Rule Breaker

By: Lily Morton

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Is it really wrong to want to murder your boss?

Dylan has worked for Gabe for two years. Two long years of sarcastic comments. Two long years of insults, and having to redo the coffee pot four times in the mornings to meet his exacting standards.

Not surprisingly he has devoted a lot of time to increasingly inventive ways to murder Gabe. From stabbing him with a cake fork, to garrotting him with his expensive tie, Dylan has thought of everything.

However, a chance encounter opens his eyes to the attraction that has always lain between them, concealed by the layers of antipathy. There are only two problems - Gabe is still a bastard, and he makes wedding planners look like hardened pessimists.

But what happens when Dylan starts to see the real Gabe? What happens when he starts to fall in love with the warm, wary man that he sees glimpses of as the days pass?

Because Gabe is still the same commitment shy, cold man that he’s always been, or is he? Has Dylan had the same effect on Gabe, and has his solid gold rule of no commitment finally been broken? With his heart taken Dylan desperately needs to know, but will he get hurt trying to find the answers?

From the author of The Summer of Us comes another scorchingly hot romantic comedy, showing what happens between two men when rules get broken.

©2017 Lily Morton (P)2019 Lily Morton

Brings the emotion to life!

OMG! Just finished the new audiobook of Rule Breaker!! Stayed up all night listening to it...it was THAT good!! And let me say at this point that I’ve read the book three times prior!

Joel Leslie does such a fantastic job with the narration. I always remember the snark and sass of the books but he brings the emotion and heartbreak so alive it is breathtaking! I’m amazed by how much different he sounds here than in other books he’s done. So in character, so talented. Even the intro and the credits in character!! Bravo!!

~ " Love must be as much light as ...

... it is a flame. "~ hdt

To say I enjoyed listening to Rule Breaker would be an understatement. I am utterly and I mean cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs , obsessed and giddy by how much I was entertained .

Even though, I already read and loved Rule Breaker; Joel Leslie brought it to life. His characterization of Dylan and Gabe was magnificent.

his portrayal captured and gave me the Dylan and Gabe , I had in my head ; he deliver exactly, the snark, the teasing, the lust, the hurt and the happiness. Everything.

Thus far, my review have been about how the story made me feel and how pleasurable experience was to listen to it.

But I haven't say anything of what the book is about. So, the short and sweet explanation.
It's a Rom - Com about two likeable, engaging, polar opposite men , doing everything possible to fight their volatile and their OMG fire burning 😏 I'm melting here chemistry and need for each other tale.

It's written with Lily Morton offbeat, quirky and lovable style.

The type of tale you know , you'll be reading/listening again and again because it makes you feel good , believe that true love really does exist and everyone can have a HEA.

Get this audio , it is worth all the credits in your account.

The Banter, The Snark, The Tension, The Sex!!!

OMFG!!! This AUDIOBOOK by Joel Leslie KICKS ASS!!! It injected such life and so much more humor (as if the writing were t funny enough on its own) that I found myself begging Lily Morton for the release dates of the next books in the series.

I am UPPING my review to FIVE STARS!!!

Original ebook review: Nov 2017–
<strong>Delicious, hot ride!</strong>

I loved this book! While there wasn’t much of a plot, the relationship between these two men was more than enough to sustain my interest through the main part of the novel (we’ll deal with the epilogue later.)

Dylan, assistant to the irascible attorney Gabe, is hilarious. He’s witty, charming, tall, and handsome (as all men are, of course). His boss is equally gorgeous, muscled, tall, and a monster of a man to work for.

Although Dylan wishes him dead, he also lusts after him. Could his gruff boss possibly lust after him as well? Of course this is a perfect set up for an enemies-to-lovers story.

I found the verbal exchanges between the two men funny and entertaining. I loved the tension bouncing back and forth, and the deliciousness of it all when they got together. Chemistry. These two had it.

