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Family Rules: A Breaking the Rules Novel Kindle Edition
Rule #1- No dating men who have children
Mark: I’ve done the picket fence thing, and that didn't work out for me, but now that I’m finally out of the closet and single… I want some spice. Something or someone who’s just for me. One-night stands aren’t really my thing—not when I have my daughter, Emma, to think about. But when a night with friends throws me in the path of a gorgeous but determined flirt and eternal bachelor, I have to make a hard decision. I feel instantly drawn to him with feelings more primal and genuine than I’ve ever felt before. This guy isn’t looking for permanent, though, and even the idea of kids makes him look ready to bolt. Too bad I can’t seem to keep my hands off the man.
Justin: I have three rules for dating: no co-workers, no repeats, and absolutely no kids involved. And, quite frankly, I’ve never even felt tempted to break them. Until Mark. The adorable, geeky accountant makes my pulse race despite my better judgment. But the guy is a father. And I know from past experience, that’s a hard pass for me. So I vow to keep Mark safely in the friend zone… which turns into the friends with benefits zone… which very quickly veers sharply into the zone I swore I’d never consider. The forever zone.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 19, 2018
- File size2.7 MB
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See full series- Kindle Price:$11.97By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
- Kindle Price:$23.94By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 5 books.
This option includes 6 books.
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Product details
- ASIN : B07C3F2XV4
- Publication date : April 19, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 2.7 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 244 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 1 of 6 : Breaking the Rules
- Best Sellers Rank: #243,130 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,321 in Gay Fiction
- #7,862 in Gay Romance
- #10,192 in LGBTQ+ Romance (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Jacki James has been saying she was going to write a book since she was sixteen and wrote fanfiction (before fanfiction had a name) about her favorite Rockstar. She is a believer in love of all kinds but MM romance is her favorite by far. She has a romantic heart and a dirty mind and likes to write stories that let both shine.
When she isn’t writing she is either creating beautiful pieces of glass art or reading. She is an animal lover and dreams of having a small hobby farm where she can raise goats, chickens and organic veggies. In the meantime, she lives in town with her two cats, awesome husband, and two college-aged kids.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book to be a lovely debut novel with a believable storyline and great supporting characters. They appreciate the unusual family dynamics and the best group of friends portrayed in the story. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer noting that the characters have more sense than the grown-ups.
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Customers find the book to be an amazing read, describing it as a lovely debut novel with an HEA, and one customer notes it's a perfect low-angst read.
"...Good Read!!😍😍..." Read more
"I really enjoyed this book. Great main characters a child and some really good friends and family make this story work. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...'s daughter, Emma, is a total trip...She is a ball of energy and totally adorable...I loved that Justin had his dating rules, but once he met Mark..." Read more
"...It was a very good book. I would definitely recommend" Read more
Customers enjoy the romance in the book, describing it as a cute story about love with a believable storyline.
"...rules, but as the reader I knew he had it bad for Mark...it is a really sweet story with some really great supporting characters...I am now..." Read more
"...who I’m sure pop up as the MCs of the subsequent books in this fun-filled series." Read more
"...It’s the perfect low-angst read when you’re looking for a sweet romance...." Read more
"This was a good book. Super sweet with grand romantic gestures topped off with a lovely wedding, an HEA, and an adorable ending...." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting the great supporting characters, with one customer particularly praising Justin and Mark.
"I really enjoyed this book. Great main characters a child and some really good friends and family make this story work. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...it bad for Mark...it is a really sweet story with some really great supporting characters...I am now anxiously awaiting the Matt and Lincoln story b/..." Read more
".../might have been, I loved the fluidity of the writing and the supporting cast, who I’m sure pop up as the MCs of the subsequent books in this fun-..." Read more
"...I enjoyed Justin and Mark individually, and they each had a cool group of friends that I can’t wait to hear more about...." Read more
Customers appreciate the family dynamics in the book, with one review highlighting the unusual family structure and another mentioning the blended family setup.
"...main characters a child and some really good friends and family make this story work. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...Unusual family dynamics and beautiful reunions added dimension and made it that much sweeter. I will be eagerly awaiting book two." Read more
"I loved Family Rules!..." Read more
"...Great MCs with a super cool family set up. Loved that it was set in Texas. Highly recommend." Read more
Customers enjoy the friendship portrayed in the book, with one mentioning they loved the characters.
