Book Review | Breaking All The Rules: True love is in the air

Rarely do you find a romance novel in which the love-hate banter or sexual tension starts rolling off the pages in the very first chapter. Bestselling romcom author Amy Andrews’s Breaking All The Rules does just that. The chemistry between Amy’s main characters Beatrice Archer (35), an emotionally distressed advertising executive, and Austin Cooper, an achingly handsome 25-year-old cop sizzles across every page of BATR. This book is a fun and flirty read. It enters the steamy zone intermittently – leaving you gasping for breath after a heavy smooch. No wonder, Amy’s Gen-Z reader score runs into epic proportions. She never disappoints them.

Confident of getting her long overdue promotion, Beatrice slogs day and night to meet her annual ad revenue targets. However, she is left gobsmacked when the boss of her Los Angeles-based ad agency promotes a less qualified guy over Beatrice. Disheartened, she decides to move lock, stock, and barrel to Nowhere, Colorado, and start life afresh. She decides to break all rules and lead a life on her own terms. So, there’s beer for breakfast. Netflix and chips binging. No bra or panty days. Sweat pants and bunny slippers when she heads to the local diner to satiate her hunger pangs. All seems fine until the day she bumps into the drool-worthy Austin. Beatrice is smitten by his rugged cowboy looks and sexy southern accent. Sparks fly between the two of them. And before you know it, they are spending time together, giggling like silly teenagers, fondling, and fulfilling their fantasies.

A small-town guy, Austin is happy and content with his life on the ranch, his job, and his ‘sweetie pie’ ‘Beatriss’. He longs for her laughter and company. They are made for each other. They are soulmates. But something is still amiss. Although Austin ticks all the right boxes of ‘Perfect Guy’ or ‘Husband Material’, Beatrice is a wee bit confused and wary about the age gap romance. She is uncertain about her future. She wonders whether it is mere infatuation. Too much sugar and mush make for a crumbly romance read. But Amy knows when to add spice and sprinkle copious doses of humour and banter to keep the sexual tension alive. BATR is like those irresistible doughnuts or creamy pies — always tastes good when served piping hot! The only problem is you cannot stop feasting till you finish the last bits.