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Breaking The Rules

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A fast-paced, full-length contemporary romance from award winning author, Barbara Samuel. IN TOO DEEPMattie O’Neal is on the run. She's chopped off her hair, stolen a car, changed her name, and is hiding in a tiny Arizona town, slinging hash. She thought she was safe – until Zeke Shephard walked through the door. Rugged, hard-edged Zeke doesn't get involved--but there's something about Mattie's courage that catches his sympathy. When the thugs who want to silence Mattie forever show up, Zeke steps in and takes her to his own private hide away, where the two must decide if the link between them is worth fighting for...and if they can stay alive long enough to explore it. From AAR "I read this book at one sitting and then immediately began to read it again. I have seldom felt such love and empathy for two characters as I did for Zeke and Mattie. When Mattie left Zeke for a short time, [Ruth Wind] conveyed the loneliness of this man who had thought he was a loner so well, that I thought my heart would break. When they were reunited, I wept with joy. Breaking the Rules is a book filled with deep emotion, yet it is never maudlin or sappy. It only reinforces my opinion that [Ruth Wind] is one of the best writers of romance today. The day I find all of her older books with be a very happy one."--Ellen Micheletti

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1994

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About the author

Ruth Wind

37 books33 followers
Pseudonym of Barbara Samuel and Barbara O'Neal.

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5 stars
348 (27%)
4 stars
433 (33%)
3 stars
338 (26%)
2 stars
98 (7%)
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67 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Saly.
3,434 reviews574 followers
May 27, 2011
I really enjoyed Breaking the Rules, it was such a sweet story.
Mattie is on the run, all she ever wanted in her life was a family so she let herself get engaged to a man she thought was good but found out he wasn't and after witnessing a murder she left. Her time as a foster child and her foster brother taught her survival.

Zeke Shephard is a man with scars both physical and emotional, his father was abusive and he spent his life saving his sisters, he made a life for himself when a vengeful woman took it from him, so for the past 2 years he has been roaming from place to place, sad about losing his dreams. Zeke loves babies but because of his past doesn't want to take a chance. He teases Mattie and realizes that she is hiding out but when people come looking for her, they escape on his bike.

Zeke takes her to his refuge, his cabin where they get to know each other. Mattie changes, she is no longer someone who fits into the city life and she makes Zeke open up about his past, his scars. She knows what Zeke can give and accepts it.
I loved seeing both of them struggle not to give in to what they felt for each other.
The book was great, it was subtle.

Rating 4.5
Profile Image for MBR.
1,339 reviews366 followers
April 4, 2012
Once in a while, you are lucky enough to come across a novel that calls to you, that feeds your senses and tantalizes you, that just makes you wish that the magic would continue. Breaking the Rules by Barbara Samuel was a novel I got off of Amazon for free from the bestselling lists for Kindle books. And boy, was I blown away with the story that unfolded, getting myself completely tangled up in the story that was just sheer magic to experience.

Rhetta Madeline O’Neal (Mattie) is on the run and finds herself in the nondescript town of Kismet in Arizona where she barely gets settled before the rough, tough and rugged Zeke Shepard strolls in and completely unhinges her and throws her emotions haywire. At a passing glance, Mattie might not be the type of woman that catches your eye but for Zeke right from the very beginning that he lays eyes on the drowning pools of her brown eyes, instinct tells him to turn his back and walk away and never look back.

Mattie knows that if she were to stay around much longer, she would risk blowing the cover that she has worked so hard to muster up and that Zeke could make all the bonds that holds her cards unravel and come crashing down. But fate plays a hand when the very men that Mattie is running from turns up in Kismet and it is Zeke who rides to her rescue on his big and mean Harley like a dark fallen angel who would do everything in his power to keep her safe from the woes of the killers that are after her.

Zeke might tell himself that he is hardened enough to turn his back on a woman in need but when push comes to shove, Zeke is just the type of softie that would make any woman’s heart melt. Zeke has numerous scars on his body that tells a story of a nightmarish childhood and the walls of steel around his heart remains impeccably strong until he gets tangled up in Mattie’s life. Zeke takes her away to the one place he considers as his home, his cabin up in the mountains that is surrounded by tranquility and peace if nothing else.

But peace and pure thoughts are the furthest thing from Zeke’s mind as he wages an internal war with himself, his desire for Mattie which continues to grow by the minute that unsettles him and shreds away at his control that has never failed him before. As the recipient of abuse at such a tender age, control is what Zeke thrives on, and being throttled by an overload of emotions is not what Zeke considers to be his forte.