"...Great main characters a child and some really good friends and family make this story work. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...I enjoyed Justin and Mark individually, and they each had a cool group of friends that I can’t wait to hear more about...." Read more
"...the best group of friends." Read more
"Love this book and being introduced to a whole group of friends to enjoy spending some time with. Great MCs with a super cool family set up...." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting it has more sense than the grown-ups.
"...as this could/might have been, I loved the fluidity of the writing and the supporting cast, who I’m sure pop up as the MCs of the subsequent books..." Read more
"...Nice story and nicely told.. A feel good experience!" Read more
"...Emma was so cute, loved her! She had more sense than the grown ups, lol!! Good book!!" Read more
"It was everything I expected and more! Great characters, great writing and a believable storyline...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024Justin the player didn't want to date men with children but when he noticed that beautiful man at the club he had no ideal. Mark was tired of hookups he wanted something long-term so he wasn't looking for some fun at the club when he noticed that tall man standing at the bar looking his way. When he asked his friend did he know him he said yes but he was a manwhore and before he knew it he was walking their way. After introductions he was left along with Justin and they were having a lovey conversation until he mentioned his four year old daughter. Justin had rules and #2 was he didn't date men with children. Before that revelation Mark had invited him to his home, the last thing he expected was for Justin to show up but he did. They decided to be friends but the more time they spent together things changed, after Justin seen Mark dancing at the club with another man they went from just friends to friends with benefits that was the beginning of their journey together. Once Justin realized what Mark already knew, that they were so much more. They became a family and that included Mark's ex-wife and her husband. Good Read!!😍😍
- Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020I really enjoyed this book. Great main characters a child and some really good friends and family make this story work. I highly recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2018I loved this book...the MCs, Mark and Justin were well developed and really well written...The family dynamics had quite a twist that seemed odd at first, but once you got into the story you could see how this really worked for all involved...Mark's daughter, Emma, is a total trip...She is a ball of energy and totally adorable...I loved that Justin had his dating rules, but once he met Mark he made certain concessions...He kept telling himself he was following his rules, but as the reader I knew he had it bad for Mark...it is a really sweet story with some really great supporting characters...I am now anxiously awaiting the Matt and Lincoln story b/c there is definitely something happening with those two...I also hope sweet sassy Nathan finds his man...I feel that Nathan's story is going be a roller coaster ride...
- Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2023First I'm going to start by saying I have loved all Jacki's books that I have read so far and with that I had such high hopes for this book. And while it was still so good I had mixed feelings which had to do with personal preference and not the book itself. I struggled to read the first quarter to maybe half of this book mainly because of Justin and his damn rules. It did definitely get better and im glad I stuck with it and I'm so happy for them and that everything else worked out. It was a very good book. I would definitely recommend
- Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023There are a few issues to get over but when they do, Mark and Justin pretty much sizzle. They are both adorable sweet men who just need a little attitude and idea adjustments so they can find their happiest life.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018Family Rules is the story of Mark and Justin, two men who seemingly want very different things from the other man. Mark is looking to settle down with a man who can be a good stepfather to his 4 year old daughter, while Justin never sleeps with the same man twice and never sleeps with men with kids in the first place. They get to talking one night, and soon it's clear that these guys have a lot more in common than chemistry. What starts as a friendship soon morphs into more, whether they want it to or not, and they find themselves having to redefine their relationship to accommodate their burgeoning feelings despite their fears and hesitations.
Plot-wise, this would have been about 3.5 stars for me. The story jumps around a bit, and a lot of chapters unnecessarily backtrack to show a scene again from the alternate POV. I didn't feel that the prologue set up the story properly, and it had me nervous about what was to come in the story. I loved the family dynamic between Mark, his ex-wife and her new husband. They had a very unique but wonderful relationship that added a lot of value to the story. I just wish its uniqueness hadn't been mentioned so often; I got it after the first 3 instances and didn't need anymore. The premise of finding someone worth breaking the rules for is a great jumping off point, and I could understand Justin's hesitation to a certain extent, but I didn't feel his backstory warranted his extremism. I also felt that once these guys finally admitted their feelings to each other, their relationship began moving forward much too quickly for people who were so hesitant up until that point. Too much change that quickly isn't a good idea for real people. Overall, the story was decent. It had good side characters, it set up another book in the series decently and I did like watching Mark and Justin's relationship evolve over time.
