Breaking the Rules

Breaking the Rules is hot, but that's about all it has going for it. The story itself could use a lot of help, mainly because it felt super preachy, and the heroine, Amara, was really hard for me to connect to.

Amara has come home help her brother with their mom. She left behind a fulfilling career helping battered women, and she has plans on going back once her mom's situation is stabilized. She didn't expect to run into her brother's friend, Travis, again, and for her one time crush on him to come roaring back. Travis is an injured MMA fighter who now owns and runs a gym, a gym where her brother is getting back into shape. Travis didn't expect his friend's little sister to be so beautiful now that she's all grown up, but most of all, he didn't expect to develop feelings for the woman who appears to despise everything he stands for.

It's this dilemma that took me out of the story, unfortunately, and the reason for only 3 stars. Amara's drive to help battered women, while admirable and something to be respected, was always at the forefront, and made Amara into an unlikable heroine. She was really close-minded, selfish and preachy about her passion and what she perceived as Travis' shortcomings, and it put me off her, and the story, A LOT. I loved Travis, though, and wished he had an equal heroine. If he had, I would have been able to give Breaking the Rules a better review.

Breaking the Rules, while really hot, and had a sweet and sexy hero, suffered from an unlikable, selfish heroine, and I just couldn't connect with it. As fighter romances go, this one most definitely had issues.

I received an arc from Netgalley. If you are looking for a quick read with some hot scenes this is your book.
I felt the main characters lacked a little something. Mar seemed a little immature at times but it was an overall nice read.

3.5 Stars Breaking the Rules, is a good contemporary romance. I enjoyed Travis’s characters and his interaction with Amara. I did find Amara hard to connect with and found at times complications were created where not needed. I did like the concept though and will read more by this author

This one is an MMA love story but is not so much about the sport itself we see just a tiny glimpse of it. What can I tell about what it is like I myself didn't or couldn't extract something more meaningful part of from this story. It is about helping your sich mom, feeling attractive to your brother best friend and staring secret affair with him, finding a career that fulfills you. The story was ok character average. I didn't particularly loved Amara from time to time very adult but in the same why immature. She had a strong opinion about her life choices career but I didn't like that she was thinking about how will the others see hers and Travis relationship. Travis was ok, down to earth with a likable personality and was the one who gave himself 100% in this relationship. An ok read.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

A woman comes home to El Lay when her mother gets sick, and in between taking care of her and looking for a job she joins her brother at the gym and falls in lust for the owner, who used to be tease her when they were kids.
Amara is an interesting mixture of contradictions. Sometimes she’s sassy, other times shy. Abhors violence, but has the hots for a professional fighter. Worried about reputation, but preferring one-night-stands to relationships. I often fall in love with the women in these stories, but there’s something special about Amara that pushes her into the category of most memorable even with all those strange traits.
As for the book, I like the funny moments, the banter. If it wasn’t for the first half being all “we can’t,” boring me after a while, this would have been truly excellent, even with the whiny petulant older brother.

I am going to be a see-saw with this review and let me tell you why.. I loved Travis and I actually wished he had another love interest than Amara, why do you ask? Well let me tell you. I liked that she felt strongly about her cause (battered women shelter) loved the cause and would totally help, my issue was that she had no balance and she was judgy (yup made up a word) I mean we all have opinions but we need to respect the feelings and opinions of others.. Now don't get me wrong I did enjoy and would even tell you to read buuuuuut she bugged the hell out of me and for that I did not rate higher....Enjoy!

I received an ARC of this book through exchange for an honest review.

My first book my Ember Leigh and although I did like the writing style and was happy to see that she very much researched her subject matter, there were also a few things that bugged me after awhile.

Amara has some admirable passions in life, but as other reviewers commented, it does become preachy and almost immature at times. I wholeheartedly agree with her goal to lift up battered women, but her view against what she sees as violence is very closed minded. Battered women and men, can come from households and relatoinships of all kinds, but rarely do you see the abuser come from a structured, highly regulated and highly disciplined lifestyle. It is much more often from partners who have a low self esteem, are undisciplined and feel unsuccessful in their own lives. The fact that she continually hints at rejecting a meaningful relationship, because she feels it is a violence issue is just stereotyping and not allowing herself a full view of the world.

The attraction is palpable from first meeting and their is plenty of hotness which is why I stuck with three+ stars, but some subtle changes in the heroine could have made a much higher rating for me.

MMA-secret love- chemistry.
Best friend’s sisters are against the rules. Even if they are off the charts HOT! it does’nt matter if you can talk to her and tell her all your hidden secrets. Travis did not want to cross that line with Amara. Eddie would lose his mind. He is over the top protective of Amara. Amara has been away for many years. She is used to be independent and on her own. When she see Travis, she is instantly attracted. They try to hide their romance but of course it comes out. but they do get their happy ending