Customer Reviews

Bending the Rules

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After reading Cutting Loose which is Jane's story of the three friends: Jane, Poppy and Ava--I almost did not pick this book up as Cutting Loose was incredibly boring with very little chemistry between the hero and heroine.

I'm glad I gave Poppy's story a chance. The chemistry between Poppy Calloway and the hero Jason de Sanges is there from the beginning. As Poppy and Jase over come their first impressions of each other which had them thinking each other was hot, but not what they were looking for in a date; you find yourself involved in the story and caring about the two main characters as well as the secondary ones--not only Jane and Ava (her friends), but the troubled teenagers she is trying to save.

Jason de Sanges, a child of the foster care system, comes from a family where the men are in and out of jail. He is the exception due to the caring intervention of a crusty cop. Jase lives by the rules in order to manage his surroundings and in his mind not become like his father and brother. Enter Poppy Calloway, a free spirited artist, who challenges Jase's rigid unbending rules. When the two are thrown together overseeing three young artists who defaced public property, the sparks fly!

Throw in some mystery with the romance and Susan Andersen has produced a great read! This is Susan Andersen at her best.

"Bending the Rules" is book two in Susan Andersen's 'Sisterhood Diaries' series about three unrelated women who have been best friends since childhood. When their wealthy benefactress dies, her will provides the impetus that eventually sees each woman finding just the right man for her.

Poppy was, and still is, the 'hippie' of the trio. Raised on a commune and the benefits of granola, she uses her talents to work with 'at risk' children. But even she isn't sure how to react when her latest project acquires an overseer...Detective de Sanges. This would be the same man who makes her girly parts not just hum, but break into full operatic arias! If only he wasn't so...by the book...frustrating...really, really HOT.

Jason comes from a family of cons and he's pretty sure the only thing keeping him from the same fate is his devotion to rules and regulations. So when his boss orders him to take part in Poppy's program for some 'good ink', he goes...but not happily. He's already had one run-in with Ms. Liberal and doesn't want another...no matter how smoking hot she is.

I like plots where the main characters are very different, yet manage to find a compromise. The electric attraction between these two almost singed my fingers and Andersen can definitely 'bring the heat' when it comes to love scenes. She also manages to focus on the problems of 'at risk' kids without preaching to the audience and that takes a fairly deft touch.

There were no real stutters or holes in Susan Andersen's latest. My biggest beef was with Jason's refusal to grow past his teen version of his character. There was a time or two when I wanted to smack him upside the head...or was praying that Poppy would! Other than that minor annoyance, it was a very fun read with a good bit of humor.

In Seattle, three teenage graffiti artists are caught by the cops vandalizing storefronts. Artist Poppy Calloway suggests that besides cleaning up the spray paint mess they made, they receive community service to paint a neighborhood mural. Police detective Jason de Sanges is outraged with her soft response to the crime; he wants them punished as a deterrent from them committing future acts of vandalism.

Jase is further upset when his superiors think Poppy's idea is terrific. Making matters even more poisonous to the cop is he is named to supervise the teen artists. Finally the topper to his anger is his attraction to Poppy upsets him further. That is until a series of accidents that he believes were intentional makes him feel the need to keep his pain in the butt woman safe even if she is a flying liberal.

The incredibly deep cast including tertiary characters makes for a strong upbeat good contemporary romantic suspense. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the lead pair butt heads and never slows down as free spirit Polly teaches by the book Jason CUTTING LOOSE (Poppy's friend Jane's story) is okay in moderation unlike the men in his family who spent time in jail while he grew up in foster care. Though similar in tone to CUTTING LOOSE even with the suspense subplot, fans will enjoy the education of Jason.

Harriet Klausner

Susan Andersen pens an absolute delightful book in her latest story...Bending The Rules.

Poppy Calloway always believed in giving back to her community and letting others have a second chance. When some first time offenders spray paint some walls in the community, Poppy wants to give these teens a chance to make it right. This doesn't sit well with Detective Jason de Sanges.

