I haven't read anything of Brian Freeman before but I already heard a lot of good things about his other books and that he's a fanfav in the thriller scene. One of my reading goals this year was to read more different genres and in the past I haven' really gravitated thorwards thrillers. The descripion sounded promissing and really interesting.

Especially the beginning hooked me and I couldn't stop listening. The action started right in the first chapters and didn't got less over the story. Overall it was mostly action and a lot of blood. I didn't really know what to expect from this story but was open for everyhing to come.

The story is really fast paced and everything happens in a short period of time. I was interested in the storyline and what the plot will be. I am not really good at guessing what the plot could be and was very invested on what happens next.

One thing that stopped me from finished the audiobook fast was that there were so many characters and different POVs and I struggled to remember who was who and who did what. It makes sense that a lot of different POVs are involved. But the fact that the whole audiobook was narrated only by Scott Brick and the voice didn't sound really different when the POVs were switched, made it difficult for me to follow the story. It also felt like it were more POVs than necessary. I liked the additional views and how the different characters tried to solve the issues but it was also really overwhelming from time to time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this Audio-ARC!

Sometimes it's fine to read a book that is just a straightforward action story. It doesn't have to have a bunch of twists or bring in anything particularly original. Think of it as a palate cleanser, something that requires little thought or guesswork while you simply read, to reduce the clutter in your mind.

That's what Break Every Rule was for me. Was it well-written? Yes. Did it bring anything new to the genre? No, but that's okay. Not every book has to be "An absolutely unputdownable action thriller with five unbelievable twists!" Sometimes we three-books-a-week readers just like to read, and this is the perfect book for that.

Here we are introduced to a badass guy who is forced out of retirement by an Epstein-type guy with his own trafficking island. The first 3/4 of the book are pretty predictable and dry, but once we get details and the showdown starts, the story becomes something fairly compelling, even a little over the top.

Based on this book alone, I wouldn't necessarily go hunting for more books by the author, but I have a feeling he's got some very original stuff in him. If I could find out which books those are (or will be), consider me in.

Tommy Miller is a dangerous man with a secret past who is hiding out in Florida with his wife Teresa and their daughter Rosalita. His wife doesn’t even know who he REALLY is. When Teresa and their daughter go missing, Tommy assumes his past is catching up to him. He soon discovers Teresa had secrets too, so is it his chickens coming home to roost or hers?

Hooo wee! This was an action packed thrill ride combined with police procedural and mystery elements. Tommy is an enigmatic character and as details about his past and what he’s running from are slowly revealed, so is how he came to meet Teresa. Whip smart, no nonsense detective Lindy Jackson is in charge of the investigation to find Teresa and Rosalita and Tommy must navigate her suspicions of him while searching for them himself. There are many players involved including a character I loved to hate who is filthy rich and owns a private island where he indulges in his nasty proclivities AND for the right price so do others.

Scott Brick is a fantastic narrator and I appreciated the accents and the emotion he delivered. For the story, I think you could read the book or listen to the audio and either method would be great! I wasn’t as fully engaged in the plot or characters as I would’ve liked, but it was a fun popcorn thriller that felt like a Hollywood blockbuster film. In fact, it would make a great movie!
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Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the free audiobook. All opinions are mine.
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Potential spoiler content warnings below.





























⚠️Content warnings: moderate language, violence, gun violence, torture, abduction, Mention of: rape, human trafficking, sex trafficking

Loved this book and narration was spot on. The book is gripping, suspenseful and unputdownable. The characters are clever and some are really kind. There are secrets, mystery and twists and turns. I love the island setting. Tommy Miller is an ex-cop who is trying to find his wife and daughter. While her abduction is connected to the past. His wife is harbouring secrets and Tommy has also kept away some things from her too. The secrets were shocking. Though I loved how understanding Tommy is and he is willingly ready to break every rule for his family. So the odyssey becomes really twisted and dangerous when Tommy devise a plan to get his wife and daughter back. Author has also brought light upon some immoral things and have shared the emotions and relationship between the characters so well.

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Narrator.

I vividly remember eagerly awaiting the next Tom Clancy book growing up, or the latest Wilbur Smith adventure, or the newest Robert Ludlum thriller. Each time, I knew I was about to be absorbed into their worlds and enjoy every minute. That’s exactly how I felt when I opened Brian Freeman’s 30th novel, Break Every Rule. My anticipation was rewarded with what I consider one of the very best thriller novels of 2024. Yes, Break Every Rule is that good.

