Against The Rules [Paperback]

Linda Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

At 17, Cathryn had fought Rule Jackson and lost. And then she fled to the anonymity of the city. Now Cat was back, sure of herself and her newfound independence, and ready to challenge Rule like never before. And she would win--because now she was his boss and she held all the cards. But Rule had raised the stakes, and if she lost again the penalty would be high.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Mira (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551664771
• ISBN-13: 978-1551664774
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Howard is the award-winning author of many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two golden retrievers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars to help people who want to buy books, August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against The Rules (Paperback)

I'm writing this for the people that love Linda Howard, and want to buy her books online, but have no idea what the book is about. Although the other reviews for this book aren't that great, I thought it had a really sweet ending: At seventeen, Cathryn Ashe had fought Rule Jackson and lost. And then she had fled to the anonymity of the city. Now Cat was back, sure of herself and her newfound independence, and ready to challenge Rule like never before. And she would win-because now she was his boss and she held all the cards. But Rule had raised the stakes, and if she lost again the penalty would be high. This time Rule would take more than her innocence- he would take her pride, her future, her heart...; Cat inherited a ranch from her father, and Rule was the ranch manager. Cat, after being in the city for years, returns to find that everyone considers it Rule's ranch.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More early excellence from Linda Howard, September 16, 2001

By 

mirope "mirope" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Against The Rules (Paperback)

Rule Jackson may be as politically incorrect as they come, but he is a powerful and fascinating hero for this charming romance. Rule is the foreman of the ranch inherited by Cathryn Ashe when she was a teenager. Cathryn fled the ranch years earlier after she and Rule had a passionate encounter. Rule has been obsessed by the memory of their brief romance, and when Cathryn finally returns to the ranch as a young widow, he is determined to have her and won't take no for an answer. Like I said, totally politically incorrect, but Howard raises the emotional intensity to such scorching levels that all romance fans will find this a compelling read.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming.... easy read, February 23, 2007

By 

Reader10 "Reader10" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Against The Rules (Paperback)

LH's earlier work, this story reminded me of how romance novels used to be written (without being too annoying, think Johanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Judith McNaught, and etc). I noticed the mixed reviews here so keep in mind not everyones taste in romance novels are the same, just know that THIS book is NOT what LH's recent books are like, theres NO hardcore, killing, murders, robbery, CIA, FBI ,etc... nothing of that sort in this story. Dont be disappointed and write bad reviews expecting that... this book was written in 1983, purely fictional gooey 'romance' book. Know what you're getting into.

This is a short story about an alpha male named Rule who ends up falling for the daughter of his employer. After an romantic encounter with Rule when she, Cat, was 17 yrs old, she runs away to return years later, feeling more secure, centered, mature and confident since she IS the owner of the ranch... so she thinks. What happens after this is very sweet, theres no real twists and turns to this story, not that I was complaining. The ending was very endearing, it'll make you go awwwww.... you know that warm feeling you get when you've finished reading a sweet, sweet romance novel that makes your heart ache with happiness for fictional characters you've just read about, well this is one of those feel-good books. Its only about 250pgs long, pretty straight up , never dragged on IMHO, easily read'able after work before going to bed. Its going to be one of my fav's of all time. Worth every penny you spend on it.

SPOILER..
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
I noticed someone mentioning a spanking scene in this book and wanted to remark on it. When this takes place, Cat was 15 years old, throws a fit and smacks Rule( 11yrs older than Cat ) who was at the time boss at the ranch (her father had passed away). He had just told her she was too young to date a 18 years old guy. So she smacked him, so he spanked her, only time it ever happened. It did not sound abusive to me when I read it, but thats just my opinion.