But Mattie is a woman who has an abundance of patience, understanding and a soothing quality to her very touch that arouses, inflames and comforts all at the same time. Zeke might tell himself that he doesn’t want nor need any of what Mattie is offering but deep down inside Zeke knows that it is a losing battle that he fights with himself when the innocent hunger that blazes into life in Mattie’s eyes is one that he wouldn’t be able to turn away from.

I don’t think I can adequately describe what this novel did to me. I was taken away on a journey that was pure magic right from the very moment that Zeke takes Mattie away into the mountains, the way that Barbara brings to life the beauty of their surroundings one that charmed me in all the ways that matter. Zeke might tell himself and project that attitude that he is a mean son of a bitch, but the home he has built with his own hands from scratch and the sensual beauty of the place that he calls his home tells a story of its own.

Zeke is a man who sets the pages afire just by setting his foot in the scene. He is the larger-than-life type of hero that gets to me every single time, his intimidating size at odds with the way that he holds Mattie close to him and gives her shelter in his embrace. He is the type of man that as you read along you wish were yours to call your own, the type of man that can fuel your fire for quite some time to come. I can go on rehashing all those qualities that made me drool over and got drawn towards Zeke and I don’t think I would be able to do justice to his character even then.

Mattie was such a wonderful heroine. When a writer gets the heroine right in a story, that’s when I really admire the author’s talent. Mattie is the type of heroine who is comfortable in her skin, who doesn’t need to go out of her way to prove her mettle and worth to everyone she meets. She might not have been the world’s best judge of character when it had come to her ex-fiance but her instincts are spot on when it comes to Zeke and his lethal effect on her senses and heart that could prove more dangerous to her in the end.

The passion between Zeke and Mattie is scorching hot, brought vividly and so beautifully to life amidst the tranquility and beauty of the Colorado mountains where it seems as if Zeke and Mattie are the only souls who live on this Earth. That cocoon of well being is however intruded upon when reality comes crashing down and Zeke does what he does best; push away anyone that can lay siege on his heart and emotions. But Zeke underestimates the power of the love that courses through him, shaking the very foundation of his existence and giving him the explanation he has been seeking all the while for the way he has broken every single rule that has governed him for most of his adult life ever since he met Mattie.

There is nothing more you can ask from a romance when your whole self is immersed in the story, when all your emotions are engaged and I found myself in tears so many times throughout the novel that I think my ophthalmologist appointment today is not going to go down very well. There was this moment in the story when Zeke holds a baby in his arms and sways to the music, all the while whispering to him to calm him down. And then there was the moment when Zeke goes to visit his horse Orthello, the connection between man and horse an almost physical one that just makes you ache deep in your heart. And towards the end, I just cried from all the emotion overload that happened to me when Mattie once again turns up in Zeke’s life, giving him that opportunity to profess his feelings for her and make her stay a permanent one this time around.

The only thing that would have really made this book an outstanding one would have been a beautiful epilogue to wrap it all up, maybe 5 or 6 years after the last chapter takes place to show how Zeke and Mattie had faired as a married couple. I would have loved to see my Zeke all happy, without any of those shadows that haunts him surrounding him and only sunshine and happiness lurking in those beautiful green eyes of his.

Breaking the Rules is a novel that made me cry and one that made me smile deep within my heart because the sheer beauty of the storytelling and the emotions that it invoked demanded no less.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough to anyone and everyone who loves a good dose of romance.

I am definitely getting myself acquainted with each and every single title by Barbara Samuel. If the rest of her stories are half as good as this one, I would remain a very happy reader for the time to come.

Rating=4.75/5

Words can't express the beauty that is this story.

Original review posted on MBR's Realm of Romance

Quotes included below. And this one has got some beautiful quotes!
Profile Image for Mimi.
108 reviews46 followers
March 9, 2013
A wonderfully easy story to read - a good mixture of warmth, tenderness, and tension-ridden sexiness. I liked Mattie and I adored Zeke, and they were fabulous together. My only complaint is that the characters resolved their hang-ups a bit too easily after much drama and angst threatened to keep them apart. Definitely worth the read if you're in the mood for a category 90's contemporary romance in the Rockies, with a little suspense thrown in.
37 reviews
August 20, 2012
This is falling into my new "three star rating" which basically means I enjoyed the story well enough, but it was a tad predictable and a tad too short. I have read this slew of "three starr-ers" as they have all been free. The author then cleverly puts in an excerpt from another book they have written, and in this case it worked, and I also ordered, and paid, for another book by this author. But, unfortunately, the lack of true substance keeps me from continuing.
Profile Image for Liesl.
39 reviews
July 4, 2010
A woman on the run... When Zeke Shephard met Mattie O'Neal, the new waitress in town, he knew she was running from something. He never before was attracted to good girls, so why couldn't he leave her alone?...