I'm knocking down the rating due to writing execution. There are a multitude of grammatical and wording errors in this novel, to the point that reading it was very disjointed. The front of the book shows it went to an editor/proofreader, but I would never recommend that person to proofread if this is the final product. Hopefully the author is able to fix these mistakes, as that would greatly improve the reading experience.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018I love cute books about cute guys with cute rules that exist to be broken; who fall for another cute guy with such a gosh darn cute child that love just MUST bloom between them. It helps that cute guy #2 (with the kid) has an extremely insightful and understanding ex and that guy #1 (Mr. “Rules”) isn’t very carved-in-stone about allowing his numb-skull ideas to stand in the way of a truly fun and satisfying (if not at times tear-inducing) HEA. As partially sentimental and Hallmark-ish (don’t blame me for that one...guy #2’s mom invoked that one herself...in the book!) as this could/might have been, I loved the fluidity of the writing and the supporting cast, who I’m sure pop up as the MCs of the subsequent books in this fun-filled series.
Top reviews from other countries
- SusanReviewed in Australia on June 14, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars LGBTQ awesomeness
This was a fantastic book to read. I loved the progress that Justin and Mark made throughout the story. The sex scenes were well written, wouldn’t have minded if there were a few more! Loved it.
-
VanessaReviewed in Germany on August 8, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Schöne Geschichte
... einer doch sehr speziellen Patchwork Familie, die dabei ist ein neues Familienmitglied zu bekommen. Freue mich schon auf die nächsten Teile und darauf den ein oder anderen wiederzuerleben.
- DJMReviewed in Canada on April 24, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading.
Well-developed plot. Well developed characters and wonderful little side adventures. Would readily read other books by this author. This is first book I have read by this author.
- l.i.h.Reviewed in Germany on May 1, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars Super sweet!
Very sweet and low on angst, if lacking a bit of poise. The writing is simplistic and might come across at awkward, but I didn't mind too much.
What weirded me out was how weirded out people (both in the book and in some reviews) got by Mark's family's living situation. He and his ex-wife, who's also his best friend, live in houses next to each other so that their daughter has a big shared backyard and can switch between going to her dad and mom + stepdad. I thought that was super cute and worked perfectly for this family
- LiashReviewed in Australia on April 23, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars - Fun light read, but that meant it missed some depth
This was a light and fun read. There was zero angst - none at all. Even the whole ex-wife cheating and wanting to move away with new husband taking their daughter with her plotline was quickly, easily and amicably resolved. This was the tone for the whole book.
The book was a little stilted to start with, but the author soon found her rhythm and the storyline smoothed out. There were still quite a few cliched moments, and some very cheesy lines between the MCs that bordered on eye-roll worthy, but for some reason it worked. I did feel it was a little too light at times, and that some angst of any kind would have added some depth. Even Justin, who never wanted anything to do with being part of a stepfamily, didn't have any major freak out moments when he realises what he had gotten himself in for and what he was feeling for Mark. I would almost say it was Hallmark worthy, but there wasn't even the big 'lightbulb' moment that made him realise what he was going to miss out on - it all just evolved naturally and smoothly.
The characters were likeable - all of them! There was no antagonist in this book at all! The author has set up some of the other characters to pair up in future novels already too. Due to the super light nature of the book, I did feel the character development suffered. Even with the alternating POV, their inner thoughts were light and fluffy - they didn't have any freak out moments that warranted an inner argument or pull against themself. Their head and heart seemed to align every single time.
What is a shame is that based on the titles of the books, I can't tell which is next in the series - they all just say "A Breaking the Rules Novel". There is a definite read order, so why aren't they labelled as such? Even the back of this book didn't list out the authors other works so I can't tell which is next which is frustrating and means I haven't bought the next one yet. At the moment despite me enjoying this one, if the same easy flow is going to happen for the next books, I'm not sure it's worth my time to go looking for which book is next. Hopefully the author reads this and updates the titles to make it easier to 'one-click'.