Of course, their road to an HEA is rocky, and at times I just wanted to smack Gabe upside the head for being such an idiot, but if it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have much of a story.

The writing was above par and kept the story moving up until we get to the epilogue. Our little peek into their happily ever after. Here the author switched up the previously single POV to a double one. Personally, it’s something I don’t care for at the end of a book. I’ve gotten used to one voice, don’t give me another past the 11th hour. Also, the epilogue was a lot of telling and very little doing. This was a switch from the balanced writing throughout most of the book.

Oddness of epilogue aside, I loved this book and thought the characters had depth, and strength, and fantastic sex! This was my first book by Lily Morton and I’m seriously impressed by her work (and the super hot sex)!

Will have to read the actual book

I received an ARC of this audio for my honest review. Unfortunately I couldn't stand listening to the narrator of this book. So can't give my actual review. Once I physically read the book I will post my review.

Liked it but it lagged a lot

First off, kudos to the author for writing a first person, present tense book that I enjoyed. I'm not a fan of 1st person and I HATE present tense as a rule.

I loved the characters: Gabe and Dylan were true to themselves. And Jude? Gotta love Jude.

However, as much as I enjoyed the tension between the two main characters, the story lagged-a lot. I had to force myself to keep listening. That is not the mark of a great book. And yet... I really did like Gabe and Dylan, even if it didn't end the way I'd hoped. I'd list it as ending 'happily for now' and not 'happily ever after'. And strangely if the author hadn't listed a certain box, I would have accepted it as HEA. But because of the box and the unasked question, it now sits at HFN. Which is a strange thing to do, especially with that uber long epilogue, when this is a series of different leads.

There were also some time jumps that didn't make a lot of sense. And the whole Fletcher angle? I would have expected fireworks when that ended instead of an off-screen nothing. After all, with how badly Fletcher treated Dylan, it deserved an on-screen blowup.

I enjoyed Joel Leslie's narration immensely. However, while Gabe and Dylan mostly had their own voices, there were many spots where I couldn't tell them apart. Which sucked.

So it seems strange to say but, I do highly suggest this book. Just be ready for it to lag a lot.

A steamy workplace enemies to lovers romance!

This is the first book in the Mixed Messages series abd can be listened to as a standalone.

Dylan is at wits end on dealing with his boss's crude, unfriendly remarks and never being able to be enough for him.
But when a chance encounter allows Dylan to see the real Gabe.
He realises that he isn't alll that harsh, cold and ruthless. Instead he sees a different side to him. A more softer, kind and shy side and he can't help but fall for him.

This was a steamy opposites attract, work place romance with all the feels.
Joel Leslie's narration was perfect for this one.

Perfect

I have to say, I'm a big fan of Joel Leslie's British accent and thoroughly enjoyed this narration. The book was always a fun read and this performance adds to the drama perfectly.

Joel is fantastic

This book was very funny, the banter between the characters witty and addicting. The attraction between Gabe and Dylan ran deep and I liked the build of it as well as the e-mail correspondence that started every chapter that really showed their humor. When I was reading this book in e-book format I had a hard time liking it about halfway through, and in the audio I liked it much better.
I think my one main issue is Gabe, even though I understand why he is the way he is it's too hard for me to like him. In the end, despite the romance and sweet ending I feel like Gabe went too far and lost my affection.
Dylan on the other hand, is so likable, and caring. I really enjoyed his character and the way he evolved in the book. His family is funny, and have that 'real' feel of authenticity I like in books- with each member being quirky and unique.
The narration by Joel Leslie is fantastic, it's as if Dylan was tailored to fit him, I can easily imagine him as Dylan. He does great accent work, making each character shine and ramped up the humor. He was a great choice to narrate this book and, like I said, the audio was a much better reading experience for me then the printed version.

