Beautiful Broken Rules, by Kimberly Lauren

4.5 out of 5 stars

Emerson Moore accepts her reputation as the school's slut.  There aren't too many people after all who follow the same rules as herself:

• Never sleep with someone that a friend has feelings for
• Never sleep with someone who is in a known relationship
• Never sleep with someone more than three times

Her reason behind creating these rules - no desire whatsoever for a relationship.  She figures if she is upfront and honest from the beginning then there is no room for miscommunication.  She absolutely DOES NOT want a boyfriend.  These rules also allow her to have a good time and enjoy life without getting her heart broken.

One morning after a wild night of partying she finds herself in a prediciment...no clothes and needing to get home so she can make it to a class.  With no other options she decides to leave the frat house in only her bra and panties, besides who is she going to run into at 7:00am???  She opens the front door only to find her best friend Cole and a hot, mysterious boy on a motorcycle.  Instead of feeling embarrassed she embraces her situation and keeps her confidence.  

Mysterious hot biker boy turns out to be Cole's roommate and her new next door neighbor, Jaxon Riley.  It also turns out there is more to Jaxon than tattooed muscles, a sense of humor and sexual chemistry, he's slowly learning to break Emerson's rules.  The question is now that all her rules are broken will Emerson finally come face to face with the one thing she has tried to avoid since she was 15...heartbreak, or will she find true happiness and love with Jaxon?

I thought Beautiful Broken Rules was a refreshing twist on the typical romance novel of today.  I absolutely loved and thoroughly enjoyed watching the lead female character take on all the common stereotypes of a male character - playgirl who has never wanted or been able to settle down, never falls in love but loves a good time.  I also loved that Emerson's character embraced these qualities in herself and never made excuses nor did she try and convince anyone else, including Jaxon, she was any different.  It made her completely lovable.  Almost from their first meeting Emerson lays her rules on the line to Jaxon and he can either accept them or not, the choice is his.  Of course when this happens you immediately know that when it comes to her relationship with Jaxon those rules are going to fly out the window!  

Honestly it was beautiful to watch all the walls Emerson had carefully constructed over the years come crumbling down, how you as the reader realize what's happening to Emerson even before she puts the pieces together.  Throughout the whole story you remain in Emerson's thoughts, and when that inevitable heartbreak happens you cannot help but want to comfort her.  

And, talk about a fantastic ending, I thought the epilougue was perfect!  For me the book wouldn't have been the same without it because it really gave you a sense of closure for both Emerson and Jaxon!  Make the time to read this book, it's refreshing and funny filled with plenty of emotional depth.  It can easily be read in one sitting and would be perfect to enjoy during a day at the beach.

Also, if you end up liking it as much as me you will be happy to hear Kimberly is working on another book about Jace (Jaxon's equally handsome identical twin brother)!