It was ok, but somehow I didn't really like the main caracters (Zeke's: "Don't fall for me - I will never settle down"-routine just got plain on my nerves and Mattie was nice but boring personalitywise) so the book just dragged on and on without being very exciting. This author can do so much better.
Profile Image for Samaya.
120 reviews2 followers
March 25, 2023
I liked the book enough to continue reading it. Perhaps, I've reached an age where 'predictable' romance novels with emotionally unavailable, brooding men and a damsel in distress make me roll my eyes.

The typical story of boy meets girl. Girl wants nothing to do with him and says so. Boy ignores girl and pushes himself into her life. What happened to no means no? Girl eventually falls in love. But boy has demons yet he finally realizes he can't live without girl. Happy ending even if trite.

Granted Zeke had a horrific childhood. But in this day and age an emotionally mature person deals with their triggers, past and demons to reach a level of acceptance and emotional maturity. But that wouldn't make much of a romance, would it?

For Mattie's part, it is a stretch for a person raised 'in the system' to be as naive as she was with Brian. And from the standpoint of believability - a person in her position would logically go to authorities. Anyone with a brain knows running away isn't very realistic.

Shrug. If you want to set reality aside for a while to enjoy a predictable story line, it's a good enough light read.
Profile Image for Lynne Spreen.
Author 21 books218 followers
November 8, 2020
Mattie was about to marry a very bad man, but then she witnessed his involvement in a horrific crime. On the run, she is waitressing in a small town, trying to hide, when Zeke becomes suspicious. And just in time to save her. When the fiancé finds her, Zeke and Mattie barely escape on his motorcycle. Soon they're hiding out at his mountain cabin in Colorado, and Mattie wants to get closer, but Zeke doesn't do close. They share the fact of terrible childhoods (he has burn marks on his body from his dad's cigarettes, and she was a foster child, moved from home to home). Coming together will require a leap of faith for both of them.

This was another of Barbara Samuel/Ruth Wind's well-written romances.
Profile Image for Lou Lou.
79 reviews2 followers
August 4, 2020
This has been sat on my TBR pile for so long that I decided it was time to try it.
I read it in a couple of days. It was an easy and enjoyable book to read - disappointed there wasn't more to the ending.
Profile Image for Ellen.
838 reviews7 followers
June 11, 2017
This book was a light read. I am not crazy about the cover which usually attracts me to the book.
Profile Image for Debra Barstad.
1,388 reviews13 followers
October 20, 2020
this was one of them happy ending books. In parts it seemed to drag but then would pick up and slow down but overall a good book.
Profile Image for Marleen.
1,855 reviews91 followers
November 24, 2014
The sound quality of this book's audio version was very (very) poor and so was the rendition by the narrator, Libby Clearfield. All that poor quality didn't help appreciating this earlier story (1994) by wonderful Barbara Samuel - here writing under the pen-name Ruth Wind. The story itself wasn't much to my taste, to be honest. Too generic, too formulaic. All deja-vu. I am so glad this author has tremendously improved with the years, and has moved on from bringing these cooky-cutter romances (for Sihouette) over the years to more substantial women's fiction these days.
In a nutshell, this is the story of Mattie O'Neal. Mattie's on the run. She's changed her name and appearance, and is hiding in a tiny Arizona town, slinging hash. She thought she was safe - until handsome Zeke Shephard walked through the door. Zeke doesn't get involved - but when the villains who want to silence Mattie forever show up (because she witnessed their crime), Zeke steps up... And yes, ... you can guess the rest. Very - very - very unimaginative.
(Audiobook: 1,5 stars)
143 reviews20 followers
April 16, 2012
I really,really enjoyed the story of Mattie and Zeke. Both of them had been horribly wounded in their youth, and still had obvious scars. Now Mattie, or Miss Mary,as Zeke called her, was on the run after witnessing a triple murder. Luckily Zeke was willing to help her hide out in his wilderness cabin. Naturally they fall in love, and the process was one of the most beautifully written stories I have read in a LONG time. Naturally, true love does not run smooth, but it prevails in the end. And so does justice. I definitely plan on reading all her books.
Profile Image for Tabitha Ormiston-Smith.
Author 53 books59 followers
May 4, 2013
What a pleasant surprise this book was. I couldn't remember why I had downloaded it, and usually expect "romance" books to be trash, but this one has a real story, with real characters and real situations. There's action drama with fighting, very realistically done, and only a tiny bit of soft porn - really you could hardly call it porn, and plenty of warning is given by the writer that things are getting explicit, so it is easy to skip those bits.

