This was such a fun & funny read! I’ll definitely be looking at reading more by Amy Andrews - I loved her witty writing.
I listened to the audiobook & really enjoyed it.

Beatrice Archer is lovable and relatable - who doesn’t have those days where you just want to forget it all, run away to a small town & break all the rules? Add in sexy cowboy officer Austin Cooper (and 10 years her junior might I add) and you’ve got yourself a steamy, fun novel!

Her hesitation to give in to what she really wanted - a simple, artist life with a much younger man - was so real. You could feel the pull between doing what you’ve been taught your whole life is right, and following your heart.

My only small thing is that I would have liked a male narrator for Austin’s chapters, however Mia Baron did a fantastic job!

Read if you enjoy:
⭐️ Small town
⭐️ Reverse age gap
⭐️ Banter
⭐️ Different worlds (city girl/country boy)
⭐️ Dual POV/3rd person

Breaking All the Rules by Amy Andrews starts off with us meeting Bea who is desperate to find sugar - funny and relatable. But I found it a bit unrealistic (who begs to be put in a jail cell?) and off-putting (only military personnel and cops can be brave?). Also, we meet a woman that calls the cops over every little thing and is glorified as a do-gooder that only wants the best for her town. She calls the cops because someone she doesn't know (Bea) is wearing pajamas with bunny slippers and eating ice cream outside of a diner because "you can never be too safe". Being a person of color that knows the real-life dangers of people like this, I was immensely turned off by Amy making light of this situation. Thankfully we only heard from her one time.

The attraction between Bea and Austin was immediate. This is honestly what saved the book for me and made it enjoyable. The description of their physical intimacy is just right. I love when a book includes communication and consent while still being sexy.

Mia Barron used a breathy voice for all dialogue, not just the romantic scenes, which made everything overtly sexual, which isn't my thing. There needs to be distinction.

I give the book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you to RB Media for providing me with an ALC.

I loved the audiobook, and it made the book even better because when I first downloaded it and saw that it was around 10 hours long, I was so curious about what would happen. I was also a little bit intimidated. But it ended up being a lot of fun. Austin is one of my all-time favorite male leads now. I just loved him so much! However, I had some moments where characters just evaporated really fast, like they just appeared to serve one tiny reason and then disappeared fast. We lost the small-town vibes that Credence was giving quickly after Austin and Bea started hooking up. It was disappointing because I loved the small-town vibes it was giving. I loved the things that were happening around Bea because she was in Credence, and I missed it all so much when it faded away. Then finally, the third act was aggravating. I wish Bea would've talked to him about her history and worked on healing instead of going back to LA, breaking his heart, and finally talking to her dad. Honestly, that was the thing that drove me nuts the most because I really wish she would've worked on her feelings earlier in the book because it took forever to learn the truth about what happened with her family. Then it was all fixed so fast with that one call to her father.

I'll be posting my current read post tomorrow on Instagram, followed up by my rating reel on Sunday, and then finally, a bonus post on Monday. My reel will also be posted to my TikTok on Sunday, and I will also have a spoiled-filled review on Sunday in my blog post, along with a spoil-free section too.

This is a new to me author and I will be reading ALL of her books! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great at storytelling. I loved the dual POVs and all of the intensity between the characters. I will definitely read the next ones in this series as soon as I can!

I enjoyed this dual POV, reverse age-gap, opposites attract romance SOO much! Laugh out loud funny, steamy with great emotional depth and character development. I love a woman in her mid-thirties starting over and finding a career that brings her job instead of dread! Throw in a hot, much younger Deputy policeman/cowboy with a soft spot for high-strung cats and this book could do no wrong!

Beatrice quits her corporate graphic design job in LA when she's passed over for a much less qualified man, taking off to small town Colorado where no one knows her. The only problem? She really can't seem to resist Austin with his hot body and huge heart. What starts off as a fling quickly turns into something more but can these opposites make it work??

Great on audio narrated by Mia Barron and perfect for fans of Nothing but the truth by Holly James. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review! I can't wait to read more from Amy Andrews (a new to me author!)

Give me a romance book that constantly references Supernatural and has a tagline of WWDD (What Would Dean Do?), and I am all in! This story was precious! Austin was the small town hottie that we all love and obsess over! Bea’s need to break all the rules is so relatable! I loved their banter! I also loved the bit about “being thrown in the pokey”.

I'm actually not sure if it was the narrator or the writing, but this just didn't work for me. It kept feeling like it was about to veer into a porn movie?

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This book was just OK for me. If I could change one thing, it would be how many times the author use the PANTIES! It drove me to the point where I wanted to DNF! I love dhow she picked that city to go to. About six heavy sex scences if that’s your thing!

Thanks Netgalley and publishing for the listen and review!

3 STARS!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Hmm I am a very picky reader. I have never read a book by this author before, so by the cover and the synopsis I thought it would be a cute small town romance novel. I was just kind of left down. I didn't really like the main characters. I didn't feel like the story was realistic and the language was just really really bad. I am kind of tired of these female authors using this kind of language in a supposed romcom chicklit. This was a pass for me. I also didn't really like the narrator she kept talking in a steamy voice type even when it was just a normal conversation or scene. Just was not for me I guess.

No one does heat and humor like Amy Andrews! Credence, Colorado is the perfect quirky romance small town, and add in a steamy age gap and tons of romcom goodness, it can’t miss.