Freeman crafts Tommy Miller as a protagonist with a hidden past, one you will cheer for from the first page until you close the book with a contented sigh. Miller has tried to suppress and hide from his violent past but fears it has caught up to him when his wife and daughter are kidnapped. While trying to stay out of sight of those who wish him dead, he uses his unique skills to search for his family, not realizing that his wife has a past that has caught up to her.

I don’t use the term “one of the very best thriller novels of 2024” lightly. Anyone who loves a great thriller and reads Break Every Rule will feel the same. Brian Freeman has a superb resume of novels that will keep you up late at night wanting to read just one more chapter, and this book stands proudly among his great works.

Did I mention that I highly recommend that you read Break Every Rule?

3.5 stars.

Tommy Miller is a man with deadly skills, hiding in Florida under a false identity. After being set up on an overseas mission, he’s on the run from terrorists—and from the government who betrayed him. So when his wife and daughter are violently abducted, it seems his ghosts are finally catching up with him. But Tommy isn’t the only one with secrets. His wife, Teresa, has been concealing her own dangerous past, and as Tommy races to rescue his family, he must peel away the clues she’s left behind.

I saw ‘Jason Bourne’ on the cover, so I picked this up knowing I’d most likely get an action-packed storyline. And I wasn’t disappointed. This was pretty much your straightforward action story, following the main hero from the start till when justice was served.

This book unfortunately featured a pet peeve of mine, which was an older hero paired up with a much younger, hot heroine. I’d had enough of this trope from watching most action movies in the 90s and 00s, so I wasn’t keen to see this in books in 2024. Aside from that though, the action scenes were quite enjoyable.

It was fast-paced, simple and good.

This was a very engaging thriller that combines similarities from the movie “Taken”, the real-life violence that occurs with gangs drug/weapon smuggling, and the atrocities associated with the Epstein Island. I could see this book being made into an action movie, easily. Tommy Miller, the main character, has secrets upon secrets, and it turns out his wife did too. But when she and their daughter go missing he’ll stop at nothing to find her. And the detective who got taken off the case is equally as resolved to find them, although still deciding whose side she’s on. There are tons of bad guys and some surprising good ones. It was an enjoyable audiobook that flew by. Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

An excellent action thriller with an intriguing main character and a timely plot (giving off Epstein Island vibes). No major twists but Tommy definitely gets put through the gauntlet, and there are a few small surprises along the way. Scott Brick once again does an amazing job narrating. Strong recommend.

This was so good! Holy crap the level of secrets and half truths that existed to get to the pints these people do is astounding. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story and all of the craziness.
The narrator was fantastic, but I wish there had been a female narrator for the scenes set in the past. I feel like hearing about the trauma from the girls in a woman's voice would have helped convey the desperation they felt. The male narrator is very theatrical (which is fine!) but it downplayed a lot of the emotional state of those characters.

This book didn’t capture me like the other Brian Freeman books. I can’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t get into this one like I have his other books. I’m not sure if this book was too drawn out or if the writing style in this book wasn’t quite the same as the other book? Or if the Epstein-like island kind of grossed me out?

I did like the characters and the backstories to go along with them.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Break every Rule by Brian Freeman

When you have spent a long time hiding your identity, you know when something is wrong. When Tommy Miller’s wife doesn’t answer her phone, he knows something is very wrong. When both his wife and daughter disappear he must summon all his skills to find out who took her and why but he isn’t the only one with a secret past and Tommy is learning just who his wife really is.

Wow, just bloody wow.

Tommy Miller could be the center of the best action/thriller series that could ever be written. We didn’t get much on his backstory as this one seemed to center more on his wife and her background but I am hungry… I need more. Don’t get me wrong, the book ended with the right amount of panache but there is so much that could create a brilliant series.

I love a good thriller where they are looking for a missing person. Love them so I have high expectations. Teresa’s story was sad and terrifying, the kind of story that happens in real life but what a survival story. The fact she found Tommy, both with a dark past… CHEFS KISS!!!

5 stars - You have to get it.

This book was good overall but there were a few too many "close calls" to be believable for me. This was the first book I have read from this author, I will be reading more.

If the movie Taken was set on Epstein Island. Break Every Rule was a quick and entertaining thriller to listen to. It kept me interested and even had a couple of plot twists. I will say I think it was a bit too long as I my attention started to drift through the middle, but the action picked up in the end for a strong ending. There were also some parts that were a little campy to me but I also think that's to be expected in these "super soldier" character stories. I thought the narrator did a fine job so no complaints there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for providing me an ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

3.5 stars. I'm a fan of Brian Freeman's previous work and was excited to read this one. I did really like the main characters in this and would be interested in it being the start of a series. My problem with it though was that I felt like it was lacking in tension and suspense. The description and feel of life on the island didn't really come through. I also would have liked some twists and turns but everything was just pretty straightforward. It was still an entertaining read, I just felt like it could have been so much more. I did enjoy the narration of this one and felt like the characters voices fit how I saw them.