The characters were well drawn and believable, and altogether it was a most enjoyable read.
984 reviews8 followers
March 20, 2023
This was one of the first stories that made me love Barbara O'neal stories. The plots are original, the characters are unique and there is always love somewhere. As Madelaine is running from a violent ex-fiance who also a criminal, she runs into Zeke, a man trying to keep his life simple, so he doesn't end up like his dad. Instead he ends up helping Madelaine get away and hide her at his secret home, where they both start to unravel their pasts and fall in love. Love the horses, Love that Luke breaks his rules.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
148 reviews
February 16, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. Barbara Samuel did a fantastic job of creating her characters, and the world in which she placed them. The characters were believable, the plot built to a fantastic climax, and it kept you enthralled from start to finish. The main characters were both a little broken, and neither one was looking for or wanted to find themselves in a relationship. I enjoyed watching them find themselves as they worked their way through Mattie's situation.
I definately recommend Breaking the Rules.
Profile Image for Deborah.
118 reviews
March 11, 2024
As with all of the previous books I have read by this author (under her various pen names), it was hard to put this down and I ended up wanting to re-read it a few days later without rushing through to see what happens next - just for the pure enjoyment of her descriptive writing style and character and relationship development.
As usual, she tackles unpleasant topics (child abuse, foster care, domestic violence) but manages still to come up with a happy ending for the main characters. (And their just deserts for the bad guys)
Profile Image for LadyCalico.
2,289 reviews48 followers
January 28, 2013
This was a most enjoyable little romance. It wasn't exactly "contemporary" since some things in there were rather dated, so it is apparently an older book re-published without up-dating. It did not have a very original plot but did have the fine writing, rich character development, and heart and soul that I have come to associate with Samuel novels. It also did not drag or get boring because she had the good sense to make the novel short and sweet, taking place over a very brief time span.
Profile Image for Kim.
701 reviews10 followers
August 24, 2016
I am so sad to see this book end, I fell in love with the characters Mattie and Zeke. Mattie is working as a waitress in a small town in Arizona. She is on the run after witnessing her fiancé murder three men and now as the only witness he will not rest until she is dead too. Zeke is the hot motorcycle bad boy that is sure he has seen Mattie before and just will not let it be, aside from the attraction he knows they both feel.
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,609 reviews109 followers
August 15, 2012
It was a cute story. I did not feel that it dragged. A little disappointed with the ending. I thought it ended quickly. I actually thought my Kindle was 'missing' some pages. I could not believe it just ended like that without the author giving us some insight as to how the character were doing after 1 year or 2 years. I still enjoyed the book.
Profile Image for Lea.
2,772 reviews56 followers
March 9, 2013
3.5 rounded up. As a Barbara ONeil/Samuel fan, this book didn't disappoint. She provides romance with the brutality of life, bringing to light difficult topics - in this case child abuse and domestic abuse/murderer. Two broken people find each other and heal together. Well written, great characters.
Profile Image for Rita .
1,663 reviews
November 7, 2011
I thought the book was good. But the cover would mislead you into believing it a teen book. They were much older than the cover couple. I like my covers to match the characters. Overall the book was good.
Profile Image for Ruthie.
134 reviews5 followers
April 15, 2012
H/h: Zeke/Maddie
Where: Arizona & Colorado
What:
Maddie, lonely orphan raised in foster homes. Zeke, abused as a child, broken as an adult. This book was not one of my favorites, I never felt connected to the characters though I was hoping for an HEA for them. Not a lot to say.
215 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2012
This was a nice story about two people running from trouble and teaming up together to hide.
It was slow paced in some parts and then took off and ran in some parts. Altogether I am glad
that I stuck with it because it was a good read. I liked it
Profile Image for Mandy Marek.
26 reviews
October 16, 2012


I liked this book. A nice story. The only thing I didn't care for was I didn't buy into the long-haired man that smokes as being sexy. So in my mind I changed him so I could enjoy the images that played out in my head. :)
Profile Image for Jatana Fleming.
362 reviews17 followers
May 31, 2013
I really enjoyed this romance/suspense novel. Mattie is on the run after witnessing a murder. Zeke is the strong, sexy guy there to protect her and protect his heart. He has some serious baggage from his past that she helps him work through. Love the descriptions of the scenery.
15 reviews
July 21, 2014
Breaking The Rules

Breaking The Rules

I enjoyed reading this book it was very interesting. In fact I enjoyed it so much I read it twice. This is first book I have read of Barbara Samuel. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

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