try here. There is a lot going on in this book, as mentioned in previous reviews. Sex trade, JD, "curing" a homosexual teen by sending him to a quasi-religious camp...I didn't feel like I was getting hit over the head with a "Be a more politically correct person!" cudgel, though. The story unfolded at a fast pace, and didn't read as preachy to me. The only part I thought was a little overdone was the Juvenile Diabetes angle, and I am pretty sure that isn't a political issue.
In Hot Pursuit, Dan tells Jenn that his sister Sandy is 400 years old in drug years. Well, I think Eden is about that old in experience years. Good grief, are her mother and stepfather are a freaking nightmare. I really got over my problem with Eden's age in this book. Yes, she is very young chronologically, but she is ancient in living. Eden is strong in BTR. She is determined to rescue her brother, Ben, from her parents who are bent to send Ben to the above referenced camp. She has a plan, has a job to earn the money to make it happen. We find out Eden tried to contact Izzy, and that her employer, Anya, was instrumental in keeping Izzy from connecting with Eden during his many visits to Germany. When Ben and Eden find out that Danny has been injured, Izzy learns Eden is back in Vegas, and heads out on the next plane.
Izzy wants to see Eden, to find some sense of closure, to learn how to let her go. It is heartwrenching when he sees her. "Are you okay?" he asks her. Eden -"I am-I'm okay." He walks away from her and you can feel the heaviness of his soul, his sorrow. Of course, events unfold, and Eden needs Izzy's help, so they reconnect. He thinks Eden is just using him to get custody of Ben, Eden knows he doesn't trust her. I felt like Izzy's anger towards Eden kind of caught him by surprise, and he uses his hurt as kind of a shield to keep from getting his heart ripped out all over again. This is a different Izzy, in a way. Usually so insightful about everyone's motivations, he is not thinking here; he is reacting to his previous experiences with Eden. He doesn't trust her feelings for him, thinking she is just grateful. Eden is frustrated by Izzy's trying to tell her why she is feeling the way she feels. She is terrified that he will walk away from her without giving her a real chance.
Dan is Dan. Dan has been Dan since Over the Edge - tense, a man with an angle at all times, a man with a sense of doom hanging over him, which we now know is due to his family and his financial obligation to them. I loved seeing him brought to his knees by the fabulous Jenn. I loved his POV, especially in the hotel room, where he feels such a sense of rightness and belonging with her.Yes, he is kind of a jerk at points. He is DAN, he is supposed to be a jerk on occasion. The difference is, he gets when he is being a jerk now. Jenn's influence is telling. Think about it - he is being blackmailed by his mother and stepfather to provide a home for his youngest brother. He feels very trapped by them, he can't see how he can continue to have a bicoastal relationship with Jenn when he won't be able to afford to go see her... Trapped equals cranky Dan. I was so glad to see this issue resolved. I love Dan and Jenn together. I love that Jenn wasn't glamming it up to keep Dan's attention and she had his attention anyway.
The last quarter of the book is action packed, with lots of resolution. Dan and Eden, Dan and Izzy, Eden and Izzy...lots of revealing info that leads to realisitic reconciliation. There is a sense of renewal, of new beginnings. And Izzy and the plane...classic.
I'm not good at plot summarization, so I am not going to try here. There is a lot going on in this book, as mentioned in previous reviews. Sex trade, JD, "curing" a homosexual teen by sending him to a quasi-religious camp...I didn't feel like I was getting hit over the head with a "Be a more politically correct person!" cudgel, though. The story unfolded at a fast pace, and didn't read as preachy to me. The only part I thought was a little overdone was the Juvenile Diabetes angle, and I am pretty sure that isn't a political issue.
In Hot Pursuit, Dan tells Jenn that his sister Sandy is 400 years old in drug years. Well, I think Eden is about that old in experience years. Good grief, are her mother and stepfather are a freaking nightmare. I really got over my problem with Eden's age in this book. Yes, she is very young chronologically, but she is ancient in living. Eden is strong in BTR. She is determined to rescue her brother, Ben, from her parents who are bent to send Ben to the above referenced camp. She has a plan, has a job to earn the money to make it happen. We find out Eden tried to contact Izzy, and that her employer, Anya, was instrumental in keeping Izzy from connecting with Eden during his many visits to Germany. When Ben and Eden find out that Danny has been injured, Izzy learns Eden is back in Vegas, and heads out on the next plane.
Izzy wants to see Eden, to find some sense of closure, to learn how to let her go. It is heartwrenching when he sees her. "Are you okay?" he asks her. Eden -"I am-I'm okay." He walks away from her and you can feel the heaviness of his soul, his sorrow. Of course, events unfold, and Eden needs Izzy's help, so they reconnect. He thinks Eden is just using him to get custody of Ben, Eden knows he doesn't trust her. I felt like Izzy's anger towards Eden kind of caught him by surprise, and he uses his hurt as kind of a shield to keep from getting his heart ripped out all over again. This is a different Izzy, in a way. Usually so insightful about everyone's motivations, he is not thinking here; he is reacting to his previous experiences with Eden. He doesn't trust her feelings for him, thinking she is just grateful. Eden is frustrated by Izzy's trying to tell her why she is feeling the way she feels. She is terrified that he will walk away from her without giving her a real chance.
Dan is Dan. Dan has been Dan since Over the Edge - tense, a man with an angle at all times, a man with a sense of doom hanging over him, which we now know is due to his family and his financial obligation to them. I loved seeing him brought to his knees by the fabulous Jenn. I loved his POV, especially in the hotel room, where he feels such a sense of rightness and belonging with her.Yes, he is kind of a jerk at points. He is DAN, he is supposed to be a jerk on occasion. The difference is, he gets when he is being a jerk now. Jenn's influence is telling. Think about it - he is being blackmailed by his mother and stepfather to provide a home for his youngest brother. He feels very trapped by them, he can't see how he can continue to have a bicoastal relationship with Jenn when he won't be able to afford to go see her... Trapped equals cranky Dan. I was so glad to see this issue resolved. I love Dan and Jenn together. I love that Jenn wasn't glamming it up to keep Dan's attention and she had his attention anyway.
The last quarter of the book is action packed, with lots of resolution. Dan and Eden, Dan and Izzy, Eden and Izzy...lots of revealing info that leads to realisitic reconciliation. There is a sense of renewal, of new beginnings. And Izzy and the plane...classic.
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