BLOG TOUR~ Breaking The Rules, by H.B. Heinzer

 

TITLE ~ Breaking the Rules (Back to Brooklyn, #2) 

AUTHOR ~ H.B. Heinzer

Growing up in small town Wisconsin, Carly Turner couldn't wait to escape when she graduated high school. Now, she's living the life in New York City, even if she isn't seeing her name in lights like she used to dream about at night. She's living paycheck-to-paycheck, working behind the scenes in small theaters off Broadway. When there's an equipment malfunction the week before opening night, Carly makes a call that winds up changing everything. 

Life in the city isn't all it's cracked up to be. While she feels like she's getting closer to making the move from behind the scenes to center stage, she misses being surrounded by people who understand the quirks that come from living in a town of five thousand people. That, and the fact that he's sexy as sin, make Adam everything she feels like she's missing. 

The only problem? He's her best friend's kid brother...

Adam Sanders wants to settle down, find a good woman and

start a family like he sees so many of his friends doing. But how is he supposed to meet Ms. Right when he's constantly on the road for work? When he's sent to New York to handle a repair that would typically be contracted out as a favor to his boss, he's just about to his breaking point. 

Everything changes when the stagehand sent to open the theater for him is none other than his big sister's childhood friend. The same girl he lusted after as a teenager. Could this be fate's way of showing him that he was looking in the wrong place for love? 

As Adam and Carly's friendship develops, lines will be crossed and rules will be broken. Will they be able to come out the other side without destroying everything they had back in Brooklyn?

♥ Excerpt ♥

“Seriously, Micah, what the fuck was that all about?” Adam asked once the girls had run off to do whatever it was they were doing. Micah dropped them off in front of the mall, telling them he'd be back in two hours to pick them up.

Micah shrugged. “Sorry man, sounded good at the time.” He grabbed the new Darius Rucker CD out of his visor and put it in the stereo. “I still don't see why you don't tell her. She wouldn't be pissed now, but when she finds out and realizes you didn't tell her, then she'll have your balls in a vice.”

“And you would be the resident expert on what happens when Julia finds out you're a lying coward, aren't you?” As soon as he said the words, Adam regretted them. It's not that they weren't true, but he genuinely did want to give Micah the benefit of the doubt this time.

“Low blow,” Micah grumbled, turning up the stereo, effectively ending any conversation. Luckily, they were just about to the home improvement store because an icy chill filled the truck’s cabin.

They silently walked through Home Depot, filling the cart with new door and window locks, as well as various supplies Micah said he needed to do some other work he'd been hired to do around Julia's house. Since Annie's parents were footing the bill, it was easier to get everything at once.

“Hey, sorry about what I said earlier,” Adam said as they loaded the truck. “Honestly, not telling people back here about us is more Carly's thing than mine. But it is what it is, and I'm not about to screw things up with her right now.”

Micah set down the box he had picked up and stared at Adam. “This shit with the two of you is pretty serious, huh?”

Adam thought about it for a minute. Was it serious? Sure, they were spending as much time together as possible, but what did that mean? “Yeah, I think it might be. Come on; let's go grab a beer while we wait for them to get done.”

♥ Review ♥

Breaking the Rules is the second book in H.B. Heinzer’s Back to Brooklyn series. Where Bent (Back to Brooklyn #1) followed Julia and Micha, the second installment follows Julia’s best friend from childhood, Carly, and Julia’s brother, Adam.

Adam and Carly reunite in New York after unexpectedly crossing paths. There’s always been some level of chemistry between the two characters, but neither took the initiative to move their friendship to the next level. Carly is the “older woman” and never saw her best friend’s kid brother as being boyfriend material. Until now.

The couple has an amazing connection and strong feelings for one another, which makes for a wonderful relationship on paper. As long as they’re together, in New York, everything is perfection. Shortly after they get together, their connection begins to be tested by a number of outside influences. Adam must constantly travel for work, leaving the pair to handle the pressure and challenges of a long-distance relationship. Not to mention the guilt Carly feels for dating her best friend’s brother. She doesn’t know how Julia will react to the news, and Carly isn’t thrilled to find out.

Despite all of the obstacles Adam and Carly face, will they be able to make it work? Or will they crumble to the pressure of distance and the opinion’s of their loved ones?

If you’re looking for a smooth read that you can devour quickly, this is the book for you. I could have easily read this book in one sitting, however, I had to stop several times to do mundane tasks like laundry and eat. Ultimately, I had this book finished in a matter of hours and enjoyed every single page of it.

Even though Breaking the Rules is the second book in a series, I felt like it could also serve as a standalone novel. Julia and Micha do have a minor storyline in BtR, but their situation was summarized in such a manner that if you haven’t read Bent you can still follow the plot in Book #2 without any problems. With that being said, BtR was such an outstanding novel, you’ll be dying to read Bent just to satisfy your need for more from these characters. Both books have landed on my list of favorites!

The plot was engaging and had me hooked from the first chapter forward. The situations (long distance, dating someone who may or may not be “off limits”) were relatable and realistic. I rooted for the main characters, struggled when they hit obstacles, and blushed when reading the steamier scenes. Overall the story was extremely satisfying, and I’m sad it’s over.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on Bent or Breaking the Rules yet, you are missing out on two incredible reads! Do yourself a favor and one-click both of these fantastic novels. You will be thankful you did. 

♥ About H.B. Heinzer ♥

 With the exception of three years spent in the middle of Nebraska, H.B. Heinzer has called southern Wisconsin home. During that time in Nebraska, she imagined one of her favorite authors living on the far western edge of the county, just south of the highway. At the time, becoming a novelist was a distant dream for her. Now, she is the author living in that location. Ironically, she later found out that same favorite author lives just outside the town HB lived in for the first eighteen years of her life. 

Now, HB lives in the middle of nowhere but still close enough to the city to not feel isolated. It's the perfect place to let her two kids run and explore their huge yard, teach them about the food chain as they prepare their first-ever garden and debate building a chicken coop. It's one of those dreams that is only possible thanks to the amazing opportunities that have come through writing.