Terrific story with outstanding narration

What a wonderful story! And the audiobook made it even better with the fantastic performance of Joel Leslie, who brought Dylan, Gabe, and the rest of the cast of characters to life. Listening to a book narrated by Joel Leslie is like watching the story unfold on the big screen. The voices become real characters. There’s drama, humor, tears (he does crying scenes so well!) and every voice is so distinctive that there’s never a doubt of which MC is speaking.

The story of Gabe and his personal assistant, Dylan, is filled with the angst of falling in love with an unlovable man, but it’s also laced throughout with humor, much of it dry Brit wit and snark. The author opens each chapter with a note or memo from either Dylan to Gabe or Gabe to Dylan, and many provide laugh-out-loud moments and/or embarrassing barks or snorts in public places.

I highly recommend this 9.5 hour audiobook to all who enjoy Brit humor, hot sex, angst, love, and redemption, and of course, a very well-deserved HEA.

Yeah, no.

Nope, nope, nope.
This is one of those times where I feel like I must have read/listened to a different book than everyone else. At first the banter between Dylan and Gabe was fun and entertaining, and the UST was palpable. But I didn't like seeing so much of Gabe's exploits on page, in that we'd see them through Dylan's eyes, since this story was told solely in his point of view. I really did not like Gabe at all.
Once their physical relationship started, I knew it wasn't going to be good for Dylan. He was too invested compared to Gabe, and even though he knew this going in, there's no way he wasn't going to get hurt.
I understand that your background can have a bearing on the way you treat people and can have a huge impact on your life, and Gabe's childhood was awful, but there comes a point when you need to take responsibility for your actions, and I never really saw that with Gabe. There really was no excuse for the way he treated Dylan, and he got away with being a complete jerk. There was not enough groveling for my liking, especially after that Valentine's Day stunt- I was ready to call it quit after that. But I kept on. And while I did like the epilogue/ending, I still harbor a lot of anger towards Gabe.

Joel's narration was terrific as always.

Great story and narration, a realistic story.

First if Joel Leslie is narrating its going to be good. Story is well paced, believable (I have wanted to kill a few managers) and mixed with enough angst and comedy. I found myself rocking with laughter at a few comments.

I cant recommend this book and Joel enough.

Glad I tried this!

This was much more enjoyable than expected! The clever humour and the brilliant naration set this apart from others in this genre.

Pulled at all your emotions

This book has everything. Happiness, sadness, laughter.
The story just pulls you into it and makes you feel like you are there watching living it all with the characters. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop listening to it one minute you were laughing the next your eyes are welling up because you know how the character feels. And everything this author writes really draws you into it and it’s so well written. It’s just unbelievable.
It gives you hope that real life could be like this, and hopefully one day it will be

Not my cup of tea

No plot, no depth, no surprises. It's literally nothing happening except the main romance plot string.
MCs act like spoiled teenagers driven only by their emotions.

I enjoyed the witty remarks and repartee between (nearly) all characters but sadly the focus shifted in the curse of the book.

Oh dear, an excellent book, spoiled.

I love Lilly Morton books, they are clever and highly amusing, but it just goes to show how an excellent read can become an awkward listening experience. The narrator rushed the lines and there was little definition between the two protagonists. I found it hard to listen to.

what a fantastic story

this had me laughing and choked up brilliant story it's a must read . narrator exceptional

Loved this book

I really enjoyed this book; I loved the characters and the storyline. Joel Leslie was a brilliant as ever, I will definitely put this in my favourites and enjoy reading it again.

brilliant

I've had this book in my wish list for ages and I'm not sure why I didn't listen to it. The story is great, witty humour, abit of angst and brilliant characters. Fantastic narration, I do love a South West accent. I'm looking forward to the rest in the series

Took a while to get into it but pretty good by the end.

Despite a bit of a cliche ending, I did enjoy this. Normally I love Joel Leslie narration, but the voices of the two characters were too similar and at times it was annoying.

Sweet, laugh out loud and heart warming

Loved it, Lily and Joel, a wonderful story brilliantly narrated, I will definitely be buying the rest in the series.