Break Every Rule
Brian Freeman
Narrated by Scott Brick
September 10, 2024
Blackstone Publishing – Audio

First, when a book is narrated by Scott Brick I will go straight to the audio. He is one of my favorite narrators. He can put so much life and emotion into a story I will often sit in the truck and listen when I get home.

Mutiple POV’s and several main characters could make this a tough story to listen to or read especially as a stand-alone. Fear not listeners, it is worth all the background necessary to paint the picture. However, I have a feeling that this will be part of a series. Tommy Miller has so much back story that Break Every Rule could be in the middle of Tommy’s story and if it is, count me in!

Well developed complex characters, intricate plots and a story line to be remembered. Brian Freeman has knocked another one out of the park. Oh, and don’t forget, listen to the acknowledgments. It is beautiful.

Brian Freeman is one of my all-time favourite authors. He gives us a breathtaking thriller with "Break Every Rule".
Tommy Miller is a man with deadly skills and a false identity. When his wife and daughter are abducted he must return to the past he thought he'd left behind. As he races to rescue his family he must become the man he once was, a killer.
A non-stop page turner!
Highly recommended!
Superb narration by Scott Brick!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

There's something about this book that left me unsatisfied. Perhaps it was so many characters, some ending with different names than they started with. Or possibly that the plot was too farfetched and things fell into place too easily. There was plenty of action and suspense keeping it from being a total bust however it might have been a DNF had I been reading it instead of listening to the audiobook. My thanks to the publisher for providing the audio version via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle & @blackstonepublishing for providing me with the #gifted BREAK EVERY RULE by Brian Freeman, published on September 10th.

I was lucky to add the audio from Blackstone Publishing through @netgalley and I absolutely loved the intensity brought by Scott Brick. I have had mixed results with this narrator, but he was a perfect fit for this story.

False identities, multiple adversaries, and at the heart of it, a story based on love; yes, please! This was a really fun and fast-paced tale I would absolutely call a thrill ride. Clearly a family man, Tommy is bereft with his wife and baby girl go missing and won't stop until he finds them, no matter what he finds on the way. I was on the edge most of the time, and yet felt impressed at how the layers of both Tommy and Theresa were revealed. I was instantly taken with Tommy and loved his character. I also liked the cat-and-mouse aspect with a perspective from law enforcement officer, Lindy Jax.

For a true action thriller, don't hesitate to grab this one and read it now! I would say to go in with no more synopsis than I gave, but it feels much like an action movie on the page.

3.25 stars
BREAK EVERY RULE was a fun, easy, thriller/action read. I picked it up because I had previously read a book by Brian Freeman (that was not a Bourne book) and I really liked it! BREAK EVERY RULE felt very different but it was fast and easy.

I would be interested in continuing this series (if it was one, but at least right now it's a stand alone) but a lot of things did bother me about this book. It's basically about and Epstein-type island and reading about sex trafficking really isn't something I enjoy, so the darker topic just wasn't something that I enjoy in books. While I guess I'm supposed to feel very uncomfortable about it, I might not have requested to read this book had I known because it's really not mentioned in the synopsis. It was handled... okay. But I feel like there were some aspects that could have been better, and for a book that was making a point about treating women with respect and trying to get all those girls/women away from that island, it was quite annoying having to hear about the size of nearly every woman's breasts in this book, even when it literally had nothing to do with anything. That's not something I normally notice, but it was very obvious after a while.

The writing was entertaining and definitely kept me following the story the whole time. I enjoyed the characters on a surface level. There were a lot that felt like shells of what they could have been and I wish there was a little more depth.

I think this is mainly more action and some shock value. It reads a bit like an action movie! While I didn't love it, I'm glad I tried it. Honestly, a big draw also was audiobook narrator Scott Brick. I really enjoy his narration and that was something that pushed me to try it. I think he did a really good job, as he always does, and his tone and performance went really well with the vibe of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone audio for a thoroughly entertaining read. Tommy Miller lives in Florida with his wife, Teresa and their 8 month old daughter, Rosie. Tommy is not an investor as he tells everyone, including his wife. He has been in the military and once was part of a secret organization that took care of enemies inside and outside the borders of America. Tommy suspects the kidnapping is revenge for a mission that went wrong. It turns out Teresa has her own secrets. This is a really fast paced book. I hadn’t read this author before, but I definitely will in the future. The book leaves it so that there could be a sequel and I hope there is! Read this and thank me later!