Detective Jason de Sanges doesn't see much good in the world around him. The males in his family seem to spend more time in jail then out of it. Luckily Jase had a met a cop who took an interest in him growing up and Jason walks the straight and narrow 24/7. He tries everything he can to get out of helping Poppy with her little "community art project."

Jason grudgingly gets in the spirit of working with Poppy and her teens. But spending time with her has him rethinking some of his strict by the book rules. She gets under his skin and makes him think he can have it all. Poppy sees more in Jason then just the strict layman, can she help him to see that they have a chance to beat the odds?

Bending The Rules is a book you will want to re-read several times. It stays with you long after you are done. It is very sexy, sweet, and emotional and has well written characters. Susan Andersen books are keepers for me. I can't wait to read the next book in this delightful series.

I have been waiting to read about Poppy and de Sanges' story since reading about their sizzling connection in Cutting Loose, and I was not disappointed.

Poppy is dedicated to giving back to the community, especially by inspiring teenagers with an outlet of drawing and painting. De Sange is a by-the-book police officer who knew only too well what could happen once a person starts leading a life of crime due to his family who have been in and out of jail his entire life. When these two are thrown together to oversee the punishment of three teens who are caught tagging some buildings by having to repaint them, it's like oil and water, but there's an attraction there that just will not go away.

I loved the lightness of the book and the great interactions, not only between Poppy and Jason, but between Poppy and her "sisters", Poppy and her teens, and Jason and the teens. This is an easy read which made me breeze through the book in a number of hours. I am wondering who will star opposite of Ava in the next book and I really hope it's going to be Finn and not Cade Calderwood Gallari.

Overall, if you've read Cutting Loose and liked it, you'll love Bending the Rules!

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It would speak for itself, since I work a professional job full time, married and have a full social life, and I was still able to finish this one in about a week. I'm a fast reader but this one was hard to put down. Characters were well built and relate-able and the romantic relationship completely live-able. Intimacy was H-O-T and fun. Overall - great read for adults +.

30yo commercial artist is strongly attracted to robbery cop Hero, who was put in charge of supervising the teen taggers she's working to rehabilitate through art education. She thinks he's a stick-in-the-mud & he thinks heroine's a spoiled rich girl dabbling with community involvement. Their time together dispels some of their opinions about each other while increasing their desire for each other. Working with the 3 teens become more challenging when freak accidents start occurring.

I wasn't wowed by this Andersen book, although the writing as smooth & lively as her usual. It may be that half of the book was devoted to their work with the teens & the action-mystery surrounding them. I like my romance books mostly about romance & not other matters. It could also be that Hero & heroine's r/s was in the here-&-now, with their physical attraction & their work. Neither discussed their past very much, as interesting & important as they were in shaping their characters. And they didn't discuss the future very much either. Their sexual chemistry & sex scenes were sensual. But, aside from a couple well-detailed sex scenes, other sex scenes were merely mentioned. Emotional involvement wasn't that great. No angst or poignant moments. There were, however, some light-hearted scenes.

Recommended with some caution.

They started off with hostile feelings but ended up so in love. This novel has got all the elements right in a Hollywood equation - juvenile delinquents, cool adult mentors, cop story, action, romance, comedy, and even some drama. I enjoyed it as much as I would have probably enjoyed the movie version (if ever there's one). Four stars for its entertainment value.

When I read romance, it's usually the historical romance genre, but I'm so glad I picked this contemporary one up at the library. It has me rethinking my time period for romances. The story warms your heart, because of the work the heroine does with at-risk kids and because of the skill the author has at recreating realistic and snappy dialogue. The attraction between the hero and heroine is palpable. Their chemistry really does seem to sizzle off the pages. But it's not just the relationship between H and H that is good. Poppy, the heroine, has two best friends and their interactions are great also. Now that I have read this one, Poppy's story, I have ordered the previous Sisterhood novel about Poppy's friend Jane and am looking forward to the release of Ava's story, whenever that will be. Anybody know?

When I read the back cover, I had my doubts about the story being interesting. How wrong I was. Once I started reading Bending the Rules, I couldn't stop. Good flow with characters, story line, etc. I eagerly await Amy's story.